The Times Have Changed

"Report!"

A low voice sounded.

The scout sent out reported back: "General Wei Shuo, all grain routes have been clearly investigated. There are many small grain transport teams endlessly transporting grain to Lin Zixiao's army."

Wei Shuo's eyes flashed.

This was exactly as he had anticipated.

Lin Zixiao wanted his army to attack the capital. With the capital's solid defenses and the sheer number and strength of its defending soldiers, it would inevitably be a protracted siege.

No matter what methods Lin Zixiao had, he would definitely prepare a large amount of grain and forage to travel with the army.

And these provisions were Lin Zixiao's lifeline.

He didn't need to burn all of it; as long as he could burn a portion, it would let Lin Zixiao know the extraordinary capabilities of his capital defenders and instill fear in the enemy soldiers.

He asked in a low voice, "How are the guards for their grain transport teams?"

"General, the grain transport teams don't have many guards. It could even be said there are hardly any. However..." the scout said, "On both sides of the roads, there are a large number of cavalry guards and patrols, and even some half-hidden in the mountain forests."

"Moreover, every ten miles, there are small forts, earthen platforms, and watchtowers. Although temporarily built, they are strictly organized and look quite impressive."

Wei Shuo's expression changed again.

An expert!

He knew Lin Zixiao's military strength was quite formidable, but he didn't expect him to take all of this into consideration.

He didn't foolishly send heavy troops to guard the transport teams but scattered the cavalry on both sides of the roads and built blockhouses, connecting points into lines.

If they wanted to seize the grain, they could easily be surrounded and wiped out.

"Impressive, impressive!"

Wei Shuo sighed in admiration, but the hot blood in his heart surged even more fiercely, and his fighting spirit burned brightly.

On the battlefield, fighting mediocrities was meaningless.

One had to spar with such experts.

Facing this situation, he felt no fear at all. Instead, he became more determined to give Lin Zixiao's rebel army a big surprise.

Looking at the time and feeling that the moment was right, he immediately took action.

The troops moved like a dragon.

Each man was equipped with two horses, a curved saber, a longbow, and a short spear!

They carried fire-starting materials.

They charged straight down!

Furthermore, Wei Shuo led his men not to attack the main camp or heavy troops, but only to strike and cut off the grain routes. They didn't even intercept the grain; they only burned it and the bridges.

To put it bluntly, they were there to cause destruction.

And to do so with the fastest speed possible.

Following this order, Wei Shuo arrived at the grain route like lightning. The cavalry scattered into groups, charging straight at the grain transport officers and the flags of the escort teams.

"Kill!"

The elites slaughtered, almost always succeeding in a single strike.

Then they quickly set fires, burning the grain carts.

Once one spot was destroyed, they moved to another, never stopping.

As a result, in just a short moment, the grain route turned into a sea of fire.

Lin Zixiao's cavalry reacted quite quickly.

They gave chase as soon as Wei Shuo's cavalry appeared.

However, Wei Shuo's light cavalry was not only fast, but their warhorses were handpicked from fifty thousand cavalrymen. With two horses per man and extremely fast movement speed, Lin Zixiao's cavalry couldn't even touch Wei Shuo.

As the battle progressed, the situation turned into Wei Shuo leading his men on a wild run ahead, setting fires whenever they caught a chance, while Lin Zixiao's cavalry behind could only stare helplessly, always just a hair's breadth away.

...

Lin Zixiao's central command tent.

Messages kept coming in one after another.

"Report! The enemy thieves have headed east!"

"Report! The enemy thieves have headed south!"

"Report! The enemy thieves have returned!"

"Report! The enemy thieves have run north again!"

...

There were quite a few people in the central command tent.

Sitting on the tiger chair was a man with a handsome face, who looked somewhat scholarly at first glance, but his expression was resolute, and his eyes were full of calmness. This was none other than Lin Zixiao.

Seated below Lin Zixiao were his seven brothers.

Known to the outside world as the Seven Righteous Men of Chifeng.

They were: the eldest, Xiao Lie, his vanguard general, a military officer from the southern border army who had taken the initiative to defect to him.

The second, Cheng Shu, the defending general of the central army, a powerful local tyrant from the south who brought private troops and grain to join him.

The third, Shen Xiao, the cavalry commander, a former horse bandit who was recruited by Lin Zixiao and greatly admired the prestige of the Chifeng Army.

The fourth, Su Mo, the military counselor and chief strategist, originally a down-and-out scholar who offered his services out of gratitude to the former commander of the Chifeng Army, Lin Yi, possessing extraordinary intellect.

The fifth, Tang Yin, in charge of intelligence, covert operations, and inside contacts, formerly a palace guard who rebelled and joined after witnessing the unjust case against the Chifeng Army.

The sixth, Wen Liang, the military doctor, also in charge of pensions and military discipline, originally a wandering doctor in the south who was recruited into the military camp, possessed remarkable medical skills, and gradually gained importance.

The seventh, Zhao Cheng, the commander of the personal guards and general of the elite troops, formerly an old subordinate of the Chifeng Army's commander, considered Lin Zixiao's closest confidant.

At this moment, Lin Zixiao's generals were gathered, most of them showing anxious expressions on their faces, especially the third brother, Shen Xiao. As the cavalry commander and a former horse bandit, the cavalry he trained was the most superb.

On their northern campaign, they had slaughtered countless enemies and never suffered the slightest loss, but now...

His cavalry looked like fools.

Being led by the nose by the enemy, yet failing to even touch a single hair on them. His heart burned with anxiety, and he immediately said, "Commander Lin, let me go personally!"

"Damn it, that dog Ren Tianye wants to compete with me in cavalry. I'll personally go tie his men up and chop them to pieces."

The others nodded in agreement.

They had arrived at the capital, and this was their first close-quarters battle with Ren Tianye. They had to fight with style; otherwise, losing military morale would spell trouble.

Lin Zixiao, however, remained extremely calm and said lightly, "No need. Don't bother chasing them. You won't catch them. In this world, how many people can catch up to the cavalry of the Marquis of Changping, Wei Shuo?"

Lin Zixiao already had a well-thought-out plan and didn't dwell on this direction at all, directly stating, "Now, we only do three things."

"First, guard the source granaries well, guard the only main bridge well, and guard the necessary passes well."

"Second, set up ambushes at the necessary water sources and passes."

"Third, deliberately leave a seemingly weak auxiliary road with heavy troops ambushed on both sides, and see if Wei Shuo falls for it."

As soon as Lin Zixiao said this, everyone was shocked.

Then they bowed in admiration.

Truly worthy of being the son of the Chifeng Army's commander, Lin Yi. This strategic vision and tactical brilliance were simply extraordinary.

Calming down and thinking about it, no matter how strong Wei Shuo's cavalry was or how many transport teams they attacked, they were nothing more than scattered small grain carts. If they really ran after him and let themselves be led by the nose, they would fall into a disadvantageous position.

Ignoring him directly and guarding the core granaries.

And finding opportunities to set ambushes for Wei Shuo.

This was what a great general should be like.

With such a great general, they might have the merit of assisting a new emperor to the throne!

One by one, their hearts couldn't help but grow somewhat passionate.

The capital was right before their eyes. As long as they conquered it, who among them wouldn't become a feudal lord, who wouldn't be a high-ranking official?

They immediately accepted their orders and prepared to execute them.

At this time, the fourth brother, Su Mo, the military counselor, stepped forward and said, "Commander, at this time, shouldn't we use our secret weapon?"

"The firearms delivered by Protector Bai possess earth-shattering power. Now that we have arrived at the capital, Ren Tianye will no longer have time to react. We..."

"We should use the firearms to let Wei Shuo know!"

"The times have changed!"

...