Chapter 106: The Secret Assault

"We're being ambushed!" "It's an ambush!"

The bandits shrieked in terror. Those who had already reached the hillside were relatively fortunate, but the men behind them, unaware of what was happening at the front, pushed and shoved in a chaotic mess, causing many to tumble down the slope.

To make matters worse, massive boulders came crashing down from above, sweeping many bandits into the ravine. Those who tried to fight their way up the slope were met with a wall of spears.

This terrain was a textbook example of a position where "one man can hold the pass against ten thousand." The bandits below were nothing but sitting ducks. The situation was even grimmer for those trapped in the narrow mountain path. Li Dazhuang had prepared numerous rockfall traps, and he triggered them all at once. A section of the narrow path collapsed; those trapped upon it had nowhere to hide, some falling into the valley below, while others were trampled to death in the crush.

"The Chief truly is a master of foresight," Li Dazhuang thought, watching the bandits fall one by one.

It was a pity his own force was so small—only a dozen men. Had he more, they could have circled behind the bandits once they reached the cliff, trapping them so they could neither advance nor retreat, and annihilated them entirely.

Even with the advantage of terrain and timing, and despite the many traps set, they failed to wipe out the entire force. Many of the bandits in the rear, sensing the tide had turned, had already fled.

When Li Dazhuang gathered his men, he took a headcount and found, miraculously, that not a single one of them had been injured. As for the enemy, the death toll was impossible to calculate, as many had plummeted directly off the cliff.

A fair number of bandits surrendered on the spot. Li Dazhuang had their weapons confiscated, and they were bound and taken as prisoners.

During the final tally, they discovered there were forty prisoners—more than four times the size of Li Dazhuang’s own force. It was a daunting realization.

In previous engagements, Li Dazhuang had never had to deal with prisoners alone. He only remembered the songs Xu Wenshan taught them, which preached the humane treatment of captives.

Although these bandits were heinous villains and he saw little reason for leniency, he dutifully followed the songs, gently binding the bandits like hogs and herding them back.

He specifically instructed his men that the ropes were only to prevent the prisoners from counterattacking, and that even while binding them, they were not to beat or berate them, lest they violate Xu Wenshan's orders on "humane treatment."

...

Xu Wenshan, Lei Laohu, and Wu Yi had donned bandit attire and walked openly into the bandit camp.

Xu Wenshan had previously planted "spiders" as informants within the enemy camp, so he had a general understanding of the layout. He led Lei Laohu and Wu Yi through the camp without showing any sign of hesitation. The critical issue, however, was that he didn't know which specific gang they were supposed to belong to!

Without knowing their own affiliation, they couldn't return to the right tent, and wandering aimlessly like headless flies would surely lead to their exposure.

The three men strolled past a tent, feigning nonchalance, though they were inwardly frantic. Suddenly, the curtain of the adjacent tent lifted, and a scruffy, sinister-looking middle-aged man emerged.

The man paused upon seeing them and demanded, "What are you three wandering around for?"

Xu Wenshan’s heart sank; this man was none other than the gang leader himself: "Yi Liu Yan" (One-Stream-Smoke).

Xu Wenshan gave a sharp tug to Wu Yi, who was about to speak, and cupped his hands in a salute. "Reporting to the Alliance Leader, we were on patrol outside the camp. It was time for a shift change, so we were returning to find our tent. But... the camp is so vast that we’ve lost our way."

Yi Liu Yan heard the subordinate address him as "Alliance Leader"—a title he hadn't experienced before—and felt satisfied. His tone softened immediately. "Isn't it the Iron Sand Gang responsible for guarding the outer camp today? Aren't your tents by the South Gate?"

After providing directions, Yi Liu Yan stiffened his face again. "Your work is of the utmost importance! Do not be negligent!"

"Thank you, Alliance Leader!"

Yi Liu Yan’s expression darkened instantly. "How do you know my surname is Xie?"

Xu Wenshan quickly corrected himself: "Many thanks, Alliance Leader!"

Yi Liu Yan patted him on the shoulder and let them go.

The three men finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as they were heading toward their assigned tents, they heard a commotion erupt across the Black Wind Stronghold. Looking back, they saw Yi Liu Yan gathering his troops.

"First Battalion! Second! Third! Get your asses out here! Stop sleeping, you bastards! Where are the tents? Get everyone out here!"

A few bandits emerged sporadically, and several "battalion commanders" tore open the canvas of their tents, kicking and beating the men inside to force them into formation.

It took the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn for the Black Wind bandits to finally assemble.

Lei Laohu, standing beside them, couldn't hold back anymore. He whispered, "At this speed of assembly, they’d be sentenced to twenty laps of the parade ground."

Wu Yi’s voice sounded as if it were squeezed from his throat: "They aren't even taking roll or counting off. I doubt these commanders even know how many men they have."

Xu Wenshan replied, "Stop grumbling. Think about why they’re gathering."

Although the two didn't know what "grumbling" meant, they both realized simultaneously: "They’re going to attack Fengshi Village!"

Xu Wenshan said, "Exactly! We’d better hurry."

The three rushed into their tent. As they lifted the flap, they saw seven or eight men either lying or standing inside.

One of them didn't even look up and said, "Why are you only here now? You should have changed shifts long ago."

Wu Yi dropped the tent flap behind them.

"Wait, you aren't Xiao Liuzi and the others!" a bandit suddenly realized.

But it was too late. The three men drew their blades and struck. In an instant, those standing were brought down. The others, lying down and unable to move quickly, were cut down where they lay. One man reached for a weapon, but Lei Laohu severed his arm with a single slash, followed by Xu Wenshan slitting his throat.

None of the three were men of soft heart; in a heartbeat, the tent was filled with nothing but corpses.

"What now?" Wu Yi asked, his eyes gleaming.

Xu Wenshan said, "The same plan. Kill the sentries in the camp, open the gates, and let our men in."

The three swaggered to the South Gate and threw it open. Several patrolling bandits approached, asking, "What are you doing?"

Xu Wenshan replied, "The Alliance Leader ordered us to open the South Gate."

"Open the South Gate? Why?"

"How should I know? Go ask the Grand Chief yourself."

The leader of the patrol stared at Xu Wenshan with suspicion. "Do you have a written order from the Grand Chief?"

Xu Wenshan hadn't anticipated the need for written orders. He improvised, "We were in such a hurry, we didn't ask for one."

The man immediately drew his blade. "You're imposters! There’s no order! They’re intruders! Help!"

Xu Wenshan was quick, slicing the man's throat before he could finish. Lei Laohu and Wu Yi were prepared and drew their blades, cutting down the rest of the patrol. Lei Laohu spat on the corpses, "You’re the thieves, and you dare call us thieves!"

However, the noise had already alerted the camp. Xu Wenshan urged, "Hurry! We're running out of time."