Flat-Rabbit crawled along the edge of the forest, inch by inch, belly pressed to the earth.
Half a meter behind him, Zheng Gouzi and Shitou Si followed just as carefully, breathing shallowly, every movement measured. One careless sound out here could buy them a shallow grave.
Since entering Huanglong Mountain to hunt bandits, Flat-Rabbit had been serving as a scout—and, annoyingly enough, he was actually good at it.
Someone like him was useless in a large formation, too restless, too mouthy. But as a scout? He was in his element. Like a rabbit born in tall grass.
"Up ahead is Wang Zuogua's nest," Flat-Rabbit whispered. "See that cave below? That's where his people are hiding, no doubt about it."
Zheng Gouzi nodded. "You can see traffic marks near the entrance. Definitely active."
Shitou Si lowered his voice. "There will be bandit scouts nearby. Stay sharp. If we get surrounded, we're done."
Flat-Rabbit grinned. "With my ears? Don't worry. No bandit scout sneaks past me."
The moment the words left his mouth, he crawled past a hollow tree—and froze.
Inside the hollow, a bandit was sleeping.
Flat-Rabbit and the bandit stared at each other, equally stunned. Neither had expected to meet life so suddenly.
A heartbeat passed.
The bandit opened his mouth to scream.
Shitou Si lunged forward like a released crossbow bolt, clamped a hand over the man's mouth, and drove a dagger cleanly into his throat.
The struggle ended before it properly began.
"Hah…"
All three exhaled at once.
Shitou Si muttered, "See? If the enemy moves, your ears help. If he doesn't, they're useless. Be careful."
Flat-Rabbit nodded obediently. Lesson learned. Briefly. Probably.
Shitou Si crept forward again, peering down from the rock face into the valley below. He memorized every rise, dip, and shadow around the cave entrance, burned the layout into his mind, then slowly withdrew.
"I'm heading back," he whispered. "I need to report to Instructor He and draw this terrain out."
Flat-Rabbit waved. "I'll stay and keep watching Wang Zuogua."
"Good. Gouzi stays with you. Don't do anything stupid."
Shitou Si crawled away, retreating a long distance before finally speeding up toward Cheng Xu's camp.
Flat-Rabbit scanned left and right, studying the ground. After a while, he pointed quietly.
"Gouzi, see that ditch?"
Zheng Gouzi squinted. "What about it?"
"If I were Wang Zuogua, and I got ambushed—grenades raining down—I'd dive straight into that ditch and crouch-run away. Once the valley entrance is blocked, that's the only escape route."
Zheng Gouzi blinked. "Uh-huh… and?"
"And we should be waiting right there," Flat-Rabbit said, eyes gleaming. "Let him run into us. One clean strike. Huge merit. Heh."
Zheng Gouzi raised a fist the size of a rice bowl. "Don't be stupid. Wang Zuogua won't run alone. He'll have elite bandits with him. The two of us can't handle that."
Flat-Rabbit scoffed. "This rabbit's sword chills forty prefectures. Ten thousand troops fear me. A few elite bandits? One sword, one kill."
Zheng Gouzi cracked his knuckles. "Forget them. I'll beat you to death first. Dead is dead—does it matter whose hands you die by?"
Night fell. The stars dimmed.
Cheng Xu led the militia silently to the edge of the valley.
Wang Zuogua's hideout was hidden well—too well. The valley had only one entrance, thick with vines. From the outside, it was nearly invisible.
Cheng Xu crouched and grinned darkly. "See the guards at the valley mouth? Send crossbowmen. Throats only. No screams."
"Grenadiers," he continued calmly, "take the high ground on both sides. When the fighting starts, throw grenades into the valley. Once our men enter, stop. I don't want friendly fire."
Gao Chu Wu and Zheng Da Niu each took fifty grenadiers and began climbing the slopes.
"Same plan as always," Cheng Xu said. "Once we enter, musketeers fire in volleys to break morale. Then spear formations push forward."
"Understood!"
Inside the cave, Wang Zuogua was in an excellent mood.
He had heard the news: the enemy had entered the passes, the five frontier generals were recalled to the capital. He threw his head back and laughed.
"With the frontier generals gone, the northwest is ours! Who can stop me now? Next time I leave these mountains, who dares stand in my way?"
Beside him, Miao Mei spoke softly. "Brother, the Bai Fortress firearms unit is still harassing us in the mountains. Third and Fourth Brothers were intercepted twice. Losses were heavy."
Wang Zuogua spat. "Those Bai Fortress bastards—who knows where they got so many firearms. Annoying. But with the generals gone, we don't need to hide anymore. We go north. Out of Huanglong Mountain. We'll enjoy ourselves in Yichuan."
Miao Mei laughed. "Exactly. Their firearms won't chase us that far. If we can't beat them, we can outrun them."
Wang Zuogua sneered. "Once I recruit more men in Yichuan, I'll come back and wipe out those fools. I refuse to believe I can't crush them."
The scream cut through the night.
A single, sharp cry echoed through the valley.
One guard had been shot—but the bolt missed his throat by a finger's width.
That was enough.
The nest erupted.
Fei Shan Hu and Chi Lang's men poured out of the cave. At their head was Chi Lang himself, roaring, "What happened?!"
The moment they stepped into the open, targets were born.
Grenadiers on both ridges lit fuses with smiles.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Explosions tore through the valley.
Fei Shan Hu and Chi Lang hit the ground instantly—experience hard-earned. Lang Si screamed, "Bai Fortress again! Damn it! How did they find us? We hid perfectly!"
"Where were our scouts?! How did the enemy take the high ground so easily?!"
"Run!" someone yelled. "If we stay here, we die!"
The valley filled with smoke, fire, and the sound of plans collapsing.
Chapter Trivia
Mountain bandit hideouts favor concealment, but concealment creates chokepoints. What protects you also traps you.
Early grenade warfare relied less on accuracy and more on psychology—noise, fire, and panic did the real killing.
In asymmetric war, intelligence wins before steel ever touches flesh.