Chapter 639 – Let Go of That Commander, Let Me Handle It (16)
Jiang Pengji’s side had the advantage, but as the attacking side without siege equipment, achieving such results was already quite impressive.
She said, “The weather is cool now, and the corpses won’t rot easily. Have the soldiers’ bodies collected and sent back.”
Typically, during battles, soldiers’ bodies are disposed of on-site.
First, there are too many bodies to transport, which consumes manpower.
Second, with poor weather, preserving the bodies is difficult, and it’s inconvenient to carry them while marching and fighting.
However, with the bitter cold, the bodies wouldn’t decay and attract maggots as easily.
Jiang Pengji decided to have them sent home rather than buried in a foreign land.
Yang Si’s eyes widened slightly, seemingly surprised by Jiang Pengji’s decision. After a moment, he spoke in a low voice, “Understood.”
The situation in Jinmen County was far poorer than Jiang Pengji had imagined; the houses were old and low, and every household had tightly shut doors.
Occasionally, common people peeked through the cracks, and if Jiang Pengji’s gaze fell on them, they would quickly retract their heads.
Jiang Pengji had instituted strict military orders, forbidding any disturbance to the civilians during the march and combat; any violations would face military law.
“Let the soldiers rest a bit longer, eat something, regain their strength. We’ll return according to plan.”
With a long sigh of relief, Jiang Pengji contemplated the previous battle strategy.
Yang Si nodded and conveyed the order to the soldiers.
The vanguard was the most elite part of the entire force, but with Jinmen County just conquered, they couldn’t leave troops there for defense.
So, before departing, Jiang Pengji had previously informed Qi Guanrang to dispatch over a thousand soldiers from the central army to temporarily take over Jinmen County.
According to her calculations, once they dealt with the Red Lotus Sect’s ambush, they could easily turn back for Jinmen County in time.
The Red Lotus Sect’s intelligence was outdated, taking too long to relay. By the time they wished to send troops back to Jinmen County, not only would Xu Ke’s siege equipment have arrived, but Jiang Pengji would also have brought the vanguard troop to the destination. To attack the now well-prepared Jinmen County, the Red Lotus Sect would need to pile in heads!
After about two hours of rest, the soldiers dispatched by Qi Guanrang finally arrived.
Jiang Pengji casually took a couple of bites of dry rations, sipped some warm water, and mounted Xiao Bai’s back, raising an arm to shout.
“Let’s go!”
Behind her, Jinmen County lay low on the ground, resembling a sleeping giant, gradually fading into the horizon.
According to the battle plan, Jiang Pengji aimed to have her men hide in the mountain path leading to Jinmen County.
Meanwhile, the troops that had been diverted from Jinmen County had encountered some setbacks but finally reached Fenghu County.
The Red Lotus Sect’s strategist, the Scholar, was nearly moved to tears.
Qi Guanrang’s repeated provocations and threats led the Scholar to believe they would receive news of Jiang Pengji’s siege at any moment.
He initially wanted to catch Jiang Pengji’s scouts, as a show of force to lift his side’s spirits. Unfortunately, those scouts were slippery like loaches, evading capture. All he managed to do was spot their traces, leaving him frustrated and fuming.
But now things were better; troops from Jinmen County had all arrived. Could they not hold off one Liu Xi?
The Scholar felt a wave of security wash over him, dispelling all his anxiety.
“That Liu Thief is too arrogant; we must teach him a lesson and show him the might of our Holy Sect.”
The Scholar clenched his teeth in silence, the encirclement plan he had previously concocted filling his mind once more, excited by the prospect… Having been frightened by scouts, his heart racing for so long, now securely in the lead, he couldn’t afford to miss the opportunity to settle the score and make Liu Xi regret it!
With that thought, the Scholar began mobilizing troops, dispatching over three thousand to prepare for a surprise attack on the small city and set an ambush for Jiang Pengji.
Within the Red Lotus Sect, the Scholar had considerable authority, nearly no one could command him to retract his plans aside from the Sect Leader.
However…
The leader accompanying the Jinmen County reinforcements was dissatisfied.
The leader said, “Strategist, our troops have come all the way from Jinmen County to Fenghu County; they’re utterly exhausted. Shouldn’t we give them some time to rest?”
Hearing this, the Scholar’s temper flared up.
He declared sternly, “Speed is of the essence in warfare; opportunities are fleeting. If the timing is delayed for your sake, allowing Liu Thief to catch his breath, who will take the responsibility for that—me or you? Moreover, you traveled the official roads from Jinmen County to Fenghu County, which are well-maintained; how much energy could that possibly consume? I haven’t yet pursued the delay of your support; you nearly created an opportunity for Liu Thief to capitalize on!”
Had it not been for his smooth maneuvering of false pretenses, Liu Xi might have already learned of Fenghu County’s insufficient troops.
What if they attacked before the reinforcements from Jinmen County arrived?
It was already generous of the Scholar not to hold the leader accountable, and they now wanted to rest and drag their feet?
The leader’s face shifted from pale to green, his inner fury burning fiercely.
If not for the Scholar’s position in the Red Lotus Sect, he would have slapped him across the face already.
Only capable of nagging and not fighting, who gave this chicken the courage to sully his own reputation?
The Scholar imperiously ordered, “Assemble the forces, attack Liu Thief, and showcase the divine might of our Holy Sect!”
They dreamed of crushing Jiang Pengji and achieving great success, completely unaware that multiple traps awaited them ahead.
After conquering Jinmen County, Jiang Pengji instructed the Messenger to relay the news to Qi Guanrang, stationed in the central army.
“This matter has been informed. Notify the Lord to act according to plan.”
Upon hearing that Jinmen County had been taken, and that Jiang Pengji’s vanguard squad was on the move after a brief rest, Qi Guanrang felt a wave of reassurance.
At that moment, scouts ahead were also reporting back continuously, confirming that Jinmen County’s troops had reached Fenghu County.
Qi Guanrang raised an eyebrow and ordered the scouts to investigate further.
“If there are signs of troop movements from Fenghu County, report immediately; tell all scouts to return.”
Before long, Qi Guanrang received news from the scouts—there was activity in Fenghu County.
He raised an eyebrow and sneered coldly.
The strategists guarding Fenghu County were truly lacking in brains.
However, thanks to their foolishness, if they had been more clever, they could have delayed by just one day to receive word that Jinmen County had fallen. At that point, they would know it was all a trap and would act more cautiously, possibly even lessening their losses.
Too bad, all they knew was to talk theory on paper, thinking the war would unfold as they envisioned.
Unaware that daydreams are beautiful, but Jiang Pengji fought with shocking efficiency.
Before night fell, Qi Guanrang withdrew his men from the small city and entered the mountain path to Fenghu County, using himself as bait to stage a feigned attack.
The scouts from the Red Lotus Sect, monitoring movements in the small city, quickly relayed the news back.
Upon receiving it, the Scholar was overjoyed.
“Heaven helps me! This time, Liu Thief will surely suffer greatly. Whoever captures Liu Thief alive will be rewarded with a thousand taels and countless beauties!”
Following the Scholar’s script, the Red Lotus Sect dispatched heavy troops to block several exits of the mountain path, sending three thousand of their members sneaking out from the mountain path entrance to ambush Jiang Pengji, surrounding her from both sides.
A perfect script.
