Chapter 132 Using a borrowed knife to kill, secretly gathering intelligence on the enemy
Huanglong Army's Right Wing Guard, 'Gan Kai', received the military order from Commander Qi Biao and led more than ten soldiers to search the surrounding villages overnight.
Riding a valiant horse and clad in silver armor, the man turned and said, “If you see any villages, do not kill them indiscriminately. You must use words to deceive them, and persuade them to bring money and provisions and come with us to the camp.”
One of his elite soldiers laughed and said, "Han Yiwei, we all understand. If we kill them all, carrying so many corpses around will exhaust us."
Another person said, "Yes, by then the corpses will be infested with maggots and won't taste fresh. We'll have to tell them to jump into the pot themselves and leave when we're hungry."
"Excellent, excellent, it has not been in vain that I nurtured you."
Han Kai nodded in satisfaction, spurred his horse and galloped away, laughing, "These lowly commoners, it's a blessing from our ancestors that they've managed to eat us. When we achieve great things in the future, they... will be credited for supporting us."
The soldiers all burst into laughter.
The night was pitch black, and there were many villages around Qingning County. Before long, the entrance to a village came into view.
It was already late, and every household had turned off their lights and closed their doors, creating an eerie silence.
Han Kai, holding the reins, slowed down and shouted, "Listen up, you people inside! The Yellow Dragon Army is here to take you to a better life!"
"Get up, all of you!" the squad leader shouted. "I have good news for you. Anyone who's late will miss out."
However, after calling out for a long time, there was no response. Han Kai sensed something was wrong, jumped off his horse, and kicked open a door.
It was completely empty inside…
There wasn't even a single rat, let alone a person.
"Damn it!" Han Kai roared, kicking open each door. The entire village had vanished, not even a single grain of rice remained.
"Untouchables, untouchables, untouchables!"
Han Kai's attempt to seize the grain failed, and he neither gained the supplies nor managed to display his power. A soldier leader asked, "Guard Han, what do we do now?"
Han Kai was already troubled and had no idea what to do. This question only made him more irritable, and he kicked the person.
"What else can we do? Keep searching other villages! I refuse to believe it! Damn it, these lowly people are cowards who are afraid of death and are utterly despicable!"
So he led his team to search for villages along the way. Whenever they saw a village, they would enter and search it, but they always came up empty-handed.
They searched three villages that night, but found nothing; they didn't even see a soul.
Early the next morning, Han Kai, utterly helpless, returned to report to his troops. Qi Biao was waiting outside the military tent; the soldiers were all starving, and their food supplies were running low, so they were just waiting for Han Kai to bring back meat and provisions.
But Han Kai's face was ashen, and his hands were empty.
Enraged, he immediately issued a death order, commanding Han Kai to search again. If he failed to find any meat or grain, he would be punished according to military law and beaten to death.
Han Kai's expression changed, but he had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue the search.
He had already visited all the surrounding villages, spanning dozens of miles, but there was no one there. What could he do?
"These villagers are really cunning, where did they hide?!" Han Kai ran around anxiously, both hungry and fearful.
Seeing that no one was in the village, he recklessly rushed into the mountains to search for people. By normal standards, this was madness.
He had no hope. But as he walked into a forest, he suddenly saw a rabbit dart out.
He spurred his horse to chase after it, and just as he was about to catch the fat rabbit, a dense thicket blocked his path. The rabbit leaped and darted away and disappeared.
"Even the trees are working against me."
"Does fate truly intend to destroy me?"
"Wait, it seems that the trees here are more lush than elsewhere."
Han Kai plopped down.
Suddenly, he was taken aback.
Upon closer inspection, one can see that the surrounding vegetation is lush, but the soil shows signs of disturbance. Even with the best efforts to conceal it, traces of a road still remain, indicating that people have been using this area for many years.
"Good, good, so this is where the lowly commoners were hiding!" Han Kai's eyes lit up. He abandoned his horse, passed through the bushes, and walked for several more miles.
Suddenly, a clear path appeared before us.
"Han Yiwei! We don't have to die!" his subordinate leader exclaimed excitedly.
"Of course, these lowly people are cunning, but they're not good enough to fool me, Han Kai," Han Kai laughed.
He was walking with long strides.
Suddenly, a large net descended from the sky, covering everyone.
Han Kai was quite skilled. Although he was caught off guard by the attack, he managed to dodge it by rolling and dodging on the ground.
At this moment, several guards rushed out from the side, attacking swiftly with knives, spears, and clubs. Although the accompanying soldiers had learned military martial arts, they were still inferior to the guards.
He was quickly killed.
Han Kai, who was able to become Qi Biao's right-hand man, was indeed a formidable figure. Seeing that the situation was not good, he realized his carelessness and thought of escaping to call for help.
After the guards killed the accompanying soldiers, they wouldn't let him escape. They immediately surrounded him again.
Han Kai fought back and forth, retreating as he fought. Although he was at a disadvantage, he still had a real chance of escaping.
Han Kai had expected that this place was full of unruly people, but he did not expect there to be so many of them, and their skills were quite good.
"I am the Right Wing Guard of the Yellow Dragon Army. You all dare to ambush me? Do you all have a death wish?" Han Kai roared.
He was clad in silver armor. With the armor's enhancement, his combat prowess was formidable.
Two fists can't fight four hands; he should have been defeated long ago. But his armor protected him from fatal wounds, allowing him to hold his own and even show signs of retreating.
"You lot can't possibly defeat me, Han Kai!" Han Kai, a veteran of many battles, was now filled with murderous intent, which truly intimidated the guards.
He stomped his foot hard, the ground trembled, and his inner energy surged into his chest cavity before he exhaled it from his mouth.
This is the "Yellow Dragon Roar," a martial art used for shouting and clashing on the battlefield.
Seeing this, he was told to run away.
An arrow shot through his knee, pinning him to the ground. Han Kai cried out in pain, and the surrounding guards attacked.
"This man is a Right Wing Guard; let him live."
Li Xian's voice rang out.
The guards immediately stopped and stepped aside.
Han Kai, panting heavily, looked at the boy walking towards him. Even though he was seriously injured and had no time to think too much, he was still taken aback.
He thought to himself, "What an extraordinary young man. He has a distinguished air about him, and his eyebrows are adorned with vermilion dots."
"You call yourself a hero for using underhanded tactics?" Han Kai cursed.
Li Xian said nonchalantly, "I was never a hero." He then cut to the chase, asking, "How many men does your Yellow Dragon Army have left? Where are you currently stationed? And who is your general?"
"Pah!" Han Kai spat out a mouthful of blood.
Without further ado, Li Xian unleashed a palm strike from a distance, its force surging, hitting Han Kai's other leg. He said, "I'll only give you three chances. If you don't speak, I'll kill you."
"How many men does your Yellow Dragon Army have left, and how many days do you plan to stay?"
Since Han Kai came to Wu, he had always been the one to humiliate others. Now, having been bullied himself, he was furious.
He gritted his teeth, wanting to fight back, but when he met Li Xian's eyes, he couldn't help but feel intimidated. Then he thought:
"This lad is ruthless. If I don't tell him, he'll definitely kill me. I'll tell the truth first to save my life. They don't have enough manpower. Even if they know all this, what can they do to my Yellow Dragon Army? When General Qi leads his troops to attack, I'll take my revenge!"
To save his life, he immediately revealed Huang Longjun's situation.
Huanglong Army still had 24,000 troops remaining, but their supplies were running out. They estimated that they wouldn't last another day, so in desperation, they began to plunder villages everywhere.
Upon hearing this, Li Xian was slightly pleased: "It seems I hid very well, and the Yellow Dragon Army failed to discover my whereabouts. The Right Wing Guard's ability to get here is entirely due to luck. But... we still cannot let our guard down."
While he was thinking, he killed Han Kai with a single palm strike.
Han Kai's eyes widened, utterly bewildered by this turn of events. He died with his eyes wide open, glaring angrily at Li Xian. In truth, it would have been better if he hadn't spoken, given the presence of the Yellow Dragon Army. His final fate would only be death.
...
Li Xian ordered his guards to continue guarding key points and setting traps.
He then left the village again, traveling light.
"The Right Wing Guard said that the Yellow Dragon Army is stationed in the dense forest south of Qingning County. I'll go and investigate from a distance."
Li Xian moved like a ghost through the forest. He decided to find a more distant hilltop to observe. The Yellow Dragon Army had set up tents and buried iron pots; their large numbers made them easy targets.
Li Xian was secretly pleased; the situation was now stable. If the manor could remain hidden for another two days, the Yellow Dragon Army, unable to find food, would surely riot.
"I can simply stay here and observe quietly."
With a flash of his blade, Li Xian chopped down some broken branches and shrubs, draped them over his body to better conceal his figure, and gazed intently into the distance.
With their terrifying eyesight, they can see the subtle movements within the army. They can even locate the main military headquarters.
"That must be the commander of the Yellow Dragon Army. He really does have a fierce look. But even he is helpless and looks anxious."
Li Xian saw Qi Biao occasionally emerging from the main tent. Meanwhile, in the military camp's cooking area, firewood was burning, water was being boiled, and some coarse rice was being cooked. But the soldiers were far from full.
The atmosphere in the military was tense and agitated.
"This rebel army is like a gust of wind; even if it doesn't fall here, it won't last long. If I were him, after capturing Xiangle City, I would have focused on its development and winning over the hearts of the people. In that case, how could we have ended up in this situation, without any supplies?"
"In the end, this rebel army will either be wiped out by the imperial court or scatter in all directions, becoming outlaws and causing harm to all sides."
Li Xian observed secretly.
Night fell in the blink of an eye, the night was desolate, and the sounds amplified. Faintly, one could hear commotion within the army, a growing sense of discontent.
Huang Longjun's defeat was predictable.
Li Xian felt somewhat relieved.
Just then, a black dot appeared in the distance. It was a figure, moving extremely fast, and dressed in a black robe that concealed his face.
"This direction... comes from Qingning County." Li Xian's double pupils appeared, and his eyesight improved even more. Seeing this person leaping up and down, his steps were incredibly fast, and he seemed somewhat familiar with him.
"This movement technique seems familiar. There are quite a few experts in Qingning County. Some martial arts school owners and gang leaders... also have the strength to circulate Qi throughout the body and solidify blood and close the orifices. If we delve deeper, there are probably quite a few at the 'Essence Absorption Realm' as well."
"Such swift movement is very similar to that of 'Wang Bao'. But even faster. In that case, this man in black must be Xu Liefeng, the Leopard Knife."
"This person came in secret; he must be harboring malicious intentions!"
Li Xian's heart sank as he saw that the Huanglong Army was on the verge of collapse, and yet another unexpected event had occurred.
He immediately began to observe carefully, wanting to see what strange things Xu Liefeng was up to.
...
...
Xu Liefeng fled under cover of night, scaled the city wall, and headed straight for Huanglong Army.
Enter openly and honestly through the main gate.
"Halt!" the soldier on duty shouted. "Who are you, sneaking around like that?"
Xu Liefeng said arrogantly, "I have come to see your general. You should quickly deliver the message, or you will be held responsible if this matter is delayed."
"Where did this night owl come from, talking big but not greedy? Seize him!" The soldier, seeing Xu Liefeng dressed in black, became even more impolite and called for his men to surround him.
Xu Liefeng snorted coldly and flicked his sleeve.
All the soldiers' weapons broke in half.
Xu Liefeng said coldly, "I have come with sincerity. If you know what's good for you, quickly go and tell your general that I... can relieve your Yellow Dragon Army's urgent crisis."
The soldiers saw that Xu Liefeng was a skilled warrior. At this moment, the army was disorganized and morale was low, so they feared they would not be able to hold him.
After a moment's consideration, he said, "Okay, wait a moment." Then he went to inform Qi Biao.
(End of this chapter)
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