Chapter 262 Explosion and Fall
Lin Chong and Lu Junyi spoke at the same time, then smiled at each other without giving in.

Lu Junyi regained the confidence he had lost in Hebei after the Battle of Liaoshan. Lin Chong felt that as the commander-in-chief of the army, he should lead the troops from Luzhou, and he was confident that he could lead a stronger force than the enemy.

"This"

In his heart, Yang Chang really wanted to let Lin Chong go. After all, he had seen Lu Junyi's attributes and knew that having Lin Chong go as the main general would have negative effects. But Old Lu had finally shown his courage and if he rejected him in person, he would feel disappointing the other party, so he was hesitant for a moment.

Moreover, as the second in command of Liangshan, Lu Junyi often leads the army as the main general. If he is deliberately stopped from going now, there is no guarantee that he will not have other ideas.

Lu Junyi cannot be the commander-in-chief. Does that mean he cannot be the commander-in-chief of a front army? Or can he not even be the commander-in-chief of a squad?

While Yang Chang was deep in thought, Lu Junyi clasped his fists and said, "General, when Liangshan recruited Tian Hu, the first battle was fought in Lingchuan by me. I am confident that I can take Lingchuan. If I cannot win, bring your head to me!"

"Manager Lin, then you..."

"Since Mr. Lu has kept his promise, it would be inappropriate for me to argue with him any further."

Originally, Yang Chang wanted Lin Chong to fight for it, but he was influenced by Lu Junyi's sense of righteousness, so he had to nod and agree.

"Well, General Lu will take Lingchuan. Brother Xiaoyi, you can go with him as the deputy general."

"Yes!"

Yan Qing responded in a resounding voice.

Yang Chang nodded happily upon seeing this. He thought that with Yan Qing's help, he could let Lu Junyi have a try. After all, he only led 5,000 soldiers and horses, so if something unusual happened, he would be able to save the situation.

At this moment, Shi Qian suddenly squeezed in front of the crowd, clasped his fists and asked: "Brother, I and the Night Owl Army..."

"You? I almost forgot, you guys are going to Lingchuan too."

"As ordered!"

"General Lu, get ready and set off today." Yang Chang waved his hand and said to Lin Chong and the others, "The rest of you will rest in Shangdang for one night and set off for Huguan tomorrow morning."

"Yes!"

The group instantly split into two teams.

When Wen Huanzhang saw Lu Junyi and the others turned around, he trotted forward and called Yang Chang, saying, "General, the Jin army's cavalry scouts are far away. If they find out that we are going to take Lingchuan, they may send troops to stop us in advance. We should remind General Lu to march secretly, and it is best to march quickly at night to hide from others."

"There have been heavy rains at night recently. If soldiers travel in the rain, they may catch a cold and get sick."

Yang Chang frowned and shook his head, then said in a deep voice: "How about this, I will personally lead a small team to go ahead and block the main road between Gaoping and Lingchuan for reconnaissance. This way, we won't be afraid of the Jin cavalry discovering us, and we can kill any one we see!"

"If the general personally assists, I have a suggestion."

When Wen Huanzhang whispered a suggestion in his ear, Yang Chang could not help but give a thumbs up. He then ordered Lin Chong to lead the army, and he led 500 light cavalry ahead. They crossed Huguan and headed south to Zezhou that day.

When they encountered Jin army outposts along the way, Yang Chang easily eliminated them by suppressing them with his vision, and reached the border of Yangcun before dusk.

Yang Changsui ordered them to rest on the spot and learn about the situation in the village.

In the second half of the night, Shi Qian led the Night Owl Army to arrive as scheduled and reported to Yang Chang: "Mr. Lu and Brother Xiao Yi are mostly infantrymen, so they will camp a few dozen miles away. Tomorrow they will go directly south from Lijialing and will probably reach Lingchuan later tomorrow."

"It's about the same as I expected. Let everyone take a rest. Maybe there will be something to do tomorrow."

"So fast?"

Shi Qian was startled when he heard this. He was originally going to travel with Lu Junyi, but Yang Chang changed his mind before leaving and asked the Night Owl Army to follow him.

This was Wen Huanzhang's plan to kill two birds with one stone. That is, he would ambush the grain transport team and replace them with the Night Owl Army. This way, he could not only successfully sneak into Gaoping City, but also pretend to be civilians delivering grain back to Lingchuan, thus helping Lu Junyi capture the city.

"Ah."

Yang Chang nodded and said, "When transporting grain from Lingchuan to Gaoping, we have to pass Niujia Village on the way. It is only fifty miles away from here, but it may not be available tomorrow. I will go there at dawn to try my luck. You can sleep for a while and then set off to catch up."

"Hehe." Shi Qian clasped his fists and smiled mysteriously, "Brother knows my background. I am used to being active at night. The brothers in the Night Owl Army can also stay up late, so it doesn't matter if I sleep less for one night. How about we continue on our journey so that brother won't have to wait for a long time?"

Wow, he’s against Tiangang?

Yang Chang couldn't bear to dampen Shi Qian's enthusiasm, and he was also aware of this guy's professional ability, so he agreed to let the Night Owl Army continue on their journey, while he and the five hundred elite cavalrymen rested until dawn before setting off again.

The next morning, the villagers of Yangcun were very enthusiastic and sent a lot of food to the troops, which was in stark contrast to the indifference and fear of the previous night.

Although Yang Chang was famous, he was in Zezhou at the time, and the villagers were skeptical at first.

After all, loving the people like one's own children is just a legend, and there is also a legend about soldiers passing by like combs.

It was not until a peaceful night, when the camping troops did not harm the civilians and brought their own food before leaving, that Yang Chang's relatives realized that the rumors were true. They surrounded them with food and drink to reward the troops and begged the Weisheng Army to help drive away the Jin people.

Yang Chang couldn't contain his enthusiasm, so he set off half an hour later than originally planned.

What was even more surprising was that he led 500 cavalrymen and galloped all the way, but failed to catch up with Shi Qian's Night Owl Army.

Although this group of guys who relied on their legs set out three hours earlier than Yang Chang, it took them three days to walk from Weisheng to Shangdang and then to Yangcun.

Logically speaking, they should have been caught up by the cavalry long ago, at least before reaching Niujia Village, they should have been caught up by the five hundred cavalrymen, but the outcome was incredible.

When Yang Chang arrived at Niujia Village, the Night Owl Army not only arrived ahead of time, but also completed the ambush on the grain transport team, and were just waiting for General Yang to come for inspection.

Shi Qian saw the cavalrymen whispering to each other, and he walked up to Yang Chang with his head held high and asked proudly, "Brother, this is the first time the Night Owl Army has taken action. What do you think?"

"Not bad, really good."

Yang Chang patted Shi Qian on the shoulder, unable to suppress his joy, and then asked curiously: "I am very puzzled. You have been marching for three consecutive days and are still so energetic. How did you do it?"

"hey-hey."

Shi Qian grinned and said, "In our line of work, we don't need high strength, but we need good agility and endurance. To put it bluntly, we need to be able to run and jump. The Night Owl Army brothers I recruited are all good runners. They followed the army slowly in the past two days, but they only marched quickly for one day yesterday, so it's no problem for them."

"That's a good idea. How long can they practice running?"

"During the coldest days of winter, I practiced almost every day."

"You have worked hard, and my brothers have also trained hard. I will give them a raise after the battle in Zezhou is over."

Yang Changxin said that since you are trained as a special forces soldier, it is reasonable that your treatment is higher than that of ordinary soldiers.

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Shi Qian actually waved his hand to refuse, and said with a smile: "Brother, there is no need to treat them specially. Before these brothers joined the Night Owl Army, they were either herders of sheep or cattle, or hunters in the mountains. A little running is no problem for them."

"Hmm? You really know how to pick people."

Yang Chang was amused when he heard this and couldn't help but joked, "Before I met my second brother, I was a hunter on Jingyang Ridge. If I hadn't joined Liangshan, maybe I would have joined your Night Owl Army?"

"Ah?" Shi Qian was stunned and murmured, "If it weren't for my brother, where would the Night Owl Army come from?"

"Haha," Yang Chang was also amused by Shi Qian's funny look and responded, "I was just joking with you. You should take a good rest first. Tomorrow we will disguise as a grain team and head west. I will explore the way for you."

"I'm afraid I can't rest. Mr. Lu will arrive in Lingchuan at night, so we need some people to support him. By the way, we just ambushed the grain team and captured more than a hundred people. After hearing your name, they are willing to surrender and help take the city. I don't know what to choose."

"Oh? Take me to see it."

Later, Yang Chang looked at the captives transporting grain and found out that most of them were forcibly conscripted civilians.

Although the captives expressed their willingness to help capture the city, it was risky for the Night Snack Army to serve as espionage. It was not easy to train each of them, so Yang Chang was unwilling to take the risk of letting the captives lead the way, so he placed them all in Niujia Village.

That afternoon, Shi Qian selected more than a hundred Night Owl Soldiers, disguised them as civilians transporting grain to Lingchuan, while the rest stayed in Niujia Village to rest, and after sleeping until midnight, they pushed the grain carts westward.

According to the information brought back by Yang Changtan, there were no Jin troops blocking the road for a hundred miles ahead, but there were a large number of cavalrymen near Mi Mountain. That was the last checkpoint to Gaoping and the place where the scouts had been unable to pass before. The stage behind it was prepared for the Night Owl Army.

Shi Qian planned to take two days to get there. He had to walk as much as possible on the first day so that he would have enough time to deal with it on the second day.

The Night Owl Army was marching in front, and Yang Changyuan followed far behind to observe. He followed until the afternoon of the first day, when Lu Junyi sent someone to find him with the good news that Lingchuan had been easily captured by him. He asked for instructions on what to do next?

Yang Chang was overjoyed when he heard this. On the one hand, he ordered Lu Junyi to keep his troops in place, and on the other hand, he ordered Lin Chong to lead the army south and station in Yang Village to await further orders.

According to the scout's report, the Night Owl Army made great contributions to the capture of Lingchuan, so they had great hopes of sneaking into Gaoping. Yang Chang followed all the way to the vicinity of Mishan and confirmed that Shi Qian had passed the sentry post smoothly before returning to Yangcun to wait for the follow-up army.

When they turned around and reached the foot of Siming Mountain, the cavalry that Yang Chang had sent out for reconnaissance suddenly reported that a small team had been attacked by a large group of Jin cavalry near Guozhuang in the northwest.

Yang Chang was shocked when he heard this, and mistakenly thought that he had fallen into a trap, so he urged the Zhaoye Jade Lion to gallop, and arrived at the battlefield in less than half an hour.

Just a few kittens? I was really shocked.

Through observation with [Eagle Eyes and Owl Vision], he found that there were only five or six hundred Jin soldiers ahead, and the team of a hundred people he encountered was fighting as they retreated towards the south.

Perhaps we could ask them about the Jin people's strengths and weaknesses and what conspiracies they have planned?
Thinking of this, Yang Chang's mouth corners slightly raised.

He rode his horse forward like a passing comet, leaving a long trail of white light across the afternoon land. That was the afterimage of the Jade Lion that illuminates the night.

Moreover, the victorious cavalry, who were fighting and marching, saw the familiar white horses in golden armor in the south and immediately perked up their spirits, turned their horses and counterattacked, while shouting slogans that puzzled the Jin people.

"Brothers, General Yang has arrived, and the end of the Jin people has also come. Counterattack immediately!"

"Captain Yang is one man against a thousand. This group of people will be finished soon."

"Make way!"

The hundreds of soldiers who were pursuing the Jin army were surprised at first when they saw the Weisheng cavalry turning around. Then they saw a path left in the middle of the formation, which made them even more amazed, until they saw the galloping white horses at the end.

Looking like a general, what can one person change?
The ignorance and prejudice of the Jin people disappeared in an instant when Yang Chang arrived and took action.

The first attack Yang Chang made when he entered the battle was to hit the enemy head-on with his spear.

The leader of the Jin army, Mouke, was chopped down with his horse, and the [Tiger Roar and Dragon Roar] triggered by the spear and stick attack brought negative effects to the Jin army in the rear.

Yang Chang took advantage of the situation and swung the boring machine again. Wherever it passed, blood and flesh flew everywhere and the Jin soldiers fell off their horses.

"kill!"

"Kill all the golden dogs!"

The Weisheng cavalry was affected by [Pojun] and immediately fought as hard as if they had been injected with chicken blood. They suppressed the Jin army in terms of momentum. The situation on the battlefield was reversed with the participation of Yang Chang.

"why?"

"Aren't the Song army useless? Why did these people suddenly..."

"That man is here, Chief Yang!"

"Chief Yang?"

Today we encountered this Jin cavalry. Although we had never fought with Yang Chang before, his name had already spread widely among the Jin army.

No one knows who shouted Yang Chang, but the impact on the morale of the army was fatal. The Jin soldiers' fighting spirit collapsed instantly, and with a huge numerical advantage, they began to turn around and flee.

Yang Chang took advantage of the situation and chased them for dozens of miles. His companions came along and only dozens of Jin soldiers escaped. Most of the rest were killed in battle, and a few were injured and captured.

It was dark at the time, and Yang Chang could have killed more with his night vision, but if he didn't pick up the hundreds of corpses, they would disappear after a period of time.

These are all ordinary Jin soldiers, and their drops are not worth Yang Chang's concern. However, the [Corpse Obsession] that occasionally appears may contain valuable information, and it would be a pity not to pick it up.

Moreover, the captured Jin people were usually more resolute than the Song people and would not usually surrender and betray. They might also not be able to communicate in the same language, so it was not certain that useful information could be obtained from those dozens of captives.

Yang Chang had expanded his army at this time and there were huge gaps in weapons and armor, so he had sufficient reason to pick up the corpses. He turned around with dozens of people and left in a flash.

[Gain gun and stick experience. Use it to improve your gun and stick skill proficiency. Please choose to use or discard.]

[Gain riding experience. Use it to improve your riding skill proficiency. Please choose to use or discard.]

[Gain sword experience. Use it to improve your sword skill proficiency. Please choose to use or discard. ]

[Obtain the corpse's obsession. After using it, you can learn the biggest secret of this corpse before its death. Please choose to use it or discard it. ]

[General Gushe is a very steady commander of the army. He will definitely defeat Yang Chang this time. He killed General Loushi, whom I admire the most. I also want to kill one of his generals to vent my anger.]

[Obtain the corpse's obsession. After using it, you can learn the biggest secret of this corpse before its death. Please choose to use it or discard it. ]

[The Han people say that what you eat nourishes what you have. I heard that Yang Chang once lifted a thousand-jin stone lion. His strength is really enviable. If I eat a piece of his meat, maybe I can increase my strength? But many people are thinking about Yang Chang's body, so I'd better go for Lu Zhishen's meat.]

[Corpse Obsession] is rare. Yang Chang picked up more than a hundred corpses, and only five of them dropped obsession, and all of them fantasized about defeating him and then enjoying the fruits of victory.

You still want to eat my flesh? Do you think I'm Tang Sanzang? Who gave you the confidence?
Yang Chang picked it up with Wu Yu and finally found the problem.

[Obtain the corpse's obsession. After using it, you can learn the biggest secret of this corpse before its death. Please choose to use it or discard it. ]

[I saw my brother trapped in Huguan. I rushed there in the heavy rain but couldn't save him. He should be dead now, right? I can endure it for a few more days and I will get through it. Marshal Nianhan has returned from Bianliang and will probably be able to enter Zezhou soon. This time, I want Yang Chang to pay with his blood.]

This piece of information was so shocking that Yang Chang squatted there for a long time without getting up.

How long had the Jin army been marching south? Why did Nianhan withdraw his troops from Bianliang?
Did Bianliang fall or not? Did history repeat itself? Were the two emperors Huizong and Qinzong captured?
Of course, these questions only flashed through the air.

Yang Chang was even more worried about the current situation. If hundreds of thousands of Jin troops came to Zezhou and he did not have an absolute geographical advantage, how could he win?
Another attempt to capture the thief and the leader? But Nianhan Biwoli was not tactful and would definitely strengthen the vigilance of the central army.

Return to Luzhou first? What should Qian do then?
(End of this chapter)