The smoke of gunpowder dispersed the birds in the forest, and the hooves of horses scared away the night foxes. Under the clear starlight of the end of April, the mountaintops within ten li of Mount Luliang and Green Wood Stronghold were a scene of chaos and disorder.
Corpses spread out from the undulating ridges. On the grass, one could occasionally see the light of burning flames, which lit up the nearby corpses. The smell of blood had attracted the wolves in the mountains, and they were gnawing on something in the dark. Sometimes, one could see swaying figures crawling out from the pile of corpses, or from the bushes. Groans could be heard occasionally in the night sky.
In the direction where the Green Wood Stronghold was located, as well as in the direction opposite the Green Wood Stronghold, an unknown commotion would occasionally come from the mountain forest. Only this battlefield under the night sky seemed to have been temporarily forgotten by people. The great battle that had occurred earlier was like an illusion that had suddenly appeared in the night sky. After the illusion dissipated, it left behind the illusionary corpses …
Actually … it wasn't that big of a war …
*****
From a certain perspective, the various parties involved in the battle that would occur outside the Cyanwood Stronghold had all made a great deal of preparations. Of course, the alliance of the Lu Liang Bandits had prepared a large number of people. As for Green Wood Stronghold, their preparations were longer and more complete. But of course, in terms of numbers, they could not compare.
From the time Ning Yi had suggested to Hong to the development and expansion of Green Wood Stronghold, training the elite soldiers had always been a very important task for the stronghold. There was a process of expansion and development of a stronghold, and the number of soldiers that could be used would gradually increase. Of course, it was impossible to take care of everything, be it the training, the morale, the combat power, or even the resources that could be used. As the entire Green Wood Stronghold lived in an extreme place like Mount Luliang, if they were really mobilized, eighty percent of the population could hold a blade. However, there were only two thousand people who had undergone long-term training. Among these two thousand people, the one thousand two hundred soldiers on top of the pyramid had been mobilized to participate in the battle that night.
As for the remaining one thousand soldiers, as they had to defend the stronghold, and at the same time, guard against the Great Radiant Sect, the Martial Victory Army, and the elites under Tian Hu, they could not be mobilized. Therefore, it was a little risky to face the Lu Liang Bandits, who had joined forces with nearly six thousand bandits. Before the battle began, no one could say that they had too much confidence in the outcome of the battle. But of course, Hong Ti, Cao Qianyong, Han Jing, and the others still mobilized the soldiers in the Green Wood Stronghold in the past few days.
Ever since the Green Wood Stronghold was established, this kind of ideological work had never ceased. In the training methods that Ning Yi gave Hong Ti, there were some that were copied from the training methods of the future generations, and there were also some that were summarized from the military books of today. In fact, most of the ancient books emphasized conciseness and comprehensiveness. There were many reasons for this. For example, bamboo slips, which were used as a medium for writing, were cumbersome, were simple and crude before various thoughts were fully integrated, and the 'sense of ritual' and 'loftiness' in the early development of writing required them to lean towards conciseness, or even to the point of looking impressive even though they did not understand it.
For example, there was a sentence in the 'Tao Te Ching', 'Heaven and Earth are heartless and treat all living things as straw dogs'. If simplified to modern thinking, it meant that all living things in the world could be seen as ordinary elements. These elements operated under fixed rules and would never deviate from their will, likes, and dislikes. Therefore, when we understand things, the world, and society, we must understand these rules clearly … From this sentence, it could be deduced that it contained a huge philosophical system. When Laozi wrote this sentence, not only did he include the most superficial understanding, but he also included the deepest level of deduction. Therefore, when he wrote a book, he could not just write down the superficial understanding. What he valued was the deeper level of deduction.
Similar to these ancient books, the military books written by the ancient people, such as' The Art of War ', also had a system in each paragraph. It was like an outline. Only by deducing according to it could it be used in all situations. But of course, as a modern person, after experiencing the fusion of countless thoughts, Ning Yi could still try his best to simplify it as a directional part of it. In the end, his suggestions to Hong Ti mainly focused on three aspects: discipline, backing, and subjective initiative.
As for the details of how to deploy troops, how to ensure logistics, and whether to eat and live with the soldiers, he threw a few military books for Hong Ti to take back to the mountain people to figure out themselves.
There were a few iron-like rules that could not be changed to ensure that the subordinates could follow orders. In all kinds of training, trusting that one's back was protected could increase the sense of teamwork, and it also made people trust each other more and believe in the cooperation of comrades on the battlefield. As for subjective initiative, it was, of course, morale, which was similar to brainwashing. These three points complemented each other. In fact, it was similar to how companies were managed in the future.
Because of this, since the development of the Green Wood Stronghold, these three points had been done quite well. The ideological work was done in a few ways: to remember the bitterness and remember the sweetness; to tell them what kind of enemy they were facing; to let them look at the surrounding strongholds and see which one was like the Green Wood Stronghold; to let them discuss how to evacuate if the Green Wood Stronghold was breached.
— — The last point was discussed among the soldiers almost once a month. Then it would cause a chain reaction: It would make most people imagine what would happen if the Green Wood Stronghold was breached. After that, they would be indignant. Who the f * ck wants to attack us? Someone would also raise the question: We are so well-trained now, who has the ability to attack us?
Then the higher-ups would throw out candidates: The Liao people, the Golden Men. They could all attack. Of course, at this time, the Liao people had already been defeated, but the Golden Men were even more powerful. Thinking back to the past when they were hunting for grass, they would definitely attack. What would we do then? So we had to think about it.
At this stage, some people would inevitably be depressed. Then the higher-ups would tell them to think about whether they could avoid this result even if they escaped to the other strongholds of Lu Liang Mountain. The conclusion could be easily reached: Only the Green Wood Stronghold was the best. Then it would give everyone a signal: Green Wood Stronghold had such a good life and such powerful training. In the future, their goal was to deal with the Golden Men — — they were the real opponents!
After the ideological work had reached this stage, everyone would start talking about the Golden Men — — the invincible history of the Female Zhenren. This information was organized and provided by Ning Yi, and it was also quite provocative. Then, everyone would discover that the situation of the Female Zhenren was actually similar to that of Lu Liang Mountain. They had also gone through a lot of hardships and were also bullied. They were also ruthless. They couldn't live on, but they dared to risk their lives. And after they were unified, they had a powerful leader who could be disciplined and listen to orders. The legend of the invincible Female Zhenren began.
— — People would discover that we were the embryonic form of the Female Zhenren.
This series of ideological rectification went through a lot of attempts. And during this period, with specialized training, enough food to fill their stomachs, and hard training, everyone's understanding of themselves as "stronger" was very clear: We are now very powerful!
At the same time, the Green Wood Stronghold had been expanding and developing. Although they often had conflicts with the outside world and killed people, they had never really mobilized on a large scale. The kindness of the Blood Bodhisattva made many people feel a little hungry and thirsty. These people from Lu Liang Mountain were different from the recruits from other places. They had all seen blood before. It was very normal for them to kill a few people just to eat. The lack of food and the toughness of the Green Wood Stronghold made them learn discipline. After learning discipline, they felt that they were stronger, but they couldn't mobilize. It was like throwing pearls into the dark, or wearing fine clothes at night. It was really unpleasant to see the other peaks of Lu Liang Mountain jumping around.
And this time, the Female Zhenren didn't come, but the people from the other peaks really jumped over.
Because there were not many people to mobilize, a few days before the mobilization, Cao Qianyong, Han Jing, and the others had been mobilizing the people. "Think about your purpose! Think about how much more training you have received than those guys outside the mountain! Look around you, you are very strong! Outside the mountain, they are just a group of people who only rely on their bravery. They don't even have a formation! If you let them see blood, they will turn around and run! Now, they actually dare to force our Green Wood Stronghold. This is simply outrageous! You have already waited for a year. Now, it is time to open the eyes of the entire Lu Liang Mountain — "
After this mobilization, the soldiers in the mountain were very enthusiastic. On the platoons and squads, one or two were extremely excited. "Boss, who do you think we should kill …"
"Boss, I know who to kill. I know many of those people … Motherf * ckers, how dare they come and join in the fun …"
"Finally, we can go out and fight. It feels so good …"
In such an atmosphere, Hong Ti had to pass a message to Cao Qianyong and Han Jing. He asked them to give orders to the people under them to be as calm as possible. They must not be reckless or arrogant. They must remember the previous training. In terms of strategy, they could look down on the enemy, but in terms of tactics, they must pay attention to the enemy. And this order was naturally Ning Yi's indirect persuasion to Hong Ti.
As the first battle, he was not confident, but it was right to be cautious. And even if the people under them were on steroids, the leaders of the stronghold, Cao Qianyong, Han Jing, and the others, were also sufficiently vigilant. That night, when the bonfire was lit in the hall, they pulled more than 1,200 people out and seriously discussed the battle strategy: which part of the people to attack first, which group to attack first, which group to attack first, how to penetrate, coordinate, and cooperate with each other. After such a careful plan, they met up with the 200 people who came down from the back of the mountain to escort the elm cannon. The final formation was 1,400 people against 6,000 people.
Seven miles away from the Green Wood Stronghold, in a mountain called Huochuan Ridge, it was full of bonfires and military formations. The 'Black Skeleton King' Luan Sanlang was in the middle, while the 'Chaotic Mountain King' Chen Zhenhai led Chen Jiaqu's troops on the left. The Fang Yiyang brothers' troops were on the higher side of the mountain, slightly behind them on the right. However, they had the most horses in the formation. Among them, there were also a large number of individual households in Lu Liang Mountain, as well as more than 600 people who originally belonged to the small rattling horses.
Flames covered the entire mountain. Facing the square-shaped formation of more than 1,400 people, the two sides silently confronted each other. Although Luan Sanlang and the others had sent messengers over to chat with Cao Qianyong and Han Jing, they were still waiting for the Green Wood Stronghold's decision, so they restrained their emotions.
Compared to the slightly quiet formation of the Green Wood Stronghold's 1,400 people, the allied forces on the Huochuan Ridge were in a particularly high mood. Many individual households lit bonfires, roasted meat, sang songs, drank wine, and wiped their steel sabers. They looked disdainfully at the Green Wood Stronghold troops below. Luan Sanlang and the others occasionally went over to have fun with some of them. As long as they could deal with the Green Wood Stronghold, this gathering would be the best opportunity for them to increase their influence. Among them, some people spoke loudly and provoked them. There were even a few groups of people who got into a fight because of their quarrels, causing a small disturbance on the ridge.
Cao Qianyong, Han Jing, and the others watched with solemn expressions. They were quite annoyed by some people's provocations.
It was not until fireworks rose above the Green Wood Stronghold, followed by another one from several miles away that the people on the ridge could guess that it was the signal sent by the Green Wood Stronghold even if they did not know about it. They gathered all over the mountain, drew their sabers, and lined up. The torches were restless and gathered like a vast ocean. On the other side, Han Jing's face was gloomy. He whispered to the people beside him, "This is the first battle …" He took out a piece of paper and glanced at it. He had always felt that it was a little reckless and shameful to announce what was written on the paper. However, at this moment, he naturally said it.
"Battle name: Beat Up Little Friends. Begin. "
"This mobilization order was definitely not written by Hongti …" he thought. Beside him, Cao Qianyong urged his horse and raised his saber, roaring like a tiger.
"Green Wood Stronghold Boys! Follow me … and trample them to death … "
The next moment, the roars of Luan Sanlang and the others came from the ridge. "Charge! Eat them … "
The earth was shaking. Shadows of people surged forward. In the Green Wood Stronghold's formation, the people in the front row had only fired a volley of arrows when their companions in the back had already rushed forward, shouting loudly. Those with bows and arrows slung on their backs, drew their sabers, and followed up.
They seemed to have the same morale. The weapons clashed, and all the shadows melted together. It was hard to tell which side they were on, and they began to fight crazily …
Cao Qianyong, Han Jing, and the others tried hard to identify the people on their side, trying to figure out the advantages and disadvantages of the battle. Not long after, according to Ning Yi's time, it was about five minutes. Rays of light began to shoot and explode from the side of the formation. That was Ning Yi's secret weapon. And after another two months, everything developed in a way that caught everyone off guard …
"Clean up the formation! Clean up the formation! Whose troops are running up the mountain? Don't advance rashly. Go and stop them. Don't advance rashly! Don't fall into a trap! Who's on the right? Why did they rush into the forest? F * ck! Come back! "
"The Third Battalion! The Third Battalion, Qi Qianjun! Why are they still charging forward?! What the f * ck … What are you doing? Did you ask them to cooperate with the Fifth Battalion? The people who ran across the ridge are from the Fifth Battalion? Zheng Shitou and his men have to take full responsibility if something goes wrong! Do they think they can do whatever they want just because their father is the second chief?! I'm going to tell his father about this. I'm going to tell his father about this. Tell them not to advance rashly. Why did you bring me a head? Whose … "
"Fang, fang, fang, fang …"
"Fang, your mother …"
"Fang Yiyang's …"
"Quack …"
On the huge battlefield, when they saw the situation clearly, Cao Qianyong, Han Jing, and the others suddenly realized that their right to command was slipping away like a landslide. They were so anxious that they jumped up and down, and their eyes were red. However, if they were to review the whole situation, the whole scene was so strange that they couldn't speak.
Originally, it looked like a hot-blooded charge, and the morale of both sides was very high. Of course, because they didn't have many people on their side, the people of the Green Wood Stronghold were still very nervous. Therefore, when the battle started, they rushed forward with all their might. The current military system of the Green Wood Stronghold was very simple. Because Ning Yi had only "made an analogy" in his book, he had written it very simply. As a result, the Green Wood Stronghold was basically organized into groups of five people, squads of ten people, platoons of thirty people, and platoons of one hundred people. Because there were so many people around, even the captains of each platoon couldn't clearly see what was going on. In any case, they just had to follow the predetermined plan and charge forward with all their might.
When they finally realized what was going on, they found that their people were cutting into the mountain ridge of the Luliang Bandit Alliance as if they were cutting tofu …
Especially after the cannons were fired, under the magnificent light and shadow effect, the six hundred people who used to be under the command of Little Rattlesnake in the center of the alliance suddenly rebelled. Many of them shouted, "The sorcery is coming again …" and turned around to run. As for the people of the Green Wood Stronghold, many of them didn't know what was going on, especially the large group that was chasing after the few hundred people. They shouted, "Stop and die!" and ran the fastest. In the end, they didn't kill many people. They fought until their morale was high. Then, a group of heroes descended from the sky and tried to stop them. By the time they could see clearly, a man on a horse was already charging towards them, shouting, "Who dares to fight with me, Fang Yiyang!"
The charging momentum of both sides was like a wave crashing onto a reef. Fang Yiyang urged his horse forward, while the most powerful members of the Green Wood Stronghold in front of the group didn't think too much. They rushed forward and used their moves at the same time. The moves that they used to coordinate with each other were taught by Hong Ti. However, for some reason, after Fang Yiyang sent a person flying, he fell off his horse. By the time his subordinates behind him rushed over, Fang Yiyang had already been drowned by the surging tide of people and was trampled to death.
For Luan Sanlang and the others, the scene in front of them was definitely the strangest experience they had ever experienced. Some of his core subordinates were still very strong. However, the charge of the alliance was like a tide. After they were washed ashore, the tide quickly receded. By the time they reacted, the three hundred-man teams of the Green Wood Stronghold had already surrounded them and were gnawing at them. Chen Zhenhai's men turned around and fled. In the distance, Han Jing was cursing in exasperation. Luan Sanlang didn't understand what he was cursing about. Who the f * ck won? What was going on …
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