Chapter 163 Licking Blood from the Edge
Qin Shaozong casually closed the door. "I sent Qin Er out to scout ahead."
Dai Li thought of what was happening behind her.
Qin Changgeng's supply line came from the north, which meant it had to pass through the main road beside the majestic northern peak. The supply line was of utmost importance; if it were cut off, there was a risk of being trapped in a desperate situation. Therefore, when the war broke out, it was inevitable to send scattered soldiers back and forth to clear the supply line and ensure that there were no ambushes around it.
Dai Li naturally assumed that her son had gone to the rear, and she knew that this mission was relatively safe, but she still asked one more question, "How many people are with him?"
Qin Shaozong: "Twenty people."
After saying that, the man took the book from Dai Li's hand. "Madam, don't worry. Qin Er's martial arts skills are quite good. He won't have any trouble on this trip. It's getting late, let's get some rest."
The curtains beside the couch were lowered, and soon the lights in the room were extinguished.
After turning off the lights, Dai Li couldn't fall asleep. She knew perfectly well that this was different from the bandit suppression at Chunmiao Mountain, and different from the previous midnight departure from the city; this time, Zhouzhou was likely the leader.
He doesn't need to take orders from others; he leads the team himself and makes his own decisions. Conversely, he has to bear all the responsibilities himself, with no one else to rely on.
"When will Zhouzhou be able to come back?" Dai Li asked.
Qin Shaozong only mentioned a few days, without specifying anything.
Dai Li wanted to ask more, but the man beside her seemed to know what she wanted to say, so he simply turned over and pressed down on her. Then he lowered his head and leaned down, his voice becoming much more indistinct, "The war will start in a few days. During wartime, military orders are like mountains. I'm afraid it's not appropriate for me to comfort you, Madam. Why don't we fill it in now?"
A sliver of moonlight streamed into the room through a window. In the dimly lit room, one could vaguely see a thin shirt slipping off her shoulders, revealing the woman's fair neck and, below that, her snow-white skin as bright as the moon and her rounded, prominent breasts.
After a passionate encounter, Dai Li did not fall asleep as quickly as usual when she was on the pillow again.
A faint sense of anxiety lingered around her.
And that seed of unease, planted long ago, grew even longer roots that night.
*
At the same time.
In the pitch-black night, a group of people from the direction of Wugang quietly crept to the west side of Liuzhangping County.
Looking into the distance, Qin Yanzhou saw that the western suburbs, which were six zhang flat, were completely empty, with no troops stationed there.
A hint of doubt flashed in the young man's eyes.
"Captain, the Xuzhou army isn't in the western suburbs, could it be in the eastern suburbs?" Xun He, who was in the same team, whispered.
Qin Yanzhou, who was temporarily appointed as a commandant, said, "Let's go take a look in the eastern suburbs."
The group made their way to the eastern suburbs and indeed saw a continuous stretch of tents erected there. The camps were lit by braziers, arranged in an orderly fashion, and at night they made the entire camp look like a large, striped tiger lying down and resting.
Xun He exclaimed in surprise, "It really is here! I didn't expect that Li Xuzhou really wanted to withdraw his troops. He was actually willing to turn back and go home."
Although the East Suburbs and West Suburbs differ by only one character, their locations are actually quite different.
Liuzhangping was located to the east of Wugang County. If the army camp were set up in the western suburbs, it could respond to the attack as soon as possible. However, setting up camp in the eastern suburbs, which was farther from the battlefield but closer to Xuzhou, seemed like a return home.
Qin Yanzhou remained silent for a moment, then shook his head: "It's too early to draw conclusions now, let's wait and see."
The full moon gradually set in the west, and before we knew it, another night had passed.
As dawn broke, the Xuzhou military camp, like a giant beast awakening from its slumber, got up, shook its fur, and dragged its reserves of grain eastward.
Whether it was because they carried too much food or for some other reason, the Xuzhou army, which consisted of more than half of its soldiers, did not move very fast. It was only at sunset on the second day that they reached the small county of Jiangkou, east of Liuzhangping.
This time, they also came to the eastern suburbs of Jiangkou County and set up camp there.
The terrain on the eastern outskirts of Jiangkou is relatively high, almost like a small hill. Setting up a military camp on high ground is less advantageous for observation than a flat area like Liuzhangping. Furthermore, the enemy sent scouts several times along the way, but Qin Yanzhou, to maintain a cautious approach, did not get too close.
Another night passed in the blink of an eye.
When the sun rose again, the colossal creature in the distance regrouped and set off once more, continuing its eastward journey.
From a distance, the sight of the dust billowing up was magnificent, clearly indicating the departure of a large army.
Qin Yanzhou waited until they had walked quite a distance before leading his men to the place where the Xuzhou army had previously been stationed. The traditional method of cooking in the field during a military campaign was to bury a pot in the ground to cook, that is, to dig a pit in the ground as a temporary stove and then place the pot in it.
Qin Yanzhou looked at the numerous craters on the ground and said, "Count them."
After each person divided up their area, the group quickly counted the people.
As dawn broke, the city gates of Jiangkou welcomed and saw off merchants, and the caravans continued their journey. Qin Yanzhou overheard merchants passing by discussing the matter:
"I heard there's been a fight in Wugang. Luckily, I heard the news yesterday and didn't go there. Otherwise, losing the goods would be a small matter, but losing my life would be a big deal."
"Brother Gao is right. Alas, I wonder when this war will end? By the way, both the one in Chang'an and the one in the north have issued documents. Whom do you believe?"
"...It's from the north, isn't it? For decades, the Qin family has been guarding the borders of our Great Yan. That one even subdued the foreign tribes. He's much better than the one in Chang'an who only allows his relatives to plunder everywhere."
"Indeed, I heard from a distant cousin of mine in the north that the lord and his wife are tinkering with something that they say can increase grain production. Whether it's true or not, it's always good to have such a benevolent intention."
"But let's end the war as soon as possible. To be honest, as long as we can live a good life, it doesn't matter who sits on the throne."
"Shh, are you out of your mind? You can't just say things like that."
...
Qin Yanzhou listened to the drifting chatter and watched the caravan disappear into the distance. Just then, the soldiers who had gone to count the pits returned, and everyone combined their counts.
"The number of these cauldrons matches the original number of Xuzhou troops. It seems that the proclamation issued by the Lord has worked, causing their already fragile alliance to completely disintegrate," Xun He said excitedly.
A scout laughed and said, "Without Li Xuzhou, that treacherous minister is like someone who has lost an arm. Xie Sizhou is dead, and changing commanders on the eve of battle is not a safe move. The Sizhou army is not as strong as before. So, all that's left is the Yuzhou army and those good-for-nothings from the Chang'an military patrol. What is there to fear in this battle?"
The others laughed and agreed.
Xun He asked Qin Yanzhou, "Commander, I just heard that the battle at Wugang has begun. I suppose it is Lord Xu who has taken action. If the Xuzhou army continues to advance eastward, it means they have completely withdrawn from the battlefield. When should we return to inform Lord Xu of this?"
Everyone was looking at Qin Yanzhou, while the young man gazed in the direction where the Xuzhou army had gone.
After a moment, he shook his head. "It's too early to draw conclusions. Let's keep up."
The others looked at each other in bewilderment.
Xun He originally wanted to suggest sending a few people back to deliver a letter to Qin Shaozong, but seeing Qin Yanzhou's resolute expression, and remembering that the other party had saved his life when suppressing bandits in Chunmiao Mountain, he ultimately did not jump out to sing a dissenting tune after this second young master Qin was parachuted into the position of captain.
Qin Yanzhou led his men to continue trailing behind the Xuzhou army.
Continuing eastward from the river mouth, it would be impossible to reach the next town within a day, so the Xuzhou army camped in the open tonight.
The sky was dark and gloomy, and the cicadas chirped incessantly in the summer, which was irritating and unsettling.
Unlike Jiangkou County, which is situated on low hills and thus has a higher elevation, the Xuzhou army's camp today is located near water and mountains, a rather ordinary location.
Qin Yanzhou looked at the military camp in the distance, then at the mountain beside him, and suddenly said, "We can't tell anything just by looking at it from a distance. Let's go mountain climbing tonight."
"Captain, it's getting dark now. If we go into the mountains at this time, there's a risk of bears and tigers appearing."
Someone chimed in, "If I die by the enemy's blade, it's because I'm not skilled enough, and I have no regrets. But if I die in the jaws of a wild beast, how can I face my former brothers in the afterlife..."
Opposition was subsequently raised by some.
It wasn't just that they thought it was unsafe to go into the mountains at this time; Qin Yanzhou was also too unfamiliar to them.
The lord's son was parachuted into the scout team and immediately became its leader. Previously, he had no prior records and had accomplished nothing, so he clearly couldn't command respect. Moreover, this captain was too young and too handsome, almost like a pretty face, and seemed like the lord's doting father, who had simply sent him to secure a stable position.
Since it was a safe and secure job, how could they let the second young master take such a risk?
"There's no need to venture deep into the mountains. Just climb up to a point where you can roughly see the Xuzhou military camp," Qin Yanzhou said firmly.
He always felt that the Xuzhou army wouldn't leave easily.
He had spent a long time in the Qinglian Sect and was well aware of Liu Dao's ambitions, as well as the extent of the Qinglian Sect's influence and reach. Now, the waters in Chang'an were very murky, and given Liu Dao's character, he would never let this opportunity slip by.
If Li Lishen were to retreat to Xuzhou, then as the soldiers had just said, "the treacherous minister would cut off his own arm," which would be beneficial to the north. Qin Yanzhou felt that Liudao would not allow it to happen.
At this time, Qin Yanzhou did not actually notice anything unusual about the Xuzhou army. He decided to climb the mountain purely out of his understanding of his former adoptive father and an inexplicable intuition.
The group looked at each other, none of them really agreeing with Qin Yanzhou's decision.
But after all, Qin Yanzhou was a military commander, and his orders were absolute. They could offer advice, but the final decision-making power remained in his hands.
Qin Yanzhou glanced at everyone, said nothing, and walked straight into the mountains.
Xun He said in a low voice, "Let's keep up first. We can't let anything happen to the Commandant."
They started climbing the mountain at nightfall, and when the moon was nearly high in the sky, Qin Yanzhou and his group finally reached a high enough altitude. They parted the branches and leaves and looked out, taking in the Xuzhou military camp not far away.
Upon seeing this, Qin Yanzhou's gaze froze.
The size of the military camp remained the same, occupying the same amount of land. However, the distribution of the military tents was quite strange, with the outer ring densely packed and the inner area empty, filled with many flags and sheng (traditional Chinese wind instruments).
If one were to observe from the outside at eye level, one would only see military flags fluttering in the wind, but not the interior, and thus would not notice anything unusual about the military tents.
But now, Qin Yanzhou and the others are at a high place.
"Something's not right. Why does it seem like some of the military tents are missing?"
"It's not just a resemblance, it's just missing! The very center looks like a granary, which is exactly the same as usual. Think about it, when we usually camp, why would there be such a large empty space in the middle? This just doesn't make sense."
"But we clearly counted the pot pits in the suburbs before, and they match up. Could it be that they deliberately left the pot pits there, and this is all a smokescreen from Xuzhou?"
"A smokescreen? What are they trying to hide? Could it be that the main force of the Xuzhou army is no longer here..."
Luckily, we managed to climb the mountain and take a look!
Everyone looked at Qin Yanzhou, whose eyes, no longer filled with the suppressed gloom and lifelessness of before, now gleamed with a sinister light like that of a vicious wolf.
"Captain, Li Xuzhou is being secretive; he's definitely trying to hide the movements of the main force..." Xun He took a deep breath, his hair standing on end from extreme excitement. "They're definitely planning to sneak up on Wugang County!"
They had followed the Xuzhou army all the way and hadn't noticed anything unusual before. There was only one explanation:
The other party left the military camp under cover of night, and in order to avoid being noticed, they probably did not ride a horse.
No, I definitely didn't ride a horse!
The fastest way to get back to Wugang County from here is by going around the mountains, but horses can't climb them.
"Captain, let's hurry back and inform the Lord!"
"Haha, now that we have the foresight, we must not let their scheme succeed."
Everyone was eager to get started.
Qin Yanzhou remained silent as the group descended the mountain. They had come on horseback, and naturally, they would return on horseback. However, when they reached the Dongjiang River at Jiangkou, the young man at the head of the group reined in his horse.
"Commander?" Xun He asked, puzzled.
Qin Yanzhou: "Based solely on the distribution of military tents, I do not believe we can determine whether the main force of the Xuzhou army has already fled. We need to look at other factors as well."
Someone was stunned. "What are you looking at?"
Qin Yanzhou looked toward the Xuzhou army's encampment from the previous night. "Jiangkou is on higher ground. If we don't take the main road, we'll have to abandon our horses and travel light into the mountains. A thousand people passing through will surely leave traces."
What he wanted to see were the traces in the forest.
Whether the main force of the Xuzhou army should leave is a matter of great importance, as it involves whether the allied forces of the northern regions and Qingzhou should allocate some troops to deal with the ambush.
If the reconnaissance is wrong, and we are misled by this information, we will waste a lot of troops.
The others, having regained their senses, all praised, "Captain, you are indeed very thoughtful."
They dismounted and entered the woods.
They climbed the mountain at night, descended at the beginning of the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), and returned to their starting point. Then, without stopping, they rode back to the river mouth. When they arrived at the eastern suburbs of the river mouth, a golden sun hung high in the sky.
Under a clear blue sky, the light was abundant, and even the smallest twigs and leaves in the forest could be seen quite clearly. Thus, the group noticed that in some places branches and leaves had been broken off, and the grass on the ground had been trampled so firmly that it almost created a path.
Upon seeing this, the light in their eyes shone even brighter.
"This time it's definitely right, almost certainly!"
"That Li Xuzhou is so cunning! If the Commandant hadn't insisted on climbing the mountain, wouldn't we have been tricked? If they had turned it into an ambush, how could we face our lord?"
“They must have set off the night before last. Although infantry cannot march as fast as cavalry, they must have traveled day and night to save time. Commandant, let’s hurry back and tell the Lord about this!”
Unlike the others who were excited, Qin Yanzhou remained silent from the moment he saw the traces in the forest, seemingly deep in thought.
After the others finished discussing and looked at him, the young man called out the names of the three men and then instructed them: "The three of you, hurry back to Wugang to deliver the message."
The soldiers whose names were called received the order.
Xun He guessed, "Commander, do you intend to continue observing the Xuzhou army?"
Qin Yanzhou, sparing with words, said yes, and then turned to fetch his horse.
It took the group another half day, and as night was about to fall, they returned from the eastern suburbs of Jiangkou to the Xuzhou army's encampment.
"Let's rest first," Qin Yanzhou said.
They've been on the move for the past two days, climbing mountains all night last night, not to mention tracking the Xuzhou army yesterday. All told, they haven't slept a wink for a day and a night.
Qin Yanzhou leaned against a tree trunk, staring intently in the direction of the Xuzhou army camp, his long eyes as dark as ink.
"Commander, aren't you going to rest?" Xun He noticed that the soldiers around him were sleeping in all sorts of crooked positions, while Qin Yanzhou had his eyes wide open.
“I have an idea,” the young man suddenly said. “The main force of Xuzhou has left, and they are not only weak but also undefended. After all, they would never expect that we know they are outwardly strong but inwardly weak. If we launch a surprise attack on them now, we might be able to burn down the Xuzhou army’s granaries in one fell swoop.”
Since Li Lishen had made the gesture of withdrawing his troops, he naturally wanted to go all out and return to Xuzhou with large and small packages. Therefore, their provisions were carried with them.
If they could really burn down the granary...
Xun He's pupils constricted for a moment, both excited and horrified by this unusually audacious idea. But he quickly calmed down, shaking his head dejectedly, "Captain, we don't have enough men."
A typical scout team usually consists of ten people, who typically work in pairs to explore in various directions.
The number of people dispatched this time was larger than ever before, totaling twenty. Xun He secretly guessed that the Marquis was worried about his son, who was leaving the main force for the first time, so he doubled the number.
Even so, twenty men were far too few. Xun He didn't believe the enemy's remaining troops in the camp numbered less than two hundred. Not to mention, they had just sent three men back to deliver a message; now they only had seventeen left…
Xun He slammed his fist on the tree trunk and said angrily, "So this is what it feels like to be castrated and then see the beauty you admire!"
Qin Yanzhou: "..."
"Captain, if we had two hundred men, we wouldn't be so helpless as we are now." Xun He was furious.
But going back now to deliver the message is clearly too late. No… not now, it was too late back in Jiangkou.
To return to Wugang County, one would have to pass through Liuzhangping and then change course northwards. Not only would the round trip take a considerable amount of time, but leading the army south would inevitably attract attention.
They can be scouts, and so can anyone else.
Qin Yanzhou looked at the Xuzhou military camp again. The camp in the distance was lit by fire, and in the night it looked like a piece of roast meat sizzling and dripping oil on a bonfire.
It's so tempting!
"We still have to give it a try."
Xun He's drowsiness vanished instantly. "Captain, you..."
"It's true that we only have seventeen men, but the enemy doesn't know our numbers. I plan to leave four men behind, two on each side of the jungle to the east and west as a feint, to create a false impression. Initially, the feint on the east will launch its attack, while the rest of us will rush into the camp with me, overturn the braziers, extinguish the torches, and then take advantage of the chaos to kill and rob people of their clothes, before finally retreating back into the forest." Qin Yanzhou seemed to see flashes of swords and towering flames before his eyes.
"After the retreat, we will immediately change into the uniforms of the Xuzhou soldiers. At this time, we will launch a feint attack from the west. The Xuzhou army has already suffered a round of attacks, so they must be in great shock. It would be best for us to take advantage of the chaos to sneak into the enemy camp, and then head straight for the granary and burn it down!" Qin Yanzhou spoke slowly, but every word was spoken with great determination.
Xun He's heart pounded with fear, and when he spoke again, his voice was extremely dry, "Captain, there are less than twenty of us. This trip is too dangerous. If anything happens to you, I..."
Qin Yanzhou smiled almost imperceptibly: "Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I used to work on the edge of a knife. Whether this plan goes ahead or not depends entirely on whether you are willing to risk your lives for me."
*
The night was as black as ink. After two consecutive nights of moonlight, it hid behind the clouds, refusing to peek out again. The dark sky was terrifyingly heavy, as if it might fall at any moment.
At the beginning of the Yin hour, rustling sounds came from the mountains and forests on the east and west sides of the Xuzhou military camp.
The soldier on duty glanced over, yawned lazily, and didn't think much of it. Wild animals were common in the forest; perhaps some were just wandering around.
He wasn't wrong; there were indeed "animals" inside, but these "animals" were no ordinary creatures.
"...If there aren't enough vines, get a few more. Damn, I wish I could grow another pair of hands so I could have ten more fingers."
"Can't you be a little more ambitious? You're already dreaming, can't you dream bigger, at least have three heads and six arms!"
"you're right."
"Is it tied up properly? Why don't you try pulling it a little?"
The person standing in the very center had small vines wrapped around his ten fingers and arms. These small vines extended outwards and were tied to the thicker vines, with the next vines extending outwards even further.
In this way, layer by layer, the sturdy vines eventually tied themselves to different branches.
Upon hearing the sound, the man made a move, and a large swath of leaves stirred, creating the imposing aura of thousands of troops hidden within the forest.
"Okay, okay, that's settled then."
...
Half an hour passed, and silently, the hour of Yin arrived.
Qin Yanzhou hid behind the bushes closest to the barracks, staring intently at the guards not far away. When the guard yawned for the third time, the young man whistled.
The group rushed out like lightning.
"What's going on?"
Before the word "camp" could be uttered, a sword flashed, severing a person's head from their body.
The braziers that had been set up were knocked down, some of them landing upside down, instantly dimming the light in the area.
As Qin Yanzhou led his men into the Xuzhou army camp like sharp knives, the branches and leaves of the large forest behind him trembled, as if a large number of soldiers were about to rush out from the forest, causing a group of Xuzhou soldiers to change their expressions drastically.
"Quickly send troops over! Damn it, why are they launching a sneak attack at this time? Were the scouts we sent out earlier useless? They didn't even bring back a single piece of information."
Qin Yanzhou reaped several heads in succession and quickly approached the military tent. He was skilled with both hands and used his left hand to cut open the tent flap during the fight.
Surprisingly, yet not unexpectedly, there were only three people inside the tent, which wasn't small in size. And unlike the usual large communal sleeping area on the ground, there were only three blankets inside the tent, with the rest of the space empty.
Qin Yanzhou concealed the glint in his eyes.
They arrived quickly and fiercely, initially catching the Xuzhou army off guard and taking many lives. However, they were outnumbered, and the Xuzhou army soon caught up.
"No, there are only a dozen or so of them."
Qin Yanzhou shouted at this moment: "Retreat!"
This had been planned beforehand, so there was no hesitation whatsoever. They withdrew immediately, demonstrating an exceptionally high level of obedience.
Just moments ago, they were tearing at the Xuzhou army's assassin squad like vicious wolves, but in the blink of an eye, they were carrying away their prey.
A soldier wanted to give chase, but saw his superior raise his hand to stop him. He asked in confusion, "Captain, why don't you give chase?"
The captain sneered, "How do you know the enemy hasn't laid an ambush in the forest? If what happened just now was bait, wouldn't chasing after them now be playing right into their hands? Besides, our army only has four hundred men left, and we can't do without the granary."
The soldier suddenly realized.
Those around them echoed their agreement.
No sooner had they finished speaking than a loud rustling sound came from the forest to the west, startling everyone.
"There's movement over there, hurry over and check it out, be on high alert. Ah, I knew that was a diversionary tactic. Luckily I didn't chase after them, otherwise I would have fallen for their trick!"
The Xuzhou army poured into the west, but they did not notice that several "comrades" emerged from the jungle to the east.
These people quickly "rejoined the team" and swaggered straight to the core granary.
After the previous battle, the camp was in a mess. The braziers were overturned, half of the torches were extinguished, and the light in the camp was much dimmer. In addition, everyone's attention was on the west side, and no one noticed this unusual squad.
Qin Yanzhou reached the edge of the granary. He was very cautious and did not throw the brazier directly inside. Instead, he looked inside first and, after confirming that it was safe, shouted loudly, "Oh no! The east side is under attack again!"
These words were like a boulder thrown into a lake; many people turned their heads in unison, and indeed, the jungle to the east began to rustle again.
Taking advantage of this moment, Qin Yanzhou and the others quickly picked up torches and braziers and threw them forcefully into the granary.
"Fire!"
"Who set the fire? Damn it, there's a spy in the army!"
Qin Yanzhou ignored the warnings and continued to set fire to the granary.
Grain will mold if it gets wet, so the granary was very dry, and the fire quickly spread. The flames surged, like a rampant dragon soaring into the sky.
Qin Yanzhou took a deep look at the towering flames, then turned and left, the firelight casting a long shadow of him, making him look somewhat like a fire dragon.
Author's Note: Sorry I'm a day late, but I still wanted to finish this section in one go [glasses]
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