The female prisoner was fierce

Defang had already arrived with the people from the First Capital and was busy working on the high ground on both sides.

Upon seeing Xiao Jianyang's main force arrive, she immediately hurried forward, her face covered in snowflakes and her eyelashes frosted, but her eyes were bright: "Lord Xiao, you've arrived."

"How is the situation?"

Xiao Jianyang dismounted and walked up the hill to his right as he asked, "The survey is complete."

Defang followed behind him and quickly reported, "This valley is about three miles long. The entrance and exit are relatively narrow, while the middle section is slightly wider, enough for more than a dozen horses to ride abreast. The high ground on the left has a gentle slope and is easy to climb, making it suitable for infantry to ambush and fire arrows."

The right-hand hill has a steep slope and is located at a high position, allowing grenadiers to throw clay pots down with a long range and wide coverage.

I've already had pits dug at both the entrance and the end of the valley, filled with sharp wooden stakes, and set up temporary chevaux-de-frise. Once both ends are blocked, the cavalry inside won't be able to easily break through."

"well done."

Xiao Jianyang stood on the highest point of the hill on the right, looking down at the official road at the bottom of the valley, and nodded in satisfaction.

This terrain is practically tailor-made for an ambush.

No matter how skilled the Northern Di cavalry were, they couldn't launch a proper charge in the narrow valley; they were forced to huddle together, making them easy targets for Heavenly Punishment. He immediately gave the order:

"Zhao Daniu!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

Zhao Daniu strode over, his body covered in snow.

"You will take four hundred men from the Third Division and ambush them on the high ground to the left. Everyone must wear white cloaks and hide behind low pine trees. Without my order, no one is allowed to show their faces or fire arrows. Once the enemy has completely entered the valley and you hear the signal cannon fire, then unleash a volley downwards, prioritizing the horses. No one is allowed to expose themselves prematurely; anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

"Yes! I promise I won't show myself!"

Zhao Daniu clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, then turned around and, crouching low, led his men to the high ground on the left.

"Grenadiers, concentrate at the front line of the right-hand high ground!" Xiao Jianyang continued, "Bring up all the clay pots of Heavenly Punishment and arrange them in three rows. When the enemy's vanguard reaches the middle of the valley, on my command, launch the first volley, aiming at both ends of the valley, blowing up the entrance and exit to trap them inside!"

"Yes, sir!"

Dozens of grenadiers responded in unison and began to move the earthenware jars swiftly, placing them in their positions as instructed, and checking the fuses and tinderboxes one by one to ensure that everything was in perfect working order.

"Defang, you take the First Division's two hundred men and divide them into two teams. One team will ambush behind the valley entrance. After the first round of explosions, immediately seal off the valley entrance with chevaux-de-frise and palisades, and suppress them with arrows. Don't let a single person escape. The other team will go to the valley end and similarly seal off the exit. Only defend, do not attack. Understand?"

"clear!"

Defang responded and immediately gathered his men, who then split up to carry out their tasks.

In an instant, the high ground on both sides was bustling with activity. Under the cover of the low pines and snow, the soldiers quickly built makeshift fortifications, drew their bowstrings, and unscrewed the seals of the earthenware jars to reveal the fuses inside.

Everyone held their breath, lying prone in the snow, waiting for the Northern Di people to arrive. Xiao Jianyang stood behind a huge rock on the high ground to the right, wearing a black cloak that fluttered loudly in the wind and snow.

He gazed towards the valley entrance to the north, his eyes cold and sharp, like a lone wolf lying in wait. Lin Qingxue stood beside him, her hand on the hilt of her sword, also looking towards the valley entrance, and said softly:

"My lord, what if the Northern Barbarians send out scouts to explore? Although there is snow on this slope, if there are too many people, they will inevitably leave traces."

"With such heavy snow, footprints will be covered in less than half an hour."

Xiao Jianyang said calmly, "Besides, Harbala has just won many battles and is quite arrogant. They might not take our small force seriously. Even if they send out scouts, they will only give us a cursory glance and won't search us carefully."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of rapid wheel thuds came from behind, the snow crunching under their weight. Xiao Jianyang turned around and saw more than a dozen carriages approaching along the mountain path, led by Su Wanruo.

Her head was wrapped in a thick scarf, her face was red from the cold, and the tip of her nose was even purple. Upon seeing Xiao Jianyang, she immediately jumped out of the carriage and ran over to him, bowing respectfully: "Lord Xiao, I've arrived!"

Was the journey smooth?

Xiao Jianyang asked.

"Got it! I took a shortcut and didn't run into anyone."

Su Wanruo was panting, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Master Zhao Tiechui stayed in the village to rush to make weapons and new pulley crossbows. I brought all the gunpowder in stock, a total of 800 catties! Following your method, I filled 120 earthenware jars with the Heavenly Punishment powder, and also 20 large explosive packs weighing 10 catties each, specifically for bombing densely packed crowds. Iron nails, broken porcelain shards, and gravel are all mixed in, making it even more lethal than before."

"By the way, I also improved the fuse. It's made with cotton thread mixed with gunpowder, so the burning speed is particularly stable. It burns out in three breaths, and it explodes as soon as it hits the ground. It won't give the enemy any time to react, and it won't be thrown too early and blow up our own people."

As she spoke, she lifted the lid of a wooden crate beside her. Inside, neatly stacked dark earthenware jars revealed thin fuses peeking out from the seals. Next to them were packets of rectangular explosives wrapped in oil paper, packed tightly together. Xiao Jianyang looked at the dozen or so carts full of firearms, and a smile finally appeared in his eyes.

Eight hundred catties of gunpowder, one hundred and twenty clay pot grenades, and twenty large packs of explosives. Even if another five hundred came, let alone a thousand Northern Di cavalry, they'd be in serious trouble. "Well done."

He patted Su Wanruo on the shoulder, his tone tinged with approval, "If we win this battle, you'll be credited with the greatest merit." Su Wanruo blushed instantly, quickly lowering her head and rubbing her frozen hands.

"It's all thanks to your excellent teaching, sir. I was just following your instructions."

"No need to be modest."

Xiao Jianyang waved his hand, "Move all the pottery jars and explosive packs to the front of the high ground on the right and distribute them to the grenadiers. Keep eight large explosive packs and bury them on the official road at the entrance and end of the valley, cover them with snow, and detonate them to block the road once the enemy enters."

"yes!"

Su Wanruo immediately led the logistics team to swiftly and steadily move the firearms. With this reinforcement, the soldiers on the high ground felt even more confident.

Looking at the neatly stacked boxes of Heavenly Punishment, everyone's eyes shone with excitement. The tension they had felt earlier had vanished, replaced by pure excitement and anticipation.

Aren't the Northern Barbarians supposed to be very strong fighters?

Isn't that incredibly arrogant?

We'll let them taste the punishment of heaven in a moment.

Time ticked by. The wind and snow grew stronger, the world was a vast expanse of white, and visibility decreased, with only the outline of the official road at the bottom of the valley still faintly visible.

About an hour later, the sound of horses' hooves came from the official road to the north.

At first, it was faint, like distant rumbling thunder. Gradually, it grew louder and more frequent, a thunderous boom that shook the ground slightly. It was coming. The soldiers on the high ground instantly tensed up, instinctively gripping their weapons and holding their breath.

The archer, lying prone in the snow, slowly drew back the bowstring and nocked an arrow.

The grenadiers picked up the clay pots, gripped the fire tinder tightly, and all looked toward the valley entrance.

……