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Chapter 695: The Encirclement

"The bandit forces below had withdrawn."

The scout's report sent a wave of cheers through the entire White Pole Soldiers unit.

Li Daoxuan inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. "Excellent," he thought. "The rebels have pulled back. It appears the butterfly effect of my presence in this era is already at work; the tragedy of Houjia Village might finally be averted."

Zhang Fengyi addressed her subordinates, her voice resonating with authority. "Our scouts must not let their guard down. Expand your reconnaissance range, and keep a relentless watch on Zijing Liang's forces. We didn't come to Qinzhou and Wuxiang merely for self-preservation. Our true objective is to aid the prefectures, counties, and villages here. For days, we've kept Zijing Liang's forces pinned down, preventing them from wreaking havoc elsewhere. But now he's given up attacking us and will surely resume pillaging villages. We cannot stand idly by. Wherever he goes, we follow. We will relentlessly dog his every step until other government forces arrive, allowing us to close the net and eliminate him."

A chorus of "Understood!" echoed through the ranks.

The White Pole Soldiers began packing their gear, preparing to descend the mountain.

Meanwhile, the scout detachment kept Zijing Liang's forces under distant surveillance.

Zijing Liang's forces indeed marched north, but less than half a day later, a scout returned with a grim report: "General, a dire situation has unfolded."

Zhang Fengyi raised an eyebrow, a silent question.

Zhang Fengyi's heart jolted.

Beside her, Li Daoxuan also flinched in surprise. "Houjia Village?" he uttered.

The scout confirmed, "Yes, Houjia Village."

Li Daoxuan muttered under his breath, "Damn it all!"

Zhang Fengyi turned, her gaze lingering on Li Daoxuan with a peculiar intensity. "Mr. Xiao," she observed, "you've been inquiring about this place all along. Houjia Village seems to hold immense significance for you."

Li Daoxuan felt a mix of exasperation and amusement. "Important to me?" he thought. "It's important to YOU! According to the original timeline, you and your thousand White Pole Soldiers are supposed to perish at Houjia Village!"

Still...

Best not to utter such words and alarm her.

Li Daoxuan could only concede, "Yes, this place is crucial."

Zhang Fengyi, now even more convinced of her own conjecture, reasoned: there must be someone incredibly important to him in Houjia Village, and that person would, without question, be a woman. Young men, after all, lived for love.

"Mr. Li had helped me greatly. I couldn't stand by and watch someone important to him come to harm. For both public duty and personal concern, I need to immediately reinforce Houjia Village and rescue the women and children there."

Zhang Fengyi immediately issued a booming command: "All troops, move out! Proceed to Houjia Village with utmost speed!"

"Wait!" Li Daoxuan interjected. "You cannot go."

Zhang Fengyi looked utterly bewildered.

Li Daoxuan stated, "It's a trap."

Zhang Fengyi's confusion only deepened.

Li Daoxuan explained, "If my calculations are correct, the rebels captured those women and children but spared their lives, deliberately leaving them as bait, waiting for you to attempt a rescue. Then, they'll have hidden ambushes on the periphery to encircle you."

Zhang Fengyi retorted, "Our White Pole Soldiers' scouts aren't just for show, you know."

Li Daoxuan pressed on, "Is there a possibility that even if your scouts detect the bandits' ambush, the sight of those women and children weeping in anguish beneath rebel blades will still compel you to charge? You'll hope to rely on your own ferocity and that of the White Pole Soldiers to break through the encirclement and forge a path of survival for them."

Zhang Fengyi fell silent, her expression conflicted.

She knew, instinctively, that this scenario was not just possible, but highly probable.

Zhang Fengyi's brow furrowed. "So, what's your plan?"

Li Daoxuan proposed, "From this moment, how about I take the lead?"

Zhang Fengyi looked skeptical. "Mr. Xiao, you don't strike me as a military strategist."

Li Daoxuan cleared his throat. "Ah, I phrased that poorly. I won't *command* directly; I'll devise the strategy. The actual command of the troops in battle will, of course, remain with General Zhang."

Zhang Fengyi nodded slowly. "Oh? And what strategy do you propose?"

Li Daoxuan outlined his plan: "I will enter the village alone. You are to lead the White Pole Soldiers and my men to a distant hillside outside the village, prepared to provide support. Do not approach. Do not approach. I repeat: absolutely do not approach."

Zhang Fengyi gasped in alarm. "How can that be? How can one person possibly contend with thousands?"

Li Daoxuan calmly explained, "I won't be fighting thousands. As long as your main force remains hidden, the bandits won't reveal their ambush. They'll merely send small rebel detachments to deal with me. And small detachments, I can handle. Once I've neutralized the rebel groups directly threatening the hostages, that's when you move in for support."

Zhang Fengyi considered this. "He has a point. The bandits are anticipating my army. If they only see one man enter the village, they won't spring the trap. There would likely be only a small contingent of a few hundred inside, guarding the hostages."

But then, a single man against hundreds? And ensuring the hostages' safety? Was such a feat even possible?

At that moment, Li Daoxuan's attention fractured, his consciousness flitting between his various proxies. First, he shifted his perspective to the Puppet Heavenly Lord perched on Bai Mao's shoulder and commanded, "Head northeast..."

He flicked his awareness back, just in time to continue addressing Zhang Fengyi. "Once I've dealt with the enemies closest to the hostages..."

Another shift, and he was with Shi Jian. "Head east, and pick up the pace," he instructed.

Then, returning to Zhang Fengyi, he continued, "Once I've ensured the hostages' immediate safety, you can charge into the village to provide support. By then, the enemy's ambush will be exposed. Instruct your White Pole Soldiers to guard the women and children, and await reinforcements."

His perspective snapped once more, landing on the Puppet Heavenly Lord on Gao Chuwu's shoulder. "Take the northern main road, and move swiftly," he commanded.

Flipping back to Zhang Fengyi, he caught her mid-sentence: "Where would these reinforcements come from? Zhang Zongheng, the Supreme Commander of Xuan-Da? Or Xu Dingchen, the Governor of Shanxi? Both of them should be occupied elsewhere, dealing with Yan Zhenghu and Shang Tianlong, shouldn't they?"

Li Daoxuan replied, "Neither! They are allies far more reliable than either of them."

He swiftly jumped again, this time to the Golden Thread Heavenly Lord on Cheng Xu's chest, and commanded, "Northeast, twenty-five li, hurry, hurry, hurry!"

With a final shift, he landed in Lao Nanfeng's unit. "Lao Nanfeng," he instructed, "force march twenty li to the east. Your troops are masters of close-quarters combat, ideal for pursuit. The task of pressing the attack and eliminating the bandit chief after our initial strike falls to you!"

Lao Nanfeng saluted, "Understood!"

Within Li Daoxuan's mind, a vast tactical map materialized. A large red circle, labeled "Houjia Village," dominated its center. From the west and south, several blue arrows swiftly advanced, converging on the village.

Distances, timings... everything was meticulously aligned.

"Let's go!" Li Daoxuan said, his voice now fully focused on Zhang Fengyi. "We're heading to Houjia Village."

Zhang Fengyi nodded, a newfound resolve in her eyes. "Good, Houjia Village."

The two immediately set off towards Houjia Village, some twenty li to the north. Simultaneously, multiple contingents of reinforcements from Gao Family Village were also converging on the location.

Meanwhile.

Zijing Liang's twenty thousand men had already concealed themselves all around Houjia Village – in forests, ravines, caves, trenches... every conceivable place suitable for hiding troops.

Smaller detachments were positioned very close, practically on the village's outskirts.

Larger contingents, however, were more difficult to conceal and were thus positioned further afield, some hundreds of meters away, even several li distant. The strategy was simple: as long as one force engaged the White Pole Soldiers and kept them occupied, it would buy enough time for the other units to complete the encirclement.