Zhao Wufu and his vanguard arrived at the exit of the mountain path in the afternoon and immediately began to make arrangements. At the same time, they sent a small number of troops into the mountain path to investigate the movements of the rebel army and the bandits. They were ready for a decisive battle at any time. When he found out that the rebel army had set up camp fifteen miles away and was preparing to spend the night, Zhao Wufu was very happy. This way, he would have more time to make arrangements. The more time he had to make arrangements, the more confident he would be and the fewer losses he would suffer.
The mountain path at the exit was relatively wide and it was very suitable to set up an ambush here. They could defeat more rebels in one fell swoop. If the mountain path was too narrow, the results of the battle would not be great.
Out of the six thousand troops, except for the one thousand logistics troops on standby, the other five thousand would participate in the battle. The three thousand elites would lie in ambush on both sides of the mountain. The one thousand elites and two thousand newly recruited soldiers would lie in ambush in the front. With the last one thousand logistics troops holding the line, Zhao Wufu was not worried that the two thousand recruits would suddenly change sides. After all, the officers of this new army were all Zhao Wufu's elite troops. Only the lowest level soldiers and ten-man squad leaders were recruited bandits. Without a unified command, the rebels would not have any hope of winning.
In this battle, Pang Gui and the thirty bandit leaders under his command did not have too big of a task. They only needed to appear when the time was right. It could be said that it was extremely easy. After all, there were only thirty of them. Even if they joined the battle, they would not be of much use. In addition, Zhao Wufu did not trust these former high-ranking bandit leaders that much. He did not dare to hand over the new recruits under his command to these fellows. Letting them relax was the best way to go about it.
Pang Gui and the others were well aware of this. This was also good. They were happy to be free. Not participating in the battle could reduce the danger. Anyway, as long as they appeared at the crucial moment to persuade the rebels to surrender, they would be considered to have done a meritorious service. In the future, their punishment would be reduced by a lot. They could even be pardoned.
"Fifteen miles. Looks like the battle will break out tomorrow morning."
Pang Gui said in the tent.
Five of his former subordinates were gathered around him. The rest of his subordinates were in other tents. They had a total of six tents. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to live in them. Although Pang Gui used to have a noble status and lived alone in a tent, he was now a criminal after all. Naturally, it was impossible for him to live alone in a tent. In addition, putting a few more subordinates around him could prevent him from playing tricks. If he secretly ran away, it would be troublesome.
Although these small leaders who were in the same room with Pang Gui were all his former subordinates, it was hard to know what was in a person's heart. In this case, Pang Gui estimated that none of his former confidants would dare to believe him. After all, a few days ago, the confidant he was most proud of betrayed him in front of his face. Therefore, he didn't dare to believe anyone now. Any of his confidants could have been completely bought over by Zhao Wufu. In this case, even if he had any plans, he wouldn't dare to tell his former subordinates. He could only accompany these former subordinates and chat.
"With a letter from the leader, Zhao Changkong will definitely believe it without a doubt. In tomorrow's battle, they will probably be finished."
A small leader opened his mouth and said.
Another small leader opened his mouth and said, "There are eight thousand troops in the middle. Zhao Changkong is also a famous general of his generation. The troops under his command shouldn't be weak. They might not lose too badly. What if they are evenly matched?"
"Evenly matched? If it was only Zhao Wufu's troops, I would be willing to believe it. But don't forget, the imperial army still has an army. Although their numbers are small, there are still three thousand of them. If they sneak attack from behind and attack from both sides, Zhao Changkong has no hope of winning. "
"That's right. The imperial army is attacking from both sides, and Zhao Changkong is not prepared at all. In this case, what chance does he have? A crushing defeat is already set in stone."
The other two small leaders opened their mouths and said.
After personally witnessing the combat strength of the imperial army, they were already scared out of their wits. They no longer had any hope for the rebel army. In their opinion, the rebel army's combat strength couldn't be compared to the elite soldiers of the imperial army. Tomorrow's battle would be a one-sided massacre. If the rebel army refused to surrender, who knew how many people would die?
"What if the imperial army and the rebel army both suffer heavy losses? Then what should we do? "
One of the small leaders suddenly said.
When everyone heard this, they were all shocked. Then, they looked at the person cautiously. After all, no one knew if this person was purposely probing them. If he was sent by Zhao Wufu to test them, then it would be terrible.
Because of this, no one dared to speak their mind.
"That's not possible. The imperial army is so strong. How could both sides suffer heavy losses? Zhao Changkong is definitely finished. "
"That's right. Zhao Changkong looks like someone who is strong on the outside but weak on the inside. He only has a bit of prestige in front of us. In reality, he is just an idiot. They will definitely suffer a crushing defeat. I can guarantee it."
A few of the small leaders who were afraid hurriedly said.
Pang Gui smiled but did not say anything. At this moment, other than himself, he did not dare to trust anyone else. As for the battle that was about to break out tomorrow morning, he really hoped that both sides would suffer heavy losses. That way, his chance would come. However, this might just be wishful thinking. After all, in his opinion, the strength of the imperial army was too strong. A mere two hundred people were able to cause his men to suffer heavy losses. His four thousand men could not even deal with the two hundred elites of the imperial army. As such, how could Zhao Changkong and a portion of the bandits be able to resist the imperial army that was already prepared? It was absolutely impossible for both sides to suffer heavy losses. Once the battle began, it would definitely be one-sided.
"It's getting late. Everyone, let's get some rest! Rest well and watch the battle tomorrow. "
Pang Gui said expressionlessly.
In fact, he didn't feel sleepy at all. Under such circumstances, it would be strange if he could fall asleep. His subordinates were the same. None of them felt sleepy.
However, since Pang Gui had spoken, they could only tidy up and lie down to rest.
Lying on the bed, Pang Gui frowned and fell into deep thought. His biggest wish now was to escape from this place and regain his freedom. However, this was easier said than done. Not to mention the soldiers outside, just the people in the tent were already a huge problem. Who could guarantee that these people weren't sent by Zhao Wufu to spy on him? As such, the chances of escaping were too low. Without confidence, he wasn't willing to take the risk.
Although Zhao Wufu had promised Pang Gui that as long as he performed meritorious deeds, he would be able to offset his crimes, but he didn't completely trust Zhao Wufu. Furthermore, being a bandit was free. On the other hand, being an imperial army had restrictions everywhere. He still wanted to be a bandit and control his own fate. Therefore, he had already decided that as long as there was a chance, he would definitely choose to escape.
Not far from the tent, a small bandit leader came out of the tent to relieve himself. Immediately, a small soldier walked over.
"The general is looking for you. He's right in front."
The small soldier said.
Hearing this, the small bandit leader quickly jogged over. He walked for more than two hundred steps before arriving behind Zhao Wufu.
"General Zhao, why are you here?"
The small bandit leader asked.
Zhao Wufu turned around and said very kindly, "It's nothing. I want to borrow something from you."
"What is it?"
"Your head."
Zhao Wufu smiled faintly. Then, the small soldier behind him immediately swung his sword and chopped off the small bandit leader's head.
The small bandit leader didn't even have time to scream before he lost his life.
At this moment, a group of soldiers near Pang Gui's tent started shouting.
"Someone ran away. Someone ran away. Hurry up and chase after him."
"Hurry up, we can't let him escape."
A few hundred soldiers caused quite a commotion. Pang Gui and the other small bandit leaders were so frightened that they broke out in cold sweat.
After a while, Zhao Wufu personally walked to the tent and asked the soldiers to call Pang Gui and the rest out. Then, he started counting the number of people.
Pang Gui and the rest saw the soldier beside Zhao Wufu holding a human head in his hand. Instantly, they broke out in cold sweat. This human head belonged to one of their small bandit leaders.
Seeing Pang Gui and the rest trembling in fear, Zhao Wufu revealed a cold smile. Then, he walked to the front of everyone.
"General, everyone is here. Not a single one is missing."
A lieutenant said.
Zhao Wufu nodded and looked at Pang Gui and the rest. He said, "Everyone, don't be nervous. Tonight's incident was an accident. One of your companions used the excuse of convenience to escape. When he was caught by our army, he tried to resist. Now that he has been killed, I believe that there shouldn't be anyone else among you who wants to escape. If there is anyone who wants to escape, the outcome will be the same."
After he finished speaking, he looked at the crowd again. His domineering aura scared these former bandits and bullies.
"We don't dare, we definitely don't dare to escape. We want to contribute, contribute."
"Yes, we want to contribute wholeheartedly. We won't do anything to escape."
A few of the more daring leaders quickly expressed their loyalty.
Zhao Wufu said with satisfaction, "Everyone, I've been treating you well! I've been serving you good wine and food every day. How can you think of escaping? Don't you believe that contribution can make up for your crimes? I, Zhao Wufu, am a man of my word. I won't do anything deceptive. You can rest assured. In tomorrow's battle, our army will win a complete victory. At that time, you must try your best to persuade them to surrender. "
"Of course, of course."
The bandit leaders all said in fear.
Zhao Wufu's expression was much better. He waved his hand and said, "Okay, go back and rest!"
After he finished speaking, he left the crowd with his hands behind his back.
Pang Gui and his former subordinates looked at each other. Everyone's mood was heavy. They were very smart. They wouldn't believe that someone had really escaped and then been executed.
This small gang leader who was killed was famous for his cowardice. If it wasn't for his uncle, who was a small gang leader and had been guiding him, he wouldn't have been able to become a small gang leader. It was impossible for such a coward to have dared to escape.
After returning to the tent, Pang Gui's mood was very heavy. He didn't feel sorry for the death of the bandit leader at all. However, Zhao Wufu's obvious killing of a bandit leader made him very nervous. This time, Zhao Wufu could kill a bandit leader to deter others. It was hard to guarantee that he wouldn't kill him directly next time to deter more people.
At the thought that he might be killed by Zhao Wufu at any time, Pang Gui was very upset. He didn't want to die in such a cowardly way. However, he was now in a very bad situation. It seemed that there was no way to get out of this predicament. Perhaps, it wouldn't be long before he would leave this world forever, just like the bandit leader who was killed tonight.
"Leader, that kid is famous for being timid. How could he dare to escape? Moreover, he was discovered and still wanted to resist. He doesn't look like such a person!"
"You're so smart. Can't the leader see that the cowardly bastard went out to relieve himself?"
"Is there any misunderstanding? Is it because that kid went a little too far when he was relieving himself?"
"What misunderstanding? It's just killing a chicken to warn the monkey."
Obviously, Zhao Wufu's behavior had angered these guys. These former bandit leaders were very dissatisfied.
"Shut up. Don't you want to sleep?"
Pang Gui shouted loudly. He was very annoyed. Hearing the incessant complaints of the small team leaders, he became even more annoyed.
When the bandit leaders heard this, they naturally didn't dare to say anything. They had to keep quiet. However, no one slept. They were all thinking. Everyone was thinking about different things.
In Zhao Wufu's tent, Li Long, a fierce general under his command, was waiting on him.
"Fifth Minister, these guys can't run away. Why do you have to kill one to warn the others? Isn't it a little superfluous?"
Li Long seemed to be somewhat puzzled. After all, this would indeed arouse the dissatisfaction of these surrendered bandits. It wouldn't be good if it caused an accident.
Zhao Wufu said with a smile, "Haven't you noticed? These guys are getting more and more excessive. Tonight, they actually asked for a separate tent for Pang Gui. Some of them said that the wine was not good and the meat was not cooked. What are you doing? They really think they are heroes. If we don't suppress them, these guys will ask for more and more. I don't have time to serve a group of ancestors. This time, it's just a reminder for them to behave themselves. "
Obviously, these bandits were criminals. It was already a great reward for Zhao Wufu to give them wine, meat, and a tent to live in. However, these guys were still picky. They complained that the wine and meat were not good and the tent was too crowded. This made Zhao Wufu very unhappy. He felt that these guys really thought they were ancestors and didn't see their situation clearly. Therefore, Zhao Wufu needed to do it himself to let these people see their situation clearly and stop making excessive demands.
Of course, this was not because Zhao Wufu was stingy. The key was that Dongnu Province was short of food at this time. Even the elite troops under Zhao Wufu's command could not eat much meat. The people in the country were still hungry. These criminals actually complained that the wine was not good enough. Weren't they looking for trouble? They really thought they were a dish.
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