He Xiong's generals had long disliked Yu Shida. Since the general had saved him and was only guiding him, there was no need to make him a deputy general.
"I observe that the explosives used to blow up the city gate at Longtan are much more powerful than those used by Vice General Yu, and they even faintly emit a smell of alcohol."
Someone looked at Yu Shida suspiciously, "The soldiers guarding the city said that the explosives used by the enemy were extremely small, but their power was greater than the two boxes that Deputy General Yu used last time!"
Upon hearing this, the crowd began to whisper among themselves.
"Two large boxes of stuff; the hole blasted out of the city gate was only slightly larger than that dog hole."
"The people of Longtan detonated the explosives silently, and the soldiers defending the city did not hear a sound."
He Xiong looked at Yu Shida with a half-smile, "Deputy General Yu, are they telling the truth?"
All eyes were on him, and Yu Shida felt a chill run down his spine, breaking out in a cold sweat.
"General, this is absolutely not true. The thieves from Longtan are rampant and shameless. They set fire to my estate and stole the explosive formula and a lot of explosives that I had already made to modify them. Without the formula, I made them based on only my vague memory, so their power is naturally greatly reduced."
Recalling He Xiong's peculiar habits, a sly glint flashed in Yu Shida's eyes. He said casually, "When I was chasing the bandits of Longtan, I discovered that the one leading their troops this time was actually their female city lord!"
"The female city lord?" Upon hearing this, He Xiong's interest was piqued. He sat up straight and stared at Yu Shida.
"I've heard that this city lord is not only exceptionally talented, but also incredibly beautiful, a true beauty."
Even though Morey hadn't witnessed it firsthand, he still tried to exonerate Yu Shida with his magic.
Yu Shida glanced at him without changing his expression.
"The Yun Mo we captured two days ago is her husband. If we take her down, it's the same as taking down the entire Southern Barbarian Prefecture!"
"really?"
“The military government of Cangwu County was also persuaded by this city lord,” Yu Shida said.
He Xiong's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Send out the order to send more men to find out where the Cangwu County and Longtan army are stationed."
The more Yu Shida talked, the more interested he became in this female city lord.
If he could gain the assistance of such a talented woman, his rule over the southern lands would be twice as effective with half the effort.
Seeing Yu Shida use his smooth talk to please the general and once again let him escape punishment for his poor performance, the generals were furious and wished they could drag him out and give him a good beating.
Seeing that Yu Shida and Morey were trying to steer the conversation away from the general, the quartermaster in charge of rear-area logistics couldn't sit still any longer and interrupted them.
"General, the granaries have been destroyed, and our current food reserves are insufficient to last for three days. What should we do?"
“That’s easy.” He Xiong waved his hand and said to his other generals, “Immediately issue orders to send out dozens of teams to collect grain from the people in various cities and villages, and also to recruit some able-bodied men to repair the city walls.”
The rear service applauded and praised, "The General is truly brilliant. I've long heard that the South grows two crops of grain a year, and every household has more grain than they can eat."
"Now that it's planting season, should we provide food and monetary subsidies for the conscripted laborers?" a general asked, frowning.
He Xiong glared at the general and said, "It's an honor for them to work for us. How dare they accept money!"
With everything agreed upon, dozens of teams set off from the city of Nanzhou.
The entrance to the valley where Longtan camped.
Yun Qi and Yun Si, along with their guards, were keeping watch in the shadows when they suddenly saw a fast horse galloping towards them from afar.
"Fourth Brother, more barbarians are here!"
Yun Qi gripped the binoculars, his eyes fixed intently on the movement on the road ahead.
"How many have come?" Yun Si asked.
"There are about thirteen of them. Should we take them down?"
Lin Yi'an and Lu Changqing crept up from behind, "Brother Yun Qi, are they all cavalry?"
Yun Qi nodded, "Yes, thirteen horses."
Yun Er casually poked his head out from the tree, "Since they still dare to come, then we won't be polite and will take them all in! An'er, Changqing and all the archers, listen to my command, shoot down the Hu people on horseback, but do not harm the horses."
Hidden in the forest, the archers drew their bows and aimed at the Hu people who were still galloping towards them.
As they drew closer, just as the cavalry entered Yun Er's firing range, a dozen arrows whistled out from the dense forest.
Yun Si and Yun Qi, along with their soldiers, hurriedly stopped the frightened horses and, while they were at it, finished off the Hu people who weren't quite dead yet.
They acted swiftly; one group went to fetch the horses, while another carried away the corpses from the road.
The last team of people used hoes, shovels, branches and other tools to clean up the serum on the ground and sprinkled it with dry leaves and weeds.
A moment later, the road looked as if no one had walked on it for a long time.
Even the neighing of the horses just now seemed like an illusion.
Seeing that they had acquired more than a dozen horses, Yun Er laughed heartily, patting Lin Yi'an and Lu Changqing on the shoulders as he laughed.
"Good lad, your archery skills are getting better and better!"
Lu Changqing became shy and bashful after being praised, and smiled with pursed lips.
"We owe everything to Uncle Yun's teachings. We want to learn from you and become as capable as you in the future." Lin Yi'an grinned, a sincere smile on his face.
Yun Er was slightly taken aback, and his hand unconsciously touched the bandage still wrapped around his left eye. The injury had almost healed, but he still couldn't see with his left eye.
After a joint consultation by Yun Wu, Guo Xun, and Dr. Lü, it was determined that the chances of his left eye recovering were very slim.
A sense of gloom settled in his heart. He lowered his eyes and looked at the bow and arrow that had been with him for many years in his left hand. Suddenly, his heart felt lighter.
Even with only one eye left, he was still a sharpshooter, and he discovered that his hearing became even more acute after he lost sight in his left eye.
As the old saying goes, "A loss may turn out to be a blessing in disguise."
Having figured everything out, Yun Er laughed heartily and raised his bow and arrow. "Yes, you have to be as good as me!"
Yun Si and Yun Qi exchanged a glance; all their worries were unnecessary.
Even after losing an eye, he was still as radiant and graceful as the moon!
Yun Si has already sent the confiscated horses back to the camp.
"Brother Yun, we have captured all three groups of men sent by the Hu people. Do you think the Hu people will send more?" Lin Yi'an asked with a frown.
Yun Er lay on the tree trunk with a blade of grass in his mouth, his hands clasped behind his head.
After a long silence, he said, "The Hu people have been sending out more and more people each time. But things don't happen more than three times. Their probing is probably over."
"Then let them come at us! We're not cowards!"
After this period of tempering, Lin Yi'an has become sharp and determined.
"No rush. Judging from this, a major battle is inevitable."
As the group was discussing the upcoming battle, the guards patrolling the back mountain brought back two people bound.
"Second brother, fourth brother, we caught two more spies in the back mountain."
"We're innocent! We're from a nearby village."
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