Mu Guiying nodded. "I also think that it's not true."
The plan was not thorough, and the consequences were already in place.
In this battle, not only did they have to take down the Southern Pass, but they also had to save Li Anbai and his daughter. After all, Li Anbai already had the intention to surrender. He could be considered an ally of Mulan County. They could not just watch him die.
"General, what's your plan?" Ouyang Shuo asked.
Mu Guiying was confident. She said firmly, "Nothing else. We'll just attack."
Ouyang Shuo was shocked. He looked at Mu Guiying with more admiration. Since they had already alerted the enemy, they might as well defeat them head-on. This was the right way of using troops.
Mu Guiying was indeed formidable. Only by comprehending this path would one be able to grasp the essence of war.
"Good!" Ouyang Shuo stood up. "We'll do as General says. Let's move out!"
"Yes!" The generals answered.
The majestic army set off from the Mulan County's north gate and headed straight for the Southern Pass.
At one o 'clock in the afternoon, the army arrived in front of the Southern Pass.
The canyon was only fifty meters wide. The army could not spread out and stretched for several li.
At the front of the formation, ten scaling ladders were assembled. Behind the scaling ladders were five triple-bow, eight-bull bed crossbows that were being calibrated.
The base of the scaling ladders was a wooden bed with six wheels. The main ladder was fixed on the chassis at a certain angle. The surroundings were protected and reinforced with cowhide. When the soldiers pushed the carts close to the city wall, it could effectively protect them from the enemy's arrows and stones.
The main ladder was divided into two sections. It was a folding structure with a rotating shaft in the middle.
When attacking the city, they only needed to stop the main ladder at the foot of the city and then set up a secondary ladder. This would reduce the danger and difficulty of setting up ladders in front of the enemy.
In addition, since the scaling ladders would not touch the edge of the city too early, it could prevent the defenders from destroying them.
Standing at the front of the formation was the First Battalion of the Forbidden Brigade that Ouyang Shuo had brought. Their mission was to cooperate with the two Knife Shield Battalions of Mulan County to use the scaling ladders and the "treading arrows" fired by the bed crossbows to take down the city wall.
Behind the Knife Shield Battalion were the two Archer Battalions of the City Guard Brigade. They were responsible for providing suppressive fire and covering fire. Behind them was the Shanhai County Heavy Infantry Battalion. They were responsible for taking down the city gate at the critical moment using the battering ram that Mulan County had prepared.
There was a wheelbarrow under the wooden block, which could be pushed forward. Not only was the wooden block wrapped in two layers of iron sheets, but it was also welded with barbs that gleamed with a cold light.
At the end of the procession was the City Guard Brigade Cavalry Battalion that acted as reserves.
The vast army paid no attention to the bandits at Southern Town Pass. They methodically made their final preparations before the war.
Such a huge commotion had naturally alarmed the bandits.
The bandit chief, who had just succeeded in usurping the throne, received the report and led a group of people to the city walls. Looking at the army that stretched for several li, the bandit chief couldn't help but be dumbfounded. He muttered to himself, "Who can tell me where the fuck this army came from?"
The bandits on the left and right kept quiet out of fear, looking at each other in silence.
"Boss, Boss, could it be, could it be that it was the Old Bandit Master who contacted us?" A mountain bandit said, trembling with fear. Although Li Anbai was under house arrest, he still enjoyed great prestige among the bandits. His subordinates still referred to him as the Bandit Master.
The bandit chief was startled and cursed, "That's most likely the case. That old fart, even at death's door, he still wants to trick me. I'm going to kill him right now."
The bandits on the left and right immediately stopped him, advising, "Boss, the most important thing right now is how to defend against the enemy. An old man who's about to die can be ended at any time. "
The bandit chief naturally wasn't a fool since he had succeeded in usurping the throne. He knew that killing Li Anbai at this time would not only be of no benefit to the war, but it would also cause some of Li Anbai's old subordinates to fall out with him. The gains wouldn't make up for the losses.
The bandit chief was so agitated because of the sudden change in events. It hadn't been easy for him to sit on the throne, but he hadn't even had the time to enjoy it when he encountered such a trivial matter.
After calming down, the bandit chief began to issue missions, deploy defenses, and gather all the bandits to the city walls to defend against the enemy.
Since ancient times, the Southern Guard Pass not only had thick walls, but it also had an abundant supply of defensive resources. There was no lack of stones or logs. This was also the source of the bandit chief's confidence.
After the bandits dispersed, the bandit chief called over one of his trusted subordinates and whispered, "Scar, hurry down the walls and find twenty-some reliable brothers. Prepare horses and rations, then go to the warehouse and take out gold, silver, and jewels. Rush to the back gate and be on standby. As soon as something goes wrong, we'll immediately retreat. "
Scar was startled. He asked in a low voice, "Big Brother, if we defend the pass, will we be unable to defend it?"
The bandit chief glared at him and snapped, "What do you know? I took a cursory glance just now. The enemy actually has scaling ladders and ballistae. It's clear that they came prepared. Whether we can defend it or not is still unknown. At this time, we naturally have to prepare a path of retreat. It's better to be prepared. "
Scar's heart trembled. "Big Brother, I understand."
"Go!" The bandit chief waved his hand.
After Scar left, the bandit chief regained his composure and stood on the walls.
As the bandit chief was preparing a path of retreat, a small incident occurred in the courtyard where Li Anbai and his daughter were being held.
A young bandit stealthily rushed to the courtyard with a food box in his hand.
Two of the bandit chief's trusted subordinates were standing guard outside the courtyard. When they saw the young bandit, they immediately shouted, "What are you doing? Don't you know that this is a forbidden area? "
The young bandit looked left and right. When he saw that there was no one around, he quietly walked to the guard's side and whispered, "Brother, did you hear? The lord that the old stronghold master contacted is leading troops to attack the Southern Guard Pass. "
The guard was a bit impatient. "Who doesn't know that? There's no need for you to tell me. Tell me the truth, just what are you doing here? "
The young bandit wasn't angry. He continued to speak in a low voice, "Hey, brother, you don't know how angry the boss is. He wanted to personally come and kill the old master, but unfortunately, he was stopped by his brothers. The boss couldn't refuse his brothers, so he reluctantly agreed to let the old master go. In reality, he was still indignant. Thus, the boss secretly arranged for me to send the father and daughter on their way. "
The young bandit pointed at the food container in his hand. Without saying anything, he made a throat-slitting gesture.
The guard's heart trembled. With their understanding of the bandit chief, this sort of thing was truly possible. He immediately believed most of the young bandit's words. He nodded and said, "Since that's the case, I'll accompany you in."
"No, you absolutely cannot." The young bandit immediately shook his head and said in a low voice, "Think about it. This matter is so secretive, how can we make a big fuss about it? You two brothers should guard the door as usual so that no one will suspect anything. Otherwise, if this matter is exposed and the boss blames us, we won't be able to bear the consequences. "
Thinking of the boss's actions, the two guards felt a chill in their hearts. They gratefully said, "Brother, you are truly thoughtful. Quickly go in!"
Under the grateful gaze of the guards, the young bandit walked into the courtyard.
This courtyard had originally been Li Feixue's residence. Both father and daughter had been placed under house arrest here. Li Anbai's illness was already beyond cure. It was difficult for him to even get out of bed. Li Feixue had been attending to him the entire time, her face haggard.
"Who is it?" The young bandit was discovered by Li Feixue as soon as he entered.
The young girl reacted quickly. She grabbed the sword at the side and held it in front of her.
When the young bandit entered the room and saw this scene, he couldn't help but smile bitterly. He lowered his voice and said, "Miss, there's no need to panic. I'm a spy from Mulan County. I've brought important information."
Li Feixue was bewildered. Her father had already told her about Mulan County. She also knew that there were spies from Mulan County hidden in the Southern Guard Pass. However, she wasn't sure if the person in front of her was trustworthy.
The young bandit saw through Li Feixue's doubts. He took out a token and handed it to Li Feixue. "This is my identity token. Miss, feel free to inspect it."
Li Feixue took the token. It was very ordinary and didn't have any markings. There were only three crooked horizontal lines in one corner.
Li Feixue calmed down and heaved a sigh of relief. She knew that the other party was indeed a spy from Mulan County.
"Did something happen outside?" Li Feixue thought of the other party's intentions.
The young bandit didn't dare to delay and said, "That's right. My lord and the Marquis of Lian Province have sent an army to attack the Southern Guard Pass. The army is outside the pass."
Li Feixue was overjoyed. She muttered to herself, "That's great. Father finally doesn't have to suffer anymore."
The young bandit shook his head. He wasn't as naive as the other party. He said in a deep voice, "Miss, you don't know. The Old Master just escaped a calamity. The usurper was furious and wanted to attack the Old Master, but he was stopped and couldn't do anything. I'm worried that if the situation isn't favorable, the other party will use you and your father to make a fuss. "
"Then what should we do?" Li Feixue was still young and didn't know what to do.
"Cough, cough cough ~" At this moment, the unconscious Li Anbai woke up.
"Father, you're awake!" Li Feixue was overjoyed. She threw herself at the bed and was about to cry.
The ambitious and ruthless man opened his turbid eyes and looked at his daughter lovingly. He wanted to reach out but couldn't. Li Anbai strenuously turned his gaze to the young bandit and said with great effort, "I heard your conversation just now. I'm ashamed that I couldn't fulfill my promise. Your lord was benevolent and immediately sent troops to save us father and daughter. I can't thank you enough. "
"The Old Master is too kind." The young bandit didn't dare to be negligent. He immediately asked, "Does the Old Master have a good plan for how to escape?" The young bandit was so nervous because he was worried that the bandits would use the father and daughter as hostages to threaten his lord. Given his lord's personality, it was possible that he would be soft-hearted. Thus, as a qualified spy, he would take the risk to meet the father and daughter. He had to eliminate any hidden dangers before they could sprout. (To be continued.)
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