In times of chaos and famine, I traded one pound of rice for two royal flushes.

Qin Shaolang did not participate in cutting down the trees.

He stood on the platform, calmly giving instructions.

"The one on the left, a little deeper!"

"The one on the right, the angle is wrong, move it up three inches!"

His judgment was frighteningly accurate, like that of a most experienced craftsman who could see all the key points of mechanics at a glance.

Unbeknownst to them, Su Jin had also brought people to deliver buckets of dark grease and a large amount of cloth strips to the hillside.

She looked up at the tiny figures on the cliff face, her palms sweating.

She couldn't understand what Qin Shaolang was planning.

But she could sense that an invisible net of death was slowly being drawn in this man's hands.

And the target of this network is the soon-to-be-arrived Black Wind Stronghold.

Two hours later.

The main supporting trees were all cut down and left to teeter on the brink of collapse.

A dozen thick ropes, like a spider web, connect the giant rock to the opposite mountain wall.

At a single command, more than a dozen axes simultaneously slashed the ropes.

A boulder that has lost its balance will crash down.

"Alright." Qin Shaolang nodded in satisfaction after checking the last rope.

He led his men back to the hillside below.

"Wang Tiezhu!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Pour half of our oil onto the road at the valley entrance! Especially around those antler guns and traps! Spread strips of cloth there too!"

Wang Tiezhu was stunned.

"Sir, this...this is the oil we need to get through the winter!"

"Running out of oil is better than losing your life," Qin Shaolang said without room for argument. "Go now!"

"yes!"

Soon, the pungent smell of oil, mixed with the earthy stench, filled the valley entrance.

That only passage had become a greasy road to death.

Everyone was looking at Qin Shaolang.

The initial fear and despair were no longer on their faces.

Instead, a complex emotion of awe, madness, and anticipation prevailed.

They didn't know if the plan would succeed.

But they knew that by following this man, they at least had a glimmer of hope.

Qin Shaolang ignored the gazes of the crowd.

He walked up to Su Jin, his voice a little hoarse.

"Have all the wounded been taken care of?"

"They've all been placed in the last cave in the mountain," Su Jin nodded.

"Very good." Qin Shaolang then looked at Su Tang, "Are you scared?"

Su Tang shook her head, her little face full of determination: "I'm not afraid! I still need to change the wounded's dressings!"

Qin Shaolang reached out and rubbed her head.

He turned around and faced everyone.

"The people from Black Wind Stronghold could come at any time."

"From now on, everyone, take your places."

"The hunting team is lying in ambush on both sides of the hillside, responsible for pushing the stones."

"Infrastructure team, hold the valley entrance, prepare to set it on fire."

"The logistics team will take care of the wounded and be ready to fight fires and provide supplies at any time."

"Is there a problem?"

"No!"

A unified roar echoed through the valley.

That voice carried a resolute determination, as if it were a do-or-die situation.

The night grew deeper and deeper.

Apart from the sound of the wind, there was not a single other noise in the valley.

Everyone held their breath, like a group of hunters lurking in the darkness, waiting for their prey to appear.

Just when everyone was feeling a bit tired.

Outside the valley, Li Si, who was on lookout duty, suddenly scrambled back.

His face was filled with terror.

"Sir! They're here! They're here!"

"They're here! They're here!"

Li Si's shout was like a stone thrown into a dead pond, instantly stirring up the deepest fear in everyone's hearts.

The newly established order nearly collapsed again.

"What's the panic!"

Qin Shaolang's icy voice struck everyone's nerves like a hammer.

"On your marks!"

He didn't waste any words, only gave the most direct orders.

These four words seem to possess a magical power.

The restless crowd miraculously quieted down.

Zhao Wu and Wang Tiezhu roared and pushed the still trembling able-bodied men to their respective positions.

The women covered the children's mouths tightly and dragged them into the safest hole in the ground.

Fear was written all over everyone's face, but their bodies were mechanically carrying out orders.

They hid behind the stone wall, lay in ambush on the hillside, and lay prone at the entrance of the valley.

The entire valley fell into a deathly silence once again.

Only hearts pounded wildly in the chest cavity.

The sound of hooves.

From far to near.

First came subtle vibrations, then a dense, thunderous sound, like a downpour pounding on the ground.

Outside the valley, the firelight stretched out in a long line.

The crude laughter and curses, carried clearly on the wind, rang out.

"Hahaha, Boss Black Yama was right, these lowly commoners really are here!"

"Can you smell that? It's the smell of meat! Damn, the smell of smoked meat!"

"We're rich! Today we'll have women, and meat too!"

These bandits were completely unsuspecting.

In their view, this was just a relaxed autumn "grass harvest".

A flock of lambs to the slaughter, not worth their serious attention.

The fire dragon is getting closer and closer.

Leading the group was a one-eyed, burly man riding a tall horse, carrying a huge ghost-headed sword on his shoulder. His face was full of scars, and he exuded a menacing aura.

He was the second-in-command of Black Wind Stronghold, known as "One-Eyed Wolf".

"Men, charge!"

The one-eyed wolf pointed his scabbard at the dark valley entrance and sneered, "The first ones to rush in get two women and a jar of fine wine!"

"Awooooo!"

Dozens of bandits, as if injected with chicken blood, brandished their swords and charged toward the valley entrance with strange cries.

They rushed to be first, fearing to fall behind others.

The horse's hooves trod the land at the mouth of the valley.

then.

"Thump!"

The horse leading the charge suddenly slipped.

It was an extremely strange slip, as if I were stepping on a huge, greased iron plate.

The warhorse let out a mournful cry, its massive body instantly losing its balance and crashing to the side.

The bandits on horseback had no time to react before they were pinned down by the horse, which weighed a thousand pounds.

This is just the beginning.

"what!"

"My legs!"

The bandits who followed closely behind also fell victim to the trap.

Some slipped and fell headfirst into an inconspicuous shallow pit, where sharp bamboo stalks instantly pierced their thighs and stomachs.

Some were tripped by their slipping companions and rolled around in a heap.

The originally aggressive charge turned into chaos and disarray in just a few breaths.

The narrow valley entrance was instantly blocked by a dozen people and several fallen horses.

The bandits behind, unaware of what was happening, continued to charge forward.

"Damn it! What's going on?!"

"Stop pushing! There's a collapse in front!"

Curses and screams mingled together.

On the hillside, Qin Shaolang stood behind a boulder, calmly observing everything below.

Su Jin, who was standing next to him, had cold sweat on her palms and her face was as pale as paper.

The scene before her was beyond her comprehension.