I was living in the Five Dynasties period, just after crossing the Zhongdu Bridge.

As the art of war says, "Take advantage of chaos."

But when things really get to this critical juncture, who really messed things up and who took the lead can often be determined by just one thing.

That means whose organization hasn't fallen apart yet.

Inside the Zhangjiawu Hall of Righteous Gathering, it was now a scorching hell.

The flames had already climbed up the silk, and thick smoke, as black as ink, billowed throughout the hall.

In this environment, the advantage of numbers becomes a burden.

Zhang Heng's henchmen, roasted by the fire, lost their senses and wandered around aimlessly like headless flies.

On the other hand, look at Shen Lie's side.

These twenty guards were all veterans, and were key personnel carefully selected by Shen Lie before his arrival.

Although I was coughing incessantly from the smoke, at least I didn't cause any chaos.

But the numbers are vastly different.

Although Zhang Heng and his men were thrown into disarray, they were, after all, on their own territory and outnumbered the enemy by more than tenfold.

Once they came to their senses, the group of desperados surged forward like a tidal wave.

"Form ranks! Block the entrance!"

Amid Yang Ting's roar, the twenty men quickly shrank back, forming a semi-circular formation with their backs against the wall.

Fortunately, the entrance to the Hall of Gathering Righteousness was not wide, only allowing three people to walk side by side.

This place, which is usually a gateway for entertaining guests, has now become a lifeline for survival.

As long as this door is blocked, those outside will be unable to maneuver and will only be able to send people in one by one to their deaths, like adding fuel to the fire.

But this is not a long-term solution.

The fire inside the hall grew larger and larger, billowing thick smoke that made people's eyes water.

The roof beams were crackling from the heat, posing an imminent risk of collapse.

This is a dead end.

They would either be burned to death inside, or rush out and be hacked to death.

Yang Ting stood protectively beside Shen Lie. The old soldier, now showing signs of age, had his face covered in soot and grime, yet he continued to curse, "Damn it, how come there are so many of these bastards?"

There are indeed many.

Zhang Heng was initially stunned by Shen Lie's attack, but he recovered and his ferocity was brought out again.

"Surround them! Don't fire a single shot!"

Zhang Heng, clutching his still-bleeding nose, roared, "Whoever cuts off that damn defense commander's head, I'll reward him with a seat as deputy chieftain! And that newly captured woman too!"

Under the reward, there must be a brave man.

Besides, these bandits were already outlaws.

In an instant, stones, weapons, and even wine jars were thrown at them.

"My lord!" Yang Ting cleaved a henchman who tried to rush forward with a single blow, panting heavily.

"Does that idiot Liu Qing even understand what kind of fire this is? If this blockhead thinks we're warming ourselves by the fire, then we'll really be roasted meat today!"

Shen Lie didn't reply, but only glanced at the towering flames.

He was betting on Liu Qing's foolishness.

A smart person will weigh the pros and cons, and will think about how to save their own life and how to divide their belongings.

But Liu Qing is stubborn and inflexible.

As long as Liu Qing recognizes him as his master, even if there are mountains of knives and seas of fire ahead, that foolish boy will rush in without hesitation.

······

As it turned out, Shen Lie made the right bet.

But it wasn't entirely correct either.

Liu Qing did indeed arrive, and he came rushing over with a group of soldiers from the Fuwei Capital, their eyes red with rage.

But when they arrived at the gate of the village, the group of men who had just been yelling and threatening to fight were dumbfounded.

What to do about the suspension bridge in the fortified village?

Since Zhangjiawu was able to stand firm in this chaotic world, its defensive fortifications were certainly not just for show.

The rammed earth wall, which was over ten feet high, was easy to deal with, but there was also a moat outside that was two people wide, and the suspension bridge was high up with the gate tightly closed.

Although the fortified village was engulfed in flames and chaos, the guards on the walls quickly recovered after a brief moment of panic.

The people outside don't have siege equipment.

There were no ladders, no battering rams, and not even a few decent crossbows.

So they picked up their bows and arrows and started shooting down, sparsely but with enough killing power.

Liu Qing was a simple-minded man. He only knew that he should rush forward, but he didn't know how to cross the ditch or how to get up the earthen wall.

He could only wave the general's flag in his hand, pacing around the riverbank like a headless fly, shouting "Ah ah!", sweating profusely with anxiety.

The soldiers behind him were in complete chaos.

Without unified command, they each had their own ideas.

Some people wanted to fill the ditch with soil, some wanted to find wood to build a bridge, and some unlucky guys were hit by arrows shot down from above and lay on the ground groaning.

Logically speaking, this battle should have reached a dead end by now.

Shen Lie will be burned or hacked to death inside, while Liu Qing will be shot or worn down outside.

Morale in the military is something that comes and goes quickly.

The fighting spirit they had shown earlier began to waver again after being bombarded by several rounds of arrows.

"We can't get in!"

"How are we supposed to climb without a ladder?"

"Let's get out of here! If we don't, we'll all die here!"

Complaints were constant.

"idiot!"

Just at this critical moment, Liu Qing suddenly heard a loud shout from behind him.

A burly, dark-faced man stood steadily on the side of the group.

This man was dressed in plain clothes and was not wearing armor, but he was carrying a staff that reached his eyebrows.

"Who are you?" Liu Qing raised the flagpole, staring warily at the newcomer.

"You want to save someone?"

The burly, dark-faced man had clearly been there for a while. He ignored Liu Qing's questioning and simply glanced at the gate of the stockade.

"Yes!" Liu Qing replied in a simple voice, "My lord is trapped inside!"

"Then shut up and obey!"

The dark-faced man didn't stand on ceremony. He strode to the front of the formation and slammed his baton on the ground.

"These earthen fortresses look impressive, but they're really just made of paper!"

This man was clearly knowledgeable; he could tell the true nature of the fortified village at a glance.

"This fortified village is built against the mountain. Although the drawbridge is retracted, the winch must still be above the entrance. Now that there's a fire inside, those thieves must be in a panic."

At this point, he pointed at Liu Qing, "You simpleton, you look strong, but why don't you take a few men to the willow tree behind and cut some branches, tie them together, and throw them onto the suspension bridge chains?"

Liu Qing paused for a moment, then his eyes lit up: "Yes!"

"Then let's go!"

The dark-faced man turned to look at the chaotic group of soldiers and frowned.

"Stop panicking! Where are the archers? All of you, step forward!"

"And the shield bearers, raise your shields and hold the line! Don't cower like girls!"

The soldiers were already without a leader, and now that a fierce-looking man suddenly appeared, they instinctively regarded him as their lifeline.

No one asked who he was; they all obediently did as he was told.

"Shieldbearers, move up! Cover!"

"Archers, stop shooting at people, shoot at the lanterns on that gate tower!"

While giving instructions, the dark-faced man also snatched a hard bow from the archer next to him, nocked an arrow, and shot.

Whoosh!

A string was plucked.

The large red lantern that was originally used for lighting on the gate tower fell down with a thud, and the kerosene inside splashed out, instantly igniting the wooden railings on the gate tower.

This threw the bandits on the wall into even greater chaos, and the already sparse rain of arrows became even thinner.

"Now!"

The dark-faced man roared, "Big dummy! Throw it!"

Liu Qing and a few others had already prepared the simple hook lock.

Upon hearing the order, he didn't hesitate. He swung his arm and threw the tree branch with the stone tied to it hard towards the suspension bridge rope.

This simpleton is born with superhuman strength; the force with which he throws it is several hundred pounds.

"Clang!"

The branch was accurately caught on the rope.

"pull!"

The dark-faced man dropped his bow, grabbed the other end of the rope, and together with Liu Qing and the others, they pulled.

"One! Two! Pull!"

That's a clever trick.

Although the winch has locking teeth, if you use enough force, you can break those teeth or break the wooden stake that secures the winch!

This is what is known as a miracle caused by great effort.

Without siege equipment, by leveraging numerical superiority and using simple lever principles and brute force, the enemy's defensive structures can be destroyed.

This method may be old-fashioned, but it definitely works.

Especially for these ordinary soldiers who don't have much technical skill, this tactic was tailor-made for them.

Moreover, this dark-faced man was clearly a trained martial artist; the force he exerted seemed to have the power to collapse mountains.

Squeak!

With a screeching sound, the suspension bridge, suspended high above, actually slowly descended with the combined efforts of everyone.

boom!

The suspension bridge landed, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Charge in!"

The dark-faced man picked up his baton and took the lead, even faster than Liu Qing, rushing straight towards the village gate.