RPAGF Chapter 159 War begins
Chapter 159 War begins
As dawn broke and the faint light was just beginning to appear on the horizon, allowing people to barely see their surroundings, Qiao Tinghao decided to lead his men to lay landmines.
He looked tenderly at Ruan Mumu, whose face was full of fatigue, and said softly, "Girl, go and rest in the tent first. It's enough for me and the brothers here."
Although Ruan Mumu also wanted to go with them to lay mines, in order to conserve her energy, she obediently nodded and turned to walk towards the camp.
After watching Ruan Mumu leave, Qiao Tinghao immediately led a group of strong and capable brothers and quietly walked out of the border city gate.
Each of them carried a heavy knapsack filled with various types of landmines.
Upon arriving at the designated location, the group quickly began their operation.
Some were responsible for digging pits, some carefully placed landmines into the pits, and others carefully covered up the traces left by the landmines to avoid being discovered by the enemy.
Time passed by, and after two full hours of intense work, they finally completed the placement of all the landmines.
From a distance, the area appears peaceful as ever, but in reality, it hides deadly dangers.
Meanwhile, the soldiers of the Western Rong Kingdom were still immersed in the joy of impending victory.
According to the intelligence they obtained, the army of the Northern Sheng Kingdom has been unusually quiet recently.
The deafening drills that were usually so loud have been significantly reduced. It is said that this is due to a shortage of military rations. Soldiers can only eat a small amount of food each day to save rations, and in order to conserve their energy, daily drills have been reduced accordingly.
The generals of the Western Rong Kingdom had no doubt about this intelligence.
After all, over the years, the information provided to them by the informants of the Northern Sheng Kingdom had never been wrong.
Moreover, this time, the mysterious informant promised to work with them from the inside out to deliver a heavy blow to the Northern Sheng Kingdom.
Therefore, the soldiers of the Western Rong Kingdom eagerly awaited the arrival of evening, when they could launch a surprise attack and break through the defenses of the Northern Sheng Kingdom in one fell swoop.
In the early morning, the sun had just risen, and its gentle sunlight bathed the earth.
The Second Prince Liu Shengpei got up early to prepare for his departure. He was dressed in a magnificent brocade robe and had an exquisite sword hanging at his waist, looking quite dashing.
Ma Shidao was also by his side.
Accompanying the Second Prince were his usual inseparable attendants.
The reason why the second prince left the military camp in such a hurry can all be attributed to Ma Shidao.
It turned out that Ma Shidao had previously provided the Second Prince with some information that was half true and half false.
According to him, the Western Rong's spies have passed on important intelligence to him, saying that the Western Rong are very likely to launch a large-scale attack on the Northern Sheng Kingdom in the next two days.
Faced with this situation, Ma Shidao came up with a brilliant idea for the Second Prince.
He suggested that the second prince pretend to leave the military camp, saying that he was going to prepare food for the soldiers.
After General Qiao leads his army to successfully defeat the Western Rong, the Second Prince will arrive with ample food and supplies to rescue the soldiers in the camp.
At that time, the credit for this victory would naturally go to the Second Prince, because he had been running around for the sake of the soldiers in the camp.
Even if he wasn't in the military camp, it was still the result of his strategic planning.
After listening, the second prince thought about it carefully and felt that what Ma Shidao said did make some sense.
Therefore, he nodded in agreement to the plan without hesitation and decided to lead his men on a journey to Xiyang County to collect grain.
As they hurriedly left the military camp, Liu Shengpei quickly scanned his surroundings. Normally, the military camp would have already begun its morning exercises by this time, but today, apart from a few people doing their morning exercises, he did not see Qiao Feng.
Although he felt a little strange, the situation was urgent and he had to leave the camp as soon as possible. He was worried that the Western Rong would attack soon and he would not be able to get away. He did not have time to think too much about whether there was any hidden meaning in this.
They quickened their pace, wanting to get away from this place as soon as possible.
Time passed by, and the guards on the border tower had already changed shifts twice.
As the sun began to set in the west, the sky was painted with a magnificent sunset, and evening finally arrived.
Just then, a soldier rushed into the tent in a panic, shouting, "General, General, something terrible has happened! The soldiers of the Western Rong Kingdom are less than five kilometers away from us!"
At this moment, Qiao Feng was sitting with a group of soldiers, enthusiastically discussing their attack strategy.
Upon hearing the news, he suddenly stood up, a confident smile on his face, and said loudly, "Let's go! Brothers, let's go to the city wall and see this magnificent scene!" After saying that, he strode towards the city wall.
These generals were all good brothers who had followed Qiao Feng in many battles over the years. They had a deep bond with each other and could be said to have shared life and death and gone through thick and thin together.
Therefore, upon hearing Qiao Feng's call, everyone got up and followed without hesitation.
Once on the city wall, Qiao Feng took the exquisite binoculars off his neck and held them up to gaze into the distance.
A moment later, he smiled and said to the generals beside him, "Come and see, a wonderful show is about to begin!"
Upon hearing this, the others followed his example, quickly picking up their binoculars and looking ahead.
Meanwhile, Qiao Tinghao, Ruan Mumu, and Liu Ziyun had led the members of the sharpshooting team to find a high vantage point and set up their sniper rifles.
In addition, a group of sharpshooters had set up artillery shells, machine guns, and other equipment.
"Are all members in position?" Qiao Tinghao asked into the walkie-talkie.
"Number Two, get ready to take your positions."
"Number three, get ready to take your positions."
"Number four, get ready to take your positions."
......
"The sniper team must hit the target precisely on the first shot, without fail," Qiao Tinghao emphasized over the walkie-talkie.
"Number Two received."
"Number Three received."
"Number Four received."
.......
At this moment, Liu Ziyun, who was holding a sniper rifle in the middle of the border town's city wall, put down his walkie-talkie and looked ahead.
In the distance, dust billowed as a massive army surged forward like a tidal wave.
Banners fluttered, the sound of horses' hooves echoed through the sky, accompanied by shouts of battle, creating a magnificent and awe-inspiring scene.
The troop was getting closer and closer, less than three miles from the border fortress.
On the Western Rong side, General Ling Xiaohan is leading a Western Rong army of 200,000 men, preparing to advance towards Beisheng.
As they were wondering why, at this time of day, when the Northern Sheng army was preparing dinner and there should be smoke rising from chimneys everywhere, it was unusually quiet today, and there wasn't even any smoke in sight.
Just as they were hesitating about whether to continue forward, a strange voice came from a large tree: "Soldiers of the Western Rong, listen up!"
If you still want to go home and see your parents, wife, and children, it's not too late to turn back. I advise you not to go any further, otherwise what awaits you is a fate that will shatter you to pieces.
Now I urge you again:
Go back... hurry home.
Go back... hurry home.
Go back... hurry home.
The soldiers of the Western Rong looked at each other, feeling very surprised and puzzled by this sudden and strange voice.
The soldiers who were close to the tree quickly discovered the source of the sound, which was actually coming from the seemingly ordinary tree. However, those who were a little further away could only hear the mysterious sound, but could not determine where it came from.
Among the crowd, some people showed disdain and contempt after hearing this advice that came from who-knows-where.
However, at the same time, some people began to waver.
After all, in such a turbulent and war-torn era, the reason they went out to fight was to allow their families to live a peaceful and stable life, but after so many years of fighting, they found that this was simply a pipe dream.
Even the most basic survival need of filling one's stomach has become an unattainable dream for many.
Who would willingly start a war?
Therefore, the already disorganized group, which had been thrown into disarray by those words, now showed even more signs of restlessness.
Just then, a furious shout rang out: "Pass down my order! Anyone who dares to utter a single word that could shake the morale of the army, or anyone who retreats, shall be beheaded on the spot!"
It turned out that Ling Xiaohan had spoken.
His cold, stern face was like frost in the dead of winter, sending chills down one's spine.
Upon hearing Ling Xiaohan's warning, everyone present fell silent, not daring to utter another sound.
Qiao Tinghao observed the Western Rong army in the distance. Although they heard the warning, they only stopped in their tracks.
Seeing that the time was right, Qiao Tinghao picked up the walkie-talkie and ordered, "Attention all members, aim at the target, aim at the target. I will count to three, and you will all fire at the same time. One... two... three, fire."
As soon as he finished speaking, a muffled sound was heard all around, and all the sniper rifles fired.
Just as Ling Xiaohan was about to continue his admonition, an unexpected scene unfolded—his tall and imposing body suddenly tumbled straight off the horse without warning.
The surrounding soldiers were stunned by this sudden turn of events and had no time to react.
What was even more shocking was that, before everyone could react, the two generals standing right next to Ling Xiaohan on either side of him also fell straight off their mounts as if cursed.
Moreover, the vast majority of the leading generals who were stationed in key positions in the army also fell from their horses and landed on the ground almost at the same time, all without making a sound.
The soldier who had been standing next to Ling Xiaohan rushed forward to check on him. He checked Ling Xiaohan's breathing and was so frightened that he fell to the ground with a thud, saying in a trembling voice, "General, he... he's dead."
The soldiers next to the other generals rushed forward to check on the fallen generals and found that they were all dead.
Upon hearing the news of Ling Xiaohan's death, the Western Rong army instantly descended into chaos, like a pot of boiling porridge, completely out of control.
Meanwhile, the fifty sharpshooters, hiding in the border fortress towers and various high points, shouted to each other over the intercom:
"Target number one hit."
"Target number two has been hit."
"Target number three has been hit."
......
Their primary task this time was to kill the general of the Western Rong Kingdom.
To catch the thief, you must first catch the king!
"Everyone performed exceptionally well. You all made a great contribution this time, and I'll definitely give you credit for it later." Qiao Tinghao first praised the sharpshooters' outstanding performance over the walkie-talkie.
Suddenly, someone in the Western Rong army shouted, "Brothers, charge! Let's avenge General Ling together!"
Ling Xiaohan's loyal subordinates charged straight to the front.
"Charge! Avenge General Ling!"
"Charge!"
Even without a general, the Western Rong soldiers, accompanied by these shouts, surged forward like a flood towards the Northern Sheng army, numbering 200,000.
As the soldiers of Xirong charged toward Beisheng, Qiao Tinghao picked up the walkie-talkie again: "Artillery crew members, please prepare; machine gun crew members, please prepare."
After receiving confirmation from all team members via walkie-talkie, Qiao Tinghao issued the launch order.
"boom……"
"boom……"
"boom……"
Accompanied by countless earth-shattering roars, it was as if the entire world had been torn apart.
At this moment, the members of the sharpshooter team had already fired the shells they had set up, and the machine guns began to sweep the enemy coming from afar.
A deafening explosion echoed through the distance, its sound like the roar of a million beasts, almost shattering one's eardrums.
All sorts of wails and screams intertwined, forming an extremely tragic symphony that echoed throughout the land.
Some of those painful cries came from the desperate pleas for help from the injured, while others were an outpouring of fear of death.
From a distance, thick smoke billowed up, resembling a giant black dragon winding and coiling in the air.
The thick smoke spread rapidly, enveloping everything in its path and blurring what was once a clear view.
After successfully completing her task, Ruan Mumu walked quickly to Qiao Tinghao's side with light yet firm steps.
“Everyone performed exceptionally well in this sniping mission! Shouldn’t we give them some special rewards after this war is completely over?” Ruan Mumu asked Qiao Tinghao, raising her voice as she stared ahead through her binoculars.
Qiao Tinghao's lips curled up slightly, revealing a confident smile, and he replied, "Don't worry, when my father returns to the capital to report on his duties, he will report this matter to the court in detail. At that time, the court will definitely reward and commend each person fairly and reasonably according to the size of their merits."
At the same time, Qiao Feng and the others, who were standing on the high city tower, were also deeply shocked by the scene before them.
They gazed at the distant, smoke-filled battlefield, their eyes revealing undisguised amazement.
Especially when witnessing the sharpshooter team's incredibly accurate marksmanship, perfect teamwork, and fearless charge, one can't help but admire the team's formidable strength.
Although the Western Rong army was also affected to some extent, a large number of soldiers were still heading towards Qiao Feng and his group.
"Come on! Come on! Since you're here, I'll make sure you don't leave alive." Qiao Feng looked at the scene in the distance and laughed loudly.