Chapter Fifteen: Guerrilla Warfare

  "Five thousand people? You're overestimating me, aren't you?"

  With the hundred taels of gold from the purple-clothed girl, Yin Xu and others added enough food and clothing, and the originally difficult winter passed very comfortably. However, as soon as spring began, an unfortunate piece of news arrived: a large number of Qin troops appeared in the northeast of Pengli Lake. Moreover, scouts often came and went in the surrounding villages.

  Due to Yin Xu's good reputation and the kindness and influence he had on the surrounding villagers, they soon found out that the Qin army was coming for them. As expected, the facts proved Gao Yi's speculation correct.

  Zhao Gao was indeed furious!

  It's clear that these five thousand people must have been sent by Zhao Gao, if it were just local officials suppressing bandits, they would have come last year when He Kun was killed. It's precisely because of the unintentional rescue of that mysterious mother and daughter, and the killing of many brown-robed knights, which ruined Zhao Taijian's good deed, that brought about this revenge.

  Alas! The cost of a comfortable winter is indeed not small!

  When he heard that the invading Qin army had 5,000 people, Yin Xu was really frightened. It seemed that Zhao Gao was indeed "thinking" of himself! The first time they interacted, he sent such a big gift, which made it difficult for people to accept for a while.

  Several bamboo houses were hidden among the trees, a group of bandits sat around the bonfire, discussing military affairs.

  "Tell us about it!" Yin Xu asked first amidst the crackling of burning firewood.

  Pu Jun Dao said: "I went to investigate, the government army is stationed on the north shore of Peng Ze, sixty miles away, with a strength of about 5,000 people. In the surrounding area, there are often scouts appearing."

  Lu Ming added: "The southern county of Fan-yi also has government troops and yamen runners patrolling, it seems they want to cut off our rear route."

  Upon hearing this news, the bandits were all somewhat worried. The imperial court had actually dispatched several thousand soldiers to suppress the bandits. Although they had known of such an outcome from the time they followed Yin Xu, suddenly receiving the news still made them terrified and fearful.

  Our side had only over two hundred people, and the "weapons and equipment" were primitive to what extent, everyone was very clear. As for the imperial court officials and soldiers? Sharp swords and spears, armor and war horses, a full five thousand strong. To put it bluntly, it felt like eggs hitting rocks.

  Yin Xu was also secretly shocked, originally planning to hold on until Chen Sheng and Wu Guang rose up in Daze Village, then respond with an army and make plans. However, due to a chance encounter of righteousness and bravery, he had to face the powerful Qin army alone ahead of time.

  It's come to this; I can only grit my teeth and deal with it now.

  "Everyone, speak your mind!" Yin Xu was well aware that the top priority was internal unity and firming up their confidence. Only in this way could they be united in their efforts to resist the Qin army's siege.

  "Let's hide!"

  Cowardice seems to be a common mentality among most "bandits". In their eyes, one hundred against five thousand is no different in terms of winning odds.

  "Hide? Where can you hide?" Pu Jun retorted loudly.

  "Why don't I just quietly go home?"

  "Go home? How to go back? The southeast and northwest sides are all surrounded by government troops, the west side is a vast expanse of Peng Ze." Gao Yi's words suddenly made some people feel a chill in their hearts.

  "Are we going to wait for death in this wilderness?"

  Yin Xu revealed a hint of helpless bitter smile, stood up and said loudly: "Still the same words, if any brother wants to leave, it's better to leave now. I sincerely hope you can leave safely and live a stable and prosperous life. Of course, those who are willing to stay, I, Yin Xu, will definitely do my best to lead everyone to fight against the Qin army and strive for survival and peace."

  At this time, this choice is necessary.

  With just this many people, we have to deal with dozens of regular troops. If we can't work together in harmony, the consequences are unthinkable.

  Moreover, everyone has the right to choose. Some people think it's like an egg hitting a rock, seeking self-destruction; some people are hesitant and indecisive; while others are determined and forge ahead single-mindedly.

  Then someone quietly got up, facing the disdainful eyes of his companions, and tentatively left. A quarter of an hour, two quarters of an hour, half a time, seventeen or eighteen people walked back and forth. In the face of this situation, Yin Xu stood in the center, without saying a word.

  Until the next half-hour, no one else left. Yin Xu looked at the direction where everyone had gone and thought to himself: We can share wealth and honor together, but we cannot go through hardships together. It's better that people like this have left.

  There's a saying that wealth and honor are found in danger, but did the seventeen or eighteen people who left today choose to escape with their lives or give up on wealth and honor? Yin Xue didn't have an answer. What he needed to do now was take responsibility for those who stayed behind, for their safety, and for their future wealth and honor, using all his might.

  "Alright, my brothers staying behind is a vote of trust in me. I, Yin Xu, will do everything in my power to lead everyone through this ordeal safely." Confidence is key; only with the cooperation of the over 100 people who stayed behind can they achieve victory and seek wealth and glory.

  Yin Xu's words were not entirely comforting, but rather a genuine intention. From the moment he received the news, he had been thinking of ways to defeat the enemy in his heart. The Qin army had 5,000 soldiers, while their side had over 100. The disparity in strength was obvious, and if they clashed on flat ground, the outcome would be self-evident.

  Who would be foolish to that extent? The two sides agreed on the location and time, arrayed their troops and fought a bloody battle, using the outdated tactics of the Spring and Autumn period. This method had already been abandoned by the Warring States period, and yet they still didn't know about clever strategies and ingenious plans, even when facing the enemy at the city gates. How could this be considered the King's Way? Moreover, Yin Xu came from two thousand years later, his experience and knowledge far surpassing theirs.

  Throughout history, there have been many examples of weaker forces defeating stronger ones. As a top student at the military academy, Yin Xu had studied many battles and had gained valuable experience that could be applied to this situation. Just now, he had carefully analyzed the Qin army's siege tactics.

  The factors that affect the outcome of a war are nothing more than three aspects: heaven, terrain and human harmony.

  First, the heavens, heaven is biased towards who a little more, currently it's hard to say. Second, geographical advantage, the bandits are mainly local people, and have been mixed with Peng Li Ze for half a year. Where is the ridge? Where is the river? The terrain of mountains and rivers is all clear. Even if the Qin army has scouts and cavalry exploring, it's difficult to get close, so this is absolutely a big advantage.

  Thirdly, it is the most important to have a good relationship with the people. The Qin army may have many soldiers, but having too many soldiers can lead to complacency and underestimating the enemy, as the saying goes "a proud army will surely be defeated". On the other hand, although there are only over a hundred bandits left, they have a strong determination and work together in unity, which may bring unexpected results. Moreover, Yin Xu and others have a good reputation in the nearby area and have done many favors for the villagers.

  Ordinary people may not dare to openly support it, but "unseen" help is naturally indispensable.

  Heaven's timing, earth's advantage, and human harmony - if two of these three are achieved, victory is already largely assured.

  Of course, these are all theoretical things, and actual operation is the most critical. Yin Xuzhi was so confident because of another important reason. As a student of the Military Academy, there were several sentences that were familiar to him: The enemy advances, we retreat; the enemy camps, we harass; the enemy tires, we attack; the enemy retreats, we pursue. It is precisely the guerrilla warfare that has been tested in actual combat and has the effect of a strange soldier.

  Currently, our side is weak and small in strength, while the other side has many soldiers and advanced equipment. The situation is similar to that of later generations. I recall that when Japan was first powerful, it was so arrogant, but was defeated by the Eighth Route Army in North China, leaving them scattered and fleeing.

  The great magic weapon for the Eighth Route Army to win was guerrilla warfare. The little Japanese were worried and complained endlessly about it back then. They had thought of many ideas and tried many methods, but they couldn't do anything about the elusive Eighth Route Army. Isn't this situation very similar now? The Qin army has to deal with tactics that are two thousand years ahead of their time. Do they have the ability to handle it?

  There is also the land where we are now - Jiangxi. During the period of the Land Revolution War, Chiang Kai-shek dispatched troops five times to launch a "siege and annihilation" campaign against the Red Army's base in southern Jiangxi. Chiang Kai-shek personally went to Nanchang to direct the battle, inviting British, Japanese, and German military advisers to participate in the planning of the war, mobilizing 300,000 troops to join the battle. What was the result? In the first four "siege and annihilation" campaigns under Chairman Mao's command, using the strategy of luring the enemy deep into our territory, avoiding the enemy's main force, concentrating superior forces to defeat the enemy army, we achieved major victories.

  With these successful battles as reference, Yin Xu was full of confidence and decided to adopt guerrilla tactics, engaging in a good spin with the Qin army.

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