Chapter 266: Gaining Victory with Military Advantages
Chapter 266: Gaining Victory with Military Advantages
December, the wind is cold and biting.
The Jade Village in Yunlongzhou, near the border of Dali, is shrouded in a heavy haze.
As evening approached, the sky grew darker.
In the village, the laughter and joy that once existed are no longer there, replaced by dead silence and desolation.
On the country roads, bloodstains and scattered pieces of clothing can be seen everywhere.
The southern end of the village is similar to the experience of Wushan Village.
All the young, strong, old and young in the village were killed and piled up in the woods south of the village to be eaten by mosquitoes.
Their bodies lie in various positions,
But without exception, their faces were distorted and hideous, telling of the pain and unwillingness they had suffered in their lives.
As evening approached, smoke rose from the Yushi Village.
The Luchuan soldiers moved freely among the houses and the paths in the village.
There was a twisted smile on his face that was due to his cruelty.
They were wearing heavy armor, holding various weapons, and walking in an arrogant and casual manner.
Sometimes he would walk into the house with a grim smile, and soon a woman's screams could be heard from inside.
Yushi Village seemed to have become their hunting ground where they could do whatever they wanted.
Their eyes flashed with greed and cruelty.
From time to time, he glanced around, looking for the next house with smoke rising from it.
Some soldiers sat in groups of three or five around the campfire, drinking the stolen wine and talking and laughing loudly.
The general leading the troops on this trip, Si Yuanheng, was a man in his forties.
Unlike the other Luchuan soldiers who were yellow and skinny,
He was a big man with a thick beard and a dark complexion, and he was wearing heavy armor.
He has a huge long sword at his waist, and he looks imposing when he walks.
He was currently patrolling the Jade Village with his personal guards.
Whenever the Luchuan soldiers saw him approaching, they couldn't help but lower their hideous laughter, as if they were very scared.
When Si Yuanheng cast his cold eyes over,
They all lowered their heads again, not daring to look him in the eye.
Seeing this, even the guards beside him couldn't help but show contempt and said hurriedly:
"General, these soldiers are useless and will sooner or later become a burden to us."
Several other guards also nodded, obviously agreeing with this statement.
Si Yuanheng's expression remained calm, he just sighed slightly:
"The king's elite troops are all near Jingdong.
General Hanba has done his best by allocating these soldiers to us."
As soon as these words came out, the guards became a little angry:
"General, you just disagree with General Hanba.
That’s why I was exiled here. Could it be that the general is still thanking General Hanba?”
Si Yuanheng walked slower and slower, sighed softly, and spoke in a deep voice:
"It was the king's will to attack Dali, General Hanba was just conveying it.
If I disagree with General Hanba, I disagree with the king.
We suffered another defeat in Jingdong, and we are fortunate to have this opportunity to atone for our mistakes.
As long as we can enter Yunlongzhou this time, we may have a chance to make a comeback."
As he spoke, Si Yuanheng looked gloomy.
He glanced back and forth at the soldiers and shook his head imperceptibly.
The guards beside him also followed his gaze and looked over.
I could vaguely see inside the house.
A Luchuan soldier dragged the woman who was cooking to the side, and screams and hideous laughs were heard.
The guard couldn't help but say:
"General, can we succeed with these soldiers?"
There was a trace of despair in his eyes. How could he sneak into Yunlongzhou when the military discipline was so lax?
Si Yuanheng's face was gloomy, and he spoke in a deep voice:
"We have to try whether it succeeds or not. Our troops have been exhausted and we can only rely on these ruffians.
Order the brothers outside to keep a close eye on the area and report promptly if they encounter a large caravan.
If these ruffians were to enter in groups, they would surely be exposed. They could only fight to the death to infiltrate the main group.
If that doesn't work, we can try to force our way in, at least there's still some hope of turning things around."
The guards around him had gloomy expressions and replied softly, "Yes."
Si Yuanheng spoke again:
"We have been here for nearly ten days, and the Ming army should be arriving soon.
Be careful of good things, don’t let others get close to you without knowing it.”
"General, the people on guard outside are all ours.
If you use these soldiers, there will be trouble sooner or later.
But there are not many of us left, only about 300, and the brothers are very tired every day."
"You must persevere even if you are tired. A mob still has some power left. A single soldier is like a chicken or a dog.
These soldiers can only fight when the wind is favorable, and they must rush forward in a rush.
If we send them out, we will be courting death.
Talk to the brothers, now working hard is to protect their lives, let them hold on for a while.
Wait another three days. If there is no large caravan within three days,
Then we will intercept the small caravans and form a large caravan.
The longer we stay here, the worse it will be for us.”
"Yes, General."
As night fell, the front army scouts continued to move slowly towards the west.
It is very close to Yushi Village.
The leaders were Sun Sian, who was good at topographic surveying, and Qin Yuanfang, who had excellent hearing.
The sky was gray, and the hazy moonlight drifted through the gaps between the branches and leaves.
It was scattered on the ground, making everyone's figures somewhat incomplete.
The exploration team members were alert.
There is no fixed pattern in the process, and the speed is not that fast.
The closer they got to the Jade Village, the slower they moved.
Sun Sian, who was at the front, looked back and forth.
With his ability to draw maps, he looked at every possible place where the enemy might hide.
Slowly his brows furrowed and his steps became slower and slower.
"what happened?"
Qin Yuanfang became nervous when he noticed that he was slowing down, and asked in a low voice,
At the same time, listen carefully to the front, looking for unusual sounds in nature.
After taking two more steps, Sun Sian stopped.
Through the dense forest and weeds, I looked towards the slightly sparse open space ahead.
He then glanced around, looked at the distance between the surrounding trees, and frowned.
He raised his arms.
"stop!"
The entire exploration team stopped in an instant.
Obeying orders is the military order of the exploration team, and no one can violate it.
Sun Sian carefully half-knelt down and took out a telescope from his waist.
Place it in front of your eyes and look closely.
The spacing of the trees was wrong, as if two had been cut down.
He kept changing his position and finally saw the two wooden stakes hidden in the weeds.
someone!
A hint of amusement appeared on his face, and he turned his head to look up, looking around.
Soon, several shadows not far away came into his sight, like piled-up treetops.
But just like a bird's nest hidden in a dead tree, ordinary people can't find it.
But in the eyes of some people, these "bird nests" radiate golden light.
Sun Sian waved his hand, making a gesture to retreat and disperse the formation, while looking up and looking around vigilantly.
Fortunately, he didn't find any clues in the places they passed.
After retreating a hundred meters, Sun Sian slowly breathed a sigh of relief and spoke in a low voice:
"There's something wrong with that vacant lot. Two trees were cut down intentionally.
The purpose is to monitor the movements below and maintain a good view."
"Is there someone in the tree?"
Qin Yuanfang looked strange, he didn't hear anything just now.
Sun Sian nodded solemnly:
"There must be people up there. I only saw four. They must be elite soldiers. Their choice of location and hiding methods are very sophisticated."
"Then aren't you more experienced?" Qin Yuanfang asked for no reason.
"It's different. I know the enemy is getting closer, but they don't know we are coming."
The words were a little awkward, but Qin Yuanfang knew what they meant.
Because he is like this too, if he is prepared, he can hear many sounds that he normally ignores.
Putting away his thoughts, Qin Yuanfang asked: "What should we do now?"
"Go back and report to the adults, and let them make the decision." "Okay."
In less than half an hour, Lu Yunyi and his combat team came up.
His equipment became complicated again.
Gloves, shoes, socks, masks, and mesh are all available, and there is also a backpack weighing nearly 30 kilograms on the back.
They appear to be bulky and slow.
Sun Sian told everything he had discovered.
Hearing this, Lu Yunyi's eyes flickered.
He pulled out a telescope from his backpack and looked towards the place Sun Sian mentioned. His eyes lit up.
There were indeed six trees with the wrong spacing between them, and upon closer inspection, they looked particularly empty.
Lu Yunyi took off his backpack and threw it to Sun Sian.
Then he asked Feng Yunfang to carry him on his back.
Looking down from above, you can see two wooden stakes hidden in the weeds.
There is also a deliberately old black,
But under the telescope, you can see a little bit of light brown in the gap.
It was evidently not long since it had been felled.
After Lu Yunyi came down, he gave Sun Sian a thumbs up:
"well done."
Sun Sian smiled, with a look of unprecedented satisfaction on his face.
He has a good family background. His father was an old soldier who followed the emperor in the Northern Expedition and robbed a lot of treasures.
They are considered a wealthy family in the county.
After joining the army, he had no talent for fighting.
I thought that this would be my life, I would live off my father's achievements and hope that my descendants would become successful.
But I didn't expect that after I stopped fighting on the battlefield and became a scout mapping the terrain,
His position in the army was rising steadily, and he was almost catching up with his father.
More importantly, if he is a little more serious,
He can get the satisfaction that is not easy to get from fighting, he loves this job so much!!!
When he collected his thoughts, he was stunned. Where are the adults?
Not far away, Lu Yunyi was already arranging combat missions.
Although he wanted to let Si Yuanheng know that the Ming army was coming,
But now that we have come this far,
The feeling of oppression caused by being exposed in front of the outer scouts is completely different from that caused by being exposed under their noses.
Therefore, he planned to wipe out all these scouts hiding in the dark and get under Si Yuanheng's nose.
Not long after, Qin Yuanfang was temporarily pulled into the combat team and moved forward with the combat team.
"Later, the brothers will fire crossbows towards where the scouts may be.
When the time comes, I will need you to listen and see where the other hidden people are."
Lu Yunyi said in a deep voice that the stepped scout deployment was a common method.
He was not sure whether the Luchuan soldiers had experience in this area.
So to be on the safe side, it is best to plan ahead.
Qin Yuanfang nodded heavily:
"I understand, my lord."
Lu Yunyi looked at Sun Sian and said in a deep voice:
"Have your reconnaissance team take out their telescopes and look at each tree.
Find as many enemy scouts as possible, and then feather all the trees you point out."
Sun Sian's face was solemn. He nodded vigorously and quickly assigned the tasks.
I saw more than a hundred members of the reconnaissance team took out their telescopes.
While the moonlight is bright, look forward.
If found, report to the captain of the 10-man team for investigation.
Any locations that are still in doubt were reported to Sun Sian, who personally investigated them.
Finally, twenty-one locations suspected to be home to people were discovered.
After receiving the twenty-one locations, Lu Yunyi nodded slightly, very satisfied.
Then the task will be assigned to the following combat team.
Twenty-one of the thirty combat teams received the mission.
Each team will have three people, each team will be responsible for one location.
One person from each of the remaining nine teams will be responsible for guarding.
"Remember, shoot the crossbows one by one,
If he doesn't move, add one more. If he wants to escape, add another one.
Our goal is to incapacitate them, not kill them!!”
Before the mission began, Lu Yunyi once again emphasized to the captains,
When they nodded quickly,
Lu Yunyi waved his hand and led them forward slowly.
The team moved forward carefully hiding in the shadows.
It stopped fifteen meters ahead.
If we go any further, we risk being discovered.
Lu Yunyi waved back and forth, and nearly sixty people lined up in an orderly manner, aiming at their mission targets!
Under the cover of night, the moonlight was thin and hazy, adding a touch of mystery and uneasiness to this tense scene.
The soldiers seemed to breathe more cautiously.
Every inhalation and exhalation is accompanied by a slight sound, which is particularly clear in the quiet night.
There was anticipation and nervousness in everyone's eyes, and sweat was slightly oozing out of their foreheads, but no one reached out to wipe it off.
"Five, four, three, two, one, release!" Lu Yunyi swung his sword downwards with all his strength.
The soldiers looked sharp and pulled the trigger without hesitation!
Whoosh whoosh—
The sharp sound of breaking wind gathered into a ball,
It covered up the whistling breeze and shot into the treetops of the dense forest!
The next moment, screams and muffled groans were heard.
Several figures fell to the ground, the trees swayed gently, and the originally quiet treetops seemed to become lively all of a sudden.
Seeing this scene, many people showed joy on their faces.
Sun Sian breathed a sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Sure enough, there was someone there!
Qin Yuanfang lay in front of the battle team, shaking his head constantly, listening for anyone who might have been missed in the treetops.
"Three, two, one, fire!" Lu Yunyi waved his hand again, and the loaded crossbows fired another volley!
This time, two more black shadows fell!
"Three, two, one, release!"
The crossbows fired again, and many cold lights flashed in the darkness.
This time, the crisp sound of the crossbow arrow piercing the treetops was particularly clear, which meant that there must be no one there.
Qin Yuanfang stood up, with a strange look on his face, and said in a low voice:
"Sir, there is no one in the tree, but there is still someone underground.
There should be someone in the northwest, hiding somewhere.
Just after the first wave of arrows, there was the sound of armor colliding and branches breaking."
Lu Yunyi's face was solemn, his eyes flickered.
He was already able to confirm that this was the elite that Akron had mentioned!
Nodding slightly, Lu Yunyi gave him a thumbs up:
"well done."
Lu Yunyi looked at the remaining members of the combat team who were ready to go behind him and waved his hand:
"Go forward and clear them out. Watch out for the traps below, there are still people hiding!"
Immediately afterwards, Lu Yunyi pulled out two iron rods from the bottom layer of the backpack, and with a slight click, a long spear suddenly appeared.
He swept his spear back and forth on the ground, raising fallen leaves and dirt, and slowly moved forward.
The rest of the people were similar, but they used engineer shovels.
There are people clearing the road in front, and there are people on guard with long swords and crossbows in the back!
Soon, the group arrived at the slightly empty area.
There were four people on the ground, winding back and forth, not yet dead,
Five more fell to the ground, motionless.
Lu Yunyi waved his hand, and a volley of crossbow arrows was fired.
Ten feather arrows suddenly appeared on the bodies of the five motionless people, and their bodies trembled slightly.
The four men were pinned to the ground by the soldiers and tied up!
But no one let down their guard. They were very sensitive to the number "ten".
Because their team was originally composed of ten people, but now there are only nine!
Considering what Qin Yuanfang said, there must be someone hiding!
The group continued to move forward.
Soon, a dark shadow appeared behind a tree in front of Lu Yunyi and ran away.
As a sudden black shadow flashed by,
The already extremely tense atmosphere was torn apart in an instant, and the night seemed to be disturbed by this sudden movement.
Lu Yunyi reacted quickly, his eyes flashing sharply in the darkness as he stared at the figure that was about to disappear into the darkness.
Without any hesitation, Lu Yunyi jumped up.
He pushed his feet hard on the ground and rushed forward like an arrow.
His movements were smooth and powerful, and just when the shadow was about to disappear from sight,
Lu Yunyi exerted force from his waist, concentrating all his strength on one point.
Then he shook his arm, and the spear was like a wild horse running away, with a whistling sound.
In an instant, it cut through the night sky and went straight for the body of the fleeing man!
The iron gun made a sharp whistling sound when it rubbed against the air, which sounded harsh in the silent night.
The shadow was obviously shocked by the sudden attack.
Tried to react, but it was too late.
The spear was powerful and heavy, like a black lightning.
It instantly penetrated the black shadow's body and nailed it firmly to the ground.
Blood bloomed from the tip of the gun and was then quickly swallowed up by the night.
The surroundings were once again in dead silence.
Only the occasional chirping of night birds and the heavy breathing of soldiers could be heard.
At this point, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and felt completely refreshed!
Lu Yunyi did not relax his vigilance, turned to look at Sun Sian, and ordered:
"Take the men and continue to explore forward. We are one mile away from the combat team."
"Yes!"
Sun Si waved his hand, and more than a hundred people continued on their way.
Lu Yunyi looked at the four people who were tied up and had crossbows stuck in their bodies, with excitement on his face.
With these four survivors, we can get some understanding of the situation in Jade Village.
Knowing yourself and knowing your enemy can help you win a hundred battles.
(End of this chapter)