Chapter 419: Delaying Strategy

Lake Tai, misty waves vast, reeds grow thick.

A seemingly ordinary fishing boat slipped silently into a hidden inlet.

Inside the cabin, candlelight flickered, illuminating several faces of different expressions.

Seated in the place of honor was a dark-skinned, sharp-eyed middle-aged man; he was the leader of the Tai Lake Resistance Force, known as Langlijiao, Shen Gang.

Seated opposite them were a few of his core brothers, and facing them were Chen Wen and Shi Dun, who after several indirect contacts finally agreed to this secret meeting.

Shen Gang's gaze held seven parts wariness, three parts scrutiny, sweeping back and forth over Chen Wen and Shi Dun.

"Are you the two 'overseas merchants'?"

His voice hoarse, bearing the marks of a lifetime making a living on the water.

"Chief Shen."

Chen Wen clasped his hands, expression calm.

"Overseas talk aside, we merely have some connections, able to obtain things the Imperial Court does not wish to see."

Shi Dun said nothing, merely silently observing Shen Gang and his men's stances, gazes, and placement of their weapons, quickly assessing this group's combat capability and reliability.

"Hmph,"

Shen Gang snorted coldly.

"You speak lightly."

"Do you know that the Imperial Court now stations heavy troops in Suzhou-Hangzhou, searching everywhere for us? Contacting you carries great risk."

"Without sufficient benefit, I, Shen Gang, and these brothers have no need to play with fire with you."

Chen Wen smiled faintly, unmindful of the other's attitude.

"Benefits naturally exist."

"We can provide Chief Shen with some… intelligence."

"For example, three days hence, a batch of grain and fodder will be dispatched from Suzhou Prefecture, traveling north along the Grand Canal, to supply the frontline official army."

"The escort force is about one company (a hundred men), five vessels, the commanding colonel fond of drink…"

Upon hearing this, Shen Gang and his men's eyes lit up at once.

Such detailed intelligence is exactly what they most urgently need!

Yet they did not immediately declare their stance.

Shen Gang stared at Chen Wen.

"Source of the intelligence?"

"Through my own channels, sorry cannot disclose."

Chen Wen replied calmly.

"Chief Shen need only judge whether this intelligence is true or false, and whether it is worth acting upon."

Shen Gang fell silent for a moment, exchanging a few glances with his men.

Their past raids mostly relied on luck and informants; such precise intelligence is rarely obtained.

"Even if the intelligence is true, how to act also requires careful planning; the official army is not to be trifled with."

Shen Gang said in a low voice.

At this moment, the hitherto silent Shi Dun spoke, his voice low and powerful.

"Choose the terrain at Seven Li Pond; there the waterway is narrow, reeds dense, favorable for ambush, unfavorable for large ships to deploy."

"Divide into three teams. One team will release fire ships upstream to disrupt their formation; two teams will take speedboats to specifically attack the lead and rear vessels, preventing them from supporting each other; three teams will be the elite, waiting for chaos, then charge straight at the middle transport ship, swift and decisive, seize the grain and depart, avoid prolonged engagement."

He spoke unhurriedly yet clearly, laying out a complete ambush tactic in plain detail, even suggesting retreat routes and rendezvous points.

Shen Gang and company stared agape.

Their past actions mostly relied on raw courage, a reckless charge; they had never heard such meticulous, professional tactical arrangement.

This completely exceeded their comprehension.

Shen Gang's gaze toward Shi Dun utterly changed, filled with shock and a hint of awe.

"Sir… just who are you?"

Shi Dun remained expressionless.

"Merely a passerby who dislikes the Imperial Court's harsh policies and knows a little about military affairs."

Chen Wen took up the conversation.

"Besides intelligence, we can also provide some funds, for compensating the wounded and purchasing necessary equipment."

"But we have two conditions."

"First, the action must follow the tactical points just stated, aiming for high efficiency and low loss."

"Second, of the seized grain and fodder, you may keep a portion, but must contribute at least thirty percent, distributed to aid the impoverished fishermen and villagers around Lake Tai."

Shen Gang was stunned.

Providing intelligence, pointing out tactics, giving money, and finally demanding they aid the populace?

What does this 'overseas merchant' seek?

He suppressed his doubts and whispered with his brothers.

Ultimately, the lure of profit and Shi Dun's displayed professional capability convinced them to decide.

"Good! Just as you two said!"

Three days later, at Seven Li Pond.

The battle unfolded exactly according to Shi Dun's preset script.

Fire ships drifted downstream, causing the False Song grain ship fleet to fall into chaos;

Speedboats struck, dividing and encircling;

Shen Gang personally led the elite troops, straight to the main force, that liquor‑loving Colonel indeed reacted slowly, command fell into disarray…

The battle ended within half an hour.

False Song escort troops suffered dozens of casualties, over twenty were captured, and all provisions on five ships were seized.

Shen Gang's forces suffered only a few minor injuries; it was a complete victory.

More importantly, they strictly followed Shi Dun's instructions, acted swiftly, retreated decisively, giving no chance for the False Song reinforcements that rushed upon hearing the news to entangle them.

Afterwards, they again, as agreed, secretly distributed part of the grain to some impoverished fishermen.

This matter quickly spread around Tai Lake.

"The River Dragon" Shen Gang's name grew even louder, not only because of his combat prowess, but also due to his righteous act of "robbing the rich to aid the poor," winning covert support from more of the lower classes.

As for the False Song side, they were greatly enraged.

A routine grain transport actually suffered such a heavy blow, not only losing supplies but also severely damaging troop morale, forcing the False Song to strengthen transport escorts, diverting more troops that could have been used at the front to maintain rear supply lines.

Costs, began to increase.

Similar scenes were also quietly unfolding in other areas of Suzhou‑Hangzhou.

Under Shi Dun's covert guidance, those local resistance forces screened by Chen Wen and given modest support no longer engaged in meaningless frontal clashes, but instead turned to more efficient and destructive guerrilla harassment.

They ambushed small patrol units;

They destroyed bridges and official roads;

They burned the False Song's requisitioned supply warehouses;

They even spread rumors to sow discord between False Song commanders and local officials…

Each operation was small in scale, but high in frequency, wide in range, and crafty in method, causing the False Song local officials and garrison to be worn out, scrambling to cope.

The pacification of the south did not become smooth just because the overall situation was settled; instead it resembled sinking into a mire, each step becoming extraordinarily difficult and costly.

One month later, the Tai Lake secret base.

Shen Gang reported the results to Chen Wen and Shi Dun, who had come again, his face showing excitement.

"According... according to Master Shi's plan, this past month we have succeeded three times, capturing not a little!"

"The Song army now dares not easily sortie transport ships unless escorted by over two hundred troops!"

"The troops sent to encircle and suppress us have been led by the nose, wandering in the lake, exhausted half to death, not even catching a single hair of ours!"

Shi Dun listened calmly, occasionally offering a few points of advice on subsequent actions and safety precautions to note.

After hearing Shen Gang's report, Shi Dun turned to Chen Wen and spoke in a low voice.

"Your Majesty, given the current situation, although the False Song in the south cannot be stopped in its overall trend, we have already made its advance like sinking into a mire, with losses multiplied and popular resentment growing."

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of affirmation.

"This, is what is meant by 'cost'."

Chen Wen stood with hands behind his back, gazing out at the vast misty waves of Tai Lake, slightly nodding.

The delaying strategy has already taken effect.

The seeds of thorns are quietly taking root in the body of the False Song's south, growing sharp spikes.