When Ang Lee entered the Sagely Mountain City, he saw that the most energetic people were the generals in the city. They seemed to be in good spirits, and the soldiers were also okay. However, it was obvious that they were not completely full. In order to conserve energy, many of the patrolling soldiers in the city did not wear armor. They only had lighter weapons in their hands. After all, wearing armor was too heavy, and it consumed a lot of energy. In a situation where they were not full, it was obviously not a good idea to consume too much energy.
Because the soldiers on the city wall were standing still, they were wearing basic armor. From afar, they looked mighty, but in reality, they were not as mighty as they looked. Because of the lack of food, all the soldiers' combat power had decreased to a certain extent. This was something that could not be helped. There was a shortage of food. Even the soldiers who were very important to the kingdom could not be completely full. In order to survive for a few more days, they could only let the soldiers eat half full to save more food.
Of course, not all soldiers had to eat their fill. The most elite troops had to eat their fill. Only in this way could they maintain sufficient combat strength. In addition, the officers above the rank of centurion were also able to eat their fill. If they didn't eat their fill, then they wouldn't be able to command the soldiers under their command. They were the most important.
The five hundred elite soldiers who were escorting the food that Ang Lee met on the way were full. Only when they were full would they have the energy to kill the enemy and better complete their mission.
"It's really too pitiful. Not only are the civilians not full, but even the soldiers are not full. Look at these soldiers, they are all so thin."
Ang Lee sighed.
Chen Long nodded and said, "Assistant Minister Li is right. The soldiers we met on the way were full. I thought that all the soldiers were full. I didn't expect that only some of the soldiers were full. Most of them were only half full. The food shortage in Dongnu Province seems to be more serious than expected. "
However, although the food shortage was serious, Ang Lee would not help them too much. After all, the food they carried was to be transported to Guichang City, which was the core of Dongnu Province.
After knowing Ang Lee's identity, the officials of the Sagely Mountain City were very respectful and happy. The Tang Dynasty was their last hope. As long as they had the help of the Tang Dynasty, they would be able to survive this crisis.
Ang Lee and the others were really tired. Therefore, it was natural for them to rest in the Sagely Mountain City for a day. It would not be too late to leave after resting enough.
Fifty miles away from the Sagely Mountain City, the five hundred soldiers had arrived. The leader of the army had also met his family. They quickly made preparations and loaded all the stored grain into the carriages. Because they had stored a lot of grain, they had to load a few hundred carriages. The elderly and young of the village were extremely busy.
This time, not only did the lieutenant have to take away his family, but he also had to take away the elderly and the children of the entire village. There were a total of more than two hundred people, which was considered a large number. After all, these were all relatives and neighbors. Everyone was close to each other. During this period of time, they had sacrificed a lot to protect the big family. They could not leave them behind.
However, their actions had been seen by others. After many failed robberies, the nearby bandits took turns to send people to watch the village where this big family lived. As long as something big happened in the village, they would know immediately.
Looking at so many carriages full of food, even the most stupid people would know that this big family was going to escape. If they really escaped, the nearby bandits would have no hope. Therefore, they could not let these food go no matter what.
Very quickly, the news of the large family's escape reached the ears of the nearby bandits. When they heard that the large family was going to escape with their food, they were immediately very excited. However, when they heard that there were actually 500 soldiers protecting them, they felt a headache. There were around 200 to 300 of these bandits. How could they defeat 500 soldiers? This was no different from sending themselves to their deaths.
"There are about 200 to 300 carriages full of food. They have so much food. It seems that they are really rich!"
"There is so much food. We can't just let it go. We must stop it. As long as we get this food, our village won't have to worry about food for a year."
"But they have 500 soldiers guarding them. In addition, there are more than 200 villagers. I'm afraid we can't eat them all."
A group of bandit leaders discussed.
"It seems that we can only work with the other families. What a pity. There is so much food. We have to divide it equally."
The bandit leader finally made the decision. He would work with the other families to defeat the 500 soldiers and seize a few hundred carriages full of food.
The other bandit clans had the same opinion. After they learned of the situation, they immediately sent their men to intercept the enemy. They were very clear that they would definitely meet their old acquaintances on the way. In the end, four bandit clans met each other on the way. They chose the same location for the ambush because it was the best location.
Since the four families met, they naturally formed an alliance. Their combined strength was more than 1000 people, which was more than 500 soldiers. Although their fighting power was not as good as the soldiers, they had their own advantages. They were waiting for the enemy in the dark while the soldiers were out in the open. If they were attacked suddenly, the soldiers would definitely be at a disadvantage. In addition, they were already short of food. If they didn't work hard, they couldn't survive. The 500 soldiers were fed by the government and they didn't have to worry about starving to death. In this case, it was obvious who was stronger. The 1000 bandits were more dangerous. If they fought at close range, the 500 soldiers might not be willing to use their full strength. But if the 500 soldiers escaped, the remaining villagers would no longer be an obstacle. In this way, they would definitely be able to get the food and then divide it equally.
It wasn't that they didn't think of working together to rob the rich family. However, they didn't know how much food this rich family had. They only knew that this rich family had surplus food, but no one knew how much food this rich family had. If the surplus food was only enough for 300 people to eat and drink for a month, then the joint attack wouldn't be very meaningful. Therefore, the bandits wanted to take it all for themselves. However, the rich family and the villagers had built a lot of defense. There were more than a dozen arrow towers. The defense was very tight and the casualties were very high.
But now, they found that this rich family had a few hundred carriages full of food. This amount was far beyond their expectations. Therefore, there was no obstruction when they worked together with the other families. After all, there was enough food. Even if they divided it up, they would still get a lot.
There was enough food. This was the main reason why the four groups of bandits had reached a consensus. Moreover, they were confident that they could rob all of the food. They didn't believe that the soldiers who ate the government's food would really fight with them. They were determined to get the hundreds of carriages full of food.
The four groups of bandits were lying in ambush on both sides of the road that the food carriages had to pass through. Because the vegetation was dense enough, they didn't have to worry about being discovered. They wanted to launch a surprise attack. First, they wanted to kill the soldiers' spirit. Then, they would scare them away. After that, they would be able to get the food.
The 500 soldiers were divided into three groups. 100 people would open the road in front, 100 people at the back, and the remaining 300 people would protect the food and the villagers. It was a very normal formation.
The captain in the lead seemed to be a little impatient. He had some complaints about his father. He had already made it clear when he came back this time. He wanted his father to hurry up and prepare. After he returned to the village, the team had to set off immediately. At least, they couldn't waste too much time to avoid being discovered by the bandits and be in danger.
However, he didn't expect that although his father had already made preparations, he would dawdle at the crucial moment. Moreover, he was very disobedient. The food was the most important thing now. As long as they took the people and the food away, there was no need to bring anything else. However, his father didn't think so. After loading all the food into the carriages, he went to load a large amount of clothes and various items in the house. This greatly delayed the time. When he was about to leave, he didn't care about anyone's objections and searched everywhere in the house. He was afraid that he would leave something behind. This further delayed the time. The captain was so angry that he directly carried his father into the carriage.
As a general, he naturally knew the power of the bandits. Now that the bandits were crazy with hunger, it was very likely that they would rob them on the way. Even if he had 500 soldiers, he didn't dare to be careless. After all, the 500 soldiers he led weren't elites. Moreover, they didn't eat much. Their fighting power was not much stronger than the bandits. It was naturally best to avoid conflict if possible. The longer they delayed, the more likely they would be blocked by the bandits. The losses would also be more serious. They might even lose these very important food.
"Go back, I want to go back. Aiya! Why did I leave it behind? That's my treasure! "
Just when they were halfway back, the captain's father anxiously requested to go back. It seemed that he had left something important behind.
"No, I can't go back."
The captain said angrily.
"I want to go back. I left behind the jade cat that I bought a few years ago. This treasure cost me a lot of gold back then. It's a treasure. It would be a pity if it was taken away by others. "
The captain's father said anxiously.
The captain couldn't take it anymore and said, "Father, look at the situation now. Why are you still thinking about the treasure? We have to hurry back to the Sagely Mountain City. The more we delay, the more danger we will be in."
"Danger? What danger can there be? You have so many soldiers. The bandits would be scared away. They wouldn't dare to rob you. If you didn't have so many soldiers, I wouldn't dare to delay. But now that you have so many soldiers to protect you, why should we be in a hurry?"
The captain's father said with a smile.
At this moment, the captain was really pissed off. It turned out that the reason why the old man wasn't in a hurry was because his son had 500 soldiers with him. It gave him an unrealistic sense of security. After all, these 500 soldiers could indeed give people a sense of security.
However, the old man obviously neglected one point. Most of these 500 soldiers weren't full. Their combat strength wasn't as strong as imagined. Although the bandits were hungry, they would fight with their lives on the line in order to get food. On the other hand, these soldiers who were fed by the royal family wouldn't be willing to fight with their lives on the line.
There was a saying since ancient times that one person fighting with his life on the line would be difficult for ten people to stop. When one person really didn't care about his life, even ten people wouldn't be able to stop him. Fighting with one's life on the line was very scary. It could greatly increase one's combat strength and make the enemy tremble in fear.
"Father, it's better to be safe than sorry. The bandits are crazy from hunger. There's nothing they don't dare to do. Not long ago, the palace's elite soldiers were attacked by bandits. Two to three hundred bandits actually attacked 500 elite soldiers. Such madness is too scary."
The captain said seriously.
"Aren't they digging their own graves?"
The captain said, "Indeed, but we also lost a lot of our elite soldiers. Father, look at my soldiers again. None of them are full. If we encounter a surprise attack, the losses will only be greater. The most important thing is the safety of the food. If the food is robbed, what will you eat in the Sagely Mountain City? Food is the most important thing now.
These are small things. "The old man was scared. He didn't dare to talk about going back to get the emerald cat anymore. However, the old man had already wasted too much time. And the delay allowed the bandits to be more prepared. Halfway up the mountain, the bandits had already prepared a lot of big stones and big tree trunks. Once these things were thrown down, they could cause a huge loss to the advancing troops.
When the hundred vanguards passed through the ambush, the cunning bandits didn't do anything. They directly let the vanguards go. They wanted food. They didn't care how many soldiers they killed. They didn't have any enmity with the soldiers. They just wanted food.
When the vanguards in the middle arrived, the bandits attacked. In order to reduce their own casualties, they didn't care about the lives of the three hundred soldiers and two hundred villagers. More than a thousand of them attacked together. A large number of stones and rolling logs were thrown down. Suddenly, there were cries and screams below.
These stones and rolling logs were thrown down from halfway up the mountain. Moreover, they were thrown from both sides of the road. Not only were they powerful, but there was also no place to hide. Suddenly, the three hundred soldiers and two hundred villagers suffered heavy casualties. Many people lost their lives on the spot. The casualty rate was at least more than half.
It was all the captain's father's fault. If he didn't waste so much time, the bandits wouldn't have had such a long time to prepare. They wouldn't have caused such losses.
A thick tree trunk smashed right into the lieutenant's back, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood. He was seriously injured on the spot. The soldiers around him also fell down one by one. The villagers were even more fragile, so their losses were even greater. The culprit, the old man, was not injured at all. However, he was very regretful. He knew that he had done something wrong. If he had not been reluctant to do this and that, he would not have suffered such a great loss today.
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