Chapter 659: Assault and kill the fierce general!

Zhang Chenghu waited for about half an hour, and just when his patience was about to run out, a small black dot appeared in his telescope...
Seeing the appearance of the small black dot, Zhang Chenghu instantly became alert and observed carefully with the telescope. Under his gaze, the small black dot in the telescope moved closer and closer and turned into a capable young man. The young man walked to the top of the nameless mountain, but did not go up the mountain directly. Instead, he first clasped his fist towards the nameless mountain, and then made several gestures with his arms.

Seeing that this capable young man performed his movements without any mistakes, Zhang Chenghu's expression gradually relaxed. He nodded slightly to his subordinate beside him. After receiving the signal, the subordinate immediately came down. After a cup of tea, this capable young man was brought to Zhang Chenghu.

After looking up and down at the calm young man in front of him, Zhang Chenghu looked at him and asked:
"The king of heaven overshadows the tigers of the earth?"

Hearing Zhang Chenghu ask for the code, the young man calmly replied:
"Pagoda suppresses the river demon!"

Seeing that the young man had answered the code correctly, Zhang Chenghu completely let down his guard and said:
"You are Lu Wu, right?"

"That's right! It's me!" Lu Wu bowed to Zhang Chenghu and replied:
Time is short and the task is heavy. After confirming the other party's identity, Zhang Chenghu did not waste time and asked directly:
“When will the target appear?”

Although it is freezing cold right now, according to Ye Mingsheng’s instructions, the Fengwu Army stationed in Hebei and Henan is also launching small-scale harassment towards Huainan and Anqing areas controlled by the Zhennan Army. The reason why Zhang Chenghu led this small elite force to lurk hundreds of miles deep into enemy territory today is to carry out the special military operations formulated by the Flying Tiger Battalion and the General Coordination Office. The Lu Wu in front of them is the contact person given to them by the Inspectorate in Huaiyuan County...

Facing Zhang Chenghu's question, Lu Wu said without hesitation:
"According to the news sent two days ago, the target's speed is a little slower than expected. It is expected to arrive in Huaiyuan County tonight, and no later than tomorrow noon at the latest!"

At this point, Lu Wu glanced at the Fengwu Army soldiers who were resting in the woods, hesitated for a moment and asked Zhang Chenghu:
"According to intelligence, the target is surrounded by 800 guards. Are the number of people you have enough?"

In response to Lu Wu's question, Zhang Chenghu smiled confidently and said:
"Quality is more important than quantity. Just be responsible for the intelligence and leave the rest to us!"

Although he still had some doubts as to whether such a small number of people could complete the mission, seeing Zhang Chenghu's words, Lu Wu nodded slightly without saying much, and then hid in the woods with the soldiers of the Fengwu Army.

As a spy from the Coordination Office, he not only has to provide intelligence support for this operation, but also has to assume the responsibility of a guide. Huaiyuan County is 300 miles away from the control area of ​​the Fengwu Army and is regarded as a safe area by the Zhennan Army. Once this mission is successful, the Anqing Army will definitely block the border. By then, it will be impossible for Zhang Chenghu to lead his troops back by the original route. He can only take some remote paths to return to Hebei and Henan, and this requires a guide who is familiar with the terrain...

The winter night came quickly, and it was completely dark at 1:00 am. Without the sun, the forest became increasingly colder. Although Zhang Chenghu hoped that his men would remain secretive and quiet, in such bitterly cold weather, without a fire to keep warm, the soldiers would easily freeze to death or suffer frostbite.

Therefore, Zhang Chenghu first sent scouts twenty miles to the east, which was the only way for the target to reach Huaiyuan County. He asked the scouts to report immediately if they found the target's trace. Only after doing this did he let his men build a fire to keep warm.

Because Lu Wu had given him a heads-up, Zhang Chenghu was prepared to wait for the target until tomorrow noon. However, to Zhang Chenghu's surprise, the scout he sent out came back to report just at the hour of Mao.

"Master Patrolman, the target has appeared!"

Zhang Chenghu and the more than 200 elite soldiers of the Fengwu Army were all cheered up when they received the news. This was undoubtedly very good news for them. They were now deep in enemy territory, and as long as their whereabouts were exposed, they would inevitably be strangled by the enemy's large forces. Therefore, every day of hiding would involve considerable risks.

Therefore, the sooner the target appears, the better news it is for them. The sooner they complete the mission, the earlier they can return to Hebei and Henan. Their small force has been on duty at the border between Hebei and Henan for some time. Everyone is a little tired, and the Chinese New Year is coming soon. Everyone hopes to go home early to celebrate the New Year...
The superiors have already said that after this mission is completed, everyone can go back to celebrate the New Year. Not only that, each person will be rewarded with at least five taels of silver and the right to use five acres of land for seventy years. In addition to the initial reward, there will also be grain, silk, and salt. Those who have made great contributions can be promoted to a higher rank!
After confirming that the target had appeared, Zhang Chenghu immediately led his soldiers and quietly walked towards the designated ambush site. An incense stick later, they arrived at a hillside. Zhang Chenghu, holding a telescope in one hand and a portrait in the other, held his breath and observed the situation on the road not far away intently.

The portrait in Zhang Chenghu's hand depicts a warrior with a burly figure, a strong build and a ferocious face. This man is their target this time, a fierce general under Xu Zhaojie, the general of Anqing who commands the Zhennan Army's 30,000 elite troops in Anqing - Liu Zongchang!

Liu Zongchang, 36 years old, is from Sichuan. He was born in a grassroots family and was originally a butcher who slaughtered pigs. When he was 20 years old, he killed someone with a knife because of a dispute. He should have been sentenced to death and executed in the autumn. However, a bandit problem broke out in his hometown. The county magistrate had too few soldiers and horses. Seeing that Liu Zongchang was tall and strong, he took him to suppress the bandits.

This Liu Zongchang was indeed a tough guy. When the bandits and the soldiers were in a stalemate, he killed the leader of the bandits with a single blow, which made the county magistrate very satisfied. Not only did he clear the charges against him, he also made him a police officer. Later, by chance, he joined the Shu army, and climbed up to the position of sentry leader step by step with his military merits...

Although he was not a direct descendant of Xu Zhaojie who had followed him since the initial period of the Imperial Guards, but was recruited by Xu Zhaojie from Sichuan, this did not affect Xu Zhaojie's trust in him. Liu Zongchang, who was originally an unknown sentry captain in Sichuan, was also grateful for Xu Zhaojie's recognition and he publicly said many times that his life belonged to Xu Zhaojie, and he would kill whoever Xu Zhaojie asked him to kill!
Unlike other people who shouted slogans in a high-profile manner but acted like a turtle, Liu Zongchang also used actions to prove his oath to Xu Zhaojie. When Xu Zhaojie attacked Huainan, Liu Zongchang led his troops to serve as the vanguard many times, leading the troops bravely and fearlessly to the front of the army, and when retreating, he led the army to walk at the end to cover the rear of the army! When fighting Kangyin, Liu Zongchang's troops were ambushed by the Huai Army and were trapped in an enemy force several times larger than them. In the chaos, Liu Zongchang himself was also wounded by 11 swords and arrows all over his body, but he relied on his courage to lead his subordinates to repel the ambushed Huai Army. Therefore, he was also called "Xu Chu, the reincarnation of the Tiger Crazy of Zhennan Army" by Xu Zhaojie, and even had a faint reputation as the first fierce general of Zhennan Army.

After Xu Zhaojie conquered Huainan, Liu Zongchang, a brave general recognized by the whole army, was also appointed by Xu Zhaojie as the general of Anqing. By appointing such a brave general as the general of Anqing, we can get a glimpse of Xu Zhaojie's strategic deployment...

The high-ranking officials of the Fengwu Army generally believed that Xu Zhaojie appointed Liu Zongchang as the general of Anqing, most likely intending to build Anqing into a bridgehead against the Fengwu Army and a forward base for the Northern Expedition to Hebei and Henan. At that time, Liu Zongchang and the more than 30,000 elite troops deployed in Anqing would be the vanguard of Xu Zhaojie's northern expedition.
Based on this judgment, Yuan Song's troops of the First Army of the Fengwu Army deployed in Hebei and Henan are also actively carrying out targeted deployments.

Liu Zongchang, who came from a grassroots background and climbed up step by step from a private, had a very simple and direct philosophy of leading troops. He stubbornly believed that a general should share weal and woe with the soldiers in normal times and lead by example in battles. If you, as a high-ranking officer, are not afraid of death and dare to take the lead, the brothers behind you will follow you!

As long as everyone is not afraid of death and dares to fight the enemy to the death, there is no battle that cannot be won!

Based on this theory, Liu Zongchang's most common thing was to go to the front line to inspect and see what the soldiers were doing. During this period, small groups of Fengwu Army often harassed the border of Anqing by relying on their mobility, and attacked and killed the logistics convoys of the Zhennan Army and the gentry who supported the Zhennan Army. If the Zhennan Army launched a large-scale cleanup operation, they would immediately withdraw to Hebei and Henan, and wait until the Zhennan Army's operation was over, and then they would come back again.

Under such circumstances, the Zhennan Army deployed on the border was extremely annoyed, anxious and painful. Liu Zongchang, the general, was also very dissatisfied with this situation. This prompted him to decide to inspect the front line in person to solve this problem. The first stop of his inspection was Huaiyuan County·······················
Shortly after Liu Zongchang made the decision, the intelligence network of the General Coordination Office in Anqing received the news. After some contact with the military, the two sides formulated a plan to assassinate Liu Zongchang. Liu Zongchang's death would inevitably disrupt Xu Zhaojie's plan, slow down Xu Zhaojie's pace of marching north, and would be a great deterrent to the Zhennan Army.

Because of these benefits, Yuan Song was willing to bring out the Flying Tiger Battalion and the First Army's elite scouts to carry out this combat mission.

Liu Zongchang, who was walking on the path at this time, did not know that death was about to come. He was walking in the front row of the team and asked the deputy general beside him impatiently:
"Damn it, how far is it to Huaiyuan County now?"

In response to Liu Zongchang's question, the deputy general looked around and said:

"Reporting to the general, we are still about seven or eight miles away from Huaiyuan County!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Zongchang immediately gathered his last bit of energy and pointed in the direction of Huaiyuan County and said:
"Follow me, you idiots! Let's sleep with some women in Huaiyuan County tonight!"

"Order!"

After this, the guards, who had been traveling all day and were very tired, had a gleam in their eyes and shouted loudly:
The Zhennan Army was moving quickly towards Huaiyuan County, while five or six Fengwu Army soldiers hidden on a hillside nearby shook their heads at Zhang Chenghu.

These are the sharpshooters of the First Army. Each of them is an expert at using a musket to take people's lives from dozens of steps away. In order to carry out the mission of assassinating Liu Zongchang, the First Army specially transferred them over and prepared the most advanced Fengwu musket of the Fengwu Army, and lent it to Zhang Chenghu to carry out the mission!

Zhang Chenghu felt a little disappointed when he saw everyone shaking their heads. The mission he got was to attack and kill Liu Zongchang, not to engage in a head-on confrontation with the enemy. Therefore, it would undoubtedly be best if he could kill Liu Zongchang with a single shot using a musket...
But since I can't do it, I'll just have to force it!
In short, no matter what, they must complete the task assigned by their superiors in this operation and kill that bastard Liu Zongchang!

Thinking of this, Zhang Chenghu waved his hand and more than 20 grenade grenade throwers who had been prepared immediately lit the grenade fuses and threw them towards Liu Zongchang's escort troops passing by on the path. Because this time they were carrying out a surprise mission, it would be too heavy to carry the Tiger Squat Cannon, so the First Army specially prepared several boxes of grenades for them to serve as fire support.

Liu Zongchang and his guards, who were fantasizing about sleeping with women in Huaiyuan County, had never imagined that they would suffer such a sudden attack so close to Huaiyuan County. They were all caught off guard, and dozens of people were killed or injured around Liu Zongchang, who was the focus of fire. Even though Liu Zongchang was surrounded by people for protection, he was still hit in the face by broken shrapnel.

For a moment, the already ferocious and hideous face, reflected by the dripping blood, looked even more terrifying like Shura. Seeing that Liu Zongchang was not killed in the explosion, Zhang Chenghu shook his head with some regret, and then led his men straight to Liu Zongchang.

Liu Zongchang, who was still a little confused about the situation, looked at the Fengwu Army soldiers rushing out from the hillside. Not only was there no fear in his eyes, but there was a hint of cruelty on his face, and a ferocious smile appeared on his face, and he shouted:
“You idiots! Kill these Fengwu soldiers and I’ll book all the brothels for you…”

(End of this chapter)