You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Chapter 185 How many people truly caught the deer? Who knows, they dreamt of fish all day long?

Jiang Qingyun and Ao Bai exchanged a glance.

Ao Bai spoke first:

"Guerrilla Hu has had a long and arduous journey. Go down now."

"Whoo."

As Hu Guozhu stood up, he glanced up at Jiang Qingyun.

When only the two people were left inside~
Ao Bai suddenly blurted out, "Brother Qingyun, I have a feeling that Li Dingguo can't wait any longer."

"He wants a decisive battle?"

"Yes, based on the scattered intelligence brought back by the scouts, I judge that Li Dingguo is planning a decisive battle. This man has a big appetite. However, I will not let him have his way."

"What does the General mean?"

"I will never cooperate with what the enemy wants to do. I will force the enemy to do what they don't want to do."

Ao Bai's eyes flashed with a cold light.

Jiang Qingyun seemed to be deep in thought.

……

Ao Bai then whispered:
"I plan to withdraw most of the banner troops in Jingzhou to Jingmen and Anlu. I will leave Beile Tunqi to lead the Green Standard Army to guard Jingzhou, and prepare sufficient firearms, cannons, gunpowder, and provisions."

"With his strategic planning, the general is bound to win battles from afar."

"You guessed my intentions?"

"The Ming army is severely lacking in siege artillery. The Green Standard Army is relying on firearms to defend Jingzhou, which can inflict heavy casualties on the Ming army and wear down their morale. With summer approaching, once their troops are exhausted and show weaknesses, our army will launch a long-distance cavalry raid from Jingmen or Anlu, arriving in the evening and striking decisively."

Ao Bai's eyes widened.

"You don't seem like an amateur."

"I've been hunting every day lately and have gained some experience."

"Hearing you say that, I suddenly feel a bit itchy to go hunting. Come on, let's go hunting in Baling Mountain today."

……

Northwest of Jingzhou City lies Baling Mountain.

The name "Baling Mountain" is more appropriate. It has no particularly steep mountains, and the terrain is undulating. The elevation is mostly below 30 zhang (approximately 133 meters). However, this place has excellent feng shui and is the burial site of noble tombs from various dynasties.

Ao Bai and Jiang Qingyun galloped ahead on their horses, with their guards following closely behind.

"Brother Qingyun, your riding skills seem pretty good."

"I've been practicing every day lately."

Before he finished speaking, a startled pheasant flew up from the grass.

Jiang Qingyun reacted quickly, drawing his bow and nocking an arrow. Whoosh, the arrow pierced the grass, and the pheasant, terrified, frantically flapped its wings, about to dart into the dense forest.

Ao Bai shot an arrow, and the pheasant fluttered and fell to the ground, struck by the arrow.

"Hahahaha~"

Once inside the mountains, the prey became significantly more plentiful.

Jiang Qingyun fired wildly, arrows flying like locusts, seven out of ten shots missing.

Ao Bai followed closely behind, relentlessly firing arrows, each one hitting its mark. He shot down every prey that Jiang Qingyun missed.

In the distance~
A lone wolf stood on a rock, silently watching this side, waiting for the humans to leave so it could scavenge some leftover prey to fill its belly.

Ao Bai reined in his horse.

“Yabran”.

"The end will be here."

"See that wolf? Treat him as Li Dingguo."

"Whoo."

Yablan turned his head.

"Four men fired simultaneously."

"Ready, one, two, fire!"

All four bows were simultaneously drawn to their fullest extent, then suddenly released, the arrows shooting like meteors, tracing a high arc straight towards the lone wolf.

The lone wolf was shot by an arrow and rolled down the hillside.

……

Jiang Qingyun reined in his horse and rode alongside Ao Bai at a slow pace, chatting idly.

“Team Leader Yablan is truly a divine archer.”

“He was a rare archer among the Manchus. I asked the Emperor for him and his archer squad so that I could kill Li Dingguo from a distance during the decisive battle.”

"To shoot a man, shoot his horse first; to capture a thief, capture his king first. Li Dingguo is the soul of the Ming army. If we can kill him, the morale of the Ming army is likely to collapse."

“You’re definitely not an amateur. Your martial arts skills are mediocre, but you have a good eye for battle. By the way, Brother Qingyun, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you privately.”

"General, please speak."

"The envoy you sent to negotiate with Li Dingguo was beaten up and sent back. Are you still planning to continue your counter-espionage scheme?"

"General, my counter-espionage plan has actually succeeded."

"And the effect?" "Ahem, General, you might not believe it, but Li Dingguo and Sun Kewang have already made their moves from afar."

Ao Bai laughed until tears streamed down his face.

"You're really good at telling jokes. But you'd better remember this: what you can't get on the battlefield, you can never get at the negotiating table."

That's all~
Ao Bai spurred his horse down the hillside, then suddenly turned and fired an arrow to the right.

A fawn that had rushed out of the dense forest was shot in the neck with an arrow, fell to the ground convulsing, and after a dozen breaths, it was dismembered by the arriving Eight Banner soldiers who took its blood and liver and presented them to Ao Bai.

Ao Bai ate until his mouth was full of blood, looking like a demon.

……

Jiang Zhongcheng silently urged his horse to catch up, and when he was a horse length behind, he said in a low voice, "Yun'er, the Eight Banners' horse archery is unparalleled in the world."

Jiang Qingyun neither turned around nor spoke.
He guessed that his father might have vaguely seen through his disloyal intentions, and therefore deliberately reminded him not to harbor any disloyal thoughts, otherwise he would surely fail.

It seems that most people nowadays are "afraid of the flag like a tiger".

In real history, even during the Kangxi era, when Wu Sangui raised the banner of rebellion and swept across the south in just a few months, and stationed his troops on the south bank of the Jingjiang River, he could not shake off the "fear of the flag" mentality hidden in his heart.

He told his subordinates, “You do not know the truth. I have fought against the Eight Banners for many years and know best their cavalry and archery skills. Once we cross the river and clash on the plains, the Eight Banners’ cavalry and archery will be unstoppable.”

If Wu Sangui was like this, what about his own father, who came from a military household on the border?

Jiang Qingyun spurred his horse and charged straight at Ao Bai.

Ao Bai ate until his mouth was blood red, then handed him a small bowl.

"Brother, try this fresh deer blood."

Jiang Qingyun reached out and took it; the pungent smell of blood instantly filled his lungs.

How many people truly possess the deer? They dream of fishing all day long. If one desires to conquer the world, how can one succeed without drinking deer blood?
He tilted his head back and drank it all.

"what about the taste?"

"Cool!"

Ao Bai took the bowl and laughed heartily.

“Good brother, let me tell you, if you hunt and ride like this every day, in three to five years you can become a Baturu of my Great Qing.”

……

Jiang Qingyun stared calmly at the bloody deer head that had been severed.

Hunting grounds, battlefields, officialdom~
They are essentially the same; they are all games of slaughter.

Giddy up!
Yablan returned, carrying a dead wolf in his hand.

thump~
He threw the wolf's carcass on the ground, where three arrows were clearly stuck.

"Whose shot missed?"

The three archers quickly drew their arrows to read the inscriptions on the shafts. One of them, overwhelmed with shame, knelt down on one knee.

"Commander, it's me."

slap~
Yablan lashed out with his whip, leaving a bloody welt near the ear of the archer who had made the mistake.

"Practice hard, and don't let this happen again."

"Whoo."

The Plain Yellow Banner archer who was whipped showed no anger, only shame.

Jiang Qingyun gained a deeper understanding of the Eight Banners.

……

Before sunset.

The large group of people returned to Jingzhou City.

This trip was very fruitful. The deer, wild boar, rabbit, pheasant and other prey were plucked, gutted and cleaned, then skewered with iron sticks and placed on a fire.

barbecue!

The thrill of hunting lies not only in the bloody experience of the kill, but also in the deliciousness of the game meat. The only risk is parasites.

Jiang Qingyun, who has a background in biology, is well aware of the enormous difference in the number of parasites between domesticated livestock and wild animals.

Jingzhou Banner Camp.

A secluded courtyard.

The prefect of Jingzhou arrived, bowing and scraping.

"The Vice-Chancellor wants to take a bath; how can he do without someone to serve him?"

"Go in and serve them well."

The guards sized up the timid, pretty village girl and silently made way for her.

Inside the room, steam rose.

Jiang Qingyun sat on a small stool, closed his eyes, and let the warm water pour down on his head, washing away the sweat and resentment.

The deer blood consumed during hunting churned within his body.

Slowly~
He sensed the fear emanating from the village girl and asked softly:
Were you captured?

(End of this chapter)