Chapter 754: Thieves Never Leave Empty-Handed, They Moved the Granary [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
"Should we fight?"
Gongxi Chou conjured weapons, and the entire army went on high alert.
Kang Shi took a deep breath to calm the turmoil in his chest and said calmly, "Whether we fight or not is not up to us, let's see what they do!"
If we can avoid fighting, we should naturally try to avoid it.
First, the imperial seal in Kang Shi's possession is of paramount importance and must not be compromised! Second, the lord's resources are limited; not counting the troops of Longwu County, half of them are under his own command. If he rashly loses the battle, Kang Jishou will have no face to face the lord.
Gong Xichou merely snorted in response.
He didn't believe the troops approaching them were without malice.
As it turned out, Gong Xichou's intuition was not without merit.
Before Kang Jishou could even send someone to find out which "ally" the other side was, their troops, already well-prepared from afar, had their elite forces donning warhorses and armor, and, empowered by the magic of their battle formation, accelerated their charge. Numbering over a thousand, they formed a vast and imposing force, raising clouds of dust.
Cavalry charges are extremely fast.
In the blink of an eye, they had closed the distance by a third. At this moment, countless chevaux-de-frise rose from the ground along the cavalry's path, but they could not hold back the heavily armored cavalry for long as they gained momentum for their charge. In an instant, wood chips and debris flew everywhere.
General Jiang commanded his troops to channel their morale into trenches, while mud walls rose one after another. Bang!—a mud wall, half a zhang wide, exploded before the enemy's burst of light blades. They advanced with unstoppable momentum, explosions echoing one after another.
Kang Shi remained unfazed and conjured up the [Scattered Stars] formation.
Using the morale of the large army, they turned the land in front of the battle lines into a swamp.
This tactic worked. The warhorses clad in horse armor and the fully armed cavalry were incredibly heavy, and the mud created by Kang Shihua was far enough in size. The cavalry at the forefront of the charge were the first to be hit, and soon half of their bodies were stuck in it.
Unexpectedly—
Kang Shi muttered a curse under his breath about the other party's ancestors.
It turned out that the cavalrymen behind didn't even blink, using their comrades stuck in the mud as stepping stones to leap across the last stretch of mud. The cavalrymen behind followed suit, trampling the unfortunate corpses in front of them.
Gong Xichou raised his hand and conjured a weapon.
He sneered, "What kind of beasts dare to be so presumptuous!"
He stomped his foot, unleashing a powerful, dark green martial energy blade that shot forth from the ground with earth-shattering force, hurtling towards the enemy cavalry. With a deafening roar, the battlefield beneath his feet was instantly cleaved in two by a trench several meters wide. Before the light could even dissipate, a bizarre, giant python with a net-like pattern on its body raised its head from the trench, flicking its long tail as it lunged towards the enemy's face.
Gong Xichou, armed, directly confronted the enemy.
Even so, many cavalrymen still managed to break through the defenses and were about to wreak havoc. Hundreds of fully armed soldiers charged out, wielding massive shields that boosted morale, behind which lay their accompanying axe-wielders. The battle cries from both sides were deafening.
Bang--
The axe-wielder crouched down and chopped at the horse's legs.
These cavalrymen were said to be fully armed, but their equipment was entirely formed from martial spirit or morale, limited by their martial prowess level and morale scale. This was different from truly being "armed to the point where only their eyes were exposed." The horse's legs were also a weak point in their defense. Even if the horse's legs weren't severed by the giant axe, how could the cavalrymen on horseback maintain their balance when struck at such speed?
Many enemy soldiers fell off their horses in an instant.
Before he could regain his balance and stand up, something ripped off his helmet, followed by a sharp blade aimed straight at his face.
In just a few dozen breaths, the vanguard of both sides had already clashed once. Although Kang Shi's side was on the defensive and had less than half the manpower of the enemy, they not only maintained their formation but also blocked an enemy charge and launched a counterattack.
Gong Xiqiu had a very accurate understanding of his own position.
His job was simply to wreak havoc and distract enemy generals. Just as he himself said, "One comes, one kill; two come, two kill!" Ha! These brutes think they can touch Mama's army?
Unrestrained, a level 16 super-powerful vehicle, while not quite free to move about on the battlefield, is certainly a human tank and dump truck. Close your eyes, step on the gas, and crush everything in its path!
Creation of death, creation of death, all of them must die!
Only after the enemy general's head had been split open twice did they realize who their opponent was: "That's Gong Xichou?"
Who among the allied forces doesn't know that Gong Xichou has helped Shen Tang?
They ambushed Gongxi Chou, which means—
"Damn it, it's Shen Youli's troops!"
They thought they had ambushed a weak little rabbit, and with more than twice the enemy's strength, the advantage was in their hands. So they launched a surprise attack, only to be met with several fierce attacks in the next second! The rabbit they thought they had was a fanged beast!
Damn it, they didn't even raise their flags during the march! If they had known it was Shen Youli's troops, they would never have provoked them. Who would be so foolish as to provoke a madman with a sixteenth-rank Grand Master in charge? Although they regretted it, it was too late to retreat.
Kangshi's principles—
If we can avoid fighting, we will. But if we do fight, we won't stop until we've chopped off both of their hands! If we're really ruthless, we'll beat the shit out of them!
He stroked the area around his dantian, his eyes slightly narrowed.
The more national seals, the better.
The lord will surely be pleased when he finds out.
Two flowers bloom, each representing a different branch.
Chu Yao encountered new troubles along the way. His scouts discovered traces of other forces, and remaining in place risked being attacked from multiple directions. However, they had one advantage over the enemy—they were familiar with the terrain of Ganzhou, while the enemy was not.
By making good use of their advantages and employing some skillful maneuvering, avoiding these ferocious enemies shouldn't be a problem. Chu Yao and the others finalized their plan in a few words, but Xie Qi hesitated, asking, "Shi Zang, is there anything you'd like to say?"
"Since it's convenient anyway, why not just take over the granary?"
Xie Qi pointed to the movement route that everyone had planned.
We passed by a large grain depot on the way.
"Even if we can't take it with us, we can't let the rest of the allied forces benefit from it." The enemy filling their stomachs would weaken their own strength. Besides, he had risked his life to bring the granary to this location; he would feel bad if he didn't do something about it.
Gu Chi could understand his feelings.
"Indeed, I can run away, but I can't lose my dowry."
Xie Qi thought he had misheard: "What can't be lost?"
Gu Chi simply smiled and brushed it off.
"He didn't say anything."
Xie Qi: "..."
His ears were fine; he did hear the words "marriage fee." However, he was a newcomer with an unstable foundation, and Ning Yan, an acquaintance, had left with the lord. Xie Qi couldn't argue with the old man Gu Chi, so he could only deliberately forget about it.
Xie Qi's reminder stirred everyone's interest.
In an era rife with famine, they witnessed too many tragedies and understood the value of food better than anyone else. Having enough to eat was a luxury for most people, and seeing abandoned granaries left untouched was truly heartbreaking.
Chu Yao suppressed his heartache: "But the supplies are slowing down the march... If our allies discover this, it could be disastrous."
Carrying so much baggage makes them vulnerable to being ambushed.
Gu Chi silently offered a reminder from the side.
"We must also think about the disaster victims in Yanzhou."
Our lord is magnanimous and generous; he previously distributed some military rations to disaster victims. Why can't they loot the granary? If nothing unexpected happens, some of the grain in this granary should have been obtained through plundering Yanzhou. This is what they deserve.
After Gu Chi said this, everyone fell silent.
If the granaries fall into their hands, they can at least provide some relief to the starving people; but if they fall into the hands of the coalition allies, they can only become capital to strengthen their power, and be used to recruit young and strong men, leaving the old, weak, sick and disabled with no way to survive.
Gu Chi asked, "How is it?"
The final decision was to loot the granary... no, to seize the granary, before our former allies, already in chaos, discovered it! As for our lord, we could only leave some intelligence for them to find themselves. Surely the four of them wouldn't get lost?
Emmm...
I didn't get lost, but I almost got lost.
Two days after Chu Yao and his group left, Shen Tang and her three companions arrived. Only a few traces remained at the site, indicating that troops had briefly stayed there. Her little head was filled with great confusion as she put her hands on her hips and asked, "Wait, where did they go?"
Wei Shou quickly examined the traces at the scene: "There are no signs of a battle here. Judging from the footprints left during the retreat, although they are not perfectly orderly, there is no chaos either. It seems that no danger was encountered. Perhaps they sensed danger in advance and withdrew..."
Shen Tang sighed, "Then how can we reunite now?"
Because of Zheng Qiao's questionable actions, most members of the Alliance Army were like hunters with built-in light bulbs in the dark; they would be detected as soon as they entered the enemy's light range. No one could guarantee the enemy wasn't hostile, and the safest way to protect themselves was to fire the first shot, ideally eliminating the enemy with a single shot!
However, another problem arose—
Where should I go to meet them?
Following the trail of the march to find the source?
This is obviously not feasible, because in order to avoid being tracked by the enemy, large armies would lay out smoke bombs when marching.
Wei Shou said, "Why don't we cross the river and return to Yanzhou first?"
Chaoli Pass is the only way back.
We might as well use a simpler approach: wait patiently for the opportunity to come to us.
Shen Tang said, "This is the only way now."
However, they underestimated the chain reaction caused by Zheng Qiao's shrewd move. The chaos in Ganzhou far exceeded their expectations, and they even encountered several forces conducting raids. Shen Tang said, "We're dressed too conspicuously; let's change."
He changed his clothes and blended into the group of refugees fleeing the disaster.
Wei Shou: "..."
Shen Tang coughed lightly: "Please have Yuan Yuan hide in the shadows."
The three scholars were alright; they were taller than average, but not excessively so, and could be concealed by deliberately hunching over. Wei Shou, however, was a martial artist with a physique comparable to a small mountain of flesh—too conspicuous.
Who would believe he was a refugee fleeing from war?
Wei Shou had no choice but to do as she was told. The other three changed their clothes, disguised themselves, and successfully blended into the refugees. She also learned about the current situation from the refugees, and her expression changed repeatedly. Zheng Qiao had just died, and the Dragon Slaying Bureau's allied forces had collapsed.
Those who react quickly can directly send troops to launch a surprise attack on the nearest ally.
It was a surprise attack.
They start wars regardless of time or place.
This caused great suffering to ordinary people. Countless people had to pack their bags and flee the war. Many did not know where to escape to and could only blindly follow the crowd, while occasionally having to avoid "bandits" who would suddenly appear from nowhere!
Bandits pass by like a comb, soldiers pass by like a fine brush.
The refugees wanted to scatter and flee when they saw them.
Unfortunately, two legs can't outrun four legs.
"The bandits are coming—"
"The bandits are coming—"
Some people in the refugee group shouted in terror.
Shen Tang immediately recognized that this group of people were allies of the Allied Forces. Although they were soldiers, they acted like bandits, chasing after refugees and demanding money and food. If the refugees did not give, they would first threaten them, and if that failed, they would intimidate them. If intimidation failed, they would resort to violence.
They acted with absolutely no restraint.
I heard from fellow refugees that people are often beaten to death.
A completely cold corpse wouldn't even be burial; it would just be tossed aside by the roadside to rot and stink. However, this is highly unlikely, because the corpse simply wouldn't reach that point.
"Whether you choose to live or to make money, it's up to you."
The refugee, his face pale, could only carefully pull out a few small pieces of silver from the sole of his shoe and plead, "Sir, all my belongings are here... Please have mercy..."
He handed over some loose change.
The soldier took it, weighed it in his palm, pressed his tongue against his back teeth, smacked his lips for a while, and then pointed his thumb behind him.
"Okay, let's go."
"Thank you, soldier. Thank you, soldier."
Shen Tang was burning with rage and had murderous thoughts, but she forcibly suppressed them, because the closer she got to the Miao River, the more forces and groups she would encounter. She whispered, "These people let people go so easily?"
Jiang Sheng, disguised as an old farmer, whispered, "If we let this group go, there'll be another one waiting."
Making refugees hand over all their belongings at once will only provoke them to take desperate measures. Taking away their entire wealth is tantamount to taking their lives; since they're going to die anyway, they might as well fight to the death. But if it's done gradually, with each instance allowing them to exchange a little money for safety, the refugees won't have the courage to gamble everything and will mostly comply obediently. Jiang Sheng has seen this situation many times.
He sighed, "The same thing happened in the past when cities were massacred."
They looted the money first, then killed the person.
Otherwise, why would ordinary people fear soldiers?
In their eyes, there was no difference between soldiers and bandits.
As if to confirm Jiang Sheng's words, less than fifteen minutes after this group left, they encountered another group that similarly preyed on the refugees and demanded money. Shen Tang analyzed their clothing: "These people are probably patrol soldiers, right? Why isn't anyone doing anything about this?"
Are they using their patrol time to exploit and plunder refugees?
Jiang Sheng said, "No one will care."
Those who are good at managing troops are few and far between.
Shen Tang's face twitched violently. The intercepted refugees had no choice but to spend money to avoid trouble once again, but this time it was different.
"Hey, young lady, come here."
The leader, with his sharp eyes, spotted a glimpse of something charming.
It was a woman whose head was covered with a cloth. Although her face was not visible, her female figure was vaguely discernible. The woman whose name was called shrank back in fear. Her man stepped forward and tried to beg for mercy, offering to bribe the bandits with grain, but was slapped away.
"Get out of my way!"
The man was slapped to the ground, spitting out bloody saliva and two teeth. After recovering slightly, he tried to hug the bandit's leg again: "No, soldier! My wife is pregnant..." Before his fingers could even touch the bandit, he was kicked away and rolled several times.
"Pregnant? That would be even better."
The woman was terrified by the scene. She had only taken two steps, supporting her lower abdomen, when someone grabbed her hair and dragged her out of the crowd.
(I'll go out for a late-night snack and then come back to sleep)
(End of this chapter)
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