Chapter 215 – Bandit Extermination: Kill or Capture (Part 5)
As Jiang Pengji sketched out the general layout of the bandit stronghold, she couldn’t help but think the same thoughts as Xu Ke.
“This is feasible, but the stronghold has two lookout towers. How do you plan to approach without alarming anyone?”
Xu Ke pondered for a moment and then pointed at a location. “This stronghold is built halfway up a mountain, with peaks blocking the view, making it hard for ordinary folks to spot them. This serves as a natural barrier, but it can also be fatal. Tonight, the moonlight is bright, casting deep, dark shadows. If we hide and attack from here, the lookout’s minions may not notice.”
The shadows cast by the peaks were aimed directly at the stronghold.
After all, not everyone has night vision as superb as Jiang Pengji’s.
“Moreover, didn’t Young Master instruct everyone to dress in branches and grass, blending into the surroundings? With the nighttime shadows and camouflage tactics in such a dense mountainous area, those ragtag bandits, even experienced veterans, wouldn’t stand a chance of noticing us.”
Hearing this, Jiang Pengji glanced sideways at Meng Hunyun; he nodded in agreement with Xu Ke’s assessment.
While they lacked the local knowledge that these native bandits had, they still had the advantage through strategy.
Xu Ke was more adept at internal administration than leading troops, and Jiang Pengji had him share his thoughts just to gather more ideas. Ultimately, the final decision was hers, and the execution would fall to Meng Hunyun—she was merely there to oversee things and tag along.
Everyone had their roles, and the division of labor was clear.
One of Jiang Pengji’s principles was—
If you can do it, step up; if not, let those who can take charge; no need to speak out if you lack the ability.
Meng Hunyun evidently belonged to the capable category, so Jiang Pengji felt confident in him.
Despite their small numbers, the scale of the bandit stronghold they intended to eliminate was also not large, so as long as they deployed correctly, victory shouldn’t be too difficult.
The challenge lay in Jiang Pengji’s desire to capture the bandits alive, selecting individuals they could recruit.
If so, they couldn’t deliver lethal blows, and they’d need to avoid mortally wounding anyone.
Because healing injuries takes a lot of time, effort, and extra resources, which is quite the poor investment.
Meng Hunyun, while appearing reckless, was meticulous and had already formed a conclusion after weighing everything.
“I’ll first gather the squad leaders and brief them on tonight’s raid.” Meng Hunyun cupped his fists and stepped back.
“Alright, go ahead.”
Their current troop was still quite small, so they temporarily organized into units of five, making it easier for training and coordination.
To instill pressure and motivation, Jiang Pengji had established a series of rules when forming the troops.
For example, a monthly evaluation to select squad leaders.
Nong Qin was prominently among them.
The other squad leaders all quietly moved to the other side, trying to keep their distance from Nong Qin.
As if just making eye contact with her made their calves twitch.
Just a few days prior, there had been a major reshuffle within the troops, selecting new squad leaders based on strength, and Nong Qin earned a spot.
This time, no one dared to speak ill of her behind her back, as she had advanced publicly in the training grounds after defeating multiple foes.
No one knew that the usually quiet girl, who seemed reserved and unassuming, could be so fierce when she got going!
She could target the weak spots of her opponents, and while she couldn’t match their brute strength, her strikes were quick and precise. Many found themselves immobilized before they even had a chance to react, kneeling helplessly on the ground.
And there had been one clueless guy who tried to bully Nong Qin, not realizing she was a girl, and attempted to get handsy… little did he know, he almost paid dearly for it. They were men and couldn’t fathom how a woman might feel if touched inappropriately, but they knew a kick to the family jewels would have him grimacing in pain, curled up on the ground, unable to straighten his back!
Fortunately, that guy was slow and never actually got a grip.
Otherwise, they had every reason to believe that Nong Qin would have crushed that guy’s jewels with a vengeance.
Of all the ladies he could’ve messed with, why did he choose this terrifying Amazon?
Meng Hunyun shared the details of the plans with everyone, “Any questions regarding this?”
Most of the squad leaders were veterans he had trained; they were familiar with one another and he trusted their capabilities.
They were all seasoned warriors, much more capable than Jiang Pengji’s house servants bought from the Tooth Shop, so it was normal for them to become squad leaders.
Other squad leaders shook their heads, indicating no issues. Meng Hunyun felt satisfied and then turned his gaze to the silent Nong Qin.
“You have questions?”
Nong Qin frowned, “Do you mean, we must capture all the bandits alive, minimizing injury?”
She couldn’t fathom why keeping these bandits alive would serve any purpose.
“That is indeed the case,” Meng Hunyun added, “This is also Young Master’s intention; we need manpower right now…”
Nong Qin nodded, “Understood. I will follow Young Master’s instructions.”
Jiang Pengji had given Nong Qin a crash course, teaching her techniques and methods mostly around assassination and sneak attacks, aiming for efficiency.
Because she needed everyone to recognize her abilities in the shortest time possible, rather than just dismissing her due to her gender.
In a direct confrontation, Nong Qin might struggle, but when it came to sneak attacks, she felt confident.
Meng Hunyun said, “If there are no objections, we act at the hour of the pig.”
The bandit stronghold’s main gate and the lookout towers adhered to a schedule. Based on Jiang Pengji’s observations, shifts changed roughly every two hours.
The hour of the pig marked the first shift change after dinner.
At this late hour, the human eye grows weary, and focus wanes; it’s the perfect time for a sneak attack.
Of course, to ensure everyone remained alert, Jiang Pengji had them take a short nap beforehand to restore their energy.
Dressed in branches and grass, they would be hard to spot, even in pitch darkness, let alone during the day.
Jiang Pengji fiddled with her modified crossbow, two arrows at her side.
When the time came, she’d strike first, taking out the two lookout guards.
Without the towers, no one would spot her troop’s movements; the entire bandit stronghold would be in the bag.
Ready with her gear, Jiang Pengji turned to see Xu Ke gazing wistfully at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, looking all melancholic and bright.
“Are you crying?”
Xu Ke looked blank, eyes sparkling with confusion, and asked seriously, “What does Young Master mean by that?”
Jiang Pengji thought of the comments from the livestream chat; truth be told, she was one of those who’d learned about it. She never quite got the reference before.
She replied seriously, “Looking up can cause your tears to flow backwards.”
Xu Ke: “…”
You can only imagine how much the audience in the livestream was laughing at this.
How could one expect an ancient person to understand the growing pains of the non-mainstream youth of their era?
Xu Ke, equally baffled, responded earnestly, “You jest, Young Master. Ke is merely observing the stars.”
