All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

That battle also revealed that the bandits of Wuzhi Mountain actually possessed large artillery, which was truly shocking.

The Zhen Song Army was invincible throughout Henan, having eliminated hundreds of thousands of bandits. This was the first time they had seen bandits with such powerful firepower, including sharpshooters, machine gunners, and long-range artillery.

These aren't just bandits; they're equipped like a regular army.

Most importantly, after some inquiries, it was discovered that this band of bandits was very mysterious. They had occupied Wuzhi Mountain for more than 20 years, relying on several villages in the Bailuyuan area to make a living by collecting head tax.

Not only did they refrain from arson, murder, and looting, but they also maintained local order and prohibited county officials from collecting taxes in the area.

How could such a group resemble bandits in any way?

The regimental commander sent by the Zhen Song Army this time was surnamed Qin. He was in his early forties and had a lot of combat experience. Commander Qin did not underestimate this mysterious band of bandits. He even suspected that this group of bandits was the regular army of the Red Face Organization, otherwise they would not have such combat power.

But upon closer reflection, something doesn't seem quite right. It's unlikely that the Red Faces would establish a military outpost in the Guanzhong Plain; there's no place for them to survive there, which makes no sense at all.

No matter who the other party is, Liu the Blind is very angry this time, so the other party's fate is still sealed!

The two thousand men set off in the morning, and their march was not fast. Whenever they encountered a situation where the visibility was poor, they would send out cavalry to scout along the way before resuming their march.

After traveling fifty miles along the mountain road, the group reached midday and was less than ten miles from Wuzhi Mountain. After crossing a mountain ahead, they would be on the other side of Bailu Plain, surrounded by several towering peaks. The second peak was the Wuzhi Mountain stronghold.

The intelligence has already been gathered. We just need to advance steadily, and when we reach the mountains, we can use artillery to clear the way, with machine guns providing support, and then launch an assault.

The fact that we encountered no resistance along the way shows that the enemy's forces are not very large. It seems that the enemy is preparing to consolidate its forces and fight a defensive battle!

This was exactly what Commander Qin had hoped for. The enemy was small in number, and if they were too scattered, it would be difficult for them to move around. Now that they had returned to their stronghold to hold their ground, this was exactly the situation he wanted to see.

After crossing this last barrier, Commander Qin became even more cautious. He first ordered everyone to start a fire and cook on the spot, preparing to rest for a while before proceeding. It was only ten miles left. He planned to launch the attack after 2 p.m.

Two thousand men could attack a small mountain called Wuzhi Mountain and finish the battle before dark, then rest in a nearby village for the night.

I heard that the villages around here haven't paid taxes or levies for twenty years, and their populations are growing rapidly. They're such good sheep, tonight we must select a thousand or eight hundred good girls so that we brothers can have a good time!

Commander Qin, lost in thought, casually bit into a piece of steamed bun, his mind already drifting off into a daze.

After everyone had eaten and rested, they set off again in high spirits. They encountered no obstacles on the last mountain, and it was not long before they arrived at the foot of Wuzhi Mountain.

Commander Qin frowned as he looked at the mountain peaks ahead. From a distance, the mountains did not appear to be very large, but upon closer inspection, they were found to be very steep, densely wooded, and with winding paths, making them easy targets for ambushes.

Moreover, these mountains are connected one after another, so if the other side is scattered among them, it will be difficult to deal with them!

Commander Qin, after all, was experienced in combat. He arranged for the artillery company to start looking for shelling positions, and then sent out cavalry to search for roads leading up the mountain. After thinking for a while, he ordered his soldiers to send men to capture a few locals from nearby villages!

This was an easy thing to do; on the field, four or five tenant farmers, along with their landlords, were brought before Commander Qin.

A group of farmers were so frightened that they trembled and cursed, revealing everything they knew.

Commander Qin held the map, his brow furrowed. He hadn't gleaned any useful information from the locals.

Since these mountains were occupied by bandits twenty years ago, they have been renamed Wuzhishan (Five Finger Mountain), and the locals have gradually gotten used to calling the bandits Wuzhishan bandits.

Since then, local villagers have been prohibited from entering Wuzhishan. Twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the local villagers have no idea what has happened on these mountains.

This is a difficult situation. The map that Commander Qin has is the old one, but the mountain is so big and the route to the mountain has changed. Now, going up the mountain again will be much more difficult.

Although he has an artillery company with four cannons ready to fire, without accurate positioning, the effect of bombarding the entire mountainside would probably be quite poor!

Commander Qin looked at the map, deep in thought.

Two more hours passed as I pondered this, and it was now well past three o'clock. The sun was high in the sky, the sunlight was plentiful, and the visibility was excellent, making it the best time to go up the mountain.

The cavalry had already scouted out four routes up the mountain in the vicinity: two of which could be taken on horseback, while the other two could only be taken on foot.

The scouts returned safely, encountering almost no resistance.

Along the way, they encountered no obstacles. Commander Qin gradually began to look down on the bandits of Wuzhi Mountain. Looking back at his own army, two thousand men were ready to go and full of energy. The enemy must have realized that he was well-equipped and had chosen to back down.

Having figured this out, Commander Qin waved his hand, ordering 300 of the 2,000 men to stay behind and guard the supplies, while the rest of the troops set off along the four mountain paths towards the mountains.

Regardless of whether the enemy retreats, we must occupy the bandit's den on Wuzhi Mountain before nightfall. Once we occupy their stronghold, we can rely on our own men and set up machine guns. We will have no fear of a sneak attack by a hundred or so enemy soldiers.

After having made up his mind, Commander Qin personally led the team, taking the lead and walking at the forefront.

The team split into four groups and slowly made their way up the mountain. Their ultimate goal was to reach their base halfway up Wuzhi Mountain.

Although he couldn't get any useful information from the locals, he did manage to inquire about something that wasn't exactly information.

Halfway up the mountain, there is a large abandoned mine. The land there is flat and still bears traces of previous land reclamation, enough to accommodate thousands of people.

Commander Qin was now basically certain that if the other side were to choose a location to station, it would definitely be the abandoned mine halfway up the mountain.

Once we had an idea, things became much easier!

The group carefully made their way up the mountain, and it took them an hour. They split into four groups and finally approached the halfway point of the mountain ahead.

The scouts quickly reported that there were no enemies on the mountainside, but there was a lot of infrastructure and a large amount of supplies left behind!

It's clear that the other side has already retreated, leaving behind a large amount of supplies they couldn't take with them in their haste!

Upon receiving this news, Commander Qin revealed a smug expression, as if he had just known it, and then ordered everyone to begin gathering on the mountain.

Since the other side left supplies behind, it's only right that our brothers benefit from them. After all the hard work, we can't go back empty-handed!

More than 1,700 people quickly gathered on the mountainside. After 20 years of development, the once abandoned mine has been completely transformed. A large amount of infrastructure has been built around it, and abandoned mine shafts have been converted into warehouses, which store a large amount of supplies.

Commander Qin watched as his men carried out boxes of grain, barrels of kerosene, and even boxes of intact explosives from the warehouse. Soon, the open space was piled high with them, making everyone envious.

Commander Qin opened one of the boxes with satisfaction and saw a perfectly intact shell. He stroked it with satisfaction. This was really good. He was in dire need of artillery, and the other side had delivered it to his doorstep. It was truly a case of enjoying life to the fullest, and getting something so easy!

Commander Qin was in a great mood and immediately asked the guard beside him.

"These are howitzer shells, more powerful than our field guns. There are at least a hundred of them here. We've hit the jackpot! We never expected the enemy to have such a powerful weapon!"

Commander Qin stroked the shells as if they were his own children, already having made his plans. He decided to transport all the shells and artillery to Xi'an, where they would be used to attack the city.

Commander Qin glanced around and saw boxes of artillery shells, as well as grain and kerosene, but he couldn't find any howitzers to fire the shells.

Commander Qin asked the guard beside him with some doubt.

"By the way, why are there only shells here, and no cannons?"

The guard standing nearby replied with an equally confused expression.

"We only have shells. We've searched several warehouses, but we haven't found any howitzers!"

Commander Qin looked at the guards with a blank expression and muttered to himself.

"Only shells, no cannons? That doesn't make sense. The enemy was able to withdraw their cannons, so why did they leave behind shells? And so much food and oil?"

"Wait!"

"Oil? Artillery shells?"

A ridiculous thought suddenly popped into Commander Qin's mind: Could it be...?

Thinking of this, Commander Qin suddenly stood up and looked around at the surrounding mountains. His face was solemn, his heart was pounding, and a strong sense of unease surged into his heart. At this moment, he suppressed the wild guesses in his heart!

"It must be just my wild guess! It must be! It must be!"

Commander Qin scanned the surrounding mountains but found nothing unusual. The solemnity on his face eased a little, but the unease in his heart did not subside. Instead, he felt short of breath and had a feeling that a storm was about to break!

Commander Qin muttered to himself.

"We must retreat immediately! No, this is not right!"

Once the thought arose, Commander Qin finally stopped hesitating, turned around, and roared.

"Everyone, assemble!"

The sound was like thunder, leaving all the soldiers, who were still excited, somewhat bewildered. The spoils of war hadn't even been cleaned up yet, so what was the rush?

A company commander was also puzzled and was about to run up to ask the regimental commander what was going on.

"Bang... bang bang!"

The company commander had just taken a step when suddenly several thunderous explosions rang out all around him. The sounds came so abruptly, accompanied by a whistling sound that grew louder as they approached. The company commander looked up in bewilderment.

On the hillsides all around, three small artillery positions had appeared out of nowhere. From each position, plumes of smoke rose and shells, accompanied by whistling sounds, hurtled toward them.

The shells came so suddenly and so quickly that almost everyone watched in disbelief as they fell in perfect arcs into the mountains of shells and gunpowder piled up on the open ground.

"Boom... Bang... Bang boom...!"

The continuous explosions of artillery fire sent up a mushroom cloud that shot straight into the sky from the mountainside.

The piles of oil were completely scattered amidst the explosions, almost touching everyone. More than a thousand people on the ground were quickly reduced to ashes by the continuous explosions and the scorching oil!

Before Commander Qin could even turn around to see where the shells had come from, his body was torn into several pieces and vanished without a trace.

On a distant mountain peak, several figures calmly watched the firelight halfway up the mountain.

One of them smiled slightly and then gave the order in a deep voice.

"Plan A has been successfully implemented. Now only the three hundred or so people at the foot of the mountain remain. Eliminate them all, leave no one alive!"

Several men in military green uniforms behind him solemnly accepted the order and left.

Soon, the sound of machine gun fire echoed down the mountain, and countless soldiers scattered and fled towards Zishui County.

At that moment, those people wished their parents had one less leg, and they fled like ducks with their butts sticking out.

Corpses were harvested one by one, and lives disappeared in the flat Bailu Plain. The setting sun and the fading moonlight were as red as blood!

Those who managed to escape were clearly not going to be very lucky. As the sky began to darken, a dark figure silently crept up behind them. Just as he had come quietly, he took nothing but their lives.

In the darkness, Bai Jiaxuan slowly came to a stop. In his right hand, he held a broken blade, the bloodstains on it still wet. He slowly exhaled and muttered to himself.

"Seventy-three, that should be the last one. I guess there aren't any left!"

After saying this, he casually threw the broken blade on the ground and turned to head towards Bailu Plain.

His steps were swift, like a shadow passing by, as if he were not of this world.

Over the past eighteen years, he has rediscovered that special energy, which is the human body secret he discovered in the mythological world. Perhaps, in layman's terms, it can be called true qi!

True Qi is not mysterious; it exists almost innately in everyone's body, but it naturally disappears after each person is born.

A baby can survive in its mother's womb without breathing, while a normal person will die within minutes if they stop breathing.

There are too many mysteries about humanity. With the wisdom of modern humans, the Earth is like a cage, and many mysteries cannot be explained by science at all.

In just over a hundred years, humanity has gone from handcrafted products to landing on the moon. Earth has a history of billions of years, but human history is only a pitiful few thousand years. Such a short history is completely incompatible with human wisdom.

The energy within the human brain is beyond imagination. In the world of mythology, he touched the extraordinary, which gradually gave him a glimmer of inspiration, and he also unlocked some of the shackles on his body.

For Bai Jiaxuan, the secrets of his own body were becoming increasingly interesting.