Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 507 Raid
"Alright!" Ding Xiu looked around at everyone with a sinister smile: "Do you have anything else to say? If not, let's go and find trouble with them."

"Are there any captured people in this camp?" Ding Baiying raised his hand and asked.

"I don't know," Ye Bushou shook his head. "Those people all dressed similarly, the kind of Hu clothing that consisted of animal skins and linen." In fact, to conceal their movements, they also wore the kind of Hu clothing that was a combination of leather and linen, even with the lapel on the left. But after removing their coats, they were still wearing standard Ming army attire underneath. "But from my own experience, the bandit camps should have more or less captives who were taken as slaves."

"That's not important! We're here to chop off heads, not to save people." Ding Xiu waved his hand and said seriously, "I'm warning you, if you really start using knives, don't be too ruthless. And don't let your guard down just because they can speak Chinese. Anyone holding a knife or gun is an enemy. Kill them first!"

What surprised Ding Xiu was that this time, Ding Baiying not only didn't contradict him, but instead accepted it obediently. "I know, I'm just asking."

"Very good." Ding Xiu looked at the others again. "Who else wants to speak?"

After waiting a moment, making sure no one else was responding, Ding Xiu pointed at the simple map. "Old Yan, is there a high point near this campsite that would allow us to shoot down the entire camp?"

"No. As I said, all the trees within thirty steps of this camp have been cut down. The best overlook is the tree I climbed during my reconnaissance," Ye Bushou pointed a dot in the empty space north of the camp. "But that tree is at least eighty steps from the northern wall of the camp. And I can't shoot more than fifty steps. Beyond that, I lose my accuracy."

"Is there a way to reach the shooting point of those two guards?" Ding Xiu pointed to the entrance near the river.

Ye Bushou stared at the map, frowning slightly. "The other side of the river is definitely out of the question. There are tall trees there, but considering the width of the river, they're definitely beyond my range. If I risk climbing a tree about thirty steps tall, I could certainly shoot those two. But I'd probably be discovered before I could even fire my arrow."

"Aren't those two people chatting?" Cui Laoliu interrupted.

"No," Ding Xiu shook his head. "This is gambling. There's no need to do this. Let's try another method."

"One of us can go forward and attract their attention," Li Xian suggested. "Brother Cui can then take advantage of the opportunity to climb up the tree and shoot."

"Who will go?" Su Laojiu uttered two words in a deep voice.

"Since I proposed it, naturally I should go." Under the surprised gazes of the crowd, Li Xian volunteered, "I'm the youngest and haven't learned any martial arts. I've only practiced for a few days and then followed everyone here. To put it bluntly, I'm just here to make up the numbers. If I don't contribute, how can I get any credit?" Li Xian took off his hat and said, "I can disguise myself as a starving beggar who escaped from Hetuala."

"Aren't you afraid that they will shoot you to death with one arrow?" Ding Xiu frowned.

"Not really. As long as they don't show overt hostility, the bandits generally won't shoot directly. They do execute captured fugitive slaves, but it's usually a brutal killing to scare the monkeys. I spent a year in Hetuala and saw many similar cases: beheadings, dismemberment, and flogging." The more Li Xian spoke, the uglier his expression grew. "It's rare to hear of people being shot directly. Furthermore, if fugitive slaves were captured by other tribes, they would be used as a tool to humiliate their owners."

"That's definitely a plan," Ye Bushou noticed Li Xian's annoyance, but he chalked it up to the young man's nervousness as he volunteered. "Just buy me ten sentences in the opposite direction, and I'll shoot those two dead. Don't worry, within forty paces, I won't miss. Just two arrows will take their lives."

"What a bullshit idea! Since the defenses are so weak, we can just sneak in." Ding Xiu extended his hand and circled the arc that marked the camp. "There's no one patrolling, and there's no watchtower. So, let's just send two people in, approach from both sides simultaneously, and then fire arrows from close range. With proper coordination, we can still safely take down both of them with a single shot!"

"That's right," Ye Bushou nodded. "I can take charge of one side."

"I can handle the other one myself." Ding Xiu raised his head towards Ye Bushou.

"What should we do with the person behind?" Su Laojiu pointed to the two lines representing the blockade.

"Master Ding, can you kill him?" Ding Xiu knew that Su Laojiu, Cui Laoliu, and Li Xian weren't good archers, especially Cui Laoliu, who couldn't even miss a stationary rabbit within thirty paces. As for Ding Baiying, she was certainly an accurate shooter, but the moving rabbit wasn't far from them when her arrow pinned it to the ground.

"Yes." Ding Baiying nodded decisively. "Although archery is not my specialty, I have never missed a target within sixty steps."

Ye Bushou was stunned by what he heard. He couldn't help but smile. But being able to shoot at sixty paces wasn't surprising. The most elite vanguard cavalry of the Ming or Jin armies could accurately hit an enemy at eighty paces while riding a galloping horse. It's just that at such an extreme distance, even if they hit, they probably wouldn't be able to penetrate the armor.

"That's settled then. Old Yan, come with me to take care of these two. Master Ding, go shoot the one behind us." Ding Xiu gestured as he spoke. "Li Er, Su Jiu, Cui Liu, the three of you will follow Old Yan and me. Once those three guards are dead, we'll charge in together and take control of the entire camp. Anyone who shows any resistance, regardless of gender, age or status, will be killed."

"Everyone, let me just say this. If possible, strike the neck or heart, but never the face," Ye Bushou said. He was a veteran and well aware of the tedious and rigorous nature of the meritorious service inspection. "If you can't see the face clearly, the civil servant won't recognize him."

Everyone nodded. It was common to send in a hundred heads, only to have sixty returned during the verification. In large-scale city defenses where firearms were used, it was even possible to kill a thousand enemies, report a hundred, and only have fifty approved by Beijing. The main reason for this was that once firearms were used, it was easy to completely obliterate a person's face. Such a head would never be claimed as the first credit.

"Let's go!" Ding Xiu stood up.

"I think it can be adjusted further." Ding Baiying said.

"How to adjust?" Ding Xiu asked.

"Master Yan, go shoot the guard behind the barricades," Ding Baiying pointed at himself, then at Ding Xiu. "I'll lead the charge into the camp with you."

"I agree," Su Laojiu immediately agreed. "Master Ding is the best fighter! He's a vanguard commander. There's no point in him fighting a mere minion. It's a waste of talent."

Ding Xiu ignored Su Laojiu and gave Ding Baiying a deep look. "There's no mercy on the battlefield. You better not pretend to be a female bodhisattva to me." "Hmph," Ding Baiying snorted. "You underestimate me."

"Old Yan, what do you say?" Ding Xiu withdrew his gaze.

"It's all the same." Ye Bushou, surnamed Yan, felt that he was being looked down upon by Master Ding, who was not much older than his youngest son. However, he didn't care. Every profession has its specialties, and Master Ding couldn't climb a tree, did he?

"Let's go." Ding Xiu took the first step.

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Led by Ye Bu Shou, the six-man group quickly reached the southern portion of the Jurchen camp. By then, the setting sun was shimmering only its last rays, and a few campfires had been lit in the camp to provide light and ward off wild animals. Unbeknownst to the campers, their campfires, while driving away the beasts, had also attracted a group of hunters who mistook them for wild animals.

In the woods about forty paces outside the camp, Ding Xiu gazed at the wooden wall and made his final arrangements before the operation. "Master Ding, in half a quarter of an hour, you and Li Er will move to the wall. Be careful not to be discovered. Li Er, just follow Master Ding and don't run around. Su Jiu and Cui Liu, you two follow me. We'll circle around and go to the opposite side of the camp. Old Yan, find your own position. In a quarter of an hour, we'll act together and take out those three guards in one fell swoop."

Ding Baiying raised his hand and asked, "We're divided into three groups, and there's no one here to ring the gong to announce the time. How are we going to tell the time?" If they had three pocket watches, this wouldn't be a problem. But even if such a rare and expensive item appeared in a bitterly cold place like Liaodong, it wouldn't reach their hands.

"Use your own mind to figure it out," Ding Xiu said. "If you can't figure it out, then follow my lead. It can be late, not early. Before I act, neither of you can move. Unless we are discovered by the enemy."

Ding Baiying and Yan Ye Bushu both nodded.

Ding Xiu turned to look at Ye Bu Shou. "Old Yan, after you take out that guard, you stay there. If anyone tries to move or cross the barricades to escape, shoot them. I still say the same thing, regardless of gender, age or status. If anyone escapes, we could be in big trouble."

"Understood." Ye Bu Shou nodded. If the exit hadn't been blocked, he alone wouldn't have been able to stop the fleeing crowd. But the chevaux de frise could block both the outside and the inside. From the woods thirty steps away, he could easily kill anyone trying to escape through that exit.

"What about our food?" Cui Laoliu patted the food bag on his back and asked in a low voice.

"You still want to carry it? Of course, put it here," Ding Xiu casually pointed at a tree. "Once we have complete control of the camp, come back and get it. By then, maybe our big bag will be full."

"Yes." Cui Laoliu put down the grain bag and took down the iron-clad wooden shield hanging on it. This was the only shield in the six-man team.

"Let's go our separate ways," Ding Xiu looked towards the camp, grinning and growling, "It's time to fight tooth and nail to earn wealth!"

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Half a minute later, Ding Baiying and Li Xian crouched down beside the wooden wall in the south of the camp. The camp was still peaceful. So peaceful that one didn't need to strain to hear the groans and gasps emanating from the thatched mud hut in the center of the camp.

Li Xian had no time to consider the source of that sound. The surging adrenaline had already pushed his heart rate to its limit. He felt his internal organs burning, yet his hands and feet were as cold as if they had fallen into an icy cave. The auditory hallucinations returned to his ears, the roar of fire and the screams of dying people tearing at his soul.

Deep in his soul, a vague figure was yelling at him to run away. That was his brother's last voice before he left. The escaped slaves who were caught would be publicly slaughtered.
After moving more than twenty steps, Ding Baiying and Li Xian tiptoed to a place very close to the western entrance of the camp. Here, Ding Baiying could clearly hear the conversation between the two guards.

As a native of the south, Ding Baiying naturally couldn't understand the barbaric language of the northern barbarians. But from the tone of their conversation and the occasional laughter, Ding Baiying could still tell that the two people were having a pleasant chat.

Ding Baiying felt deeply sad for the two dying people because of her instinctive sympathy for her own kind. However, she would never show any mercy. Just like the two people would never spare any effort when they killed her.

Between the enemy and us, it's a fight to the death.

Time flies. Ding Baiying calculated that a quarter of an hour had already passed, but she still leaned quietly beside two thick wooden stakes side by side, waiting for Ding Xiu's signal.

The signal is coming!

However, this signal was not some strange flash or sudden noise, but a sudden stagnant conversation.

"Ugh." The young guard near the south fence at the camp entrance clutched his throat in disbelief. He was speechless, unable even to lower his head. The moment a stranger's face flashed before his eyes, a feathered arrow pierced his skin. With unstoppable force, it successively shattered his Adam's apple, severed his veins, tore through his muscles, and finally exited through his cervical spine.

Warm, wet blood gushed out from the wound, running down the guard's neck and arms.

Across from the wounded guard, another young guard, realizing his companion had been shot, also saw a strange figure. But before the intruder, who looked remarkably like a woman, could unleash the fatal arrow, a large hand came from behind and covered his mouth. Then, the sound of a sharp weapon slicing through his skin and throat simultaneously, echoing through his neck and bones, rushed into his mind.

It turns out that this is the sound you hear when your throat is cut.
Ding Baiying hurriedly clamped the tail of the arrow, which was about to slip out of her hand, and then slowly relaxed the taut bowstring. She hadn't expected Ding Xiu to suddenly change his tactics, nor had she expected Su Laojiu, the "soft-hearted" man, to be so decisive and ruthless in his killing. The smooth strokes of the sword made Ding Baiying feel as if she were witnessing the slaughter of a New Year pig.

"Ah!" At this moment, a woman who happened to be looking over shouted loudly after a brief brain freeze, and this scream also announced the death sentence of the third guard.

(End of this chapter)