Chapter 181: The Arrival of the Strong Yin County Troops
Chapter 181: The Arrival of the Strong Yin County Troops
As Lu HaiKong tirelessly worked on building his mountain camp, absorbing the gains from the battle with Iron Stronghold and Pei Yuanshao, trouble was brewing on the horizon.
Wang Hao's thousand-strong army, rushing to Dark Wind Fort, could only retrieve Pei Yuanshao's corpse to bring back to Wang Hao.
Wang Hao, witnessing the pitiful death of his only historical warrior, glared with bloodshot eyes, seething with hatred, "Good, good, Lu HaiKong! You killed my great general, and I will make you pay for this blood debt!"
Wang Hao had forgotten that he had struck first, even ambushing Lu HaiKong's Dark Wind Fort and killing two of his old companions.
"My lord, stay calm. The bandit's identity has been exposed, and the government will deal with them. We just need to watch from the sidelines," advised the middle-aged scholar.
To be honest, Wang Hao bore a significant responsibility for Pei Yuanshao's death. If he hadn't altered the scholar's plan, Pei Yuanshao might still be alive. But at this moment, the scholar wouldn't blame Wang Hao.
"Hmph! That guy managed to defeat Pei Yuanshao and even took down my cavalry. Their strength is far beyond what Strong Yin County can handle," Wang Hao was well aware of Strong Yin County's capabilities.
"Strong Yin County's forces alone couldn't possibly defeat them, but that's not important. Lu HaiKong's domineering and ruthless nature is evident. When the Strong Yin County troops arrive, he won't show any mercy. He'll charge right through them, and they won't escape his wrath."
The scholar didn't want Wang Hao to focus too much on Lu HaiKong. In his eyes, Lu HaiKong's ruthless nature meant he was destined for failure, regardless of whether he could withstand the government's siege. His identity as a bandit limited his potential, and now that he was exposed to the government, even if he survived, he'd be constantly under their scrutiny.
The scholar believed that this territory was doomed, and it was better to focus on developing their own territory.
However, judging by Wang Hao's bloodshot eyes, he probably wasn't listening. Since the second game, this was the first and biggest loss Wang Hao had suffered.
Although Wang Hao secretly looked down on Pei Yuanshao, the lowest-ranked historical warrior in the Three Kingdoms, he was still the only one under his command.
To lose the only historical warrior and a cavalry unit that took half a year to train was a devastating blow. How could Wang Hao swallow this humiliation?
Another person who couldn't stomach Lu HaiKong's actions was Zhao Lu, the captain of the Strong Yin County troops who had encountered Lu HaiKong on his way to Dark Wind Fort.
Unlike Wang Hao, who had to wait, Zhao Lu and his troops returned to the county town the next day. Over two thousand Strong Yin County troops, including the county magistrate, set out to directly attack Lu HaiKong's mountain camp.
Lu HaiKong's actions infuriated the Strong Yin County troops. In recent years, no one had dared to be as brazen.
As bandits, their first instinct when encountering county troops should be to flee, but Lu HaiKong had directly charged and killed them. Did he think Strong Yin County was weak? Or that he was above the law? And these bandits were the Yi Ren bandits, which made it even more imperative to eliminate them.
However, the Strong Yin County troops didn't anticipate a fierce battle. Even the county magistrate had made plans for the following day.
In their eyes, these were mere bandits, and they could easily capture them. Even Zhao Lu, who had witnessed Lu HaiKong's force firsthand, had no doubts.
Zhao Lu believed that Lu HaiKong's success was due to surprise and their unpreparedness. In a real battle, they were confident they could defeat Lu HaiKong's troops.
With this relaxed mindset, they headed straight for Lu HaiKong's mountain camp.
Lu HaiKong's camp, as Wang Hao had revealed, was fortified with a three-month-old wall and housed over ten thousand refugees, resembling a small town.
The county magistrate, who hadn't seen it himself, was dismissive. A three-month-old wall? What use is that? Over ten thousand refugees? Even better! With a single call, those lowly refugees could wipe out the bandits themselves.
With this carefree attitude, the two-thousand-strong Strong Yin County troops reached Lu HaiKong's camp, located about twelve to twenty kilometers from Strong Yin County, in just half a day.
When they saw the five-hundred-meter-long, fifteen-meter-high wall, constructed entirely from massive stones, surrounding Lu HaiKong's camp, they were stunned.
What was this? They thought the wall was only three months old? And that there were just over ten thousand refugees? How could they build such a structure in three months? The county magistrate, Zhao She, felt like he'd been played.
Zhao She, from the influential Zhao family of Strong Yin County, was a capable individual with a military background. He was also intimately familiar with the local terrain.
He had a good idea of the situation as soon as he heard the location of Lu HaiKong's camp.
The terrain was ideal for a defensive wall, creating an impenetrable barrier. With sufficient height and defense, even a few hundred elite soldiers could hold this position, making it nearly impossible to breach from the outside.
But building such a wall wasn't easy. What could they accomplish in three months, especially with a third of that time covered in snow, making construction nearly impossible? Even if they managed to build it, a wall of that height could still be breached.
Zhao She's calculations were mostly accurate, except for one oversight: Lu HaiKong's camp had been upgraded, and the wall had inadvertently upgraded too, presenting an unexpected iron fortress before Zhao She.
As Zhao She stood dumbfounded, the sound of horses' hooves thundered in the distance...
Chapter end
Report
