The situation was just as Wan Zhijing had expected. While Li Yanfeng was keeping his troops in place, he sent troops to explore the situation in the mountains around the stronghold, trying to find a weak point for a breakthrough.
At sunset, Li Yanfeng, Zhang Yu and other generals discussed and decided to use fire attack.
In the southwest corner of the back mountain, rockets were fired from outside the mountain.
The bandits shoveled up the soil with quick movements, covering the flames so that no big pot could be brewing.
Li Yanfeng wanted to attack from both sides, so he divided his troops into two groups and used the lives of his soldiers to pave the way to the stronghold, but he could not find the entrance to the back mountain.
Huge rocks rolled down from above, and caltrops fell from the sky. The frightened soldiers fled in all directions.
Since he couldn't get up from here and there were fire caltrops that could easily take his life, Li Yanfeng had to give up on breaking through the front of the stronghold and gathered all his men in the southeast corner where it seemed easier to break through.
The sky was getting darker and darker, a deep blue. Seeing that the rockets had only illuminated a small part of the valley, Li Yanfeng said with a sullen face, "Attack."
Zhang Yu hurriedly stopped him, "No, no, they must have occupied this place for quite some time. The mountains in the southeast corner are lower than other places. How could they not know that this place is easier to attack? There must be a trick here."
Zhang Yu's prediction was correct. The ground in the southeast corner had been hollowed out, supported by only a few beams. Any weight over a certain level would instantly collapse. Crucially, a mixture of stone, pottery, and iron gunpowder was buried underneath. While the explosion wouldn't kill thousands of people, it would certainly cause significant casualties. The ambush here was intended as a precaution.
Li Yanfeng: "Change direction."
Zhang Yu shook his head and said, "Young Master is here to capture the Princess of Qi. Just ask them to hand her over. The Prince of Qi has been hiding his identity in Liangzhou, changing his surname. The people in the mountain stronghold don't know their origins, and they may not know the details of the Prince of Qi and the Princess of Qi, but no one probably wants to die with others."
Then someone shouted loudly.
"Listen up, everyone inside! If you hand over Princess Wan of Qi, I will spare your lives. Otherwise, you will all die here tonight."
Although a strong attack would take time and cost a lot of manpower, the number of troops brought by Li Yanfeng is several times that of the people in the stronghold, and they will definitely be able to capture the person tonight.
As soon as the words fell, a response came from the valley, "If you have the ability, attack us and see who will die and who will live."
Wan Jinlan looked at the elderly, weak, women and children who were in a panic and had no fighting ability. They didn't know why the soldiers were surrounding them. They didn't know her identity. They only knew that they were rescued by her after they became refugees in Liangzhou and settled down in the mountain stronghold.
Wan Jinlan looked at Wan Zhijing and said, "Brother, why don't I go out and distract them? As long as we wait until Xiao Feng returns with his troops, the danger will be over."
Fang Biqiu said anxiously: "No!"
Thousands of soldiers, wouldn't they be going out to die?
Wan Zhijing said: "Wang Shu is right. To catch a thief, we must first catch the leader. As long as we capture Li Yanfeng and hold him hostage, the crisis will be resolved."
Li Dazhuang patted his chest, his face flushed by the firelight. He looked determined and said, "I'll go!"
Li Yue, who was sitting on the slope with a weak look on his face, said, "Li Yanfeng has four guards beside him. Whenever he goes out, they will accompany him."
Li Yue had a relatively good understanding of Li Yanfeng and Li Bozhen's personalities. He knew that Li Bozhen was narrow-minded, and he also knew that Li Yanfeng was lustful and afraid of death. Just because of this fear of death, Li Yue never took Li Yanfeng seriously.
Why was Li Yanfeng able to escape unscathed from the battle at the border of Yongliang? Why was it Li Bocheng, not Li Yanfeng, who was seriously injured and died outside Xinliang County? Li Yanfeng's fear of death and cautiousness played a significant role, and the skills of the four guards hidden around him should not be underestimated.
"Li Yanfeng will only be at the rear of the army."
Li Yue said calmly with his brows lowered.
Wan Jinlan didn't know why he reminded them, but with his reminder, things did become a lot easier.
After several people discussed, Wan Zhijing prepared to take a team of good fighters from the dark to the rear. Zhang Baoquan took the only musket and attacked in secret, waiting for an opportunity to capture Li Yanfeng alive.
Wan Jinlan said, "Brother, your skills are not as good as mine, why don't you let me go?"
Wan Zhijing refused to agree no matter what. How could he let his sister go out and put herself in danger?
Several people disagreed with her going out. After the people outside shouted, they were already looking for another place to attack.
Arrows rained down from the sky, drawing golden lines in the firelight and illuminating the night sky. Wan Zhijing, Li Dazhuang and others went out through the escape path that had been dug long ago.
A soldier had already climbed up the slope above the valley. Wan Jinlan shot an arrow at him, and before the man could even rejoice, he fell headfirst.
Then she stripped off the man's armor, put it on herself in no time, and then grabbed a handful of dirt and smeared it on her face.
She didn't wear her hair in a bun, so at this moment she looked like an ordinary soldier from Liangzhou.
The set of movements was performed smoothly, and Li Yue, who was sitting in the dark, twitched his eyebrows slightly.
Li Yue had never seen such a woman. Although the people of Liangzhou were tough and their restrictions on women were not as strict as those in the Central Plains, they were not as casual as she was. The Princess of Qi came from the century-old prestigious Zhenguogong Mansion. Born into a military family, she acted with a masculine style.
Li Yue saw Wan Jinlan pack up and go into the darkness with a spear in hand, and disappeared in a flash.
The trained men in the mountain stronghold, under the command of Wang Shu, lined up in order above the valley in perfect harmony, holding shields and blocking the way tightly. In the middle lay the men holding spears, stabbing all the climbers through the gaps.
Wei Xian took 300 men with him, leaving the mountain stronghold with 700 men available. Occupying the high ground, their side had a geographical advantage. Wherever the enemy could no longer withstand the onslaught, they hurled fire caltrops. The detonations were deafening, and the enemy army was instantly routed.
When Wan Zhijing and his men arrived, they indeed saw Li Yanfeng sitting on a horse at the rear of the army.
Dozens of soldiers surrounded Li Yanfeng, wrapping him tightly.
Wan Zhijing threw the fire caltrop in his hand towards Li Yanfeng.
The explosion was followed by wailing and screams of panic.
"Protect the young master, there's a sneak attack!"
Li Yanfeng was indeed frightened. His ears were buzzing, but he immediately pulled the reins and tried to run away.
Wan Zhijing was not afraid that he would escape, but he was afraid that he would escape into the group of soldiers.
Li Yanfeng was no fool. He knew that if he ran away, it would give the attackers a chance. "Kill them!"
Li Yanfeng called out the guard's name.
Seeing the sneak attack, many soldiers turned around and surrounded and killed them.
The number of people who came to chase and intercept Wan Zhijing suddenly increased to one or two hundred, and they were about to be overwhelmed.
Wan Jinlan mixed in with these people and even snatched a horse in the chaos.
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