Ch. 582 - Before the War

| Wuxi Prefecture, Xuanfeng County, and Teng Village. |

Due to its proximity to mountainous areas, Xuanfeng County suffered the most during the rebellion of the barbarians in Wuxi. In just a few months, the number of Han people in the county plummeted by more than 20%, and countless were displaced.

And this Teng village has suffered a catastrophic disaster.

On the morning of November 15th, the sky was yet to be bright.

Strolling through the ruins, smelling the faint smell of decay in the cold air, Sun Shaozong's gaze kept searching.

"Your Excellency."

At this moment, Lu Jianxing strode over from the village entrance and bowed to report, "The bones found in the village have been buried, totaling 172, including 93 adult males, 36 females, and 43 young children."

"Based on various traces, it should be inferred that a considerable number of women were abducted by the barbarians."

At this point, he stopped and waited for a moment. Seeing that Sun Shaozong had no intention of speaking, he took the initiative to inquire and said, "Your Excellency, do you think we should first establish a simple monument? If any villagers come back in the future, it's also good..."

"Don't worry for now."

Sun Shaozong shook his head slightly and said, "It's not too late to erect a monument when we come out of the mountains."

According to the guide, Fujimura was initially quite friendly with the barbarians on the mountain, even calling each other brothers and uncles. However, in the end, they still couldn't avoid this war.

Despite Sun Shaozong's recent investigation, this Teng Village not only did not avoid the disaster but was probably first slaughtered by their so-called friends on the mountain.

Based on the traces left at the scene, it was highly likely that the other party first loudly called open the village gate and then raised a butcher's knife at the unprepared villagers.

In such a situation, it was only possible that someone familiar to them committed murder at the beginning of the rebellion.

"Your Excellency."

At this moment, someone rushed over quickly; it was Shen Lian, who had been severely beaten by Sun Shaozong before.

He just bowed and reported, "The scouts around have been set up. Do you think we should camp outside the village or..."

"Set up camp in the village, no fire allowed. Notify everyone. Tomorrow at 4 a.m., form a team and enter the mountains at 5 a.m.!"

"I'll arrange it now!"

Shen Lian turned around and wanted to leave, but he heard Sun Shaozong add another sentence at the end, "Explain clearly and come back to the village to discuss the matter."

"Yes, sir."

Shen Lian responded without any hesitation, but his footsteps unconsciously quickened a bit.

About two-quarters of an hour later, Shen Lian hurriedly returned, only to find that under the camphor tree at the entrance of the village, there were already officers above the rank of General or eight-ranked, Tonglong Forbidden Guard, fully seated in the army.

He bowed to Sun Shaozong and took his marching horse, and sat next to Lu Jianxing.

Seeing everyone gathered, Sun Shaozong raised his chin, and Wang Zhen immediately took out two maps. One was placed in front of Sun Shaozong, and the other was handed over to Lu Jianxing, Shen Lian, and others for viewing.

After everyone had looked around, Sun Shaozong said, "Our target this time is the nearby Wu'er Village. According to the guide's judgment, it is about twenty-four or five miles of mountain road. If we set off in the morning, it will take about three hours, which is around noon, to arrive."

"The power of Wu'er Fortness ranks third among the barbarians, only behind the Corrung Village and Duosi Village, with an adult population of about 600 people."

"The Wu'er Fortress was built in the mountains, with a terrain that was easy to defend but difficult to attack. However, because of this, the defense facilities built by the barbarians themselves were not very strong."

"There is only one mountain road leading in and out of Wu’er Fortress, so only fifty people need to be divided and guarded along the way. However, the remaining 250 people are available for attacking the mountain fortress."

"This Wu'er Fortness presents a flat and round shape as a whole."

"At that time, I will lead a team to launch a surprise attack and open up the gap. Then, Lu Jianxing and Shen Lian will lead the two sides in the east and west to sweep the barbarians. Remember to be stable, accurate, and ruthless, and do not let the other party organize effective resistance."

"I will guard the gate of the fortress when the time comes. If there are any tight spots on the east and west routes, I will personally go to support them."

"After there is no obvious resistance in the village, the various departments are not allowed to engage in battles. Set fire everywhere in the village and poison the well water before immediately withdrawing from Wu'er Village."

"Then we will determine the next action based on the loss situation and the duration of the raid."

"And..."

"And then..."

Sun Shaozong spoke eloquently about the actions to be taken tomorrow, breaking them apart and gathering them together. He took a few sips of water and waited for everyone to digest and absorb them before saying, "Whoever has any doubts or uncertainties can speak directly now."

However, everyone below, looking at each other, had no intention of speaking.

It seemed unlikely to expect them to provide some constructive suggestions.

"Since..."

Sun Shaozong let out a deep sigh in his heart and then stood up to announce his dissolution.

"Your Excellency!"

Unexpectedly, Shen Lian stood up first and arched his hand, saying, "I have something unknown about my position."

Sun Shaozong just lifted his butt and seat back again, saying, "Tell me!"

Shen Lian was not polite either, ignoring Lu Jianxing's dissuasion in his eyes, and said in a loud voice, "Based on what I have heard, as the leader of the barbarian tribe, the corrugated village has no less than 1500 young and strong people, and there are also two villages around it. If I cannot take them for a while, I am easily sandwiched between the barbarians."

"Therefore, you didn’t choose the corrugated fortress, and it is understandable."

"But the Duosi Village is not only closer in distance but also built on flat terrain. It should be easier to break through than the Corrugated Village, as the young and strong members of the tribe seem to differ from the Wu'er Village."

"Why do you have to sacrifice their proximity and distance, leaving Duosi Village to choose from, and insisting on gnawing on the hard bone of Wu'er Village?"

Obviously, he had already inquired about the geography and situation of the area in private.

Based on this alone, Shen Lian was much stronger than others.

However, the latter words were already approaching questioning.

Seeing that Wang Zhen, beside Sun Shaozong, had changed color, Lu Jianxing quickly stood up and explained in fear, "Your Excellency, he's just..."

"It’s okay."

Sun Shaozong waved his hand and said, "Since it's a matter of discussion, we should have spoken freely."

Then, he reached out and tapped on the map, asking in reverse, "Hundred Household Shen, take a look first. Is there any conflict between the plan I just arranged and the terrain of this Duosi Village?"

Plan conflict with the terrain?

Shen Lian was taken aback at the words and quickly looked carefully at it for a while before suddenly saying, "I understand! Duosi Village is near Tongxi. It's probably not that easy to poison in live water!"

"That's right!"

Sun Shaozong suddenly stood up and said, "Our first battle is to give the barbarians a blow, which will serve as a deterrent and warning. To maximize the effect, the best way is to destroy the foundation on which the barbarian settlements rely for survival!"

"In this way, the barbarians naturally had to disperse and migrate, spreading panic emotions to more tribes!"

"And polluting water sources is one of the foundations for the implementation of this plan!"

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