Ming Dynasty: Summoning game players at the beginning

Chapter 357 My insistence on not talking to you isn't because I don't miss you.

The news of the soldiers passing through the area caused a huge uproar, and the villagers who had just returned to their villages to enjoy a few days of peace were in a state of panic.

These days, armed personnel have a notorious reputation; they are worse than beasts.

The common people had no interest in distinguishing between the good and bad of the rebel army and the government troops, nor did they dare to believe the rumors that the Red Turban Army "ate gruel themselves and fed their followers rice and flour." If they lost the bet, being emptied of money and food was a minor matter; the real problem was that their wives and children were separated and their families were destroyed.

Even though the thirty-odd men who called themselves a militia squad were polite, the people's deep-seated fear of soldiers was hard to shake.

So the people gathered again at the village entrance. Their extensive experience of fleeing the disaster made them pack their belongings several times faster.

The villagers also knew that they should leave some things in the village for the soldiers to plunder, otherwise the soldiers would go deep into the village to steal grain and would definitely chase them to their hiding place.

The villagers prepared their provisions, intending to hide in Mount Tai for a while, but were dissuaded by the soldiers riding in bamboo palanquins. "Mount Tai is a long way away. In this chaotic world, it won't be safe for you to escape to Mount Tai. Why don't you come with us to Changzai Mountain, which is more than ten miles away..."

The villagers hesitated upon hearing this.

It is well known that soldiers have a narrow reconnaissance range and personally return to deliver military intelligence.

Since the rebel soldiers spotted the government troops, the latter must be no more than ten miles away from here.

At this point, venturing to Changzai Mountain in the northeast was like lambs to the slaughter, and none of them wanted to risk their lives.

Zhao Erhu, who came from the Red Turban Army, knew that the generals were strictly disciplined—when faced with corrupt officials setting fire to more than ten county towns, the rebel army would rather slow down the pace of the siege than fail to properly resettle the people.

If the villagers could have the protection of the righteous army, they would surely be able to safely overcome the crisis.

At the same time, these men often say they "respect the fate of others," and they never stop anyone from committing suicide.

If the villagers flee on their own, they will inevitably encounter bandits and soldiers...

Thinking of his neighbors of many years who might suffer misfortune because of wrong choices, Zhao Erhu immediately stepped forward.

He stated that the Red Turban Army possessed a secret technique to communicate with friendly forces dozens of miles away, but then felt the description of this technique was too mystical, so he used a story told by the general to fit the description—

It is said that the Red Turban Army raised a group of "Swift Owls," which could carry letters across hundreds of miles to deliver them to the target, making them ten times smarter and faster than ordinary carrier pigeons.

It was said that government troops were passing through, but in reality, they appeared within the sight of the Red Turban Army's garrison, and in an instant, all the rebels within a hundred miles could know about it.

Zhao Dalong and Zhao Sanbao, who were standing nearby, were immediately shocked upon hearing this. They thought to themselves, "Why does the secret technique of 'transmitting sound over a thousand miles' sound sound so familiar?"

However, the three brothers heard different versions of the story.

The elder brother had heard that the invisible blood crows and sickle weasels could travel hundreds of miles with the wind. If someone drank the Blood Explosion Elixir, the blood crows could be transformed into wind blades to slay enemies—this was also recorded in "The Legend of the Dragon Slayer Heroes".

The version that Sanbao heard was extremely magical, saying that the man could separate his soul and travel to another world to communicate with his friends, a world he called "The Scroll".

When the two communicate, the spirit of the world in the painting shines like a candle flame.

However, this technique is too dangerous, as it can easily lead to demonic possession and the loss of one's soul.

Some generals, lacking strong will, are often bewitched by the evil spirits and beauties in the "world in the painting," leading to a state of demonic possession from which they cannot wake up for many days. Even when they do wake up, they can only move around for a short while in the early morning before falling back into a deep sleep.

A very small number of generals sleep for five or six days at a time, supposedly because they are haunted by evil spirits in the paintings, such as "not bringing the Youxi helmet when going out on business", "clamping", "uncle running away", "dog fishing squad being blown up", "rushing to meet the deadline"... Only on "training days" can they break through the demonic obstacles.

The "Great Blood Monk," with even stronger cultivation, has a firm will and is able to break free from the "corrosion of the painting" almost every day, returning to "reality."

Some "liver kings" are so dedicated that they work all day long, as if they're on steroids, juggling military, political, and agricultural affairs, as if they want to finish all the work they'll need for decades of their lives.

The eldest and third brothers pondered this in secret.

Perhaps the rebel leaders were always paying attention to the world's ingenious techniques, and once they discovered their secrets, they would try every means to learn them, which is why similar but different skills emerged.

Of course, it is also possible that the highly skilled masters hired by these rebel armies were all fellow disciples from the same school.

Thinking about it this way, one can imagine how powerful the patriarchs who taught these enlightened masters must have been.

The elder brother remarked that such a master-level figure must be pure of heart and have few desires, otherwise, with such extraordinary skills, how could he not want to control the world?

The support from Da Long and San Bao made Er Hu's words even more credible.

It wasn't that the villagers were intimidated by the mysterious spirit pet, but rather that the three brothers looked much better than they had two years ago, indicating that at least one of them was serving in the Red Turban Army.

In this way, even though the Red Turban Army was not very disciplined, Zhao Erhu's connections could save the lives of everyone in the village.

So the villagers obediently followed the small team to Changzai Mountain. As soon as they reached the foot of the mountain, they saw dozens of clumps of grass suddenly stand up and shout, "Hands up!"

The sudden turn of events was startling; the villagers screamed in alarm and shielded the women and children behind them.

At this moment, Zhao Erhu saw the general get off the bamboo palanquin, waved to him, and moved forward, saying, "Hey! They're all our own people, the villagers from Zhao Family Village whom we contacted earlier."

The two team leaders exchanged a glance, then raised their hands and slapped each other several times, chanting incantations as they did so. Their smiles grew brighter and brighter, as if they had rediscovered their lost youth.

The common people looked bewildered, but Zhao Erhu knew perfectly well that this was a "mobile game" that General Jiang occasionally played, something called "Accumulate, Wave, Block," used to regulate his mind and body...

Once the password was verified, the smile on his face instantly turned serious. The guard captain gripped his spear and slammed it into the ground, saying, "No one is allowed to leave the mountain before the battle is over!" As Zhao Erhu slowly moved forward along the mountain path, he looked back and saw the guards, whose figures were gradually receding into the distance, once again turning into ordinary clumps of grass.

However, they were not the only ones present; there were also villagers from the surrounding area, and even soldiers of the Red Turban Army—

Thousands of soldiers were stationed on the mountainside. The scattered trees along the edge had all been felled, and the gaps between the trees were covered with green netting woven from vines. Dozens of wooden crates were piled up on the open ground behind the netting, and round cannonballs could be vaguely seen.

One by one, the "hot air balloons" poised to take off covered the mountainside on the other side, like giant, withered pieces of silk.

Despite not knowing the high command's military deployment, the three Zhao brothers, relying on their military experience, realized that this place was an artillery position set up by the Red Turban Army.

As the saying goes, the higher the position, the farther the shot; the range of a cannon placed on the battlefield is completely different from that of a cannon placed on a wall.

Zhao Erhu looked into the distance and could see almost the entire surrounding flat land, making it a perfect spot for observing the battlefield.

As his family and fellow villagers were settled, the morning mist gradually dissipated. Suddenly, Zhao Erhu saw something in the distance, hazy and indistinct, like a dark graffiti added to a brownish-brown painting.

Borrowing a telescope from the officer and looking into the distance, Zhao Erhu finally realized what it was—

It was a wide moat that stretched for more than ten miles, running in a northwest-southeast direction. It bordered the Ji River to the left and a large lake to the right, like a flat piece of ground suddenly struck by an earthquake, which blasted open a hideous crack.

Thousands of gray-white tents stood along the trench, resembling gray-white lava spewing southward from a crack.

There were countless flags fluttering in the camp, but Zhao Erhu remembered those Iron Fist flags most vividly.

The main force of the Red Turban Army has appeared in Zhangqiu County!

Zhao Dalong and Zhao Sanbao were both taken aback.

It should be noted that the area around Jinan was still under the actual control of the Ming army. How did the Red Turban Army dare to cross 200 miles and penetrate deep into enemy territory to fight?

Da Long spoke his mind, saying, "The Red Turban Army is taking too much risks. Waiting in comfort isn't the way to fight. How do we know if the government troops will pass by here?"

Sanbao added, "If the government troops cross the Ji River and flee north, the Red Turban Army will probably find nothing."

"Yes, the main force of the officers and soldiers will retreat to Jinan, and the Red Turban Army will be surrounded. At that time, they will be attacked from both sides, and the good situation in Shandong will be lost in one day."

"No, that won't happen." Zhao Erhu clenched his fists. "Wherever our Red Turban Army chooses as the battlefield, our officers and soldiers can only follow and fight there!"

The two brothers were unaware of the inside story, but Zhao Erhu had participated in the entire operation and knew that the generals' tactics of dividing their forces into more than ten groups and launching raids in more than ten county towns were all for this very moment.

Although he still didn't understand tactics and strategy, and was only manipulating the psychology of the enemy's generals and soldiers, he firmly believed that the news sent back by the generals that "the officers and soldiers are retreating to the south" was no exaggeration.

Seeing Zhao Erhu's resolute words, the two brothers secretly felt a competitive spirit. While thinking that their own militia and gang were the strongest, they took out what they considered to be valuable small knives and glass beads. "How about we make a bet on whether the government troops will pass through here?"

"Okay!" Zhao Erhu took out a tael of silver and made a gesture.

As long as the officers and soldiers appear on the horizon, Zhao Erhu's guess will be true.

He gripped his binoculars tightly and stared intently northward, hoping that the soldiers would appear soon, as if only then could he prove that the Red Turban Army was a stronger force than the Beggars' Army and the Kun Gang!

Perhaps it was a cruel joke played on them by fate, for they waited in the mountains for a whole day without seeing any sign of the soldiers.

Even Zhao Erhu couldn't help but have doubts, and his belief in him dropped to 90%.

Did the officers and soldiers discover the main force of the Red Turban Army and change their route to retreat?
Zhao Erhu thought to himself, "This shouldn't be happening."

He remembered that the total strength of the raiding party exceeded five thousand. Even though they were divided into small teams to harass the county town, there were still several thousand people gathered together to keep a close eye on the movements of the government troops.
The fact that the general in the mountains, who possesses the ability to transmit sound over a thousand miles, did not announce any changes to the plan indicates that the soldiers were within a hundred miles. So why did they not arrive for so long?
As time went by, the eldest and third brothers became increasingly arrogant in front of Erhu. Erhu always felt that the righteous soldiers he followed were being outshone by others, and he had a bitter feeling of resentment and helplessness.

One morning, a loud bugle call resounded throughout the land, and Zhao Erhu immediately picked up his binoculars to look into the distance.

Sure enough, the figures of the government troops appeared at the edge of the horizon, like a blurry black worm wriggling around the horizon, with the flags fluttering in the wind like the downy hairs on the worm's body.

"Our Red Turban Army is incredibly prescient; speak of the devil and he appears!"

Zhao Erhu felt refreshed and his excited grin stretched almost to his temples. He laughed several times without turning his head, and he knew without looking that the two brothers must be dumbfounded.

"A bet's a bet, so hand it over." Zhao Erhu smiled smugly, extending his left hand to beckon the two brothers to hand over the bet money.

The older brother handed over the knife with a shocked look on his face. "Who exactly is the commander of these soldiers? He's led his troops to the dogs! They could have stayed put or crossed the river to the north, but he insisted on walking straight into the trap! He's worse than an animal... I'm speechless."

……

"Zhuge Lutang reports: Enemy camp has been spotted ahead!"

"what?"

Upon hearing the news, Yang Wenyue immediately sensed that something was terribly wrong. He quickly ordered the entire army to form a large chariot formation according to the organizational structure of each unit, and the generals of each unit rushed to the main tent for a meeting. He also ordered more than ten skilled horsemen to go and investigate carefully.

As the scouts reported, it was indeed true that they had encountered the enemy. The camps, stretching for more than ten miles, were all occupied by enemy soldiers. If each camp had ten men, there were at least fifty thousand enemy soldiers!
An eighteen-mile-long trench blocked the front line, completely sealing off the road to Jinan.

Even after hearing the same information from more than ten scouts, Yang Wenyue and the others still couldn't believe it.

Wasn't the main force of the rebels heading straight for Gaowan? The government troops clearly withdrew south in time, so how could they encounter the main force of the rebels in Zhangqiu, which is under the control of the government?
Could it be that the enemy camp was completely empty, and that it was just a smokescreen set up by a few bandits and treacherous civilians?
(End of this chapter)