Chapter 59: Ambush

Qin Ming, having heard Magistrate Ding's "suggestion," resolved to launch a night raid on the mountain stronghold under the cover of darkness.

Since he could not resist, he had no choice but to make the best of it, devising ways to increase the odds of victory and minimize the risks of falling into an ambush during the surprise attack.

After offering a perfunctory apology to Magistrate Ding, Qin Ming left him behind and summoned his officers to hold a council of war.

Magistrate Ding had no objections to this arrangement, as it boded well for his own chances of claiming credit.

Winter days are short. As soon as the imperial troops finished their evening meal and dusk began to fall, they received orders to go to sleep immediately.

The seasoned veterans in the camp understood at once that a major battle would take place tonight—either the enemy was coming to raid their camp, or they were setting out to raid the enemy.

The troops only managed a brief nap before everyone was awakened at the first watch and ordered to assemble in formation outside their tents.

Qin Ming selected two thousand men, armed with weapons and equipment, and prepared to head up the mountain, while the rest remained behind to guard the camp.

The mountain paths were narrow, and since this was a surprise raid, they could not take too many men; otherwise, they would inevitably be detected by enemy sentries.

If two thousand men could not take the stronghold by surprise, bringing more would be pointless, as it would inevitably lead to a brutal frontal clash. In that case, it would be better to simply withdraw and return during daylight with the full army for a comprehensive assault.

Tonight, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse, which meant they could dispense with torches and reduce the likelihood of discovery.

Qin Ming personally led this contingent, creeping slowly up the mountain trail step by step. Fortunately, the mountain path was neither steep nor precipitous, and since it had not snowed, the road was not slippery, resulting in no casualties.

Although the stronghold had posted hidden sentries, they were far too amateurish, falling hopelessly short compared to the imperial veterans who had survived years of bloody combat on the battlefield.

Before the main force ascended, a squad of scouts had already set out, silently eliminating all the enemy eyes planted along the path ahead of the stronghold.

By the second watch, Qin Ming and his men had arrived at the dense forest directly in front of the main gate of Yushan Stronghold, where they concealed themselves in utter silence.

Once prone, Qin Ming began to observe the scene closely. The more he looked, the more alarmed he became, and he felt a growing sense of relief that Magistrate Ding had managed to plant a mole inside the stronghold.

Before the gates of Yushan Stronghold lay a large expanse of flat ground. The trees that originally stood here had been cut down to their roots, offering an unobstructed view across the entire area.

If the troops advanced any further, they would be easily spotted by the guards stationed before the gate.

In particular, Li Gui had ordered his men to burn several torches at intervals across the open space in front of the stronghold, ensuring that even under a heavily clouded sky, there would be no shortage of illumination at night.

Whenever a torch was about to burn out, soldiers would come forward in advance to replace it with a fresh one, ensuring visibility remained unimpaired.

Furthermore, this patch of ground was not square, but trapezoidal—wider the closer it got to the stronghold gate and narrower the further back it went. All the remaining space was densely packed with sharp, jagged stones, over which cold water had been poured to form scattered shards of ice, making it difficult to walk and even harder to fight standing up.

Qin Ming could easily tell that this terrain had been intentionally designed and prepared specifically for battlefield slaughter.

If two armies were to clash in this plaza, the stronghold side could deploy more troops than the imperial forces, thus holding a massive advantage.

Moreover, the length of this plaza was precisely the distance of a single arrow shot. The moment any troops set foot on this flat ground, they entered the range of the archers stationed upon the stronghold walls.

With the rebel forces occupying the high ground and enjoying a longer range, the imperial troops below would be reduced to passive targets, unable to return fire effectively.

Yushan originally lacked any natural strategic barriers, yet an artificial fortified ground perfectly suited for defense had been carved out here.

Qin Ming could not help but sigh inwardly at the sheer confidence of these bandits. Historically, defending forces always relied on holding out stubbornly, utilizing fortifications to maximize their tactical advantages. Yet the bandits here had deliberately designed a battlefield right outside their gate, making it clear they intended to sortie out and engage the enemy in the open—a sign of immense self-assurance regarding their own martial prowess.

He looked far into the distance toward the ramparts, faintly making out the lanterns hanging above the stronghold gate and the shadowy figures of the guards stationed behind it.

According to Magistrate Ding, if the mole succeeded, a fire would break out within the stronghold while the gates simultaneously swung wide open, at which point they would only need to charge straight in.

Qin Ming would normally have dismissed such a trick commonly found in popular romance tales, but now, with the arrow nocked on the bowstring and the trigger pulled, he had no choice but to pin his hopes on the success of the mole.

By the third watch, everything within the stronghold remained calm and undisturbed, without the slightest sound.

The weather was bitterly cold, and lying flat on the ground felt as though one were pressing against a block of ice. The soldiers behind him were beginning to grow restless. Enraged, Qin Ming whipped his head around and swept his gaze across them, instantly striking terror into their hearts and freezing them into absolute stillness, unable to move a muscle.

After waiting a little longer, a flash of red light suddenly pierced the night sky from within the stronghold. Immediately afterward, the gates of Yushan Stronghold burst open with a deafening crash. Several figures rushed out from within, tossed a few corpses aside to the nearby ground, and waved their arms toward the hidden troops, shouting at the top of their lungs:

"The stronghold gates are open! Attack at once!"

At that moment, Qin Ming had no leisure to verify whether it was true or false. He leaped to his feet, raised his wolf-tooth mace high, and roared:

"All officers and men, hear my command! Follow me and seize the gate!"

"First battalion, enter first! The rest, form ranks outside the gate!"

The soldiers, who had been lying prone in the forest for over an hour, were thoroughly sick of it. They responded in unison, hoisted their weapons, and charged toward the stronghold gate.

Qin Ming took the lead, rushing up to the gate. He saw that the corpses on the ground were indeed truly dead, blood still gushing profusely from their wounds, indicating they had perished only moments before. Judging by their attire, they were unquestionably bandits from the stronghold.

His mind was set slightly at ease, but when he turned to look for the mole agents, they were nowhere to be found, which instantly made his heart tense up once again.

By this time, the first battalion had already surged into the stronghold. Having no time for further hesitation, Qin Ming stood before the gate, clutching his wolf-tooth mace in one hand, peering cautiously inside to confirm it was not a trap before ordering a full-scale assault.

To his surprise, the occupants of the stronghold, seeing that he refused to swallow the bait entirely, decided to wait no longer. A massive iron portcullis slammed down from behind the gate, sealing it shut once again. Simultaneously, war drums thundered, and the cries of battle shook the heavens.

"Curses! I've fallen into a trap!"

Qin Ming shouted in alarm and hurriedly ordered his troops to fall back.

Ordering only a single battalion to enter the stronghold in the first place was a contingency measure discussed and agreed upon by all the officers beforehand, designed to prevent the entire army from perishing if they walked into a trap.

As the saying goes, victory and defeat are routine matters for soldiers. As long as Qin Ming, the commander-in-chief, remained safe, minor losses were of no great consequence.

As for the soldiers of that single battalion, they could only blame their ill fortune; the best course of action would be to offer generous compensation to their families afterward.

Having been warned in advance, the troops did not panic upon encountering the ambush. Under the command of their respective officers, they began to retreat in an orderly fashion.

Just as the imperial troops were attempting to withdraw, a voice suddenly rang out from atop the stronghold wall.

"General, you have traveled far. Are you leaving just like this?"

Qin Ming raised his eyes and saw clearly in the moonlight none other than Li Gui, the chief chieftain of the Yushan bandits.

Seething with rage and dancing with fury, Qin Ming pointed straight at Li Gui atop the wall and cursed bitterly:

"You scoundrel of a bandit!"

"I'll grant you this round. Wait until tomorrow, when I return to exterminate you and hack your corpse into ten thousand pieces as a sacrifice to my fallen soldiers!"

"Why wait for tomorrow? Tonight, your grandfather will capture you!"

With a roar, Li Gui brandished a massive battle-axe, leaped down from the rampart, landed heavily on the ground with a resounding crash, and strode forward with giant strides to charge directly at Qin Ming.

Following Li Gui's charge, arrows rained down like a storm from the stronghold wall, blanketing the imperial troops below.