Chapter 1162: Dispersed Actions
Amusing as the local chieftains' antics were, crucial matters were still being handled.
The scouts dispatched by Cheng Xu swiftly returned with their report: "The Rebel Army has headed north, plunging deep into the mountain forests."
"Into the mountain forests, then?" Cheng Xu frowned, his gaze sweeping across the northern mountain range, which stretched out as a vast, impenetrable wilderness.
"The Shu Mountains are treacherous, crisscrossed by countless ravines. Once our forces enter this terrain, we'll lose our range advantage and likely be drawn into close-quarters combat with the bandit army, struggling through mountains and gulleys. While we possess Reconnaissance Hot Air Balloons for scouting, the Shu Mountains haven't been affected by drought; their dense forests will obstruct visibility, rendering the hot air balloons ineffective from the sky. The bandit army, concealed within the woods, can easily evade aerial reconnaissance and launch ambushes against us."
After this thorough analysis, Cheng Xu turned to Qin Liangyu. "General Qin," he began, "I ask for your wisdom on how we should approach this battle."
Though Qin Liangyu was well over sixty, her spirit was as fierce and unyielding as any youth's. "Instructor He," she declared, "the Shu Mountains must, of course, be tamed by us, the people of Shu. My White Pole Soldiers, along with the Yellow Pole, Black Pole, and Green Pole Soldiers of the various chieftains, are not here simply to eat. With our men leading the charge, there's no way your forces will suffer an ambush."
Cheng Xu was overjoyed. "Excellent!"
That night, the main army enjoyed a much-needed rest within Chengdu City.
Early the next morning, all units rose with the sun, ready to commence their mountain advance.
The Enshi Pacification Commissioner chuckled. "Over five thousand pounds of cured meat."
The figure startled Ran Ke. "That much?"
The Enshi Pacification Commissioner replied, "We were fully prepared. Every soldier brought several pounds of meat," he chuckled. "If it doesn't sell, we can always eat it as rations anyway."
Hearing this, Ran Ke grew quite dejected. "Our Kaixian Tujia tribe wasn't nearly prepared enough," he lamented. "We didn't bring any goods to sell, only put on a demonstration. When people asked about our Xilankapu brocade, all we could tell them was that we had none at the moment, and it would be a while before we did. I'm so frustrated!"
The Enshi Pacification Commissioner burst into laughter. "That's probably because the fellow who helped develop your village wasn't quite up to the task; he didn't prepare you in advance."
Ran Ke retorted, "The one who helped develop our village was Padi Tu, that valiant hero! He's a truly good man, so don't you dare speak ill of him!"
The Enshi Pacification Commissioner chuckled again. "Good people just aren't cut out for business, it seems. The one who helped *us* develop, San Shier, he looks like a cunning strategist, but when someone like that helps you make money, they're truly formidable!"
Ran Ke could only stare.
Just as they were speaking, Cheng Xu and Qin Liangyu were already calling out orders to depart. Both men immediately ceased their chatter and hurried back to their units.
With that, the entire army broke camp and began its march north...
Leaving Chengdu, their route lay entirely across the vast expanse of the Chengdu Plain.
This plain, the wealthiest region in Sichuan, was the very cradle of Sichuanese culture.
Now, however, the farmlands across the plain lay utterly devastated by the rebels. Unripened crops were either burned or trampled, lying broken in the fields—a truly heartbreaking sight.
The scattered houses across the fields were almost all deserted, either burned to the ground, toppled over, or marked by the bodies of farmers lying dead at their doorsteps.
All valuables within these homes had, naturally, been plundered.
Having undergone rigorous moral and ideological training, the Gao Family Village Militia felt a profound sorrow at this tragic spectacle, each man feeling the common people's suffering as if it were his own.
Qin Liangyu's face was grim. "We cannot allow these rebels to continue their rampage," she declared. "They must be swiftly annihilated."
Cheng Xu nodded. "Indeed, I agree."
Qin Liangyu frowned. "I fear that if we launch such a large-scale offensive, we won't be able to completely eliminate the rebels," she mused. "If they're cornered by us and then cross the great mountains to the north, entering Shaanxi, that would be disastrous. Perhaps we should send a letter immediately, urging Shaanxi to prepare. Ideally, Governor-General Hong Chengchou should personally lead troops to establish defenses in southern Shaanxi."
Cheng Xu chuckled. "General Qin, you needn't worry about Shaanxi. We've already arranged for a militia force to establish an incredibly strong defensive line amidst the rugged mountains between Shaanxi and Sichuan."
Qin Liangyu stared, utterly bewildered.
North of the Chengdu Plain...
Jianzhou, Jian'ge Pass!
Jian'ge Pass was renowned as one of the most formidable strongholds in the world. During the Three Kingdoms era, with the Shu Kingdom garrisoned there, the Wei Kingdom dared not even attempt an assault. It was only much later, when Deng Ai famously led his forces along the treacherous Yinping trail to bypass Jian'ge, that the Shu Kingdom was finally subdued.
Yet now, this world-renowned, virtually impregnable pass had been effortlessly shattered by the rebel forces.
The reason was simple: the garrison was utterly incompetent.
They lacked decent equipment, proper training, and their wages were chronically overdue. The moment the rebels appeared, Jian'ge's defenders crumbled without a fight, scattering faster than rabbits.
The Chuǎng Wang settled himself inside Jian'ge Pass, having taken it almost without lifting a finger.
"We've now retreated into the mountain forests north of the Chengdu Plain," Guo Tianxing said, saluting with cupped hands. "Brother Chuǎng Wang, what do you say we make our stand here against that strange firearms unit?"
"We cannot defend the pass!" Er Zhi Hu immediately interjected. "If we do, our soldiers will be exposed. Their various firearms will indiscriminately bombard Jian'ge, leaving us all without a burial place."
The Chuǎng Wang nodded. "Your thoughts mirror my own. We cannot defend the pass, nor can we garrison any obvious high ground or strategic points. Otherwise, their grand cannons will blast us until we're utterly disoriented."
The Chuǎng Wang continued, "We also cannot gather in large numbers, or we'll simply become cannon fodder. What we must do is utilize the complex terrain around Jian'ge to break our large army into countless small units. We'll weave through the mountain forests, striving to emerge from unexpected positions and draw the firearms unit into close-quarters combat."
At this point, a scout rushed in to report: "Government troops are approaching, and they've launched a strange, massive ball into the sky!"
The Chuǎng Wang walked to the battlements of Jian'ge and gazed up at the southern sky. Sure enough, a massive spherical object floated in mid-air.
"That's for reconnaissance," the Chuǎng Wang said, pointing at the Reconnaissance Hot Air Balloon. "That firearms unit is using this device to observe us from high above. Any large-scale movement we make will immediately be spotted by that great ball."
The bandit generals were all startled. "So formidable?"
The Chuǎng Wang replied, "While this device is powerful, it can only detect large formations, not small units, and its view can easily be obscured by dense vegetation. Therefore, the tactic I just outlined is our most effective approach. Gentlemen, instruct your non-combatants and less effective soldiers to cease gathering to make a show of force; have them all hide far away. Only dispatch your elite troops, divided into small units of under a thousand men, to conceal themselves in the various forests, ravines, and small caves. They must not be spotted by that great monstrous ball in the sky."
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