I, a useless prince, started with the Xiang Yu template.

Before nightfall, the main force of the Qin army was stationed in a hidden valley on the outskirts of Black Wind Mountain.

Inside the temporary camp, Zhang Bin summoned all the squad captains and spread out a topographical map.

The fingertip focused intently on the seventeen densely packed black dots on the map.

"Attention, everyone!"

"At midnight tonight, launch a simultaneous attack across all fronts."

"Our army of 5,000 men was divided into six routes. The five routes were used to clear out 16 small and medium-sized bandit strongholds on the outskirts."

"I will personally lead the remaining five hundred elite troops to strike at the heart of the enemy, focusing our main attack on Black Tiger Stronghold!"

"Under the cover of night, crush them with overwhelming force. Give the bandits no chance to react or rely on the terrain for defense."

The officers all nodded in agreement.

Zhang Bin looked around at everyone and gave the order in a deep voice.

"remember."

"His Highness decrees that evil must be eradicated completely."

Anyone who resists with a knife shall be executed.

Those who surrender will be taken prisoner and handed over to the Prince's Palace for unified disposal.

"Everyone, rest immediately, and set off at midnight sharp."

"Yes, sir!"

The officers clasped their hands in acceptance of the order, turned around, and left to allocate troops.

……

Night completely enveloped Black Wind Mountain.

The stars and moon were hidden, and the mountains and forests were pitch black.

The mountain wind howled through the dense forest.

It is midnight.

In the pitch-black forest, shadowy figures silently emerged.

The five routes, comprising 4,500 Qin soldiers, took advantage of the cover of night to disperse and, like hunters in the dark, silently pounced on the sixteen surrounding mountain strongholds.

Zhang Bin personally led 500 of his most elite infantrymen, bypassing the main mountain road and taking a secret path, heading straight for Black Tiger Stronghold.

The entire Black Wind Mountain was deathly silent.

No one could have imagined that the government's army would storm into these mountains in the dead of night.

The Black Tiger Stronghold was extremely lax.

At this moment, most of the bandits were lying haphazardly in the barracks, fast asleep.

The sounds of snoring rose and fell.

The hidden and visible sentries deployed on the perimeter had been silently eliminated by the Jinyiwei, who had been lying in wait for half an hour.

Before long, five hundred elite Qin soldiers sneaked up to the foot of the stockade wall.

Without any unnecessary movements, the climbing hook was thrown out and firmly hooked onto the top of the stockade wall.

The soldiers used both hands and feet to silently scale the wall and land quietly.

Until a large number of Qin soldiers entered the inner village and stepped onto the stone-paved road.

Only then did one of the bandits, who had gotten up in the middle of the night, groggily open his eyes.

When he saw the soldier in black armor, his pupils contracted sharply, and he was about to open his mouth to shout a warning.

A short knife pierced his throat.

Fresh blood gushed out.

The bandit couldn't even scream; he just collapsed to the ground.

"Let's do it!"

Zhang Bin gave a low shout.

The five hundred Qin soldiers instantly dispersed, dividing into dozens of small teams, and rushed into various barracks, the assembly hall, and the storage warehouses.

The cold, long and short knives were aimed at the sleeping bandits and struck directly.

The bandits, hastily awakened, were disheveled and killed before they could even touch their weapons.

Within the mountain stronghold, deafening shouts of battle, screams of agony, and wails instantly erupted.

The fire was lit, illuminating the entire mountain village.

The Qin army had not lost a single piece of their armor.

Any bandits who resisted while armed were killed on the spot.

The entire Black Tiger Stronghold was instantly turned into a slaughterhouse.

.......

Behind the Hall of Gathering Righteousness, in a private side room.

Black Tiger, who was fast asleep, was abruptly awakened by the deafening sounds of fighting outside.

He sat up abruptly, the alcohol on his face instantly vanishing, leaving him with an extremely unpleasant expression.

There was a rapid knocking at the door, accompanied by panicked shouts from his subordinates.

"Chief! It's terrible! The government troops have stormed in! So many government troops!"

Black Tiger's mind went completely blank.

Officers and soldiers?

How is that possible?

Just a few days ago, he was mocking the King of Qin in the main hall, concluding that the king would not dare to enter the mountains.

As a result, within just a few days, the other party launched a surprise attack in the middle of the night and stormed into their own lair.

Damn it!

Black Tiger's anger surged, and at the same time, a bone-chilling cold swept over his entire body.

Even with his arrogance, he was aware of the current situation.

The enemy has already broken into the inner camp, and the situation is hopeless.

If it were a daytime battle, relying on the advantageous terrain of the stockade walls, he would not be intimidated at all.

But now that they're launching a surprise attack in the dead of night, they can't mount any effective resistance.

A fight to the death?

That's absolutely stupid.

Bandits are essentially desperate criminals who gather when there is profit and scatter when there is danger.

What brotherhood? It's worthless in the face of life and death.

"Pack your belongings! Let's get out of here! We'll leave through the back mountain!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Black Tiger decisively issued the order.

Compared to counterfeit goods and money, life always comes first.

Several high-ranking leaders were also terrified, their faces turning pale. They hurriedly packed up their gold, silver, jewelry, banknotes, and supplies, and followed Black Tiger out of the back door of the side room, heading straight for the secret passage in the back mountain.

This back mountain path was an escape route that Black Tiger had prepared long ago, and very few people usually knew about it.

The group fled in a disheveled state, wanting only to escape Black Tiger Stronghold as quickly as possible.

Once you escape the mountains, the world is vast and open; you can still be a local tyrant anywhere else.

Stumbling and falling along the way, they finally made it out of the secret passage in the back mountain.

But as soon as they stepped out of the secret passage, they saw dozens of figures in black standing silently ahead.

The Imperial Guards drew their bows and nocked arrows, the arrowheads gleaming coldly, locking onto the group.

Half an hour earlier, this squad of Imperial Guards had been ordered to garrison this place, specifically to intercept fleeing bandits.

Black Tiger and his group stopped in their tracks, their faces drained of color, utterly filled with despair.

There was nowhere to escape.

One of the leaders went completely mad, drawing his long sword and roaring, "Fight them to the death! Eighteen years from now, I'll still be a hero! Brothers, kill!"

The words fell.

The leader of the Imperial Guards ordered, "Fire the arrows!"

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!

A series of sharp, whistling sounds suddenly rang out.

A rain of arrows pierced the night, covering the entire open space.

Heart-wrenching screams rose and fell.

The bandit leaders didn't even have a chance to resist; they were instantly pierced by arrows and fell into pools of blood.

Black Tiger was hit by several arrows, with his chest and abdomen both struck.

A sharp pain swept through my entire body, and my vision blurred rapidly.

He stared wide-eyed in despair, his gaze fixed on the direction of Black Tiger Stronghold, before his body stiffened and he breathed his last.

........

At the same time.

The other sixteen small and medium-sized bandit strongholds in Black Wind Mountain faced the exact same situation.

Under the cover of night, multiple Qin armies launched a simultaneous surprise attack.

With all the outer sentries eliminated, the army marched straight into the mountain stronghold.

The bandits in these small mountain strongholds were not as strong as those in Black Tiger Stronghold.

They were completely outmatched by the Qin army.

The sounds of wailing, pleas for mercy, screams, and cries echoed throughout the Black Wind Mountain.

The bandits were stunned and couldn't understand why the government troops were so strong.

These Qin soldiers, though lacking combat experience, were somewhat naive in their tactics.

However, in terms of individual soldier quality, discipline, equipment, and teamwork, they completely overwhelmed the bandits.

Bandits relied on ruthlessness, while the Qin army relied on systems, discipline, and formations.

The Qin soldiers became increasingly skilled and efficient in their actions.

The bandits were killed and cried out in despair, scattering in all directions, but they had nowhere to escape.

The night was as dark as ink, and the flames of war were spreading across the plains.

All night long.

All seventeen bandit strongholds in Black Wind Mountain collapsed.

For years, they have been a malignant tumor that has plagued dozens of villages and towns in the surrounding area.

Under the fierce attack of five thousand Qin soldiers in one night, they were reduced to ashes.