strictlysupreme Chapter 93 Three Major Mines, Pre-Battle Preparations
Chapter 93 Three Major Mines, Pre-Battle Preparations
Chapter 93 The Three Major Mines, Pre-Battle Preparations
According to the bandit leader's confession, Black Wind Stronghold had a total of three strongholds in Niutou Mountain.
To the east is Wild Wolf Gully, to the west is Eagle Beak Cliff, and in the middle is Ghost's Sorrow, the most dangerous place.
These three strongholds are distinct from each other.
If any one of them is attacked, the other two can come to its aid within 45 minutes.
Pei Shifeng unfolded an old map of the mine.
The picture is already wrinkled.
He tapped the picture three times with the tip of his riding whip.
The morning mist had already dissipated thanks to the DVD player.
The mountain breeze carries the scent of pine resin and damp earth.
The edges of the drawing were slightly curled by the wind.
"Three strongholds, not one can be missed."
He raised his head, shifting his gaze from the picture to the three people in front of him.
Before launching an attack, it is necessary to understand the specific situation.
That's when the scouts come into play.
Among the sword guards present, the best scouts were naturally the three sword guard commanders.
Because they have the best kung fu, are agile, travel fast, and are not easily detected.
"Chen Yu went to Guijianchou, Sun Feipeng went to Yingzui Cliff, and Xue Linglong went to Yelanggou."
"Each of you take two sword guards; do not alert the enemy!"
"Once you have ascertained the number of troops stationed here and the changing of the guard times, report back immediately. No one is allowed to engage in battle without authorization. Return to this location to report before nightfall!"
"Yes, sir!"
The three responded in unison, each selecting two sword guards, and then split into three groups to go.
Sun Feipeng sped along the mountain road, the mountain wind making his clothes flutter loudly.
"Chen Yu went to the most dangerous Ghost's Sorrow, but the Deputy Commander still entrusted him with the most crucial task."
This thought filled him with mixed feelings.
On the one hand, he had to admit that Chen Yu's performance last night was indeed quite impressive.
On the other hand, he had entered the school ten years earlier than Chen Yu, but now he was assisting this newcomer.
I just can't get over this.
The terrain of Eagle's Beak Cliff is not complicated.
A precipice juts out diagonally from the mountainside, resembling an eagle's beak.
There are several dilapidated wooden houses at the foot of the cliff.
It was a temporary camp left behind by the mining exploration team of Qiankuangtang back then.
Sun Feipeng lay prone behind a huge rock a hundred paces away.
He set up a monocular bronze mirror and immediately got a clear view of the situation on the cliff.
"Three old mining sheds and two fixed sentry posts."
"One is at the edge of the cliff, and the other is at the entrance of the mine; both are in the open."
The sentry paced back and forth with his knife in hand, and the changing of the guard was timed perfectly.
Sun Feipeng silently did the math in his mind.
The garrison will consist of no more than twenty men.
The equipment was very basic.
The roof was also dilapidated, not like it was hiding any important person.
"Have you written everything down?"
He asked the sword guard behind him a question.
"I've written it all down."
"6
"Alright, let's turn back!"
Sun Feipeng felt slightly smug as he descended the mountain.
The most dangerous place Chen Yu needed to investigate was Guijianchou.
This is the most crucial point, but whether we can even get close to it is still uncertain.
In less than half an hour, he had thoroughly explored Eagle Beak Cliff.
This trip back will at least allow me to save face in front of the Deputy Commander-in-Chief.
Wild Wolf Gully is where three gullies meet.
This place is overgrown with mixed trees, and the stream has carved out a pebble beach at the bottom of the gully.
Xue Linglong tied the horse to a spot some distance away and led her men on foot to the mouth of the ditch.
She chose an old banyan tree as her observation point.
The tree canopy is so dense that you can see the mine entrance at the bottom of the gully through the gaps in the branches.
Each cave entrance was guarded by about a dozen people, each carrying a sharp knife.
A pot of rice was being cooked over the campfire.
The changing of the guard, patrol routes, and spacing between sentry posts are all readily apparent.
Xue Linglong recorded these things one by one on the parchment she carried with her.
Everything seemed perfectly clear.
But she always felt that something was wrong.
It's too quiet and too tidy.
The positions and layout of these guards were so orderly that they didn't resemble bandits, but rather regular troops in drill.
Each sentry post faces a blind spot, allowing for excellent mutual support.
Xue Linglong thought about it for a moment and didn't pursue the matter further.
After all, Pei Shifeng's orders were only to ascertain the number of people and the time of the shift change.
She doesn't need to waste her time on a few suspicions.
If they return late, Chen Yu and Sun Feipeng will get there first, which will look bad in front of the Deputy Commander.
"Did you remember?"
The sword guard behind him nodded.
She put away the parchment, brushed away the bark scraps stuck to her cuffs, and a slight smile involuntarily appeared on her lips.
The tasks she and Sun Feipeng received were of similar difficulty.
Whoever gets back first will have the upper hand.
She absolutely cannot be later than Sun Feipeng.
Ghost's Sorrow is the most dangerous of the three strongholds.
When Chen Yu arrived, the sun had already risen to the middle of the mountain.
The terrain of Guijianchou truly lives up to its name.
A narrow stone ridge extends from the main peak, with bottomless canyons on both sides.
The valley floor was shrouded in swirling mist, and the muffled sound of the stream crashing against the rock walls could be faintly heard.
At the end of the stone ridge is the entrance to an abandoned mine.
The entrance to the cave was partially obscured by several crooked wooden stakes, and it looked lifeless from a distance.
Chen Yu did not approach immediately.
Instead, he found a secluded spot on the opposite ridge, crouched down, and began to observe.
With excellent hearing and eyesight, I can still see clearly even at this distance.
"Is there no one at the cave entrance? Where are the sentries?"
Chen Yu's gaze swept repeatedly across both sides of the stone ridge.
The answer was finally found on two almost vertical rock faces.
"No visible sentries, only hidden ones?"
Two hidden sentry posts were concealed in natural crevices in the rock face.
A layer of coarse linen, the same color as the rock wall, was hung over the crack, leaving only a narrow slit for observation.
If the sunlight hadn't been angled at just the right moment, causing the edge of the linen to curl up slightly, he would have had a hard time noticing that someone was hiding inside.
The timing of the shift change is also quite particular.
It is not a fixed time system, but a random rotation within a changing period after the previous shift change.
"This is clearly to prevent outsiders from exploiting loopholes based on the rules."
Chen Yu silently noted down the locations and coverage areas of the two hidden sentry posts.
Then the gaze continued to extend deeper into the mine.
At the entrance to the mine at the end of the stone ridge, the wooden stakes are arranged in a seemingly chaotic manner.
But Chen Yu quickly realized the problem.
Those seemingly randomly dumped abandoned wooden stakes were actually placed intentionally.
The wooden stakes and the boulders on both sides of the cave entrance formed a natural firing cover.
Anyone attempting a frontal assault along the ridge would inevitably be exposed to the crossbow fire of the sentries.
Behind the wooden stake, he could also vaguely see a thin black rope.
A thin black rope connected to a communication bell almost blends into the rock face.
Once triggered, the other two hidden sentries will receive an alarm.
"This is a trap."
Chen Yu analyzed in his mind.
"On the surface, there are only a dozen or so people guarding this dilapidated mine, but if any alarm device is activated, the main force hidden in the shadows will come out in full force!"
He memorized the coverage areas of the three hidden sentry posts.
He also mentally marked the position of the thin black string and the direction of triggering it.
After ascertaining the situation, Chen Yu didn't linger and quickly returned to the camp.
As the sun sets, its afterglow paints the peaks of Niutou Mountain in a deep ochre hue.
Pei Shifeng sat on the saddle, listening to the three people in front of him report in turn.