Chapter 358 Inviting the Enemy into the Trap
The man Zhao Qianhu called Old Qian pointed at Zhao Qianhu and said, "You old codger! Aren't you usually the one charging ahead the most? Why did you give me the chance to charge today? What's wrong? Got scared? Don't you want your military merits anymore?"
Zhao Qianhu shrugged: "What are you talking about? Maybe the food I ate last night went bad. My stomach hurts a bit this morning. If I wasn't feeling unwell, do you think I would give you the opportunity? If you don't want to go, I'll ask someone else."
Qian Qianhu chuckled and pointed at Zhao Qianhu: "Alright, alright, I'll take over. If I get any military merit, don't be jealous."
Commander Zhao lashed Commander Qian with his riding whip: "Stop acting innocent after you've gotten the benefits."
The two laughed and joked for a while, watching as the outline of the valley became clearer and the sky slowly darkened.
Commander Zhang, who was at the front, suddenly ordered the troops to stop: "Two teams go to scout the valley, the rest of you set up camp where you are."
After saying this, Commander Zhang dismounted on his own, and the others quickly formed a camp on the spot and set up tents.
Commander Zhang watched as his tent was quickly pitched, then went inside and summoned several other commanders.
After everyone had arrived, he said, "Everyone is tired from marching during the day. Let's rest for a while in the evening, wait for the scouts to return, confirm the enemy's location, and then go to the valley after nightfall."
The group nodded, clasped their hands in agreement, and said yes.
Wei Shao was moved back to the military doctor's tent. He had already reminded Commander Zhao of everything he needed to today, hoping that people could survive on the battlefield.
After the scouts were sent out to sneak into the valley, they walked for about half an hour and then vaguely saw Li Mingde and his men resting on the flat ground at the bottom of the valley.
One of them was pleasantly surprised, but in order to confirm their identities, he led his men to their campsite even faster.
Upon reaching Li Mingde's prominent central command tent, the scouts instantly became excited.
This is the son of a rebel leader; capturing him would be a great achievement.
The scouts, their blood boiling with excitement, exchanged a glance and ran out of the valley to report to their commander.
Meanwhile, Li Mingde, who was acting as bait in the valley, was sitting in his tent waiting for news from his personal guards. A short while later, one of his guards ran quickly toward his tent.
Hearing the faint shouts outside, Li Mingde responded and let someone in. A guard knelt down and clasped his hands in greeting: "Your Highness, several scouts came from the east just now. They quickly retreated after approaching our camp. They must have taken the bait."
Li Mingde nodded, a hint of joy on his face: "Okay, I understand. Go and inform Lin Qianshi, who is lying in ambush on the mountainside. He will probably launch a surprise attack on the other side after nightfall."
The guard nodded, then said again, "Your Highness, there must be quite a few people on the other side. The camp is not very safe. You should withdraw as soon as possible."
Li Mingde glanced at his personal guards, sighed, and shook his head: "If I weren't on the other side, we might not have attacked so easily. Today, I'm here, fighting alongside my soldiers!!!"
The guard wanted to say something, but Li Mingde glanced at him, and the guard silently shut his mouth, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Li Mingde, and quickly retreated.
Li Mingde knew he was the real bait. If he didn't show up, the other side probably wouldn't fall for it easily. Presumably, Lin Qianshi had also thought of this, which is why he sent him and his men to act as bait below.
If anything goes wrong, he might lose his life here, but now he can only hope that Inspector Lin can bring reinforcements in time to wipe out the enemy.
Thinking of this, Li Mingde's lips curled into a bitter smile. Now they were the ones who needed the King of Chu's help, and if they wanted their father and mother to be safe and sound, they could only...
Li Mingde rubbed his aching temples and led his men to prepare for the follow-up.
When he arrived, Lin Qianshi told him that there were dense forests in the valley and various steep terrains. If they met on the plains, the probability of losing in a head-on confrontation would be very high.
However, in such complex terrain, it is necessary to divide the troops into small teams, form formations, and separate the main force entering the valley from the opposite side, annihilating them one by one.
This is the best way to deal with the other side.
Li Mingde left the camp, summoned several commanders, and gave them orders. He then sent half of his men to ambush in the woods of the valley on both sides of the camp, while he and the remaining two thousand men stayed in the camp, quietly waiting for the enemy.
After receiving the news, Lin Changning and his team, who were on the mountainside, quickly began to prepare for battle. Some of them found the boulder and tied it tightly to the other end of the mountainside with ropes.
They waited until the enemy ambushed Li Mingde and his men before going down to provide support. Once they had killed more than half of the men, they slowly drove them to the other side, while the two small teams on the mountain watched the trap.
Once someone has been killed and tries to escape, boulders and trees are dropped from the exit to crush them.
On the one hand, it can block the exit, and on the other hand, it can be used as a trap to help them kill some of the enemies.
After Lin Changning and Li Mingde joined forces, they blocked the approaching troops from the other side.
Those who launch a surprise attack in this way are like turtles in a jar; once they fall into the trap and enter the valley, they will never return.
After giving instructions, Lin Changning quickly led his men to ambush halfway up the mountain, waiting for the enemy to launch a surprise attack.
Night gradually deepened, and a cool breeze blew against Lin Changning and his men, who were lying in ambush, relieving the heat of the day.
The woods were quiet, but Li Mingde's tent was brightly lit, as if deliberately pointing the way for the attackers.
Commander Zhang had already entered the valley, but fearing an ambush, he sent another scout team, which got even closer.
However, once they got very close to the camp, they were immediately discovered. Li Mingde's personal guards deliberately let the person who was sneaking into the camp pass by.
Upon hearing the calls of a few birds in his tent, Li Mingde instantly realized that someone had taken the bait.
A smile played on his lips as he walked straight out of the main tent, picked up a bowl of water, and summoned several guards. A group of soldiers then shouted loudly at the tent entrance, "Celebrate this minor victory!!!"
The guards and soldiers below exchanged glances and quickly grabbed the bowls of water in front of them.
Holding up a glass of water, he shouted, "The Crown Prince is mighty! The Crown Prince is mighty!"
The scouts outside, using the dim firelight to watch Li Mingde leading the drinking, and hearing the deafening shouts coming from the camp, their eyes lit up.
"The bandit leader is indeed here! Quickly, go and inform the commander."
As he spoke, one of them quickly ran towards the back.
The remaining few stayed in place for a while, and seeing that the camp seemed to be celebrating yesterday's victory and that a group of people were drinking, and that there seemed to be nothing else amiss, they quickly retreated as well.
After everyone left, the sounds of birdsong rose and fell in the woods, and the once noisy camp quickly fell silent.
Li Mingde's eyes darkened: "Everyone!! Prepare for battle immediately!!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
