Volume One, Chapter 17: Clusters of Shooting Stars Descend from the Sky
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Shen Shuli nodded at her father, then said, “We can prepare on several fronts.
“First, we need to seek outside help. We should send people who have good relations with the neighboring villages to ask for assistance. If outsiders are afraid and unwilling to help, we can make them understand that when the nest is destroyed, no eggs will remain intact. Once our village is slaughtered, theirs will be next. We might as well risk everything and fight together!
“Besides that, we can offer rewards. We obtained quite a lot of spoils this time, including plenty of silver and fine horses. The bandits’ supply convoy will surely bring many ox carts, donkey carts, mule carts, and horse-drawn wagons to haul grain. Anyone who takes part in resisting the bandits can be rewarded according to their contribution. Wealth stirs the heart—there will definitely be people willing to join us!
“Second, we should set up ambushes in advance. Anyone who has bows and arrows or knows how to use a slingshot should take part in the ranged attacks and catch the enemy off guard. We can also dig traps outside the village, fill them with lamp oil and firewood, and use walls of flame to block their advance.
“Anyone with firecrackers or fireworks at home should bring them all out. In sufficient quantities, even firecrackers can blast apart rocks. Those bandits are only flesh and blood; they will certainly be injured by the explosions. Then we can take advantage of their weakness and launch our attack.
“It is already dusk. In another two hours, it will be completely dark. Our villagers know the terrain best, so we have a great advantage.
“As long as we work together properly, we may not be powerless to fight them.”
There was plenty of room to put all these ideas into practice.
She had suggested them because she had a great deal of ammunition in her spatial storage, along with an abundance of firecrackers and fireworks that she could secretly deploy.
Flour could explode as well.
Although they would be fighting in open fields, if the flour concentration was high enough and the surrounding flames generated sufficient heat and airflow, the flour could explode too.
Never mind a hundred bandits—even twice that number could be completely wiped out by her.
What was more, she and both her parents had pistols with an unlimited supply of ammunition. Even without helpers or traps, the three of them could kill every last bandit.
The only problem was that the pistols could not be revealed lightly. After all, countless eyes were watching them.
If word got out, her family might face a catastrophe far more dangerous than the bandits.
Su Yunhai immediately understood his daughter’s intentions. He nodded at Li Rui and said, “My daughter’s proposal is excellent. We’ll refine the details and put it into action at once. We don’t have much time left.”
Li Rui had no ideas of his own, so naturally he would do whatever Su Yunhai said.
He hurriedly addressed the villagers. “You all heard her. This concerns the survival of our entire village. Every one of us must cooperate fully. Go home and call out everyone who is able-bodied. Don’t even think about slacking off!
“I’ll be watching here. Anyone who tries to hide behind the others and enjoy the fruits of their labor will be expelled from the village as soon as this is over!”
Li Rui was the village chief’s son and the next village chief in line. He commanded great respect in the village.
His words represented the village chief’s authority and carried considerable weight.
The villagers did not dare to take the matter lightly. They immediately went home and called out their wives, sons, and daughters. Everyone who could walk was brought over.
Su Yunhai had already refined Shen Shuli’s suggestions in his mind and immediately assigned everyone their tasks.
Able-bodied men who had good relations with neighboring villages, as well as women whose maiden families were in nearby villages, were sent out to seek reinforcements.
Men and women, young and old, all joined in to dig pits and set traps along the roads.
The older children brought out all the firewood, firecrackers, lamp oil, and tung oil they had at home.
The ranged-attack team—everyone who owned a bow, arrows, or a slingshot—hurriedly practiced their aim.
Some of the older women and aunts began cooking huge pots of food to give everyone an extra meal.
The able-bodied workers had already been busy for most of the day. How could they face the vicious bandits on empty stomachs?
Even if they ultimately lost, at least they would die with full bellies, wouldn’t they?
The villagers had voluntarily contributed the grain, as though they had all mentally prepared themselves for the worst.
Shen Yuehua took some of the women and children, followed by the village doctor, to gather useful medicinal herbs in the nearby hills.
The doctor’s entire supply of medicine had just been exhausted. No matter what, even a little was better than nothing.
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Shen Shuli and Su Yunhai were busy laying traps.
The more he saw of the powerful bombs his daughter secretly brought out, the more suspicious he became.
He had been separated from his daughter for eight years, and she had changed far too much. It seemed she had acquired quite a few secrets as well.
Much of the ammunition was clearly military-grade, and some of it consisted of models available only overseas.
How had a helpless orphan girl like her obtained all this?
But this was not the time to ask such questions.
The two of them worked together, continuously setting traps.
Time slipped quietly away.
The villagers had long since hidden themselves according to their assigned duties.
What delighted everyone most was that those who had gone to seek help had visited the five nearest villages and returned with more than a hundred people in total. Every one of them had brought weapons!
Su Yunhai and Li Rui immediately assigned these newcomers their tasks.
They had barely finished arranging everyone when Shen Shuli promptly alerted the others.
“The bandits are here!”
Everyone stood ready for battle.
The sky had long since turned completely black.
Many villagers could see a stretch of firelight slowly drawing closer to the village.
This group of bandits was different from the previous one.
The first group had been the vanguard, the trailblazers. Their mission had been to slaughter the entire village.
Every one of them had a horse, allowing them to move swiftly across the terrain.
This group was much weaker in combat and had no horses. They were driving ox carts, donkey carts, and mule carts. Most of them were walking on foot, laughing and chatting as they approached the village without the slightest caution.
They seemed already able to see countless sacks of grain laid out before them.
The night was dark, and the torches illuminated only the area a few feet ahead. None of them realized that they were stepping onto the road to their deaths.
Once all the bandits had entered the killing zone, Su Yunhai fired the first arrow.
Whoosh!
Its flaming tip struck the ground.
The bandits stared at the burning arrowhead, unable to understand what was happening.
Then came a thunderous roar!
The explosives hidden beneath their feet detonated in an instant.
The bandits nearest the blast were torn apart, their mangled bodies spraying blood as their screams rang across the night.
The bandits finally realized what had happened.
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Their faces changed dramatically.
“It’s an ambush! There’s an ambush ahead! Retreat!”
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
In the pitch-black night, clusters of shooting stars descended from the heavens.
They were volleys of flaming arrows.
Thud, thud, thud!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Even after the bandits at the front of the convoy reacted, there was nowhere for them to hide.
The livestock they had brought had long since been frightened into a frenzy by the explosions. They charged wildly through the bandit ranks, trampling and killing many of the bandits.
Firecrackers, fireworks, and land mines hidden beneath their feet erupted in dazzling bursts throughout the darkness.
The bandits at the rear finally understood the situation. The horrific scene before them shattered their courage.
The darkness made it impossible to see anything clearly, and their fear continued to mount.
They could not summon even the slightest thought of fighting back. One after another, they turned and fled.
To reduce their own casualties, Shen Shuli had tied firecrackers to several of the captured horses that had suffered grievous, incurable injuries.
The terrified horses charged into the bandits’ ranks with the last of their strength.
These wounded animals had been stabbed by the villagers during the previous battle with the bandits. They would not survive much longer and would eventually have to be slaughtered.
It was better to make use of them to the very end.
The six frightened horses inflicted yet another heavy loss on the bandit force.
“Charge! Don’t let a single one escape!”
At Su Yunhai’s command, all the villagers concealed in the darkness pursued the fleeing bandits with the ferocity of hunting leopards.
No one had expected the bandits to lose their nerve so completely under the ambush.
The villagers’ morale soared. They fixed their eyes on their chosen targets and chased them relentlessly.
Shen Shuli and Su Yunhai each took a night-vision scope and a sniper rifle, shooting down the stragglers who slipped through the net.
If even one of the bandits escaped and returned to report what had happened, they might organize a retaliatory attack and send their entire force against the villagers.
Therefore, not a single one could be allowed to get away!
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