Chapter 1163 Ten Catties of Meat
The massive rebel army quickly dispersed into smaller units, a maneuver they had perfected.
After all, the rebel army was inherently loosely organized, unlike the highly disciplined imperial forces. They could scatter at will; a minor chieftain might lead away a few hundred men, a mid-level leader a thousand. With such rapid fragmentation, it didn't take long for the hundreds of thousands of rebels to vanish into the vast Shu Mountains...
From a distance, they watched the hot air balloon's position, found groves, caves, and ditches, and quietly took up hidden positions, sending out only a few scouts to wander around. They were confident that with the balloon flying so high, it would be difficult to spot one or two among them.
Chuang Wang himself no longer held command at Jiange. Such a large target was simply too vulnerable to bombing, so he led his Old Eighth Squad to a ravine and carefully hid themselves.
“Report!”
A scout ran up to Cheng Xu, carrying a bamboo tube. “The observer in the hot air balloon just sent down a bamboo tube reporting that Chuang Wang has withdrawn from Jiange and dispersed into the mountains. We can no longer use saturation bombardment on Jiange.”
Cheng Xu sighed. “Ah? What a shame!”
The mass-produced Heavenly Lord nearby chuckled. “That’s fine, too. It saves us from damaging the ancient Jiange Pass. Destroying cultural relics isn't ideal. We can leave it for the future people of Sichuan to earn tourist money and improve their local lives, wouldn't that be a better outcome?”
Cheng Xu offered no response.
The mass-produced Heavenly Lord nodded. “This Chuang Wang fellow still has some skill. He’s not like those other brainless rebels.”
“Good thing we prepared in advance and invited the various Pacification Commissioners,” Cheng Xu replied.
Qin Liangyu stepped forward. “White Pole Soldiers, advance!”
Ran Ke declared, “Yellow Pole Soldiers, advance!”
The Enshi Pacification Commissioner commanded, “Black Pole Soldiers, let’s move out!”
...
Er Zhi Hu had only led his eight hundred most elite men, ambushing them in a small, dense grove where the foliage completely obscured the sky.
He could see the hot air balloon in the distant sky through gaps in the leaves, but the people in the balloon couldn't see him. This made Er Zhi Hu feel quite smug.
“If you can’t see me, you can’t blast me with cannon fire, heh heh heh.”
Just as he was basking in his triumph, he suddenly felt something was amiss. “Hey,” he muttered, “haven’t our scouts been gone for a long time without sending back any news?”
A subordinate beside him whispered, “Indeed. The scouts were dispatched long ago. By rights, they should have returned for a routine check-in.”
Er Zhi Hu’s brows furrowed. “Send out another group of scouts to search for them.”
The second group of scouts set off...
They passed through the woods, crossed a ditch, and cautiously moved forward, when suddenly, in a small ditch, they discovered the bodies of the first group of scouts.
The scouts were greatly alarmed. “They’re all dead?”
“They were killed!”
“By whom?”
“Look, a small arrow in the throat...”
“A forest-piercing arrow? So potent?”
The scouts suddenly panicked a little. One of them quickly jumped to his feet, intending to rush back and report.
However, a pile of dry leaves nearby rustled violently and flew up, from which a soldier, wielding a black pole spear, leaped out. With a great stride forward, he plunged his spear with a thud, accurately into the scout’s chest.
The soldier gave a chilling laugh. “The First Warrior of Enshi is here!”
The remaining scouts jumped in alarm. They quickly drew their swords, only to see several clumps of grass and leaves on the ground around them fly up as the ambushing Black Pole Soldier scouts from Enshi swiftly sprang out. After a few exchanges, Er Zhi Hu’s second scout team was annihilated.
The scouts then let out a series of bird calls...
Following this, the Enshi Pacification Commissioner emerged from behind with a large contingent of Miao soldiers.
He gave the First Warrior of Enshi a look, an expression of inquiry on his face.
The warrior whispered, “No problems. We can continue to advance.”
The Enshi Pacification Commissioner was delighted. “Well done! I’ll record a great merit for you. When we return, your family will receive ten catties of cured meat.”
The warrior was overjoyed. “Ten catties of meat! Ooh!”
The Enshi soldiers continued forward. After they passed, the thousand-strong Gao Family Village Militia, led by Gao Chuwu, also followed from behind.
With the Black Pole Soldiers leading the way, Gao Chuwu and his contingent advanced with great ease; no one was able to ambush them.
Meanwhile, Er Zhi Hu was still waiting in the woods.
His first group of scouts hadn't returned, and now his second group was also silent.
He suddenly snapped awake, leaped to his feet, and roared, “Damn it, the imperial troops must be secretly closing in!”
“It’s too late to realize that now!”
A stern shout rang out, followed by a forest-piercing arrow streaking through the air.
A forest-piercing arrow was not something an ordinary person could shoot. The arrow flew through the forest like a shuttle, weaving through all angles and gaps between tree trunks and branches, disregarding every obstacle. With a soft thud, it flew accurately towards Er Zhi Hu’s throat.
Er Zhi Hu had no time to react. Fortunately, a loyal subordinate stood beside him and blocked the arrow with his own body.
“Thud!”
The subordinate cried out in agony and collapsed to the ground.
“Enemy attack!” Er Zhi Hu roared.
“Whizz, whizz, whizz!”
From the woods, a volley of forest-piercing arrows flew towards them.
The rebel soldiers quickly raised their shields, and a continuous thudding sound filled the air as they fended off a wave of arrows. Many unlucky souls were struck, writhing in pain on the ground.
Er Zhi Hu gritted his teeth. “Charge! They’re just a bunch of tribesmen. What’s there to fear from archers?”
His eight hundred men were all elites, and truly weren’t afraid of any native chieftain’s soldiers.
With a ferocious roar, they charged towards the direction from which the forest-piercing arrows had come.
After bursting through a thick patch of trees, they found a slightly more open area ahead. As soon as they rushed into this clearing, they saw a large group of people ahead, all holding firearms, who had been waiting for them for a long time.
Gao Chuwu barked, “Fire!”
“Bang bang bang bang!”
The sound of firearms erupted. The firearms unit, which the rebels dreaded most, was here all along...
Er Zhi Hu’s men suffered heavy casualties in an instant.
Some lucky few, fearlessly defying death, continued to charge forward, and surprisingly, one headed straight for Gao Chuwu.
Gao Chuwu grinned widely at the man, letting out a hearty laugh. As the man rushed close and swung his saber, Gao Chuwu dodged it with a sidestep, then, with a swoosh, drew the heavy-backed broadsword Xing Honglang had given him.
With a single swing, the terrifying gleam of the blade sent shivers down the spines of the militia soldiers holding firearms...
The ferocious bandit’s movements froze instantly, and then he split into two halves at the waist.
A small tree nearby also snapped in half with a loud crack.
Gao Chuwu let out a booming laugh. “Oops, I didn’t hold back and cut down the tree. My apologies.”
He turned to the First Warrior of Enshi beside him and said, “Don’t waste this fallen tree. You can use it to make spears.”
The First Warrior of Enshi wiped a bead of sweat from his brow and awkwardly admitted, “What a formidable general. I... am not his equal.”
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