Chapter 827: Attacking the Stronghold

Several days later.

Heilong Mountain.

"Master... there is a group of bandits on this mountain called the Heifeng Bandits, they are the most cunning!"

Zhan Da held a machete, clearing the path ahead: "Our side played hide-and-seek with them for a long time before we managed to find their mountain stronghold and block the main route..."

His eyes were sharp, and his speech was much more coherent than the soldiers beside him; apart from a somewhat straightforward temper, he was almost indistinguishable from a normal person.

The stern, murderous aura and mechanical feeling about him could also be seen as the temperament and common traits of a soldier.

Seeing this, Aaron could not help but feel quite satisfied.

"Historically, when breaking a city, one must focus on a single point and concentrate firepower to break through."

Aaron actually recognized the Knight who was the first to flee!

Erzhangjia wanted to draw his sword, but found it stuck on a bone and could not pull it out!

Yet, under this style of fighting that disregarded life and death, the entire line began to totter.

On the return journey.

The Six Jia Divine Soldiers had no concept of morale, and the soldiers behind them charged forward in silence.

"Hmm."

"It's the cliff at the back of the mountain; people have also charged up from there. The Third Dazhangjia who was left to guard has already been killed..."

"Keep the main army still, I will go take a look with you!"

After all, having undergone 'enlightenment' and 'upgrading', Zhan Da was already an elite unit; he did not lead the charge this time, but instead hung back a few steps to begin commanding.

The soldier roared, grabbed the nearest enemy, and fell off the city wall together with him.

A fierce light flashed in the eyes of the pursuing Fengxiang Army soldiers behind; they drew their long blades and, using the momentum of their horses, prepared to sever the heads of these few men blocking their path!

The first gate of this stronghold was located within the natural wonder of Yixiantian, guarding a dangerous pass; although not high, it had trenches dug, along with some wooden spikes and caltrops.

"As you command!"

'As long as I use my own people as the backbone, I will never have to fear mutiny or betrayal...'

The foundation of five hundred men not only suffered no losses, but instead grew to six hundred!

He smiled with satisfaction: "Leave one hundred men behind, the rest come back with me!"

"Ah... are you Daoist Xulingzi?"

"Dazhangjia? No, from today on, you shall be called Hei Er!"

Seeing this, Dazhangjia felt his hands and feet turn cold: "This is Heaven wanting to destroy me!"

Unexpectedly, the soldier ignored it, simply leaning to the side to let the sword pierce his left shoulder, while he slashed over with a blade in his right hand.

A weird scene appeared!

"Kill!"

Aaron could not be bothered to look at him; he glanced around and issued an order.

"Dazhangjia, run!"

Aaron had to admit that 'seeds of command' and talent were real, especially for some military geniuses whose keen sense of smell and grasp of timing in war were things ordinary people truly could not learn!

'It seems... in the future, I should still recruit some personnel to serve as generals or even commanders of the entire army?'

At Erzhangjia's command, arrows rained down from the stronghold gate like raindrops.

Dazhangjia roared: "Keep firing arrows, throw stones!"

It could be said that all the expenses for this army had previously been paid by the Great Song officials...

Aaron had the few men stop, and before long, he saw a troop of a dozen or so cavalrymen chasing three riders ahead!

Seeing Aaron from afar, they shouted: "The Imperial Court is pursuing rebels; those who dare to block the road will be killed!"

Dazhangjia's eyes were bloodshot: "If we win this, we will divide the gold by the scale in the stronghold, and you can all enjoy my six wives as you please!"

At this moment, after Zhan Da took charge of the main attack, the people from all directions in the dense forest also moved out in unison, charging toward the stronghold from everywhere like madmen.

Moreover, the consumption was also a bit high.

Then, Dazhangjia watched in astonishment as those heavily wounded soldiers either drew their blades to commit suicide or smashed their heads against stones, truly dying just like that...

With 'Bean Soldier Summoning', there was no fear of low morale or desertion.

Aaron just indulged in a bit of daydreaming about his future perverse actions and the scene of his commanding general rebelling, and for some reason, he felt quite expectant...

Whoosh!

Erzhangjia thrust his sword, aiming straight for the vital point of a soldier opposite him.

Aaron thought for a moment, then took Zhan Da and the others to walk along the official road.

Aaron inspected it and felt that this stronghold was indeed easy to defend and hard to attack, so he nodded and ordered: "Attack!"

But this mode clearly could not last long.

The cavalry leader yelled, and seeing that the arrows shot were all knocked down in mid-air, he whipped his horse and fled!

Alas, he was still too close, and was pierced through the back of the heart by a Tiezhan Sword, falling off his horse and dying...

Erzhangjia came to Dazhangjia's side, his tone trembling slightly: "It's not as if the stronghold hasn't been besieged before... after a round of arrow rain, there would always be a few deserters, but not one of these people turned around, and the leader is even wearing Leather Armor... these are top-tier elite troops of the Imperial Court!"

Never mind iron thorns... iron was precious these days; if there was any, it would be used to make farm tools or weapons, and would never be wasted on things like barbed wire.

A soldier vaulted onto the city wall and immediately swung his blade, beheading a Heifeng Bandit.

"You are a demon, a demon... haha..."

"This... crazy! A madman!"

Zhan Da let out a whistle, and immediately dozens of people gathered around him, charging toward the stronghold.

"Indeed, but for elite troops to come and suppress us, have they lost their minds?"

Aaron nodded in satisfaction.

Immediately, a handful of Red Beans appeared in his hand, and he scattered them out.

Poof!

A Six Jia Divine Soldier lunged forward directly, using its body to cover the wooden thorns, while the soldiers behind it also leaped forward to build a human ladder.

"Yes!"

These Red Beans landed in the pool of blood and burrowed into the wound on Dazhangjia's neck, instantly causing his limbs to twitch; he then rose at an angle that defied human biomechanics, grabbed his own head, and pressed it onto the wound... countless flesh tentacles rapidly intertwined to repair the injury.

Soon, the first wave of the charge led by Zhan Da and the others reached the foot of the stronghold.

Dazhangjia looked at Aaron, somewhat puzzled: "Are you... a Daoist?"

In mid-air, one could see those Knights falling off their horses one by one, with fresh blood spraying from their bodies!

After this battle, he had lost almost nothing except for Qi Points.

'It is impossible to popularize this; at most, I can enlighten some elite units... but to be honest, they are only generals for a hundred or a thousand men. To command tens or hundreds of thousands and complete the planning and deployment for a grand war is still a pipe dream!'

"You are the demon Daoist Xulingzi!"

Aaron watched the battle situation and knew there were issues with the command, but he was not afraid at all: "But five hundred men fighting one hundred, even if the opponent is holed up in the stronghold, the advantage is still with me..."

Hei Er answered without hesitation.

"Damn it, the Hou Shan is a cliff! Did they fly up here or something?"

After all, when the Imperial Court hunts down rebels, those who block the way are killed without mercy; dying is just dying in vain!

Not only is it dying in vain, but a head can even count as a military merit!

Atop the stronghold, Dazhangjia's voice began to tremble: "This is not human, this is not human!"

"Charge for me!"

As the team grows larger and larger, it is necessary to control a piece of territory and collect taxes to support the army!

Taxation is a state power, so a regime must be established!

"So... am I, Fang La, finally going to rebel? Thinking about it, I'm actually a little excited!"

However, raising them is a bit troublesome; the rewards he had fleeced from the previous official were gradually becoming insufficient!

"Is this Heifeng Stronghold? It truly occupies a strategic position. The bandits have a hundred men? That's not bad... the mountains and forests cannot support too large a population."

And around the wooden gate, it was covered with green wooden thorns; this was a type of thorny vine in the mountains that Dazhangjia had discovered and immediately used to arm the defenses.

Bang!

A giant rock was smashed down, crushing a soldier until his brains splattered.

Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves rose, but it was those three Knights who had charged for a distance, only to find themselves surrounded by hundreds of Six Jia Divine Soldiers, and could only slink back.

The mountain bandits were stimulated and howled, brandishing the weapons in their hands.

"My lord, the stronghold has been breached, the bandit leader is brought!"

Whoosh!

Aaron also saw the ill intentions of these Imperial Court cavalry, but he just smiled slightly and pointed at the hair bun on his head.

And the previously dead Six Jia Divine Soldiers also revived and reorganized their ranks.

"You... you are not human!"

Dulongzi then saw Aaron clearly and said with great joy: "Fellow Daoist has saved this old Daoist's life once again."

"Ah... Flying Sword technique!"

Dazhangjia was at the stronghold gate, looking at the charging crowd with a ferocious expression: "Damn it... this day has finally come!"

The Tiezhan Sword flew out, turning into a streak of black Light.

He also knew a bit of military strategy and knew that his stronghold could not be breached by a thousand men, even if the Imperial Court's army came.

"You are the leader of this group? What grudge do I have with you?"

"After our hurried parting before, I didn't expect to have the fate to meet again today."

'These Six Jia Divine Soldiers have finally upgraded to an elite unit...'

Being able to hold on until now was already not easy.

Dazhangjia drew his blade, his voice sounding like a lone wolf.

And besides that, Aaron had also 'subdued' quite a few local mountain bandits over this year, and his subordinates had already swelled to five hundred!

Previously, half of the provisions for these five hundred men relied on the original stronghold's accumulation, and half was from Aaron selling off the official's rewards, such as that Yellow Jade Ruyi, to buy supplies in the county.

"Dulongzi!? Why is this old fellow being hunted down every time we meet? He's living so miserably..."

His eyes rolled, and he immediately threw away his long blade and knelt on the ground: "I surrender!"

"Brothers! Our side has a stronghold, kill them fiercely for me!"

This scene, full of shock and impact, immediately made Dazhangjia lose his composure; his face looked like he was crying and laughing at the same time, as if he had gone mad.

Erzhangjia grabbed Dazhangjia's arm: "As long as the green hills remain, there's no need to worry about firewood!"

Especially after seeing a soldier who had been scalded beyond recognition by boiling water but was still fighting desperately, the entire defensive line of mountain bandits collapsed!

They were just bandits, not elite death squads!

Dazhangjia was completely broken, watching his subordinates all around being killed.

Aaron walked while pondering: "Six hundred soldiers... this consumption is getting larger and larger, but my family fortune is getting thinner and thinner; relying solely on the official's rewards won't work..."

This kind of suicidal fighting style was not just one person, but everyone!

Dazhangjia simply stopped running and looked at the pursuers: "There is no way out, let's kill our way out!"

Even if their heads were broken and blood was flowing, their hands were still gripping tightly.

Aaron pointed at Dazhangjia: "You had a conflict with Zhan Da's stronghold, which led to a war, and you were soundly defeated... and finally submitted, do you understand?"

Zhan Da said loudly.

While he was pondering, Zhan Da came to report: "Our scouts have discovered something unusual on the road ahead!"

A moment later, a Dazhangjia whose movements were somewhat sluggish stood before Aaron.

Zhan Da immediately took men to collect the warhorses, corpses, armor, weapons...

He had long known that a group of "dragons crossing the river" had come into the local greenwood, acting with complete disregard for rules, and had already wiped out many strongholds and gangs.

But people are not Animals after all, and Aaron had also fumbled for a long time before finding a method.

In fact, the upgrade is not complicated; it is merely using the line of thought of combining the Beast Taming Technique to carry out wisdom enlightenment using the Spirituality of the 'Tower'.

At the same time, the surrounding bandits reacted immediately, and several sharpened wooden sticks pierced into his body.

"Kill him!"

He had been worried before, but when this day finally arrived, he felt a sense of relief.

Zhan Da came over and ordered men to bind the bandit leader and bring him before Aaron.

No sooner said than done!

In less than the blink of an eye, the soldiers had charged to the foot of the stronghold.

Then, half of his neck was sliced off by a blade!

"Are these soldiers? Why do they all fight like desperate outlaws?"

"Building solid forts, fighting dull battles, and pressing forward with ten times the force at every turn... these are also the secrets of victory for military strategists."

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Aaron waved his hand, and Zhan Da immediately swung his blade down, beheading the Dazhangjia.

He taught him to march and fight, and that it was necessary to deploy scouts widely; he would always execute this to the letter!

"Kill!"

The Erzhangjia also drew his side sword and fought in close quarters with the Six Jia Divine Soldiers that had pursued him.

The fifty men he led were the backbone of the original pursuing force, and their weapons and Leather Armor were the best.

Before long, he felt the vibration of the ground!

These dozen or so warhorses were simply a windfall from heaven!

Dulongzi was intent on fleeing for his life and did not notice Aaron, galloping past the few of them.

Aaron arrived at the front and saw that outside was a main road, separated from the mountain forest; Zhan Da would not shoot without a target.

"Release arrows! Shoot them to death for me!"

Warhorses are completely different from ordinary pack horses; first is their height, and then they must undergo special training so they do not panic on the battlefield.

While he was thinking, the view before him suddenly opened up, and a stronghold appeared.

"Dazhangjia... this situation is not quite right."

"What has happened now?"

And the men Zhan Da sent to take over the stronghold also returned: "Reporting to the Lord, we found quite a bit of grain in the stronghold, as well as cloth and silver money..."

Aaron ordered happily.

"Follow me!"

Blood splashed onto the faces of the colleagues around them, yet none of them changed their expressions.

"Clean up the battlefield; regardless of whether the enemy's wounds are light or heavy, finish them off... those on our side with light wounds are to be bandaged, and those with heavy wounds are to commit suicide immediately!"

"Collect all the horses... adding these to the previous reserves, we can form a cavalry squad."

"It's the sound of hooves, and they are military horses! More than one rider!"

A bandit covered in blood escaped from the stronghold and answered in a disheveled state.

But just at this moment, a commotion also came from within the stronghold, with faint sounds of shouting and killing.

Although not very agile, it was probably barely enough to pass as mountain bandits.

The mountain folk were mostly skilled as hunters and were proficient with bows and arrows; immediately, several soldiers were shot dead, and others had several arrows in their bodies, yet they still did not shout or cry out, charging forward in silence.

"Wait!"

Furthermore, even if the elite troops of the Imperial Court came, they might not necessarily do better than them.

Heifeng Stronghold.

Especially the few in the lead, wearing Leather Armor and hung with arrows, looking as if they had turned into hedgehogs, but in reality, they were not heavily injured; they reached the gate of the stronghold without a sound, moved the obstacles aside, and began to climb.

Aaron laughed: "Daoist, why have you come to this?"

"Sigh..." Hearing Aaron ask this, Dulongzi could not help but sigh deeply: "It's a long story... the Qi Number plays tricks on people!"

(End of chapter)