Chapter 37: Blockade And Ambush
Twenty shichen after the end of the Yongji Pass fortress battle, the battle soldiers burned clean all illegal structures outside the fortress, took over a thousand heads, and returned.
Those camps were simple sheds made of twigs, not even qualifying as shacks—piles of twigs less than one person high used for wilderness survival, all burned up in one fire, but this cut off the last possibility of the enemy regrouping.
As for the watermelon-sized heads hanging from the battle soldiers’ waists, they were even more eye-catching. If not considering the battle situation, inspecting the value of these over a thousand heads from the Imperial Court’s perspective, the merit of the battle soldiers harvesting these heads was higher than the over two thousand seven hundred fifty heads from the fortress defense battle. Because the big guys’ heads looked more visually shocking than the small guys’.
The reason was that during the defense battle, those climbing the walls and getting minced were all the small guys; while in the pursuit battle, since the small guys were inconspicuous and fled too flexibly, Wu Fei’s battle soldiers didn’t want to waste their time and stabbed the slow-running big guys, to the point that the big guys’ heads accounted for up to sixty percent.
Of course, in merit evaluation, Wu Fei still had to credit the primary merit to the laborers in the fortress battle; field battle and pursuit had different difficulties. To build this “economy applicable troop,” Wu Fei as commander could not steal their merit.
However, when reporting to the Imperial Court, Wu Fei absolutely had to report them all as head count!——Wu Fei’s clerk documents would definitely emphasize: the enemy didn’t flee, they fought to the last man, our army won with blood and tears! The fine heads sent were all from desperate villains!
But did the Imperial Court still have the ability to redeem rewards now?
Wu Fei felt that hoarding heads now was like the U.S. national debt at the end of his previous life’s empire—looking increasingly unlikely to be fully redeemed. If the Imperial Court couldn’t redeem blood reward, he would have to take on more “duty-bound” matters to “share the worries” for the Imperial Court.
…Loyalty across generations dividing line…
Continuing to follow the ongoing impact of this campaign on the Southern Border. The heads gained from pursuing and killing, plus the big guys who died earlier in the fortress battle, nearly a thousand, basically swept clean the essence of the barbarian tribe forces south of Ling River.
The blood Wu Fei shed in the Southern Border this time had a much stronger impact than Wu Hanluan’s “sweep” against the snake people clan back then.
Wu Hanluan suppressed the snake people, with limited deterrence to other tribes. Other tribes encroached on the space left by the snake people’s decline, still harboring disloyal intentions toward Da Yao in the north. But in this battle, Wu Fei broke the legs of every strong clan in the Southern Border one by one.
Wu Fei’s earlier goal of becoming the “little daddy of Southern Border clans” had now solidly taken the first step, mastering the whipping force that only a daddy possesses.
When the blood-and-dust-covered battle soldiers returned to the fortress, Wu Fei told them to rest quickly, because there was still work to do; tactically the pursuit was over, but strategically the pursuit wasn’t complete.
To insiders, in this campaign Wu Fei was like doing homework, with every step neat and proper, rhythm perfectly grasped.
For example, the siege of Yongji Pass was planned by Wu Fei to last only two days, just the right time. If it dragged on, the corpses piled under the fortress would rot, producing pestilent qi, giving room for heterodox path magic.
Now under the city wall, all officers and soldiers began processing corpses, binding them with rope and loading them into wooden ox and flowing horse carriages.
The wooden ox and flowing horse didn’t transport the corpses outside the checkpoint to dig pits and bury them, but toward inside the pass, not to the inner city, but directly pulled along the barbican side gate to the mountain connected to the checkpoint, and after yao calculation, dumped into a sha cave!
Trip after trip, the carriages unfurled sails to borrow force, tilted to dump corpses at the position; the sha cave on the mountain seemed bottomless. This was because, with the mountains’ earth vein movement, these caves would be clean again after one day.
The mountains on both sides of Yongji Pass were so lush and green, smacking their lips as if this feast of offerings was very delicious.
At midnight, Wu Fei and the flag bearers in the main camp were yao calculating in the city. Cold winds howled through the mountains, and on the silk book map, the mountains empowered by the enshrined master gave off streaks of cold light lines.
This was the earth vein pulsation on Jinji Ridge. Nowadays Wu Fei already knew that “Daoist Magic” in this world could do many miraculous things; though still unaware of the principles, he was no longer surprised, though still curious, but no longer fearful.
“The mountains in this world are alive,” Wu Fei summarized. “Possibly the entire planet is alive, different from carbon-based life, perhaps composed of dark energy and dark matter.”
When earth veins fluctuate, some mountains’ cave paths change. If mistakenly entered without yao calculation deduction, one would encounter endless ghost walls, ultimately trapped to death in the earth veins. But if yao calculation is accurate, one can find shortcuts to quickly cross mountains, shuttling troops thousands of li through mountain flows.
All checkpoints of Da Yao are built at places where mountain qi is blocked, then linked and connected through fortresses. Fortresses have the effect of controlling mountain power.
Regarding this world’s “mountain god” system, Wu Fei didn’t want to deny his previous life’s scientific view, so like Einstein hypothesizing “physical constants,” he hypothesized that besides visible matter showing signs of life on this planet, dark matter also had life signs. But when chatting with the system to verify, the system gave its old line: “Don’t discuss physics in history class.”
Back to the present, after completing yao calculation statistics, Wu Fei stared at the lines representing underground veins, searching for interception points. He flung out the Wu Family Army command flag; the flag was caught by the wild wind, fluttering to the mountain, and the mountain seemed to catch it, the flag steadily planted on the sha cave swaying in the wind.
Behind Wu Fei, the wooden ox and flowing horse war chariots armored with blades and the following armored soldiers were ready.
And at a certain cave mouth on Yongji Pass originally blocked by a boulder, it was now cleared; as the sha cave opened, troops and war chariots began entering, the pursuit started. On the city tower, Old Uncle came over, now wearing armor, running to the position holding Wu Fei’s mount.
Wu Fei naturally couldn’t let him hold his mount, so he could only agree to this Old Uncle’s request to follow the army in battle.
However, this Old Uncle grinned with joy upon hearing it, saying he wouldn’t trouble Wu Fei, just drumming for the lads in this battle.
…Tunnel shuttling begins, six days later…
Perspective to the other side, Li Huo Sect direct disciple Jia Mude now looked dejected. Behind Jia Mude were the troops that followed him in fleeing; beside him were mountain imps, crocodile skin tribe warriors, and giant force javelin throwers. Of course numbers were few, each team left with only one-third or one-fourth original, the total big guys he gathered less than one hundred fifty, the other over seven hundred were small guys.
These were all forcibly gathered by him with gu worms; other troops had scattered who-knows-where.
The sect anticipated the “Yongji Pass couldn’t be taken” situation before driving this black tide out. But it was just a hypothesis; Da Yao garrison warily huddled in Yongji Pass, watching the black tide ravage all areas outside Yongji Pass, while the sect inserted influence into southern tribes of Yongji Pass.
Jia Mude recalled how he changed targets: after the black tide crossed Ling River, initially facing Wu Family Army’s “gardening pruning,” he was shocked at this Da Yao pass-guarding troop’s boldness and fluid battle tactics.
Thus, he had to turn his target to this exiting Wu Family Army force.
Right, in his eyes, Wu Fei’s exiting troop strength wasn’t strong; as long as he surrounded and killed them, he could teach that Da Yao border general a lesson, but chasing led right under Yongji Pass.
And after arriving at Yongji Pass, he originally wanted to achieve blocking the gate, but with black tide tribes sleepless all night, they could only attack the checkpoint.
Jia Mude recalled every step was forced. So a stifled qi built up.
Of course, the black tide’s losses weren’t a big deal. These Southern Border straw dogs were meant to die a wave anyway; his purpose in coming wasn’t fighting, but using the warfare to feed his bronze coffin! Originally trying to feed with tribes north of Ling River, now using black tide leaders under the checkpoint; as long as transporting the copper coffin back to Yun Qie Valley, it was great merit.
As Li Huo Sect’s highest cultivation third generation disciple now, also the most favored, Jia Mude was even envied by many veteran second generation disciples in the sect. But who called his aptitude good, deeply favored by the ancestor? So this leading army chance was given to him.
Just as he reached near a hill, Jia Mude suddenly stopped, sniffing, sensing a killing intent!
He looked toward the hill, suddenly birds flew up startled. Jia Mude understood something, ordering the Southern Border tribes following him to cluster together in formation. Oh, so-called formation ability was just standing denser.
But time was already late; this was an ambush battle. On the high slope beside, single-wheeled base with four mechanism legs galloping wooden ox and flowing horse lined up in formation, charging down with terrifying momentum. And when halfway down the big slope under the war chariots, the following military formation neatly piled up and pressed over.
Jia Mude saw griffins floating in the sky, but a person standing at the command flag direction. “That guy has no mount?!” This was Jia Mude’s first impression seeing Wu Fei.
The wooden ox and flowing horse at twenty kilometers per shichen speed—um, bus speed—completed the first impact; the barbarian tribe not yet in formation was dragged like ocean waves, while the blade-filled chariot heads brought out sprays of blood waves.
When impacting into the Southern Border foreign race group, huge sails unfurled, gale rising around the war chariot giving it new force, directly passing through the formation, charging up the opposite slope, preparing the second round of charge.
A streak of foul blood splashed on Jia Mude’s pale face; his expression wooden, completely stunned. The entire team was harvested nearly a hundred in this unprepared impact, then he tremblingly drew a talisman from his hand, pressing it on the bronze coffin below his body.
…Army corps and Daoist Sect face-off…
Wu Fei here was constantly mobilizing command flags, guiding valley bottom air flow, letting six teams of wooden ox and flowing horse (fully twelve) full sail start.
This valley almost gave perfect play space to the war chariots, and their own were heavy type; ordinary war chariots couldn’t send flying mountain imps carrying stone pillars as weapons, but this time, the wind sail war chariot’s bottom big steel wheels hard crushed the mountain imp’s skull.
Just as Wu Fei commanded the war chariots, San Gu beside prompted: “That purple copper coffin opposite is about to mutate.”
Only to see in the center of the enemy team crushed and scattering in flight, that copper coffin clanged and rattled like rampage. Patterns on top turned like a combination lock, then showed signs of transforming like a Decepticon.
Wu Fei hurriedly ordered, war chariots ignore that purple copper coffin, directly scatter the other troops. Why use “roll” this word: originally this Southern Border group was like a dough, now after war chariot crushing, become flattened dough, spread across the valley.
Wu Fei asked San Gu: “The ‘gu nurturing dharma tool’ you mentioned is that thing?”
San Gu obediently nodded, eyes showing: hungry hungry, food food, want want expression.
If not knowing her mind was deeper than the sea, Wu Fei might really have been muddled through by her. This girl recently changed strategy a bit.
After Wu Fei flung command flags, the military formation mobilized, like an iron barrel tightly surrounding their own central army great formation. He wasn’t familiar with charge formation yet, so his art of war was learned from Zhuge Liang.
And over there, the copper coffin had completed transformation; on the hollowed bronze structure, the entire coffin turned into three heads six arms—um, the coffin itself contained a three heads six arms person, head and arm sizes normal human, but each head emitted blood-colored energy, wrapped and controlled by television-sized structure; looking closely, this hollow structure was also head-shaped, like three wire headgear sets on the coffin person’s head periphery.
The entire bronze coffin after transformation was fully three zhang tall! Undoubtedly giant soldier level war giant mecha, and the person (corpse) in the coffin was piloting this giant soldier mecha.
But this corpse was clearly dismembered, head, hands, legs like cut lotus root, separately embedded into this giant soldier’s three heads six arms.
On the battlefield, the giant soldier clanged toward Wu Fei’s formation; if surrounded by accompanying soldiers, it would be quite threatening, but now other Southern Border small and big guys were all chased two hundred paces away by war chariots, leaving it alone walking toward Wu Fei’s massive military formation.
In the military formation, Old Uncle’s drum beats quickened.
“Protect the general!” Front rank armored soldiers holding long weapons collectively advanced, forming dense formation. They gripped halberds tight, military formation killing intent forming a wall.
Wu Fei looked at his loyal soldiers, contrasting the bronze giant puppet walking up the slope. Seeing its step-by-step pace and ground shaking, Wu Fei had a measure.
Da Yao’s giant soldiers, in power system, actually couldn’t match his previous life’s “big transport.” Speaking of previous life’s steel-rolled big transport, in this world it was a stats monster. Even the densest human queues could be charged through, because solid pure steel, and power system over five hundred horsepower. This world’s giant soldiers, taking Golden Bull as example, power actually a system eight horses could drag; and this copper coffin before him, power possibly not even eight horses. And most giant soldiers hollow, Golden Bull overall wood material, this copper giant puppet similarly, looks huge but hollow.
Wu Fei glanced at its hollow bronze structure. Halberds could definitely pry it apart; of course its internal strange energy might repair after prying. Meaning a whole captain of halberd soldiers could block this giant soldier.
In past siege battles giant soldiers looked strong because they could contain high concentration killing intent! Killing intent has corrosive power.
Wu Fei could easily see Golden Bull’s ox horn poking city walls like crumbling tofu, not because horn material strong or power fierce, but killing intent turned wall bricks and tiles into tofu dregs.
……
Here, just as this bronze giant soldier charged to fifty paces away.
Wu Fei reached back from the horse and fished out a firearm with spear shaft wrapped in heavy reinforcing ribs.
This was a firearm Wu Fei custom-made for himself. Its bullet head purple copper, i.e., enchanted.——This wasn’t because he couldn’t do mounted archery, but felt firearm had better cost-performance.
The gun in Wu Fei’s hand was enlarged thickened version. Length fully three meters, gun barrel front popped two iron brackets, steadily propped forward; Wu Fei’s armor also deployed this world’s “artificer technique” construct, back shot out support frame, calves got anchor hoes, preparing to transmit recoil to ground. This played the “clever trick” firearm to its peak.
Facing the bronze puppet emitting strange odor, Wu Fei muttered: “See my ranged damage stats.” Casually inserted five-bullet linked clip into black iron magazine. And each bullet egg-thick.
Bullets pushed into chamber by steel rod, “thunder” and “bolt” representing yin and yang intersected in chamber igniting; with trigger pull, muzzle blazed, Wu Fei body rapidly shook, armor fine dust blasted out, Wu Fei body shook out a detaching dust “afterimage,” feet plowed an inch groove. Back bracket sank half inch!
Wu Fei aimed at bronze puppet center-wrapped torso, um, so close, impossible to aim precisely; per previous life common sense, his bullets able to make fatal cavity in elephant would definitely snap the coffin torso in two.
And in fact, bronze coffin structure like soda can dented by one bullet head, forming two-meter deep depression, still hissing weird white gas, clearly bullet kinetic energy shared by bronze structure! But even shared, this wounded it half to death.
Wu Fei’s expression showed cruel smile: “Eat my thunder rocket!”, pulled bolt, copper casing dropped, then pulled new trigger.
Firearm condensed terrible killing intent, bullet gathered killing intent, Wu Fei second shot, still at bronze puppet original hit spot.
Rustling, hundreds of meters away leaves trembled with the gunshot.
San Gu withdrew gaze from bronze person, turned to look at Wu Fei.——She knew Wu Fei’s stubborn ignorance.
Wu Fei self-believed his “essence, qi, and spirit” imbalanced, hard to cultivate “unrivaled dharma gate,” could only walk heterodox path accumulating killing intent on external objects.
However San Gu didn’t know Wu Fei’s “heterodox path” system had reached this step today.
Here Wu Fei put away his gun, back bracket retracted, foot anchors retracted——San Gu beside still pondering heterodox path Daoist Arts magnitude, Wu Fei humbly replied seeing it: “Clever trick.”
At this time front of position, arrayed soldiers roared, pressing toward the fallen bronze puppet.
…Switch to victim perspective…
Jia Mude knelt on ground, watching the bronze puppet pinned immobile by dozens of long halberds, while he himself face-down stepped by boot eating dirt; his ridden fire ox stopped bleeding by “vitality talisman,” carried back.
“Thunder rocket?!” Jia Mude choked another mouthful dirt, commenting Wu Fei’s just-now shot on bronze puppet: “Too fast, seventy percent faster than cannonball.”
Just as he random thought, the boot stepping his back loosened, clearly soldiers yielding to the newcomer; before he could gather strength to jump out, pressed dead.
“Mm, it’s him, right, originally just a pretty boy.” Jia Mude followed this queen’s voice to look, a three-zhang long snake monster—oh, accurately a snake woman freed from savage by “Qi Ling Dan,” now holding a portrait comparing to him.
Jia Mude not yet thirty raised head looking at this snake woman, who smiled, suddenly pinched his neck, hissing: “Really want to swallow you alive!”
At this time dozens paces away Wu Fei paused, hearing snake-turned Xiao Qing threatening his captive, couldn’t help smile.
However seconds later, Wu Fei thought of something key, showed pondering expression.
