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Chapter 135 Sneak Attack on Qingni Ridge

Inside the barracks of Guzhen Military Village, Li Yi stood alone in front of Qin and Feng's map, his expression showing some anxiety.

Today is the fifth day of the seventh lunar month. Less than two months have passed since Li Yi set out from Tokyo in mid-May. Now, the four prefectures of Qin and Feng have been completely captured. Li Yi has fulfilled the military pledge he made to the emperor.

Of course, if we calculate based on the date the vanguard left San Pass, it actually only took about a month to conquer cities and fortresses and sweep away the main force of the Shu army.

No matter how you look at it, Li Yi's contributions are significant. He is certainly qualified to be promoted to the rank of Jiedushi (military governor), and his position as the commander of the palace cavalry can also be raised. Becoming a full-fledged official is a given.

But now there is something that is troubling Li Yi. The Shu army is currently defending south of Qingni Ridge, while the Zhou army is stationed in Guzhen to the north. The two sides have formed a stalemate, and it is unknown how long it will last.

This should have been a good thing. As long as the Guzhen line was well defended and the Shu army was not allowed to cross Qingni Ridge, there would be no need to fight a desperate battle.

The Later Zhou court had also planned in this way. Having already achieved its goal of taking over the four prefectures of Qin and Feng, the emperor did not want to attack the Shu Kingdom for the time being, but wanted to focus its military efforts on the Southern Tang.

But here's the crux of the problem... Who should Zhou send to guard against the Shu army?
Several thousand Shu troops are now stationed south of Qingni Ridge. It is said that Li Tinggui, the commander of the Northern Route Army of Later Shu, also led two or three thousand imperial guards from Chengdu to Xingzhou to prevent the Zhou army from taking the opportunity to attack the heartland of Shu.

Although Emperor Chai Rong did not intend to wage a full-scale war, this was a major national strategy known only to a few high-ranking officials... After all, politics is a game of psychological warfare, and it was impossible to let the enemy know one's trump card.

Moreover, even if the Shu Kingdom knew about this, who could guarantee that the Zhou emperor wouldn't suddenly change his mind and want to take over Shu in one fell swoop because he saw that the battle was going very well at the front?

Therefore, it was a normal consideration for the Shu Kingdom to not dare to relax its vigilance and to gather heavy troops to defend the strategic pass.

However, with the Shu Kingdom having amassed a large force along the Qingni Ridge, the Zhou Kingdom was naturally worried that the Shu army would launch a counterattack, and neither side could remain completely still.

Li Yi had been pondering this repeatedly these past few days. If the emperor ordered someone to remain in Guzhen to guard it strictly, then the first choice for general would most likely be himself!

After all, most of the Shu army in the Qin and Feng regions was defeated by Li Yi's troops, and the garrison in Guzhen was so frightened by him that they fled at the first sign of trouble.

In terms of commanding combat, Li Yi wouldn't dare boast of how great he was, but it's also true that he routed the Qin and Feng Shu armies.

Therefore, to be on the safe side, the Later Zhou court decided that it would be more prudent to have Li Yi lead the troops to defend the area rather than send another military general to replace him.

As for Wang Jing, the general in charge of the western expedition... his troops are all local forces, and he suffered a minor loss in his first attack on Shu. Now that Shu has sent its imperial guards to support him, the emperor may not feel comfortable entrusting him with full authority.

The next step might be to wage war against the Southern Tang, as the emperor would not allow the Shu Kingdom to cause trouble for him from behind.

If anyone were to say who could confidently crush the Shu army south of Qingni Ridge, the entire Later Zhou court would undoubtedly agree that it was none other than Li Yi.

"Damn it, if we really leave me here to defend against the Shu Kingdom, then I won't be able to participate in the attack on the Southern Tang?"

Li Yi was very irritable. It was not uncommon for the Imperial Guards to be sent to the frontiers of the vassal states during the Five Dynasties period. Wasn't Shi Yanchao in the same situation?

Moreover, what if the emperor, in a moment of impulsiveness, appoints himself as the military governor of Qin and Feng to guard against Shu in the long term? ... At present, such a thing seems unlikely, but even the slightest possibility is unacceptable!

Li Yi knew perfectly well that by the mid-to-late Five Dynasties period, the regional military governors were a thing of the past. Even if they could live a carefree life in their localities, a single word from the emperor could make them live or die.

The Central Imperial Guard is the powerful force that can decide everything in this era!

Even if I am not appointed as a military governor, I cannot stay away from Tokyo for too long and be stationed in a local area. The situation changes very quickly, and if I am slow in one step, I will be slow in every step... I must not waste time on the Qin-Feng line, and I need to find a way to return to Tokyo as soon as possible.

Just then, Li Hanchao came in carrying food. Seeing Li Yi standing in front of the map with a frown, he couldn't help but ask, "Brother, we've already captured Qin and Feng, why are you still looking so worried?"

Li Yi beckoned him over, pointed to the location of Qingni Ridge on the map, and asked, "What do you think our chances of winning are if we launch a surprise attack on the Shu army south of Qingni Ridge?"

Li Hanchao asked in confusion, "Didn't the imperial court order us to stay in Guzhen to defend against the Shu army? Has the situation changed?"

Li Yi shook his head and sighed, "This is not the court's arrangement, but my own idea. Han Chao, you see, the Shu army stationed south of Qingni Ridge is not far from Xingzhou City, and the roads are flatter and easier to travel than ours, so the logistical transportation pressure is also less than ours."

"If our army were to fight the Shu army to the death here, we would definitely suffer more losses... Besides, do you think it would be a good thing if we stayed in Qin and Feng without returning to Tokyo for too long?"

Li Hanchao thought about it carefully and agreed, "The brothers of the Imperial Guard came out to earn military merits. Their families are all in Tokyo. Now that they have the merits, they are all eager to go back and receive their rewards. Who wants to stay in this poor and remote place?"

Li Yi said, "It's not just the brothers, it's the same for you and me. Moreover, in my opinion, the imperial court will soon start a war against the Tang Kingdom, and we can't waste our time here."

"Then what do we do? The imperial court doesn't seem to want us to go back yet." Li Hanchao sighed, somewhat troubled. "The Shu army is keeping a low profile and not making any moves. We're stuck here."

Li Yi smiled slightly and said meaningfully, "If the Shu army doesn't move, we'll force them to move... If we can defeat the Shu army blocking Qingni Ridge and make the Shu Kingdom no longer dare to covet the four provinces of Qin and Feng, then we can get away."

Li Hanchao hesitated and said, "But the imperial court has not ordered us to send troops to Qingni Ridge... and General Wang may not approve of this. What if the imperial court investigates us later?"

Li Yi remained silent for a moment after hearing this before speaking: "The bold get rich, the timid starve. As long as we can defeat the Shu army south of Qingni Ridge and eliminate their threat to the four provinces of Qin and Feng, everything will be fine... Now I don't know if the brothers are willing to take this risk."

Li Hanchao laughed and said, "Brother, don't worry about that. You have no idea how much everyone respects you now. They all say in private that following you will win battles and bring you rewards. As long as you say go and fight, the brothers will definitely listen to you!"

Hearing this, Li Yi shook his head and remained silent. Precisely because he had never lost a battle, everyone had high expectations of him, and this invisible pressure was actually a burden.

Just then, a guard came in to report that Zuo Ling'er was urgently looking for Li Yi with several mountain people.

Two days after sending a cartload of grain to the mountain people, Zuo Ling'er led a group of able-bodied mountain people to the military camp in Guzhen to find Li Yi. She said that she had brought people to help with the work in order to thank him for the grain.

Li Yi felt that these people were simple and honest, and compared to many hypocritical people, they knew how to be grateful. They would definitely repay anyone who was willing to help them. However, the army did not lack labor, so Li Yi did not ask them to help with the work. But he heard that the mountain people made a living by hunting in their spare time and were very familiar with the terrain from Guzhen to Qingni Ridge.

Li Yi decided to have the mountain people act as his spies, helping them keep an eye on the movements of the Shu army south of Qingni Ridge. Compared to the scouts sent out by Zhou's army, these local mountain people were less conspicuous, and perhaps they could yield unexpected results.

Just as Li Yi had imagined, the mountain people did indeed gather a lot of useful information for him, which added another source of intelligence.

Of course, Li Yi didn't let the mountain people help for nothing. Instead, he exchanged grain, salt, cloth, and other goods with them. Encouraged by these benefits, the mountain people were very motivated and sent news about the Shu army every few days, almost knowing everything about their daily lives, including their eating, drinking, and sanitation.

Upon hearing that Zuo Ling'er had brought people to find him, Li Yi assumed there was some important news and quickly ordered his personal guards to bring them in.

However, when Li Yi saw the person, he found that it was not what he had expected. Zuo Ling'er was crying with tears streaming down her face, and her clothes were soaked and covered with mud and grass, as if she had fallen several times in the mud.

The young mountain people following behind were also in a sorry state. One of them was wounded; someone had shot him in the shoulder with an arrow, the shaft of which was broken, but half of the arrowhead was still embedded in his flesh.

The mountain villager who was hit by the arrow was also a tough guy; he endured the pain without uttering a single complaint.

"Take him to the army doctor to treat his arrow wound."

Li Yi stood up and gave an order, then walked to Zuo Ling'er. Seeing that her pretty face was covered in snot and tears, he frowned and asked, "What happened to you? Did someone bully you?"

His first reaction was that one of his soldiers had taken advantage of Zuo Ling'er and done something wrong, and that the other party had come to demand an explanation.

Zuo Ling'er sobbed, "Yada'er and Kuza'er have been captured, boohoo, it's all my fault... You must save them, only your army can defeat the Shu army..."

Just as Zuo Ling'er was speaking, several young mountain people behind her started chattering incoherently, looking anxious, but Li Yi couldn't understand a word they said.

Fortunately, through Zuo Ling'er's intermittent narration, Li Yi finally understood what had happened.

It turned out that early yesterday morning, Zuo Ling'er led several young people from the village on a risky journey across a small path on the west side of Qingni Ridge, intending to go to the Shu army's camp in Qutougou to investigate the situation up close.

Unexpectedly, after turning from the small road onto the main road and walking a few miles, they encountered Shu army scouts wandering nearby. This was not a big deal, as there were many villages inhabited by mountain people in the surrounding area, and it was normal for mountain people to appear.

Zuo Ling'er and the others thought the same thing, and considering that the enemy was on horseback, they might not be able to escape even if they wanted to. So when the Shu army scouts called out to them, they obediently stepped forward to answer.

Unfortunately, Zuo Ling'er was very beautiful, and the Shu army scouts, probably lusting after her, tried to take them back without saying a word.

Zuo Ling'er and the others weren't stupid; they realized something was wrong. Taking advantage of the lull in their dealings with the Shu army scouts, they seized the opportunity to turn around and run towards the dense woods by the roadside.

Needless to say, two of the men who were slower were caught on the spot.

Fortunately, the Shu army had only a few scouts, just four or five people, and the trees and bushes hindered the movement of the warhorses, otherwise Zuo Ling'er and the others would not have been able to escape.

After Zuo Ling'er and the others ran back, they did not go straight back to the village, but instead immediately ran to Li Yi for help.

After all, for them, no one but Li Yi, the general who drove the Shu army away, could have rescued people from the Shu army.

Zuo Ling'er sobbed, "It's all my fault... If I hadn't wanted to gather more information to... to exchange for food... Yada'er and Kuza'er wouldn't have been captured..."

Li Yi shook his head helplessly. The little girl was quite bold, daring to lead people to the Shu army camp to gather information... Did she really think that the Shu army's discipline was as good as his own soldiers?
Moreover, the good discipline of his soldiers is relative; it is mainly because he, as the commander, can keep them in check.

But now is not the time to talk about these things. Seeing the little girl crying so sadly, Li Yi comforted her, "Your two companions will be alright. I will do my best to help you rescue them."

He himself didn't really believe this. If it were just ordinary mountain people who were captured, the Shu army might not have taken their lives.

However, Zuo Ling'er's two companions were originally there to gather information. If they couldn't withstand the Shu army's torture and confessed the truth, they would have little chance of survival.

Of course, while he thought that way in his heart, he naturally said the positive things.

After receiving Li Yi's assurance, Zuo Ling'er gradually stopped crying, but she refused to leave and insisted on going with him to rescue people.

Li Yi said helplessly, "Alright then, I'll summon my generals first to discuss the rescue. Go to the inner room and rest for a while, I'll have someone find you some clean clothes to change into."

Zuo Ling'er obediently went into the back bedroom, and Li Yi immediately summoned the generals to discuss the attack on the Shu army at Qingni Ridge.

Anyway, he already had this idea, and saving people was just something he did on the side... but he still needed to plan how to fight.

When the generals arrived at the barracks hall, Li Yi did not directly say that he wanted to move troops. Instead, he first hinted, "We have fought several brilliant battles in Qin and Feng. When we return to Tokyo, everyone will surely be promoted and made rich."

Upon hearing this, everyone thought of the benefits of returning to Tokyo and couldn't help but smile.

But Li Yi then changed the subject: "However, the Shu army is currently blocking the area south of Qingni Ridge. We need to defend Guzhen against the Shu army. As long as they don't withdraw, we won't be able to return to Tokyo. It's been almost two months since we left Tokyo, and our parents, wives, and children at home must be looking forward to our return."

After saying that, he glanced at everyone's reactions out of the corner of his eye.

Taking a detour to ambush the Shu army at Qingni Ridge was a risky move. Li Yi wanted to use the "temptation of going home" to motivate everyone's fighting spirit.

Wang Changgong, being impatient, immediately shouted, "We still need to get back to our wives, children, and warm homes. How can we be trapped in this desolate wilderness and suffer? If you ask me, let's go straight over and drive the Shu army away, making them all go home so we can hurry back to Tokyo!"

(End of this chapter)