Chapter 63

When Ning Yicheng spoke, his attitude was extremely arrogant, and he was also very confident. Over the past six months, Ning Yicheng had been dealing with Zhang Han and Yu Sheng in a hypocritical manner. On the surface, the matter of selecting the head of the troupe seemed to be long over, and there were no hard feelings between them. In reality, Ning Yicheng had always looked down on Zhang Han and considered his actions to be mere lucky shots. Most importantly, Ning Yicheng had indeed planned with Fan Yongdou for several years. Regarding the smuggling to Mongolia, Ning Yicheng had made a preemptive judgment based on the changes in the court and Liaodong, and together with Fan Yongdou, he had decided to make a fortune of a hundred thousand taels from this matter, from which he would also benefit greatly.

If Zhang Han succeeded, would Ning Yicheng be content with a few hundred taels of silver in annual tribute? That would be a joke! In Ning Yicheng's mind, Zhang Han was still the insignificant person he was years ago. After today, this person would no longer exist in the world. This matter was almost entirely planned by Ning Yicheng, and he was extremely confident in the outcome. This matter would absolutely not fail!

Ning Yicheng smiled sinisterly. Lai Tongxin and Li Mingda did not know that he had a hidden ace up his sleeve, one that would ensure the Zhou brothers' success.

...

"Master, ahead is the Yellow Earth Ridge. After crossing this ridge, the Daliang Mountains will come to an end, and ahead will be flat land. It's about a hundred miles to Zhangjiakou Fort from here."

Wang Changfu pointed ahead. He had already taken out his musket and held it diagonally in his arms, his face showing a serious expression.

Zhang Han followed his finger and saw a gently sloping hill ahead, quite wide, about several dozen zhang. The official road wound up the hill like a slowly climbing snake. The hill was barren, with only clusters of small shrubs. On the right was a continuous mountain range, and on the left was the winding Great Wall. The scenery seemed to have changed little.

This should be the boundary between Datong and Xuangfu. After this point, it would be within the jurisdiction of Xuangfu, which included military forts and garrisons, as well as some counties, all under the jurisdiction of the Xuangfu Inspector and the Xuangfu and Datong General. In later times, this area would all belong to Hebei Province or Beijing.

Zhang Han looked around but saw nothing except the higher slope.

"What should we do next?" Zhang Han asked Wang Changfu. "We can't see the enemy yet."

"If the Zhou brothers are not stupid, they must be hiding on the other side of the slope, ready to ambush us as we climb up, catching us off guard."

Wang Changfu showed no signs of panic, but rather some excitement. He pointed to the two mounted porters and said, "Wang Yikui, Li Laibin, you two ride ahead to scout the slope."

One of the porters was fat and the other was tall and thin, both with visible muscles, sharp eyes, and quick movements. They responded and spurred their horses, which immediately galloped forward.

The rest of the group waited quietly at the bottom of the slope. There were not many people around, but a few carts and pedestrians, seeing the situation, stopped, puzzled.

This pause saved them. The two horses quickly galloped up the slope, spreading out on either side of the road. Wang Changfu said to Zhang Han, "These two are actually called 'frame horses' in the military. If I were an officer in the army under General Qi, I would probably be beheaded for sending the frame horses out so late..."

Zhang Han thought about it. He had read in military books that in any military movement, whether setting up camp, forming ranks, crossing rivers, or deploying and consolidating formations, there were established rules. This included the use of scouts, sentries, frame horses, and night patrols, each with specific roles performed by trained soldiers, each responsible for their duties, with the general overseeing the overall plan.

Only by thoroughly studying geography and understanding the terrain, as well as the capabilities of one's own troops and the enemy, could one make a plan. Military movements and camp setups followed established rules, and training had a set procedure. Paying attention to flags, drums, and battlefield formations, and being able to execute all these well, would make one a renowned general.

Or one could specialize in a particular area, like Chang Yuchun, who excelled in charging into battle. Being able to do this well would also make one a renowned general.

Zhang Han thought for a moment. He had not yet put his mind to military matters. War was too exhausting, and the late Ming was a mess. It was more important to focus on making money. As for military strength, enough to protect oneself in this chaotic world would suffice.

Wang Changfu was still watching the two men. Suddenly, there were two "bang" sounds. Wang Changfu was startled and shouted, "Laibin, Yikui, be careful..."

Before he finished speaking, two arrows flew up from the slope. Fortunately, Wang Changfu's warning was timely, and the two frame horses reacted quickly, both diving down on their horses. One arrow flew over their heads, while the other embedded itself deeply into Wang Yikui's shoulder.

The two porters, who were also frame horses, were very resilient. Li Laibin pulled back his horse while still looking back, and Wang Yikui, despite the pain, kept looking around. After they turned their horses, there were more "bang" sounds, and more arrows flew over, but both men were already lying on their horses, avoiding the arrows.

"Damn it," Wang Changfu muttered. "How do these bandits have archers?"

At this moment, Zhang Chun lit the prepared signal fire, and Yang Qiu and the others, seeing it, were galloping over quickly.

More figures appeared on the slope, and the pedestrians on the road had already fled in terror.

Zhang Han saw Zhou Bin among the crowd on the slope, still with that deadpan, stern face. He suppressed his unease on the battlefield and called out, "Zhou Master, it's just a small shop, is it worth this much trouble?"

Indeed, it was just a branch store. Zhou Wu and Zhou Bin would not go to such lengths. If someone died, they would have to provide compensation, and a large commotion would attract the military, which, though not feared, would be troublesome.

What was important was the promise from the Fan family and Ning Yicheng. In the future, the profits from the smuggling route would include a share for the Zhou brothers.

The prerequisite was to eliminate Zhang Han first, then integrate the bandits along the route from Daliang Mountain to Xuangfu, to prevent them from causing trouble for the Fan family.

These matters were all manageable. Zhou Bin looked at Zhang Han and smiled.

This time, the entire bandit gang, over 130 bandits, had come out, leaving only the elderly and weak to guard the camp. The rest of the able-bodied bandits were brought along, and there were also five men sent by Ning Yicheng from Lai Tongxin's household, all skilled archers. The bandits had little combat ability, only bullying weaker merchants and civilians, and fleeing when faced with the military. With these five men, armed with five bows and ten quivers of arrows, victory was already in hand.

Zhou Bin smiled smugly, and Zhou Wu urged the bandits to quickly climb the slope and form their ranks. They had originally planned a surprise attack, but Zhang Han had sent scouts, making the ambush impossible. However, with more men and the advantage of the terrain, and with a large number of horses prepared, if Zhang Han tried to escape, Zhou Bin had 30 men waiting at the rear of the road, ready to intercept him.

Chased from one side and intercepted from another, Zhang Han was doomed unless he had incredible luck.

"Master Zhang, when you are at your peak, you must be wary of your downfall. You have been successful for a while, and we have endured for a while. Today is your time of downfall. If you want to save yourself, just end it now. If you fall into our hands, you will suffer greatly, and you will die in a few days, with no part of your body left unscathed. Why go through that?"

Zhou Bin was clearly trying to intimidate Zhang Han. Despite his reputation, Zhang Han was still a young man of 16 or 17, with no facial hair. How much courage could such a young man have? A little scare might make him flee.

"Master, it seems we have company behind us. The Zhou brothers are quite amusing," Wang Changfu said with a smile. Indeed, about 30 bandits had emerged from the mountain pass behind them, ready to block the road. Without this arrangement, if Zhang Han and his men saw the ambush and turned back, the bandits would have a hard time catching them. With someone blocking them, it would be easy to surround Zhang Han and his men.

A few bandits were leading horses at the rear, while the others shouted and charged down the slope, armed with various weapons, including long forks and spears, polished to a shine. Despite their loud shouts, their numbers and momentum were impressive.

Zhang Han called out to the slope, "If Master Zhou wants me dead, come down quickly."

The bandits on the slope had finally formed their ranks, about a hundred men standing in two thin rows, their figures covering the entire slope. Their clothing and weapons were mixed, but they had a better spirit than the border troops, who looked malnourished and dispirited.

Bandits, except for those who became leaders, usually had no families to support. One person's full stomach meant the whole family was fed. They enjoyed their daily plunder in the mountains, always managing to fill their bellies, unlike the border troops, who had meager rations, could not plunder, and had to support their families, all of whom looked malnourished and miserable. The bandits, on the other hand, were robust, with strong muscles and a fierce, cruel look in their eyes.

To be a bandit, one had to have a blood oath, and it was hard to gain trust without having killed someone. Of the hundred or so bandits, over 90% had committed murder, if not before becoming bandits, then certainly over the years. This group of bandits, gathered together, exuded a fierce and evil aura, which was why they could survive in the heavily guarded border region. It would be difficult to eliminate them without the involvement of the generals' household troops.

Zhou Bin said, "Master Zhang, don't worry, we'll be right there."

Zhou Wu, standing next to Zhou Bin, was sizing up Zhang Han and his men. He had a diagonal scar on his face, cold eyes, and a sinister aura, having killed countless people. This sinister aura was not baseless.

Zhang Han and his 30 men were not easy to deal with in Zhou Wu's eyes. They had formed a half-circle formation, with a very strict and orderly arrangement, unlike the bandits, who, despite their numbers, were simply lined up.

In ancient battles, forming a formation was the greatest skill of a general. A well-formed formation, even with fewer men, could still achieve an advantageous position, or target the enemy's weak points, breaking through and causing chaos, leading to victory.

Before the Song and Yuan dynasties, each major battle would have a formation commander, a senior general with rich battlefield experience, who would arrange the formation based on the terrain and numbers of both sides. This was not a task for just any general, and after victory, the formation commander would also receive great credit.

Although this was a battle of only 200 men, not a formal military engagement, with Wang Changfu's presence, the Yu Sheng side had formed a decent military formation, with infantry and cavalry, mixed front and back, and a combination of long and short weapons, essentially an expanded version of the "Yuan Yang" formation.

Zhou Wu had extensive experience in combat, but he could not yet see the weaknesses in Zhang Han's group. Most importantly, he noticed that Zhang Han's men were equipped with shields, standardized long iron spears, long swords, and tridents, which, except for the lack of armor, were even more advanced than the average border troops.

"Damn it, this young master thinks he's a border general," Zhou Wu muttered.