knife

Chapter 328 Surprise Attack
The Black Ice Guard's covert power in Sichuan is no less formidable.

Only after Li Dachui proposed the plan to take the Yinping Road, cross the Motianling Mountains, pass through Jiangyou Pass, and then go down to Mianzhu to directly attack Chengdu, did these lurking people manage to conduct an on-site survey and draw a simple map in a short period of time, which proves this point.

Whether it was Kou Zhong, He Bing, Zhang Quanyi, or Wu De, these high-ranking officials of the Black Ice Bureau were all outstanding talents.

The Black Ice Guard's plans in Sichuan were not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather the result of long-term planning and years of deployment, leading to their current success.

This also shows that Kou Zhong had already discovered the problems in Shu a long time ago, and thus began to make plans.

As Shu is Chang'an's backyard, Kou Zhong naturally didn't want any problems to arise there. Even if problems did occur, they could be resolved in a very short time.

These plans from back then have now become Li Dachui's means of solving problems.

If Kou Zhong knew this in the afterlife, he would probably be very unhappy.

Nothing could be more futile than making wedding clothes for someone else.

And look at people like Wei Zhengdao and Wei Yi—aren't they all outstanding individuals? Even the muddle-headed Scholar Zhou is still a learned man, excelling in calligraphy, painting, and literature!

They were simply going in the wrong direction, taking the wrong route. The harder they tried, the further they strayed down the wrong path, and the more the Qin dynasty teetered on the brink of collapse.

The route has been determined, but this road is not just rugged and difficult to travel. It's not a big problem for one person, but when it comes to passing through the army, the difficulty suddenly increases.

Fang Xiaomao never imagined that one day she would become a carpenter, and that the incomparably sharp, bloodthirsty Tiger Wing Blade would become a tree-felling knife.

With a flash of light, the massive tree, as thick as a man's embrace, collapsed with a deafening roar. As it fell, the blade swirled, and when it crashed heavily to the ground, the trunk was clearly separated from the branches. Amidst the applause of the soldiers, the Tiger Wing Blade flashed again, and moments later, stakes were formed.

An officer walked over, picked up a sharpened tree stump, and stuck it into the ground. Another officer went up and punched the other end of the stump hard. With a series of thuds, the stumps were driven deep into the ground. Then, naturally, they began to lay planks. In no more than half an hour, a plank road was built on a section of the mountain wall that was dozens of feet long and impassable.

Under normal circumstances, the officers below can handle the road problems well; if all else fails, there's always Li Dachui.

Watching Minghong slice through the incredibly hard rock as easily as cutting tofu, the officers were speechless with astonishment, but they also felt an even greater sense of respect for this newly arrived commander.

This army of 3,000 men belongs to the Inspection Brigade. Although many people from the Chi Qiu Institute have been placed in it, the main force is still composed of the core members of the Black Ice Guard.

The fact that a complete stranger like Li Dachui was parachuted in as a commander naturally evoked some opinions from people.

Fortunately, these people are from the Black Ice Guard, and they are more adaptable to this situation. If an ordinary army were suddenly given a commander whose background is unknown, they would probably be more resistant.

Of course, Li Dachui's display of martial arts cultivation at the peak of the ninth rank of Xuan Yuan was the main reason why these officers were convinced.

In the military, strength still prevails.

Everyone desires a commander with high martial arts skills. Moreover, Li Dachui's familiarity with military affairs, honed over the march, made the officers realize that this new commander must have been trained in the military for a long time, otherwise he wouldn't be so familiar with military rules.

In less than ten days of marching together, Li Dachui had already won over the hearts and minds of his men.

As everyone stood atop Motianling, surrounded by a sea of ​​red flowers, and looked down at Jiangyou Pass, their target for attack, a sense of invincibility suddenly welled up within them.

We've conquered such perilous paths, so what's the rest of the journey compared to that!
"Down the mountain!" Li Dachui waved his hand and took the lead, heading downhill.

Jiangyou Pass is a natural fortress. It is surrounded by mountains and has the Fu River flowing through it. The pass is flanked by steep peaks that rise straight into the sky; the river below is turbulent with turbulent waves. If a large number of troops were stationed here, they could firmly hold the natural barrier of the Fu River.

Hundreds of years ago, when the Great Yong Dynasty collapsed, the Yong Dynasty's general stationed in Shu (Sichuan) amassed a large army here. However, after the Great Yong Dynasty collapsed, Shu surrendered without a fight.

In the centuries that followed, the Qin Dynasty prospered, and Jiangyou Pass gradually fell into disrepair. Today, although the natural barrier remains, the pass is no longer what it once was. Even the Tang family of Shu never imagined that there was such a small path that could bypass Jianmen Pass.

The hundreds of soldiers stationed here are mainly used to collect taxes from the local people. They are not only not afraid to stop the army coming over Motianling, but they also dare not provoke the bandits on Fengchi Mountain across the river from Jiangyou Pass.

The most unfortunate people were the local people, because they had to pay two taxes: one to the soldiers of Jiangyou Pass and the other to the bandits of Fengchi Mountain.

In comparison, the local people actually preferred the bandits on Phoenix Wing Mountain. Although they also collected taxes, they allowed debts to be incurred, and if they were really struggling to survive, they could even be exempted from taxes. They could even borrow grain during the spring famine with very low interest rates. The soldiers at Jiangyou Pass, on the other hand, were like gluttons who only took in and never gave out.

Wu Hou, the leader of Fengchi Mountain, had been brooding over the past two days because he had received orders from his superiors to prepare food for three thousand people for ten days.

Looking up at Jiangyou Pass across the river and Motianling in the distance, he could hardly imagine that an army of several thousand people would actually come down from Motianling.
Like Huang Biao of Meishan, Wu Hou was also a spy for the Black Ice Guard. He was sent to Sichuan many years ago to operate. His goal was to be able to raise troops and seize Mianzhu when the imperial army marched into Sichuan one day.

Even the people who sent him never considered marching across Motianling.

Feeding three thousand people for ten days was a bit tight for Wuhou, but with the village's reserves and some additional supplies from nearby villagers, it shouldn't be a big problem.

But will anyone actually come?

Even Wu Hou, one of his own men, didn't believe that anyone would come from Motianling, so the Sichuan garrison at Jiangyou Pass naturally couldn't have imagined it either.

So when they saw the black flags fluttering in the afterglow of the setting sun and the enemy leaping and flying like monkeys towards the pass, and then looked back at the same black flags flying over the Jiangyou Pass, the officer in charge did not hesitate to throw down his weapon and kneel down with his hands raised.

"We surrender!"

We are all soldiers of the Great Qin. My surrender to you does not mean I have lost my integrity. We should not fight among ourselves!
This was the true thought in the mind of the captain guarding Jiangyou Pass.

Actually, it shouldn't be called surrendering, since the other side's officer is of higher rank than mine!

This should be called obeying the orders of one's superior.

Fang Xiaomao felt that the Tiger Wing Blade in his hand must have been thirsting for blood these past few days, because it had been drinking blood and had been eating wood chips for so long. However, just as he raised the blade, the enemy on the other side knelt down, which made him lose interest. When the Tiger Wing Blade was sheathed, the sound was grating.

When Wuhou received the news, he could hardly believe his ears. He had just gathered enough grain, and Jiangyou Pass had already changed hands?
They rushed to Jiangyou Pass and saw several familiar faces, finally confirming that their large group of men had indeed come down from Motianling.

"The army will rest for three days at Jiangyou Pass. You need to keep the news under wraps, prepare enough food and supplies, and mobilize enough manpower to join the army in attacking Mianzhu in three days!" Li Dachui was very polite to Wu Hou, and even gave him a pill in order to get closer to him.

This elixir was a valuable item that he had retrieved from the alchemy furnace of the Taoist priest Yiming in the imperial palace.

Li Dachui always felt that Wu Hou, a man capable of long-term, dedicated and hardworking infiltrating, deserved to be treated well. Just like the men in his own Qinglong Brigade, their families were treated as superior in the Northeast; otherwise, why would you expect them to do such dangerous things in such a perilous situation?

Having obtained the elixir, Wu Hou immediately became devoted to the general he had just met.

Such a pill could allow his martial arts cultivation to jump one level!

Li Anmin, at the peak of the Innate Realm, would have minimal effect from this medicine. However, for someone like Wu Hou, who had just stepped into the sixth rank of Qi Control, it could propel him to the top, instantly reaching the seventh rank of Profound Origin. Although there is only one rank difference between the sixth rank of Qi Control and the seventh rank of Profound Origin, the gap between them is precipitous. At the Profound Origin level, one can be considered a master, capable of standing alone.

Given the Martial Marquis's status and abilities, he wouldn't even have the chance to see or smell such a pill, let alone eat one.

Now that he has obtained such a miraculous medicine without doing anything, do you think Wu Hou would not be extremely grateful to Li Dachui?
Li Dachui was very satisfied with the effect of the single pill.

He had a few more pills in his pocket, which were for those guys with yellow badges.

Although the Black Ice Guard is now considered one of their own, the best thing would be to completely take them under his command. Anyway, these pills were picked up, so he doesn't care. It's still worthwhile to use them to win over some hardworking and capable underlings.

Making the best use of resources is the key to success.

Energetic after taking the drug, Wuhou did his utmost to provide the best service to the army resting there. Three days later, he gathered everyone he could and set off for Mianzhu with Li Dachui.

Unlike Jiangyou Pass, which fell without a fight, Mianzhu was a heavily fortified location with a large army stationed there. A battle was inevitable there, but after witnessing the martial arts prowess of Li Dachui, Fang Xiaomao, and others, Wu Hou felt that the battle of Mianzhu would be nothing more than a piece of cake.

The general in Mianzhu was only at the peak of the eighth rank.

He's only a level above me, but my current boss is a peak ninth-rank official; killing him is as easy as slaughtering a chicken.

(End of this chapter)