There were only a dozen soldiers in that group, and they all wore uniform light armor. They rode horses to patrol near the military camp, then dismounted, tied the reins to a few big trees, and quietly escaped into the forest.
Seeing this, even if there are still monitors nearby, they will definitely think that this is a scout team, responsible for checking the surrounding movements to warn the military camp in advance.
There was only one person following behind him unhurriedly, and it was Wu Guanting.
After following him for a short distance, Wu Guanting realized something was wrong.
This scout team is too strange, with no intention of spreading out. Although everyone is alert to their surroundings, it is not like a routine patrol, but more like preventing someone from discovering them.
Especially those at the back, their skills are not like those in the military, but like martial arts warriors. From Wu Guanting's perspective, these people are clearly top-notch masters.
They were separated from each other by a certain distance, but they could clearly see the movements of their neighbors. The total length from the beginning to the end reached several hundred meters. As a result, even the most powerful experts would not be able to sneak past them and keep up with the people at the front.
.
If it were Wu Guanting in the past, he would definitely have encountered difficulties. Unfortunately, he now has astonishing skills that few people in the world can match. He used the cover of the surrounding environment to quickly cross the warning line.
Wu Guanting's eyes fell on a middle-aged man in the front. Although the man was wearing a soldier's armor, his every move, including his position, showed his unique identity.
It is impossible for the scout team to have such a strict level, let alone a group of masters. The answer is already obvious.
And as a middle-aged man, why did he have to raise suspicions and conceal his identity so carefully when he left the military camp? He was obviously going to do a very important secret matter.
What could happen at this juncture?
Suppressing his increasingly fast heartbeat, Wu Guanting was like a weightless ghost, always hanging at the back, neither making a sound nor making a move, preparing to put a long line to catch the big fish.
The opponent was simply too cautious, and kept running towards the deep mountains and wild ridges, going in circles and back and forth from time to time. And every once in a while, the people behind them would change their formation to prevent them from being followed from another direction.
Even Wu Guanting had to admit that if he hadn't improved greatly in martial arts, he would have probably been discovered in this formation.
However, nothing can be done too much. Unbeknownst to this scout, it was because of their frequent detours that they encountered two spies hiding in the mountains.
The two spies were assigned to search for traces of Zhang Jiaquan in the deep mountains and forests. After discovering this team, they followed them immediately without making any noise.
They come from an Oriental family and are well versed in the art of hiding. The members of the scout team cannot detect them at all.
But unfortunately, Wu Guanting discovered it. He knew that the secrets here could not be leaked to others. It was related to Zhuo Mufeng's grand plan. If other forces intervened, it would probably cause complications.
So Wu Guanting secretly moved to the rear, secretly took action, and killed the two people. After doing this, Wu Guanting sneaked back.
Probably feeling that it was almost done, the middle-aged man at the front waved his hand, and the person on the left picked up the compass, and the group of people swept away in a certain direction at full speed.
After that, they passed through a secret mountain road, then passed a waterway, and when they emerged from the water, they had already reached Hengyang City. People who didn't know all this would never even think of it.
After landing ashore, the group of people used their kung fu to evaporate the water from their bodies, and then ran into the forest not far away. Wu Guanting noticed that this dense forest was on one side of the Hengyang city wall, only a few dozen meters away.
After entering the dense forest, the group of people finally stopped and separated to guard the middle-aged man. The latter looked excited and anxious, frequently looking up at the city wall not far away, not knowing what he was waiting for.
The moon is high in the sky, and the night is so quiet that the branches and leaves are swaying in the wind, and occasionally the lights of distant houses are flickering.
I don't know how long it took, but I saw a group of soldiers changing defenses coming down from the tower. One of them struck the ground with a spear in his hand several times.
The expression of the middle-aged man in the dense forest changed drastically. He made a gesture and led the surrounding guards forward quickly. Under the cover of darkness, he quickly blended into the back of the group of soldiers going downstairs.
Another group of soldiers came from a distance. The middle-aged man followed suit and followed behind. Many soldiers turned a blind eye and just looked ahead.
Finally, the middle-aged man walked up to the city wall, his eyes wandering around, and he soon saw a tall man. The man was also wearing an ordinary military uniform, but the majesty and sharpness between his brows were far beyond what ordinary soldiers could possess.
The middle-aged man pushed aside the crowd, stepped forward quickly, raised his hands and shouted: "Final General Cui Xinzhi, I have met you, sir!"
Cui Xinzhi, who recorded the march in Hengyang City, was also one of Zhang Jiaquan's closest confidants.
Needless to say, the tall, middle-aged man opposite was naturally Zhang Jiaquan, who had just arrived in Hengyang City.
Zhang Jiaquan's face changed, his eyes filled with anger, and he lowered his voice and scolded: "What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you to let your confidants support me? Do you know how many people are watching you now? What if someone follows suit?
If you find me, how will it end?!"
Several guards stood behind the Zhang family, each with strong murderous intent, staring coldly at Cui Xinzhi.
Cui Xinzhi trembled and hurriedly explained: "Sir, please calm down. I will never implicate you. I have already made careful arrangements. The area is an important place and ordinary people cannot get close to it. The general has taken many long detours..."
He recounted today's situation, and a guard behind the Zhang family suddenly pointed at Cui Xinzhi and said angrily: "Asshole, you sneaked into the team from the dense forest and walked up the city wall. What if you were discovered by spies from afar? Why?
Not sending a large army to garrison?"
Cui Xinzhi looked strange and replied: "Brother, if we send out a large army, won't there be three hundred taels of silver here? The Hengyang city wall stretches for a kilometer, and no one can approach within fifty meters. The terrain is not conducive to hiding. There is no way for spies to do it.
Discover the situation.”
The man choked hard and could only glare at Cui Xinzhi.
Zhang Jiaquan waved his hands, although his face was still angry, but the matter was at this point, and it was hard to say anything more.
Cui Xinzhi has always been loyal and regards himself as his elder brother. He should have expected that this person would come to meet him. What's more, the other party's series of arrangements along the way are also exquisite, and no one should be able to follow him.
Suppressing his anger, Zhang Jiaquan urged: "Stop talking nonsense and cover me out of the city immediately!"
Cui Xinzhi said with great worry: "Sir, there are two important cities in front of you, Qingbo and Baojin. I heard that there are soldiers holding portraits at the gate of the city every day, checking the passers-by one by one. You want to blend in and sneak away quietly?
I’m afraid it won’t work!”
Zhang Jiaquan: "You don't have to worry about it, I have my own opinion."
Cui Xinzhi obviously had his own thoughts: "My lord, safety is our top priority. Don't take risks! Once Yuan Chen and Zhang Dingkang discover your traces, they will definitely kill you. How about..."
"Shut up!" Veins popped up all over the head of the Zhang family. He interrupted Cui Xinzhi's chatter and shouted through gritted teeth: "Are my words useless? I asked you to cover me out of the city immediately! If you dare to talk nonsense again, I will behead you immediately!"
No one can describe Zhang Jiaquan's anger at this moment. He was completely gambling on his life on this journey south, almost racing against time, so that he only rested for less than an hour every day. He knew very well that once his traces were discovered,
Then all the efforts and all the ideals will be wiped out, and nothing can be done carelessly!
The result was that under such circumstances, one of his most trusted confidants came to meet him secretly, ignoring his orders, and now he self-righteously prevented him from leaving the city.
If Cui Xinzhi hadn't been borrowed from him next, Zhang Jiaquan would have wanted to kill him with a knife!
Being stared at by the adults, Cui Xinzhi shrugged his throat. Thinking of the master's past abilities, he finally did not dare to say any more and nodded like garlic: "Sir, calm down, I will arrange for you to leave the city."
A group of soldiers descended from the city tower. They were obviously the defense personnel of another section of the city wall. Wu Guanting, who was hiding in the dense forest, had a burning gaze and ignored the night. After a search, his pupils suddenly shrank violently.
He noticed one of them. The other person had his head lowered and his armor cap was also lowered, but his vague facial contours, figure, and aura could not be hidden from Wu Guanting, who was now astounded.
Zhang Jiaquan!
He took a gentle breath, and when the group of soldiers disappeared in the corner not far away, Wu Guanting's body rushed out of the bushes, moving like lightning, and disappeared into the dark night sky without even shaking a leaf.
The few guards who were taken by Cui Xinzhi and hid in the dense forest to monitor were not discovered from the beginning to the end.
The soldiers who were responsible for guarding the city wall had their own place to live in groups. After entering a row of rough houses, Zhang Jiaquan and the others separated from the large team and turned through several small gates. People protected them from time to time along the way.
After arriving at a remote courtyard and confirming that no one was watching, Zhang Jiaquan and others jumped into a dry well. There was a mechanism in the well that could be pressed, and a passage led to a small house in the city.
The stream in the backyard of this household has its own cave, which connects several running waters in Hengyang City and leads directly to the outside of the city.
I'm afraid no one knows that Zhang Jiaquan had already decided on the route to the south a few years ago. The organs and passages along the way were all designed bit by bit by his internal agents who stayed in the city in the past few years. Wait until he captures Hengyang City.
After that, the progress suddenly accelerated, and it was just completed not long ago.
But Zhang Jiaquan didn't know that because of Cui Xinzhi's insistence, his traces were leaked, causing him the greatest trouble.
A figure quietly lurked behind Zhang Jiaquan and his party, following them out of the city along the river.
"My lord, you have a clever plan. Now nine points of the plan have been completed. You only need to arrive at Qingbo City and meet up with Yuan Chen to escape easily. Hahaha, it's ridiculous that people in the world thought that your lord was at the end of his rope. I really want to see the faces of those people afterwards.
!”
One of the guards chuckled while rushing through the mountain forest, and the others also chuckled.
Zhang Jiaquan also looked excited. He fled far faster than the reaction of all parties, which was enough to catch all intelligence organizations off guard.
I'm afraid that until now, most people thought that he would be at least halfway through, and would deploy a large number of spies there. Naturally, fewer of them would be assigned to Hengyang City, which would save him a lot of trouble when he reaches the final level.
However, based on the principle of caution, Zhang Jiaquan still scolded: "You must not be lax until the last moment! Have you forgotten my warning? Who dares to make any random noises again?"