More than a hundred soldiers suddenly rushed out of the dense forest. They waved their sabers and rushed into the group of bandits. The two sides engaged in close combat.
The leader shouted and picked up his sword to fight with the soldiers. The Han army on the opposite side glared angrily and slashed the saber in their hands. The leader dodged sideways and slashed at the left shoulder of the county soldier.
The county soldier hurriedly returned his saber to block, but he was not as strong as the leader and was forcefully pressed down…
The unpleasant sound of metal rubbing against each other was heard. The soldier was pressed down on one knee and had to roll to the side.
The leader was shocked. During normal training, his sword could not only easily cut through leather armor, but it could also cut through iron armor and cause the enemy's blood to splash on the spot. How could he only cut a thin crack this time? The county soldier could still continue fighting after retreating to the side.
Thinking of this, the leader immediately looked around and saw that his subordinates were in the same situation as him. Their spears, halberds, and swords were all useless against the armor of the county soldiers.
Seeing his subordinates dying one after another, an ominous premonition struck.
"Retreat! Run into the mountains!" The leader shouted his last order.
The remaining eighty bandits abandoned the enemies in front of them and ran east.
However, before he could even run half a mile, he saw a hundred cavalrymen in front of him. Two officers waved their sabers, and the cavalrymen behind them immediately urged their horses to start riding and shooting.
As the arrows flew down, the bandits who had long abandoned their shields cried and fled into the woods on both sides.
The two cavalry officers exchanged glances and immediately led their subordinates to surround them. The leader had lost the will to fight. After entering the forest, he ran toward the southeast like a madman, praying in his heart that God would protect him.
In the midst of running, he was caught by a rattan and fell on his face. He struggled to get up and was about to continue running when suddenly, a gust of wind blew behind him. The leader instinctively fell forward…
Ding! A sharp arrow drilled into the tree trunk in front of him, its tail feathers still trembling.
The leader got up and continued running. Before he could run twenty feet, the sound of hooves approached and a loud shout came from behind,"Damn bandits, give me your life!"
Following that, a cool breeze blew behind his head. Rather than dodging and being delayed by the enemy, it was better to go all out. Perhaps killing the pursuers and getting horses would allow them to escape faster.
Therefore, he gritted his teeth and turned around to block with his sword, thinking that even one or two county soldiers would not be able to do anything to him with his strength!
Just as his feet stabilized, the cavalry's saber was already in front of him. The leader tried his best to resist, and at the same time, he asked loudly,"You are…"
Before he could finish, a huge force was poured into the sword. The leader felt his hands shake and his vision turned black. The sword was driven by the saber and heavily embedded into the bridge of his nose. The sound of bones cracking could be heard.
The leader was forced to take a few steps back to reduce the powerful force. However, he missed a step and his body suddenly lost balance, rolling to the bottom of the slope.
The cavalryman reined in his horse and took off his mask.""I'll let you be the wiser. I'm the company commander of the 3rd Company of the 1st Battalion of the 1st Light Cavalry Regiment, Lee Zheng!”
The battle in Yang Village ended very quickly. By the time Liu Heng and his main force arrived, the battlefield had already been cleaned up. The captured bandits were squatting outside the village with their hands tied neatly. They were all dejected, their eyes still filled with fear from the battle just now.
At this moment, when they saw the main force of the prefectural soldiers passing by, and saw the soldiers in full armor, red helmet tassel, and equipped with swords, spears, bows, and crossbows, they knew that their doomsday had arrived.
Gao Shun stepped forward and said,"Reporting to my lord, we killed 122 bandits in the battle at Yang Village and captured 68 alive. The rest fled into the surrounding forest and are missing."
Another well-trained team was intercepted and killed on the official road in the east after escaping from Yang Village. There was no specific battle report yet.”
"Well-trained?" Liu Heng asked curiously.
Gao Shun nodded and said," Yes, although they are dressed like mountain bandits, they know how to use battle formations to resist the cavalry charge. They also have a way to deal with riding and archery. When they retreat, their formation is not the slightest bit chaotic."”
Qiushou frowned and pondered for a moment before saying,""Ordinary mountain bandits wouldn't understand this. Could it be…"
Their gazes shifted to Liu Heng, and the two of them shouted at the same time,""Goguryeo!"
"Commandant Gao, immediately order the 1st Light Cavalry Battalion to capture as many alive people as possible for interrogation.”
Gao Shun nodded and pointed at the group of squatting captives.""How should we deal with these bandits?"
Liu Heng glanced at him." Leave the leader behind. The rest will be sent to mine for coal. They will work twelve hours a day and undergo labor reform!”
Liu Heng looked at Yang Zhuang's situation.""Commandant Gao, is Yang Manor suitable for setting up camp?”
Gao Shun said," It's close to the stream and surrounded by farmland. It's suitable for camping.”
"Alright, pass down the order: have a good rest today, and attack the thieves 'nest tomorrow!”
At night, the scouting cavalrymen returned one after another with the latest news.
Gao Shun pointed at the map." After learning that the Yang Village bandits were defeated by the county soldiers, the bandits who robbed Deer Village immediately retreated to the mountains." The sentry post was destroyed, and the bodies of more than 20 dead soldiers were found nearby.
According to the investigation, Liu Heizi's bandit nest was located at the bottom of the Black Stone Ridge. It was backed by the Black Stone Peak and surrounded by cliffs on both sides. Only the front could be attacked.
However, Liu Heizi had built a bluestone wall there, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.”
Qiushou stared at the western border of the Black Rock Ridge and asked,""Have you found out where the Goguryeon army is stationed?”
Gao Shun shook his head." We haven't found out yet. But according to the map, they might be stationed at Redwater River, West Valley, and Qingxi Lake."”
"Send out scouting cavalry to monitor day and night. Report back immediately if you find any signs of the enemy."”
"How high is this peak?" Liu Heng pointed at the Black Rock Peak and asked. Can you climb from behind?"
"This peak is over a thousand feet high, and there's a steep cliff behind it. I'm afraid…" Gao Shun said.
"Looks like we'll have to think of a way to attack from the front!" Liu Heng said helplessly. Commandant Gao, you and Ju Gong will be in charge of the bandit suppression. I only have one request, capture the strong ones alive, and kill the rest!”
Qiushou smiled." My lord's appetite is really not small. We still need to capture some strong labor."”
Liu Heng laughed." Labor reform is beneficial to the country and the people. Who asked them to become bandits instead of civilians?!"”
After a night of rest, not only did they temporarily build twenty scaling ladders, but the two thousand new soldiers also gathered their fighting spirit and spirit.
At dawn, after a full meal, the troops set off for the bandits 'nest.
As soon as he stepped into the mountain area, he was discovered by the mountain bandits on sentry duty on the Black Rock Ridge. They screamed and lit up the withered grass and branches, and loudly sounded the gong to inform him.
Gao Shun saw the black smoke rising into the sky, and he expressionlessly put on his mask and ordered,""Wear protective gear and prepare for battle!"
The light infantrymen immediately raised their weapons and spread out in squads. The archers loaded their crossbows and loaded their arrows in unison. The heavy infantrymen took off their backpacks and put on their heavy armor.
Soon, everything was done. Gao Shun pointed his spear at the valley."Two battalions of cavalry, 2nd Heavy Infantry Battalion, 2nd Light Infantry Battalion, guard the entrance of the valley and wait for orders.”
Not long after, more than five hundred people rushed out of the valley, all bare-chested and bare-chested, with various weapons in their hands. There were sabers, swords, spears, and halberds. Gao Shun sneered and ordered the infantry to form a square formation and the archers to prepare to fire.
One of the bandits was wearing armor and riding his horse out of the formation. He had the back of a tiger and the waist of a bear. His face was fierce and his fiendish "appearance" made people feel disgusted. The man glanced at the soldier and revealed a sinister smile. He sneered,""I was wondering who it was. So it was a fake prefect who deceived his superiors and subordinates to get Xuantu, hmph!
I haven't even sought revenge from you for my father, but you've delivered yourself to my doorstep. Yesterday's small defeat at Yang Manor was only because your cavalry was powerful, but in this valley, cavalry is useless. It's a good time to settle old and new grudges!”
Liu Heng laughed maniacally, causing the bandits on the opposite side to be baffled. Then, he rode his horse forward and shouted,"Jiang, you Liu Hu, you're just the second son of Liu Rui, the county magistrate who was beheaded. How dare you call yourself 'Liu Hei Zi?
Open your dog eyes and take a look. I have a thousand government troops behind me, and you only have four to five hundred. With such a huge difference in strength, even a fool can guess what the outcome of the battle is!
However, I never expected you to have the courage to lead a mob to fight. Your courage is commendable. However, in the end, you're just an ignorant idiot!”
Although Liu Hu didn't know what "250" meant, he knew that it was definitely not a good thing. He immediately became angry and said,"You're so arrogant at such a young age! I, Liu Hu, know more about the Xuantu Commandery Soldiers than you do.
Pah! Let me tell you, without the cavalry, adding another thousand infantry is useless. They are all cowards and good-for-nothings.
Brothers, don't be afraid. The Black Tigress infantry are famous for being cowardly and afraid of death. They scatter when they charge and run when they are scared…#￥ %…￥ ￥!”
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