Chapter 103: The Lightning Dragon Seeks Aid

After finishing the registration for the new families, Li Zhan and Ruoyan were both in high spirits. Although their understanding of what these new families entailed differed in perspective, it did not dampen the sense of satisfaction they felt in having performed a good deed for the villagers.

The villagers had gradually turned in for the night, and the newly formed families were no exception, stepping into their new lives as pairs. Under the veil of night, Yanhuang Village was serene; three arrow towers stood tall against the vast darkness, and beyond the piercing chirps of insects, the occasional password exchanged between sentries could be heard.

Seeing the archery range in the moonlight reminded Li Zhan that he had yet to master his archery skills. With most players having logged off to rest, the barracks and the archery range were rarely empty, making this the perfect time to train. Ruoyan had been practicing her skills every night for the past few days, and today was no different. Training together made the time pass pleasantly without the usual monotony.

To ensure the villagers could rest, the barracks and archery range were closed to the public at night, leaving the range completely quiet. Li Zhan and Ruoyan walked in, lit a torch, and grabbed wooden bows and short arrows from the rack, beginning to fire at the circular targets hanging on the wall.

As the saying goes, work is lighter when men and women work together. Over three hours passed in the blink of an eye; Li Zhan and Ruoyan chatted and laughed, each completing over a hundred rounds—ten arrows per round, followed by collecting them to shoot again—without feeling the slightest bit of boredom. Looking at their energy, it seemed they could keep going all night without fatigue.

However, the two people lurking in the shadows atop the wall on the other side of the range were not having such an easy time.

They had clearly been lying there for a long time, so motionless that an owl, exhausted from flying, had nearly mistaken their heads for a perch. A whisper from one of them startled it, and the owl flapped its wings and flew away.

"One thousand and forty-three arrows. I’ve actually been counting the arrows they’ve shot—am I that bored?"

"Perhaps."

"Look at them. There isn't a hint of fatigue. Surely they aren't going to shoot all night?"

"Perhaps."

"I always feel like the young mistress has a soft spot for that kid. I’ve never seen her get this close to any man other than her grandfather and father."

"Perhaps."

"Something is flying over from the village hall. Hide quickly!"

With that, the two men huddled down, leaving only the tops of their heads visible above the wall as they closely monitored the activity in the archery range.

Li Zhan and Ruoyan had just finished this round of arrows. It was Ruoyan's turn to retrieve them. Li Zhan stood where he was, adjusting his bowstring, when he suddenly heard the fluttering sound of wings in the air. He looked up to see a carrier pigeon.

The bird had flown from the direction of the village hall, clearly drawn by the firelight after finding no one there. The moment Li Zhan saw the pigeon, he realized that something had happened to the Leiming Tribe. He raised an arm, and the pigeon landed steadily upon it. Li Zhan reached for its legs and found a strip of cloth tied to one of them. He hurried toward the torchlight and, by its glow, unfolded the scrap.

It contained only one line:
"Tribe under attack. Reinforcements! —Leilong"

By then, Ruoyan had collected all twenty arrows. As she turned back, she saw Li Zhan standing by the torch, reading something with a cooing pigeon perched on his shoulder.

Ruoyan knew that carrier pigeons were the emergency communication tools between Yanhuang Village and the Leiming Tribe. Startled, she hurried to his side, tilting her head to read the plea for help on the cloth.

Li Zhan thought quickly and said to Ruoyan, "Go notify Zhao Ming and Zhang Feng immediately. Tell them to take four swordsmen and five archers and head to the dye works at once."

Ruoyan hesitated—the dye works? Why go there? But seeing the firm look in Li Zhan's eyes, she buried her questions and nodded. Just as she was about to leave, Li Zhan added, "Oh, and Jin Xue. It’s an emergency—have her come along too."

After Ruoyan left, Li Zhan quickly clicked on his friend list, opened the notepad, and typed: "The Leiming Tribe is under attack. Rush to reinforce! Do not engage directly; try to stall the enemy. Follow and pursue only when they retreat! Situation critical, no time to explain—Li Zhan."

He then sent the message to the leaders of his four affiliated tribes—Waiwai Luobotiao, Fengxing, Fengling, Muyu, and Tutu—using the group chat function. Since it was night, he couldn't be sure who was online, so he messaged all his allies, hoping that if even half were active, his plan would have an eighty percent chance of success.

At the same time, Li Zhan kept an ace up his sleeve. Aside from the three leaders he knew well, he wasn't entirely sure about the backgrounds of the others. In other words, he didn't know if any of them had moles planted by his enemies. Therefore, he deliberately omitted the specific details of his plan to prevent information from leaking.

After sending the message, Li Zhan set his status to reject all incoming messages, so he wouldn't be put in the awkward position of having to explain the plan to any leader who might ask.

Both "reject messages" and "friend disabled" were indicated by a prohibition symbol over the friend icon. This would lead everyone to believe that he had entered a state of emergency and could not be disturbed.

After setting his status, Li Zhan took the carrier pigeon to the dye works. He picked up a scrap of fabric discarded on the floor under a table, dipped a wooden stick into some dye, and wrote on the cloth:
"Stall the enemy. I have my own way to save you. —Li Zhan"

The strip could not be too long, or it would hinder the pigeon's flight. Li Zhan was also being cautious here—the pigeon could be shot down by enemy archers, so he dared not write the specific plan on the cloth either, lest it fall into enemy hands.

He tied the cloth to the pigeon's leg, pulled on it to ensure it was secure, and then tossed the bird toward the Leiming Tribe in the west. The pigeon flapped its wings a few times, found its direction, and flew off rapidly.

By then, Zhao Ming, Zhang Feng, and the other soldiers had arrived at the dye works, and Jin Xue had hurried over as well. Li Zhan told Jin Xue to quickly bring the seven war wolves. He instructed her to explain to the alpha that this action was a last resort, asking them to help again only a day after their last battle because a brother tribe was under attack and in danger of being overrun. He promised that after the mission, the village would buy one hundred units of high-quality venison (5 units per wolf/day) as a reward.

Shortly after Jin Xue left, the seven war wolves arrived with her. The alpha's reaction was beyond Li Zhan's expectations. Jin Xue told him that the alpha said they should not be so formal in the future. Patrolling every day was boring, and the brothers were still excited about the intense battle they had experienced during the day. Furthermore, participating in such actions helped them increase their levels and skills, and they were more than happy to help. Li Zhan was overjoyed by their positive response, but with the military situation being so urgent, he had no time to dwell on his satisfaction. He led Zhao Ming, Zhang Feng, and the soldiers to the military shipyard immediately.

Two newly completed arrow ships were docked there. Zhao Ming first exchanged the password with the militiamen on duty at the arrow tower, and then Li Zhan led his five swordsmen, Jin Xue, and the seven war wolves onto one ship, while Zhang Feng led his five archers onto the other. Under the cover of night, the two ships departed the port (military vessels could be operated by soldiers without specific skills) and entered the main channel of the Han River. Instead of flowing downstream toward the Leiming Tribe, they headed upstream.

The Kuangyin Village was built on a tributary of the upper Han River; Li Zhan's goal was to strike directly at Kuangyin Village—a strategy of "besieging the enemy's base to save the ally."

If he marched his troops to the Leiming Tribe to face the combined forces of the seven or eight tribes under Kuangyin Feng head-on, even if he waited for all reinforcements to arrive, the chances of victory were slim. Moreover, even if they managed to repel the enemy, he would suffer heavy losses. By comparison, it was better to have the Leiming Tribe use their defensive advantage to hold off the enemy with the reinforcements, while he went to set a fire in the enemy's backyard. Once Kuangyin Feng learned his home base was under attack, he would surely turn his troops back to save it. At that point, the reinforcements could follow the plan and surround and attack the retreating enemy.

As the two ships moved steadily along the river, Li Zhan stood at the bow, reviewing his plan. He felt it necessary to contact Wu Fan; it would be best if Wu Fan were online so he could use some of his troops to help attack Kuangyin Village. Li Zhan did not know how many defensive works or how many troops were guarding the village, so the mission had to be carried out in a way that caused chaos instantly. Only then would Kuangyin Feng be forced to retreat. If his own forces became bogged down by the enemy's defenses and garrison due to insufficient manpower, the Leiming Tribe would be in grave danger.

Thinking of this, Li Zhan opened his friend list, clicked on Wu Fan's icon, and sent a message:
"Brother Wu, are you there?"