Chapter 00143: Intricate and Complex
# Intricate and Complex
Chapter 143
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 143: Intricate and Complex
He Lingchuan looked at them, feeling quite pleased with himself.
It was not easy to get close to these man-eating monsters; his original plan was to use the Turtle Pearl, but later he had a sudden inspiration and casually sought the help of the Crocodile God.
Power, ah, power, this kind of strength is truly useful; no wonder his father was so enamored with it.
By the time He Lingchuan finished eating seven or eight large pancakes, the mountain bandits had also finished their discussions, and Wu Shaoyi came over with his subordinates.
"Does this team under Chief He have a name?"
"Yes."
He Lingchuan took a sip of water.
"It's called the Support Army."
This was also the result of discussions between He Chunhua and his advisors.
He had originally intended to name this elite unit he personally led to Xiazhou the Black Water Army, but He Yue and the advisors strongly opposed it, believing that naming it after the source was too petty.
"We are willing to join, but I at least want the position of Deputy General, and my brothers also need their own ranks."
"That can be arranged."
He Lingchuan thought for a moment.
"Given General Wu's qualifications, serving as Deputy General in the army is sufficient. But I must say in advance, your men may be dispersed and reorganized."
This was also standard procedure to prevent them from forming cliques.
Wu Shaoyi did not object; instead, he felt more at ease with He Lingchuan's assurance.
If this kid had readily agreed, it would have been closer to empty promises.
"Then let's talk about the next plan."
Wu Shaoyi found a tree stump to sit on.
He had just recovered from serious injuries; although he had used forbidden techniques to swap out his injuries, the significant blood loss was real, and he had not replenished it yet, his face still pale.
He had already swallowed several pills to restore blood and energy, and was chewing on old ginseng, which was why he had not fallen into a state of dizziness.
He understood that it would be best to make a large pot of ginseng soup with old hen, eat both the soup and the meat, and then lie down to sleep for a day and a night.
Sleeping is the best way to replenish blood.
Unfortunately, the objective conditions did not allow for it.
The county governor's eldest son was still waiting for him to achieve a significant merit since his allegiance.
So Wu Shaoyi picked up a branch and began to sketch on the shore:
"Speaking of the Xishan Road, the several troops ahead have already run far; it won't be easy for us to chase them on horseback, and we probably won't be able to meet with County Governor He."
He Lingchuan noticed that he was drawing the nearby mountain shapes on the ground.
"Because we plan to rendezvous at Xianling Village, I sent someone to scout the nearby terrain beforehand. The mountains here follow the water, from Dèshèng Town to Xianling Village, the mountain ranges are basically along the upstream of Xianling Lake," Wu Shaoyi said.
"The land route is difficult; why don't we take the water route instead?"
"By boat?" He Lingchuan turned to look at the wooden dock by the lake.
"Aren't there too few boats?"
There were only seven or eight boats by the lake, one of which was quite large, but that could only hold a little over a hundred people at most; otherwise, Lu Yao would have long abandoned his horse and taken the boat to block the officials.
"That’s true, but don’t forget about them."
Wu Shaoyi pointed to the giant crocodiles on the shore.
"They can also carry people on their backs, especially the Crocodile God, which can carry sixty to seventy people by itself."
The Crocodile God was over five zhang long (17 meters), longer and wider than some ferries on the great rivers.
If the men stood on its back, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, they could still squeeze dozens of people on.
Lu Yao did not dare to make a move on it at that time because his agreement with the Crocodile God had already been fulfilled, and the other party had no obligation to help him anymore.
But He Lingchuan was different; now the Crocodile God was part of the officials, no, it was the official's crocodile.
"The first batch of over two hundred people can go by water; whether for a surprise attack or support, it can alleviate our urgent needs," Wu Shaoyi continued.
"The remaining people will take the land route and ride over."
Seeing He Lingchuan deep in thought and silent, he added, "The most urgent matter now is to contact Pei Xinyong."
"Contact Pei Xinyong?"
"That's right. He commands sixteen hundred troops and is currently the most important force on the Xishan Road. If he helps the officials, the officials' chances of victory will greatly increase; if he helps the bandit Lu, then County Governor He will be in big trouble."
He Lingchuan suddenly became animated: "You are right!"
At this moment, the Crocodile God, who had been standing aside, leisurely spoke up: "Where are you going?"
"The seven hundred men arranged by Lu at the Whistle Rock have not appeared, which means Pei Xinyong has successfully completed the interception task. Those seven hundred men cannot advance eastward, so they can only retreat westward," He Lingchuan analyzed while pointing at the mountain shapes on the ground.
"Therefore, we not only need to arrive ahead of the officials but also preferably ahead of Pei Xinyong."
"There are still several miles from Xianling Village to Whistle Rock, and considering that since last night when Lu Yao sent the order to the heavens, Pei Xinyong should have set out three hours earlier than us."
Pei Xinyong intercepted the ambush at Whistle Rock during the dark of night, and now the sun was already high.
Hearing this, Wu Shaoyi instead smiled and said, "The mountain roads are rugged, but they haven't gone far. If we take the water route, we can catch up quickly."
The mountain roads here were not just winding; they could have nine turns and eighteen bends, or even eighty-eight bends.
In contrast, the wide lake surface allowed for free navigation.
Thus, the villagers of Xianling Village preferred to use boats when entering and exiting the mountains, whether sending people or transporting goods.
He poked a point on the map: "The best endpoint for the water route is Dèshèng Town. It’s along the river and should have a dock."
With a dock, there would be suitable paths for people and vehicles to travel.
"That place has been occupied by Lu's bandits; it's said that there are several hundred men guarding the town," He Lingchuan raised a doubt.
"Do we still need to go there?"
"Even if we can reach there by water, we have no horses; how can we chase Pei Xinyong?" Wu Shaoyi laughed.
"Lu Yao has always brought his elite troops with him; the ones left in the town are likely weak soldiers, whose only purpose is to guard the rear. Our two hundred men can catch him off guard."
This young Master He still lacked battle experience.
As long as the deployment was good, it was not uncommon for two to three hundred people to launch a surprise attack on a camp of two to three thousand.
He continued, "According to the division of labor I had with Pei Xinyong last night, I will deal with Lu's bandits, and he will intercept the seven hundred ambushers at Whistle Rock. After finishing, he will come to meet me. So he won't chase all the way to Dèshèng Town; at most, he will turn back at Zhumapo. That place is easy to defend and hard to attack; as long as we leave two hundred cavalry behind, even if the remaining Lu bandits launch a counterattack, we can still hold for a while."
He Lingchuan nodded: "We also estimate that after the seven hundred ambushers arranged by Lu at Whistle Rock are attacked, they will flee back to Dèshèng Town. People have an instinct to avoid danger; returning to the main camp allows for both offense and defense. Therefore, Pei Xinyong will also chase them to Dèshèng Town. To prevent him from turning back midway, County Governor He's troops will take a detour in advance and head towards Qianteng Town."
When He Chunhua devised this strategy, he had to anticipate the risk of Pei Xinyong turning back.
After all, he was the leader of a bandit force with over a thousand troops; once they encountered the officials head-on, wouldn’t he be envious?
Fortunately, there was only one road for outsiders to enter Xianling Village in the latter half, but there were several detours when leaving the village, especially heading west, which provided He Chunhua's troops with more strategic buffer.
(End of Chapter)