Chapter 45: Dahai Temple's Plan
Li Ji was giving a speech when a scout came to report from outside.
The scout was hit by an arrow and just as he shouted "report", he fell to the ground and died.
Li Ji walked up to the high platform of the yamen, put his hands on the pergola, and looked into the distance.
Outside the city of Xingyang, dust was flying and flags were fluttering.
He thought to himself: "The Sui Dynasty's army is already at the gates of the city!"
He stood on the platform and said loudly:
"Let's split into two groups. One group will stay behind to guard the government office, and the other group will follow me to ambush at Dahai Temple."
"Zhang Shan, listen to my orders!"
"I am here!" Zhang Shan knelt down and bowed his head.
"You lead 3,000 men and hold the county government office. Retreat but do not attack. Try to lure the large group of officers and soldiers into an ambush."
He walked down from the platform and whispered a few words into Zhang Shan's ear, and Zhang Shan nodded in agreement.
Zhang Shan stayed behind with 3,000 soldiers from the Ji Camp, while the rest of the soldiers followed Li Ji to Dahai Temple.
As soon as Li Ji left, the Sui general Zhang Xuduo led his troops to Xingyang.
The gates of Xingyang City were wide open, and Zhang Xutuo was very pleased with himself, thinking that these petty thieves were simply no match for him.
As soon as the army arrived, they all fled.
He shouted:
"The vanguard, seize the county government office. Be fast, be ruthless, kill with blood, and fight quickly and decisively."
The officers and soldiers poured into the city like a tide, attacking the Xingyang government office along the way, while another group of troops camped outside the city.
Zhang Xutuo led the way, with the sound of horse hooves. When they arrived at the government office, the rebel army had already quietly left.
Zhang Shan followed the plan, fighting and retreating, and he led the soldiers of the Ji Camp all the way west.
Zhang Xutuo laughed loudly, "You little thief, run westwards, and you will die."
He led his troops in pursuit and soon arrived at Dahai Temple.
I saw a group of rebels entering the dense forest.
"Where are you going?"
Zhang Xutuo rode his horse and was about to chase into the dense forest.
At this time, the vanguard officer Shi Jin advised:
"General, the environment of Dahai Temple is complicated, and there may be an ambush in the deep forest."
Zhang Xutuo disagreed, "General Shi, a group of bandits is nothing to worry about. You saw it, just a few hundred people."
Shi Jin said:
"I heard that there is a fortune teller named Li Ji among the bandits. He is very cunning and good at observing clouds and weather. We should be careful."
When Zhang Xutuo heard this, he laughed out loud.
"What a bullshit fortune teller! My army of 100,000 is like a whirlwind that sweeps away everything in its path. Killing a handful of bandits is like crushing a nest of ants."
Shi Jin wanted to persuade him again, but Zhang Xutuo pointed his sword and said, "Anyone who tries to stop me will be killed immediately!"
Shi Jin retreated in shame.
Li Ji saw that Zhang Shan had already led the Sui army into the ambush circle of Dahai Temple.
He couldn't help but feel ecstatic.
As soon as he saw Zhang Xutuo leading his troops to chase after him, he silently recited the name of the system in his mind and activated a powerful general card immediately.
At the same time, Li Ji silently chanted in his heart, and suddenly felt that he could contact a person out of thin air in this Dahai Temple.
A water curtain appeared in front of Li Ji's eyes, listing this person's information.
Name: Zhang Feihu;
Age: 20 years old
Skills: Brave and good at fighting;
Status: Sui Dynasty Houguan
…
Li Ji was amazed that Zhang Feihu was actually a constable of the Imperial Household Department of the Sui Dynasty.
There were many experts in the Sui Dynasty's Imperial Household Department, and Houguan had been engaged in assassinations , and was only responsible to one person.
It's amazing that the powerful general card rewarded by the system can be transferred to a master of the palace for me to use.
Li Ji was wondering whether the information in the system was valid. Suddenly, there was a whistling sound and a man in black appeared in front of him.
"My lord, Houguan Zhang Feihu is here to report."
Li Ji was immediately delighted when he saw it.
System, system, I am impressed by you.
"Zhang Feihu, listen to my orders!"
The man in black knelt on the ground, "I am here!"
Li Ji said hurriedly: "Okay, I order you to capture Zhang Xutuo alive."
"Yes, my lord."
Zhang Feihu kowtowed and thanked him.
Zhang Xutuo didn't know it was a trick, so he shouted at Shi Jin to leave, and no one else dared to stop him.
He spurred his horse and led his army into the dense forest.
Li Ji sat in a pavilion in Dahai Temple, holding a feather folding fan in his hand, quietly observing the movements in the dense forest, waiting for Zhang Xutuo's pursuers to enter the hinterland.
Zhang Shan was in the front and kept commanding the soldiers to shoot arrows, and for a while the arrows rained down.
Zhang Xutuo was shocked. There were only a few hundred people entering the dense forest, where did so many stray arrows come from?
Deep in the dense forest, a white-haired old man blocked Zhang Xutuo's way.
The old man's face flushed red, he nodded slightly and said:
"General Zhang, don't chase them anymore. The military strategy says, don't chase after an enemy who is desperate."
Zhang Xutuo clasped his hands together and returned the greeting:
"The Sui army is invincible. Although we have entered a dangerous area, it is not difficult to chase the remaining bandits."
The old man sighed, "People are subject to misfortunes and blessings at any time, and the moon waxes and wanes. I advise the general to stop at the right time."
"Master, don't try to persuade me. Chasing the bandits is my responsibility."
Zhang Xutuo continued to chase for more than ten miles and came to a forest within a forest.
Suddenly, a loud shout came from the distance in the deep forest:
"General Zhang, we have been waiting for you for a long time."
Zhang Xutuo looked up and saw a young man, wearing a tall hat and a wide belt, standing majestically on a high platform in the dense forest.
The young man shouted sternly: "General Zhang, why don't you surrender?"
Zhang Xutuo laughed, "Little thief, you are really overestimating your own abilities."
He drew his bow and shot an arrow, and with a whoosh, the arrow flew into the sky.
The young man shouted angrily:
"Zhang Feihu, quickly capture Zhang Xutuo for me!"
At this time, there was a gust of wind in the dense forest, and the trees grew taller and the fallen leaves flew everywhere.
A dark shadow flew to Zhang Xutuo's side in an instant like a hawk hunting its prey.
"Protect General Zhang!"
Shi Jin shouted, and dozens of guards surrounded Zhang Xutuo.
The man in black raised his knife and swung it down. With a crisp sound, more than a dozen heads rolled down to the wetland in the dense forest.
Zhang Xutuo fought hard with a sword in hand, while the man in black jumped up and down, twisted and turned, and wielded a sharp blade, as swift as a monkey.
No one could get close to him, and anyone who got close would have his head dropped to the ground instantly.
Zhang Xutuo shouted:
"All soldiers, listen up. No one should come forward. The bandits want my life, I accept it!"
Zhang Xutuo dropped the sword in his hand with a clang.
The man in black turned around and grabbed Zhang Xutuo's vital point.
With several crackling sounds, bones broke and his left and right arms were twisted by the men in black.
The man in black raised his right elbow, aimed it at the back of Zhang Xutuo's neck, and hit him hard with a bang.
Zhang Xutuo fell to the ground with a thud.
“Get out of the way!”
A young man shouted from above, and the man in black jumped and was already ten meters away.
With a whooshing sound, a huge net appeared from the sky.
Zhang Xutuo was drawn into the net, which gradually shrank and rose up, leaving Zhang Xutuo suspended in mid-air.
At this time, Dahai Temple was surrounded by enemies from all sides, and the four armies formed a siege.
Shi Jin led all the soldiers and shouted loudly:
"Put down General Zhang!"
Li Ji stood on a high place and waved his hand.
In the deep forest, people shouted and horses neighed. Yu Cheng led his personal soldiers to kill them with all their might.
Shi Jin charged forward with a spear and knocked down dozens of volunteers.
Outside the dense forest, Li Ai had already moved his troops back from Wagangzhai.
Shan Xiongxin led the Shanzi Camp to block the southern exit.
Suddenly, a horse neighed.
A warhorse rushed out from the dense forest, and with a whoosh sound, a cloud-piercing arrow shot directly towards Shan Xiongxin's face.
