Next to the swamp area in Kunze, Zhang Yi and Cuan Xi were leading the front army.
Cuan Xi has become much more careful after learning from last time, but he is still very optimistic about the upcoming war.
"General Zhang, from here across the Western Mountains, there is an open area. From then on to Dianchi Lake, there is no danger to defend. If Yong Kai and Meng Huo want to stop us, it is best to take the three small roads in the Western Mountains."
Zhang Yi nodded. He had used these three mountain roads to ambush Yong Kai before. This time when their army came, as long as the other party was not an idiot who didn't even care about the enemy's movements, he would definitely ambush him here.
"There are three ways forward. The enemy's troops are not strong enough, so they can only choose one of the three. But our army needs to transport the thunder cannon through this mountain, so we can only march along the main road, which is a bit troublesome."
Cuan Xi said: "Yes, since the general and I have unified the front army, we should clear the way for the prince. When our army enters the Western Mountains, we also ask the general to lead the army to slow down, and I will lead my troops to disperse and search for the enemy."
Cuan Xi is a former deputy general of the army. This is his duty. Zhang Yi cupped his fists and said: "In this case, General Lao Cuan will be here. Be careful."
Cuan Xi's return gift should be.
When the front army marched to the Western Mountain, Hu Li rode up to the two men and said, "Two generals, we scouted the three major and small roads in the Western Mountain, but no ambush was found. Especially on the main road, a certain company sent four teams of scouts to explore, but found nothing. "
Zhang Yi and Cuan Xi looked at each other. They knew the capabilities of the Red Star Army scouts, so they were very surprised by this result.
Their army is stationed in Guchang. If they want to capture Dian Lake, they must go this way. The Yong family and Meng Huo can't be that stupid.
"It is difficult for Yunnan horses to travel in dangerous places, so the scouts have not explored all the places, but there are ambushes hidden in the remaining places, and the number will not be too many." Hu Li was also very puzzled, "Even so, I ask the two generals to be careful. .”
After saying this, Hu Li clasped his fists and returned to the team.
"Let's go." Zhang Yi frowned and said, "There must be something fishy about this matter, but hesitating is not an option. We'll wait and see what happens."
Cuan Xi also nodded in agreement.
After the front army entered the mountain, Cuan Xi led his troops to disperse and search the mountain, while Zhang Yi led his army cautiously and slowly. Everyone with shields walked on both sides, always on guard against the enemy's bows and arrows.
However, after walking for a while, there was still no sign of hostility.
Cuan Xi also found nothing.
"Are Yong Kai and Meng Huo really so stupid? Or are they so confident in that so-called 'great gift'?"
All the former troops entered Kunzexi Mountain, but Zhang Yi and others were never attacked.
But just when he thought that Yong Kai and Meng Huo had really given up the best place to stop the attack, he suddenly heard a melodious and strange flute sound coming from the forest.
"The enemy is attacking——!" Zhang Yi immediately shouted, and the flags of the soldiers nearby waved, signaling that the entire army was ready to meet the enemy.
The soldiers immediately raised their shields, stretched their bows and raised their crossbows, and stood ready.
At the same time, Cuan Xi's troops, who were scattered in the woods on both sides of the road but failed to find the enemy, also gathered one after another to prepare for the enemy.
……Um?
The expected cry of death did not appear, only the sound of the flute continued.
What's happening here? Suspicious tactics?
Zhang Yi did not dare to be careless, and still frowned and stared at the mountains and forests on both sides, guarding against possible enemy soldiers.
"ah--!"
Before the enemy army showed up, the miserable howls of soldiers could already be heard. The sound came from a group of soldiers and horses led by Cuan Xi.
Then the soldiers were seen in a panic, drawing their swords and slashing randomly. Then they picked up one of them and hurriedly fled towards the main force.
But... there is still no sign of the enemy.
"Snakes! There are so many snakes!" The group of soldiers shouted a warning as they ran away. "Be careful! There are a lot of snakes in the forest!"
Then more screams and cries of pain came from the forest, and one after another among the enemy-seeking soldiers led by Cuan Xi were attacked.
The snakes move covertly and silently. Even if there are hundreds or even thousands of them, they will not make any big movement, let alone make any "hissing" sound.
Except for rattlesnakes, which use their tails to make sounds to warn enemies, other snakes have no vocal organs at all.
Although Cuan Xi didn't know that much in detail, having lived here for a long time, they naturally had to deal with venomous snakes.
"Withdraw! Get out first!"
Cuan Xi then led his troops out of the forest and reunited with Zhang Yi on the road.
The weird flute sound continues, and there is a faint fragrance in the air. In the mountains and forests on both sides, many snakes are either wrapped around the trees or meandering among the grass, and they are all slowly crawling towards the road. .
Such a sight can make one's scalp tingle.
Fortunately, both the Cuan family's subordinates and the soldiers of Bashu were familiar with this kind of thing. If it were some northern soldiers who rarely saw snakes and insects, some of them might have fled after seeing this situation.
"General Cuan, why are there so many snakes coming to attack our army? What's going on with the sound of the flute?"
Cuan Xi had a stern face as he looked at one of his soldiers who was bitten on the calf by a venomous snake. The wound had no obvious swelling, or turned black or purple, but this did not mean that it was definitely a non-venomous snake.
Sure enough, someone helped the soldier wrap a cloth band around the wound and squeeze the blood out.
But after a while, the bitten soldier still began to tremble all over, foam at the mouth, talk nonsense with his eyes wide open, and then scratched his throat, making a gasping "haha" sound in his mouth.
Finally, the lips turned blue and gradually stopped struggling...
"...among the Kunming clan, there is a clan that is good at taming and controlling animals, and I have always heard about it." Cuan Xi said, "However, those people rarely interact with other clans, and I don't know much about them, but I didn't expect that they still Know how to control snakes."
Zhang Yi hurriedly asked: "Is there any way to deal with it?"
"Snakes move slowly but attack quickly. Cutting with swords and spears is not a good strategy." Cuan Xi also seemed very embarrassed. "Although setting fire can break the snake formation, if the fire burns the mountain, our army will have to wait to move forward." The fire is out..."
"...Exit first!"
Faced with these things, Zhang Yi couldn't think of any good strategy for a while. If he led his soldiers to forcefully pass through such a situation, it would inevitably make his subordinates resentful and their morale would drop drastically, so they had to retreat first.
…
When Liu Chantong's central army arrived at the Western Mountain, he saw the former army retreating from the mountain in a panic. He rode his horse to Zhang Yi and Cuan Xi and asked, "What's the situation ahead?"
The two men knelt on one knee and said: "The enemy has snake masters, and the snakes in the mountains are driven to occupy the road... so our army is forced to retreat."
Um? Snake control?
After Liu Chan asked in detail for a while, he laughed: "Gu Zao expected that there would be snakes and insects here, so he was prepared. The two generals don't have to worry. Come, order the army to camp in front of the mountain, and we will wait for you later." Goodbye."
"yes!"
After the army set up camp, the army doctors and nurses detoxified and bandaged the soldiers who were not deeply poisoned, while Liu Chan ordered someone to fetch a jar like a wine jar.
After opening it, a stench hit my nose...
"Ugh..." Zhang Yi, Cuan Xi and others were unprepared and almost vomited on the spot due to the sudden stench.
This thing is like a rotten egg wrapped in old footcloth and exposed to the hot sun... it's too high.
"Prince, what is this?" Cuan Xi pinched his nose and spoke in a very funny voice.
"This is the snake-repelling ointment made by Gu Ming Uncle Wang. I will apply it on the legs and feet, and the snakes will not dare to get close." Liu Chan's face remained calm, but he pinched his nose tightly...
Cuan Xi was still a little doubtful: "This... the enemy's snake controller seems to control the snake with the sound of a flute. Will it be effective just applying this ointment?"
Liu Chan sneered: "I'm just pretending to be a ghost. After you enter the mountain, will you still smell something unusual?"
"...There seems to be a faint fragrance coming from it."
"That's it. Quickly order the soldiers to apply this ointment before entering the Western Mountains."
"As commanded."
Snakes not only have no vocal organs, but also no hardware to receive air sound waves. They are not only mute, but also deaf.
Their ossicles are only very sensitive to ground vibrations, so the idea of controlling snakes with the sound of a flute is simply a mystery.
Only snakes are the most sensitive and can keenly detect the smell in the air. Therefore, the essence of controlling snakes is mostly based on the smell emitted by special drugs.
Uncle Wang was a skilled doctor and was naturally familiar with the methods of detoxifying and driving away snakes. Liu Chan was very confident in this ointment.
Half an hour later, after applying ointment, the soldiers all covered their faces with cloth, looking like Deadpool assassins.
But of course they are not doing it for looks, but because of the stench in the military...it's really too bad!
Zhang Yi and Cuan Xi once again led this stinky army into Xishan, and what happened next greatly increased their confidence.
After they entered the mountain, the snakes that were originally entrenched on the road seemed to be driven away by natural enemies. They crawled off the road and returned to the forest.
The army moved forward, but no matter how the flute sounded, the snakes refused to show their heads again.
"Hahaha, the prince's miraculous calculation has even predicted this disaster for our army. It must be a revelation from God." Cuan Xi's understanding of this matter is a bit biased.
However, soldiers who generally lack knowledge all have the same idea as Cuan Xi...
After breaking through the snake formation, the army successfully passed through Kunzexi Mountain.
Except that dozens of people were bitten by snakes at the beginning and more than a dozen soldiers died unfortunately, there were no further attacks.
After this incident, instead of being hit, the morale of the entire army was greatly boosted.
The only thing that gives people a headache is this persistent smell. Even if you cover your face with a cloth, it still hurts your brain...
(End of chapter)
