Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 81 The Two Masters
Wang Jian and others used long ropes to play flying acrobatics and dropped from the sky, which really surprised Zhu Wen.

This "thief turtle" really has a lot of weird ideas.

We know the enemy is planning a surprise attack, but we don't know when, where, or what means they will use.

After being cut off by the mudslide, only a hundred or so soldiers were left of Zhu Wen's rear guard, while Wang Jian's group, with at least five hundred men, formed a semicircle at the entrance of the valley, pretending to attack.

"Dismount!" Zhu Wen gave orders quickly. Such a cramped terrain was not conducive to the charge of his cavalry at all. It would be better to fight a defensive battle relying on the valley entrance.

However, the two sides of the valley are not completely steep cliffs, but slopes that the enemy infantry can rush up, which means that the enemy can also go around to the sides or even the rear to launch an attack.

The knights of the Grass Army dismounted and formed two horizontal rows. Several horsemen controlled everyone's horses at the back to prevent them from kicking and biting.

However, there were very few Cao soldiers who could ride and shoot, and only a few people like Tian Jun carried bows.

"Brothers, shoot us!"

Wang Jian raised his head and shouted, and the soldiers bent their bows like full moons, and shot arrows at Zhu Wen and his group like a rain of dark clouds.

Wang Jian's direct troops, numbering more than a hundred people, were the "rear tower soldiers" raised by Jiedushi Cui Anqian himself. They were more elite than the guards, and each of them could fight ten men at once.

The bow, halberd, spear, sword, and shield are known as the Five Weapons. Wang Jian's troops were composed entirely of skilled warriors, skilled in all five weapons, both on horseback and on foot.

The hundreds of Heluo soldiers who fought in cooperation with them were led by Chen Liqing and Liu Xun, and they were obviously the elite of General Yan's army.

As for why he only brought so few people, one reason was to facilitate concealment, and the other was that Wang Jian had already conducted a comprehensive survey of the route that the Cao army had to take and the surrounding terrain, so he had a clear plan in mind.

"To grasp the main points, the main points will lead to the whole picture; to solve a problem, we must focus on the key points." Wang Jian lectured Liu Xun, who was standing beside him. "Huang Jutian relies on the little thief Zhu Wen as his strategist. Kill Zhu Wen, and Huang Chao will be like a toothless tiger, much easier to deal with than Wang Xianzhi. As for letting these mediocre people go, what's the harm in letting them go like ducks?"

Wang Jian had previously told Liu Xun that it was best not to use a strategy with more than three steps, because the more steps there were, the greater the variables.

This time, Wang Jian's plan only took one step.

However, this mere step was the result of countless preliminary surveys and calculations, and it perfectly cut into the blind spots of human thinking. Not to mention ordinary people, even a person with extraordinary wisdom like Zhu Wen would find it difficult to think of it.

"Raise your shield!"

At Zhu Wen's command, the soldiers raised their wooden shields to block the incoming arrows.

The sharp arrows came fast and fiercely with the spring east wind, like a torrential rain falling on the shields, making the shield-holding warriors feel that the earth is shaking.

The so-called east wind is actually the southeast wind, coming from the southeast sea and blowing towards the northwest.

The entrance of this valley does not face directly south, but rather southeast, which allows Wang Jianjun to take advantage of the east wind.

Such details were all taken into consideration by Wang Jian.

"Wei Gao, the renowned general of Emperor Dezong's reign, commanded Xichuan for twenty years, repeatedly defeating Tubo and earning the nickname Zhuge Liang's reincarnation. In my humble opinion, Brother Wang Jian's divine wisdom and meticulous planning truly make him the reincarnation of Zhuge Liang!" Liu Xun's eyes gleamed as he spoke excitedly, "Although Zhu Wen may be cunning, he's no match for Brother Wang!"

"That's hard to say!" Wang Jian said immediately, "I'm just a small military officer. How can I be compared with Prime Minister Zhuge Liang and Governor Wei? Are you trying to throw me into the fire?"

Although he said this, Wang Jian felt that Liu Xun was indeed the prodigy of Pinglu, and he must have spoken very nicely since he was young.

Shu is indeed a good place. In the local words, it is very comfortable. I wonder if I can get a military governor there in the future.

Wang Jian's view was quite reasonable. Zhu Wen was also very intelligent, but because of his harsh words, the villagers regarded him as naughty and willful, hated by gods and ghosts.

After several rounds of arrow rain, six or seven men were killed or wounded on one side of the Cao army. Stray arrows even pierced the horses behind them, causing them to groan in pain and scare away. This situation further weakened the morale of Zhu Wen and his men.

Zhu Wen saw clearly that the enemy, in order to avoid being discovered, were swinging in groups from the distant mountains on long cowhide ropes, so they looked unarmored. If they wore iron armor, the weight would be too heavy and the leather ropes would break, and they would inevitably fall to pieces.

Based on previous experience, Wang Jian and others were probably wearing paper armor under their clothes.

However, the effect of paper armor in defending against arrows is still a little poor. If everyone on our side has a bow and arrow in hand, even if there is a headwind, we still have the advantage of being high above and will not have to face the enemy's rain of arrows and fall into such a passive situation!
Tian Jun was unusually lucky today. She shot three arrows in a row, hitting the faces of three Zhongwu soldiers who had no helmet protection, and all of them fell to the ground.

"See, my archery skills are not bad. I was just unlucky that day!" She raised her voice to emphasize to Zhu Wen, as if she didn't feel at all that she was in a life-and-death crisis.

The rain of arrows finally stopped, and the Cao army soldiers breathed a sigh of relief. But they had to prepare for another bloody battle. Horns blared loudly in the enemy camp, clearly signaling a foot charge.

Chen Liqing glared and was about to rush forward, but Wang Jian grabbed her and said, "Do you want to die?"

Hearing this, Chen Liqing roared, "Wang Jian, what do you mean?"

"A general shouldn't go into battle out of anger," Wang Jian said calmly. "I heard that Zhu Wen rubbed your pigeon in front of a crowd during the battle of Songzhou. Of course you want revenge. But you're no match for Zhu Wen. If you rush in like this recklessly and furiously, you'll easily be hacked to death."

Hearing Wang Jian's words, Chen Liqing was so angry that her face turned blue. If Yan Shuai had not told her to obey Wang Jian's orders, with her temper, she would have definitely fought with Wang Jian on the spot.

But two figures, one thick and one thin, had already leaped forward like lightning. "These two are the highly paid guest officials hired by Marshal Yan. They are Tie Moler, the head of the Kunlun Sect, and Liu Mengyan, the head of the Cuiyan Sect. These two sects have a serious feud with Wang Xianzhi's Zhenyi Alliance. Their skills are superior to yours and mine. Letting them charge at the front will minimize our casualties."

Chen Liqing had to admit that although Wang Jian's words were unpleasant to the ear, they made a lot of sense.

With her intelligence, the reason she is still alive today is because she follows a smart man like Yan Shuai and faithfully carries out Yan Shuai's orders.

"Zhu Wen's head is waiting for you."

As Wang Jian said, he didn't read many books.

"Yima ke dai" means that one has quick thoughts and can write thousands of words at a time. One can draft documents while leaning against a horse that is about to set off and wait for the manuscript to be completed. However, Wang Jian used it incorrectly.

But except Liu Xun, no one else noticed the problem.

Chen Liqing was born into the Zhejiang branch of the Yingchuan Chen family. However, when she was twelve, her family was attacked and killed by Qiu Fu's rebel army. She was also brutally tortured by a group of rebels. She was raised by her own family in Yingchuan, where she devoted her energy to martial arts training, focusing solely on killing more rebellious people to vent her resentment. She never read a single book again, and of course, she couldn't understand the problem.

As for Liu Xun, if he pointed out Wang Jian's mistakes to his face, he would no longer be a Pinglu prodigy, but a fool among fools.

"The sword of Kunlun bleeds into the ocean, and it drives straight to the Yellow River for thousands of miles."

Tie Moler, the leader of Kunlun Sect, held a heavy sword in his hand and let out a long roar, his robe fluttering in the wind, looking very majestic.

The blade was as black as ink, emitting a faint crimson glow. As it swept across, its power was astonishing, instantly sweeping a Grass Army soldier, shield and all, high into the sky. As he fell, Tie Moler's sword shattered his head.

The Kunlun Sect, based between the Kunlun and Qilian Mountains, maintained friendly relations with the Kingdoms of Khotan, Gaochang, and the Zhang clan of Shazhou. After the Tibetans invaded Helong, the Kunlun Sect publicly cooperated with them, but secretly engaged in numerous subterfuges. Following the Tibetans' decline, Zhang Yichao won Shazhou over, and Khotan and Gaochang resumed paying tribute to the Tang Dynasty. The road to the Western Regions was reopened, and the Kunlun Sect's influence returned to the Central Plains, forging a feud with the Zhenyi League, the dominant force in the martial arts world.

Tie Moler's father, Tie Kunlun, bribed eunuchs at court to monopolize the Silk Road trade, creating a feud with the Zhenyi League. Twenty years ago, he challenged Wang Xianzhi to a duel. Although Wang Xianzhi showed mercy, his father still lost five fingers to Wang Xianzhi with his sleeve, ultimately succumbing to shame and anger. This marked the beginning of the Kunlun Clan's feud with the Zhenyi League, and now that Wang Xianzhi had died in battle, Tie Moler saw the perfect opportunity to strike back.

Liu Mengyan, the leader of the Cuiyan Sect, was a graceful young woman. The faint crow's feet at the corners of her eyes did not detract from her beauty, but instead added a touch of maturity and grace. She wore a gentle smile, yet her aura was as charming as smoke. The long scimitar in her hand, which was out of proportion to her stature, was particularly eye-catching.

The scimitar's chopping action is less strenuous than that of a straight sword, and the speed of the blade is also faster than that of a straight sword, which is more conducive to bringing out the advantage of women's agility.

Liu Mengyan's moves were sometimes dramatic and powerful, surging like a tidal wave, and sometimes like a willow swaying in the wind, soft yet firm. Yet, her lethality was no less than Tie Moler's. Her blade slashed through flowing arcs of light, and in no time, she had chopped down three or four Grass Army warriors.

The two leaders attacked from the left and right, heading straight for Zhu Wen.

When two people join forces, their fighting power will be doubled, and the opponent will be distracted and unable to attack. If you attack from the front, the opponent will come from behind. If you prepare for the left, the opponent will come from the right. If you are prepared everywhere, you will be able to attack everywhere.

The strength of either of the two leaders is greater than that of Zhu Wen. In addition, two fists are no match for four hands. If Zhu Wen is attacked by two people together, he will have no hope of survival.

Zhu Wen was about to draw his sword to resist, but he felt a huge force pushing him back into the formation.

"General Zhu Wen, retreat to the rear. That red horse has wooden clogs on its back. Once you've traversed the mud, you can retreat back into the main force!" This was said by Wang Xianzhi's general, Chu Yanwei, who had just given Zhu Wen a hard push. "We'll protect you, General, even if it means our lives!"

Cai Wenqiu also shouted, "That's right! If it weren't for General Zhu coming all the way to our aid, we brothers would have been buried on the battlefield of Qizhou! I've earned enough by hiding for a few days. Why should I be afraid of death?"

The two had lost all their troops in the battle of Qizhou. Ever since Zhu Wen came to their aid, they had shown great respect and affection for him, and had agreed to serve in Zhu Wen's camp.

Following the two men's suggestions, it seemed to be the most rational decision at the moment to abandon the more than one hundred brothers who were separated by the mudslide, walk through the mud swamp washed out by the mudslide in wooden clogs, and escape into the main group.

Even though the water was still flowing sparsely, carrying rocks with it, there was a risk of being hit by the boulders or even killed if one passed through it. But staying would seem to be a dead end as the enemy's target was Zhu Wen.

But for Zhu Wen, this not only meant fleeing in the face of Wang Jian's enemy, but also meant abandoning Huo Cun, Tian Jun, Chu Yanwei and Cai Wenqiu, and abandoning more than a hundred brothers who had entrusted their lives to him!
Zhu Wen considered himself a loyal man. How could he abandon his army and flee like this?

"Hurry!" Chu Yanwei roared, "The Cao army can survive without us, but how can it survive without General Zhu? Without your wisdom and strategy, who will avenge Alliance Leader Wang and us?"

Chu Yanwei thrust his spear at Tie Moler, while Cai Wenqiu swung his long sword and pounced on Liu Mengyan, both of them fighting with a selfless attitude.

Zhu Wen saw Chu Yanwei's spear break, and was slashed into two pieces by Tiemole's sword from right shoulder to left hip, but his teeth also bit Tiemole's left wrist, tearing off a piece of flesh.

Tie Moler threw Chu Yanwei's body away in disgust, tore a piece of cloth from his clothes, and bandaged the wound casually.

Cai Wenqiu's blade pierced Liu Mengyan's thigh, and at the same time, Liu Mengyan beheaded him with one blow, and his head flew several feet high.

The stab wound in the thigh made Liu Mengyan particularly disgusted. This woman actually swung her knife in the air several times, chopping Cai Wenqiu's head into pieces, and brain matter and blood splattered like flowers!

These two grass army generals, who were not very skilled at all, disregarded their lives and fought for several rounds, and even injured the leader of a big sect who was highly skilled in martial arts.

But what Zhu Wen saw was that the two had only known each other for a few days, and his brother had completely placed his trust in him and paid the price of his life to protect him.

Their last wish was that Zhu Wen would abandon the others here so that they could survive.

Can he fulfill such a wish?

(End of this chapter)