Chapter 135 Reconnoitering the Enemy Situation

Although E Teng was deeply concerned about Li Zhan's safety, seeing his resolute attitude and the eager anticipation of the other players, he had no choice but to drop the matter. Knowing he was advanced in years and unsuited for such reconnaissance operations, E Teng offered Li Zhan a few words of caution before whipping his horse around and returning to the village first.

Li Zhan, Raver Fish, Ocean Girl, Iron Lord, Cure-All, Chatting Eloquently, and Gallant Cloud—a group of seven—spurred their horses and galloped toward Bull Head Mountain.

When they were still about ten li away from the foot of Bull Head Mountain, Li Zhan led the group to steer clear of the main road, guiding their horses into a nearby forest. Choosing a dense and secluded spot, they tethered their mounts. The group cautiously combed the woods step by step to avoid bandit ambushes as they continued forward toward Bull Head Mountain.

At the foot of Bull Head Mountain, almost all the surrounding villages, towns, and tribes had already been overrun. Those settlements had surrendered at the mere sight of the overwhelming might and momentum of the Bull Head Mountain bandits, and most of them lay at a distance of about twenty to thirty li. Stationed in each village, town, and tribe were dozens of bandits who not only compelled the locals to provide grain and other resources for Bull Head Mountain, but also served a defensive purpose against government troops.

The foot of Bull Head Mountain was utterly desolate. Not only were there no players to be seen, but even the NPC commoners who usually wandered about were nowhere to be found.

After cautiously groping their way through the forest for a little over ten li, the seven of them finally reached the base of Bull Head Mountain. Concealing themselves within a dense thicket, they peered out along the mountain path toward the stronghold far above. Even from this great distance, they could still make out the towering, tightly shut fortress gates, with seven or eight arrow towers erected both inside and outside the perimeter.

The mountain path was extremely narrow, wide enough for only about ten people to walk abreast. Flanked by trees with sprawling, entangled branches, it was impassable for an army.

Marching ten abreast, they would be battered and decimated by the arrow towers long before ever reaching the gates. Coupled with defensive installations like rolling logs and giant boulders, even if the imperial forces were to send ten thousand men for a frontal assault, victory would by no means be guaranteed.

Li Zhan shook his head inwardly. Crouch-walking with the other six, using the dense thickets for cover, he continued his reconnaissance around the base of Bull Head Mountain.

The entire formation of Bull Head Mountain resembled a giant burial mound, wrapped tightly in dense woods. Aside from the mountain path directly facing the front gates, there was only a narrow trail at the back leading to a small stream behind the mountain, which apparently served as the stronghold's water supply.

Li Zhan and his companions circled the base of Bull Head Mountain completely, walking until they were drenched in sweat. Ocean Girl pouted and complained endlessly that her feet were about to develop blisters, bitterly regretting that she had not simply gone back to the village with E Teng.

After completing the full circuit, Li Zhan sighed and shook his head repeatedly. Aside from the two paths at the front and back of the stronghold, the rest of the perimeter was entirely obscured by thick woods where even a single person would find walking extremely difficult, let alone an entire army.

The group sat down behind a small earthen mound, using the surrounding withered grass for cover to take a brief rest.

After resting for a while, Gallant Cloud smacked his lips and complained about why there was no tobacco in this game, forcing him to log off and take a few puffs every time his nicotine cravings struck.

Iron Lord chimed in from the side: "It's not that there's no tobacco; the indigenous tribes of the Americas have it. According to historical records, whenever the warriors of those tribes went into battle, they would smoke a few puffs of tobacco. It not only refreshed the mind, but was also a mark of honor. I believe that as maritime trade becomes increasingly developed in the later stages of the game, tobacco will also be shipped from the American continent to China."

Gallant Cloud hugged the back of his head and lay back into the grass, saying comfortably:

"Once our village gets tobacco, I'll figure out a way to turn all my subordinate brothers into smokers. By then, everyone will be leveling up while biting on a cigarette. Imagine how cool that scene would be. Hehe..."

The others burst into laughter. Raver Fish also smiled and said:

"If your village ever catches fire by then, I'm holding you and your men personally responsible."

Li Zhan had no heart to joke around with the others. As he twirled a withered, yellow blade of grass in his hand, the word "fire" spoken by Raver Fish immediately struck a chord of alertness in his mind. He lowered his gaze to look at the withered grass blade in his hand, then turned his head to scan his surroundings. Within his field of vision, the landscape was blanketed with waist-high wild grass and dense woods, with thick layers of fallen leaves carpeting the forest floor.

Li Zhan recalled the water sources he had observed during his circuit around the mountain base earlier: aside from the small stream at the back of the mountain, there were no others. The Central Plains were relatively lacking in water resources compared to the southern regions, and as evidenced by the well-trodden narrow path, that stream was the stronghold's sole source of water.

A surge of excitement stirred within Li Zhan. He was reminded of the Three Kingdoms period and the campaign where Ma Su lost Jieting due to improper encampment. At that time, Ma Su stationed his army on a mountaintop with its water supply originating from a river at the foot of the mountain. Consequently, Sima Yi seized control of the water source and resorted to a fire attack, defeating Ma Su in a single stroke and capturing Jieting.

Comparing this to the situation at Bull Head Mountain, the two scenarios shared an astonishingly similar profile.

At the temporary encampment of the Yang'an County government forces:

Inside the central military tent, Shen Kuo had just dismissed those sycophantic, smiling lord players. With a slight frown, he sat behind his desk reviewing the terrain map of Bull Head Mountain submitted by the scouts, deep in thought.

A soldier entered to report that Village Chief Li Zhan of Yanhuang Village in Danyang County was requesting an audience.

Hearing this, Shen Kuo felt a wave of misgiving. Could this Village Chief Li be coming here simply to exchange pleasantries with him as well? The several village chiefs and clan heads who had just left had already driven him to utter distraction.

Despite these thoughts, Shen Kuo instructed the soldier to admit him.

A moment later, Li Zhan entered the central tent alone, while the other six were stopped by the soldier at the entrance.

The two exchanged greetings with cupped hands and took their respective seats. Li Zhan spoke:

"County Magistrate, after conducting a thorough reconnaissance at the foot of Bull Head Mountain just now, I have devised a strategy to capture the stronghold."

Seeing that Li Zhan had not come to engage in idle chatter, but rather to discuss the suppression of bandits, and had even ventured deep into Bull Head Mountain for reconnaissance, Shen Kuo felt a deep sense of appreciation, and the gaze he fixed upon Li Zhan grew bright. At the same time, he could not help but shake his head inwardly: aside from flattering and sucking up, the village chiefs and clan heads under his own jurisdiction could offer nothing of use, let alone risk themselves in reconnaissance. Alas, what a bunch of good-for-nothings.

Delighted, Shen Kuo said:

"What strategy has Village Chief Li conceived? Please share it without delay."

Li Zhan replied:

"A fire attack on the stronghold."

A fire attack on the stronghold? Hearing this, Shen Kuo felt an even greater surge of pleasant surprise. While reviewing the terrain map of Bull Head Mountain submitted by the scouts earlier, he had been pondering precisely whether a fire attack might be feasible given that Bull Head Mountain was surrounded by woods on all sides. Hearing Li Zhan arrive at the exact same conclusion filled him with joy and heightened his regard for Li Zhan even further.

Shen Kuo pressed on:

"Village Chief Li, please elaborate on the specific steps."