Chapter 562: Burning and Killing the Hungry Ghosts
Chapter 562: Burning and Killing the Hungry Ghosts
As soon as they saw the other party's confidence, Yang Gong, who was nearby, also became excited. "If we can control the chickens, we can win this battle. How is this possible?"
"The Pointing Rooster Technique."
The nearby strategist, Iron Tongue, also took a deep breath and smiled, "This is a fancy name for it. In simple terms, it's a trick used by beggars to steal chickens, but in this situation, it's quite practical."
"This group of hungry ghosts is constantly haunted by vengeful spirits, and their senses have long been in disarray. Using this technique, we can first confuse the vengeful ghosts that follow them."
"Once the vengeful spirits are lost, they will also be lost, not knowing where to go, and can only obediently be trapped here."
He clenched his fist and said to Yang Gong, "General, now that we have a way to deal with these hungry ghosts, we should take advantage of their unstable foundation and go win a battle. But we need to find someone brave enough to sneak into their camp under the cover of night!"
Yang Gong was delighted and immediately ordered his men to call the various leaders, asking who dared to take on this task.
Upon asking, he saw that many of the lower-ranking leaders had changed their expressions, and no one responded. In just a few short days, Yang Gong had gathered a large number of troops, and before they could be dispersed, each leader had their own group. Some of them hadn't even gotten to know each other well.
Having just suffered a major loss during the day, they were reluctant to take the risk of going out at night. However, at this moment, a voice suddenly laughed, "Then let me go. I wanted to take action during the day, but someone else took the opportunity."
"..."
Everyone looked over and saw that it was the now-famous Golden Horn General, Zhou Datong, who had become a laughingstock.
This guy had always relied on his golden silver babies to charge recklessly, but weren't those golden silver babies already suppressed earlier?
Not only were the bystanders concerned, but Zhou Liang also frowned upon seeing this. He looked over with a worried expression, but Zhou Datong waved his hand and whispered to them, "Don't worry, I'm not going out to die. I've figured it out."
"Just arriving on the battlefield, I find it quite fun. We have real skills, and fighting those weaklings is like child's play, but now there are many talented people in the army, and our skills don't seem as impressive anymore."
"I was planning to establish a merit and earn some face for our gang, but I don't plan to stay in the army for long. I'd rather return to the village and learn skills from Brother Pockmark."
"..."
"..."
Yang Gong looked at Zhou Datong with a frown, actually not wanting to let him go, fearing that something might happen and he wouldn't be able to explain it to Hu Ma.
However, since Zhou Datong had volunteered in front of everyone, it was difficult to refuse him.
Iron Tongue, the strategist standing nearby, smiled and said, "This little general is quite brave."
As he spoke, he called Zhou Datong over, lifted his pants, and drew two talismans on his legs. He smiled and said, "Seeing your skills, I know that most of your training is focused on your legs. Now I'll help you by drawing these two talismans for you."
"Remember, sneak into their camp, but don't go too deep into the enemy's territory. If things go wrong, just run back immediately, and no one will be able to catch up to you."
"..."
Zhou Datong was overjoyed and agreed. He immediately went to gather the troops he wanted to bring with him. Seeing this, Yang Gong also ordered his brothers to provide him with the elite soldiers he had trained in the mountains, to ensure he had enough troops.
While Zhou Datong was away, the others took the opportunity to ask Iron Tongue curiously, "Why are you being so generous this time?"
"You're giving away the two Swift Travel Talismans that Senior Brother taught you?"
"..."
Iron Tongue smiled, "These fellows all have heavy destinies. We can't let them be destroyed here. If we don't use them now, when will we?"
As he spoke, he also patted down his pants and called over the beggar and the other unusual people who didn't eat beef. He said, "Show your true skills and let the Jiao Zhu watch over the town..."
After discussing, as the sky grew dark, they lit a fire and cooked a meal. In Yang Gong's camp, they opened the food containers and had a hearty meal. When someone reported that the other side was ready, they led their troops and sneaked out under the cover of darkness.
They didn't ride horses because they had discovered earlier in the day that the hungry ghosts had a strong evil aura, which could easily startle the horses. Instead, they relied on their own two legs and ran, taking advantage of the night to circle around and reach the outskirts of the hungry ghosts' gathering place.
In the darkness, they had neither tents nor lanterns, only guarding a large bubbling cauldron.
Logically, they should have had food supplies before reaching Mingzhou City, but their cauldron only had a few sparse grains of rice. There wasn't much food, and the porridge was too thin to scoop with chopsticks. Yet, everyone stared fixedly at this pot of porridge.
Zhou Datong took a deep breath and suddenly jumped out, leading his troops in a feigned charge. He shouted, "Golden Horn General Zhou Datong from Old Yin Mountain, here to raid your camp!"
As he spoke, he jumped out from behind a hill, and everyone raised their bows and arrows, shooting them in all directions.
The night was dark, and the commotion was quite loud, enough to startle anyone. But surprisingly, the hungry ghosts showed no reaction at all. Only a few of them glanced coldly at the intruders before turning away.
Some of the arrows shot towards them missed, some were caught by the hungry ghosts, and some even hit someone's chest, but they merely silently pulled out the arrows without any reaction, and even the blood that flowed was minimal.
The plan was to lure the enemy out, but their cold response was unexpected. How could they draw them out now?
The group of starving ghosts was indeed intimidating, and none dared to charge recklessly. After all, these ghosts were known to devour humans like gourds.
Just as anxiety crept into the hearts of those following Zhou Datong, he let out a chuckle, took out a slingshot, and pulled it taut. With narrowed eyes, he aimed not at the enemy but at a pot of porridge they were guarding, knocking it over with a swift "whoosh."
The surrounding starving ghosts instantly flew into a rage, reaching out to gather the spilled porridge. However, Zhou Datong didn't stop there; he fired off several stones in quick succession, overturning nearly three to five pots of porridge.
"Hehe..."
This action was like stirring up a hornet's nest. The starving ghosts' expressions changed in an instant, their eyes turning red with anger.
Making "hehe" sounds, the ghosts rushed towards Zhou Datong and his group. Zhou Datong hurriedly led his men in a retreat, with the ghosts in hot pursuit. Though their speed was slow, they were relentless, making it challenging to shake them off.
Zhou Datong's legs felt like they were being branded with hot irons, burning with pain. The more they hurt, the faster he ran, occasionally stopping to ensure the ghosts didn't fall too far behind.
Among the pursuing ghosts, someone shouted, seemingly trying to call them back, but those whose porridge had been spilled had lost their senses. They continued the chase, getting further and further away.
They chased Zhou Datong all the way to the foot of a slope, where he spotted a mark and almost stumbled. The soldiers and followers who had been with him had already scattered, and the ghosts behind him opened their mouths, revealing sharp teeth, ready to pounce.
Just then, Zhou Datong rolled on the ground, dodging to the side. Suddenly, bronze bells and drums sounded, and torches lit up the area, turning the surroundings as bright as day. A monkey-like beggar appeared, jumping out from the shadows.
Despite his age of fifty or sixty years, the beggar was remarkably agile. He held a tattered flag and, with a shout of "Charge," he planted the flag right in front of the advancing ghosts, where Zhou Datong had stumbled.
"Grains stored in vats, wine and meat overflowing bellies..."
After planting the flag, the beggar retreated with a laugh, saying, "Got them!"
Strangely, the ghosts, who had been aggressive and menacing, suddenly seemed disoriented. They circled the flag, their faces contorted with rage, as if Zhou Datong was right in front of them, unaware of how ridiculous they looked.
"Hehe..."
On the side, the strategist, Tie Zuizi, emerged from behind the slope with a group of men. Seeing the ghosts, he let out a cold laugh and ordered, "Set fire!"
A team of personal guards, who had been brought over, hesitated at the sight of the ghosts but obeyed the strategist's command, throwing torches into the depression.
"Whoosh!"
The grass in the depression was already prepared with black oil paste and sulfur, ready to ignite instantly.
In a flash, flames soared into the sky, turning half the sky crimson. The ghosts inside, fearless of death, seemed to feel pain as their flesh burned, making them eager to escape.
But the more they tried to flee, the faster they circled the flag. Eventually, their bodies charred and they fell, still maintaining their chasing and fleeing postures around the flag.
"Whoosh..."
Witnessing this eerie scene, those nearby felt a chill in the night breeze. Despite their victory, they couldn't shake off an uneasy feeling.
"This method is indeed effective. Confusing the vengeful spirits on these ghosts is like confusing the ghosts themselves."
Sensing the low morale, someone laughed loudly, "With such a treasure, if we make more of them, these ghosts will be at our mercy, and we can kill them as we please!"
"Hehe, this is war; it's not that easy."
The strategist, Tie Zuizi, observed the scene and coldly remarked, "On the battlefield, there's no surefire way to defeat the enemy. To confidently deal with these ghosts, one method is not enough; at least ten or eight are required."
"But it doesn't matter now. Since we've found a trick, let's first let these ghosts taste our might."
"Hurry back! They've suffered a significant loss, and they'll likely launch a counterattack soon. It's the perfect time to showcase our abilities..."
"..."
Near the fire pit, the group of Bu Shi Niu followers laughed heartily and whistled, returning to their camp with arms around each other's shoulders. Even the soldiers under their command couldn't help but feel their hearts tremble.
(End of Chapter)
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