novelSusiti Chapter 85 System Mission: Bandit Attack
Chapter 85 System Mission: Bandit Attack
Sendai County, on the official road.
King Jiang Ce of Laiyang, dressed in a black outfit with a long, black sword hanging at his waist, stood on his horse at the foot of a high mountain, his gaze fixed on the distant, cloud-shrouded peaks, a sharp glint in his eyes.
"General Mu, is that the high mountain ahead Dragon Head Mountain?" Jiang Ce asked.
"Your Highness, the high mountain ahead is Dragon Head Mountain. The chieftain of the mountain is named Xu Qiu, who was once a member of the border army and is said to have the strength of a Heaven-level general."
"This person's ability to dominate the region again is also the result of the Han family's continuous support. This time, Your Highness deliberately exposed your whereabouts, so the Han family must already know that Your Highness has arrived in Sendai County."
"Perhaps the people on the mountain have been waiting for Your Highness all along."
"They just want to ambush and kill me, then pin the blame on the bandits."
A cold smile immediately appeared on Jiang Ce's lips. He tapped the brass buckle on the saddle lightly with his fingers. His voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.
"The Han family and the other six great families have been entrenched in Laizhou for seven or eight hundred years. When Cangming was founded, they could only submit to the founding emperor and guard the border for my Cangming Dynasty."
"Although the six great families were dissatisfied, they could only suppress their dissatisfaction in the face of the powerful strength of the Cangming Dynasty. It's just a pity that my father was too focused on the balance and lacked the domineering aura of an emperor."
"It was precisely because of this that in the battle of the twenty-fifth year of Tianfeng, my Cangming suffered a great defeat at the hands of the Eastern Yi, losing 200,000 elite troops in one battle, which gave the six great families of Laizhou an opportunity."
"Now that I, the King of Laiyang, have suddenly appeared out of nowhere, I have the momentum to unify the entire Laizhou. Naturally, these local tyrants, the Han family, want to do everything they can to get rid of me."
Jiang Ce knew very well that the two forces had long been locked in a life-or-death struggle, but they just hadn't had a suitable opportunity yet.
If Jiang Ce wanted to take action against the six great families of Laizhou, the Yuan family would definitely not agree, because the Yuan family needed these six great families to restrain him. If he forcibly took action against the six great families of Laizhou without a reason, he would fall into the Yuan family's trap.
At that time, the Yuan family will have enough reason to suppress him.
The same applies to the six great families of Laizhou.
Regardless of the circumstances, they are still subjects of Cangming. Even if they are now only subject to orders and not summons, their status still holds. If they were to directly oppose Jiang Ce, they would only find themselves in a predicament of being attacked from both sides.
Because both sides had concerns, they tacitly agreed to a stalemate.
However, Jiang Ce no longer wanted to continue like this. After all, the system only gave him five years to conquer Laizhou, and the six great families of Laizhou alone were not enough to stop his progress.
Therefore, Jiang Ce took a risky move, deliberately exposing his whereabouts to the Han family's spies.
Jiang Ce believed that even if Han Jun knew it was a scheme, he wouldn't let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
This time, Jiang Ce led a total of 5,000 troops, including 2,000 vanguard soldiers and 3,000 white-robed soldiers.
However, since the target of 5,000 people was too large, Jiang Ce did not want to be discovered by the Han family and other aristocratic families at the beginning. Therefore, he asked Chang Yuchun, Ling Gufu and others to break up their respective forces and send them to Sendai County in batches, and from Sendai County to Liangshan.
At this moment, Jiang Ce had only gathered two thousand vanguard soldiers. As for the three thousand white-robed soldiers, they were led by Ling Gu Fu and marched towards Liangshan.
After all, if Jiang Ce had too many people, Han Jun probably wouldn't dare to take such a risky move.
"Pass down the order: the army shall set up camp on the spot, cook meals, ensure there is plenty of smoke from the cooking fires, and make sure the banners are bright."
Jiang Ce raised his hand and pointed to a wide-open tunnel not far away.
Military orders are absolute, and the two thousand soldiers quickly sprang into action.
Wisps of smoke rose straight into the sky, standing out vividly in the twilight.
As night deepened, the stars became sparse.
.........
At this moment, deep within Longtou Mountain, the Juyi Hall was brightly lit.
Mountain King Xu Qiu, a burly man with a face full of scars, looked at the mountain of gold and silver in front of him and laughed loudly: "The patriarch is indeed generous. That Jiang Ce is just a child. He was just a gilded veteran in the army back then. He is nothing."
"I'll gather five thousand henchmen right now, descend the mountain tonight, and wipe out their lair!"
"Chief Xu, the patriarch said that as long as you can take Jiang Ce's head, he will definitely appoint you as Tiger General after he is enfeoffed as a king in Laizhou, and you will enjoy endless wealth and honor."
"A man next to Xu Qiu said."
This man was Han Jun's envoy, whom he had specially sent to appease Xu Qiu.
Despite Xu Qiu's arrogant words, he wouldn't dare to harm Jiang Ce, the Prince of Laiyang, even if he had a hundred times the courage, without the support of the Han family.
However, with the support of the Han family, the real money given on the spot, and the promises made to him in the future, Xu Qiu suddenly had a hundred times more courage!
"The envoy rests here while I, the chieftain, lead the army day and night, and we will surely take that brat Jiang Ce's head in one fell swoop."
With that, he led his five thousand henchmen, preparing to sneak silently toward Jiang Ce's camp under the cover of night.
Just after Xu Qiu led his troops off, a strange look appeared on the face of the Han family envoy.
…………
Meanwhile, outside Longtoushan.
The cold moon hung like a hook, and the north wind whipped the green grass into a wild dance; this was the perfect time for a night of murder and a windy day of arson.
In the shadows of the steep slope, a burly man with his tattered clothes open gripped a tiger-headed broadsword tightly in his hand, the blade gleaming with a chilling light in the dim moonlight.
He turned to the burly man beside him and gestured, then lowered his voice and said, "Brother, shall we make our move now? If we delay any longer, things might get complicated."
The man addressed as "Big Brother" by this burly man was none other than Xu Qiu, the chief of Longtou Mountain stronghold.
He squinted, staring intently at Jiang Ce's camp, and then said in a deep voice, "Haste makes waste. Jiang Ce is no ordinary person; otherwise, Patriarch Han wouldn't have come looking for us."
"Let the kids in the back sharpen their gear, and once they're fast asleep, we'll all swarm in!"
The burly man's Adam's apple bobbed violently, and the greed in his throat almost overflowed from his eyes.
After all, killing this group would guarantee them endless wealth and luxury. However, intimidated by their boss's formidable power, they could only swallow hard and grit their teeth, replying, "Alright, we'll do as our boss says!"
The night wind grew stronger, carrying with it their heavy breathing, and condensing into a chilling, menacing atmosphere in the wilderness.
Meanwhile, in Jiang Ce's camp.
[Ding-dong, a new task has been generated by the system. Would you like to accept the task?]
"A new mission, could it be...?"
Jiang Ce immediately thought of a possibility.
"Accept it!"
Although the system didn't say anything, Jiang Ce had already roughly guessed that the mission was about the bandits of Longtou Mountain, so he decisively accepted the mission.
After all, if there is a task, there will definitely be a reward after the task is completed. Although the reward may not be big, it is better than nothing.
[Ding dong, Mission 1: Kill the enemies who come to ambush the host and overcome the current crisis;]
Success reward: One high-tier silver random summon card;
Upon seeing the system's mission reward, Jiang Ce's heart stirred. His intuition told him that a group of bandits, even if they were all former border soldiers, would definitely not be worth this reward.
"It seems this ambush is not as simple as I imagined," Jiang Ce thought with a cold laugh.
[Ding dong, Mission 2: Successfully bring Liangshan under your command and defeat the invading government troops;]
Quest Reward: One low-tier gold random summon card;
Even without this task, Jiang Ce would definitely have completed this step. However, since the system has arranged it, he should definitely accept the reward.
Knowing the enemy's plan beforehand, Jiang Ce naturally decided to turn the tables on them. He ordered Chang Yuchun to have his soldiers pretend to be lax.
Soon, the lights became dim, and the faint sound of soldiers snoring could be heard; everything seemed incredibly relaxed.
Seeing this, a sharp glint flashed in Xu Qiu's eyes. He then waved his hand and said, "Brothers, the time to fight for fame and fortune has come! Follow me and charge!"
Five thousand bandits pounced on the camp like hungry wolves, howling as they charged.
But the moment they stepped into the camp, something unexpected happened!
"kill!"
A deafening roar suddenly rang out across the silent plains, and countless torches instantly lit up the previously dim camp, illuminating it as if it were daytime.
The vanguard cavalry, which had been waiting in battle, charged out from the dense forests on both sides of the camp under the leadership of Chang Yuchun. The sound of horses' hooves was deafening, and the flash of swords was cold and sharp.
"Oh no! We've fallen into their trap!" Xu Qiu's expression changed drastically, and he roared in alarm.
But by the time he realized it, it was too late.
[Ding dong, the host's skill 'Holy Ruler' effect 2 is activated. When on the battlefield, the combat strength of all your soldiers increases by 1. When the host personally participates in the battle, the combat strength of all your soldiers increases by another 1, the command strength of all your soldiers increases by 1, and the morale, combat power, fighting spirit of the entire army are all greatly improved.]
Since the current host is personally participating in the battle, the combat strength of all allied forces increases by 2, and the command strength of all allied forces increases by 1.
The host currently has +1 to Command and +2 to Strength...
Chang Yuchun currently has +1 to Command and +2 to Martial Prowess…
Ning Bo Biao currently has +1 to Command and +2 to Military Strength…
Mu Yu currently has +1 to Command and +2 to Martial Prowess…
Ning Boyan currently has +1 to Command and +2 to Martial Prowess…
Blue Jade...
Xue Zijian…
...]
"Brothers, follow me and kill!"
Jiang Ce, the Prince of Laiyang, took the lead in the charge, instantly igniting the fighting spirit of the vanguard battalion, making them charge towards the bandits as if they had been injected with chicken blood.
"Brothers, follow me and kill!"
Jiang Ce's roar, carried by the night wind, shook the surrounding air.
He took the lead, his spear gleaming coldly, its tip slicing through the night as it thrust straight at the chest of the foremost bandit.
Before the bandit could react, he let out a short scream and was sent flying by a spear thrust. Blood splattered onto the withered grass, staining it a glaring red.
Seeing this, the soldiers of the vanguard battalion behind them were even more in high spirits, and they erupted in a thunderous roar.
The silence of the camp was shattered by the galloping hooves, and as the iron hooves flew, countless gleaming blades slashed towards the bandits.
These vanguard cavalrymen were all elites selected from among the best, well-trained in their daily lives. Now, having rested and prepared, they faced the hastily invading bandits like tigers among sheep.
On the other hand, although some of the five thousand mountain bandits came from the border army, they were all Xu Qiu's old guard.
After years of continuous raids, less than one-tenth of the total number of people in the stronghold remained. As for the other bandits, they were just a rabble who could only fight with their fierce courage.
At this moment, seeing the ambush troops rising up all over the camp and the torches illuminating the area as if it were daytime, they panicked.
The shouts of battle that had been raging just moments before were instantly replaced by a chorus of wails and cries of agony.
Their weapons were a jumbled mess, including hoes, sickles, and rusty machetes. How could they possibly stand a chance against the elite cavalry, whose weapons were of superior quality?
Chang Yuchun, the commander of the vanguard battalion, brandished his spear with great skill. The tiger-headed golden spear moved with great force in his hands, and blood splattered everywhere it passed.
"Brothers, let's fight him!"
Several bandit leaders who wanted to break out saw how brave Chang Yuchun was and knew that if they couldn't get rid of him quickly, it wouldn't be easy for them to escape.
And so, the five leaders exchanged glances and immediately brandished their weapons, charging towards Chang Yuchun.
These five individuals were all at the late stage of first-class or even super-first-class level. Although most of them were at the late stage of first-class, they could still be considered top-notch fighters in the military.
If the five of them join forces, even a regular Heaven-level general would not be able to defeat them in a short time, and might even choose to temporarily avoid their sharp edge to avoid being entangled by them.
However, Chang Yuchun is clearly not included in this list.
[Ding dong, Chang Yuchun's skill 'Blood Battle' effect 1 activated. After this skill effect is activated, his own strength increases by 4, Chang Yuchun's base strength is 104, equipment increases by 2, 'Holy Ruler' increases by 2, and his current strength value increases to 112;]
[Ding dong, Chang Yuchun's skill 'Blood Battle' effect 3 has been activated. Chang Yuchun has currently killed twenty-five bandits, therefore his own martial prowess has increased by 2, and his current martial prowess has increased to 114;]
Chang Yuchun's one-on-one combat strength may only be at the peak of the regular Heaven level, but in the midst of a chaotic battle, he is probably not much weaker than a god-level general whose combat power is at the level of a floor tile.
Moreover, he has now received the Holy Lord's full-army buff, which has instantly raised his strength to a new level, making him equivalent to a low-level divine general.
In the blink of an eye, two top-tier warriors fell victim to his spear.
"Oh no, the wind's getting strong, let's get out of here!"
The bandit leader, seeing that two of his top-tier leaders had died under Chang Yuchun's spear in less than three rounds of fighting, was terrified and lost all courage to fight.
However, this leader was quite cunning; instead of fleeing in a group, he chose to escape in other directions.
If it were someone else, ...