jdhmnovel Chapter 208 Huyan Zhuo's carelessness leads him into a trap at Wolong Valley; the victorious ge
Chapter 208 Huyan Zhuo's carelessness leads him into a trap at Wolong Valley; the victorious ge
Meanwhile, Qin Zhi, nicknamed "Golden-Faced Buddha," fought over a hundred rounds with Huyan Zhuo, wielding double whips, before finally succumbing to exhaustion. He feigned an opening, turned his horse, and fled back to his own lines. Huyan Zhuo, a formidable figure, was not about to give up. He charged ahead, whips wielded, like a black demon descending from the heavens, leading his ferocious government troops in relentless pursuit. The chase raged on, darkening the sky and obscuring the sun and moon.
The Liangshan army, already at its last gasp, lost all will to fight after witnessing their commander's defeat. At the sound of the retreat signal, the remaining thousand or so soldiers scattered like a receding tide, fleeing in all directions. The scene was truly one of utter rout! Their previously orderly formation crumbled in an instant. Flags were carelessly discarded by the panicked soldiers, trampled beyond recognition on the ground; swords and spears were thrown around as mere burdens, clattering and clanging; even the armor they relied on for survival was stripped away by many as they ran, wishing they had more legs.
Even worse, in a desperate struggle for an unridden warhorse, several bloodthirsty "trapped soldiers" turned on each other! A burly man with a fierce face slashed down his companion with a single blow, grabbed the reins, and before he could even mount the horse, he was stabbed through the heart from behind by another man. The horse, startled, neighed loudly and dragged the two corpses along the ground as it galloped away, leaving a long, gruesome trail of blood.
The scene was so realistic that even the gods and Buddhas in the heavens would likely believe it to be true, thinking the Liangshan army was truly at its end and utterly defeated. The men playing these routed soldiers were a detachment led by "Desperate Saburo" Shi Xiu. He had received a secret order from Li Hanxiao: not to kill, but to put on a convincing performance. Shi Xiu was a meticulous and audacious man, with a touch of street thugliness; his portrayal of these desperate fugitives was truly masterful. He deliberately disheveled his hair, smeared soot on his face, and led his men to roll in the mud, their pathetic state even more convincing than a genuine defeat.
"Chief! Chief, save me!" Shi Xiu cried out desperately as he ran, his voice filled with despair and fear, towards the rolling mountains to the southwest. Behind him, hundreds of "desperate soldiers" followed suit, their cries of agony echoing across the entire plain.
All of this was observed by the government troops' scouts pursuing from behind. Seeing that the Liangshan army had completely collapsed, the scout was overjoyed and dared not delay in the slightest. He immediately turned his horse around and galloped back to the central camp like a gust of wind.
"Report—! Reporting to the Commander!" The scout tumbled off his horse and knelt before Huyan Zhuo's horse, his face filled with barely suppressed excitement and elation. "The Liangshan bandits have suffered a complete rout! They are fleeing southwest towards Wolong Valley! Along the way, they have abandoned their armor and weapons, killing each other indiscriminately. Their army is no more than a pile of clay chickens and earthen dogs, utterly vulnerable!"
Hu Yanzhuo immediately stood at the front of the battle line. Upon hearing this report, his usually gloomy black face finally blossomed into a radiant smile, as bright as a chrysanthemum!
"Hahaha! Good! Good! Good!" He exclaimed three times, then swung the water-polished octagonal steel whip in the air, making a "whooshing" sound. He felt that the anger that had been building up in his chest for days due to the vanguard's crushing defeat had completely vanished in this moment! It was exhilarating! It was truly exhilarating!
He thought to himself, "Li Hanxiao, Li Hanxiao, no matter how cunning and resourceful you are, so what? Before my upright 'Iron Millstone Formation,' you are nothing but a worthless coward! Your hook-and-sickle spear formation may have some merit, but it's nothing more than underhanded tricks that can't be brought to the table. Now that my army is pressing in, I will use orthodox methods to overcome unorthodox ones, and you will be at your wit's end, with nothing left but to flee in panic!"
The more he thought about it, the more smug he became, feeling that the monumental achievements of capturing Li Hanxiao alive and razing Liangshan Marsh were already within his grasp. He laughed loudly, full of pride and high spirits; his laughter carried far across the open plains, startling countless birds in the forest.
"Pass on my orders!" The laughter subsided slightly, and Huyan Zhuo's eyes flashed with murderous intent. His voice was like thunder! "The entire army should be lightly armed! There is no need to carry too much food or heavy equipment! Those three thousand linked cavalry, give me the fastest speed to pursue them! We must wipe out Li Hanxiao's main force in Wolong Valley, leaving no one alive!"
"General! Absolutely not!" Upon receiving the order, Peng Yue, a deputy general under Huyan Zhuo, stepped forward with a furrowed brow and clasped his hands in remonstrance. This veteran general, known for his composure, pointed to the distant valley entrance, resembling the gaping maw of a giant beast, his face filled with worry: "General, in my observation, Wolong Valley is a ravine nestled between two mountains, a treacherous terrain, densely forested—a natural ambush site. If our army rashly ventures deep into it, we fear we will fall into the enemy's trap!"
Upon hearing this, Huyan Zhuo's smile instantly froze. He glanced at Peng Yue, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes. "General Peng, you're boosting the enemy's morale while diminishing our own! Those Liangshan bandits are already like stray dogs; where would they find the courage and ability to set up an ambush?"
Peng Yue was anxious and wanted to persuade him again: "General, military strategy says, 'Do not pursue a desperate enemy.' Moreover, Li Hanxiao is known for his cunning. His defeat this time, so easy and so disheveled, must be suspicious! I urge you to reconsider and wait until you have ascertained the truth before pursuing him!"
Hearing this, Huyan Zhuo was already impatient. He was still seething with anger because of yesterday's defeat, and now that Peng Yue was repeatedly obstructing him, his anger flared up even more. He turned to Xuan Zan, the "Ugly Prince Consort" who was standing silently to the side, and asked in a cold voice, "General Xuan Zan, what do you think of this matter?"
Xuan Zan felt a chill run down his spine. He knew that Hu Yanzhuo was testing him, and it was also a crucial moment for him to show his stance. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the secret letter that he had already burned, and remembered Guan Sheng's promise in the letter that "after the matter is accomplished, we brothers will stand shoulder to shoulder and uphold the righteous cause together." The last trace of hesitation in his heart completely vanished.
He stepped forward, bowed deeply to Huyan Zhuo, and his face revealed a perfectly timed expression of excitement mixed with a hint of greed. "Reporting to the Commander! This humble general believes that General Peng's concerns, while wise and prudent, are... perhaps a little too cautious."
He paused, as if organizing his thoughts, but in reality, he was observing Huyan Zhuo's expression. "Military strategy also says that speed is of the essence in war, and opportunities are fleeting! Now that the Liangshan bandits' morale has collapsed and their fighting spirit is completely gone, this is a golden opportunity for our army to seize the moment and annihilate them completely!"
His eyes gleamed with fanaticism, and his voice was filled with a seductive magic: "General, just imagine, Li Hanxiao's head is right before our eyes! This immense wealth and the honor of having one's wife and children granted to one's family are within our grasp! Even if there is an ambush in Wolong Valley, so what? Our army has three thousand linked cavalry, and armor as solid as a mountain. What do we have to fear from an ambush by a mere few thousand bandits?!"
Finally, he added fuel to the fire, lowering his voice to a whisper in Huyan Zhuo's ear, saying in a tone only the two of them could hear: "General, this is a golden opportunity! If we can capture Li Hanxiao alive here, then Grand Commandant Gao and Grand Tutor Cai... you will have achieved the greatest merit! What are a few risks?"
These words struck a chord with Huyan Zhuo! Fame and fortune! The desire to wash away shame! What was Huyan Zhuo here for? Wasn't it precisely these things?
"Well said!" Huyan Zhuo slapped his thigh, his usually sharp, eagle-like eyes now filled with the desire for victory and boundless arrogance! He pointed at Peng Yue, whose face was full of anxiety, and rebuked him sternly: "Peng Yue! As a deputy general, you are cowardly in the face of battle and undermine the morale of the army! I think you have been living a comfortable life for too long, and you can't even lift a sword anymore!"
Peng Yue's face turned a deep shade of liver from his sharp rebuke, but he dared not utter another word in rebuttal and could only retreat meekly.
"When a general is in the field, he may disobey the emperor's orders! Speed is of the essence in war! If you hesitate and are timid, and Li Hanxiao gets a chance to catch his breath and regroup, it will be as difficult as climbing to heaven to wipe him out! At that time, can you bear the consequences?!" Huyan Zhuo's voice was stern and his words were resounding.
He ignored his generals and went his own way, pointing his steel whip forward. His dark face was filled with a mad, determined ambition! "Pass on my order! All troops, listen up! The linked cavalry will be the first echelon, pursue at full speed! Do not wait for the infantry! I will personally lead the army to raze Wolong Valley to the ground before sunset!"
He took the lead, his imperial "Snow-Treading Black Steed" charging forward like a black arrow released from a bow! Behind him, three thousand linked horses, like a black torrent unleashed, followed closely behind with a suffocating, world-destroying momentum! The iron chains clanged, the hooves thundered like rolling thunder, dust obscured the sun, and the killing intent soared to the heavens! This invincible steel legion, like an ancient beast utterly enraged and driven mad, plunged headlong into the narrow, death-laden mountain path leading to Crouching Dragon Valley!
"Xuan Zan!" Huyan Zhuo's voice echoed from the billowing dust, carrying an undeniable authority. "You lead five thousand infantrymen to cover the rear! Guard the supplies for me and clean up the battlefield! I will return to join you after I have razed Wolong Valley to the ground!"
"Your humble servant... obeys!" Xuan Zan stood still, watching the cavalry, like a long black dragon, charge headlong into the death trap. He watched their arrogant backs recede into the dust, and for the first time, a strange expression, both crying and laughing, appeared on his face, which was always so ugly that people dared not look directly at it.
He knew that Huyan Zhuo was finished. And so were his three thousand linked horses.
……
At the entrance to Wolong Valley, atop the highest ridge, Li Hanxiao stood with his hands behind his back, clad in black armor. The mountain wind whipped around him, causing the large black banner bearing the inscription "Acting on Behalf of Heaven" to flutter loudly. In his hand, he held a crystal-clear monocular telescope. Through the telescope, a black torrent of steel was seen, following its predetermined route, sweeping forward relentlessly into his meticulously planned slaughterhouse.
Behind him stood Hu Sanniang, also dressed in military attire and holding a powerful bow. Looking at the imposing linked cavalry in the telescope, a hint of worry appeared on her usually aloof and beautiful face. "Husband… are these linked cavalry truly so formidable?"
Li Hanxiao did not put down the binoculars. A cold and bloodthirsty smile slowly curved his lips, appearing particularly sinister in the cold morning light.
"Powerful?" he said softly, his voice as soft as a dream, yet as cold as a Siberian chill. "Even the fiercest tiger, once caged, is nothing more than a sick cat waiting to be slaughtered."
He saw that Huyan Zhuo's imposing command banner had already crossed the huge rock at the valley entrance, which he had marked with cinnabar. He saw that the main force of the three thousand linked cavalry had all entered the valley!
He slowly lowered his binoculars, turned his head, and looked at the man beside him, also clad in iron armor, whose face bore a sickly excitement and fanaticism. It was none other than "Thunderbolt" Ling Zhen.
"Brother Ling Zhen."
"exist!"
"Pass on my orders." Li Hanxiao's voice was calm and undisturbed, yet it sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.
"Once they're all inside the valley, we'll... trap them and beat them!"
Upon hearing this, Ling Zhen's usually somewhat wooden face instantly blossomed into an incredibly bright, even slightly manic, smile! He abruptly turned around and waved the red command flag in his hand at the hundreds of artillerymen who were already on high alert below the hill!
"ignition--!"
At a single command, a net of fire and wind cannons, thousands of thunderbolts, and tens of thousands of Liangshan heroes, all already at their sharpened swords and brimming with murderous intent, finally revealed its ferocious and deadly fangs!