If I made you cannon fodder, how did you manage to achieve your goal of conquering the wolf's l

"We must enter the village tomorrow, and not a single one can be missing."

After Xu Qingshan finished speaking, he put the blood-stained wooden plaque into his pocket.

The gongs inside Black Wind Village are still ringing.

Bandits carrying torches were constantly running towards the main gate. The news that Qi Biao had escaped back from the trade route had thrown the entire mountain stronghold into chaos.

In the pine forest behind the mountain, the Zhenbei cavalry regrouped around the sketch on the snow.

Hou San led six men through the drainage ditch, tasked with opening the wooden prison.

Tie Niu led ten heavily armored infantrymen to approach the grain depot, first taking control of the oil drums, and then splitting open the iron-clad wooden door.

Aman led eight riders to guard the Hidden Horse Valley and the rocky crevices behind the mountain.

Xiao Qi stayed on the high slope, using a powerful bow and a rapid-fire crossbow to block the road between the wooden prison, the grain depot, and the flag tower.

Xu Qingshan led the remaining Zhenbei cavalry to break into the inner village from the side slope and head straight for the wooden building where the chief was located.

Xiao Hongluan was in charge of the front line.

Her men wouldn't rush to attack the gate; instead, they would display all the war drums, horns, and torches, making the villagers believe that a large number of troops had been mobilized from the four border forts.

After hearing the instructions, Gao Bai pointed to the south side outside the village.

"There's a pile of abandoned stone walls over there."

"There used to be a quarry in the mountains, but it collapsed once, and the remaining stones have never been touched."

"It's less than two hundred steps from the main gate. Black Wind Stronghold usually sends people through there, but they rarely leave sentries there."

Xu Qingshan looked at Bai Zhi.

"Will it work?"

Bai Zhi observed for a moment in the direction Gao Bai pointed.

Under the moonlight, several ruined walls were half-buried in the snow, with a gravel slope behind them.

"The stone wall is thick enough."

"If you hollow it out, you can fit three sets of repeating crossbows inside."

"It perfectly covers the stone path outside the village gate, arrow tower, and grain storage cave."

Xu Qingshan asked, "How long?"

"Before dawn."

Bai Zhi put away her charcoal pencil.

"That is, the craftsmen and crossbows can be delivered."

Xiao Hongluan's men are on the south side of the mountain path.

Among the infantry she brought were six craftsmen that Bai Zhi had transferred from Iron Gate Fortress, and three heavy crossbows and more than twenty repeating short crossbows were also hidden in the cart transporting the drum set.

Xu Qingshan ordered Gao Bai to take two veterans down the mountain to meet him.

"Come up along the quarry road."

"The wheels were wrapped in cloth, and all the ironware was disassembled and moved."

"No hammer can be heard in Black Wind Stronghold before dawn."

Bai Zhi looked at Hou San.

"You should also get rid of that smell on you."

"The guards were awakened by your fumes before they even got close to the wooden cell."

Hou San lowered his head and sniffed his sleeve.

"I think it's alright."

Ah Man stepped aside.

"You think it's useless."

Hou San took off his outer robe and rolled around in the snow twice.

The sewage mixed with snow shavings clung to the fabric, and the smell finally subsided a bit.

"Is this okay now?"

Xu Qingshan said, "Roll it two more times."

"Centurion, I have a wound on my waist."

"Why didn't you think of that when you were crawling through the ditch?"

Hou San rolled around twice more.

…………

As the night wore on, a fortified position gradually emerged behind the abandoned stone wall, hidden in the shadows of the mountains.

The craftsmen used short shovels to dig away the snow at the base of the wall and stuffed gravel and planks into the gaps in the remaining wall.

The three crossbow positions were spaced more than thirty paces apart.

The first point is aligned with the main gate of Black Wind Village.

The second location can cover the arrow tower.

The third location was hidden in a depression on the side slope. After the crossbow bolt passed over the low wall, it landed near the entrance of the grain cave.

Bai Zhi fixed the repeating crossbows one by one onto the wooden base.

Only a narrow gap was left in front of the crossbow.

Looking out from the stockade wall, the ruined stone wall is still dilapidated, but inside it can accommodate more than a dozen crossbowmen to take turns loading arrows.

Tie Niu stood to the side, carrying a heavy axe.

"Give me the iron gate to the grain depot."

Angelica dahurica was used to inspect the crossbow string.

"Don't rush to chop."

"Move the oil drums aside, extinguish the fire in the brazier, clean up the mess, and then knock on the door again."

"If we had been a step later, the grain inside would still be there."

"If you had been any earlier, you would have had to search for the door among the three hundred stones of burning fire."

Tie Niu touched the axe blade.

"understood."

Hou San passed by.

She explained it in such detail because she was afraid you'd only remember the act of breaking the door.

Tie Niu turned to look at him.

"If you say another word, I'll chop you up first."

"The wounded are not your responsibility."

"Even an axe won't discriminate against the wounded."

Bai Zhi raised her hand.

"Shut up, all of you."

Footsteps echoed from the distant stockade wall.

A group of bandits carrying lanterns passed by outside the abandoned stone wall.

The three crossbow positions fell silent instantly.

The craftsman lay crouching behind the crevice in the stone, his tools completely covered by strips of cloth.

The leader of the bandits glanced at the gravel slope.

"Has the sentry from last night not returned yet?"

"The chieftain has already sent people to look for them."

Another person said, "More than twenty people have been killed on the trade route, and Second Master Qi is seriously injured and is arguing with the chieftain."

"What's all the noise about?"

"Second Master Qi said that the ten cartloads of goods were still in the valley and that we should send men to seize them immediately. The chieftain thought that the Zhenbei Army had set a trap and decided to defend the stronghold first."

"Did that shipment really contain two chests of silver?"

"Who knows?"

"Su Jinniang said it herself, and Second Master Qi even saw the seal on the Iron Gate Fortress."

The footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Hou San peeked out from behind the crevice in the rock.

"Qi Biao is still thinking about the goods."

"We can continue negotiating with Manager Su."

…………

Before dawn, a Zhenbei cavalryman, dressed in the armor of the Black Wind Village, circled around to the front of the mountain road.

He had three letters hidden in his arms.

The first letter stated that Xiao Hongluan was guarding the Iron Gate Fortress with thirty infantrymen.

The second letter stated that Xu Qingshan was still interrogating Ma Rong at Duanhebao and was preparing to head to Heifengkou at noon.

The third letter mentioned that ten trucks were attacked and that Iron Gate Fortress could not spare more troops for defense.

The three letters were written in different handwritings and were signed by Duanhebao, Tiemenbao, and Heishibao, respectively.

Liu Ruyan had prepared the format of the border army's official documents in advance, and even the folding method and the mud marks on the seal were handled very carefully.

The Zhenbei cavalry followed the route along the Black Wind Village outposts, where they were likely to be spotted, and then deliberately stopped at a bend in the mountain road to adjust their saddles.

An arrow shot out from the forest and embedded itself in the trunk of a tree beside him.

"Who is it?"

The cavalryman from the north pretended to be startled and turned to run away.

The two bandits who chased after them found a leather bag that had fallen to the ground.

All three letters were hidden inside.

In less than half an hour, the letter was delivered into the inner stronghold of Black Wind Village.

An argument soon broke out in the wooden building.

"Brother, I knew Xu Qingshan was still at Broken River Fortress!"

Qi Biao's voice came through the wooden wall.

"The ambush force on the trading route only numbered a few dozen."

"Ten trucks are still in the Rocky Valley. If you give me another fifty riders, I can bring all the goods back."

The leader of Black Wind Village sat at the head of the wooden building.

He was a burly man with a scar on his face that ran from his eyebrow to his chin.

"You led seventy riders into Broken River Fortress last night, but only a few men returned."

"Today, he led more than forty people to rob a caravan, and once again left a pile of corpses."

"Giving you fifty more riders, are you sending them to be Xu Qingshan's victims?"

Qi Biao's right leg was fixed with a wooden board, and he could only stand by holding onto a table.

"Su Jinniang is still in the valley."

"Many of her people have been injured, and her truck is also stuck under rocks and won't be able to move for a while."

"If you're worried about an ambush, I'll take twenty men to negotiate first."

"Let her deliver the goods to the village gate, then we'll let her go."

The head of the gang stared at the three letters on the table.

Xu Qingshan is at Duanhebao.

Xiao Hongluan guarded the Iron Gate Fortress.

Blackstone Fortress is also urging for reinforcements.

The three pieces of information corroborate each other.

The ambush on the trade route was likely just a hastily assembled force from Iron Gate Fortress.

Qi Biao continued, "The ten cartloads of goods contain salt, medicine, ironware, and silver."

"The people on the outskirts of the village have started talking about not having enough food to go around."

"This shipment will shut them up."

The bandit leader asked, "Is Su Jinniang willing to come to the stronghold?"

"She wants the road to White Wolf Village."

Qi Biao said, "Just tell her that she can exchange the goods for a pass once they are delivered to the gate of the village, and she will come."

The leader remained silent for a moment.

"Take ten people with you."

"The truck is parked outside the main entrance."

"Su Jinniang may enter the village, but all your people will remain outside."

Qi Biao's face was grim.

"Ten people are too few."

"If you think it's too little, then don't go."

The leader looked at his trusted confidants.

"Add ten guards to the grain depot."

"Send five men from the wooden cellar to the main gate."

"The entrance to Zangma Valley is sealed off. No one is allowed to leave without my pass."

"Find the people in the outer village who spread the news that the Zhenbei Army was trying to recruit you."

…………

As the sun rose, a corpse was found on a wooden pillar outside Black Wind Village.

The deceased was a thin man in his thirties.

His chest was pierced by a knife, and a wooden sign was hanging around his neck.

There are four characters written on it.

Those who mislead the masses will die.

The henchmen on the perimeter quickened their pace as they passed by the wooden pillar.

Several pieces of paper with the words "Discard your weapons and you may live" written on them had already been circulated into the thatched hut and the stable.

The paper was only the size of a palm.

Those who read it would memorize the contents and then casually stuff them into haystacks, cracks in walls, and troughs.

The fact that the bandit leader killed someone only fueled the gossip in the village.

"Sun Kui of Iron Gate Fortress is dead."

"Ma Rong from Duanhebao has also been arrested."

"Would the Zhenbei Army really let those forced to the mountains go?"

"He Liu and the others threw knives at Duanhe Fort last night, and they all seem to be still alive."

"When the chieftain wants to burn his grain, are we supposed to stand guard too?"

A bandit entered the thatched hut, and the talking inside immediately stopped.

He glanced at the crowd.

"The village chief must close the gate."

"Everyone collect your weapons and be displayed on the wall in half an hour."

The henchmen on the periphery gradually got up.

The knives and guns that had been placed in the corner were taken away, but the expression on his face was far less fierce than usual.

From the high slope, Xiaoqi could see these changes clearly.

He retreated behind the rock and made a hand gesture towards Xu Qingshan.

The outer village began to waver.

Guards were added to the grain storage area.

Five people are missing from the wooden cell.

Xu Qingshan looked at the troop formation map on the snow.

"Keep waiting."

Tie Niu touched the handle of his axe.

"Still waiting?"

"Qi Biao's men have not left the village yet, and the main gate has not been opened."

Xu Qingshan said, "Once Su Jinniang brings the truck here, everyone in the village will be looking at the front."

Hou San asked, "If a few more people are removed from the wooden prison, I'll be able to get in."

"Wait for the gong to sound three times at the main gate."

"After the gong sounds, you enter through the drainage ditch."

"Open the cell door only after you see the white cloth arrow that Xiao Qi shoots."

Aman asked, "What about Zangma Valley?"

"Seal the valley entrance first."

"The warhorses were released from their reins and galloped towards the outer valley."

"Don't let the horses rush into the wooden cellar and the grain shed."

Xiao Hongluan's front line also began to move.

A drum stand was erected behind the abandoned stone wall.

Thirty infantrymen were scattered across different hillsides, each carrying two torches. When the battle began, the torches would be lit one by one along the mountain ridge, creating the illusion of a large army encircling them.

Bai Zhi conducted a final check on the three crossbow positions.

"Little Seven presses down on the flag tower."

"The second team is positioned to guard the arrow tower."

"The third team is only keeping an eye on the grain depot."

"When you see a torch approaching an oil drum, shoot the torch first, then shoot the person."

Tie Niu asked, "When is it my turn?"

"Wait until the fire is out."

You're talking a lot today.

"I'm afraid you'll forget."

Hou San squatted outside the drainage ditch and chuckled.

"If he forgets, write a few words on his axe."

Just as Tie Niu was about to turn around, the sound of wheels suddenly came from the mountain road in front of him.

All eyes turned to the outside of Black Wind Stronghold at the same time.

Ten trucks slowly appeared along the mountain road.

The first two carts still had bags of salt and cloth on them, and the straw curtains behind them were also completely covered.

Su Jinniang sat in the first car.

Qi Biao walked beside them with ten bandits.

His right leg was more seriously injured, and he needed a cane to walk. A short-handled iron hammer hung at his waist, but his eyes remained fixed on the truck.

Archers peered out from above the main gate of Black Wind Stronghold.

The chief leader stood behind the stockade wall.

"Stop the car."

"Su Jinniang came alone."

Su Jinniang reined in her horse and looked up at the village gate.

"I brought ten truckloads of goods to discuss business."

"You let me in alone while the goods are left outside? Is this how Black Wind Stronghold conducts business?"

Qi Biao said, "I have brought you to the gate of the village."

"Discuss the rest with the chieftain."

Su Jinniang jumped off the carriage.

She reached out and patted the salt bag on the first cart, her gaze sweeping over Qi Biao, the chief, and the archer on the wall in turn.

"The goods have been delivered."

"As for whether you will live to collect it, that depends on Commander Xu's mood."