Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 155: Twists and turns
Zhao Yifu led his men to rest in Qie County for two days, allowing the soldiers who had just seen blood to have a good rest and adjust their mentality, and then left without saying goodbye.

The enemy situation in Yuzhou was all in his mind, and with the information provided by the little mustache, he didn't need to use his soul to investigate, and he could determine the location and movements of the enemies in various places.

Overnight, the people in Qie County found that the county town was empty again. They looked at each other blankly, and felt that a big hole in their hearts was also empty.

It was then that these wealthy individuals realized that they had felt extremely safe when Zhao Yifu's men were around. But now, that sense of security was gone.

Zhao Yifu led the Fenglin soldiers in a massive large-scale battle.

The two-day rest was for someone to pass on the message to the surrounding areas so that the bandits would react and gather from all sides.

Once the other side takes action, it will be the Fenglin soldiers' opportunity to fight.

……

After a night of rapid march, they took advantage of the cover of darkness to charge into a bandit camp of 500 men.

This time, Zhao Yifu was not needed to be dispatched to break through the gate first. Instead, Yang Zaixuan, who had just joined the army, led the charge and rushed into the camp without a single opponent.

This time, after their successful night attack, they did not stop, but simply packed up their supplies and headed directly north, and camped and rested in the bushes beside a small river that ran across the direction of Yugzhou City.

After having breakfast with dry food, it wasn't long before a team of scouts from the other side crossed the river to investigate.

Seeing this, Zhao Yifu secretly summoned a thick fog to cover the area near the river bank, which of course obscured the figures of himself and others.

This move was not taught by Emperor Wenheng, but it seems to be very effective when used in combat.

The scout encountered heavy fog and did not conduct a thorough investigation. He just casually checked and then crossed the river back.

Not long after, a bandit army of a thousand men came here to cross the river.

Yang Zaixuan, beside Zhao Yifu, seemed to have realized something: "Attack them when they are halfway across the river."

Zhao Yifu nodded and said, "Since you know this, the opportunity to attack is up to you. When you feel it's almost time, rush out. The brothers will follow you."

Yang Zaixuan was stunned, then nodded heavily with great gratitude and nervousness.

He knew that this was Zhao Yifu cultivating him.

After patiently waiting for a while, he noticed that the general's flag in this team had also crossed the river, while about one-third of the bandits on the other side had not yet crossed...

"Brothers, follow me!"

He took the lead and rushed towards the general's position.

The bandits had no military discipline. In order to cross the river, most of them took off their armor and have not put it back on yet.

When Yang Zaixuan led the crowd out, it was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, killing indiscriminately.

Even the bandit general who had just crossed the river was killed by Yang Zaixuan in one blow. The morale of the bandit soldiers collapsed and they were unable to resist.

Another glorious victory.

This time it was a thousand to one thousand, and a victory with almost no casualties.

But after the victory, Zhao Yifu still did not let everyone rest. Instead, after cleaning up the battlefield, he turned westward and marched quickly again.

He has used his 'marching' skills to the fullest.

This time the battle turned to the west.

Zhao Yifu seemed to have known the local terrain for a long time, and he took his men to a hillside to rest.

After waiting for half a day, a group of 800 bandits passed by.

This group of bandits came from a neighboring county and came to help suppress the situation after receiving the news.

However, they never expected that they would be ambushed as soon as they entered the territory of Qi County.

Huge rocks rolled down from the hillsides on both sides, and the bandits in the narrow road fled in panic.

As a result, the mountain road ahead was blocked by huge rocks and could not be opened temporarily, so Yang Zaixuan led his troops to charge down.

Since they couldn't go forward, the bandits wanted to retreat and escape, but they collided with bandits from the rear who were unaware of the situation, and the scene became chaotic.

In this way, another victory is inevitable.

Night attacks, attacks halfway across the river, ambushes along the roads... every battle was a victory.

Zhao Yifu used all the tactics he had read in his military strategy and killed more than 2,000 bandits who came to support him from all directions!

Together with the two thousand bandits defeated when they entered Qi County, the number of bandits in Yugzhou had been reduced by nearly half!
It can’t be considered a big victory along the way, but the continuous small victories have completely boosted the confidence of the entire army.

During this process, Yang Zaixuan also performed very well. This young man was indeed skilled in archery and horse riding. Although he still seemed green, he had already shown the potential to be a fierce general.

After half a month of continuous fighting, the bandits around Yu County were completely wiped out, and even the bandits from the neighboring county were mobilized and defeated. Now there were only 5,000 bandits in Yuzhou, and another 3,000 were stationed near Jingshan. The pressure Zhao Yifu faced was suddenly relieved a lot.

Even though the Fenglin soldiers were well-trained, they were very tired.

But that’s not all. Zhao Yifu waved his hand and charged directly into the neighboring Wu County.

Wu County had just sent reinforcements to support Qi County, but they had no idea that the enemy had already destroyed their reinforcements and would rush into Wu County to cause trouble for them.

This time, Zhao Yifu launched a night attack to capture the city. Yang Zaixuan bravely took the lead and easily captured the Wu County City, which had only 500 defenders.

The Fenglin soldiers could therefore rest in peace in Wu County.

This time, Zhao Yifu did not invite those wealthy families to pay him a visit. After all, the supplies seized along the way and the treasury in Wu County were enough for him to use.

However, after two days of rest, the man with the mustache brought news that the city of Yuzhou in the north was mobilizing troops, and even two thousand of the three thousand people guarding the border were withdrawn.

At the same time, they forcibly conscripted civilians into the army as cannon fodder, and hastily assembled a team of 30,000 people to prepare to attack this side.

This news was not hidden from the leaders of the Fenglin soldiers, but surprisingly, these leaders were not afraid at all. Instead, they were eager to fight and looked impatient.

It seemed like they had all become arrogant soldiers... Although it was said that 'arrogant soldiers will be defeated', Zhao Yifu felt that this was only true when they faced an evenly matched opponent. As for those makeshift teams on the other side...

Zhao Yifu felt that his soldiers should be proud.

He simply let everyone continue to rest in Wu County, so that they could wait for the opportunity to tire themselves out.

However, what surprised him was that the bandit leader actually led 30,000 people all the way south, and it seemed that they were going to attack the Xiaoliupo camp directly.

Zhao Yifu muttered in surprise, "It seems not all the thieves are fools."

"If you attack me, I will definitely rescue you. Next, will you wait for me to tire myself out and kill me halfway?"

He smiled playfully, then immediately ordered, "Everyone, follow me back to support us. We must not let them wreak havoc in our hometown!"

Just one sentence immediately made Fenglin Bing's eyes turn red and his blood boil.

Don't think that he was being led by the nose... In fact, he deliberately wanted to confront those people head-on and conduct the final training for this newly formed Fenglin Army.

They set out in the morning, marched for a day and a night, and arrived at the enemy's pre-set battlefield the next morning.

This is an open plain with no cover, so it would be much more difficult to escape.

The two groups confronted each other in this wilderness.

One thousand versus thirty thousand, there is definitely a huge disparity in power, but the side with one thousand people is in high spirits as if they are the one with the advantage.

Because the thousand Fenglin soldiers have been thoroughly trained, while the Jingshan bandit soldiers, except for the original four or five thousand miscellaneous soldiers, are all civilians who were forcibly conscripted into the army, a pure mob.

Just as Zhao Yi Fu was about to order a charge, the bandits suddenly split into two lines, and a group of people rode horses to the front of the formation.

"Jingshan Muzhan is here, someone who can talk is here!"

Yang Zaixuan turned around and saw that Zhao Yifu didn't react. He then stepped out of the crowd and shouted, "Traitor, if you want to fight, then fight. There's no need to make a fuss!"

Mu Zhan was slightly stunned, then shouted loudly: "Zhao Yifu! I know you are the magistrate of Fenglin County. If you can abandon evil and join the good, I am willing to be your equal!"

Zhao Yifu chuckled upon hearing this, and then his voice, calm and powerful, spread throughout the room: "Mu Zhan? Use a pseudonym, please. Jingshan can't support a face as eccentric as yours. You're so sincere in making a wish with me under a pseudonym!"

At this moment, the entire enemy army was in an uproar, and many people began to waver.

Mu Zhan's eyes trembled for a moment, but his expression remained unchanged as he said, "Nonsense! I grew up in Jingshan and am definitely not from the north."

"Humph, it looks like you're determined to fight to the end. Aren't you afraid of hurting this old man?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng Zhizhou was brought out.

This Lord Cheng looked extremely miserable. His official hat had been taken off, his hair was disheveled, and his face was covered in bruises.

It seems that these villains did not give Lord Cheng the respect that a scholar deserves.

"County Magistrate Zhao!"

"Brother Junxin!"

"Spare my life!"

Lord Cheng spoke as Mu Zhan had hoped.

But the words seemed a little strange. They didn't say 'help' but 'spare my life'...

Then Mu Zhan saw Zhao Yifu showing a somewhat excited expression.

"Sir Cheng, you sacrificed your life for your country and died on the battlefield. I will ask for your commendation."

Cheng Zhizhou hurriedly shouted: "Wait... spare..."

Zhao Yifu waved his hand and said impatiently: "Kill!"

Then the Fenglin soldiers swarmed up and rushed towards Cheng Zhizhou with great excitement, as if they were afraid that this man would not die cleanly enough.

Mu Zhan's scalp tingled at the sight. He had expected everything except Zhao Yifu, the county magistrate, who didn't care about Shangguan's life or death, and even seemed to wish him dead soon. Good man, why did he feel that this county magistrate was a bit like him?
However, Mu Zhan also reacted very quickly and immediately said, "Stop them and surround them with all our forces!"

He went into battle with three hundred personal guards. As long as these three hundred personal guards could hold off the offensive of the Fenglin soldiers, he could complete the encirclement and secure victory for the entire army.

however……

Zhao Yifu stood on the small slope behind without moving, so he asked Yang Zaixuan to lead the troops to charge.

Yang Zaixuan's tall and strong figure rushed forward, and there was no enemy in front of him who could match him.

"Good thief, watch out!"

Seeing that the formation was about to be broken, Mu Zhan hurriedly went forward to meet the enemy.

However, Yang Zaixuan held a long wooden sword in his hand and swung it three times in a row, causing Mu Zhan's arms to tremble and ache, and cold sweat to break out all over his body.

He rolled over and fell off his horse, just in time to avoid Yang Zaixuan's fourth knife.

"Qiang!"

The blade passed by and just cut off Mu Zhan's helmet.

As soon as Mu Zhan fell off his horse and rolled over, his personal soldiers immediately stepped forward to block Yang Zaixuan.

How could Yang Zaixuan let it go?

If you catch up with him, you will want to kill him again.

Suddenly, Zhao Yifu's voice came to my ears: "Don't worry, let him escape, and you just chase after him."

Yang Zaixuan understood what he meant and paused for a moment to let Mu Zhan escape a little distance. When his personal guards no longer wanted to fight and began to flee, he waved his hand and said, "Come chase with me!"

All of a sudden, everything is in chaos.

Mu Zhan wanted to return to the formation, but the Fenglin soldiers followed behind him and effortlessly cut the Jingshan bandits' formation in half, forming a momentum that was like a rolling pearl curtain.

Chaos, complete chaos.

Those soldiers who were brought along originally relied on the Jingshan bandits to supervise the battle, but now the Jingshan bandits had no time to take care of them, so of course they all fled in panic.

One thousand defeated thirty thousand, a thirty-fold difference in troop strength, and yet they won the battle.

Zhao Yifu was bored.

After all, they were just a bunch of rabble, and it was actually quite boring to see him beat them to such a result.

He called over the man with the mustache and said, "Notify my Uncle Wu and have him bring some men to clean up the battlefield. These thieves have stolen a lot of valuables, but since we captured them on the battlefield, they are our spoils of war."

He wandered through the chaotic battlefield. He was clearly alone, but none of the defeated soldiers dared to cause trouble.

He just walked in the direction of the other party's defeat, chatting with someone in his sleeve.

[It's so refreshing. It's so refreshing.]

[A thousand defeated thirty thousand, this is the most famous general in ancient times. 】

[Little Taoist priest, this is amazing! This is truly amazing.]

Zhao Yifu said modestly, "They are just a bunch of makeshift troupes, and I've only been navigating the tiny Yuzhou area. I'm still far behind my Master Zhou."

Ying Cong said, "Zhou Su is truly formidable. I finally have a battle report. Your master has triumphed in three battles and completely crushed the Jingshan rebels... Awesome! Truly worthy of being master and disciple."

[With you, the master and the disciples, here, there is hope for my return to the north! ]

Ying Cong said expectantly.

Zhao Yifu said modestly again, "Then let Master Zhou take charge of this matter. I am a cultivator, and this is just a coincidence."

Ying Cong said disappointedly: [If you could...]

Zhao Yifu knew what he was about to say and interrupted, "It's okay. I can still be your eyes now. It's a wonderful thing to take you around and show you the scenery of different places."

Seeing this, Ying Cong could only agree: [That’s right.]

He suddenly changed the subject: "I didn't expect Yang Zaixuan to be so capable. If he's properly trained, he'll be a brave general who can be entrusted with important tasks."

Lucky Xiao Yang, he followed the right person and was immediately "in the emperor's heart".

Zhao Yifu said, "Let me lead him for a while longer. It's not a good idea to expose him to the darkness within our Great Xu Army too soon."

Ying Cong was silent for a moment.

He said helplessly: "It seems that the military reform is imminent. Otherwise, I will have no soldiers to use in the Northern Expedition."

……

The Fenglin soldiers chased and killed the rebels all the way, and directly dispersed the army that the Jingshan rebels had brought with them.

They did not kill indiscriminately, but only dispersed those who had weapons and armor and gathered together... These people were generally the backbone of the Jingshan rebels.

As for those defeated soldiers who fled in all directions... they were actually the local people of Yuzhou, and Zhao Yi Fu didn't worry about what would happen to them at all.

The pursuit continued for another day and night. Yang Zaixuan led his men all the way to the city of Yugzhou, and was about to follow Mu Zhan into the city to make another great contribution.

As a result, a man on the top of the city suddenly waved a large banner, and a green light fell on the unprepared Yang Zaixuan, and he fell down on the spot.

The Fenglin soldiers nearby were greatly surprised when they saw this, and quickly retreated with Yang Zaixuan.

When Zhao Yifu arrived, he saw Yang Zaixing, who was wrapped tightly in a quilt, his whole body red and shaking constantly... And those who had fought with him to the city that day all showed similar symptoms to a greater or lesser extent.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Yifu quickly used his true Qi to sense the condition of everyone's bodies, and then realized that this must be a blood plague.

The treatment method is also very simple. When this evil force enters the body, you just need to fight it with righteous positive force.

Although the treatment was simple, the bodies of these dozen people were still damaged and they could only recover slowly.

"Sir, I... am ashamed!"

Yang Zaixuan said guiltily.

He had been cured by Zhao Yi Fu with his true qi, but he was still weak and wanted to kneel down and kowtow.

Zhao Yifu supported him and said, "This is a small matter. I just didn't expect that the other side would actually support such a demon."

He paused, then added, "If that's the case, then it's no wonder I have to do it myself."

Zhao Yifu said this and turned to walk out.

Yang Zaixuan hurriedly staggered to catch up, but saw Zhao Yifu walking out of the military camp and heading towards the city of Yuzhou.

"grown ups!"

He was about to chase after him, but was stopped by the man with the mustache who said, "Don't worry, General Yang. Since our Lord has personally taken action, Yuzhou City will surely fall."

"General, why don't you command your soldiers to follow?"

Yang Zaixuan thought it made sense after hearing it.

He quickly called on the soldiers in the camp to assemble and set out.

Even if he has not recovered from his illness, he can only grit his teeth and persevere at this time.

Zhao Yifu walked slowly to the foot of Yugzhou City.

There was immediately a surge of people on the top of Yuzhou City.

Facing Zhao Yifu, who was all alone at the foot of the city, Mu Zhan, who had fled in panic earlier, said with a sullen face, "Sir Zhao, you came here alone, aren't you afraid of being pierced by thousands of arrows?"

Zhao Yifu shook his head and said, "You guys broke the rules."

As soon as he finished speaking, he leaped up into the air, directly surpassing the height of the city wall and then fell straight to the top of the city.

"Snapped!"

With his legs slightly bent, he landed steadily on the top of the city wall, and not far in front of him was Mu Zhan.

He asked, "Where is the person who used evil magic to harm my soldiers?"

Mu Zhan looked terrified and waved his hand, saying, "Go, kill him!"

Zhao Yifu stretched out his left hand, and a green bamboo stick popped out of his sleeve.

Then he reached out and grasped the bamboo stick, tapping it rapidly in front of him.

The soldiers blocking his way were like weightless dandelions, and they flew away in an instant.

What's amazing is that he used these consecutive moves with the intention of hiding his attack, ensuring that these people were only injured but not killed.

Zhao Yifu continued to approach Muzhan and said, "Call that man out. We can solve this problem."

Mu Zhan picked up the knife and chopped it.

Zhao Yifu casually knocked the weapon in Mu Zhan's hand away with a stick.

At this moment, Mu Zhan was stunned. He realized that he was like a child in front of Zhao Yifu.

Then, the next moment, a voice echoed around Zhao Yifu: "Why bother, why bother forcing me like this?"

Zhao Yifu said, "You have crossed the line."

As he spoke, he put the emerald green bamboo stick into his sleeve and then drew out the killing knife.

(End of this chapter)