Zhao Wufu recalled that some of Pang Gui's subordinates had actually asked for better food in front of him. Although their attitude was respectful, such a request should not have been made at all. They were criminals and should think more about how to perform meritorious deeds instead of thinking about how to improve their lives.
What was the situation at this time? There was famine everywhere in Dongnu Province and the people were forced to become bandits in the mountains. At this time, it was obviously extremely inappropriate for them to ask for more food and drink.
In order to appease these bandits who had surrendered, Zhao Wufu had already given them the best meals. In fact, these meals had even exceeded his own standards and far exceeded the standards of the elite troops under his command. This had also caused many of his subordinates to be filled with discontent and complain to their superiors. As such, these bandits actually had higher standards. If this wasn't courting death, what was? Did they really think that they were their ancestors?
Now, the war was imminent. If he complied with the demands of these bandits and gave them better food and more food, it would inevitably make his subordinates even more dissatisfied. This was naturally very detrimental to improving their morale.
In order to improve the morale of his subordinates and to deter these guys, Zhao Wufu did not hesitate to kill. He first killed a bandit leader to warn the rest. At the same time, this matter had caused such a big commotion that the soldiers in the camp naturally knew about it. This also eased the unfairness in the hearts of these soldiers and made them feel very carefree. Thus, they could escape the burden and go all out to fight the enemy in the future.
"Fifth Minister, you are right. It is this general's fault for not thinking things through. These bandit chieftains should be taught a lesson. We have killed so many people on the Coiling Dragon Mountain Road, yet they were not frightened. It seems that they should be taught a lesson."
Li Long said.
Before, he did not consider it so thoroughly. After hearing Zhao Wufu's reason, he immediately felt that Zhao Wufu did the right thing. These bandits were too presumptuous and must be taught a good lesson. Otherwise, the morale of the army would be lowered.
Zhao Wufu smiled with satisfaction. Since he could kill one, he could kill a few more. As long as these guys did not know what was good for them, Zhao Wufu did not mind killing a few more guys. Even if he killed all of them, Zhao Wufu would not feel heartache. As for the surrender, it was actually not too important. The imperial army had won two big victories and already had an absolute advantage. Even if they killed all of Pang Gui and the others at this time, it would not have much impact on the overall situation. However, since he had already discussed it with Ang Lee, Zhao Wufu would not easily go back on his word and kill Pang Gui and the others. But deep in his heart, he was very disgusted with Pang Gui and the others.
Twenty miles behind the rebel army camp, Ang Lee and his troops finally began to set up camp. In order to achieve the effect of a pincer attack on the rebel army, Ang Lee and his troops marched through the night. Finally, at midnight, they arrived at a place relatively close to the rebel army camp. Although the distance of twenty miles was still a little far, it was only a matter of a few hours. As long as Zhao Wufu and the rebel army fought, some of the rebel army would definitely flee back. In this way, it would not be long before they bumped into Ang Lee's troops.
"Assistant Minister Li, the rebel army camp is still twenty miles away. Isn't it a little too far?"
Chen Long asked.
Ang Lee shook his head and said, "It's not far, not far at all. If we get too close, it will be easy for the rebel army to discover us. In this way, there will be variables in tomorrow's battle. Twenty miles will only take a few hours."
In order to not expose their whereabouts, not only did they arrange for many spies to be placed more than ten miles ahead to eliminate any living people that appeared, but after the army set up camp, they lit very few bonfires. Looking from afar, it was impossible to see the light of the bonfires. If there were too many bonfires, they would definitely be able to see a large patch of red light from twenty miles away. In this way, the main camp would be exposed.
Regardless of whether it was Ang Lee or Zhao Wufu who agreed, there were very few bonfires. Zhao Wufu even openly deployed a hundred people at the exit to confuse the rebel army. He wanted the rebel army to think that there were only a hundred people here. If he did not send a single soldier, the rebel army would very likely be more vigilant. After all, there were many birds and insects near the exit of the valley. After the army quietly set up an ambush, this place would be eerily quiet. Naturally, it would be easy to be on guard. However, with a hundred people deployed, the situation was different. With these people around, it was easy to understand why there were no birds or insects around. After all, if there were people moving around here, the birds would have been scared away long ago.
Standing on the hillside, Ang Lee could clearly see the red light twenty miles away. That place was obviously the rebel army's main camp. All the rebel army's soldiers and horses were gathered there. And these soldiers and horses would be completely wiped out tomorrow.
Because Zhao Wufu was the main force this time, Ang Lee's troops did not have much pressure. They were basically the ones who cleaned up the mess. Naturally, Ang Lee did not have to personally take action, nor did he have to use his trump card. It was enough to leave it to Chen Long. In fact, a thousand new recruits would be enough to stop the rebel army.
"I don't know how the battle tomorrow will turn out. Hopefully, the rebel army and bandits will be tactful enough to surrender. If they don't, the casualties on both sides will be huge."
Ang Lee looked at the red light in the distance and said faintly.
Chen Long nodded and said, "Assistant Minister Li is right. Hopefully, the rebel army will be able to see the situation clearly and not make unnecessary sacrifices."
"In tomorrow's battle, the Five Ministers will be the main force. We only need to block the rebel army's path of retreat. Let's leave the biggest contribution to the Five Ministers! After all, in the previous two battles, we have already contributed greatly. "
Ang Lee said with a smile.
Although Chen Long was a little unwilling, it was indeed time to give Zhao Wufu a chance to perform. After all, he could not take all the credit for himself. If he did not give Zhao Wufu a chance to perform, this fellow would die of anger.
After chatting for a while, Ang Lee took a breather on the mountain top and returned to his tent to rest. It was already the middle of the night. A good rest was needed to prepare for tomorrow's battle.
In the direction of the rebel army camp, a spy ran back anxiously. He was the spy sent by Duan Jianwei. He was still a little worried, so he sent a few people to check out the exit. These spies ran into Zhao Wufu's troops at the exit. They were shocked and hurried back to report.
"What? There are soldiers at the exit? How many?"
Duan Jianwei was shocked. Since Zhao Wufu's troops were trapped by Pang Gui and Zhao Yong, how could there be any rebel army at the exit of the middle road? This was very illogical.
The spy replied, "It doesn't look like many, one or two hundred!"
"Did you see it clearly? There really are only one or two hundred. "
Duan Jianwei was very concerned about this news and asked anxiously.
After all, this news was very important. If Zhao Wufu deployed a large number of troops at the exit, they would be in danger of being trapped on the mountain path.
"Look carefully. There are really only one or two hundred people. Moreover, they look very nervous. They are busy cutting trees to make barricades. They have dug a three feet deep trench at the exit. In addition, they seem to be building arrow towers, or perhaps watchtowers."
One of the spies said.
"Oh, so that's the case."
Duan Jianwei's mouth twitched. If that was the case, he was no longer nervous. However, in order to confirm the situation, he still sent his confidant to check out the situation again to make sure that the news was accurate.
From his point of view, there might really only be a hundred soldiers at the exit. These hundred soldiers were in charge of guarding the exit. After seeing the fire in the distance, they guessed that the rebel army was coming and quickly set up defensive measures.
However, there was one thing that Duan Jianwei could not understand. If there were only a hundred soldiers, how could they stop an army of thousands? Were these soldiers crazy?
If there were really only a hundred soldiers at the exit, it would mean that the main force of the rebel army was trapped at Panlong Mountain. They would then be able to rest easy.
"Why is Master Wang still awake? What happened? "
Because he was too excited, Zhao Changkong could not sleep at all. When he saw that the light in Duan Jianwei's room was still on, he hurried over to see what was going on.
Duan Jianwei naturally did not hide anything and quickly told Zhao Changkong what happened. This made Zhao Changkong's heart tighten and he looked worried.
"Don't worry, King Zhao. After all, there are only a hundred soldiers. I have already sent my confidant to check out what is going on. I believe there will be news soon."
Duan Jianwei said.
He trusted his confidants very much. They were all elites that he had personally trained. Every one of them was an elite. These people were very powerful, especially when it came to gathering information.
Soon, Duan Jianwei's confidant arrived at the exit and saw the hundred soldiers who were busy. He frowned and carefully observed. In order not to expose himself, he was very careful. The black night clothes he was wearing gave him a good cover.
He took a closer look. On both sides of the mountain, there were dozens of soldiers chopping down branches and tying the branches to ropes. When one of the soldiers touched the branches, all the branches swayed. At a glance, it was as if there were many people lying in ambush.
Looking at the exit, there were two rows of barricades, two trenches, and an unfinished fortress wall. There were also two arrow towers attached to the fortress wall.
Not far behind the fortress wall, there were many branches that were tied together. These branches seemed to be tied to a ponytail. Although there was not enough light, one could still see them clearly.
"False bravado, hmph."
This Duan Jianwei's confidant sneered. He turned and disappeared into the night. After walking for less than a mile, he urged his horse to gallop towards the rebel camp.
"What, these bastards dare to play such tricks on us? Hahaha!"
Zhao Changkong could not help but laugh when he heard this.
Duan Jianwei also nodded and said, "Empty fort strategy, they really think they are Zhuge Kongming! They are overestimating themselves. I think they are doing this because they do not have enough soldiers. They want to use a hundred soldiers to pin down our main force and give their main force a chance to wipe out our flanks. They want to eat us up one bite at a time! Haha! "
Zhao Changkong laughed and said, "They are dreaming. However, their main force is already trapped on Mount Panlong. How can they eat us up one bite at a time? Wishful thinking."
"Why don't King Zhao send a thousand men to wipe them out so that they are not an eyesore?"
Duan Jianwei said with a smile. Although he did not care about these hundred men, it was not a bad idea to wipe them out in the middle of the night for absolute safety.
Zhao Changkong smiled and said, "There is no need for that. The army has already set up camp. The soldiers have been rushing for two days and are very tired. It is better to rest up for the night and wipe them out tomorrow!"
It was clear that Zhao Changkong did not care about the hundred soldiers at the exit. After all, such a small number of soldiers posed no threat. In his opinion, there was no need for him to let the soldiers under his command attack overnight for a mere hundred soldiers. His plan was very simple. Tomorrow, he would personally lead the main force over and flatten the soldiers at the exit. He would expose the lies of the soldiers.
At dawn, Zhao Wufu's soldiers had all entered their ambush positions. Everyone was hidden in their positions. The one hundred soldiers responsible for confusing the rebel army were ready for battle.
Among them, the captains of the one hundred soldiers put on their chiliarch's armor and looked very majestic.
In the rebel army camp, Zhao Changkong and Duan Jianwei had both woken up early. They chatted and laughed as they finished their breakfast. Then, they urged the rebel army to set off. In order to personally witness the destruction of the rebel army, Zhao Changkong and Duan Jianwei personally led three thousand soldiers at the front. A few bandit leaders also followed beside them to watch the show.
Behind the three thousand soldiers were three thousand bandits, one li away from the front. Behind them were two thousand logistical soldiers. Of course, these logistical soldiers could be turned into charging soldiers at any time. They could be considered as the reserve force of the army.
Because the logistics soldiers needed to tidy up their tents and other supplies, they had to set off later. However, the two armies at the front would not wait for the logistics soldiers. After all, they were eager to see the rebel army make a fool of themselves.
"Fifth Minister, the rebel army is coming. The vanguard is less than one li away from our army."
Li Long looked at Zhao Wufu beside him and said.
Zhao Wufu smiled slightly. He seemed very confident. As long as the main force of the rebel army entered the ambush, his elite troops would be able to annihilate most of the rebel army. He had the strength to do so, so naturally, he had the confidence to do so.
As for the rebel army, they naturally did not know that Zhao Wufu's main force was here. They thought that this was the rebel army's empty fort strategy. Every rebel had a mocking smile on their faces, especially Duan Jianwei and Zhao Changkong. They laughed as they walked and seemed to be very happy.
When the rebel army was about to enter the ambush, the dozens of soldiers on both sides would occasionally shake the branches, creating a small commotion. The soldiers at the front also gathered together and chatted casually. It was as if they did not notice the rebel army at all.
"Not bad! They are actually so calm. Everyone, move out and flatten this place. "
Zhao Changkong loudly gave the order to continue forward.
The three thousand rebel army marched forward in an orderly manner. It was obvious that this was a well-trained army.
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