Chapter 241: Guerrilla Warfare Demonstrates Dominance, Duke Wuxi Coughs Up Blood in Anger!
However, even if they couldn’t catch up, they had to keep pursuing!
They fell into an ambush, losing dozens of people, and they didn’t even know who the enemy was!
If they didn’t capture someone to interrogate, how could they explain it to their superiors?
“Catch up to them! Don’t let them escape!”
“Try to capture them alive! Charge!”
“Send more people, everyone follow me!”
…
Both sides chased each other relentlessly.
Unknowingly, they left Daliang Village and strayed away from the main army’s sight, arriving at a rarely traveled small road.
At this moment, the group of archers who were fleeing earlier turned around and resumed shooting.
From the grass on both sides of the small road, thousands of people emerged, holding arrows and shooting swiftly.
The pursuers were thrown into panic.
“There’s another ambush!”
“Quick, go back and report this to the general!”
“There are too many people, let’s get out of here!”
…
However, it was too late to escape now!
After several rounds of arrow showers, almost 200 soldiers from the pursuing group lost their lives here, while only a few of the Slanted-Moon people were injured, and none of them died!
Princess Ziyue looked satisfied at the scene. “Very good! Clean up the area immediately and send more people to harass them. Try to lure more troops here!”
“Yes, Princess!” everyone responded.
The same group of archers ran back to the camp of the Wuxi Army and unleashed a volley of random shots again.
After shooting, they turned and ran without hesitation.
“It’s them again!”
“Damn it! Our brothers might be in trouble!”
“Chase them! Avenge our brothers!”
…
Another batch of soldiers and horses arrived!
This group was large, reaching five or six hundred people!
Clearly, they had learned their lesson and dispatched so many people this time!
However, they could never have imagined that there were even more ambushers waiting for them, totaling over 2000 people, all experts in surprise attacks and archery, taking advantage of the terrain!
After a round of chaotic shooting, they managed to defeat this group of soldiers and horses!
“Go and harass them again!”
“Yes, Your Highness Princess!”
So, the group of archers ran back and shot randomly, then ran again, quite teasingly! This made the soldiers of the Wuxi Army furious!
However, the leading general was more rational and shouted, “No pursuit allowed! There must be a trap! Let’s set up camp, rest well, and after that, report this to the general and send a larger force to sweep the area!”
“Yes, General!”
Thus, they stopped pursuing and set up camp, lighting fires and cooking.
Their plan failed, but the Slanted-Moon people were not disheartened. On the contrary, they appeared in front of the Wuxi Army once again, continuing their archery.
Several cold arrows were released, claiming the lives of a few more people.
The Wuxi Army was both angry and annoyed, and once again, they gave chase. However, they only pursued for a while before running back. After all, they were also afraid of falling into an ambush and not being able to return.
In this manner, the Slanted-Moon troops came back again, continuing to shoot cold arrows, and the Wuxi Army chased after them once more. This back-and-forth pursuit continued until nightfall. The Wuxi Army had not enjoyed a proper meal and was thoroughly exhausted by the constant running around.
The guerrilla forces of the Slanted-Moon were also extremely tired. Princess Ziyue expressed concern, “Your task is complete. Rest well, and leave the rest to us!”
“Yes, Your Highness Princess!” they replied.
Princess Ziyue then replaced them with another group of people and confidently appeared in front of the Wuxi Army. The soldiers loudly reported, “General, they’re coming again!”
The general bellowed, “Be alert! Once they get close, shoot immediately!”
“Yes, General!”
As a result, the opposing force stopped at a distance of seventy to eighty zhang, a safe distance where their arrows couldn’t reach. Then, unexpectedly, they took out instruments resembling big drums and gongs and enthusiastically started to bang on them.
“Boom boom boom boom…”
“Clang clang clang clang…”
The banging was without rhythm and incredibly deafening!
The Wuxi Army was bewildered, “What are they trying to do?”
The general became furious, “Damn it! They simply want to harass us, preventing us from resting!”
The soldiers were also incensed, “This is too vicious!”
“They came up with such a cunning plan?”
“We can endure no longer!”
The general commanded, “Everyone, remain calm! Don’t act impulsively and fall into their trap! A few of you keep an eye on them, while the rest of us rest. We’ll get through this by enduring a bit longer!”
“Yes, General!”
So, they endured the discomfort of the noise, feeling especially miserable. Just then, one member of the Slanted-Moon guerrilla squad took out a small trumpet-like object. Though it was small and delicate, it was the king of musical instruments—the suona!
As the saying goes, among all musical instruments, the suona is the king! When the suona is played, it either signifies a joyous occasion or accompanies a soul’s ascent to heaven!
When the opposing force forcefully blew the suona, its sharp and loud sound pierced through the starry sky!
“Blare~~”
The Wuxi Army felt incredibly uncomfortable, to say the least! Their hearts raced, pounding irregularly, and their spirits seemed to have been blown away!
However, they still abided by their military orders and didn’t make any rash moves.
But the general couldn’t take it anymore. He burst out of his tent and angrily exclaimed, “This is too much! They even brought out the suona! I’ll kill them!”
“But, General, didn’t you say we shouldn’t engage them?” one soldier asked.
The general fumed, “I can’t take it any longer! If I don’t do something, I’ll ascend to heaven myself! Attack!”
“Yes, General!”
So, the Wuxi Army charged once again, and the guerrilla squad immediately fled.
After the Wuxi Army returned, the guerrilla squad came back again, continuing to play music and even bringing along an additional suona. The Wuxi Army chased after them once more, and the guerrilla squad ran again. The game of cat and mouse continued to play out!
After several rounds of such back-and-forth, it was already the latter half of the night. They had endured the whole night without closing their eyes; every time they managed to doze off, the tormenting sound woke them up again.
“Damn it! We can’t even get some sleep!” the general cursed, “Brothers, since we can’t rest, let’s continue on through the night! When we get back, we’ll report this and have the main army sweep the area!”
“Yes, General!”
They packed their belongings and set off again during the night. After two hours, the dawn gradually broke. However, the Wuxi Army still hadn’t had proper rest, and they continued traveling through the night, exhausted and fatigued. Some soldiers even fell off their horses. The horses were tired too; some didn’t want to walk anymore.
But at this time, the soldiers led by Princess Ziyue from the Slanted-Moon were ahead, waiting to strike when the Wuxi Army arrived.
“Your Highness Princess, the Wuxi Army is approaching! They have around 2400 remaining troops, and they are tired and weakened now. With our forces, we should be able to defeat them!” a soldier reported.
Princess Ziyue looked at the tens of thousands of soldiers behind her, smiled, and nodded, “There should be no problem!”
Once the Wuxi Army entered their encirclement, Princess Ziyue gave the order, and the tens of thousands of troops behind her moved in unison…
“Swish, swish, swish…”
Several rounds of arrow showers caught the Wuxi Army off guard, causing chaos among their ranks. Then, the Slanted-Moon soldiers unsheathed their knives and spears, charging into the fray.
“Kill! Wipe out the Wuxi Army! Liberate the Wuxi!”
“Kill! Leave no one alive!”
“Glory and achievements lie in this moment!”
…
The general of the Wuxi Army was alarmed, “They have so many people! We are in danger!”
The battle lasted for over two hours. Due to the numerous and well-prepared Slanted-Moon troops and the weakened, hungry, and exhausted Wuxi Army, the Slanted-Moon forces suffered around 300 casualties but managed to annihilate the Wuxi Army completely!
In the first battle, they achieved such remarkable results!
Princess Ziyue was extremely delighted, “Clean up the battlefield, and we’ll celebrate when we return!”
“Yes, Your Highness Princess!”
Next, Princess Ziyue pursued her advantage and used guerrilla tactics and positional warfare to defeat another Wuxi Army unit.
Combined, they had already eliminated 5000 soldiers from the Wuxi Army, while they only suffered a few hundred casualties. This was unimaginable before. The Wuxi Army surpassed the Slanted-Moon forces in both strength and equipment. Even a 1:1 casualty ratio would be considered a victory for the Slanted-Moon.
However, now, they paid such a minimal price, inflicting heavy losses on the Wuxi Army, achieving a brilliant record.
Princess Ziyue was very excited, “The three strategies taught by Lin Beifan were indeed correct! As long as we use these three strategies flexibly, dealing with the Wuxi Army will not be a problem!”
After the excitement subsided, Princess Ziyue calmed down, “After two battles, Duke Wuxi will undoubtedly be on high alert, and it won’t be easy to deceive him again. The next battles will be the real hard fights!”
Princess Ziyue arranged her troops to deal with the retaliation of the Weapon Duke.
After receiving the news, Duke Wuxi of the Wuxi Dukedom was furious, “Who is targeting me?” Last year’s military losses had not been fully replenished, and just a few days into the new year, they suffered another loss of 5000 soldiers and horses! Who was behind this, causing trouble on his territory? Did they really think Duke Wuxi was easy to bully?
The trembling general reported, “Your Majesty, the enemy appears and disappears mysteriously, and their actions are swift. We still don’t know which force is behind this. Please forgive us, Your Majesty!”
“Appearing and disappearing mysteriously, with swift actions?” Duke Wuxi sneered, his eyes filled with a fierce intent, “In that case, dispatch a massive army to sweep the area! Better to kill the wrong target than to let anyone escape! I want to see where they can run to!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Subsequently, Duke Wuxi sent out an army of 100,000 soldiers, heading out in full force to sweep the area. While this method was time-consuming and laborious, once they discovered the enemy’s whereabouts, they could encircle them, leaving no chance for escape.
However, the Slanted-Moon forces had already learned about Duke Wuxi’s actions from their insiders. They calmly avoided the main army through underground passages, relocating to another area to continue their guerrilla warfare.
In this manner, they annihilated another 3000 soldiers of the Wuxi Army. This battle was like a slap to Duke Wuxi’s face!
Duke Wuxi was so furious that he howled and immediately dispatched another large army to sweep the area. Yet again, the Slanted-Moon forces managed to evade them and eliminate another small-scale unit of Duke Wuxi’s forces.
After repeating this several times, over ten thousand of Duke Wuxi’s soldiers and horses had been lost!
As for the enemy…
No one knew their whereabouts!
Duke Wuxi finally realized, and angrily exclaimed, “Damn it! We have a traitor among us!”
