Chapter 541: Thunder Sweeps the Lairs

Three days later, the darkness before dawn was at its thickest.

The three False Qi strongholds at Woniugang, Heifengling, and Baishadu were still immersed in the pre‑dawn stillness.

The soldiers on the watchtower clung to their spears, nodding off one by one, utterly unaware that the grim reaper had silently swung his scythe.

Woniugang.

This place lay among rolling hills, where a False Qi infantry commandant with over three hundred men was stationed, controlling the vital route to the northern mountains.

The stronghold followed the terrain, its wooden palisade crude, and it had only two modest watchtowers.

Chief Commander Wang Gui personally led five hundred elite Yue Family Army troops, mouths bound and hooves wrapped, using the faint starlight and a familiar‑terrain guide, he silently approached the base of the hill.

Wang Gui narrowed his eyes, sizing up the two watchtowers that loomed like ghostly shadows in the darkness.

He gave a hand signal, and two scouts behind him, carrying strong bows and lithe in build, moved forward like wildcats, quickly disappearing into the undergrowth.

Moments later, only two faint "swish" sounds were heard.

The two dim yellow lights on the watchtower jerked, then went out, and two black silhouettes slumped softly to the ground.

"Charge!"

Wang Gui let out a low roar, like a tiger bursting from its gate, leapt first, and his plain blade sliced through the darkness.

The five hundred lads behind him surged like a breaking dam, rushing wildly toward the crude encampment.

Most of the False Qi troops inside the camp were still asleep, then were jolted awake by the earth‑shaking cries of battle.

In the scramble, some didn't even have time to don their armor, grabbing weapons and resisting haphazardly.

Yet, facing the Yue Family Army's elite, who had conserved their strength and pent up their vigor, this lot of troops with lax discipline and low combat power could not mount any effective defense.

Wang Gui led the charge on horseback, his plain blade whirling like wind, cutting down all who stood before him.

He specifically targeted those wearing officer uniforms, aiming to eliminate the enemy's command as swiftly as possible.

Yue Family Army soldiers formed teams of three and squads of five, cooperating seamlessly, slashing with blades and thrusting with spears, they quickly cleared resistance between the tents.

The battle was practically a one‑sided massacre.

In less than half an hour, resistance within the Woniugang stronghold was completely eradicated.

The False Qi commandant was split in two by Wang Gui's single blade in the melee; the rest either died or surrendered.

The seized grain and military equipment piled up like mountains, and, more importantly, the route to the northern mountains was opened.

"Quickly tally the spoils, transport supplies, prioritize treating the wounded.

After the burning of one incense stick, withdraw!"

Wang Gui wiped a smear of blood from his face, gave a loud order, and his eyes glittered with excitement.

This "steady‑as‑she‑goes" first battle was clean and swift!

Heifengling.

The terrain here is even more treacherous, an abandoned mountain stronghold on the mountainside occupied by about two hundred False Qi troops, serving as eyes and ears and a forward outpost.

The one responsible for attacking this place was Zhang Xian.

Zhang Xian's use of troops emphasized strategy even more.

He did not choose to launch a frontal assault before dawn; instead, he sent small units to harass at night, feigning probes, so that the defenders on the ridge got no rest all night, their spirits exhausted to the extreme.

Until the sky showed a pale fish‑belly white, when the garrison saw the "bandits" below seemingly retreating and their morale was at its most relaxed, Zhang Xian acted.

He personally led a hundred of the most adept mountain‑climbing elite troops, from a cliff on the ridge's rear that even monkeys could hardly scale, using ropes and grappling hooks, he silently ascended.

Meanwhile, the main force waved flags and shouted on the front mountain, feigning a full assault to draw the defenders' attention.

When Zhang Xian appeared like a heavenly soldier descending behind the stronghold, swinging his blade to cut down the sentries, the False Qi troops on the ridge fell into utter chaos.

With a "grand army" feinting in front and a elite surprise attack from behind, their morale collapsed in an instant.

Zhang Xian led his troops to charge from inside out, coordinating with the main force on the front mountain for an inside‑outside pincer.

The battle ended even faster than at Woniugang.

The two hundred False Qi troops were wiped out completely; though the spoils were less than those from Woniugang, removing this wedge‑shaped nail in the defensive zone greatly increased the security of the Yue Family Army's flank.

Baishadu.

This is an important ford on a tributary of the Huai River, where the False Qi set up a water fort with over ten small boats and more than a hundred navy personnel stationed, controlling the north‑south waterway.

The one in charge of this place was Xu Qing.

Under Xu Qing's command were mostly infantry; a direct assault on the water fort was no easy task.

He did not act rashly; first he sent men to silently place oil‑wrapped dry firewood upstream, and then he ordered dozens of water‑savvy soldiers to swim covertly toward the water fort, waiting for the right moment.

At daybreak, mist blanketed the river surface.

Xu Qing seized the moment; at his command, fire arrows shot like meteors toward the drifting firewood upstream.

In an instant, a line of fire ignited on the river surface, propelled by wind and current, surging straight toward the water fort!

The False Qi navy in the water fort was startled by the flames and thick smoke, panicking as they launched their boats to investigate the fire.

At that very moment, the Yue Family Army soldiers who had lain hidden underwater sprang up from the boat's sides, brandishing hatchets and short blades, frantically hacking at the hulls!

Even more, some leapt directly onto the small boats and engaged the enemies aboard in mortal combat.

Inside and outside the water fort instantly fell into chaos.

Seeing the moment had come, Xu Qing personally led the main force in a fierce charge from the shore.

Deprived of their boats and attacked from within and without, the water fort's garrison quickly collapsed.

Over ten small boats were either burned or captured, and control of the ford changed hands.

Victory reports and ripples

At noon, the three victory reports arrived almost simultaneously at Yue Fei's main camp.

The three strongholds of Woniugang, Heifengling, and Baishadu were uprooted, nearly seven hundred enemies were annihilated, large quantities of grain and military equipment were seized, and our own casualties were minimal.

The news spread, the entire Yue Family Army rejoiced, and morale soared.

The first battle of the "steady and solid" strategy ended in victory, greatly boosting the troops' confidence and also proving the viability of this road.

However, when the victory report reached the False Song court, it provoked a completely different reaction.

Lin'an, the chancellor's residence.

Qin Hui looked at the memorials coming from all places, concerning Yue Fei's troops' reports on "eliminating bandits" and "countering harassments", his face dark.

How could he not see that this so-called "eliminating bandits" was actually Yue Fei using the authority of "acting as circumstances allow" to actively expand his power and eliminate nearby threats?

Those "bandits" were mostly small forces attached to False Qi, or local militias colluding with the Jin army.

Yue Fei's move, while appearing to obey the order to "protect the territory and pacify the people", was actually continually weakening the Jin and False Qi forces while strengthening himself.

"This Yue Pengju... is indeed not a peaceful person."

Qin Hui slammed the memorial heavily on the table, a flash of harsh light crossing his eyes.

"Giving him a title and provisions is to let him hold his territory peacefully, not to cause trouble."

"He, however, takes a chicken feather as a command arrow, really thinking that this Huainan West Circuit has become his Yue family's private plot?"

The aide whispered from the side.

"Sir, should we issue a reprimand, or further restrict provisions?"

Qin Hui pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

"Impossible."

"He has newly earned military achievements, his prestige is soaring, and he also bears the signboard of 'acting as circumstances allow'."

"If we now forcibly suppress him, we will only give others ammunition, making the court appear stingy and grudging, unable to tolerate people."

He let out a cold laugh.

"Let him jump."

"The more he fights with gusto, the greater his consumption."

"The Jin side, too, will not sit idly by."

"Wait until his troops are exhausted and supplies run out, or he provokes the main force of the Jin state, then he will surely suffer."

"Then, when the court steps in to 'clean up the remnants', it can seize back military authority; that would be the best strategy."

Qin Hui's plan is to watch the tigers fight from the mountain and borrow a knife to kill.

He hoped to use the Jin's blade to wear down Yue Fei's sharpness, not realizing that this actually aligned with Yue Fei's "steady and solid" intention of avoiding an early decisive battle with the main force.

A silent struggle over military authority and strategy had already quietly unfolded at the moment the victory report arrived.