The scholar’s script was indeed perfect, but unfortunately, he had the wrong one.
He was cannon fodder lacking in IQ. Despite that, he still wanted to enjoy the treatment of a protagonist.
The sky gradually darkened and everything was silent. The only sound was the non-stop whistling of the mountain wind.
Qiguan Rang, who had already brought men into the mountain road, looked at the topographic map and pointed to a mountain wall.
“It’s here …”
As he spoke, the soldiers behind him finished piling boulders to block the road to Fenghu County.
He’d done this because he was worried that the soldiers of the Red Lotus Group would split into two groups. One would come from the exit and the other from the entrance. They could come from either direction.
Now that Qiguan Rang had blocked the exit, he could rely on the obstruction to hold off the troops waiting at the exit.
He wanted to see who the fish in the barrel really was.
With the diligence of the soldiers, a rock wall had been erected across the mountain road in only half an hour.
Qiguan Rang ordered the soldiers to divide themselves into shifts and take turns to rest. They were to beat a drum to alert everyone as soon as a situation arose.
It was deep in the middle of the night. The moon in the sky emitted a clear and cold light. The air carried a chill that cut the soldiers to their bones.
The temperature at night was lower than that in the daytime. The members of the Red Lotus Group were poverty-stricken commoners and the number of them with night blindness was very high.
When night fell, they were like blind men.
How could they fight this battle when they were cold and blind?
They secretly rejected the plan of mounting a sneak attack at night.
But what could they do when the scholar was bent on strong-arming them? Those who did not comply would be dealt with according to military law. Nobody could disobey.
The 3,000 men sent by the Red Lotus Group had arrived in the small town and were preparing to attack it, but they found the town to be deserted.
The leader of the army was on tenterhooks, fearing that it was a trap.
However, this could also be Liu Xi’s malicious ruse.
Maybe Liu Xi wanted to ambush Fenghu County at night, but didn’t want to be attacked by the Red Lotus Group, which would expose their plot!
When the two guesses were put side by side, the Red Lotus Group would naturally choose the one that would serve its own interests.
So…
The leader of the soldiers was so stunned that he slapped his thigh. He suddenly realized something and exclaimed, “Surely Liu Xi, that thief, plans to ambush the city at night!”
The lackeys around him agreed. “It must be so, but Liu Xi is ignorant and stupid. He doesn’t know that our holy sect is blessed by the deities and that all our crises can be easily resolved. He is a mere mortal, how could he compare to our group’s celestial soldiers and heavenly generals?”
When the lackey said that, the leader really felt that his words were very logical.
His expression became dark as he said, “Chase them, capture Liu Xi alive!”
Little could they have imagined that a pair of bright eyes were hiding under the cover of the night, watching them quietly.
The scout had overheard this conversation. On Jiang Pengji’s end as she waited on the other side of the mountain road…
“My lord, they have entered the mountain road.”
Jiang Pengji held a piece of dried grass between her lips as she clutched a basin with the other hand, feeding Little White from it.
The soldiers around her were taking turns to rest and recuperate. They could only fight when they had recovered their physical strength and mental energy. The mountain road was very windy and the temperature was very low. Their clothing to protect against the cold seemed to be somewhat ineffective as they squeezed and gathered together in a huddle to keep warm.
Although they seemed a little miserable, they were still receiving excellent treatment compared to the Red Lotus Group’s soldiers.
When she heard the news from the scout, she nodded and got someone to rouse the soldiers with a shout.
Dian Yan was energetic and decisive, he was never one to drag his feet when it came to executing Jiang Pengji’s orders.
They would be marching and setting an ambush at night. The situation at Jiang Pengji’s end was much better than that what was happening on the Red Lotus Group’s end.
The mountain road was rugged and long. When the large army entered the mountain road in their entirety, the Red Lotus leader ordered torches to be lighted to illuminate their surroundings.
According to the script, they had already blocked the exit and entrance of the mountain road. Even though they lit the torches, they were not afraid of being found by Jiang Pengji.
So what if they were discovered?
There was no way out ahead and no way to escape from the back. It was impossible for that thief, Liu Xi, to get away.
With the light and warmth of the torches, the Red Lotus Group proceeded more smoothly and their speed greatly increased.
Qiguan Rang was prepared. He placed a man in position at regular intervals.
When he learned that the Red Lotus Group was actually using torches to light their way, he didn’t know whether to cry or laugh.
The Red Lotus Group was really secure in their information. Did they think that their victory was a sure thing?
Weren’t they afraid that they had bitten off more than they could chew?
The mountain road was narrow and could only accommodate two carriages side by side. Its width was dangerously limited.
If the Red Lotus Group caught them by surprise, they might incur some losses. But now that the Red Lotus had brazenly lit their torches, it was clear that they were telling their enemy, the target of their ambush — “Little ones, the boss is here!” This was not a sign of insanity, but of a gaping hole in their heads!
An ambush should have the quality of an ambush.
Qiguan Rang ordered, “Instruct all battalions to prepare themselves and stop the enemy.”
The mountain road was so narrow that the advantage in numbers was next to useless.
Qiguan Rang oversaw the main army while Li Yun acted as the captain of the right-wing. His main duties were to protect the main army and act in coordination with the Vanguard Battalion.
The Vanguard Battalion had Jiang Pengji and Dian Yan. Li Yun was left to assist the main army.
After receiving the order from Qiguan Rang, he directed a few ranks of soldiers to hold up their shields to ward off the enemy. They formed the first line of defense that would prevent the Red Lotus Group from using arrows to hurt their people from a distance. Then they would have the crossbow shooters fire from the back to resist the most violent wave of attacks. If the enemy used “corpse tactics” to break through this line of defense, or if they had insufficient arrows on their side, they still have soldiers wielding long spears to add themselves to the fight. They would buy time with this and ensure that the main army’s line of defense would not be broken.
Mountain roads were special. They could not bring along much large equipment with them, they could only rely on the coordination between different classes of soldiers to form lines of defense.
Fortunately, each soldier had ample training, and coordination with one another was a permanent part of their daily training.
Jiang Pengji’s side was on alert and ready for combat while the Red Lotus Group was still having happy daydreams.
Little could the Red Lotus imagine the fierce wolves that awaited them, eager to use their strength, watching them like prey.
The Vanguard Battalion led by Jiang Pengji slowly approached the target. In order to avoid exposing themselves, they kept a safe distance.
As soon as the first confrontation broke out between the Red Lotus Group and their main army, the Vanguard Battalion would immediately attack from the rear.
Dian Yan ground his back molars nervously. Thick, blue-green veins throbbed in his forehead.
Even though it was now the wintry twelfth lunar month of the year, he unexpectedly broke out in hot sweat.
Jiang Pengji whispered, “Don’t be nervous. This is just a small battle. I’m supervising things, nothing can go wrong.”
Dian Yan tried to slow down his breathing and adjust his mental attitude.
The cold wind blew, and the hot sweat turned into a cold sweat, causing him to tremble uncontrollably.
On the mountain road, the Red Lotus members could only hear the bluster of the mountain wind and the footsteps of everyone with them as they walked.
Occasionally, gravel rolled down the mountains.
No matter how long a road was, it always came to an end, never mind the short mountain road to Fenghu County.
The messenger-soldier reported, “There is a situation up ahead. It seems that Liu Xi’s party has found our trail.”
The leader was not surprised. He said mockingly, “Let’s hold up our torches. They would be blind not to discover us. So what if they assume battle formation? It’ll just be their deathbed struggle. Brothers, charge! Capture Liu Xi alive and we’ll be rewarded with thousand taels and countless beauties. We can have whatever we want!”
As long as they attracted the firepower from Liu Xi’s main army, their fellow brothers from Fenghu County could sneak in from the exit and ambush Liu Xi’s army from the weaker rear. Then, they could wrap that thief up like a dumpling. After all, Liu Xi would not be able to attend to both ends. Wasn’t that a happy ending?
Expectations versus reality.
Would someone as devious as Qiguan Rang not have a back-up plan for his back-up plan?
Did you see the wall of rocks that he got his men to pile up?
Are you surprised?
Is it unexpected?
Is it exciting?
