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Chapter 720: How Do We Fight in This Place?

After the messenger endured a chaotic session of persuasion and re-education from the Gao Family Village's labor-reform prisoners, he finally reached a new crossroads and boarded another bus. This time, however, there were no labor-reform prisoners on board. Instead, ordinary civilians filled the seats. He realized he had reached the edge of Huanglong Mountain, and the people from beyond the mountain's confines were now appearing on the vehicle.

These common folk were vibrant and energetic, their clothes clean and tidy—a stark contrast to the residents he’d seen in Yansui. They seemed like beings from a different world. Their conversations, too, differed greatly from those in Yansui. There, people generally talked about what to eat today, what to eat tomorrow, where to find food, and where to get cheap provisions... But here, the discussions revolved around whether they’d seen the opera troupe’s new show, wanting to buy a painting for their wall, or replacing a daughter's torn cotton coat. The messenger was utterly astonished. At last, the bus pulled into its final stop: Han City Station. Knowing he was close to the Dragon Gate Ferry, the messenger disembarked, mounted his horse, and galloped towards the ferry crossing.

As he reached the Dragon Gate Ferry, he was greeted by a magnificent and imposing bridge, spanning majestically across the Yellow River. The sight left him utterly awestruck. Then, he noticed an army crossing the bridge, marching beneath a large banner that read: "Hejin Garrison Commander Shi"—none other than Commander Shi Jian. The messenger, overjoyed, quickly rushed over. "Commander Shi, I bear—"

"I know!" Shi Jian interrupted him. "You’re here to request reinforcements for Yanchang County, right? As you can see, my troops are already mobilized and on the move. You can join us."

The messenger stammered, "Wait, where did Commander Shi get—"

Shi Jian didn't answer. He simply waved a hand and barked a command: "Increase the marching speed! We need to reach Yanchang County swiftly to prevent harm to the common folk."

"Run!"

The Gao Family Village militia began to jog, chanting, "One-two, one-two."

The messenger was astounded to find that this army, even while running, maintained perfectly synchronized steps. Every soldier advanced their left leg in unison, then their right, each stride perfectly timed with the "one-two, one-two" cadence.

The messenger thought, "What on earth is this? Why are they running like this?" He decided it wasn't his main concern. "Since General Shi has already departed," the messenger announced, "I will return to report to His Excellency, the Governor." He promptly remounted his horse and galloped back to Han City, where he rested overnight. Early the next morning, he resumed his journey, taking a bus, then transferring, transferring, and transferring again... Finally, the Route 86 bus dropped him back at his original starting point. Standing where he had first begun, the messenger looked back at the path he had traveled, feeling as though it hadn’t been real, like a dream.

Yanchang County: A mountainous land! The moment Shi Jian's unit entered Yanchang County, they were overwhelmed by a sense of immense pressure. The terrain was a labyrinth of intersecting ravines and paths, sprawling in every direction. As they advanced, they constantly had to cross one gully and ascend another slope. Shi Jian himself had once been a scout, one of the Gao Family Village militia's earliest, and he understood the critical importance of scouting, especially in such convoluted terrain. He dispatched over a dozen scouts, sending them ahead to penetrate each ravine.

Zheng Gouzi walked beside him; they had been close comrades during their scouting days, having once ventured into Huanglong Mountain together to eliminate Wang Zuogua. He glanced at the surrounding mountains and chuckled, "Brother Shi, remember when we scouted for Wang Zuogua? Padi Tu was hiding in the bushes, using his 'My Heaven Rabbit Rending Overlord Sword' to cut off... well, *that* thing of theirs?"

Shi Jian laughed. "Hahaha, I remember, I remember. Back then, we were just soldiers, and now we've both become commanders, hahaha!"

Zheng Gouzi chuckled. "All of us from that old batch of brothers, we're all at least centurions now." A hint of melancholy tinged his words.

Shi Jian grew serious. "Speaking of which, this terrain is truly frustrating. I'm genuinely worried about ambushes. A troop of bandits could pop out right in front of us at any moment."

Zheng Gouzi reassured him, "The scouts have already been deployed, don't worry."

Shi Jian shook his head. "We only have a dozen experienced scouts, barely enough to assign one per ravine. It's inevitable that some areas will be missed..." He hadn't even finished his sentence when, a hundred meters diagonally ahead, a group of people suddenly emerged from a very narrow gully. They were dressed in tattered, slovenly clothes, carrying an assortment of swords, spears, halberds, and clubs—clearly not a legitimate force. They had sprung from a particularly tight, obscure gully that the Gao Family Village militia's scouts had evidently overlooked. Just like that, about a hundred meters apart, the two groups came face to face. The people opposite immediately yelled, "Government troops! Damn it, government troops!" Without another word, they dove back into the narrow gully, clearly having no intention of engaging the government soldiers.

Shi Jian felt a slight pang of hesitation, contemplating for a split second whether to order his firearm soldiers to open fire. But then he reconsidered: just because they were poorly dressed and haphazardly armed didn't necessarily mean they were marauders. What if they were local militia? Firing upon people without knowing their identity wasn't the act of a righteous person. His brief hesitation was all it took for the group to swiftly disappear into the narrow gully. By the time Shi Jian's men covered the hundred meters and peered into the gully's entrance, they found that it curved sharply just a few dozen meters ahead, and the people were already out of sight.

"I'll take a few men and chase them in," Zheng Gouzi offered.

Shi Jian shook his head. "No, it's too dangerous. If they're marauders lying in ambush in a cave within the gully, taking a small group in would be too risky. We wouldn't even have time to save you."

"Ugh! You're right," Zheng Gouzi conceded. Both men looked around, at the ravines stretching in every direction, and fell into deep thought. What were they to do? Relying solely on scouts wouldn't solve the problem.

"We need to send men to climb the slopes and survey the surroundings from above."

"But after a few steps on the slopes, they'll get stuck... they'd have to descend to the bottom of the gully again, then climb the opposite slope... our scouts would need to be monkeys." Both men were gripped by a severe headache.

While they were still agonizing over the problem, hoofbeats suddenly echoed from ahead. Two scouts galloped back; the scout on the first horse was seated upright, but the one on the second was slumped across his horse's back, evidently wounded. Shi Jian's heart tightened. These were scouts he had personally trained, precious to him. "What happened?"

The seated scout shouted, "There were a few bandits hiding in a small gully ahead! As soon as we passed, they shot a few stealth arrows. Old Li was hit!"

"Damn it," Shi Jian cursed. "Medic! Medic!"

The ranks fell into a brief commotion. Soon, a medic examined the wounded scout and applied medicine. "Fortunately, the injury isn't severe," the medic reported. "He'll be fine and recover in a few days." Only then did Shi Jian breathe a sigh of relief. He gazed up at the vast expanse of ravines before them, feeling even more exasperated.

"This is impossible!" he muttered. "How are we supposed to fight in a godforsaken place like this?" The soldiers, too, felt a growing panic.