Chapter 345: I Have a Plan

“No! I have to go up and take a look. If there’s a chance, I’ll break out and deliver a warning!” Yan Lao’er said firmly. Whether the old master agreed or not, he charged upward with the brute will of a tiger.

Their voices were too low to be heard clearly except by those nearby.

When people saw him coming up, they instinctively assumed the old master had allowed it, so they made way for him.

Yan Lao’er had never run so fast in his life. Holding his breath, he sprinted forward.

Unfortunately, the old master reacted in time and shouted, “Stop him!”

A few people moved to block his path.

But just then, another wave of attacks from the Northern Rong came crashing down.

Arrows rained from the sky, sweeping past the city walls and scattering across the ground.

Some were injured by accident, others dodged left and right.

Heat rising in his veins, Yan Lao’er grit his teeth and charged forward, ignoring everything else.

At last, he made it to the top of the wall.

A nearby veteran suddenly grabbed him hard.

“You looking to die? Get down!”

The man yanked him so hard he nearly fell.

Once Yan Lao’er ducked down, he stopped paying attention to him.

The old soldier heaved a stone onto the catapult, doused it with fire oil, lit it, and let it fly!

The burning rock whooshed into the air, and a loud bang followed.

Outside the walls, the Northern Rong screamed in chaos. Horses neighed and panicked.

The veteran laughed hoarsely, wiping a hand across his face. Two streaks of soot smudged his cheeks, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“Damn bastards, crush you all to death!”

He muttered under his breath, already preparing another shot.

Yan Lao’er mimicked his movements, crouching and creeping toward the edge of the wall. With his back pressed to the stone, he took deep breaths, trying to calm his nerves.

He kept his eyes locked on the veteran. When he saw him make another move—

He seized the brief moment, turned suddenly, and peeked over the edge.

In that instant, with the sparks lighting up the night—

He caught a clearer glimpse of the Northern Rong outside the walls.

When Yan Lao’er had gone up, he’d been reckless.

But on the way down, he stumbled and staggered, genuine fear kicking in.

He scrambled onto his donkey without saying a word to the old master and rode off immediately.

The old master didn’t spare him a glance, too busy directing people to bring up more stones and fire oil.

…

“There were plenty of Northern Rong outside the walls, I reckon a few hundred at least,” Yan Lao’er said as he tried to piece the scene together. “They weren’t charging forward, just taking turns firing arrows to keep us under pressure. Our walls were lit, but it was dark on their side. They could see us clearly while we couldn’t see them at all. We were at a disadvantage even trying to return fire. Using the catapult was most effective. Coat stones in fire oil, fling them out—each one drops down and makes them scream like hell.”

“But they’ve gotten smarter. After firing their arrows, they retreat. The catapult doesn’t have the range to reach them, so we don’t hit many.”

Yan Xiangheng thought for a moment and said, “They’re not trying to storm the wall. They’re just pinning down Crouching Tiger so we can’t move.”

“The border defense has fallen. Crouching Tiger is under siege. Without these two strongholds, the villages below have no means to resist,” Yan Yu said, drawing a circle on the ground with a pebble.

“Crouching Tiger holds a lot of grain. The grain tax is just a small portion of it. The other two parts—one is scattered across the villages, and the other is stored in our village.”

“If I were the Northern Rong, I’d definitely seize this chance before reinforcements arrive to snatch up supplies. Xiao’an Village has plenty of grain, but it’s far. Round trip eats up precious time. The nearby villages are more convenient, and they’ve already done their scouting. So…”

“Only two options: strike nearby first, then the distant ones, or attack both at once.”

Yan Yu’s voice was steady, as if she were speaking of someone else’s problem.

“If they want to surround Crouching Tiger, they have to secure their route back as well. Then they’ll spread out to plunder other places. Once they divide their forces, how many can they really have left? It surely won’t be more than the number surrounding Crouching Tiger. As long as our village can hold out until reinforcements arrive…”

Yan Lao’er exclaimed, “I’ll go back and deliver the message right away. They’re still far from the city gate, there’s a chance!”

Yan Xiangheng jumped in, ready to rush off as well.

But Yan Yu wiped away the drawing on the ground with her foot.

With a decisive tone she declared, “Stop fighting over it, I’ll go!”

She immediately laid out the advantage she held: “I’m small, it’s dark out, and if I hunch down on a donkey, it’ll be even harder for them to spot me. Besides, I’ve thought of a way to make sure they can’t hit me with arrows.”

“What way?” Yan Lao’er and Yan Xiangheng asked in unison.

…

Yan Yu convinced both her father and older brother.

Truth was, she could straddle a donkey with her legs tucked up, curling into a tight ball. Her tiny frame allowed her to do what neither of them could.

All the stoves in the Government Office were ruthlessly dismantled by Yan Lao’er.

The iron ducts were laid out, forming panels that were arranged around Yan Yu and tied tightly with hemp rope, creating a metal barrel that enclosed her securely.

Even the donkey wasn’t spared; strips of iron were strapped all over its body.

It was quite uncomfortable to run like that, but no matter. Once past the most dangerous stretch, the iron plates could be thrown off.

When the donkey, clad in layers of iron sheeting, appeared at the city gate—

Everyone: …

The head official silently echoed the same phrase in his mind, over and over:

Nonsense! Utter nonsense! Ridiculous!

But in the end, he kept it to himself.

Anyone with a sharp eye could see this was actually a brilliant idea.

Still… wouldn’t it be better to ride a horse?

Yan Lao’er quickly explained, “As soon as you break out of the city, you have to cut through the woods on back roads. Horses won’t work. A donkey is quicker and more agile.”

This point, everyone accepted.

“And we don’t have that many iron sheets. A horse couldn’t be fully covered…” Yan Lao’er added.

The crowd nodded in understanding.

The iron sheets offered solid protection.

The head official asked, “Who’s inside?”

The rider was so well-hidden, you couldn’t even see their legs. That riding posture was impressive.

Yan Lao’er lied through his teeth, “It’s my eldest nephew.”

“Yan Xiangheng” couldn’t wait any longer. Not wanting to waste another moment, he led the donkey to the city gate.

“But he’s completely covered. How can he see the road?” the head official suddenly asked, stepping closer to get a better look, but Yan Lao’er stopped him.

“There are holes, just small ones. It’s dark out, can’t see clearly anyway.”

“Please, open the gate, sir. We’re begging you!”

The head official let out a long sigh. “Xiangheng, be careful out there.”

“Open the gate!”

As the gate cracked open, the Northern Rong outside caught a whiff of blood like mosquitoes, and gave chase on horseback.

As for mounting an assault while the gate was open?

What a joke – it was just a narrow slit. Before they could even gallop through, the doors slammed shut again.

And whoever managed to rush out now must be playing a very critical role.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The arrows slicing through the air were hard to hear. Yan Yu had to strain her ears just to catch the sound.

But every now and then, the sharp clang of arrows striking the iron bucket rang out loud and clear.

She gripped the reins tightly, crouching low with her legs crossed. Using her flexibility to her advantage, she hugged the donkey’s neck to keep her balance.

“Run faster, shake them off!”

As the donkey picked up speed, the iron plates on its body clattered noisily.

Without hesitation, Yan Yu ripped off all the iron plates from the donkey.

Anyone else might have struggled, but she tore them off in no time.

She had no idea how long they’d been running.

All she knew was that the donkey was sprinting like the wind, and the clanging had stopped.

Gritting her teeth, Yan Yu let her legs drop down.

Sensing the shift in her posture, the donkey responded—its hooves pounded furiously, faster than ever!

From a distance, it looked like a miniature iron bucket man riding a donkey at full gallop through the darkness, flickering like lightning…

(End of this chapter)