After Liu Yan, Shen Tuo, and Xu Ming returned to the camp that night, they reported the plan of setting fire to the mountain to Wang Wenzhen. At this time, Wang Wenzhen had no choice. If he wanted to achieve military success, he had to follow Liu Yan's plan. , after all, these hundreds of people in Wangjiazhuang cannot withstand the consumption, and there is no chance of winning if they attack by force.
So Wangwen Town sent people back to Wangjiazhuang overnight to buy fire starters. After waiting all day the next day, Chief Flag Officer Jia Hongyu rushed back with him, bringing a large amount of sulfur powder and kerosene from Wangjiazhuang. etc., and even brought in a lot of gunpowder jars.
That night, after a brief discussion with Liu Yan and Shen Tuo, Wang Wenzhen sent Shen Tuo to take Huangshan Dun's men and horses to go ahead and carry a large number of fire starters to the cliffs occupied by the bandits.
More than an hour after Shen Tuo and his men set off, no news came back. Wang Wenzhen and Jia Hongyu anxiously walked around the camp. They were wondering whether Shen Tuo could succeed. , what should we do if we are discovered by thieves?
"Mr. Liu Qi, why don't we send some more troops to help?"
Liu Yan cupped his fists and said, "Sir, please be patient. The more people there are, the better. The vegetation near the cliff is lush, and it is night again. Mr. Shen Qi has a night-time background, so he will definitely be able to handle this matter." If we send people to respond, there will be many people with many hands, and the target will inevitably be exposed, which will not be beautiful."
Wang Wenzhen nodded. Although he understood that what Liu Yan said was right, he still felt uneasy. It can be seen from the intensified inspections of the bandits that there are capable people among the bandits. They must have sensed the arrival of the government troops. I don't know how many sentries have been added at this time.
While Wang Wenzhen and others were waiting anxiously, there was a commotion in the north of the camp. Jia Hongyu rushed out immediately. Wang Wenzhen held the saber directly in his hand. Only Liu Yan remained calm and did not get up from his seat.
A moment later, Jia Hongyu walked in with a smile on his face, along with Chief Flag Officer Shen Tuo.
"Is the matter done?"
Shen Tuo clasped his fists and said, "Lord Qi, fortunately you have fulfilled your mission. My subordinates have deployed a large number of fire starters near the cliff occupied by the bandits. The north wind is blowing tonight, so it is a good time to set fire!"
"good!"
Wang Wenzhen felt reassured at this time, and laughed and said to Liu Yan: "The next step will be up to Mr. Liu Qi!"
Liu Yan smiled. He must have taken the lead in this matter. After all, Wang Wenzhen had no other strong troops available. Although the Huangshan Dun troops under Shen Tuo were slightly stronger, not only were they too few in number, but the Dun troops had just been trained and did not have any decent equipment. They were still far behind the Dapanbao Dun troops.
As for the soldiers and servants of Wangjiazhuang, those are Wang Wenzhen's "coffin books". It is impossible for Wang Wenzhen to use them until he is about to die.
"Don't worry, sir, my subordinates have gathered all the troops. We will definitely let the thieves die in the sea of fire tonight and eliminate harm for the people!"
"Okay! Mr. Liu is so impassioned and truly a hero!"
Jia Hongyu on the side couldn't help but praise him. Shen Tuo looked at Liu Yan and nodded slightly. Wang Wenzhen said: "Okay! If we win this battle, General Liu Qi will be the first one, and General Shen Qi will be the second. I will specially prepare for the second one." Report to the Thousand Households Office in front of Xiahe Village to ask for your merits and reward!"
At this time, the small flag officers Wang Yue, Wang Bo, and Xu Ming had assembled their respective Dun troops, all of whom were on standby in the north of the camp. Because this is already the hinterland of Tiegu Mountain and there is not much flat terrain at all, so the soldiers who did not raise their flags at night all led by Xu Ming also walked, and their horses stayed in the camp.
After Liu Yan came out of the camp, he strode over to join them. Wang Wenzhen, Jia Hongyu, and Shen Tuo also followed, and the other commanders from various departments also came to see him off.
Liu Yan clasped his fists and said, "Everyone, please come back. I and the soldiers will go back as soon as we go!"
After speaking, Liu Yan waved his hand, and more than a hundred Dunjun troops from Dapanbao quickly lined up and marched north behind Liu Yan, and soon disappeared into the night.
"Sir, can General Liu Qi succeed?"
Wang Wenzhen nodded and said: "As long as the fire is burning, we will definitely win. The more than 100 Dunjun troops under Mr. Liu are not just decorations, they are enough to compete with hundreds of fierce bandits!"
Shen Tuo thought to himself: "Why was Mr. Liu's ability so unknown in Wangjiazhuang before? Logically speaking, such a hero should have come forward long ago?"
The words are divided into two parts, each expressing one branch.
Liu Yan led his troops to march north for about half an hour when he smelled the pungent smell of sulfur and kerosene. He couldn't help being shocked, and he ignored the smell factor.
But then a steady north wind blew in, and the smell of sulfur and kerosene quickly dissipated.
Liu Yan immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said to himself: "Fortunately, there is a north wind tonight, but we still have to act quickly to avoid a long night and many dreams!"
Soon everyone arrived at the foot of the cliff. The path leading to the top of the cliff was right in front. Under the moonlight, dense trees and shrubs swayed in the wind, almost completely blocking the path.
Liu Yan looked back at everyone and saw that although all the soldiers were wearing brand new mandarin duck jackets, they were all made of new cotton and had a very good thermal insulation effect. However, everyone was still shivering due to the cold north wind, and the armor they were wearing was even colder, and it would probably freeze their skin if it got wet.
The three small flag officers Wang Bo, Wang Yue, and Xu Ming gathered around, waiting for Liu Yan's order.
Liu Yan smiled and whispered to the three of them: "Tell the brothers, it won't be cold in a while, and tonight will be a very warm night!"
The three of them all laughed, and Liu Yan then made arrangements: "Xu Xiaoqi took the soldiers who did not collect the flag at night to set fire to the east, and they wanted to burn all the tinders near the path. Once the fire over there burned, all around the cliff They will all turn into a sea of fire.”
"yes!"
Liu Yan then said to Wang Bo and Wang Yue: "Take all your soldiers and follow me to ambush at the foot of the mountain. Once you find any bandits who are lucky enough to escape, you will kill them without mercy!"
"yes!"
Wang Yue smiled and said: "Commander A, when will we send the signal to the team leader?"
Before setting off, Liu Yan and Wang Wenzhen agreed on a signal for support: use two torches to draw a circle near the cliff at the same time. Even if a mountain fire breaks out, such firelight is very obvious on the mountain at night.
Once Wang Wenzhen detects the signal, he will lead his troops to support.
Liu Yan said: "Don't worry, let's wait until we finish everything here."
Wang Yue was slightly startled, while Wang Bo and Xu Ming laughed evilly. Wang Bo whispered: "There must be a lot of yellow and white things in the bandit camp, and those things are not afraid of fire!"
Wang Yue reacted immediately and hurriedly flattered him several times. Wang Bo and Xu Ming immediately rolled their eyes and looked down upon Wang Yue's villainous behavior.
Liu Yan ignored Wang Yue's flattery and directly waved the three of them to start taking action.
At the foot of the mountain, Liu Yan and Wang Boqi deployed due south and asked Wang Yue to lead his troops to the left wing. The terrain there was relatively gentle to prevent bandits from escaping from there.
Liu Yan had just finished his deployment when he saw a huge fire coming from the north. With the support of the howling north wind, the fire almost instantly got out of control. The raging tongues of fire were scurrying through the mountains and forests, turning everything in their path into a sea of fire. , the path leading to the cliff was also devoured by the fire, and the fire moved northward along the path at a very fast speed, and in less than a stick of incense, it spread to the bandit camp on the cliff.
"Haha, it's burning!"
At this time, there was nothing left to hide. Wang Bo looked at the fire on the cliff and laughed and said: "Commander Jia, look, the two walls of the village are already on fire! Look, the wall outside has been burned down." Got it!"
While talking, Xu Ming and the soldiers who had not collected their flags at night gradually withdrew back. After counting, there were many of them, and Liu Yan also breathed a sigh of relief. In such a fire, a person who is not careful will be trapped in the fire scene. Being able to complete the task without casualties is considered very smooth.
At this time, there were crackling sounds caused by burning fires and the whistling of the north wind everywhere on the mountain. Liu Yan loudly said to the three small flag officers: "Spread everyone to prevent the bandits from escaping. In addition, pay attention to the direction of the fire. If If it spreads, don’t worry about anything and just withdraw it!”
"yes!"
This night, Tiegu Mountain turned into a "volcano", and the fire at the southern foot was clearly visible even near Wangjiazhuang.
In the Ming army camp, Wang Wenzhen, Jia Hongyu, Shen Tuo and other armor commanders were waiting eagerly. When the fire burned, everyone looked to the north in shock. Unexpectedly, the fire was so fierce that it almost As it burned, it became uncontrollable.
Jia Hongyu said with lingering fear: "Sir, sir, will General Liu Qi and the others be okay?"
Indeed, in the face of such a fire, thieves and bandits are no longer the main threat that everyone considers. Now the fire is the most dangerous existence, and the flame does not distinguish between friend and foe!
Wang Wenzhen didn't know, so he had no choice but to say: "General Manager Liu Qi is not a pedantic person. If something cannot be done, he will definitely withdraw in advance."
Shen Tuo on the side looked at the area of the cliff where the fire was the most intense. After looking for a while, he said: "This group of bandits is over. Not many people can escape from such a fire!"
Wang Wenzhen, Jia Hongyu and others also nodded in agreement. At the same time, everyone had one thought in their minds: Liu Yan was really ruthless. Back then, Zhuge Liang burned the vine-armored soldiers, but now Liu Yan also set a fire and killed hundreds of thieves. It was roasted by a fire!
Wang Wenzhen coughed, concealed the shock in his heart, and then said: "Let's go back and have a rest. After all, we will be fighting tonight. Leave a few people to keep an eye on it. Once they find General Liu Qi, If the signal is sent out, please inform this officer immediately, and all officers and soldiers will be on standby at any time!”
"yes!"
Wang Wenzhen then returned to the camp. Jia Hongyu arranged for a small flag officer to lead people to keep an eye on the situation. He also followed him into the camp, not knowing what to say to Wang Wenzhen.
Shen Tuo did not leave. He found a place to sit down, wrapped a thick blanket around himself, and stared at the mountain fire to the north, wondering what he was thinking.
At the edge of the fire, Liu Yan stared at the scorching heat wave. At this time, he could vaguely see many figures on the cliff, running around in the sea of fire. He could even see many thieves who could not bear the heat of the fire and jumped directly from the cliff. If you jump up and down, if you fall from such a height, you will definitely not survive.
"Commander A, let's move back a little bit, it's too hot here!"
Liu Yan nodded, and just as he was about to lead his troops to retreat, he saw figures starting to rush down the mountain. These bandits were all burning with fire, and they were running towards this side howling in pain.
Liu Yan immediately ordered all the troops to line up, and all the gunmen quickly raised their guns. Liu Yan gave the order, and more than forty birdguns opened fire instantly, killing the dozen thieves who rushed over like crazy out of the sea of fire. Knocked to the ground, it helped end the pain of those thieves.
At this time, Liu Yan stopped retreating and ordered all his troops to stay on the spot. At this moment, Liu Yan felt a chill on his cheeks and suddenly looked up at the sky. He saw pieces of snowflakes falling down. It was snowing!
