The night sky over the sea is endless and filled with stars.
Qiu Jing, who was standing on the bow of the boat, couldn't help but sigh, "Min Rou said that the most beautiful thing about Xingluo Island is the starry sky, and it's true."
Gu Ling stared at the island that appeared in his sight. It was so dark that nothing could be seen clearly, like a sleeping lion lying on the sea.
Inland, standing at a high place, you can also see the same beautiful starry sky... Gu Ling didn't want to spoil the scenery, so she didn't say it out loud.
"Where to stop?" Qiu Jing asked. According to the plan, they will not get too close to Xingluo Island. They will mainly rely on negotiation to achieve their goals.
Gu Ling visually measured the distance, "Wake everyone up, speed up, prepare the trebuchet, throw the explosives up first, and remember the location."
Qiu Jing's expression was shocked, "Okay! If they don't let him go, we will set fire to him!" He was about to make arrangements when he told Gu Ling not to show up, not to reveal his identity, and not to rush to Xingluo Island. If he really wants to go , they go together.
Gu Ling nodded, "I understand."
Qiu Jing patted Gu Ling on the shoulder and said, "If you dare to mess around, we'll break off our friendship." After saying that, he left.
The soldiers they brought were all elite, and they were the best in archery among the Yuan Qian Kingdom's southern army. Their daily training along the way was arranged by Gu Ling. Due to the environment on the ship, the intensity was not very high, and they all kept their energy. The son was waiting to take action, and as soon as he heard the order, he quickly made preparations.
Qiu Jing took the map of Xingluo Island and its surroundings that Gu Ling drew based on Min Rou's description. Gu Ling had planned in advance where each ship would be positioned, which forest the explosives would be dropped into, and how far they would be dropped. They just need to implement it carefully.
After the deployment was completed, the ten ships quickly dispersed and headed towards their respective positions.
Except for Qiu Jing who lit the lamp when he was making arrangements with the map, open flames have rarely been used on the ship. Now that the lamp is out, it is even darker. This is to avoid being discovered by the guards on Xingluo Island. , Secondly, the ship carries a large amount of flammable and explosive materials, which is very dangerous to ignite.
At first, Min Rou accidentally learned about the sea map of Xingluo Island and told Gu Ling and Su Liang. The people on Xingluo Island didn't know about it.
But as Lao Mu and Cen Man came to Xingluo Island and were probably arrested, the people on Xingluo Island naturally knew that their positions were exposed.
It was because Gu Ling believed that there was something special about the island that made Mo Yan stay here. Otherwise, he would have doubted whether all the people on Xingluo Island had fled long ago.
In the darkest hour before dawn, all ten ships arrived at the predetermined positions, set up their trebuchets, and aimed at the target location.
Qiu Jing stood on the bow of the boat. The sea breeze was very cool. He felt that if there were guards on Xingluo Island patrolling the beach at night, their boat would be discovered soon.
Qiu Jing sent a silent signal smoke into the air, and the next moment, black "stones" flew out from all ten ships, drew parabolas of almost the same height in the air, and landed on the island.
The first wave, the second wave, the third wave... Each ship dropped a total of five explosives, and the locations were scattered. The explosives finally dropped on the island almost circled around the island at about the same distance. The island could not be exploded. It was in the center, but it exploded, enough to turn Xingluo Island, which was originally surrounded by beautiful forests, into a sea of fire.
The boat Qiu Jing and Gu Ling were on was facing the sea pier of Xingluo Island. There were many large and small ships docked at the pier.
"Why haven't they been discovered yet?" Qiu Jing felt a little strange, "Could it be that the people on the island have already evacuated?"
Gu Ling shook his head slightly, "They won't leave easily. Maybe they have set up a trap formation so they are not afraid of someone coming to the island."
Qiu Jing nodded, "It's also possible. Maybe Senior Mu and Senior Cen were trapped when they went to the island. So you must not go."
Gu Ling said in a faint tone, "Stop reading it." Qiu Jing almost wanted to carve the words "I am your cousin and I am doing this for your own good" on his forehead.
"When will we take action? Wait until they find out?" Qiu Jing asked.
Gu Ling took out a spherical object from his arms and said, "Say hello to them."
Qiu Jing followed the black ball with his eyes, watching it streak across the pre-dawn night sky, like a small stone, hitting the pier of Xingluo Island.
But it was not a small stone. With a bang, the dock of Xingluo Island was blown up in sight. Not all the boats that were originally fixed around the dock were destroyed, but most of them escaped the control of the land and scattered with the sea water.
Drift far away.
Qiu Jing's lips curled up slightly, he liked this way of greeting very much.
As long as there are people on Xingluo Island, they will appear soon.
The sky is turning white, and the morning glow makes the sea water glow with dazzling light.
Finally, a figure appeared on the shore, near the bombed pier.
Qiu Jing ordered his boat to move forward for a while to facilitate the conversation.
When they got a little closer, they saw eleven people standing on the shore. The leader was wearing a mask on half of his face. It was He Wei who almost blew himself up on the outskirts of the capital.
And He Wei was holding a hostage in his hands, it was Lao Mu.
Lao Mu had chains on his hands and feet, his eyes were covered with black cloth, and his mouth was gagged. He was still wearing the same clothes he was wearing when he left home. He didn't know what happened, but he guessed that it was one of his own.
I wanted to speak, but I could only make a whining sound.
Someone said something beside He Wei, and He Wei spoke, "Qiu Jing? Did Gu Ling ask you to come?"
At this moment, Qiu Jing thought of Sheng Yue who had made him "miss" him all the way. Why didn't Sheng Yue show up? Is it because he was injured? Or has he not returned yet? If Sheng Yue hasn't come back yet...
Qiu Jing's eyes flashed slightly, "Gu Ling didn't send me here, but I came to see him!"
He Wei frowned and heard Qiu Jing say, "Sheng Yue captured Gu Ling, hasn't he come back yet?"
He Wei's expression changed instantly.
Qiu Jing looked at their reactions and found that, as expected, Sheng Yue really didn't come back.
Gu Ling, who was in the cabin at this time, felt his heart sink slightly. Sheng Yue hadn't come back yet? Otherwise, He Wei would have immediately refuted Qiu Jing's words. With Sheng Yue's strength, he only had one broken hand and wanted to come back.
If so, he would definitely be faster than them. Could it be that he went somewhere else...
Qiu Jing didn't think much about it for the time being, and just planned to continue telling the lie, "He Wei? If you don't want your entire island to be bombed, hand over all our people immediately! Gu Ling, Senior Mu, Senior Cen, the original
Yinghe Yuanye, and senior Mo Fei."
He Wei snorted coldly, "Ignorant kid, so arrogant!" As soon as he finished speaking, he drew his sword and put it on Lao Mu's neck, "You want to save someone? If you have the guts, come up. If you don't, I'll kill him first!"
Qiu Jing didn't waste any time and gestured to a ship on the right, "Say hello to Elder He first!"
As soon as Qiu Jing finished speaking, ten flaming arrows were fired from the ship, all aimed at the same position on the shore.
He Wei watched with cold eyes, thinking that they just wanted to set a fire, so he waved and sent a few people over to put out the fire.
However, when the balls of flames fell on the island, a violent explosion suddenly occurred. Among the people who were arranged by He Wei to go over, the fastest one was knocked unconscious by the explosion.
He Wei's face finally lost its expression.
Gu Ling heard the second explosion, and the sound was not the explosives he made. From this, he judged that Mo Yan should have laid mine arrays around the island, so that he knew where it was safe to go. When outsiders came to the island, they
If you are not careful, you will die. Therefore, there is no need for anyone to patrol the shore day and night on the island.
Since Lao Mu is alive, Gu Ling feels that Cen Man should be okay, but he was not brought here. Those mines should have been discovered after Lao Mu and Cen Man were captured.
Qiu Jing said coldly, "You should know how many ships and how many people we have. Explosives have been delivered to your island before dawn. They are everywhere. As long as you light a fire, the consequences will be like this. Everyone,
Prepare!"
Qiu Jing raised a red flag, and the two nearest ships that could see him immediately raised the red flag and passed it on. Soon, the ten ships surrounding the island were ready to release arrows.
He Wei gritted his teeth, "It's a small trick! Call all the people out and burn their boats to see who gets killed first!"
Qiu Jing didn't panic at all when he heard this, "You are calling for people now, are you sure it will be faster than us? Most of your boats are no longer usable. Since they are still on the island, it means there are some important treasures on the island. I can guess
Is that right? We can only set fire to the outer periphery, and we may not be able to kill anyone. But the wind is strong today, and there are fires everywhere. Can you still save the few people on your island by then? Can you still keep your treasure?
He Wei, I said it from the beginning, I am just here to save people. You release the people, we will leave immediately. Let’s not talk about other grudges today! Otherwise, the consequences will not be what you want! If you
If you need to ask Mo Yan for instructions, then call him out! Of course, you may not dare to let Mo Yan see us, because you are hiding something very important from him! The noise is even bigger, Mo Yan is really here, I
Will tell him!"
He Wei was so angry that his face was livid. People around him asked him what to do and whether he wanted to ask Mo Yan for instructions. He Wei immediately rejected it, "The master is in retreat. No one is allowed to disturb him as he said!"
After finishing speaking, He Wei said coldly, "Qiu Jing, I don't know if Sheng Yue arrested Gu Ling, but he took someone out and never came back!"
I know... Qiu Jing snorted coldly, "I don't believe it!"
"You'd better believe it!" The sword in He Wei's hand moved closer to Lao Mu's neck, "I can only let this person go, and the others are impossible! If you don't agree, I will kill him!"
"If you dare to touch our people, there will be no discussion!" Qiu Jing said, raising his hand and ordering the ship on the left to continue bombing.
At this time, the fire caused by the first wave of explosions was getting bigger and bigger. If the fire was not put out quickly, the consequences would be serious. And if Qiu Jing's side used all the fire to attack, Xingluo Island would soon be engulfed in a sea of flames.
He Wei knew that they had hostages, and Qiu Jing would not really set fire to Xingluo Island, but just burning a few places would be enough to keep them busy. Because there were not many people on the island, and there were not many people on the island before.
Many masters have been killed. Things like putting out fires have nothing to do with martial arts.
And Gu Ling guessed correctly. There were many landmines buried in these woods to prevent foreign invasion. It was true that they were laid after Lao Mu and Cen Man were captured on the island. The purpose was to prevent Gu Ling and the others from coming again. But He Wei
Unexpectedly, the enemy came, but they did not land on the island secretly as they expected, but launched a powerful fire attack.
This fire must be controlled as soon as possible. If it continues to burn, or if a fire breaks out elsewhere, not only the explosives dropped by Qiu Jing on the island will explode, but also the mine array on Xingluo Island itself will explode. The consequences will be disastrous.
At the same time, He Wei is also worried that things will cause trouble and draw Mo Yan out. As for the fact that Su Liang is Mo Yan's granddaughter, so far, He Wei and Sheng Yue have jointly concealed it, and Mo Yan still knows nothing about it.
.
"Okay! All your people will be returned to you! But there is no Gu Ling, he is not on the island at all!" He Wei said sharply, "Go find someone to put out the fire! Bring all the people he mentioned!"
Then he roared at Qiu Jing, "If you dare to act rashly again, if you move, I will kill one of your people! Put down your arrows!"
Qiu Jing frowned, "Sheng Yue really didn't come back? Could it be that he was killed on the way back with Gu Ling?"
This was Qiu Jing's deliberate showmanship, but when people on Xingluo Island heard it, they had to doubt that it was really possible.
Qiu Jing was actually thinking that if he could make the matter bigger, it would be best to lure Mo Yan out and tell him the secret. But he quickly gave up this idea.
Gu Ling had confessed that the primary purpose this time was to save people, and no extraneous matters should be allowed. If He Wei gets angry and the situation is out of his control, the hostages may be harmed. This is a psychological game, and the degree must be grasped, even if
The situation is temporarily beneficial to one's side, but one cannot push further and cause other troubles.
Therefore, Qiu Jing asked his troops to stand still. They did not have to worry about the people on the shore using fire to attack the ship. Because it was too obvious to set fire to the ship on the shore, it could be seen at a glance, and it could be defended or intercepted. In turn, on Xingluo Island,
It is simply impossible for a person to intercept the flaming arrows fired by five hundred soldiers from all directions at the same time.
This is the advantage of proactive attack: as long as you are well-deployed and well prepared, you can occupy a favorable position.
About two-quarters of an hour later, the fire near the pier had not been completely extinguished, but another explosion occurred in another place.
Qiu Jing didn't notice it before, but now he discovered that Xingluo Island itself has mines... It's very useful for defense, but it's too dangerous. If you are not careful, you will hurt your own people. If their plan this time is secret
Sneaking onto the island would be bad.
The sun rises and the light becomes brighter and brighter.
Qiu Jing squinted and watched. Cen Man was brought over. Like Lao Mu, his hands and feet were tied with iron chains, his eyes were blindfolded, and his mouth was gagged.
Not long after, Lao Bai also came. The last ones brought here were Yuan Ying and Yuan Ye.
Qiu Jing breathed a sigh of relief. Before this, he was really worried whether these people would be killed on Xingluo Island. Fortunately, they were all still alive. After all, living people are valuable.
"How do I know if you will leave after releasing the hostages?" He Wei had calmed down. If he released all the hostages and Qiu Jing ordered the arrows to be fired, Xingluo Island would really be destroyed.
This was what Qiu Jing expected, "You can only trust me."
He Wei snorted coldly, "Stop talking nonsense! Listen carefully, one of these people must stay, and you can take the others away! Otherwise, who knows whether you will break your promise afterwards? There is no room for bargaining, you pick one!"
Qiu Jing frowned and heard Gu Ling's voice from behind, "Let Yuanye stay."
Qiu Jing knew that it was not because Yuanye had the least relationship with them. Gu Ling must have had special considerations in choosing him, so he said loudly, "Okay! Yuanye stays, and you let the others go!"
Unexpectedly, He Wei changed his mind, "No! It seems you don't care about Yuan Ye's life. Find someone else!"
Lao Mu, who was on the shore, raised his hands bound by iron chains and waved at Qiu Jing, telling him to stay.
The current stalemate situation is not good for both parties. It is impossible for He Wei to release all the hostages, because that will not guarantee the safety of Xingluo Island in the future. If Qiu Jing insists on not compromising, He Wei becomes angry
He may be about to kill someone, but as long as there is one hostage left, he can still threaten Qiu Jing.
"Is your master okay?" Qiu Jing asked Gu Ling without turning around. Only one of the hostages was Gu Ling's master, and that was Lao Mu.
"Okay." Gu Ling replied.
Qiu Jing felt strange, but he didn't have time to think too much at the moment. Since Gu Ling said yes, he said loudly, "Then keep Gu Ling's master, Senior Mu! Let the others go immediately!"
He Wei found a boat and asked Lao Bai, Cen Man, and Yuan Ying to board it, and then sent a man to drive the boat towards Qiu Jing. At the same time, the sword in his hand was always raised.
On Lao Mu's neck.
The distance is not that far.
The hostages were always blindfolded. After watching them board Qiu Jing's boat, He Wei shouted, "Get out of here right now! Otherwise I will kill him!"
"If something happens to Senior Mu, we will raze Xingluo Island to the ground next time we come back! Evacuate!" Qiu Jing gave an order, and the ten ships turned around at the same time, slowly converged, and headed away from Xingluo Island.
The fire on the shore was finally put out. He Wei looked at the woods filled with smoke and dust. He was so angry that he took off the cloth stuffed in Lao Mu's mouth and slapped him hard.
But Lao Mu smiled, "He, can you still sleep in the future?" He was originally here to save people, but now he has nothing to do with staying. There is only one hostage left, and He Wei is even less likely to kill him.
Lao Mu believed that Gu Ling would definitely come to save him, so there was no need to worry. This time, they had already won.
Just when He Wei took Lao Mu back, Qiu Jing found that Gu Ling was missing. There was a letter left for him by Gu Ling in the cabin. There was only one sentence in it, "You go first, I will save the master."
Qiu Jing's face darkened. Gu Ling finally chose to sneak into Xingluo Island secretly. But fortunately, he now knew that there was a mine formation on the island, and Gu Ling could find a way to avoid it.
Apart from losing a little weight, Cen Man was not injured. She said that she had been locked up since she was arrested on the island, and she was blindfolded when she left. She didn't know much about Xingluo Island. What surprised Qiu Jing was that besides Cen Man,
Siblings Lao Bai and Yuan Ying are good people, but they both have amnesia. It is obvious that their memories were deliberately erased.
"Then do we have to wait for Xiao Gu?" Cen Man looked worried.
Qiu Jing shook his head, "No wait. Let's go back first. I believe he can rescue Senior Mu and escape from Xingluo Island." To be honest, although he was really a little angry that Gu Ling didn't discuss it with him. But on second thought, maybe
Gu Ling had not decided whether to go or not. He made a temporary decision based on the development of the situation. It was most likely that he would hide under the boat that sent the hostages over to Xingluo Island. There was really no time to discuss it with him.
In this way, Qiu Jing decided to follow the arrangement of taking care of Ling, and they would withdraw first. The other matters would be taken care of by Gu Ling himself.