Chapter 635 – Let Go of That Commander, Let Me Handle It (12)
The mountain path twisted and turned, the narrow road extending until it vanished from sight.
Jiang Pengji sat comfortably atop Xiao Bai, a fine descendant of the warhorses from Shalan Kingdom and Beijiang. Xiao Bai’s endurance and load-bearing abilities were incredibly robust, each step solid and easy, making the others appear somewhat awkward in comparison.
“The mountain road to Jinmen County is so rough; I can’t imagine how difficult the road to Fenghu County will be…”
Yang Si inwardly lamented, blessed as a strategist with special treatment.
While the other soldiers were mostly on foot, he was able to ride a horse, sparing his legs, yet the bumpy ride still made him suffer.
Noticing his pale face, weary with fatigue, and the heavy breathing of his chestnut horse beneath him, Jiang Pengji suggested, “How about you ride Xiao Bai? At this rate, I bet you’ll be flat-out before we even reach Jinmen County.”
Yang Si was tempted, but thinking of how spirited spirited warhorses can be made him hesitant.
“It won’t throw me off, will it?”
Yang Si tightened his grip on the reins, wishing he could hug the horse’s neck for safety if he weren’t afraid of making Xiao Bai uncomfortable.
Surprisingly, Xiao Bai not only kept Yang Si from being thrown off but complied with patience as they continued their journey.
“Don’t go looking for trouble; Xiao Bai is usually pretty chill.” Jiang Pengji switched to Yang Si’s previous horse, controlling it with the reins. “Fortunately, our opponent is the Red Lotus Sect; if it were a smarter enemy, I wouldn’t dare take this mountain path.”
She looked around at the terrain from her mount, chuckling as she made a jibe.
Taking the mountain path was indeed a clever move, avoiding the enemy’s eyes and ears without a trace; whether for ambush or otherwise, it was quite effective.
However, risks accompanied benefits.
The mountain path was not only suitable for their ambush but also for the enemy to set up traps for them.
Xiao Bai trotted steadily, a stark contrast to earlier bumps, which brought Yang Si some relief.
He said, “The situation is different; our lord marches swiftly. Even if the enemy intends to lay an ambush, they won’t have time to prepare.”
According to Yang Si’s calculations, when they had just captured a small town, the higher-ups of the Red Lotus Sect were probably just receiving news about their arrival there.
It took time to relay orders, and by the time the enemy responded and prepared an ambush, they would have already used the mountain path to capture Jinmen County.
Jiang Pengji’s speed in battle was notably fast, but how many were capable of that?
Most people could only focus on one thing at a time, and by the time they received news, the best opportunities had already passed.
Why are excellent strategists so sought after?
Not just because they can succeed in a delayed-information world but also because they think far more comprehensively than the average person. Like playing chess, ordinary people think one move ahead while they’re calculating ten moves with every step.
As Yang Si said, although the mountain road to Jinmen County was lengthy, the gradient was relatively gentle, and the physical demands were less than expected.
Every soldier under Jiang Pengji had longstanding load-training;
for an ordinary army, traversing this mountain path would take three to four hours, but for them, it was just over one.
Meanwhile, the forces in Jinmen County had been urgently withdrawn to defend Fenghu County.
The Red Lotus Sect deployed several scout teams and, indeed, discovered suspicious activity; they identified it as the enemy’s front scouts.
The Scholar anxiously clenched his fists; inside, the fire burned brightly, making the room warm yet causing the palms of his hands to sweat.
“Sure enough—the Liu Thief’s goal is Fenghu County—” the Scholar paced back and forth, his hands clasped behind him, as if trying to wear a hole in the floor. “Go investigate further; report back at once if anything happens! If you spot the main forces of the Liu Thief, don’t act recklessly.”
“Yes!”
Before long, voices came from outside the hall; the Red Lotus Sect had found more traces of scouts at the exit of the Fenghu County mountain road.
Every brief period, reports came in, making the Scholar’s nerves fray.
What did it mean that Liu Xi had dispatched so many scouts?
It meant they had a large army on the way, likely more than ten thousand!
“Report—”
“Report—”
“Report—”
The Messenger came back and forth continuously, and with each reply, the Scholar’s anxiety heightened.
In the end, he was sweating profusely, went outside to check the sky, and angrily exclaimed, “Aren’t the reinforcements from Jinmen County here yet?”
The Messenger hung his head, timidly answering, “They’re still half a day’s journey away.”
Half a day?
So slow?
The Scholar was both furious and anxious, never before feeling that time could crawl so slowly.
He felt like an ant on a hot stove, every minute and second torturous to him.
Now, he only hoped Liu Xi would slow down, ideally waiting until their reinforcements entered the city before arriving.
Otherwise, he genuinely had no confidence in confronting Jiang Pengji with his current troops.
“Where is Mr. An? Go fetch him for strategies!”
Thinking of An Huan brought him hope; he hurriedly sent the Young Servant beside him to fetch An Huan.
The Young Servant dashed off at lightning speed, but at that moment, An Huan was no longer in Jinmen County.
“Do you know where Mr. An has gone?”
The Scholar didn’t think anything was off; though An Huan was gone, his brothers, who had good relations with him, were still around, so he had no doubts.
The Young Servant reported back, “I asked carefully, and it seems Mr. An left overnight for Honglian County.”
The Scholar furrowed his brows tightly, not understanding why An Huan would go to Honglian County at this time.
However, he didn’t dwell on the issue for long, as more Messengers found signs of scouts.
What sent chills down the Scholar’s spine was that the location of the scouts was getting closer to Jinmen County.
In other words, by the time these scouts completed their reconnaissance, Liu Xi’s main force would be ready to attack.
Thinking of the reinforcements that were still half a day’s journey away, the Scholar was restless, wanting to pull his hair out.
With scouts frequently moving and spying on their situation, the Scholar never realized this was all part of Jiang Pengji’s trap.
Qi Guanrang stayed in charge of the main army and had arranged for a series of scouts to be dispatched to scare (tease) the Red Lotus Sect.
As for the main forces?
At this moment, they had already taken the mountain path, crossing a vast expanse of snowy ground swiftly towards Jinmen County.
Chengde County belonged to the northern region, where the winter snow piled thick.
Other than the official roads, no other areas of snow had been cleared; typically, it was left to melt on its own when the weather warmed.
Jiang Pengji had long instructed the vanguard camp members to prepare plain hemp cloth to drape over themselves as cover. Today’s weather was splendid, the snow reflecting bright light, making it uncomfortable for the City Gate Guards to stare at the snowy expanse for too long.
The defenses of Jinmen County had nearly been completely withdrawn, leaving behind three thousand old and weak soldiers, up to no good.
Now the sun shone brightly, the glare making their eyes quite uncomfortable, and only a few Red Lotus Sect soldiers remained on the walls, diligently guarding.
Naturally, they failed to notice a vanguard camp of over four thousand stealthily approaching.
