The loss of an entire regiment this time was unprecedented since the formation of the Skyfire Army.
Therefore, upon receiving the assembly order, Zhang Tian, Wu Yong, Tie Lao Ba, and others immediately mustered their troops and set off with the utmost haste.
They force-marched to Panjin, then crossed the sea by fishing boat, heading directly for Laizhou.
Gazing at the angry eyes before him, Fang Er dispensed with pleasantries and issued his commands directly.
Fan Wujiu!
Present!
Order the Huzhou Guard to scout outwards from the valley, within a radius of twenty li!
Yes!
Lai Yifa!
Present!
Send out all the imperial guards; within two days, I want to know how many outsiders entered the entire Laizhou Prefecture before and after the incident!
Where they went and whom they met must all be verified!
Furthermore, not a single mountain bandit lair within Laizhou Prefecture is to be overlooked!
Yes!
Zhang Tian, Wu Yong!
Present!
For every mountain bandit lair discovered, I want it annihilated!
I want all the mountain bandits in this Shandong circuit to be buried with those thousand-plus brothers!
Yes!
All those who received the order departed Laizhou Prefecture in succession.
Soon, a pervasive atmosphere of apprehension settled over Laizhou.
The Eastern Depot guards, arriving successively, employed every means to infiltrate the populace and gather any useful intelligence.
That very evening, a crucial lead was obtained.
My Lord! Several days ago, a large number of unfamiliar faces did indeed enter Laizhou. Some witnesses saw them heading towards the southeast towards Jade Emperor Mountain.
There is a band of mountain bandits on Jade Emperor Mountain, numbering over three hundred.
*Crack!*
Fang Er slammed his palm on the table and abruptly stood, looking at Guan Chang and Wang Xuance.
Yan Yun Cavalry, Torch Special Operations Team!
Present!
Depart immediately for Jade Emperor Mountain and bring me the bandit leader!
Yes!
Tie Lao Ba!
Present!
Deploy the Artillery Division. Once the bandit leader is captured, the mountain is to be subjected to artillery bombardment! Not a single fly should escape the mountain alive!
Yes!
The three men acknowledged their orders and turned to leave.
The night on Jade Emperor Mountain was serene, with a crescent moon hanging high in the sky.
Guan Chang and Wang Xuance, led by the Eastern Depot guards, had silently crept to the mountainside. Several bandit sentries were eliminated without their demise being noticed.
Above them, diagonally, lay the stronghold of the Jade Emperor Mountain bandits.
Amidst the disorganized structures, a brightly lit two-story wooden building stood out. By moonlight and the glow of bonfires in front of the house, the characters "Gathering Hall" were clearly visible through the binoculars.
After observing the situation within the encampment, Guan Chang and Wang Xuance exchanged glances, then exchanged a few hand signals. The troops silently approached the encampment gate.
The encampment was surrounded by wooden walls, and at the gate stood two arrow towers, manned by bandit sentries.
Li Da and Huang Sheng quietly removed their hard bows from their backs and shot an arrow each. Their archery skills were even more formidable than their marksmanship!
The sentries were shot in the throat without any warning. Just as they were about to collapse, they were supported by special operations members who had moved up, and gently laid down.
Not a sound was made until the encampment gate was opened.
Everyone entered the encampment. The bolt on the wooden gate was broken, and then it was re-fastened. From a distance, it appeared as if nothing was amiss.
Li Da and Huang Sheng ascended the arrow towers to provide support. The rest of the team split into two groups and stealthily moved towards the Gathering Hall from the left and right flanks.
The daily lives of the mountain bandits were always filled with debauchery: drinking, feasting, and cavorting with women. When money ran out, they would go on a raid.
Just like at this moment within the Gathering Hall, where unknown actors, presumably captured by the bandits, were singing with nasal voices.
The bandit leader held a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl in his arms, his hands roaming over her. The others were also gleefully drinking and eating meat.
"Chieftain, in my humble opinion, we should leave Laizhou as soon as possible."
A scholar-like man said with a worried expression to the bandit leader.
"I heard that the Duke of Shenyang, who conquered Goguryeo, has already arrived in Laizhou Prefecture. If they trace us, it will be too late to leave then."
"What are you afraid of! With that person here, what can he do to us?"
"Girl, how about it? From now on, you'll be my wife here on the mountain, and my brothers will ensure you have the best food and drinks."
He said this without paying any mind to the tear tracks on the girl's face, and then lunged forward to kiss her greedily.
The scholar-like man, witnessing this scene, inwardly cursed the bandit leader's ancestors for eighteen generations.
At this moment, several dark objects were thrown in from outside the door – they were the Mông Hán hand grenades thrown by the special operations team!
These things are best used for capturing prisoners alive!
The bandits of all ranks inside the Gathering Hall were stunned. The second-in-command, looking at the Mông Hán grenade with confusion, got up and, with a drunken, wobbly gait, approached the grenade and curiously crouched down, even trying to fiddle with it.
"What is this thing?"
"Huh? This smoke, it smells a bit... intoxicating~"
Before he could finish speaking, he collapsed onto the ground.
The scholar beside him, seeing this, immediately shouted loudly.
"Enemy attack! En—"
However, just as he uttered the first syllable, he too fell heavily to the ground before he could complete the second.
This was no longer the original Mông Hán grenade, but Sun Simiao's improved formula!
Due to the immense pain of his surgeries, he had been dedicated to the research of anesthetics. The grenades used this formula he had accidentally concocted.
Its hypnotic effect was more than ten times stronger than ordinary Mông Hán medicine!
A piece the size of a peanut, when ignited, could incapacitate two strong oxen. In the Gathering Hall just now, six grenades the size of human heads had been thrown in.
The second-in-command, the scholar, and then everyone else in the room, fell one after another.
Although the second-in-command only managed to utter a complete "Enemy attack!", it still alerted the others in the encampment.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
Alarms rang out from the rooms surrounding the Gathering Hall.
Then, countless bandits armed with weapons rushed towards the Gathering Hall, immediately spotting the Yan Yun Cavalry and Special Operations Team at the entrance.
"Damn it! I originally wanted to let you live a little longer, but you're asking for it yourselves!"
Guan Chang spat on the ground, then raised his AK-47, cocked it twice, and said to Wang Xuance.
"There's no need to hold back. Since they're seeking death, let's send them on their way directly! It will also save the Duke some artillery shells!"
"Kill!"
"Special Operations Team members, free fire!"
Wang Xuance nodded heavily, then issued the order to open fire to the Special Operations Team behind him.
This time, the Yan Yun Cavalry and Special Operations Team were all equipped with AK-47s, each with ten spare magazines.
Thirty-two AKs unleashed bullets filled with hatred.
The tracer rounds in the night were exceptionally conspicuous, sweeping like fire dragons towards the charging bandits.
The battle concluded in less than ten minutes.
In the open space of the encampment lay a ground covered in bandit corpses. The spilled blood soaked the firewood in the bonfire, and under the roasting heat, the dense smell of blood lingered in the air above the encampment for a long time!
"This is just the interest!"
Guan Chang kicked a corpse resentfully and then said to Wang Xuance, "Take the living ones inside and withdraw!"
As the team descended the mountain, Tie Lao Ba had already set up the artillery positions below. Upon seeing Guan Chang and the others, he immediately gave the order for bombardment.
"Fire!"
Two hundred mortars fired incessantly, *thump-thump-thump-thump*.
In the encampment, the bandits who had miraculously survived the gunfire watched in despair as the shells exploded around them.
"The end has come~~"