The news of Wu Junsheng's unit's deployment was naturally relayed to the other squads by Zhou Tieniu.
For a time, the squads operating in the vicinity of Changli County were all closely monitoring the movements of Wu Junsheng's troops.
In some neighboring villages, militia units also began to relocate.
Important supplies and property were all transferred to the mountainous areas.
Meanwhile, strong militia members and squad members remained in the village area to deal with Wu Junsheng's forces.
Despite their extremely weak strength, like ants on the ground.
Wu Junsheng's troops, on the other hand, resembled an elephant.
However, even a large number of ants can kill an elephant!
The local squad members and militia members had this mindset.
They tore at the enemy bit by bit, eliminating them one by one.
After Wu Junsheng's troops left Liujiagou, they seemed to be stuck in a quagmire. Every time they passed through a village, they would be attacked by snipers hidden in the shadows.
Although these attacks did not cause much damage to Wu Junsheng's troops, three to five or even ten people were killed each time.
Just as Wu Junsheng's troops were about to give chase, the squad members and militia members in the fields, ditches, and villages had already vanished without a trace.
Even when they encountered these villages, Wu Junsheng's troops became somewhat cautious about venting their anger and burning them down.
Before entering the village, they would carefully assess the surrounding situation, fearing they might encounter the same fate as Liujiagou.
However, no matter how cautious they are, they are still operating in the open.
The team members hiding in the shadows have plenty of ways to deal with them!
There were no landmines at the village entrance, but landmines were buried on the roads.
Every now and then, a few landmines would appear, blasting Wu Junsheng's troops into disarray and leaving them in ruins, causing their morale to gradually decline.
What angered Wu Junsheng the most was that landmines were practically everywhere.
Landmines were buried not only on roads and at village entrances, but also on some field ridges, next to wells, inside houses, and behind doors.
Some soldiers were resting on the edge of the field when they were accidentally killed by a landmine.
Some soldiers came to the well, wanting to get some water to quench their thirst, but as soon as they turned the well wheel, it exploded instantly.
Some soldiers wanted to go inside to rest, but as soon as they opened the door, it exploded.
...
Such incidents occur more than a dozen times a day, and each one can take the lives of two or three soldiers.
Every day, dozens or even hundreds of soldiers under Wu Junsheng's command died.
This news was indeed a headache for Wu Junsheng.
After all, they are still about 100 miles away from Changli County, and they have only traveled a dozen miles here in the past few days, yet they have already suffered hundreds of casualties.
If they were to reach Changli County, who knows how many men they would lose.
"Damn it! This is outrageous!"
Wu Junsheng couldn't help but swear, saying, "Who taught these rioters? How do they have so many thunderbolts? Where did they come from?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Junsheng realized something was wrong.
Since Prince Xin's army has infiltrated the vicinity of Changli County, the thunderbolts will naturally follow.
These rioters, and this kind of fighting tactic, were probably taught to them by Prince Xin's army!
General Wu,
The lieutenant leaned over and said, "We shouldn't be so soft-hearted when dealing with these rioters!"
In my humble opinion, we should take drastic measures.
"Go all out?"
Wu Junsheng was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "What do you mean? How are you planning to take drastic measures?"
A ruthless glint flashed in the lieutenant's eyes as he spoke, "General Wu, whether it's Prince Xin's army or the local rioters, no matter how well they hide, they must need a place to stay. They also need to eat, drink, and sleep. Now that they've left the village, they must have other places to rest!"
"If we burn down all their places of shelter, wouldn't they have nowhere to hide?"
The lieutenant emphasized the word "all".
"in other words,"
The lieutenant stared at Wu Junsheng and continued, "It's all about scorched earth!"
"Strong walls and clear fields?"
Wu Junsheng murmured these words, his expression changing slightly.
He never expected that such a ruthless plan would come up.
Such a tactic is truly ruthless!
Strong walls and clear fields!
This means destroying the surrounding villages and fields. As long as the rioters have no livelihood or place to hide, they will inevitably weaken gradually.
However, such a strategy would undoubtedly alienate them from the people!
If such a policy were implemented, who knows what kind of infamy it would leave behind for posterity?
For a moment, Wu Junsheng was unsure what to do.
He pondered for a moment, then said, "Alas! This plan still needs to be consulted with the Marquis. This is a matter of great importance, and I'm afraid the two of us alone cannot make such a big decision!"
After all, this matter concerns the livelihoods and very existence of tens of thousands of local people!
The lieutenant didn't say much.
He knew, of course, that such a plan was too ruthless. They acted first and reported later. If the court blamed them, they would probably lose their heads!
Immediately, Wu Junsheng wrote a document and sent someone to deliver the plan to the front line as quickly as possible.
After resting for a while, Wu Junsheng continued to lead his troops toward Changli County.
This time, Wu Junsheng divided his troops into five armies, which marched side by side. When they encountered any rioters hiding in nearby villages, they surrounded them and prepared to deal with them one by one.
However, Wu Junsheng's idea was good.
The reality, however, is quite cruel.
The news of the five armies separating had already been detected by members of the militia.
When the news reached Zhou Tieniu, he pondered for a moment and realized there was something fishy going on.
Immediately, Zhou Tieniu ordered the militia members in the inner villages to retreat.
They conducted harassment operations against the imperial army solely on the outer perimeter.
Strikes on the periphery to disrupt the enemy's deployment, then seizes the opportunity to strike.
This is also a guerrilla warfare tactic!
Zhou Tieniu also informed the surrounding squads about the situation, and they cooperated in the operation.
Meanwhile, on the official road from the capital to Yuguan City, Gu Shisan also made a major discovery.
A grain transport team from the capital has already passed Jizhou.
However, after learning about the situation near Changli County, the grain transport team immediately sent a message by carrier pigeon, requesting Zhang Fuchen's troops at the front to send soldiers to protect the official road so that the grain transport team could safely reach the front.
Upon learning this news, Zhang Fuchen had no choice but to order Wu Junsheng's troops to move towards the official road to protect the safety of the grain transport team.
Upon receiving the order, Wu Junsheng led his soldiers toward the official road.
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