Dorgon chased Gao Qiqian until the eunuch was practically losing his mind.
Several arrows brushed past him along the way. One even sliced through the air right beside his ear. Each time it happened Gao Qiqian nearly lost his soul.
Luckily, just as things were about to turn truly disastrous, another army suddenly appeared ahead of them.
It was Yang Guozhu, the commander from Xuanfu.
Unlike Gao Qiqian's pampered capital soldiers, Yang Guozhu commanded real frontier troops.
With a loud roar, the Xuanfu border army charged forward.
Dorgon only had five hundred cavalry with him. Chasing down weak prey was one thing, but facing an actual border army was a completely different matter. He did not hesitate for even a moment.
"Withdraw!"
The cavalry turned and galloped away.
Gao Qiqian finally managed to keep his life. He wiped the sweat from his face, still trembling with fear.
"The Jianzhou soldiers are truly ferocious," he sighed. "Such a powerful enemy can only be pacified, not fought. That Lu Xiangsheng is simply acting recklessly."
Yang Guozhu rolled his eyes.
He wanted very badly to mock the eunuch, but his rank was lower and he was only a military officer. Picking a fight with a court eunuch would be suicidal.
So he swallowed the complaint and spoke about something practical instead.
"The Jianzhou forces are not numerous. Only a few hundred cavalry. It seems their riders have scattered everywhere to plunder villages. We should spread out as well and establish defenses across the region. We cannot allow them to ravage the countryside freely."
Gao Qiqian waved a hand impatiently.
"Then go do it. Why are you standing here talking?"
Yang Guozhu cursed silently in his heart.
Damn you, you dead eunuch. One day you will get what you deserve.
---
Deep in the night.
Everything was pitch black.
A small flat bottom boat quietly touched the southern coastline near Jinzhou.
Ten soldiers jumped down from the boat.
All of them came from the Gao Village militia, the most elite reconnaissance squad.
The soldiers of Gao Village had always eaten well. Their nutrition was excellent, so none of them suffered from night blindness. Even in the dark, using the faint moonlight reflected from the sea, they could still make out shapes.
The scout captain whispered,
"Spread out. Search the entire coastline. Look for Zu Dashou's scouts. Before dawn arrives I want every enemy scout on this beach gone."
"Our fleet must be able to land without anyone noticing."
"Understood!"
The scouts replied quietly and vanished into the darkness.
Soon the ten men had scattered, creeping along the coastline and checking every possible hiding place.
Clearly Zu Dashou was not a god who could foresee everything. He had no idea anyone would choose such a strange time to attack Jinzhou.
There were no real scouts along the coast.
Only a lonely watchtower stood near the beach.
Inside were two elderly soldiers permanently stationed there, guarding a beacon tower.
The two old veterans saw nothing and knew nothing.
Before they even realized what was happening, the Gao Village scouts slipped behind them.
Thump. Thump.
Two quick blows to the back of the head.
By the time the old soldiers regained consciousness, they found themselves tied up like dumplings and tossed inside the cargo hold of a troop transport ship.
---
Dawn was just beginning to break.
The great fleet arrived.
The scout team stood along the shore waving torches toward the sea.
"No enemy scouts. Landing is safe."
Immediately dozens of shallow draft boats rushed toward the beach.
Soldiers from the Gao Village militia ran ashore silently.
An army of more than ten thousand men landed without a sound. Occasionally someone could not hold back a cough, but the moment it escaped their throat they instantly covered their mouth.
Seeing the discipline of Cao Wenzhao's army and the Shanxi Army, Lu Xiangsheng was stunned.
He glanced back at his own Tianxiong Army and suddenly felt they had been outshined.
That irritated him.
What was going on?
His Tianxiong Army was elite. He personally trained them. They had earned tremendous merit suppressing bandits in the Central Plains.
If they could not match the Guanning Cavalry, he could accept that.
But how could they lose to the Shanxi garrison troops?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
These Shanxi soldiers were abnormal. Completely abnormal.
Could it be that Hu Dawei was secretly a brilliant general?
While Lu Xiangsheng was still brooding over this question, the Pi Island garrison under Shen Shikui began disembarking.
Compared to the others, their discipline dropped noticeably.
Some soldiers could not resist whispering to each other.
Shen Shikui rushed over immediately. He dragged the two chatting soldiers out, forced them to kneel, and whipped them several times.
Only then did discipline settle down again.
Lu Xiangsheng turned his head once more and saw Chen Qianhu leading six hundred Guyuan Frontier Army soldiers ashore.
In his understanding, these men were the personal troops of Sun Chuanting.
But their quality was ridiculously high.
Better than the Shanxi troops. Better than the Guanning cavalry. Better than the Tianxiong Army. Even better than the Pi Island soldiers.
The six hundred men carried a fierce killing aura, yet they remained extraordinarily quiet.
Their movements were orderly and precise.
Chen Qianhu did not even need to give commands. The soldiers quickly formed a square formation on the beach.
No one spoke.
No confusion appeared.
Lu Xiangsheng frowned.
"Something is wrong. Something is definitely wrong."
Of course, he had no idea about their true background.
These six hundred soldiers had once served in the Guyuan Frontier Army, but they had also spent a long time undergoing labor reform in Gao Village.
While in prison they learned strict discipline. After release they trained with the Gao Village militia for years. Later they even studied at the Huangpu Military Academy.
Within the Gao Village militia, these six hundred men were among the absolute elite. Each of them could easily serve as a company commander or battalion commander.
Then suddenly—
Splash.
Another figure jumped off the ship.
It was Tianzun.
Though not the specialized naval combat version this time. That one remained aboard the ship. Li Dao Xuan had switched to a mass produced Tianzun body from inside the cabin.
Externally there was no visible difference.
Only the internal configuration had changed.
Lu Xiangsheng blinked.
"Master Li? You are also going to the battlefield?"
"You are not a soldier. This is not appropriate. Blades and arrows have no eyes. If something happens to you, it will be terrible. Our army still relies on your supplies."
Li Dao Xuan laughed.
"It is fine. Nothing will happen to me."
Then he pointed behind him.
"Besides, even a young lady is going."
Lu Xiangsheng followed the direction of his finger.
There he saw Zhou Daya, the Gao Village war correspondent.
A bright and lively young woman.
She had actually jumped off the ship as well and clearly intended to go with them.
Lu Xiangsheng gasped in shock.
"This girl looks delicate and soft. She is obviously not suited for war. Why is she going?"
Li Dao Xuan simply shrugged and said nothing.
Zhou Daya smiled sweetly at Lu Xiangsheng.
"Lord Lu, this humble woman wishes to record the full details of this battle."
"I am not skilled in combat, so I may become a burden. I hope Lord Lu will take good care of me."
"If a Jianzhou soldier tries to chop me, please rescue me."
As she finished speaking, she blinked her bright eyes at him, looking completely fragile.
Lu Xiangsheng fell silent.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
This woman looked so delicate she seemed ready to faint in a strong breeze.
Yet the thing she wanted to do was extremely dangerous.
And although her words sounded timid, there was not the slightest trace of fear in her eyes.
So what exactly was she?
Brave?
Or not brave at all?