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Liu Guanfeng nodded, "The place ahead is indeed called Horn Valley, and the entire shape of Mountain Valley resembles a bull's horn. As long as we arrange our troops on the mountainsides, the situation could be disastrous, just like when we fought Bian Dong last time. If it were just our Vanguard Camp, it would be manageable, but if it's the large forces behind us..."
"Liu President, you don't need to say more; we all understand. Fortunately, you reminded us; otherwise, we would have made a big mistake today."
"Old Leader, you're too polite. We are family now; it's only right to do this. I can't just watch you go to your deaths."
"Liu President, what do you think we should do next?"
"We must ascertain whether there are any ambushes. If there aren't any, that's great. If there are, we must eliminate them."
"Alright, I'll send someone to investigate."
"There's no need for Vice Leader Hong to worry about that; let my people handle it."
"Is that alright?" Hong Tao asked with some doubt; after all, this was a crucial matter, and alarming the enemy would be problematic.
"Vice Leader Hong, rest assured. Our Merchant Guild's guards are well-trained and skilled in stealth. I guarantee their success."
"Then I will leave everything to Liu President."
"Vice Leader Hong, don't worry; I'll give you news first thing tomorrow morning."
"It's all up to Liu President then."
Liu Guanfeng turned and left Hong Tao's tent. Since the incident of the ambush last time, Liu Guanfeng's tent had been moved next to Hong Tao's tent, and all his guards were arranged around Liu Guanfeng's tent.
Upon returning to his own tent, Liu Guanfeng called for the squad leaders of the first and second squads: "Listen carefully; I'm assigning you a task. Tonight, both squads will go to Horn Valley and investigate whether there are any ambushes on the mountain peaks on both sides and how many people might be hiding there. Do you understand?"
"Understood."
"You two go down and prepare well. Remember not to let anything slip."
"Understood."
The two squad leaders went down to arrange their soldiers, and it wasn't until after eleven at night that the soldiers from both squads quietly slipped out of the military camp, returning only when dawn was breaking.
When they returned, Liu Guanfeng had just gotten up. "So, what did you find out last night?"
"In response to President, as you estimated, there were indeed enemy troops ambushed on both sides of Horn Valley."
"How many of them were there?"
"About seven thousand on Dongshan and over six thousand on Xishan."
"Six thousand plus seven thousand makes thirteen thousand. If it's a whole number, it should be fifteen thousand. You did well; go rest now."
"President, I found something else."
"What is it? Speak up."
"President, those ambushers did not see Rolling Logs and Stones."
"No Rolling Logs and Stones? What did you see then?"
"What I saw were bundles of hay."
"President, our soldiers also detected a smell of kerosene coming from the wind at the grain entrance."
Liu Guanfeng nodded, thinking to himself: Shen Jingtian, you are truly ruthless. You dare to use such a decisive strategy. If Zhang Yuru's army enters Horn Valley and they block both sides of the grain entrance with hay and then set it on fire, there won't be a single survivor left in Mountain Valley.
"You two take your men to have some breakfast and then get some sleep. There might be more tasks for you tonight."
"It is President."
After the two left the tent, Liu Guanfeng had breakfast and went to find Hong Tao. When Liu Guanfeng entered, only Hong Tao and his son were there, waiting for news from Liu Guanfeng. Upon seeing him, both father and son stood up: "Liu President, how is the situation?"
Liu Guanfeng shared the results of the investigation conducted by the two squad leaders with them. He then mentioned that the enemy might use fire as an attack method. As he spoke, Hong Tao and his son listened while sweating profusely; it was all cold sweat. They silently thanked and appreciated Liu Guanfeng. If it weren't for his intervention, their lives could have been in grave danger.
Hong Tao looked at Liu Guanfeng: "Liu President, what do you think we should do next?"
"I originally didn't want to use fire as a method; it's too cruel. However, since Shen Jingtian is considering such a tactic, I can't hold back either. I'll let him experience what it's like to be burned."
"Liu President, what do you mean?"
"Vice Leader, my meaning is simple. Tonight, I will take people to set fire to the mountain. You need to have your men ready; once the fire is extinguished, we will rush in without leaving any survivors, giving them a quick end to their suffering."
"Liu President, do you have enough manpower with just fifty people? I can send more."
"No need. The fewer people involved in arson, the better. My men are all systematically trained and know where to set the fires, so you can rest assured. Just prepare your main force."
"Alright, I wish you success, Liu President."
"Vice Leader, remember to ensure confidentiality."
"I understand."
After that, Liu Guanfeng turned and left the Barracks. It wasn't until after nine o'clock in the evening that he called over five squad leaders: "Our mission has come again. Today's task is simple and similar to last time—setting fires. However, this time we will burn not a military camp but a mountain. The area ahead is called Horn Valley, and there are nearly fifteen thousand enemies on both sides of the mountain. They are preparing to set fire to the grain when we pass by. We will take advantage of this opportunity tonight to burn the mountain and directly eliminate those enemies on it."
"Understood."
"Class One and Third Class, you two classes will be responsible for Dongshan. Class Two and Fifth Class, you two classes will handle the western mountain. Class Four, your task is to set fire to Mountain Valley. The last time two squad leaders returned, they mentioned that there might be kerosene spread throughout Mountain Valley. Your mission is simply to follow my orders and shoot rockets into Mountain Valley."
"President, when should we set the fire?"
"You two, as soon as you see the fire in Mountain Valley, set fire from both sides, Class Leader One and Class Leader Two."
"Understood."
"How long do you think it will take for you to be ready?"
"President, we can be ready in an hour."
"Alright, once we arrive at the location, I will give you one hour. After one hour, I will set fire to the grain."
"Yes."
"You five, go back now and gather the troops. We are leaving."
Liu Guanfeng stepped out of his tent and went directly to Hong Tao's tent. "Vice Leader Hong, I’m taking my people now. The fire is expected to start in about two hours; you can calculate the time yourself."
"Okay, I understand. Liu President, be careful."
"Farewell." After leaving the tent, Liu Guanfeng took his team out of the military camp. Under the leadership of the two class leaders, they quickly arrived at the entrance of Horn Valley. Liu Guanfeng took several jars of kerosene from his Cosmic Bag, and each soldier from the four classes held two jars.
Liu Guanfeng slowly counted the time. The class leaders and their soldiers quietly climbed up the peaks of Horn Valley from both sides. Following the skill of the two class leaders, forty soldiers almost simultaneously began pouring out the kerosene from their jars.
At this moment, Shen Quan, who was lying in ambush on the mountain, was becoming a bit impatient. He did not understand why his father had gone to challenge them on the first day and had not made any moves today. He was unaware that General Shen's initial purpose was to test the enemy's strength while also slowing down their Vanguard Camp for the main force that would follow. According to his plan, the main force would arrive by tomorrow morning; at that time, they just needed to lure their leader into Horn Valley.
Several soldiers on the mountain suddenly noticed that the smell of kerosene in the air seemed stronger. However, he thought it was just a change in wind direction; he was also a bit drowsy and wondered how there could be wind blowing from the middle of Mountain Valley to both sides.
In less than an hour, the soldiers on both sides had completely emptied their kerosene jars. The soldiers from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce poured towards the center from both ends, so when the fire ignited, those lying in ambush inside had nowhere to escape.
Liu Guanfeng was outside counting time. When he estimated that it was almost time, he waved his hand and all his soldiers ignited their rockets. Then Liu Guanfeng held a jar of kerosene in each hand and lit them before throwing them into the center of Mountain Valley. The two jars of kerosene traced beautiful arcs in the air before colliding with each other.
The collision of the kerosene jars splashed beautiful sparks into the air, illuminating the dark Mountain Valley exceptionally bright. Subsequently, these sparks fell to the ground and ignited the kerosene in Mountain Valley. Meanwhile, the soldiers behind Liu Guanfeng desperately shot their rockets into the air, instantly setting fire to Mountain Valley in Horn Valley.
The fire in Mountain Valley was ignited, and at the same time, forty soldiers on the mountain lit their torches. The soldiers quickly retreated to Liu Guanfeng's side, each readying their weapons.
Shen Quan was napping on the mountain when he was startled awake by the sudden blaze. "What on earth is happening? Who set Mountain Valley on fire?" Just as he was about to ask someone, he felt a heat behind him. Turning around, he saw flames soaring high into the sky; many soldiers behind him were already engulfed in fire.
At that moment, Shen Jingtian was also awakened by the fire in Mountain Valley. He rushed out without putting on his clothes. When he looked towards the mountain where his son was, he saw it completely consumed by flames. Realizing that his son was likely in grave danger, Shen Jingtian felt a tightness in his chest and spat out a mouthful of blood, collapsing to the ground.
In a fit of panic, an Old General who hadn’t even had the chance to harm anyone followed his son out of this world. In the military camp, Shen Jingtian's guards saw that the general was dead and immediately placed his body on his mount. All five thousand troops understood that the situation was dire and quickly donned their armor and grabbed their weapons to return to the capital. Meanwhile, Horn Valley had turned into a blazing sea of fire, with soldiers tumbling down from both sides of the mountain.
Originally, fire wouldn’t spread quickly, but they had prepared for arson, so each soldier had plenty of dry grass around them. The grass ignited easily, allowing the soldiers from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce to set the fire with great success. When Hong Tao arrived with his troops, he witnessed a spectacular scene of flames.
The fire in Mountain Valley burned for half an hour before it began to diminish. The fires on both sides of the mountain continued until dawn before gradually subsiding. Once the flames were extinguished, there were no intact trees left on either side of Horn Valley; everywhere lay charred bodies.
As Hong Tao led the Vanguard Camp through Horn Valley, they found that there were no soldiers left in the opposing camp; however, food supplies remained untouched as they had no time to concern themselves with provisions.
With Liu Guanfeng's assistance, the Vanguard achieved a stunning victory, eliminating fifteen thousand enemies with zero casualties.
When Zhang Yuru arrived with her troops, Hong Tao recounted what had transpired. Upon hearing that Liu Guanfeng had once again ventured into danger alone, Zhang Yuru couldn't help but roll her eyes at him, which made Liu Guanfeng feel immensely pleased.
Having passed through Horn Valley, the army was less than a day's journey from the capital. Zhang Yuru ordered them to set up camp and rest for a day before marching towards the capital early tomorrow morning.
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