Kou Junliang pointed to the city wall and said, "I can see the Warehouse City’s walls already; can’t the Great General simply launch an attack and take it down?"
Yu Wenye replied coldly, "Then, Lord Kou, do you see the path?"
Kou Junliang was taken aback, stepped forward a few more steps, and carefully observed that indeed, no road leading to the mountain could be seen amidst the snowy landscape.
Yu Wenye said, "The reason Xingluo Granary was sited here is because there’s only one road up the mountain which can’t be seen from here due to its narrowness. You can only see it after crossing the ferry crossing. And even if you could see it, the road is barely a yard wide, allowing only for mule carts to pass. Our troops trying to proceed without alarming the Wanggang Army is impossible—approach even slightly, and it’ll immediately invite their counterattack."
Kou Junliang replied coldly, "So, Great General, what you’re saying is, we’ve arrived here, yet won’t fight?"
"If not to fight, why did His Majesty send you here?"
Yu Wenye said, "Lord Kou, in warfare, plans must be thorough."
Kou Junliang sneered, "Great General, by the time your plans are thorough, it will be too late. Let me tell you, His Majesty sent me here to supervise the military and will not tolerate anyone delaying battle or wasting military provisions."
Yu Wenye frowned slightly, "Lord Kou, rashly deploying troops would mean sacrificing the court’s soldiers."
Kou Junliang angrily retorted, "Great General, if you do not deploy troops at once, don’t blame me for reporting, claiming you are harboring troops for your own gain, intending harm to the court!"
Yu Wenye looked coldly at the other party.
Though Kou Junliang was arrogant, facing his penetrating gaze, he felt uncertain and subconsciously shrank back.
After a while, Yu Wenye let out a long sigh and said, "Since Lord Kou insists on having the general deploy troops, then—I will deploy troops."
Kou Junliang immediately relaxed, sneering again, "That’s right, Great General. Don’t forget your duties. If you fail to take the Xingluo Granary, Your Majesty can promote you to Second-Grade General as easily as he can cast you into the Eighteen Layers of Hell!"
Yu Wenye glanced at him coldly but said nothing more, just turned around and walked back into the military camp.
Soon, a unit of five hundred men was fully assembled.
They walked several miles along the riverbank beneath Huangtu Ridge, finally finding a road up the mountain, just as Yu Wenye described earlier. This road is barely a yard wide, allowing only for mule carts to pass, with deep ruts from years of vehicular traffic, resembling a long snake silently coiling and weaving through the mountain ridges.
The mountain road’s sides are sheer cliffs towering into the clouds.
Although it’s winter and the trees have shed their leaves, leaving only withered branches, numerous trees stand unevenly, densely obstructing the view; combined with the snow-covered mountains, it’s impossible to see what’s on the cliff beyond several yards.
Arriving at this road, the soldiers became exceedingly cautious.
During regular marches, they could advance in a neat formation, but this narrow mountain path forced them to carefully edge along the cliff.
Standing not far from the mountain’s base, Kou Junliang impatiently said, "Can’t you move faster? Hurry up!"
The soldiers exchanged hesitant glances.
Kou Junliang said, "If you don’t speed up, don’t blame me as the supervisor for using the whip on you. Let me tell you, ahead is the Xingluo Granary, and if you fail to take it, His Majesty will punish you, not only you but also your families!"
Upon hearing this, the soldiers could only grit their teeth and forcefully proceed up the mountain path.
The slope wasn’t very long; after a few hundred steps, they saw ahead the narrowest passage, faintly illuminated from inside, resembling a towering mountain gate. The path leading forward disappeared beyond that narrowest mountain mouth, indicating that inside was another slope.
Even someone unacquainted with military affairs could see this place constituted a natural barrier.
Should someone guard it, it would prove nearly impassable, yet surprisingly, no one guarded it, causing the soldiers to feel relieved and joyful—once past here, they could likely enter Xingluo Warehouse City. If they truly captured Xingluo Granary, it would be a significant achievement for them!
Thinking of this, several soldiers in the lead quickened their pace, their faces filled with hope.
Yet, standing at the mountain’s base, Yu Wenye showed a solemn expression.
Just as the soldiers approached the mountain gate, suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed from above.
Someone remarked in surprise, "Is it thundering?"
"In the middle of winter, how can it thunder?"
"But, I think I hear thunder?"
"No, why do I feel the ground beneath us is shaking?"
As the rumbling grew nearer, everyone instinctively looked up, immediately widening their eyes in fear.
They saw countless massive, dark shapes falling from the high cliffs above, focusing their gaze, revealing massive Thunder Stones and rolling logs!
"It’s an ambush, run quickly!"
A soldier at the front barely turned to shout when he felt a shadow engulf him, a massive Thunder Stone crashing down on his head. He didn’t even have time to scream before the stone crushed him, splattering blood onto the soldiers following behind.
The men were all frozen in terror!
The next moment, more Thunder Stones and rolling logs tumbled down. These soldiers, like startled birds, rushed to flee in all directions, but the narrow mountain road offered no escape. One massive stone after another fell, crushing soldiers into bloody pulp, with rolling logs pressing them down the mountain road. Soon, blood sprayed across the mountain walls, staining the pristine snow completely red.
The narrow mountain path, the rumbling sounds, gradually swallowed up the soldiers’ screams and cries of agony.