novelSusiti Chapter 90: Planning an Attack on the Zhu Family Village
Chapter 90: Planning an Attack on the Zhu Family Village
Upon hearing Wu Song's words, Wang Lun immediately laughed and said, "It's not the right time yet. When the time is right, I will definitely let you take the lead."
He then comforted Hu Sanniang, saying, "Don't worry, Sanniang. The alliance between Zhu Family Village and Hu Family Village is still in effect. Master Zhu will not harm Hu Cheng. He is only doing this because he is afraid that Hu Family Village will not send troops."
"Then what should I do?" Hu Sanniang asked hurriedly.
"If we were to ask your father to send troops to help me, he would likely be in a difficult position. It would be better to let Grandfather Hu watch from the sidelines and remain neutral. As for you, if you are willing, you can stay and contribute; if you don't want to stay here, you can go back to Hu Family Village to be with your father."
Wang Lun knew that Hu Taigong would be in a difficult situation, and might even be thinking of helping whichever side was stronger.
After all, this is the world of martial arts, and people's hearts are complex.
Hu Sanniang glanced at Wu Song and saw that he was also looking at her. She quickly looked away, composed herself, and said, "I am willing to stay. Once you break through the Zhu Family Village, I must go to save my brother."
Wang Lun smiled and said, "Songdi, you arrange a barracks for Third Sister. You will take care of her these days, and make sure no one hurts her."
Wu Song clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes."
Looking back, he saw that Hu Sanniang's face was already flushed. He was delighted and led Hu Sanniang away.
Only then did Shi Qian step forward and kneel down: "Shi Qian thanks the chieftain for saving me."
Yang Xiong and Shi Xiu also knelt down beside them: "We three brothers originally intended to join Liangshan, but we never expected that Brother Shi Qian would be captured by the Zhu Family Village for stealing a chicken. We are grateful for the chief's help in rescuing us. In the future, if the chief gives us any orders, we three will do our best."
Wang Lun did not help them up, but let them kneel down, saying, "You have not even joined my Liangshan, yet you are already using the Liangshan banner to swindle and cheat, and even committing theft."
The three of them immediately blushed, realizing that what they had done was indeed somewhat unethical.
Lin Chong, Guan Sheng, and others nearby also looked down on the three men, especially Shi Qian, who was considered a petty thief and a low-class figure in the martial arts world.
Wang Lun said, "However, Liangshan has always valued heroes. Now that you've come, I can't very well turn you away. But this attack on the Zhu Family Village is because of you, so the three of you must exert your utmost strength. Do you understand?"
The three of them quickly agreed.
Wang Lun nodded and then said, "Then get up. From now on, you are leaders of Liangshan, and such petty theft is no longer allowed. The Liangshan Flying Tiger Army has military regulations. The three of you will ask Instructor Lin for instructions later and memorize them as soon as possible. If you violate the military regulations, you will be punished without mercy."
Yang Xiong and Shi Xiu were of average martial arts skills, which was enough for them to be useful. Shi Xiu, in particular, was known as "Desperate Saburo," so Wang Lun would not abandon him.
As for Shi Qian, Wang Lun had actually wanted to find him for a long time.
This man possesses exceptional lightness skills; no one can match his ability to scale walls and roofs, making him extremely useful to Liangshan.
Before long, Qin Ming and Hua Rong also arrived with the Third Route Army to help, and together with the three thousand armored heavy cavalry that Wang Lun had brought, there were now six thousand men.
The leaders then held a meeting in the central command tent, sitting on two sides. On the left were Lin Chong, Wu Song, Guan Sheng, Hao Siwen, Ling Zhen, and Yang Xiong, while on the right were Qin Ming, Hua Rong, Wu Yong, Lü Fang, Guo Sheng, Shi Xiu, and Shi Qian, totaling thirteen leaders.
Wang Lun first set the tone for the military conference: "Attack on the Zhu Family Village is not difficult; the difficulty lies in minimizing our casualties and recruiting experts like Luan Tingyu into the Liangshan heroes. Everyone, please share your ideas."
He knew that even though he was a time traveler, his military abilities were not outstanding. The victories he had won so far mainly relied on his understanding of Huyan Zhuo and others. If he were to fight against famous generals, he would definitely lose.
Lin Chong first introduced the situation of Zhu Family Village, especially emphasizing the city walls and moat, which made Zhu Family Village easy to defend and difficult to attack.
In addition, the intricate network of roads within the village makes attacking the Zhu Family Village no easy task.
Combining what Wang Lun just said, minimizing casualties while trying to subdue Luan Tingyu makes things even more difficult.
After thinking for a moment, the leaders finally spoke up, saying, "I wonder if Luan Tingyu has a wife, children, and elderly parents living elsewhere?"
Wang Lun was taken aback. Wu Yong was trying to kidnap someone's family again, which was really unethical, so he remained silent.
The leaders all shook their heads. They had heard of "Iron Rod" Luan Tingyu and knew he was highly skilled in martial arts, but they knew very little about him.
"Our brothers once found Master Li of Li Family Village. He fought with Zhu Biao and was wounded by Zhu Biao's hidden arrow. Why don't we invite him to join Liangshan?"
Yang Xiong made an idea.
Wang Lun knew about this plot point. Li Ying was injured by Zhu Biao's sneak attack, so he remained neutral when Liangshan attacked Zhu Family Village.
Now that the Hu Family Village has also allied with Liangshan, it will remain neutral.
The Zhu Family Village was actually isolated and without support, making it much easier to attack than in the original story.
"Li Ying is also a good man, and I will invite him up the mountain, but not now." Wang Lun slowly shook his head and said, "Shi Qian, your lightness skill is superb. If I asked you to infiltrate the Zhu Family Village, could you do it?"
Upon hearing that the first task assigned to him was to find him, Shi Qian was overjoyed and immediately jumped up from his chair, saying, "Of course, no problem. However, that winding road is really difficult to walk, and I might get lost."
"Pantuo Road was built under the supervision of Luan Tingyu. It consists of seventy-two alleys that look similar and crisscross each other, truly like a maze. There are also traps set up along the way, making it very dangerous."
When Wang Lun described the characteristics of Pantuo Road, the leaders were immediately shocked. How did Wang Lun know these things?
"It's not difficult to get out of Pantuo Road. Just turn when you see a poplar tree, no matter how narrow or wide the road is, and you'll be out of Zhujiazhuang."
Wang Lun continued to "spoil" the plot, shocking everyone and making them look at him with new respect.
Shi Qian was overjoyed and said, "Now that the chieftain knows this method, I can come and go freely in and out of Zhu Family Village."
Wang Lun said happily, "That's good. You should rest well first. Later, I will ask Chief Ling Zhen to give you a few bombs. Go there around midnight and blow up the granary of the Zhu Family Village to destroy their grain supplies."
Shi Qian loved doing this kind of thing, so he immediately nodded in agreement and happily sat back down.
Wu Yong said, "Does the chieftain intend to cut off their supply lines and besiege the city?"
Wang Lun nodded, thinking to himself that Wu Yong was indeed clever, understanding things immediately, and said, "Exactly. Since you've guessed my thoughts, why don't you tell me what you think?"
Wu Yong was greatly encouraged. After thinking for a moment, he said, "There are still more than 10,000 people in Zhu Family Village. Even if we destroy their grain supplies, they can still collect some grain from the people and barely survive for a while."
Lin Chong reminded them, "It's March now, and the people don't have much food left."
Wu Yong nodded and said, "That makes sense. That's why the Zhu Family Manor must have been collecting grain from outside the manor. Since we blocked the land route, they had no choice but to take the water route."
He slammed his hand on the table and said, "Brother, please ask the three Ruan brothers to lead their navy to help us and block the waterways. If we block them for ten or fifteen days, they will surely come out for a decisive battle, which will save us from wasting our troops attacking the city."
Guan Sheng added, "Once we leave the village, with our cavalry advantage, the Zhu Family Village will naturally be no match for us."
"We can lay a minefield; once they go in, they'll be blown to bits," Ling Zhen added.
The military conference was in full swing, and everyone began to discuss things enthusiastically, gradually coming up with a plan to attack the Zhu Family Village.