“The Iron Forest Army attacked the grain convoy?”
Li Ji Kui could hardly believe his ears.
To enter Dakang, the Dangxiang had to pass through Qingshui Valley.
That night, the assault on Qingshui Valley was led by combat troops. In the days following its capture, the Dangxiang had been transporting supplies to their main camp.
The Iron Forest Army had stayed quiet on the mountain, never daring to attack the convoys passing through the valley.
Many Dangxiang soldiers had almost forgotten about the Iron Forest Army up there.
Even Li Ji Kui thought they had given up.
Who could have predicted this sudden attack?
“What’s the damage?” Li Ji Kui asked, his face darkening.
“Over twenty dead, and the grain is still in the valley,” his subordinate reported.
“The Iron Forest Army is courting death!” Li Ji Kui slammed the table. “Go fetch Zhuo Ban.”
“Yes, sir!” The subordinate left to find Zhuo Ban.
“Commander, are you planning to attack Qingshui Mountain?” the advisor asked.
“Yes, I’ll take Qing Huai’s head and make it a wine cup,” Li Ji Kui said, still believing Qing Huai was commanding the Iron Forest Army.
“But Qingshui Mountain is easy to defend and hard to attack. A direct assault would be too costly,” the advisor said. “The Iron Forest Army’s attack today likely means they’ve run out of food and are making a last stand. If you wait a few more days, Commander, they’ll collapse without a fight.”
“The wheat in the Central Plains is about to ripen. We can’t keep dragging this out,” Li Ji Kui replied. “The Iron Forest Army has been starving for days. Taking Qingshui Mountain shouldn’t be too hard.”
“Commander, earlier today, two smoke columns rose in the south, and then the Iron Forest Army attacked our convoy. I feel something’s off,” the advisor said, frowning.
Since seeing the smoke, he had been uneasy.
“Was it wolf smoke?” Li Ji Kui asked.
Wolf smoke had been used in the Central Plains for urgent military signals since ancient times.
“Judging by the colour, it wasn’t wolf smoke.”
“Then what’s there to worry about?”
“I’ve sent scouts to investigate. Let’s wait for their report before deciding,” the advisor suggested.
“Fine,” Li Ji Kui agreed.
Checking the situation wouldn’t take long, and waiting a bit longer wouldn’t hurt.
When Zhuo Ban arrived at the command tent, the scouts sent to investigate returned.
“What’s the deal with those two smoke columns?” the advisor asked.
“Sir, the eastern column was from Dakang refugees burning beans, which caught last year’s dry grass. The western one was from farmers hiding in the mountains cooking, accidentally burning a thatched hut,” the scout replied.
“Are you sure?” the advisor pressed. “Any signs of the Iron Forest Army or other Dakang soldiers?”
“None. It’s almost certainly an accident.”
“See? It wasn’t wolf smoke. You’re being too cautious,” Li Ji Kui said, dismissing the scout with a laugh. “With war on, many in Dakang are hiding in the mountains. A fire starting is normal. No need to make a fuss.”
This was why Jin Feng and Xu Xiao planned for two fires.
With so many Dakang civilians hiding in the mountains to escape the war, a fire could start anywhere.
But two fires igniting simultaneously was highly unlikely.
“One fire could be an accident, but two at the same time? There’s definitely something fishy,” the advisor said, frowning. “Commander, I think this is connected to the Iron Forest Army.”
“Then we should attack Qingshui Mountain all the more. Once we crush them, we’ll find out,” Zhuo Ban said impatiently.
“No, we should think this through carefully,” the advisor said, looking at Li Ji Kui. “Commander, give me a bit more time. I’ll figure it out.”
“Alright, you have one day,” Li Ji Kui agreed after a moment’s thought.
On Qingshui Mountain, after Jin Feng ordered the attack on the Dangxiang grain convoy, all Iron Forest Army soldiers prepared for an assault on the mountain.
But after waiting over an hour, instead of an attack, they heard someone in the valley shouting for their surrender.
This was the advisor’s idea, hoping to gauge the Iron Forest Army’s reaction and assess their condition.
If any responded or surrendered, it would mean things were dire on the mountain.
To his disappointment, no one surrendered. Instead, the Dangxiang cavalry sent to shout was shot dead by a heavy crossbow.
Undeterred, the advisor sent another cavalryman to continue shouting.
He was killed before finishing a sentence.
This made things awkward.
Get too close, and they’d be shot. Too far, and the shouts couldn’t be heard.
“Looks like the Iron Forest Army isn’t in disarray,” the advisor sighed, abandoning the surrender calls and returning to his tent.
He wasn’t entirely sure if the smoke columns were truly linked to the Iron Forest Army.
If they were, the attack on the grain convoy wouldn’t be their only move. There’d be more to come.
So he waited.
The advisor could wait, but Jin Feng couldn’t.
The smoke columns were his signal with Xu Xiao. Their rising meant Xu Xiao needed his cooperation.
“How far can our heavy crossbows shoot?” Jin Feng asked, arriving at the crossbow position and pointing to the Dangxiang grain storehouse. “Can we hit that?”
An experienced crossbowman shaded his eyes and looked. “Sir, that’s nearly two li away. Even if the bolt reaches, it’ll be too weak to do any damage.”
“Killing isn’t the goal. Can the bolt just get there?” Jin Feng asked.
“If accuracy and power don’t matter, our two strongest crossbows should just about make it,” the crossbowman replied after thinking.
“Good,” Jin Feng said, a cold glint in his eyes. “We need to burn their grain.”
“How?” the crossbowman asked, puzzled.
“Make the bolts catch fire,” Jin Feng said with a slight smile. “Get some jars of lamp oil and some coils of hemp rope.”
“I get it,” the crossbowman said, eyes lighting up as he ran to fetch the materials.
Jin Feng directed the crossbowmen to wrap hemp rope around the bolt tips, soak them in lamp oil, and soon a bundle of fire arrows was ready.
But Jin Feng didn’t attack immediately. He waited until nightfall, when the Dangxiang soldiers had retired to their tents.
“Fire!”
Two fiery bolts streaked through the night sky, landing in the Dangxiang grain storehouse.
The Dangxiang army’s cavalry, their main force, required vast amounts of fodder for their horses, so their storehouse was piled high with dry grass.
This fodder, thoroughly dried, caught fire instantly.
The Dangxiang never dreamed the enemy could strike their storehouse from Qingshui Mountain’s peak. By the time they reacted, the fire was raging, impossible to extinguish.
