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Hu Cai appeared very happy, his mood exceedingly cheerful. For him, anything that could lead to making a fortune was a good thing.
Over a thousand Lan troops—it wasn't a small number, but it certainly wasn't large either, especially in that godforsaken place of Pingyang County.
Moreover, Hu Cai understood perfectly well in his heart that just as the Yellow Turbans often inflated their numbers, so-called commandery troops and the like also frequently exaggerated their manpower. Embezzling pay by reporting nonexistent soldiers—what commander didn't do that?
Furthermore, there was a distinction between regular combat troops and auxiliary soldiers. The ones who could actually fight on the battlefield among that thousand-plus soldiers were probably only a few hundred. Meanwhile, he had brought nearly four thousand troops under his command, all of them robust, battle-hardened men who had seen bloodshed. What was there to fear?
What was that guy's surname again?
Whatever it was, it didn't matter. If that fellow dared to engage in a frontal battle, Hu Cai was determined to pin him down head-on, envelop him from both flanks, and absolutely swallow him whole! If he didn't dare fight a set-piece battle and instead tried to rely on Pingyang City's dilapidated walls for defense—ha! The Pingyang county town had been abandoned for so many years, with collapsed sections of wall everywhere. Wasn't that practically the same as having no walls at all?
One must understand that while Hu Cai was greedy for wealth, he was also willing to spend some resources on his soldiers. After all, without good troops, there would be no way to seize more money and valuables. This was an account he could calculate clearly.
The distance from the original White Wave Bandits' camp to the old site of Pingyang County town was just over forty li, less than fifty li. Hu Cai reckoned they could cover about thirty li today, then make camp and rest. Tomorrow, they could directly march on the city. Of course, if that what's-his-name fellow was smart enough to withdraw on his own, it would save him the trouble…
The land on the western bank of the Fen River was relatively flat. After sending out scouts, Hu Cai arranged his troops in rows of five. While not perfectly neat, it was already quite decent compared to those motley soldiers and conscripted civilians. The four-thousand-strong force snaked its way southwest like a long serpent.
××××××××××××××××
About ten li northeast of the old Pingyang county town site, there was a small woods. The road passed right through the middle of it. The woods weren't extremely wide, but because there were shrubs beneath the trees, one couldn't see completely through it at a glance.
Five White Wave soldiers serving as scouts arrived here. Looking at the woods ahead, they exchanged glances, then two of them dismounted, crouched low, and slowly began to creep into the woods to investigate…
All around was quiet, seemingly with only the faint sounds of these two soldiers treading on dry branches and fallen leaves.
One White Wave soldier crept up to the shrubs at the woods' edge, slowly straightened up a bit, and peeked out…
Suddenly, there was a twang of a bowstring, and an arrow shot out from within the woods!
The arrow was swift as lightning. In an instant, trailing a spray of blood mist, it pierced through the neck of this White Wave soldier! The soldier clutched at the sudden bloody hole in his neck and fell backwards.
The remaining White Wave soldiers didn't even let out a shout. They immediately turned and fled.
Huang Cheng fired another arrow, killing the second dismounted White Wave soldier on the spot. By then, the remaining three White Wave scouts had already spurred their horses and fled into the distance.
Huang Cheng lowered his bow and said, "Tell everyone to get ready. The Yellow Turban bandits will be here soon."
××××××××××××××××
The dust cloud on the horizon grew increasingly distinct. Soon after, one dark figure after another appeared, slowly drawing closer. Having received the scouts' report, Hu Cai had already spread out his troops, extending both left and right wings outward, while the soldiers in the center began pressing towards the woods.
Hu Cai sat on horseback, surveying the surroundings. There was no dust, no troops, only that patch of woods in the distance. Hu Cai assessed the size of the woods and snorted derisively. A woods like this, while not exactly large or small, was somewhat sparse. It could hide a few hundred men at most. An ambush? Hmph, once discovered, could it still be called an ambush?
"Encircle from both flanks!" Hu Cai ordered.
The White Wave forces, like a giant crab, extended two large pincers, beginning to surround the woods…
Suddenly, a chaotic shout erupted from the woods, and over a hundred soldiers rushed out, forming a crooked, ragged battle line in front of the woods. The leading officer, holding a long blade, shouted loudly, "Who comes? Dare you face me in single combat before the armies?"
Hu Cai couldn't help but laugh out loud. I have over ten times your number, and I'm supposed to engage you in single combat? What kind of fool crawled out from where?
Hu Cai completely ignored the officer's challenge. Sitting steadily in the center, unmoving, he ordered both wings to speed up and surround these fools and their troops…
The soldiers in the center also gradually, step by step, pressed forward…
×××××××××××××××
Huang Cheng watched as the White Wave troops on both sides gradually closed in. When he estimated the distance was about right, he shouted, "Spineless rats! Next time, I'll definitely take your dog heads!"
Then he turned his horse and, leading his soldiers, plunged into the woods and fled.
Hu Cai, who had been leisurely taking a drink from a waterskin, witnessed this scene and pfft—spat out his water, nearly choking.
By the time the White Wave troops swarmed forward and reached the edge of the woods, Huang Cheng had already led his men and vanished on the other side of the trees.
Hu Cai also rode his horse forward. Looking at the fleeing figures disappearing into the distance, he couldn't help but curse, "Fled faster than rabbits! Damn it!"
"Commander! Look! Fire, there's a fire!" suddenly a soldier cried out.
Within the woods, flames that had ignited the shrubs and trees at some unknown time were now gradually spreading. Thick plumes of smoke began to billow through the forest…
"Spread out! Spread out quickly!"
Even though the White Wave troops hadn't pursued into the woods, if the fire caught onto their clothes, it would be disastrous. So, they quickly scattered their formation, moving away from the woods.
"Commander… what should we do now?"
The road passed through the woods. If they proceeded directly forward, while it would be faster, it was clearly impossible for his nearly four thousand men to pass completely through before the fire grew. If the flames suddenly intensified, it would be dire, as flood and fire show no mercy.
But to detour around would require circling this patch of woods. While the woods wasn't overly large, the main issue was that going off-road meant traversing uneven, bumpy ground with ditches and ridges. While not a huge problem, it would still be somewhat difficult to march through.
Wait here for the fire to burn out before crossing?
Definitely not!
Who knew how many days this fire would burn?
Suddenly, inspiration flashed in Hu Cai's mind. Could this damn fire be some scheme cooked up by that what's-his-name fellow?
Just to delay my advance to Pingyang?!
These petty tricks, and you think you can fool me?