Chapter 162: Flying Up to Survey the Terrain
"The bandits haven't left," Cheng Xu said, pointing at the rebel forces on the slope below. "Look, those scoundrels are regrouping their scattered troops at the foot of the mountain."
Everyone crawled to the edge of the cliff and peered down. It was true.
The three head chiefs—Fan Shanyue, Suifengtai, and 'Second Idiot'—were leading sixty to seventy minor leaders, gathering the fleeing rebels, pulling them back together. Then, they looked up at the cliff, watching from a distance, seemingly discussing something.
Cheng Xu's expression darkened, though thankfully, with his face covered, no one could see it.
Beside him, Xing Honglang murmured, "This isn't good. They haven't given up yet."
Cheng Xu nodded. "They saw our clothes and realized we aren't government troops. So... even though they suffered a loss, they still aren't afraid of us."
When rebels encountered government soldiers, they were like skittish birds, fleeing at the slightest brush. But they were never afraid of local militias.
It was like... well, like street thugs who'd sprint away from a cop, but when they ran into another gang, they'd pull out their machetes and fight to the death, determined to take a pound of flesh no matter what. That was their unyielding code.
This was the difference in how 'legitimate' and 'illegitimate' forces were treated.
"It won't be that easy," Cheng Xu snapped, glaring at him. "After taking a beating from our rolling logs and boulders, those bandits won't be foolish enough to climb directly towards us again. They'll surely come up with another plan... What kind of plan? I suspect they'll draw our attention from the front, then send several hundred men to sneak around the mountain through a hidden gully path."
"I need to understand the surrounding terrain!"
Cheng Xu grabbed Zheng Daniu. "Daniu, isn't Zhengjia Village your old home?"
Zheng Daniu nodded. "Yes, it is!"
Cheng Xu was delighted. "Good! Grab a stick and draw the terrain around here on the ground for me to see."
Zheng Daniu blinked. "Terrain? It's just mountains, lots of trees, lots of mountains."
Everyone: "..."
Damn it all!
Cheng Xu aimed a kick at Zheng Daniu's kidney, intending to send him sprawling. To his surprise, Zheng Daniu didn't budge, while Cheng Xu himself recoiled from the impact, landing with a comical thump on his backside.
He sat on the ground, utterly dejected.
How frustrating!
How could he have subordinates like Gao Chuwu, Zheng Daniu, and Padi Tu? What sin had he committed in his past life to deserve this?
Suddenly, a tremendous force, yet gentle, touched him, then retracted just as quickly. It was clearly holding back its power.
Cheng Xu whirled around, seeing nothing, but immediately understood. "Heavenly Lord!" he exclaimed.
He reached out his hands tentatively and felt a sensation like skin... The Heavenly Lord's invisible giant hand was right before him!
Cheng Xu instantly grew excited. He understood the Heavenly Lord's will.
He lunged forward, feeling something he could cling to – was it the Heavenly Lord's finger? Scrambling frantically, he quickly clambered up until he was perched on the very tip of Li Daoxuan's finger.
Li Daoxuan was quite surprised to see how clever Cheng Xu was. The man certainly had a talent for 'grasping the divine will.'
His hand gently lifted, carrying Cheng Xu into the air.
Only a few among the militia had witnessed 'Li Da jumping from the city wall, caught by the Heavenly Lord and soaring through the sky.' No one else had seen such a sight. Now, seeing Cheng Xu take flight, they were all utterly dumbfounded.
Xing Honglang and her group of salt smugglers were gaping like absolute fools.
Cheng Xu flew higher and higher, steadily ascending.
He reached an altitude of several dozen zhang, hovering motionlessly.
Cheng Xu felt a flicker of panic, hearing his own gulping loud and clear. He looked down; the people on the ground resembled Lilliputians. "Tsk," he thought, "This must be what the Heavenly Lord feels like looking down at us."
"What am I thinking?"
"The Heavenly Lord lifted me into the air to survey the terrain, not to let me experience what it's like to be a deity. I am but a mere mortal; I shouldn't get carried away."
Cheng Xu quickly reined in his thoughts and began to intently scan the surrounding landscape.
From this lofty vantage point, the view was truly expansive!
Even standing on the mountaintop, one's vision could be obstructed by trees, but hovering dozens of zhang in the sky offered an utterly unobstructed panoramic view of the terrain. It was an incredibly exhilarating experience.
An ordinary person might only enjoy the spectacle, but for a military commander, there was an immense amount of crucial information to be gleaned.
Cheng Xu committed every detail of the surrounding terrain to memory. Only then did he look up at the sky and say, "Many thanks, Heavenly Lord. This humble one has thoroughly observed the topography."
Li Daoxuan's hand slowly descended.
The people on the ground watched as Cheng Xu descended once more, alighting softly and silently. He leaped from the invisible giant hand, landing firmly on his feet, a triumphant grin on his face. "Hahaha, this general... *cough*... this instructor has seen all the surrounding terrain with perfect clarity! Hehehe, hehehe, the bandits' next moves are now obvious. Lady Xing, I have a task for you."
Xing Honglang replied, "Please, speak."
Cheng Xu instructed, "Take your people and go around that small hill ahead. Walk another half-li forward, and you'll find a gully, concealed by trees, making it hard to spot. I suspect the bandits will come through that path. Go and ambush them there. Once they start climbing up the gully, greet them with rolling logs and boulders."
Xing Honglang chuckled. "Heh, alright, leave it to me."
She was just about to order her subordinates to move the logs and boulders when, suddenly, a pile of logs on the ground levitated into the air, flying towards the direction she intended to go...
Xing Honglang immediately understood. "The Heavenly Lord knows that we, mere mortals, are few and weak, and moving these logs would be extremely strenuous. So, he's helping us move them!"
The salt smugglers were greatly encouraged. "May the Heavenly Lord bless us!" they cheered.
These rascals had learned to shout "May the Heavenly Lord bless us!"—Gao Family Village's unique phrase—remarkably fast. Their learning ability was truly impressive.
"Now we don't even need to search for the spot; we just follow the logs. Wherever they land, we'll know where Instructor He wants us to be." Xing Honglang waved her hand. "Let's go!"
The salt smugglers immediately ran off in the direction the logs were flying. They rounded a small hill and walked another li forward, indeed finding a deep gully, hidden by dense woods. Despite several years of drought, the forest here remained verdant, suggesting abundant underground water resources.
Xing Honglang, with a large group of salt smugglers, took up positions on one side of the gully's rim, surrounded by stacks of logs. She thought to herself: *Come on! I hope that 'Second Idiot' fellow shows up. I'd love to repay him for injuring my arm.*
Today, yours truly's inspiration flowed like a spring, and the words practically poured onto the page. I actually wrote a full two thousand characters in one day, hahahaha!
[./Midnight.]
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