Chapter 998: Cannot Afford the Loss
"This mountain cannot be attacked rashly," Cao Wenzhao stated, calling his nephew back. He gazed at the small mountain before them, mulling over their options.
The mountain bristled with two cannons and an arsenal of firearms and repeating crossbows. If their forces had outnumbered the enemy many times over, a frontal assault might have been feasible. But in reality, the bandits on the mountain significantly outmatched the Guanning Iron Cavalry.
Without a numerical advantage, and with the enemy holding such a dominant position, any engagement, no matter how formidable the Guanning Iron Cavalry, would inevitably result in significant losses.
His three thousand Guanning Iron Cavalry had already sustained considerable casualties in their previous engagement, now numbering fewer than two thousand five hundred. To throw them into another pitched battle like this, the cost would be incalculable.
Frankly, he could no longer afford such losses!
"What about a night raid?" Cao Bianjiao suggested.
"They'll undoubtedly be on guard," Cao Wenzhao countered. "They outnumber us many times over. They'll have men rotating their night watch; we won't find an opening."
Cao Bianjiao fell silent.
This is a problem.
That very night, Cao Bianjiao slipped stealthily to the foot of the mountain, gazing up the slope. Sure enough, the bandits had indeed dispatched a contingent of men, their torches illuminating the mountainside.
Forget even secretly reaching the summit; they'd likely be discovered long before they could even ascend to the mountainside.
The uncle and nephew were utterly helpless!
Early the next morning, Cao Bianjiao, sporting dark circles under his eyes, stood gloomily before the camp, staring at Zhougong Mountain. "Uncle," he sighed, "we can only wait for Lu Xiangheng to arrive. He has a larger army and several heavy cannons. We can use those cannons to barrage the summit, then press our attack with superior numbers."
Cao Wenzhao nodded slowly.
Just then, a scout approached with a report: "General, Gao Jie has arrived."
Cao Wenzhao dismissed the news. "Gao Jie's presence is of no consequence," he stated. "He lacks the means to assault Zhougong Mountain."
The scout clarified, "Gao Jie didn't bring his own main forces. He brought Mister Bai Yuan's militia."
"What?" Cao Wenzhao exclaimed, surprised.
This was quite unbelievable.
Cao Wenzhao turned and saw a thousands-strong army approaching the perimeter of his camp.
Leading them was Gao Jie, accompanied by only a small squad of his personal guards.
Trailing behind them was the Gao Family Village Militia.
Cao Wenzhao was not unfamiliar with this militia. He remembered clearly: when he had been gravely wounded and nearly killed by the Dashing General, it was this very militia that had rescued both him and his nephew.
He also had some understanding of the militia's fighting prowess.
Overjoyed, Cao Wenzhao rushed out to meet them.
"Mister Bai, you've come as well," he greeted.
"I hear General Cao has encountered some trouble here?" Bai Yuan inquired.
Cao Wenzhao nodded, gesturing towards Zhougong Mountain. "The bandit army has two cannons mounted on the summit," he explained, "and numerous arquebusiers and crossbow squads defending it. Any attempt to assault the mountain, I fear, would result in unbearable casualties."
Bai Yuan smiled. "Then leave this to us."
Cao Wenzhao frowned. "Your forces are entirely arquebusiers; assaulting the mountain seems ill-suited, doesn't it? The enemy will simply hide behind the rocks, impervious to your fire, while they can rain down shots from their elevated position."
Gao Jie suddenly chimed in, a chuckle escaping him. "General Cao, don't worry," he said. "Mister Bai has artillery."
Cao Wenzhao's brow furrowed in confusion.
A huge question mark seemed to hang in the air above him.
From their elevated perch, the bandit forces on the mountain could clearly see the government troops preparing to attack. Formations shifted, and vast numbers of soldiers converged at the mountain's base, meticulously taking up battle formations.
The bandit scouts quickly relayed the news to their leaders, Meng Hu and Du Hu.
The two "tigers" immediately rushed to the edge of the slope, peering down. Their eyes instantly landed on Bai Yuan, distinctive in his white robes.
There was no mistaking him; his dramatic flair and impeccably styled, scruffy beard were simply too striking, making him impossible to overlook.
"Ah, isn't that the fellow we ran into in Luoyang? What was his name... Bai... Bai what now?" Meng Hu exclaimed.
"Brother," Du Hu supplied, "he's called Bai Yuan."
"Yes, yes, that's him!" Meng Hu roared. "The very man who thwarted our grand plunder in Luoyang! Heh, I didn't expect him to show up again. Last time he defended Luoyang, but this time, it's *us* defending Zhougong Mountain. Hahaha, now's the time to exact our revenge!"
Meng Hu arranged fifty of his taunters, and together they roared down the mountain: "Bai Yuan! We know you! Last time you had the high ground, but this time the advantage is ours! We'll ensure you don't leave here alive!"
Bai Yuan produced a metal megaphone and shouted up the mountain, "Although your words are quite impolite, I, on the other hand, am a man of refined manners. After all, among a gentleman's six arts, I am very particular about the 'rites' aspect, you know."
Meng Hu bellowed with laughter. "What does politeness have to do with fighting a war?"
"Well, as the saying goes, 'civility before force,'" Bai Yuan replied. "I'm offering you one last chance: lay down your weapons and descend the mountain to surrender. It will be considered an act of self-surrender, and your duration of labor reform can be reduced by forty percent. Miss this opportunity, and you won't get another."
"Hahahaha," Meng Hu scoffed. "What nonsense are you spouting?"
Bai Yuan shook his head. "Since civility has failed," he declared, "then force it is."
With that said, Bai Yuan gestured. "Launch the reconnaissance hot air balloon!"
And so, the bandits on the mountain watched, dumbfounded, as at the distant foot of the mountain, a massive sphere began to swell. It grew progressively rounder, rising slowly into the sky, carrying a large basket with a person seated inside.
"Whoa? What in the world is that?" the bandits muttered, bewildered.
The hot air balloon soared steadily higher, soon ascending above the bandits' encampment. The outlaws weren't actually entrenched at Zhougong Mountain's highest peak, but rather on a small, lower peak on the mountain's slope.
The hot air balloon continued its ascent, reaching a position far superior to theirs, observing them from above.
The bandits fell silent, stunned.
The man in the hot air balloon produced a spyglass, surveying Zhougong Mountain from left to right, front to back. Once his observation was complete, he set the spyglass down, pulled out paper and pen, and carefully sketched the bandits' troop deployment, defensive positions, and all the critical points along the mountainside.
He then placed the paper into a bamboo tube, which he attached to a rope dangling from the hot air balloon. The tube zipped down the rope, landing swiftly on the ground below.
On the ground, Bai Yuan retrieved the bamboo tube, unfurled the map, and a wry smile played on his lips. "Interesting!" he murmured.
Cao Wenzhao, his nephew, and Gao Jie all gathered around him. "Let us see," they urged. "Let us see too."
Bai Yuan unfurled the map, showing it to everyone. "Their two cannons are mounted here," he pointed out. "And along the slope, here, here, and here, are large numbers of arquebusiers lying in ambush... The repeating crossbows are here..."
Gao Jie leaned in, marveling at the map. "Amazing, truly amazing," he breathed. "To see the enemy's entire deployment with such clarity, even before battle has begun."
Cao Wenzhao, however, was less astonished than Gao Jie. Bai Yuan had lent him a hot air balloon before, so he was already aware of its capabilities. Thus, he merely studied the blueprint intently, carefully devising their attack strategy.
Bai Yuan, for his part, issued his command: "The enemy's critical positions are all clearly identified. It's time for the artillery battalion to move out. Let's reduce their makeshift defenses to rubble!"
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