The War Zone
Chapter Quote: Sneaking into the battlefield, observing the crisis with a cold eye. To turn the tide, we must borrow strength and deliver a secret letter to the army.
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Yan Qing left the "Hidden Posthouse" again, feeling as if he were in another world. Outside, it was already deep autumn, the vegetation withered, and a chilling atmosphere permeated the air. Following Gongsun Sheng's instructions, he contacted his covert agent outside the posthouse, changed into the attire of a humble merchant, and headed east, towards the front lines where Hu Yanzhuo was fighting Liangshan.
The closer we got to the battle zone, the more tense the atmosphere grew. Along the official roads, we saw scattered soldiers and fleeing civilians, all with terrified expressions. Most villages and towns were deserted, and among the rubble, only the occasional crow could be seen circling, its cries mournfully.
Yan Qing felt heavy in his heart. This was the most tragic scene in history.
He did not go directly to the main battlefield where the two armies were fighting, but instead detoured to the outskirts of Liangshan Lake. Relying on the intelligence provided by the "Hidden Post" and his own superb stealth skills, he avoided the scouts of both sides and quietly sneaked into a mountain forest that overlooked an important camp of the Liangshan army.
He needed to see with his own eyes the current strength of Liangshan and where Hu Yanzhuo's government army was defeated.
After lurking for a whole day, Yan Qing's heart gradually sank to the bottom.
The Liangshan military camp was heavily fortified, with strict fighting methods and well-trained soldiers. Their morale was high; they were no ordinary mob. Even more alarming was the fact that Liangshan didn't seem to be at a loss for a solution to Xu Ning's situation. They were actually taking a different approach. Within the camp, one could vaguely see some modified vehicles and weapons equipped with hooks and sickles. While not as professional as the hook-and-scythe spears, they were clearly designed to target the linked horses!
On the other hand, he learned from scattered defeated soldiers and local civilians that Hu Yanzhuo, while brave and his linked cavalry indeed formidable, had initially defeated Liangshan. However, Liangshan, leveraging favorable terrain and strong forces, employed tactics such as luring the enemy deep into their territory, disrupting their supply routes, and dividing and disrupting their forces, ultimately exhausting Hu Yanzhuo's forces. Furthermore, the delay in the arrival of imperial reinforcements and the difficulty in obtaining food and fodder had shaken the army's morale.
"If this continues, Hu Yanzhuo will surely be defeated!" Yan Qing was anxious. Once Hu Yanzhuo, the main force of the imperial court, was annihilated, Liangshan would no longer have any scruples and its power would inevitably expand rapidly. It would be extremely difficult to contain it then!
Something must be done!
He recalled Zhang Qing's words before leaving Beijing, saying that General Su intended to launch an all-out campaign to suppress the bandits. If he could secretly report to Hu Yanzhuo what he had seen of Liangshan's true strength, tactics, and preparations against the Linked Horses, perhaps he could alert them, adjust their tactics, and even prompt the imperial court to send reinforcements as soon as possible!
But how could he get the message to Hu Yanzhuo? As a commoner and a wanted Liangshan spy, if he rashly went to the military camp, he would be apprehended before he could even open his mouth.
As he pondered this, he suddenly remembered someone—Han Tao, the "Hundred Victories General." This man was Hu Yanzhuo's deputy general, and with a relatively straightforward temperament, he might be a breakthrough point.
He immediately took out the paper and pen he had brought with him and, using charcoal, hastily wrote a secret letter on a rock. He left the letter unsigned, referring only to himself as "an insider." He described in detail what he had seen in the Liangshan camp, particularly the weapons used to counter the linked horses. He also analyzed the tactics Liangshan might employ (such as luring the enemy and cutting off their food supply). Finally, he pleaded with Hu Yanzhuo to use his troops with caution and hold his ground until reinforcements arrived.
After writing, he wrapped the letter in oil paper and hid it in his arms. The next step was how to deliver this letter to Han Tao.
He observed the routes and times of the official army's grain transport teams and discovered that every day at noon, a grain transport team would come from the rear to Hu Yanzhuo's camp. Among the officers escorting the grain, there seemed to be some of Han Tao's subordinates.
The opportunity has come!
At noon the next day, Yan Qing ambushed the grain transport team in a forest. When the team slowly approached, he spotted an officer who looked like the leader. After calculating the distance and wind direction, he tied the oil-paper bag to a stone with a thin rope, exerted all his strength, and threw it accurately at the officer's saddle like a hidden weapon!
The officer felt a weight on his saddle, and when he looked down, he saw an oil-paper package. He opened it in surprise and found it was a secret letter. His face suddenly changed, and he looked around hurriedly, but he only saw the wind blowing through the trees and no one was there.
Yan Qing had already taken cover in the woods and escaped far away.
The letter had been sent, and whether it would work or not depended on fate. Yan Qing did not dare to stay any longer. He was about to leave this troubled place and return to the "Hidden Post" to discuss the matter, but suddenly he heard a strange noise coming from the direction of the Liangshan camp in the distance!
He had an idea and dived back to a high place again, staring intently.
The gates of Liangshan Stronghold were wide open, and several prisoner carts, surrounded by countless soldiers, were marching out of the camp. Inside the carts, several officers, bruised and battered, dressed in official military uniforms, were tied up! Judging by the style of their armor, they seemed to be of high rank!
Liangshan had actually captured several officers alive?! This was a sign of a great victory! This was undoubtedly a further blow to the already low morale of the government troops!
Yan Qing's heart sank, knowing the situation was probably irreversible. He looked carefully, trying to identify the people in the prisoner car. The distance was too far and the faces were blurry, but the burly figure of one of them looked somewhat familiar to him.
At this moment, the prisoner car team passed through an open area, and the sun shone right on the face of the burly general. Although it was covered in blood and dust, Yan Qing recognized the man instantly!
It wasn't Han Tao, nor was it Hu Yanzhuo, but... "Tianmu General" Peng Qi?!
Why is Peng Qi here? Shouldn't he be serving as a general in Lingzhou? Could it be that... the imperial reinforcements have already arrived? And have they been defeated by Liangshan, perhaps even captured alive?!
This news was even more shocking than Hu Yanzhuo's defeat! If even the main general of the reinforcements was captured, the imperial court would be shaken, and the situation in Shandong would be completely out of control!
This news must be immediately passed back to "Yinyi" and passed to Mr. Gongsun Sheng, who is determined to plan for the world!
Yan Qing no longer hesitated, turning and leaving, his figure as fast as lightning, sprinting back the way he had come. He had to inform Gongsun Sheng of the sudden changes on the front line as soon as possible so that he could respond.
However, not long after he left the hill where he was hiding and stepped into a dense forest, he suddenly stopped!
The atmosphere in the forest is not right! It's too quiet! Even the chirping of birds and insects has disappeared!
He slowly drew out his dagger and glanced around sharply.
“Shhhhh!”
Several crossbow arrows shot through the air from different directions! They were extremely fast and at tricky angles!
Yan Qing's figure swayed rapidly, moving through the trees like a ghost, his dagger dancing, barely deflecting the crossbow bolt! But the opponent was clearly well prepared, and after the crossbow bolt, several lassoes dropped from the trees!
"You again!" Yan Qing's eyes flashed with a cold light. The tactics of these ambushers were exactly the same as those they had encountered outside the capital and at the Xu Family Manor before! Were they from Liangshan, or were they sent by the commander-in-chief of the Palace Commander's Office who was colluding with Liangshan?
He had no time to dwell on it. He knew he was surrounded and needed to fight quickly! He aimed in a direction and lunged forward, his dagger aimed at a crossbowman hiding behind a tree!
The crossbowman didn't expect Yan Qing to come so fast, and hurriedly raised his crossbow to block, but Yan Qing chopped off the crossbow with a knife and cut his throat!
Blood splattered! Yan Qing didn't stop, turned around, and pounced on another person!
The ambushers had not expected Yan Qing to be so brave and valiant, and two of them were killed in an instant, causing their formation to become slightly disordered. However, the others quickly reacted, drawing their swords and surrounding him to kill him!
These people were obviously skilled fighters, and they worked in perfect harmony to hold Yan Qing captive. Although Yan Qing was a skilled fighter, he was outnumbered and there seemed to be crossbowmen lurking in the dark, so he found it difficult to escape.
A prolonged battle would be detrimental! Yan Qing's mind raced. He had to break out as quickly as possible and spread the news that Peng Qi had been captured!
He fiercely parried the frontal blow and retreated rapidly, leaning against a large tree to temporarily suspend his attack. Then, he reached into his bosom and pulled out the yellow-lettered "Hidden Post" token. Gathering all his internal energy, he hurled it fiercely at a nearby boulder!
"Dang!" With a crisp sound, the token hit the boulder and sparks flew!
This sudden action took the besiegers by surprise.
In this split second, Yan Qing exerted force with his feet, and like an arrow from a bow, he rushed in the opposite direction of the token! At the same time, he raised his hands, and several of Yan Qing's unique small silver balls shot towards the pursuers like meteors!
"Be careful of hidden weapons!" someone exclaimed, dodging and blocking.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Yan Qing rushed out of the encirclement and plunged into the depths of the dense forest without looking back!
I could hear angry shouts and the sound of pursuing footsteps from behind, but the distance between us was gradually increasing.
Yan Qing didn't dare pause, employing his Qinggong skills to the utmost, dashing through the forest. He knew the token might temporarily confuse the enemy, but it wouldn't hold them back for long. He had to rendezvous with the "Hidden Post" rendezvous point as soon as possible!
Peng Qi was captured, the reinforcements might be destroyed, and Hu Yanzhuo could not hold on alone... The situation in Shandong was probably really going to change.
And what role will he play in this huge wave?
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Chapter 20 End
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