Thank you to the little angels who threw landmines: Aoyama and Jiu Yan (1 each);
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Huaijin Woyu (6 bottles); Lu Cong Jin Ye Bai (2 bottles);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 180 Xie Ying's Tai Sui Talisman
"It's best to keep that kind of thing in your pocket and never take it out again." A voice came from the doorway. Xie Ying was puzzled and quickly put the brocade pouch back into her pocket.
She stood up by the bed. The old man outside the door didn't come in, but it gave Xie Ying a chill down her spine; it seemed that her every move was being watched by the old man.
The person at the door didn't come in, but that gaze pierced intensely through the coffin window.
The old man stood at the door for a while. There were three corpses of bandits on the ground. He took their lives as easily as if they were ants, and then he walked away, leaning on his cane and stepping over the corpses.
When Xie Ying opened the door, she saw three corpses, one of which was a guy who had been staring at her in broad daylight with a lecherous look in his eyes.
She didn't want to alert the enemy, but the old man seemed to know nothing. It wasn't just her situation; it seemed the entire Sishui camp was under his surveillance. Anyone who dared to cross his line would surely die.
Upon closer inspection, Xie Ying, who always had a photographic memory, squatted down and examined the bodies, discovering that those lying on the ground were all the bandits who had hijacked the ship that day.
There were more than twenty people there. Did he kill them all?
What a ruthless and vindictive person!
Yang Gao heard that the group of robbers from earlier were all dead. He had lost more than twenty henchmen at once, yet he dared not ask why. He simply urged his men to bury the bodies.
The corpses at Xie Ying's door, as well as those elsewhere, were all disposed of. The bandits of Sishui Camp all regarded Xie Ying as possessed by a demon, and apart from delivering food, none of them dared to approach her.
Xie Ying felt that the view was much more open and that it was very convenient to come and go, but she could not leave the camp.
Xie Ying took the opportunity to wander around and scout locations. Others saw her but dared not stop her, so they turned a blind eye. As a result, Xie Ying visited every place in Sishui that she could go.
Xie Ying even discovered an iron chain bridge built behind Sishui. She had seen iron chain bridges before, but never one so sturdy as to have sand and grass laid on it, allowing six horses to ride together. She walked on it without any swaying, as if on flat ground.
Xie Ying was extremely surprised; she was certain it was the best-crafted bridge she had ever seen. She wanted to explore it further when someone from the bandits informed her that the old man was looking for her.
Tell her not to run around.
When Xie Ying returned to the camp, she learned that her third uncle had sent troops to attack Sishui and had just captured Wai Lu.
Because the reeds were too dense to find a path, Uncle San used a cannon to bombard the reed field, and almost all the bandits guarding the perimeter were wiped out.
The chieftain Yang Gao consulted with the old man, fearing that Xie Bing would storm the camp.
The old man beckoned Xie Ying over. Once Xie Ying arrived in the hall, the old man said to Yang Gao, "Don't worry, the Xie family won't waste their ammunition firing in."
"They're already at the gate, so stop fooling yourself!" Yang Gao wished he could push the cannons out of the village and blow up those Xie soldiers.
The old man said confidently, "The chieftain only needs to preserve his strength and wait for the right opportunity to counterattack."
Yang Gao said, "But the Xie family's cannons are not to be underestimated either."
"They're using homemade cannons," the old man said.
Yang Gao probably thought that Xie's soldiers were all divine soldiers who could fight and resist, and were invincible.
A hint of pride flashed across Xie Ying's face.
Seeing this, the old man said, "People outside don't know that you are using a weapon that is more advanced than the Type 94 wheeled cannon, so you don't need to worry."
"But!" Yang Gao was about to continue.
The old man slammed his cane down, the cane falling to the ground, a hint of impatience in his voice, which immediately silenced Yang Gao, preventing him from questioning him further.
"Yes." Yang Gao shrank back, but still glanced at Xie Ying. He probably guessed her identity.
The old man looked at Xie Ying: "Qian Tong, your third uncle seems to value you highly."
Xie Ying paused, remaining silent. Her third uncle had indeed been very good to her, and besides, he hadn't had a child in five years of marriage, and he and her third aunt had argued countless times. Among the younger generation, she was the closest to him by blood.
The old man took in her reaction. He turned to Yang Gao and said, "It's not too late to attack when they reach the village entrance."
Yang Gao felt a little relieved when he learned that he could fight back.
About ten miles outside the camp, Xie's soldiers, unfamiliar with the terrain, moved increasingly slowly, encountering either seemingly flat mud pits or paths that looked like water but were actually grasslands. They made their way forward by feeling their way, constantly on guard against any remnants of the enemy forces nearby who might try to sabotage them. Their march was truly arduous.
Seeing that his men would be out of action until dark if they continued, Captain Xie immediately ordered, "Attention! Get ashore immediately! Get ashore immediately!"
Xie Bing and his men had no choice but to turn back. Just as they returned, artillery fire suddenly erupted from somewhere, exploding in the reeds and injuring one of Xie Bing's men.
Captain Xie looked at the spot where the explosion had occurred, where smoke was still rising. The smoke was far more powerful and had a much wider range than their own cannons.
The captain's expression instantly hardened, and he shouted, "Stop dawdling and get up here right now!"
The wounded soldier was carried ashore and quickly taken to Xie's clinic. Xie's clinic had a certain supply of anesthetic powder and excellent suturing skills, with a survival rate 20% higher than that of the imperial physicians.
Xie Bing was taken to the clinic, where Xie's clinic quickly stopped his bleeding and applied anesthetic powder. Xie Bing's screams of pain immediately subsided.
Xie Xia rushed over after hearing the news.
"How's the situation?" he asked the captain as soon as he came in.
The captain gave a rough report on the power and coverage of the enemy's cannons: "The cannons have a coverage area of two meters, and the smoke rings they produce are thicker and rounder than ours."
This indicates that the power is concentrated.
Xie Lanzhi arrived shortly after and overheard these words. After thinking for a moment, she said to Xie Xia, "General, our people should stay on the outskirts of Sishui and build a sandbag fortification. We don't need to move there anymore."
Xie Xia instructed Xie Shi Xiaowei to pass on the order.
Faced with the marshal's steady and methodical approach, he couldn't rush things.
They can win, as long as they don't focus on casualties. But if a general has no compassion, how can soldiers follow him?
“Our men will face great difficulties on the battlefield in the future. I think we should fight directly this time. Perhaps the bandits will collapse on their own.” Xie Xia, as a general, saw the hidden dangers left by a cautious approach.
Xie Lanzhi said, "We mustn't act rashly! The enemy has cannons. If we fail in our assault, we'll be routed. In warfare, every move has far-reaching consequences; the slightest mistake will cost us dearly!"
"Not all enemies need to be dealt with by force. Our army has a numerical advantage; encircling without attacking, subduing the enemy without fighting, is the best strategy!"
"Don't worry. It will happen sooner or later."
"The villains from all directions are nothing but trinkets before my Xie Clan's iron army! Wherever my Xie Clan's spears point, they are invincible! Wherever my iron cavalry tramples, all nations submit!"
Upon hearing this, Captain Xie, standing nearby, was inexplicably thrilled. Who was this man? His words were truly inspiring. He was completely convinced.
The soldiers inside the tent also noticed the female guard.
Xie Lanzhi turned and left. It seemed she couldn't keep up the pretense any longer; anyone who had interacted with her, whether it was the director or her subordinates, could probably guess her identity.
Xie Xia looked on with admiration. Sure enough, a phoenix can't stay in a chicken coop. Even if the marshal wanted to hide, she couldn't.
Inside the camp's main hall, Yang Gao and the old man waited for news from outside.
A bandit came to report: "Chief, Xie's troops have retreated to the outer perimeter, and they have not attacked again."
Upon hearing this, Yang Gao couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Thankfully, those troublesome fellows hadn't come in; otherwise, they might have made their move prematurely. If the enemy launched a direct assault, even with advanced artillery, the mountain stronghold would be overwhelmed by their superior numbers.
The old man frowned and immediately said, "We'll retreat to Monkey Island tonight."
Behind Sishui, there is a small island, only five acres in size, which is low-lying, damp, and difficult to walk on.
Yang Gao had finally breathed a sigh of relief, but the old man's words made him anxious again.
"Manager Qian, is Xie Bing planning a night raid?"
The old man said, "Xie Bing risked his life to surround us without attacking, just to test our strength."
“These people are not the small fry of your sneak attack. Your men have already fired a shot, and Xie Bing has probably analyzed the exact bombardment range of that shot.”
"What? They have this ability?" Yang Gao became even more flustered.
Xie Ying secretly mocked the bandits for overestimating their abilities. When it came to artillery, the Xie family was the best in the world. How could a mere ragtag army compare to a regular army in terms of combat power?
The old man glanced at Xie Ying and said, "Don't forget what Xie Bing relied on on the battlefield of Yue to force Aba to surrender!"
Yang Gao couldn't listen anymore, so he immediately ordered his men to pack up their gear and head to Monkey Island.
The bandits followed Yang Gao to Monkey Island immediately, but the old man privately told Xie Ying, "There's a boat to the west of the reeds. Go and fetch it. Then head upstream."
Xie Ying said, "Aren't you afraid I'll run away?"
The old man gave her a meaningful look: "You're only safe if you come with me; otherwise, you'll die wherever you go."
"Besides, can you guarantee that the artillery fire will fly around you?"
Xie Ying couldn't help but frown, thinking to herself, "Why does he look so confident?" She definitely wouldn't leave; if she did, she'd never have another chance to earn merit. After she went out, she found the small boat and was about to row upstream. Sure enough, there was Xie Bing's small boat nearby. They crouched on the boat, quietly surveying the terrain, and then turned around and left.
Xie Ying was stunned, and she was about to speak when a rough, large hand covered her mouth from behind.
The old man came over out of concern and saw that she had indeed acted foolishly.
"Foolish! Come with me!" The old man even brought someone to row the boat.
Xie Ying tried to break free, but the large hand remained unmoved; the old man's strength was greater than she had imagined.
Once the boat reached upstream, two bandits towed it ashore, and the group headed to Monkey Island.
The reason Xie Bing attacked from the outside was because Si Lei could not get over the pain of losing his son. He also heard that there was a camp in Sishui that was the den of thieves who killed his son.
Si Lei poured five million taels of silver into Xie Bing. He bought two hundred mortars and three Type 94 wheeled cannons. He also hired two hundred men to work for him.
Xie Xia initially wanted to refuse him, but Xie Lanzhi agreed to the deal.
The reason is simple: if she doesn't fight, someone else can. Besides, this deal isn't a loss. As long as she scouts the area beforehand and bombards it, she can not only make money, but also avoid casualties among her men.
Xie Xia was speechless. He clearly refused to fight the marshal, but when Si Lei offered to pay, she agreed faster than anyone else.
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 19:31:56 on February 1, 2022 and 20:27:51 on February 2, 2022!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Jiu Yan (1);
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Fat Cat Riding Face, 21042654 (20 bottles); Want to Drink Milk Tea (10 bottles);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 181 She Becomes a Black Gold Guest of Twin Islands