The Military Governor in Dream of the Red Chamber

"To plunder southwards?" Wang Baisheng said.

"Is it possible that they're trying to lure us out, making us think the camp is empty so they can launch a surprise attack?" Zhou Shitou thought for a moment and said.

"Do you really need to go to such lengths to deal with us?" Jia Chen retorted.

Zhou Shitou smiled sheepishly.

That's true, there are only a few of them, and they're not any important figures.

Even if the Northern barbarians wanted to kill us, they didn't need to go through all this trouble.

They just need to wait for the returning Northern army.

"However, we cannot rule out this possibility." Jia Chen took a deep breath and looked at Zhao Zheng. "This matter must be clarified: did this part of the Northern Barbarians really go south, or was it just a short-term trip?"

"Duntou, everyone needs to keep an eye on things during the day. Tonight, I'll go to the Northern Barbarian camp to investigate and see if the troops that went out have returned," Zhao Zheng said.

During the day, Jia Chen and the others kept a close eye on the movements at the Northern Enemy camp, but did not see any of the troops that had gone out return.

Zhao Zheng rests during the day to conserve his energy for the evening.

As night fell, he descended from the watchtower and continued his reconnaissance outside the Northern Barbarian camp.

"Everyone, get ready. If nothing unexpected happens, tonight will be our chance to make our move," Jia Chen said to the group.

"Damn it, even if I die, I'll still kill a few more of those Northern barbarians," Wang Baisheng said fiercely.

Everyone else felt the same way; they wanted to take as many people down with them before they died.

"Don't say such unlucky things, everyone has to survive." Jia Chen laughed and scolded.

After waiting for about an hour, Zhao Zheng returned.

"How is it? Have the northern barbarians who went south during the day returned?" Wang Baisheng asked immediately when he saw Zhao Zheng come up.

They didn't see the northern barbarians return during the day, but at night, they couldn't see them from the watchtower, and they didn't know if the northern barbarians had secretly returned to the camp.

"No," Zhao Zheng replied, then said to Jia Chen, "Chief, I overheard some of the conversation between the Northern barbarians left at the camp. I understood most of it. Those who went south during the day were going to plunder inside the Great Wall, and they won't be back for at least the next few days. There are 25 Northern barbarians left at the camp now, three of whom are seriously injured."

"Boss, this is a good opportunity." Wang Baisheng stared intently at Jia Chen.

The same is true for others.

They had originally prepared for the worst, which was to face more than eighty northern barbarians head-on.

Now most of the northern barbarians have moved south, leaving only about 20 people, which is much better than previously expected.

Jia Chen glanced around at everyone and saw that their faces were full of fighting spirit.

When his gaze fell on Liu Cheng, Liu Cheng nodded slightly to Jia Chen.

"Brothers, there's not much to say. We'll make our move at dawn." Jia Chen took several deep breaths and said in a deep voice, "Old Sun, cook. Cook everything that's left that's edible, so we can all have a dry meal."

Jia Chen has gone all in, leaving himself no way out.

Either die, or kill the Northern barbarians and you won't have to worry about food.

In the Northern Enemy camp, Sangha sat by the campfire, where he and several other companions were on guard duty that day.

At this moment, a northern barbarian carrying a wine jar came to his side.

"Noyan, drink!" Someone poured a bowl of wine and handed it to Sangha.

"I'm not drinking anymore, be careful of a sneak attack by the Da Hong Dynasty soldiers," Sangha waved his hand and said.

"Nuoyan, you mean those on the watchtower? How dare the soldiers of the Great Hong Dynasty launch a sneak attack?" His tone was full of disdain.

Sangha shook his head. Regardless of whether the other party had the guts or not, he still had to be vigilant while on guard duty. How could he drink alcohol?

"I am no longer Alban," Sangha said.

"In my heart, you are Albanoyan," the visitor said. "Actually, you shouldn't have contradicted Albanoyan, and that scoundrel Yikena too. If it weren't for his sowing discord between Albanoyan and you, you wouldn't have been dismissed from your post. Yikena and the others are all fast asleep, leaving us here on guard duty. We can't treat ourselves badly..."

His words clearly showed little respect for Yikena, the head of ten households.

During the day, Baal's decision to lead his men south was opposed by Sangha.

In Sangha's view, their task was to protect the little prince's spoils.

If Baal takes most of his men with him, those who remain may not be able to cope with any unexpected events or changes.

But Bal wouldn't listen. In his view, this trip south was a great opportunity to plunder, and he would be wasting it if he just sat there.

These spoils belong to the little prince. Although the guards deserve some credit and will receive some reward from the little prince when they return, none of that can compare to the value of personally plundering them.

What he seizes is his own. He rarely gets to come here, and he's not willing to watch others plunder south while he just stays here.

Even if I disobeyed the Little Prince's orders this time, as long as I returned in time, there would be no problem.

He didn't believe there could be any accidents here, given the cowardly soldiers on the platform.

So Baal couldn't resist leading his men south, disobeying the little prince's orders.

Sangha angered Baal because of this, and with Ikona fanning the flames from the sidelines, Sangha was dismissed from his position as head of ten households.

The dozens of people remaining at the camp are now all under the command of Yikena.

As for the conflict between the two, Yikena assigned all the hard and tiring work to Sangha.

Those who had a good relationship with Sangha were also targeted.

The Northern barbarian who delivered the wine was one of them.

"Noyan, drink up, it's alright. We still have people here. Even if the Great Hong Dynasty's soldiers come, what can they do? This is good wine, Great Hong Dynasty's liquor, strong and potent!" He poured Sangha a full bowl of wine.

This was found among the caravan's goods; normally, given their status, they would never have been able to drink it.

Even inferior wines were rarely rewarded by the higher-ups.

This time, while staying behind, it could be said that Kena was stealing from his post, secretly taking some out.

This was already the case when Baal was still alive.

Even if the Little Prince finds out later, he won't pursue the matter too much.

Sangha looked up at the distant front hill mound, where he saw the light of torches on its top.

These past few days, he had been keeping an eye on what was happening over there; those soldiers had been huddled on the watchtowers.

At most, one could stand on the top of the platform and look in one's direction.

Yes, although these soldiers resisted fiercely at the time, they certainly wouldn't dare to come and fight us head-on.

Thinking about the grievances he had suffered these past few days, Sangha cursed a few times before taking the bowl and drinking it down in large gulps.

Before I knew it, I'd downed two bowls, drunk a bit too much, and drowsiness was creeping over me...

The waning moon rose from the eastern horizon; it was already past midnight.

The moonlight was barely bright, and the surroundings were almost completely dark.

Jia Chen thought to himself how lucky he was; even God was on his side.

If it were the full moon on the fifteenth or sixteenth of the lunar month, it wouldn't be so easy to sneak close to the Northern Barbarian camp.

No one was left to guard the watchtower; everyone was mobilized.

In addition to carrying their own weapons, Jia Chen also brought three thunderbolts.

In short, nothing that can be used should be left out.

Success or failure hinges on this moment.

Guided by Zhao Zheng, the group quickly made their way to within ten zhang of the Northern Barbarian camp.

Jia Chen could clearly see three Northern barbarian guards around the campfire.

However, most of the guards were dozing off, and one of them was even holding a wine jar in his arms.

"Have you been drinking?" Jia Chen's heart skipped a beat when he saw the wine jar lying on its side next to the Northern Barbarian guard.

That would be even better.

The enemy clearly didn't take their soldiers seriously, probably never expecting a sneak attack.

If it weren't for the food shortage, Jia Chen wouldn't have wanted to take such a risk.

"Proceed according to plan," Jia Chen whispered.

The plan for the operation had already been discussed beforehand.

The best course of action would be to untie the captured soldiers without alerting the Northern Barbarians. This would greatly increase the number of soldiers on our side and strengthen our forces, making us much more confident in dealing with the Northern Barbarians.

However, the captured soldiers and caravan members were almost all together, making it difficult to rescue the soldiers without alerting the caravan members.

Regarding this, Jia Chen couldn't think of a good solution, and could only hope that the caravans wouldn't cause any trouble.

The group of people carefully crawled forward. Fortunately, it was pitch black all around, and the guards sent by the Northern Barbarians were drunk. They successfully reached the captured soldiers.

The captured soldiers were agitated by the sudden appearance of the people, but they quickly quieted down without alerting the northern enemy.

"Quick, untie the rope!" Jia Chen whispered.

"Quick, quick, help us untie them!" Just as Jia Chen and his men were untying the captured soldiers, someone suddenly shouted.

The sound was quite loud, and it sounded even more jarring in the quiet darkness.

The worst has happened, and there's nothing we can do about it. The captured soldiers and caravan members were practically side by side.

With a clatter, the wine jar in the arms of the Northern Barbarian guard fell to the ground and shattered. They were drunk, but the sound startled them awake.

Sangha opened his eyes and immediately looked in the direction from which the sound came. He was shocked and hurriedly shouted, "Ambush..."

As he shouted, he suddenly stood up.

Whether it was because he stood up too suddenly or because he was drunk, his head was a little dizzy. In addition, he had been whipped 50 times a few days ago, so his body was a little weak. Therefore, he lost his balance and fell to the ground with a thud.

The other two northern barbarians fared somewhat better, shouting as they charged towards Jia Chen and his men with their weapons.

"What are you wailing about, you son of a bitch..." Wang Baisheng cursed angrily at the guy who had spoken from the caravan, his face ashen.

"Old Sun, Da Niu, you two stay here and continue to untie them. The rest of you, follow me!" Jia Chen had already seen the Northern barbarians starting to rush out of the tents.

The ropes haven't been untied yet, so we need to buy some time.

Jia Chen took the lead, and Jia Mao and Liu Cheng immediately and tacitly protected him on either side.

The two sentry guards from the Northern Barbarians were the closest, no more than three zhang away. Just as they rushed forward a few steps, two sharp sounds rang out.

Wu Jiangsheng and Zhou Shitou fired their three-barreled guns first.

Because of the close proximity and the fact that both men were skilled marksmen, the two northern barbarians were shot in the chest, their bodies covered in blood, and they fell to the ground with a thud.

At this moment, almost all the Northern barbarians poured out of the tent and charged forward with a roar.

Some of these people were unsteady on their feet, clearly still under the influence of alcohol.

Regardless, the Northern Barbarians still outnumbered Jia Chen and his men.

The tent was only a little over 30 feet away from here, so everyone was practically face to face.

Wu Jiangsheng and Zhou Shitou quickly opened fire on the crowd. After each firing three shots, there was no time for them to reload.

Just then, Zhao Zheng approached the two men and gave them one Thunderclap Bomb each.

"Duntou, we'll go first!" Zhao Zheng shouted.

Three jars, which means three thunderbolts.

Zhao Zheng and his two companions rolled the jar toward the approaching Northern barbarians, and a loud rumble resounded.

After the three blasts, the Northern barbarians were stunned and disoriented. Many fell to the ground, some dead, some wounded, and a chorus of wails filled the air.

"Get up, kill, kill them!" Yikena shook his head, feeling only a blood-red blur before his eyes.

He was injured, and the effects of the alcohol had completely worn off.

He was initially reluctant to stay and guard the camp when Baal asked him to.

He also wanted to go south to plunder.

However, he couldn't disobey the order. Fortunately, Sangha was now under his control, so he could torture and humiliate Sangha to his heart's content, which was a rare pleasure.

He never imagined that the guards at the watchtower would dare to raid the camp.

Because he had climbed Qian Shan Dun before, he recognized Jia Chen and the others at a glance.

He was unwilling to step down from the platform last time.

Now, in his view, Jia Chen and the others' sneak attack was tantamount to them deliberately coming to their deaths.

Even though several of his men were injured or killed by the thunderbolts, and even though many of them were drunk and still under the influence of alcohol, he still did not take the Great Hong Dynasty's garrison seriously.

Even if they were outnumbered, their people would still be unstoppable; their tribesmen were incredibly brave.

Yikena's loud roar quickly calmed the Northern Barbarians down, and the huge explosion also sobered them up, causing them to rush towards Jia Chen and his men.

After facing a Northern enemy, Jia Chen slashed out with his long sword, both fast and accurate. With a forceful push of his right hand, he slashed the long sword downwards.

Blood splattered everywhere. A deep gash was slashed across the chest of the Northern Barbarian, who collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

At this moment, Jia Mao immediately helped to defend against the Northern barbarians who were launching a surprise attack from one side.

The northern barbarians roared, having suffered heavy losses, which fueled their bloodlust and ignited their ferocity.

Yikena had long been eyeing Jia Chen; he recognized that this young man was the leader of the guards.

He caused the deaths and injuries of many of his own people.

Therefore, Yikena went straight for Jia Chen.

With a clang, Jia Chen's right hand, which was gripping the knife, went numb. He recognized his opponent as the head of the ten households of the Northern Barbarians, who had previously climbed the watchtower. The man was very fierce and extremely strong.

Jia Chen's expression changed slightly as two more Northern barbarians charged in.

The Northern Barbarians still outnumbered them. They now only had seven men, and almost every one of them had to deal with more than two Northern Barbarians. Even though Wang Baisheng and the others fought bravely, the Northern Barbarians were also extremely fierce, which quickly caused Jia Chen and the others to suffer many injuries, putting them in a very dangerous situation.

Just then, a roar rang out from behind Jia Chen and the others.

Sun Tiechong and Liu Daniu had already untied the ropes binding the soldiers, and they immediately rushed over.

As they rushed over, a few picked up the weapons dropped by the slain Northern captives, while most grabbed whatever sticks, firewood, or branches they could find to use as weapons.

With over twenty more people joining at once, Jia Chen's group now outnumbered the Northern Barbarians.

When Yikena saw this, his face twisted in disbelief. He didn't think the other side could do anything with so many people around.

They're just a bunch of cowards, what can they do?

One warrior from their Chahar tribe could easily defeat three to five border troops from the Great Hong Dynasty.

"Ugh~~" Yikena wanted to make a move but found a sharp pain in her neck, and then everything went black and she lost consciousness.

Jia Chen was panting heavily, blood dripping continuously from the long knife in his hand.

He had just noticed that Yikena was a little distracted. Seizing the opportunity, he used all his strength to swiftly strike and kill Yikena.

"Good! The leader of the Northern Barbarians is dead! Kill!" Wang Baisheng roared.

The morale of the soldiers at Qianshandun has soared, and even those who were recently rescued and were feeling listless have become much more invigorated.

Seeing this, the remaining northern barbarians finally felt fear, especially after seeing Yikena killed.

One of the northern barbarians shouted loudly and turned to flee, which immediately caused the others to collapse as well.