Flat Rabbit crawled slowly along the edge of the forest, his body pressing against the ground as he moved forward carefully like a shadow refusing to stand upright.
Zheng Gouzi and Shi Jian followed him at a distance of about half a meter. Both of them were extremely cautious, afraid that even the smallest sound would expose their position.
Ever since entering Huanglong Mountain to suppress the bandits, Flat Rabbit had been acting as a scout, and surprisingly, he had been doing quite well.
A person like him would normally be completely unsuitable for large-scale battlefield formations. But in a scout unit, he fit perfectly, like a fish thrown into water, finally able to move freely in his own strange rhythm.
Flat Rabbit lowered his voice.
"Up ahead is Wang Zuogua's old nest. See that cave down there? His men are definitely inside it."
Zheng Gouzi nodded.
"I can see signs of movement around the cave entrance. It should not be wrong."
Shi Jian added in a low voice.
"There are definitely enemy scouts nearby. Be careful. Do not get surrounded."
Flat Rabbit chuckled softly.
"With these ears of mine, I can hear any scout before they even move."
He had barely finished speaking when he crawled past a hollow tree trunk.
Inside that hollow tree, a bandit was actually sleeping.
As Flat Rabbit crawled past, the movement woke him up.
The bandit opened his eyes wide and stared at Flat Rabbit.
Flat Rabbit also froze and stared back.
For a moment, both sides were completely stunned.
Then the bandit suddenly opened his mouth, trying to shout.
But Shi Jian reacted instantly.
He rushed forward, covered the bandit's mouth, and drove a short blade straight into his throat.
A dull sound followed.
The struggle ended immediately.
The three of them slowly exhaled at the same time.
Shi Jian looked at Flat Rabbit.
"See? If the enemy is moving, your ears can pick it up. But if he is just hiding without moving, you will not hear anything. Be careful."
Flat Rabbit nodded obediently, taking the lesson seriously.
Shi Jian climbed slightly up the mountain wall and looked down into the valley.
He carefully observed the terrain around Wang Zuogua's hidden cave, memorizing every detail.
After confirming everything, he slowly backed away.
"I need to return and report to Instructor He, and draw this terrain for him."
Flat Rabbit immediately raised his hand.
"I will stay here and continue monitoring Wang Zuogua."
Shi Jian nodded.
"Good. Gouzi will stay with you. Be careful."
Then Shi Jian slowly retreated, crawling away carefully until he reached a safe distance. Only then did he increase his speed and head toward Cheng Xu's camp.
Flat Rabbit and Zheng Gouzi stayed in position.
Flat Rabbit observed the terrain carefully for a long time.
Then he suddenly pointed at a hidden earth ditch.
"Gouzi, look at that ditch."
Zheng Gouzi frowned.
"What about it?"
Flat Rabbit said confidently.
"If I were Wang Zuogua, and I suddenly got attacked with grenades exploding everywhere, I would definitely crawl into that ditch and escape while crouching low. That would be the only escape route once the valley entrance is blocked."
Zheng Gouzi blinked.
"And then?"
Flat Rabbit grinned.
"So we should ambush there. Wait for Wang Zuogua to run out, then kill him. That would be a huge merit achievement."
Zheng Gouzi immediately raised his fist the size of a basin.
"Stop right there. Do not act stupid. Wang Zuogua will have elite bandits with him. The two of us cannot handle them."
Flat Rabbit straightened his chest proudly.
"I, Flat Rabbit, can split light across forty provinces with one sword strike. I can stand against ten thousand troops. What are a few elite bandits? One slash each."
Zheng Gouzi slowly raised his fist higher.
"Forget waiting for the enemy. I will beat you to death first. Honestly, dying in whose hands really does not matter anyway."
Flat Rabbit froze.
The forest fell silent again.
Only the wind moved through the trees.
That night, the stars were dim and weak.
Cheng Xu led the militia quietly to the edge of the valley.
Wang Zuogua had chosen this valley precisely because it was hidden. But the more hidden a place was, the more enclosed it became.
There was only one entrance to the valley, and even that entrance was covered in vines, making it extremely difficult to detect from outside.
Cheng Xu and his men lay in ambush at a distance, quietly observing.
He let out a low chuckle.
"See those guards at the valley entrance? Send a few crossbowmen. Aim for their throats. Make sure they cannot make a sound."
Then he continued calmly.
"Grenadiers, climb the mountains on both sides. When the battle begins, throw grenades into the valley. Blow everything up. Once our troops enter, stop immediately. Do not hit our own men."
Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu immediately accepted the order, each leading fifty grenadiers up the mountain slopes.
Cheng Xu continued.
"Same as always. Once inside, flintlock troops fire first to break enemy morale. Then the spear formation advances."
Everyone responded.
"Understood."
Inside the cave, Wang Zuogua was in high spirits.
He had also received the intelligence. The Jianzhou forces had entered the passes, and the five regional commanders had been called back to defend the capital.
He laughed loudly in the cave.
"Hahaha! With the five commanders gone, does that not mean the northwest belongs to us now? Once I break out again, who can stop me?"
Beside him, Miao Mei lowered his voice.
"Big brother, the Bai Family Fort firepower troops are still harassing us in the mountains. Third brother and fourth brother have already been intercepted twice. We suffered heavy losses."
Wang Zuogua spat.
"Those Bai Family Fort bastards. No one knows where they got so many firearms. Annoying."
Then he waved his hand.
"Still, it does not matter. Now that the five commanders are gone, we do not need to stay hidden in the mountains anymore. We go north. Leave Huanglong Mountain and head to Yichuan County. Let's enjoy ourselves there. Without those commanders, who can touch us?"
Miao Mei laughed.
"Exactly. Even if Bai Family Fort has firearms, they cannot chase us into Yichuan County. We cannot beat them, but we can avoid them."
Wang Zuogua sneered.
"Once I gather more men in Yichuan, I will return and crush those Bai Family Fort fools. I refuse to believe I cannot kill them all."
Just as he finished speaking—
A sharp scream suddenly pierced the night outside.
"Ahhh!"
One guard at the valley entrance had been shot.
The arrow missed slightly, not killing instantly, causing him to scream.
That single scream instantly detonated the entire situation.
The bandit camp erupted.
Feishanhu and Dahonglang immediately rushed out of the cave.
Dahonglang roared.
"What happened?"
But the moment they stepped out, everything was already decided.
The grenadiers on the mountain tops lit their fuses with excitement and threw down explosives.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Continuous explosions shook the valley.
Feishanhu and Dahonglang immediately panicked.
This was not their first time being hit by these terrifying weapons. They had already developed instinctive fear.
The moment they heard the explosions, both of them dropped to the ground instantly.
Then they roared in panic.
"Bai Family Fort is here again!"
"How did they find us here?"
"We are hidden this deep and still they found us!"
"Where are our scouts on the mountain?"
"How did they not detect the enemy approaching?"
"Damn it, they already took the high ground!"
"Run! Staying here means certain death!"
The entire valley plunged into chaos.
And the night turned into a collapsing storm of fire, screams, and explosions.
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.