Extreme Frontier Army: Starting from the bottom ranks, conquering the chaotic world

Lu Jing lay prone behind the partially collapsed low wall, his gaze fixed on the person walking at the very back.

Zhao He.

The old man was wearing a thick suit of bright armor, with his helmet pulled down low.

He came to a steady stop behind an abandoned barricade, a full fifty paces from the granary gate.

The first ten men drew their swords, the backs of the blades against their forearms, and bent over as they made their way toward the half-open, heavy wooden door of the granary.

The ten men in the middle spread out five steps outside the door, quickly forming a crescent shape, their shields half-raised, and their crossbows with the strings cocked, protecting the vanguard's retreat.

Zhao He himself, with his last ten most burly guards, stopped fifty paces away.

If there is any movement inside, he can turn around and retreat back to the central army camp at any time.

Lu Jing frowned.

This old dog has become more vigilant after being tricked by himself several times.

The infantry advances in three sections, a typical infantry search formation.

If only ten forwards enter the field, the cost of lime and smoke will not even be half recovered.

We need to let them go up another level.

The granary door was kicked open.

The dull creaking sound carried far on the night wind.

The ten vanguard men, carrying knives, crouched low and slipped into the dark granary.

Lu Jing led his men inside during the day to rearrange the area, sealing off most of the ventilation openings except for a small opening at the very top.

The forward captain walked at the front.

The granary was so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face; you couldn't even find a person in it.

"ignition."

The forward captain lowered his voice and gave the order.

The flint struck the ground with a few crisp sounds, and the two tinderboxes lit up.

He raised his left hand, made a safety gesture towards the door, and waved it twice forcefully.

Upon seeing the gesture, the ten guards waiting outside immediately put away their crossbows and drew their swords.

They filed in, then dispersed to expand the search area.

There are twenty people now.

Lu Jing lay crouching behind the low wall, silently chanting in his mind.

Zhao He and his ten guards were still fifty paces away.

Not perfect.

But I can't wait any longer.

Once the other party realizes they've been tricked, these twenty people immediately retreat.

Lu Jing turned his head to look at the figure in the shadows to the right of the granary gate.

Shen Qingqiu was wearing a servant's uniform of indeterminate color, and his chest was heaving violently.

Lu Jingchong raised his right hand in her direction and chopped down sharply.

just now!

Shen Qingqiu bit her lower lip until it bled.

She put all the strength she had in her life onto her shoulders, leaping out of the shadows and slamming hard against the half-open, heavy wooden door.

"Bang!"

The heavy iron-clad door panel slammed against the door frame with a deafening thud.

A crossbar made of elm wood, as thick as an adult's thigh, was prepared outside the door and slid directly down the ramp.

With a "click," it fit perfectly into the forged iron door latch.

It's locked from the outside.

Shen Qingqiu simultaneously used the force to pull down the rope, and the oilcloth cascaded down like a waterfall.

Lu Jing suddenly leaped out from behind the low wall, using the granary's outer wall as leverage to rise higher.

With his left hand gripping the brick edge of the vent, he was suspended in mid-air.

He took out a tinderbox with his right hand, bit off the lid, and blew it on with a sudden burst of air.

The rag was soaked in kerosene and strong liquor that had been smuggled from the quartermaster, and when it came into contact with fire, it burst into a blinding fireball.

The torch in his hand drew a precise parabola in mid-air before crashing into the only remaining ventilation opening.

The torch landed right on the tarpaulin.

The tarpaulin burned fiercely, and thick black smoke billowed directly up to the roof.

The situation inside the granary spiraled out of control the moment the door was locked.

As soon as the captain of the vanguard heard the door close, he turned around abruptly, and the torch that fell from above illuminated the entire granary.

He finally saw what was hidden under the wheat straw at his feet.

A layer of quicklime, three inches thick and laid flat, was mixed with countless shards of inferior ceramic bowls.

"Retreat! We've fallen into their trap!"

The captain shouted these words at the top of his lungs, but his voice was immediately cut off by the thick smoke.

The toxic fumes produced by burning kerosene expanded rapidly in the enclosed space, choking people so much that they couldn't even open their eyes.

The twenty fully armed guards in black armor panicked completely in the darkness and instinctively turned and ran wildly toward the gate.

This escape cost him his life.

The heavy iron armor, combined with the hurried footsteps, pierced right through the thin straw.

The sharp shards of pottery underneath pierced their soft-soled leather boots without any resistance, embedding themselves deep into the flesh of their feet.

"what!"

The guards at the front of the line collapsed to the ground in pain.

As it was toppled, a large amount of quicklime spread on the ground was kicked up by the violent rolling motion.

Lime powder filled the air and fell into their wide-open eyes, which were filled with terror.

Mixed with tears, it suddenly produced an extremely high temperature of burning.

"My eyes! My eyes!"

The screams, like wild dogs being scalded by boiling water, tore through the solid wood door and carried outside.

Those at the back couldn't see what was happening in front; they just kept pushing forward.

The continuous stomping sounds and the mournful howls mingled together like a boiling pot of porridge.

Someone found the door and started banging and ramming it desperately.

But the elm wood crossbar outside was stuck and wouldn't budge.

Twenty elite infantrymen, in less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, turned into madmen trampling and hacking at each other.

In their struggle for even the smallest bit of air through the crack in the door, they even drew their knives and slashed at their comrades who stood in their way.

Fifty paces away.

Zhao He watched the billowing black smoke spewing out of the granary's ventilation vents and listened to the chilling screams coming from behind the door.

That wasn't the sound of battle at all.

One-sided slaughter, literally boiling people alive in jars.

Zhao He had led troops in battle for half his life and knew this tactic all too well.

The border troops used a tactic of eliminating all their offspring when dealing with bandits hiding in underground caves.

If the door is blocked, and smoke fills the air, nine out of ten people inside will be trampled to death by their comrades, and the remaining one will tear their own throat apart.

"Lord Centurion, please help!"

A guard beside him drew his knife, his voice trembling noticeably.

"Save my ass!"

Zhao He made a quick decision and turned around immediately.

"Retreat! Retreat to camp! That little beast has already laid a trap here. Go back to camp, get the ballistae, and flatten him!"

He's now kicking himself for it.

I thought that bringing thirty guards to capture a wounded corporal would be a piece of cake, but I didn't expect this kid to play by his own rules and turn the granary into a tomb.

Twenty went in, and they all perished inside. Only these ten people remain.

If a few hundred more mutineers and starving soldiers were to emerge from the darkness, he would be doomed here today.

run!

Zhao He was just about to turn his horse around.

On the retreat path ahead, a figure emerged from the shadows of abandoned barricades piled up on the side of the granary.

Lu Jing held a steel saber in one hand, the blade pointing diagonally at the ground.

"Lu Jing!"

Zhao He gritted his teeth and spat out those two words, his hand already gripping the hilt of the knife at his waist.

The ten guards reacted quickly and immediately dispersed into formation.

Ten unsheathed swords gleamed coldly in the moonless night, forming a semi-circle in front of Zhao He.

These ten men were Zhao He's true trusted henchmen, each one burly and extremely stable.

One against eleven.

The opposing team was fully armored and had a tight formation.

Lu Jing was alone, with a lingering injury on his waist.

From the direction of the granary, the heavy door panels were being slammed shut with a loud bang.

Although almost everyone inside was dying, the explosive power of a person on the verge of death is exceptionally great.

The elm wood crossbar already had tiny cracks, and someone could break down the wooden door and rush out at any moment.

time is limited.

Lu Jing dragged his knife and walked forward step by step.

He was even humming a tune.

"On the eighth day of the fourth month, go to the Xie family in Youzhou with three million taels of military pay..."

It was that folk song he arranged for Zhao He and Gu Changfeng to play in the secret tent, with a light and pleasant melody.

Coupled with the piercing screams coming from the granary behind them, it exudes an eerie chill.

The guards instinctively tightened their grip on their sword hilts.

"Kill him!"

Zhao He hid behind the guards, roaring at the top of his lungs.

Lu Jing stopped ten steps away from the sword formation.

He slung his steel saber over his shoulder and looked at the centurion with a livid face at the back of the formation.

He grinned, revealing two rows of gleaming white teeth.

"Commander Zhao, are your bank's ledgers in the books or on your person? I'm in a hurry, so give me a straight answer."