Chapter 728: Counter-Ambush (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
Because they were ordered to ambush, the garrison commander didn't take many troops with him this time, only about three thousand men at most. Upon hearing the news, these three thousand men, far from being panicked about going to battle, were visibly excited, rubbing their hands together in anticipation. Since the destruction of the Xin Kingdom, they hadn't encountered any major battles; without fighting, where would their income come from?
Bandits pass by like a comb, soldiers pass by like a fine brush.
Seeing the high morale, the commander raised his hand and gave the order.
Three thousand soldiers marched out of the city, and the common people fled at the mere sight of them. Only after the dust raised by the soldiers settled and the sound of their footsteps faded into the distance did some timidly peek out, their eyes filled with barely suppressed fear. Someone whispered, "What are these things doing running off to now?"
Ever since this group of people arrived, there has been no peace in this place.
One commoner replied, "Went hunting again?"
Those who didn't know asked, "Why hunt at this time of year?"
Those who knew better immediately paled and slammed the door shut. The other onlookers, fearing trouble, also quickly closed their doors to avoid it. It wasn't that they were cowards; it was simply that these soldiers, from top to bottom, were no good.
Previously, some lackey had said something like, "A soldier who has fought a hundred battles has nowhere to display his bravery or sharpen his edge; he is like a rotten iron tool." The garrison commander thought this made sense, so he took prisoners from the jail and released them back into the mountains, ordering his soldiers to go hunting in the mountains.
How many prisoners could there be in such a small place?
When there weren't enough people, they used prisoners, slaves, and exiled criminals. If that wasn't enough fun, they used ordinary people to make up the numbers.
The common people dared to be angry but dared not speak out.
Because those who dared to speak out were also arrested and used as makeshift positions.
Fortunately, this activity did not last long.
This incident angered both heaven and the people, prompting nearby righteous individuals to rise up in rebellion and triggering a small-scale civil unrest. The royal court held the garrison commander accountable, after which the commander became more restrained. Furthermore, the commander gradually became more addicted to women and lost interest in outdoor activities.
Come to think of it, it's been a long time since we've seen such a spectacle.
The common people in the city were filled with anxiety, but the garrison commander knew nothing of this. He only instructed the deputy commander in charge of guarding the city: "You can guard this place with peace of mind. In a day or two, I will return with the head of the traitor. At that time, I will also recommend you for merit."
A lieutenant clasped his hands and said, "Yes, sir."
He added, "I wish the general great success in his military campaign."
The garrison commander, with a dark whip coiled in his left hand and the reins firmly in his right, scoffed dismissively: "What 'prosperous military fortune'? Military fortune is something earned through strength, not by fate. This general doesn't believe in such things."
He endured hardship in his youth, risking his life in battles to climb the ranks. Lacking much formal education, he detested the insincere congratulations between scholars and military men. Phrases like "long-lasting literary fortune" or "prosperous military fortune" were utterly useless.
The lieutenant smiled somewhat awkwardly and replied, "General, your martial arts are unparalleled, so there's no need for such empty formalities."
After giving his orders, the garrison commander led his troops out of the city.
According to the orders issued by King Zheng Qiao, Shen Tang, one of the members of the Dragon Slaying Bureau, will lead his elite troops across the river, enter the territory of Ganzhou, and then head east, aiming for the place he is stationed there. By occupying this place and using it as a base, they can flank and contain Zheng Qiao's forces in Aoshan. The Dragon Slaying Bureau's allied forces can also deploy their main force here, avoiding direct combat with Zheng Qiao's main force at the treacherous Miaojiang River.
In terms of naval warfare skills, both sides were evenly matched.
However, Zheng Qiao, holding the Imperial Seal and leading the army personally, possessed a natural advantage on the battlefield of Miaojiang, putting the Dragon Slayer Alliance at a disadvantage. Therefore, Shen Tang's surprise attack was of paramount importance.
It was even the key to breaking the deadlock in the Allied forces' entry into Ganzhou.
The garrison commander quickly reviewed the intelligence in his mind.
Then he grinned again.
The more crucial the opportunity, the more valuable Shen Tang's head will be.
By calculating the time and distance, they could set up an ambush two days in advance. Shen Tang's troops had come from afar and were bound to be a weary force. Furthermore, their strength would be suppressed as they fought deep into Ganzhou. With this disparity in strength, this victory was practically guaranteed, a free military achievement.
"Giddy up! Keep up!"
The allure of profit is immense.
The three thousand ambushing soldiers marched at an astonishing speed.
You could see the dust kicked up by the marchers from a great distance.
A gentle breeze rustled the leaves.
"Father, the target has arrived!"
Xun Ding hurriedly came to report to his father.
Xun Zhen was dressed in a scholar's robe, his long hair neatly tied back in a hair ornament. He had lost a considerable amount of weight recently, and the veins on his forehead were faintly visible. Xun Ding was worried about his elderly father's health and tried to get him to eat more each day, but he always claimed he had no appetite.
He knew his father was worried about his debts.
In the previous battle, spending money was fun for a while, but repaying the debt was a nightmare.
Xun Ding felt it was completely unnecessary.
This is the lord's debt, not the father's.
We should eat and drink as much as we want. Only when we are well-fed and watered can we better serve our lord, right? Seeing that the enemy was about to enter the ambush range, he immediately shared the good news with his father.
Xun Zhen replied, "Alright!"
The father and son, sheltered by the cover, looked out into the distance from their vantage point.
Xun Zhen's deep gaze turned towards the direction the enemy was coming from, where he vaguely saw a long, wriggling black worm. The latter's marching formation was loose yet disciplined, maintaining a vigilant and adaptable formation, demonstrating a high level of alertness.
Xun Ding also craned his neck to take a look.
"Father, will our ambush be discovered?"
Xun Zhen said, "Probably not."
The enemy received intelligence that their troops were still crossing the river, or perhaps hadn't even crossed yet; in other words, they were safe along the way. Even the most vigilant person would momentarily relax their guard in a safe environment, creating an opening.
This ambush was a maze set up by Xun Zhen and a group of literary scholars. Because the area was not large, the precision was almost perfect. Even a veteran like Wei Shou would be confused if he hadn't known beforehand, so Xun Zhen was confident.
Xun Ding looked down and, for some reason, chuckled.
The old father, Xun Zhen, glanced coldly at his son.
I'm a little reluctant to admit that this blockhead is my biological son.
"Did I ever teach you to laugh for no reason?"
Xun Ding's smile was stiff.
These days, even gloating isn't allowed.
Just as he was about to pout and complain, Xun Zhen suddenly became serious and said, "Send a message down: be on alert and prepare to defend against the enemy!"
With his father's serious demeanor, Xun Ding could no longer joke around. He immediately straightened up, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "This humble general obeys!"
The news reached Shen Tang and the others at an extremely fast pace.
She rubbed her hands together excitedly: "Men, let's welcome our guests!"
Gu Chi nearly vomited up the bitter medicine he hadn't yet swallowed.
At this moment, the three thousand enemy soldiers had already entered the maze.
Xun Zhen had every reason to be proud; the illusion created by "a leaf before the eyes" was indeed incredibly convincing. Not only the scenery they saw, but even the wind rushing towards them and the temperature of the sunlight on their skin were identical to reality. They were completely unaware that what they saw was different from the path they were traveling on. According to their original route, they were at a fork in the road and should have turned left.
But misled by the maze, they went to the right.
The road on the right ends at a valley.
The valley is trumpet-shaped, narrow at one end and slightly wider at the other.
Once inside, any attempt to retreat would inevitably block the "funnel-shaped" entrance. Those who want to enter can't, and those who want to leave can't. This place has been guarded many times, but always for "hunting," and is usually sparsely populated.
Due to the valley's terrain, this place is mostly shaded with little sunlight, resulting in relatively low temperatures. Even if an experienced general cannot detect the traces of the spell array, they can still detect anomalies through the environment.
What a pity—
This time we've met our match!
Wei Shou watched the unsuspecting little prey crawling towards the spider web, a few smug chuckles escaping his throat. But at the same time, a few doubts arose in his heart. His new lord seemed so unassuming; where did he get so many truly talented scholars and writers? Could it be that this fellow's way of governing was so universally appealing, that flowers would bloom at his feet, and that scholars would be utterly devoted to him?
He shook these chaotic thoughts out of his mind.
Never mind, these scholars are all colleagues anyway.
Will we need a few more of the "Five Virtues of a General" in the future?
At the same time, the defending general felt a sudden tightness in his chest.
He instinctively tightened the reins, peering around from his horse. A lieutenant who had followed him raised his hand, and the soldiers behind him stopped upon seeing the command. The lieutenant spurred his horse forward: "General?"
Upon hearing this, the garrison commander turned his head away.
"Do you feel that something is wrong here?"
The lieutenant looked around as instructed and shook his head.
With the sun shining brightly and the wind blowing gently, and the surroundings wide open, nothing could be better.
The lieutenant asked, "General, have you discovered something?"
The garrison commander tensed his jaw muscles, slowly shook his head, and said, "It's nothing, my heart just suddenly started racing."
The lieutenant was about to offer some flattery, mentioning the incredible intuition of a martial artist and suggesting that perhaps this route was unlucky and they should take a detour. But the garrison commander added, "Perhaps it was the commotion yesterday that kept him awake all night, causing some palpitations..."
He had a hard life before and was terrified of poverty.
Once they gain power, they seize the opportunity to enjoy things they never had before, squandering their wealth, indulging in sensual pleasures, and drinking heavily all night... Relying on the martial spirit and the protective aura of martial artists, they are not afraid of sudden death at all.
However, after living like this for too long, he inevitably neglected his training. Even a martial artist is only a mortal. After staying up all night for nearly half a year, he occasionally experienced heart palpitations. The doctor advised him to conserve his energy and replenish his vital energy, otherwise, he would be at risk of chest pain due to the depletion of his vital energy.
Upon hearing this, the garrison commander mocked the physician, saying he was just an ordinary person and knew nothing about martial arts or courage. He added that he had never heard of a military general dying from chest pain.
Upon hearing this, the lieutenant swallowed his words.
"continue!"
"only!"
Unbeknownst to the commander and his men, the vanguard had already passed the "trumpet mouth" by the time their conversation ended. His sudden action caused Shen Tang, hidden in the shadows, to narrow his eyes dangerously, raising his hand to prepare for action, while Wei Shou was in charge of the decapitation strike.
"Phew—I thought I'd been discovered."
Seeing the enemy soldiers continue to fall into the trap, Shen Tang suppressed his murderous intent.
Wei Shou: "Although this man is incompetent, he has at least been through many battles. He himself may be unaware of the danger, but he would still be alert when his body is in danger. Without this ability, how could he have survived to this day?"
Shen Tang held her breath and waited patiently.
As more than half of the troops entered the "funnel," the inexplicable panic in the defending general's heart not only failed to subside but instead grew increasingly agitated, until a familiar sense of crisis surged from his tailbone straight to his brain, and alarm bells rang in his mind: "Stop!"
A sharp shout escaped his lips.
The lieutenant's heart skipped a beat. Before the defending general could speak, he immediately raised his hand and ordered, "The army, form ranks and retreat!"
The garrison commander looked up at the open landscape around him.
The wild grass swayed and bowed in the breeze.
Everything was perfect, flawless, yet he felt something was amiss. Without thinking too much, he raised his hand and unleashed a palm strike, aiming at a clump of grass by the roadside. He assumed there were ambushes hidden within, but instead, his palm strike felt like a boulder thrown into a crescent-shaped lake, ripples spreading outwards in concentric circles. Then, stones flew everywhere, and he could vaguely hear boulders falling overhead.
The garrison commander opened his mouth and cursed, insulting his ancestors for eighteen generations.
This is an ambush!
Someone has set up a maze here!
"withdraw!"
He shouted and tightened the reins, intending to turn the vehicle around.
But once you've come, it's not so easy to leave.
A sharp, undeniable sense of crisis descended from above with a gust of wind, prompting the defending general to immediately take action to defend against the enemy.
His martial energy collided with the air, exploding with a loud bang, and the gust of wind and air waves caused the unprepared soldiers to fall over.
This shockwave was mixed with two violent martial energies, causing countless ripples in the surrounding air, as if countless raindrops were breaking the silence.
Click—
The cracks widened and extended like a spider web until they shattered.
The next moment, the vision dimmed, and a chill seeped into the bones through the skin, raising goosebumps.
The garrison commander then noticed a pink blob in front of him. Without even thinking, a familiar name popped into his head. He immediately burst into a tirade: "Wei Shou, Wei Yuanyuan, you son of a bitch, you lowly barbarian, how dare you ambush us here!"
His response was a kick from Wei Shou to the face.
He crossed his arms to defend himself.
The arm guards shattered under the onslaught of martial energy, the tethers broke, and the guard's body was sent flying backward off his horse.
Wei Shou, holding a large, pinkish-rose gold-rimmed axe, pointed at the garrison commander: "You ate several buckets of old dung this morning, and now you're spewing maggots and excrement everywhere you go, suffocating your grandpa. If you utter another curse, watch out, or my ancestors might be coming to spend the night with your father."
The garrison commander crawled out of the rubble.
Wei Shou's voice ignited his fighting spirit.
He cursed Wei Shou's ancestors and charged forward.
Shen Tang, who was watching from above, said worriedly, "Wu Hui, can Yuan Yuan handle this guy? The other side seems to be in high spirits."
Anger can cloud judgment and cause people to explode.
The sound of Wei Shou and the enemy general exchanging insults echoed across the battlefield. It must have been incredibly difficult to fight while enduring such foul language.
But Shen Tang was more worried that something might happen to Wei Shou.
This place is within the territory of Ganzhou, and the opponent is still a city garrison commander. Wei Shou has already submitted to us, so his strength will be somewhat suppressed. His overall strength has temporarily dropped from the fifteenth rank of Junior Upper to the fourteenth rank of Right Upper. If the two of them fight, Wei Shou may suffer a loss.
Chu Yao said calmly, "Don't worry about him."
He then ordered his soldiers to form a battle formation and unleash rolling boulders that crashed down.
In battle, Wei Shou has never backed down, not even when he was young.
Wei Shou once told him that because of the harsh living conditions he had experienced since childhood, he could fight a giant bear bare-chested even before he had developed martial courage, and he could break through thick ice with a single punch in winter to bathe and catch fish. He was fierce and ruthless in battle, invincible in combat against opponents of the same level, and had a maximal win rate.
︿(￣︶￣)︿
Yesterday was chaotic and my heart was pounding, but I'm feeling a little better today. Sigh, every family has its own troubles, one after another.
(End of this chapter)
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