Chapter 828 Do You Want to Be a Star?
Seeing that the head of the Wang family agreed, Lao Nanfeng turned and left.
He quickly led his subordinates back to the southern slope of Huangcaoping Hill, settling amidst the scattered rocks and trees.
A subordinate who had accompanied him couldn't help but feel confused. "Brother Nanfeng," he began, "I don't understand your arrangement just now."
Lao Nanfeng asked, "What's not to understand?"
The subordinate explained, "That local gentry wouldn't obediently heed orders to 'sacrifice himself for the country.' He'd never hold out in the fortress. If we hadn't told him the Manchus would arrive in half an hour, he might have foolishly defended the fortress until their cavalry arrived, leaving him no time to escape and forcing him to fight to the death. But you told him the Manchus were coming, so he's definitely going to slip away beforehand and won't defend the fortress. Then we won't be able to ambush the Manchus from behind when they attack the fortress!"
Lao Nanfeng replied, "Exactly, I know."
The subordinate fell silent.
Lao Nanfeng chuckled. "The imperial soldiers have always had a bad reputation, and our militia has no standing in this Datong Prefecture. If we showed our militia's banner, he wouldn't trust us and wouldn't cooperate properly. So I told him to 'sacrifice himself for the country,' knowing he'd run. I'm just waiting for him to flee into the mountains."
The subordinate exclaimed, "Huh? So we're not ambushing the Manchus from behind anymore?"
The subordinate's eyes widened. "Oh!"
It was only then that he suddenly understood. "So that's it," he realized.
Sure enough, the head of the Wang family had no intention of meekly "sacrificing himself for the country" within the fortress. The moment Lao Nanfeng was out of sight, he immediately mobilized his entire household. "The Manchus will be here in half an hour!" he cried. "Quick, pack up all the valuables and treasures! We're fleeing, fleeing! We're running to the Huangcaoping Hill to the south!"
Men, women, and children of the Wang family, along with the surrounding villagers they had brought into the fortress, all scrambled into action.
The family's gold, silver, and valuables were already packed, ready to be slung over shoulders and carried. Calligraphy, paintings, and antiques of any slight value were quickly rolled up and loaded onto handcarts. They also had to prepare provisions for hiding from the invading army in the mountains, which filled many more carts...
Moving an entire extended family was no simple feat; the preparations alone took a considerable amount of time.
By the time the Wang family's large and small carts set out towards Huangcaoping Hill, Manchu scouts had already appeared on the plains to the northwest.
From a distance, the scouts spotted numerous handcarts being pushed out of the large estate ahead, heading towards the southern mountains. They immediately panicked. "The Han are trying to escape?"
The scouts immediately spurred their horses forward.
But the Wang family wasn't entirely defenseless. Their household guards and local militiamen grabbed bows and arrows, unleashing a volley of arrows at the Manchu scouts.
Seeing that their opponents were numerous and formidable, and that a few scouts alone clearly couldn't stop them, the scouts quickly wheeled their horses around and galloped back.
Clearly, they were going to call for reinforcements!
The Wang family grew even more frantic. "Run!" they cried. "The Manchu scouts have spotted us! Their main force will be here soon!"
"Faster! Run, everyone!"
The Wang family desperately scrambled towards Huangcaoping Hill, but with the elderly, children, and handcarts, their pace was slow. No matter how frantically they ran, they barely managed to penetrate a mile or two into the hillside.
On the plains to the northwest, the thunderous roar of horses filled the air. A large contingent of cavalry appeared, with infantry following in the distance behind them.
"The Han are trying to escape into the mountains!"
"Catch them!"
"All that wealth belongs to us!"
The Manchu cavalry howled and charged after them...
Their current invasion had no strategic objective; it was purely for plunder. Seeing such plump sheep ahead, they wouldn't let them escape.
With guttural cries, they surged forward.
Meanwhile, in various concealed positions on Huangcaoping Hill, the Gao Family Village Militia's riflemen were already prepared.
Skirmisher trenches had been dug everywhere, and the soldiers lay hidden within them, their heads covered with sod.
Rifles were loaded, their muzzles protruding from beneath the sod.
Not a single soul was visible on the entire hillside, yet it seethed with lethal intent.
The Wang family and their handcarts rushed past along the mountain path next to these skirmisher trenches. Some even came extremely close, but the Gao Family Village soldiers remained utterly still, as if they didn't exist.
The panicked Wang family paid no attention whatsoever...
"Pursue them!"
"Catch them, and their wealth is ours!"
The Manchu cavalry, roaring, burst onto the hillside with a thundering rush.
The Wang family had already entered the mountains by two *li*, and the cavalry couldn't catch up to them in a single dash. They had no choice but to follow the winding mountain path upwards. The path often twisted and turned, and where there was no clear path, there were only scattered rocks.
The cavalry couldn't charge through the scattered rocks either, forced to ascend the circuitous mountain path, spiraling upwards, turn after turn.
Soon, they were halfway up the slope.
The Wang family ahead were crying out in terror, some of the slower elderly, weak, women, and children whimpering with fright. They realized they couldn't escape; being caught by the Manchus was only a matter of time.
Just then, Lao Nanfeng let out a low chuckle, then abruptly leaped from his hidden skirmisher trench, raised his rifle, and fired: "Bang!"
It was a rather casual shot, and it missed completely!
However, his single shot served as the prelude to a symphony.
From every skirmisher trench on the hillside, rifles opened fire simultaneously.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The sound of gunfire echoed across Huangcaoping Hill almost instantly.
The Manchu cavalry only saw flashes of light and plumes of white smoke erupting all over the hillside ahead, followed by a sharp pain in their chests, a scream, and then toppling backward.
In an instant, they suffered heavy casualties.
Meanwhile, the Wang family was utterly bewildered.
They hadn't expected a group of people to suddenly emerge from the empty ground beside them, armed with rifles, indiscriminately firing at the Manchus behind them.
The Manchus were instantly thrown into disarray, horses rearing and men falling.
An old man from the Wang family, too exhausted to continue, had been sitting on a patch of grass by the path, gasping for breath and waiting for death. He never imagined that, less than half a *zhang* away, someone would suddenly appear and begin firing at the Manchus.
The old man was nearly scared to death, but once he understood what was happening, he was overcome with instant euphoria. Clapping his hands over his ears, he bellowed, "Kill them, kill every last one of those damn Manchus!"
"We... we walked right into an imperial ambush position?"
The Wang family members were first bewildered, then utterly stunned!
Only the head of the Wang family stood there, his face a mask of embarrassment. Watching Lao Nanfeng slide down the hillside, the patriarch instantly dropped to his knees with a thud. "General Nan..." he stammered, "I... this humble commoner... I..."
Lao Nanfeng patted his shoulder.
der. "Excellent," he declared. "You did wonderfully! Luring the enemy deep, feigning defeat, and fleeing—you played it too perfectly. You're a born, top-tier actor! Do you want to become famous? I'll make you a star."
The head of the Wang family, utterly dumbfounded, protested, "I wasn't acting! I really was running away!"
Lao Nanfeng burst into laughter. "Nonsense! Of course I knew you were genuinely fleeing! I was just messing with you!"
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