Chapter 364: Burning Mang Mountain

"What are you saying? My Luotuo is dead?"

Agutuo was completely stunned upon hearing this news.

Originally, he had been in his own camp, preparing to celebrate and welcome his meritorious brother.

He never expected...

Furious, he grabbed the Scout by the collar, his face ferocious as he roared: "How could he die, how could he die!"

How could those weak Han people be a match for a fierce warrior like Luotuo?

The Scout was terrified, cold sweat streaming down: "Great King... the three thousand soldiers are also all gone..."

"Ahhhhh!"

Agutuo was so angry he was about to grab his weapon and set out to battle himself.

"Great King..."

"Great King, calm your anger!"

"Absolutely not!"

Mr. Huang was terrified, hurriedly kneeling on the ground and pleading: "Great King, at this time, you must not easily give in to anger! You should move the camp elsewhere, tighten the formation, and wait at ease for the exhausted enemy!"

This Luotuo was Agutuo's number one fierce general, yet he had been easily beheaded by the enemy army.

Mr. Huang felt a wave of bitterness in his heart.

At this moment, the location of this camp was likely already exposed. These Southern Barbarians still wanted to go out and seek revenge, harassing the enemy army. Was this not wishing for death?

"Fart!"

"White-faced scholar, get out of my way!"

"Luotuo was the Great King's sworn brother; today he died tragically here in Sichuan, we must let those Han people know our strength!"

"Great King, Lord Luotuo must have been careless. Give me three thousand elite soldiers, and I will surely bring back that enemy general's head to avenge Lord Luotuo!"

These Southern Barbarians had always relied on force to make a living; how could they endure such grievances?

"No, no, Great King, absolutely not!"

Mr. Huang was almost in tears.

Why would none of these people listen to reason? At this time, rashly attacking would only further expose the location of their camp.

"Mr. Huang, are you saying that my fierce warriors are inferior to those Han people?"

Agutuo was also losing his head, grabbing Mr. Huang; that cold, murderous gaze made Mr. Huang feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

He sneered coldly: "I have an army of one hundred and fifty thousand; what does it matter if I lose a few groups of three thousand?"

"The fierce warriors under my command are all heroes who do not fear death, are they not?"

The crowd roared in agreement, and the shouts of battle rose again.

Mr. Huang, face full of sorrow, was already considering how to escape this place.

With a wave of Agutuo's large hand.

The five generals under his command each mustered three thousand troops. They surged out from all sides of the camp with great momentum.

"It can basically be confirmed."

On Liu Zheng's side, Qin Zhangfeng was beaming, pointing at the sand table: "It is roughly in this direction."

Everyone looked over in unison.

This Mang Mountain had terrain that was easy to defend and hard to attack, intricate and complex, filled with thorns everywhere. These Southern Barbarians were actually quite clever, finding a very advantageous terrain. Backed by a natural cave, they opened paths in all directions, and there was water nearby, which could not only be used for drinking but also to prevent fire.

At this time, several more Scouts came to report.

"General, three thousand Southern Barbarians in the Northeast corner are locked in fierce combat!"

"The Southwest corner..."

"The Southeast corner..."

Liu Zheng smiled slightly upon hearing this: "It seems the great talent among these Southern Barbarians is not working so well. The tempers of these people are ignited at the slightest touch."

The crowd burst into laughter.

But one Prefect still frowned and asked: "Governor Liu, even if the location of the Southern Barbarian camp is exposed, so what... This Southern Barbarian army is still quite well-versed in the Art of War; in this position, it is impossible for us to attack."

Others nodded in succession.

It was too difficult!

At this time, they could surround the mountain, challenge them to battle, or hurl insults. But these were just minor skirmishes; three thousand at a time, how many times would it take to truly wipe out the Southern Barbarians' one hundred and fifty thousand troops? Moreover, as long as there was fighting, both sides would suffer losses. In the end, the Southern Barbarians would still hold the initiative.

Liu Zheng chuckled: "Gentlemen, at this time, what we must ensure is that all exits in all directions are firmly under our control. No matter how many enemies there are, our main army can provide reinforcements at the first opportunity. Do you understand what I mean?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room could not help but be in an uproar.

So, this luring of the Southern Barbarians to move was Governor Liu training his troops?

He was drilling these people to hold the passes firmly?

This...

Everyone looked at each other in dismay.

How bold could one be? This was war! Using war to train troops! What exactly was he planning?

At this moment, Liu Zheng did not intend to keep them in suspense any longer. He looked toward Mang Mountain and said indifferently: "If a great fire were to be lit on this Mang Mountain, what would be the result?"

"What?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expression changed drastically.

"No..."

"Governor Liu..."

"This, this is impossible!"

"How is that possible!"

Everyone felt that Liu Zheng was dreaming. The land of Chuan Shu has always been damp; from ancient times until now, there have been few instances of wildfire.

It is currently late spring and early summer, and the various plants on Mang Mountain are quite tender and damp. Furthermore, there are many mountain springs and small streams in this Mang Mountain. To attempt a fire attack is simply a fantasy! The fire would be extinguished before it could even reach the enemy camp. These Southern Barbarians are not brainless; would they just watch your fire burn toward them?

Liu Zheng chuckled: "You all need not worry. As for where the fire starts, I only wish to ask you: if the fire cannot be extinguished, can you hold the various exits of Mang Mountain?"

The group of people was dumbfounded.

Good.

This gang of Southern Barbarians intends to occupy the mountain as their stronghold and lure the Shu Army into the mountains.

Unexpectedly, this Governor Liu actually wants to "shut the door to beat the dog"—if you don't come out, I will burn this entire mountain alive! Let's see if you come out or not!

If you don't come out, you die!

If you come out, you still die!

Terrifying!

Ruthless!

Is this the Contemporary Sage that everyone praises? This is 150,000 people! He wants to burn them all to death in Mang Mountain, one by one.

Many people couldn't help but shiver.

"Governor Liu, this subordinate will hold the Northeast corner to the death!"

"This subordinate is willing to go! I will not retreat even if I die!"

"If Governor Liu can truly ensure the fire does not go out, the Southeast corner shall be left to our Dezhou Army!"

"Good!"

Liu Zheng laughed heartily; what he wanted was for the morale of the army to be usable.

This day.

The Longyan Army and the Southern Barbarian army engaged in close-quarters combat over a dozen times. Both sides had their own victories and defeats.

"Hahahaha, satisfying! Satisfying!"

Night fell, and both sides sounded the gongs to withdraw their troops.

Agutuo drank fine wine and laughed heartily: "Mr. Huang, how about it? Isn't the miserable state of those Longyan today satisfying enough?"

Mr. Huang smiled bitterly and said nothing, sighing deeply in his heart.

In his heart, he always had a bad premonition.

This Longyan Army won with quite a bit of method, and lost in a very orderly fashion.

Within this, there must be a great conspiracy hidden!

What exactly is it?

That very night.

The 3,000 barrels of Quelehuoduo that Liu Zheng had prepared were finally slowly transported from afar.

Seeing these horse carriages full of Quelehuoduo, Liu Zheng finally breathed a sigh of relief in his heart and smiled brightly: "It is time to let this gang of Southern Barbarians taste the feeling of the Vine Armor Soldiers being burned by fire."

Before Qin Zhangfeng could speak, Pei Yanran, who was beside him, asked with a curious face: "What is this? Could it be the fire-man army from the Western Regions Protectorate?"

Ling Chen's battle to crush Zheng Yuxing still attracted great attention in the Longyan Dynasty, and Pei Yanran naturally knew of it.

Qin Zhangfeng laughed: "That's right. The so-called 'fire in the marsh'—this is the sharp weapon we have brought to deal with these Southern Barbarians! Today, we shall recreate that historical burning of the Vine Armor Soldiers!"

Vine Armor Soldiers.

This is a famous army of the Southern Barbarians. What is Vine Armor? It uses wild vines grown in the barren lands of the Southwest as raw material, processed by skilled craftsmen into armor, and then soaked in tung oil for forty-nine days before completion. This armor is both light and sturdy, good at defending against arrows; swords and spears cannot pierce it, and it does not sink in water. On the battlefield, it was invincible. Later, when Zhuge Kongming went on a southern expedition, he used a fire attack strategy, burning Pan She Valley and crushing the Vine Armor Army.

Afterwards, these Vine Armor Soldiers underwent modifications.

They adopted a type of vine wood called iron wood, followed by various soakings and resin fireproofing. The upgraded version of the Vine Armor Soldiers was even more ferocious, which is why they were able to break through the Shu Army repeatedly and take Jiangzhou.

Therefore...

This is also why, after the Southern Barbarians hid in Mang Mountain, no one considered a fire attack.

What is the use of a fire attack?

Their armor is fireproof!

However, Liu Zheng believed.

A fire attack is useless only if the fire is not big enough. That is because they had not encountered his Quelehuoduo.

The thinking of these people is still confined to burning people; he is already considering... the entire mountain!

That's right!

He wants to control all the exits of Mang Mountain and burn the entire mountain down!

In this situation, never mind the Vine Armor; even if a fire hydrant came, it probably wouldn't be of any use.

"Begin!"

Seeing the arrival of the Quelehuoduo, Liu Zheng immediately gave the order for Scorched Earth!

That night.

The 150,000-strong Longyan Army was fully committed to the project of felling trees. Liu Zheng wanted to leave a safety distance of at least one mile so that the fire would not burn to their own side.

Of course...

This one-mile distance would also be the place where the Longyan Army would launch a massacre against the Southern Barbarians.

And Qin Zhangfeng had already led the Liangzhou Army to begin distributing the 3,000 barrels of Quelehuoduo along the roads of Mang Mountain. Since they had already figured out the locations of the enemy camps, they could follow a method based on where there was more and where there was less.

Taking advantage of the night.

Barrel after barrel of Quelehuoduo was opened and then poured onto the trees and into the small trenches dug along the road...

In the end, even the small streams and rivers were floating with black Quelehuoduo.

All of this.

Was carried out in complete silence.

At this moment, Pei Yanran, along with that group of Prefects and generals from Chuan Shu, just watched everything happen quietly.

A Contemporary Sage?

Who on earth gave this title to a young man who smiles as gently as a spring breeze?

It is not just the Southern Barbarian army he intends to burn... what he intends to burn is this entire mountain, and what he further intends to burn is the entire Longyan Dynasty's mistaken perception of him!

He.

Is not a sage.

When dealing with enemies, he is a starving wolf!

By the early hours of the morning, all the work was finally prepared.

Liu Zheng, Qin Zhangfeng, Pei Yanran, and that group of Prefects and generals were all gathered on the watchtower.

Quelehuoduo is black.

And its scent is quite strong.

Since the pouring has already begun...

Since it has already reached the third quarter of the Yin hour, before the sun has risen, the time when people are most weary.

Since everything has already been prepared.

Even.

Since at this moment, a gust of east wind has very obligingly begun to drift through this valley.

Everyone.

Could not help but draw a deep, cold breath.

Just at this moment.

Liu Zheng shouted loudly: "Ignite!"

"Ignite!"

"Chiu-chiu-chiu..."

Military orders and whistles rang out simultaneously.

With a boom!

Almost at the same time, the entire vast Mang Mountain lit up completely.