Chapter 11 The Bandits Arrived

  In the blink of an eye, ten days have passed in a hurry.

  At this time, Li Zhen was absolutely a busy man. He had to be busy dealing with the affairs of the Sharp Blade Camp, and also select and determine the location for the upcoming battle with the Taiping Army, confirm the hiding position, and then snipe at the leaders of the Taiping Army. Fortunately, Huang Shi Hai and Huang Hu helped Li Zhen, putting the training of the Sharp Blade Camp on the right track, so as not to distract Li Zhen.

  After Huang Shi-hai became Li Zhen's subordinate, Qi Shan immediately improved his treatment of Huang Shi-hai, providing enough food and military equipment, which excited the soldiers in the camp for a while.

  Li Zhen was handling military affairs in the big account when Huang Shi Hai walked in and said in a low voice, "Sir, Wu Qigong has arrived."

  Li Zhen nodded and waved his hand for Huang Shi Hai to withdraw.

  A moment later, Wu Qigong entered the main tent with a worried look and said in a heavy tone: "Li Zhen, I just received news that Yang Xiuqing has sent troops to attack Jiangbei Dazheng, with great momentum, it's not easy to deal with."

  Li Zhen furrowed his brow and said: "General, I also sent out over a hundred scouts to infiltrate Yangzhou earlier, but there's no news!"

  Wu Qigong said: "This is the news given by Qi Shan, it won't be wrong."

  Li Zhen's heart skipped a beat as he realized that Qishan had another channel of information, far more clever than his own methods.

  Li Zhen did not ask about the source of Qi Shan's information, and asked in a low voice: "General, Yang Xiuqing sent bandits to rush to the Jiangbei Dazheng camp. Who is leading the army? How many bandits are there?"

  Wu Qigong lifted his robe and sat down, worriedly saying: "The leader of the bandits is named Li Yongbao. He's about twenty years old and is the son of Taiping Army Northern Expedition General Li Kaifang. It's said that Li Yongbao started practicing martial arts at eight years old and by twelve was already extraordinary in his skills. By now, he's unbeatable by ten thousand men, with a knife technique so swift that water can't be poured into it, extremely formidable."

  Li Zhenxiang said: "High martial arts skills can be solved with just one bullet."

  Wu Qigong smiled slightly, but his eyes still showed a worried look.

  After a pause, Wu Qigong continued: "Li Zhen, you've got one thing right this time. Yang Xiuqing is indeed furious, but he doesn't plan to launch a large-scale attack on the Jiangbei camp. He's only sent 10,000 bandits. However, Li Yongbao won't be easy to deal with. Are you confident?" Even though Li Zhen appeared full of confidence, Wu Qigong still had no peace of mind.

  Li Zhen asked: "General, don't you have confidence in me?"

  Wu Qigong rubbed his hands and said: "It's not that I don't have confidence, but when it comes to the crucial moment, there's always some unease!"

  "General, rest assured, if 10,000 bandits come, we will eliminate 10,000."

  Wu Qigong saw Li Zhen's energy was full, and his worried expression gradually disappeared. He said: "Li Yongbao will lead the army to kill, and in another day and a half, we can reach the Jiangbei camp. When should we launch a surprise attack?"

  Li Zhen said: "Set off immediately, use half a day to rush to the ambush point and wait for Li Yongbao."

  Wu Qigong nodded and left the tent to gather the troops.

  Before long, Huang Shi-hai walked in, bowed to Li Zhen and asked in a low voice: "Sir, has the bandit arrived?" Huang Shi-hai knew that this battle was related to Li Zhen's future as well as the development of the Sharp Blade Battalion, so he was extremely concerned.

  Li Zhen nodded and said: "Shi Hai, are the soldiers in the camp ready?"

  "Please be assured, sir," replied Huang Shi-hai. "The soldiers are itching for a fight and can't wait to take to the battlefield and kill the enemy."

  Li Zhen's eyes sparkled with excitement, this moment had finally arrived.

  ……

  Fifty li southeast of Jiangbei Dazhan

  On the official road, a winding army like a snake slowly moved forward. The soldiers in the army had their hair tied back and wore headscarves on their heads, with short shirts on their upper bodies. Such attire was that of the Taiping Army, which was distinctly different from the Qing army.

  The scorching heat made all the soldiers feel listless.

  At the forefront of the army, a sturdy young man led the way forward.

  He had a golden broadsword on his back, shining brightly; he rode a large black horse, majestic and unparalleled; he wore a suit of golden chain armor, mighty and heroic. The young man was not very old, but strong and robust, vigorous and brave. This person was none other than Li Yongbao, the son of General Li Kaifang of the Taiping Army's Northern Expedition.

  After receiving Yang Xiuqing's order, he was so excited that he didn't sleep all night. On the second day, however, he set out with a mighty army of 100,000 to avenge the death of Yang Zhengqing.

  Although the troops were not many, Li Yongbao was confident.

  "Ta! Ta!"

  The sound of horseshoes rang out, and a middle-aged general walked to Li Yongbao's side, saying in a low voice: "General Li, the weather is hot, and the soldiers are tired from continuous marching. Let's rest for a while before moving on."

  Li Yongbao glanced at the exhausted soldiers and nodded: "Alright, rest in place."

  The order was passed along and ten thousand soldiers stopped to rest on the spot.

  Li Yongbao did not relax, and immediately called the commander of the army's vanguard to come over, instructing him: "As we get closer and closer to Jiangbei's large camp, Qi Shan's old dog has not made a single move, which is very unusual. You take people to scout out the road ahead, figure out the situation on the road to Jiangbei's large camp, and then investigate the Qing army's movements."

  "I will obey orders!"

  The Marquis turned around and left, taking a group of Marquises with him, quickly disappearing from view.

  An hour later, Xi Hou led his cavalry back.

  He walked quickly to Li Yongbao, made a fist and bowed, saying: "General, the road ahead to Jiangbei Dazhen has been carefully explored, no trace of the Qing army was found, and the road ahead is all open official roads, the terrain is flat, not suitable for ambush. Even if there are small hills, they can't hide thousands of troops."

  Li Yongbao asked: "Is there anything else?"

  The Marquis of Zou thought for a moment and said firmly: "There is no more!"

  Li Yongbao smiled and said with a delighted expression: "Since the road ahead is difficult to set up an ambush, it proves that Qi Shan's old dog is prepared to defend to the death. Pass down the order, the great army will speed up its march and kill its way towards Jiangbei's large camp."

  Ten thousand Taiping soldiers continued on their journey, heading towards the great camp in Jiangbei.

  ……

  Thirty li southeast of Jiangbei Dazhan

  The official road in this area is flat and straight, with a small mountain 15 meters high on the right side of the road. The mountain is densely forested and overgrown with weeds, but unfortunately it's not big enough to hide a large army, so it wasn't explored by Li Yongbao's scouts. Li Zhen hid in the woods, holding a modified sniper rifle.

  "Sand! Sand!"

  A rustling sound came from the forest, and Huang Shi Hai walked quickly to Li Zhen's side, saying respectfully: "Sir, Li Yong Bao is leading 10,000 bandits here, only five miles away."

  Li Zhen asked: "Where has Wu Qigong's army gone? Is there any news coming back?"

  Huang Shi-hai replied, "Wu Qi-gong has just sent back a message. He led his soldiers to take a shortcut and has already circled around to the rear of Li Yong-bao. They have entered the official road that the bandits will take when they flee. As long as the bandits retreat, Wu Qi-gong's army will definitely block their escape."

  Li Zhenxiao said: "Everything is ready, just waiting for Li Yongbao to arrive."

  Huang Shi Hai opened his mouth, but hesitated a little.

  Li Zhen asked: "Is there anything you can't say in front of me?"

  Huang Shi Hai smiled and said, "Sir, what I actually wanted to say is that with the 100 Sharp Blade Camp soldiers plus the remaining 800 or so soldiers, we can take on the 10,000 bandits. We are not afraid of Li Yongbao, and I am confident that we can defeat him. You hiding in the mountains and shooting, isn't that a bit unnecessary?"

  Li Zhen asked in a cold voice: "I know you want to compete with Li Yongbao, but have you considered the consequences?"

  "Huang Hu said with a loud and clear voice: 'Sir, once Huang Ge makes his move, Li Yongbao will definitely die.'"

  "Must die? How long can it take to kill Li Yongbao?"

  Li Zhen's face was cold and stern, and he said in a low voice: "When the bandits arrive, after entering the shooting range, I can snipe Li Yongbao at the first time, disrupting the bandits' formation. After Li Yongbao is killed, you can lead the army to cover up and kill, and win without much effort, minimizing casualties and reducing losses to the lowest level."

  "Huang Shi Hai led the army and Li Yong Bao fought, they could win and kill Li Yong Bao, but more than 900 soldiers would inevitably die or be injured. Are you willing to see the soldiers die? If it can reduce casualties, why show off?"

  Li Zhenyue said, getting angrier and almost shouting.

  Huang Shi Hai and Huang Hu were both brave generals, but they still lacked a lot. They could reduce the casualties of soldiers, but had to go into fierce battles. This way of fighting was a melee of cold weapons, a hot-blooded battle, but it was already outdated.

  Huang Shi Hai saw Li Zhen Fa get angry and immediately said: "Sir, I understand!"

  After finishing speaking, Huang Shi Hai pulled Huang Hu and ran out of the mountain forest quickly, disappearing from Li Zhen's line of sight. Huang Shi Hai knew that Li Zhen's words were right, but he couldn't turn around. Because with a sniper like Li Zhen shooting and killing enemy generals, his role had been reduced to the lowest level, and the martial arts he learned were even harder to use.

  Li Zhen suddenly chuckled twice, because he wanted to change Huang Shi Hai and Huang Hu's minds, it had to be done slowly.

  This is a long-term educational matter and cannot be accomplished overnight.

  PS: The seventh update of the tenth, new book just started, urgently need collection, please collect it, thank you Xiaodong.