Chapter 81: Robbery
"Robbery?" Jiang Jiao stammered. "W-what robbery?"
"We arrived here first—timing, terrain, and manpower are all on our side. If we don't rob them now, wouldn’t we be wasting heaven’s will?" She called out to Wang Ba, "Brother Wang, this is your old trade. Do you still remember the rules?"
Wang Ba was both annoyed and smug as he replied, "Of course I know!"
"Then go scout the area first."
"What does 'scout the area' mean?" Jiang Jiao was utterly confused.
"I know this," Huang Xiong explained for him. "Bandit slang—checking the surroundings in advance."
Wang Ba snorted and said to He Yan, "You even know the jargon."
"I only know this one phrase," He Yan replied. "If no one has any objections, shall I make the arrangements?"
Everyone looked at her.
"This terrain is high, and we arrived early. By the time the other groups get here, they’ll surely be exhausted and off guard. We just need to ambush them here and snatch their flags. There are five of us—one needs to climb a tree to survey the situation while the others lie in wait. That person will be me," He Yan pointed at herself. "I’ll be in the tree."
"When they arrive, Brother Wang will go first and lure them into our trap. Brothers Jiang Jiao and Shitou, one of you will wield a long staff, the other a spear, positioned on either side. Uncle Huang will hold the rear. This way, we can encircle them. Then I’ll come down from the tree—my nine-section whip can seize their flag in the chaos."
Everyone suddenly understood why He Yan had chosen the nine-section whip. In a real fight, it might be hard to get close, but with a whip, she could snatch the flag from a distance.
"Why do I have to be the bait?" Wang Ba complained. "I can hold the rear."
"Because you’re the strongest," He Yan lied without batting an eye. "If any of us tried to lure them with the flag, they’d be suspicious. But you’re different—you’re already known as one of the best recruits. It’s only natural for you to have the flag. You’re the perfect choice."
Jiang Jiao nearly laughed but managed to hold it in. Shitou and Huang Xiong silently lowered their heads. Only Wang Ba, convinced by her words, let go of his earlier dissatisfaction.
"But will this plan really work?" Jiang Jiao asked doubtfully. "What if they’re stronger than us?"
"Don’t worry. We got here first, so we’ll be more rested and alert. Besides, with this pincer formation, we’ll have both offense and defense covered—they’ll only end up in disarray. And our goal isn’t to fight them, just to take the flag."
"As the Art of War says: 'Those who arrive first at the battlefield and await the enemy will be at ease; those who arrive later and rush into battle will be exhausted. Thus, the skilled commander controls the enemy and is not controlled by them.'"
Among the five, only Jiang Jiao and He Yan had any schooling. Before the others could react, Jiang Jiao looked at He Yan with a complicated expression and asked, "You’ve read the Art of War?"
"I know a little," He Yan replied.
Huang Xiong glanced at Jiang Jiao, then at He Yan, and sighed. "I remember you once said you’d read something called The Arm Records, and now you say you’ve read the Art of War. With skills like yours, one day you’ll make a name for yourself far beyond us."
"You flatter me," He Yan laughed."Just don't forget us if you ever make it big," Wang Ba muttered quietly, then seemed embarrassed by his own words and added, "Though you don't seem the type who'd get rich anyway."
He Yan shrugged. "For now, let's all find hiding spots. I'll climb the tree first. You all eat something and rest. Brother Jiang, give one of the flags to Brother Wang. Wait for my whistle signal. I'll use the partridge whistle—when you hear it, Brother Wang will use the flag to lure them over."
No one objected. They scattered to find hiding places while He Yan located a tall camphor tree and began climbing.
Her climbing was remarkably agile. Watching her, Wang Ba muttered under his breath, "Like a four-legged snake."
He Yan climbed straight to the top and settled in the thickest foliage. The breeze cooled her face pleasantly, and the high vantage point gave her a clear view of the surroundings. Seeing no other recruits approaching yet, she pulled out a small piece of dried flatbread from her pocket, took a couple of bites, and drank some water.
After finishing the bread and resting against a branch for a few minutes, she noticed rustling movement on a lower path nearby. A group of recruits was approaching.
He Yan immediately straightened, staying perfectly still among the leaves, and softly mimicked the partridge whistle—three short bursts in succession. Her whistle was indistinguishable from a real partridge's call. Without prior arrangement, even Jiang Jiao and the others wouldn't have recognized it.
Huang Xiong, hidden in the shadows, gave Wang Ba a meaningful look. Wang Ba secured his water flask, grabbed the flag, and stood up to walk out.
Perhaps from long habit in this kind of ambush work, his acting was flawless. Wang Ba took a few steps, glancing left and right as if scouting the area for the first time.
Soon enough, he ran straight into the approaching group of recruits.
"You—" Before the recruit could finish speaking, Wang Ba clutched his waist and turned to run. The motion drew attention to the red flag at his waist.
The recruit froze, then exclaimed excitedly to his companions, "He's alone! He's got a red flag! Let's take it, brothers!"
The group immediately gave chase. Wang Ba, playing the lone straggler, didn't engage but kept running while shouting, "Pah! Stop following your grandpa! Keep it up and I'll chop you down!"
The pursuers, treating the flag as already theirs, laughed and taunted, "Then come chop us! Hand over the flag and we'll spare you!"
"I'll spare your grandma! Keep chasing and you'll regret it!" Wang Ba warned.
"Who's making who regret it now?" they jeered as they chased him into a dense thicket, where Wang Ba suddenly stopped.
"What, can't run anymore?" The lead recruit smirked, adopting a bandit's tone. "This mountain is mine, these trees I planted! To pass through here, pay the toll!"
Wang Ba had been about to boast, but the words made him laugh in exasperation instead. Drawing the two giant axes from his waist, he spun around and roared, "A pheasant burrows blindly, how can it reach Tianwang Mountain? You dare rob your grandpa? Lard has blinded your heart, your eyes are not dim!"
His string of bandit jargon left everyone baffled. The opponents had no patience for banter and lunged with their swords, aiming straight for the flag at his waist.At that moment, rustling sounds came from behind. Two young men suddenly emerged from the grass on either side—one wielding a spear, the other an iron staff. They were none other than Jiang Jiao and Shitou. With a thunderous crash, a bald, muscular man brandishing a golden-backed broadsword leaped in front of them.
Just moments ago, it had been five against one, with Wang Ba fleeing in panic. Now the tables had turned completely, trapping them like turtles in a jar. Though there were only four ambushers, they had created the illusion of an overwhelming encirclement.
The group froze momentarily before their grins faded. "It's an ambush!" one exclaimed. "They tricked us!"
Throughout their journey, they had encountered either direct confrontations or sudden ambushes leading to fierce battles. But this theatrical setup, complete with bait leading the act, was a first. The lead recruit gritted his teeth. "What's there to fear? The numbers are even. Let's fight!"
With that, they charged into the fray.
Truth be told, while each of these men had their strengths, none were truly exceptional—after all, every recruit on the mountain today was among Liang Province's finest. Yet, strangely, Jiang Jiao and his companions gained the upper hand almost immediately.
First, they had arrived earlier, rested, eaten, and conserved their energy, while the other recruits had just finished a grueling trek and were thrust into battle without even a moment to catch their breath, putting them at a natural disadvantage. Second, their positioning was tactically brilliant.
Jiang Jiao and Shitou flanked them from both sides, keeping the group encircled throughout the fight. Huang Xiong's broadsword roared with power, perfectly complementing Wang Ba's giant axe—two long and two short weapons, balancing offense and defense so seamlessly that the recruits couldn't find a single opening. Instead, they were repeatedly forced onto the back foot.
Jiang Jiao's spear flicked aside an opponent's sword, sending the weapon clattering to the ground. One recruit gasped, "We can't take the flag—let's retreat!"
"Retreat how?" the leader snapped. "Find me an opening if you can!"
He had tried multiple times to break free but found no gap. The prolonged struggle was wearing his men down.
"Wait," another recruit dodged Huang Xiong's blade and turned to ask, "There are only four of them. Where's the fifth?"
Indeed, after fighting for so long, it was five against four—one was missing. But they had been too overwhelmed to notice until now. The leader's eyes widened. "It's a trick! Protect the flag!"
No sooner had he spoken than Wang Ba bellowed, "He Yan! Quit spectating and get out here!"
From the lush camphor tree came a young man's cheerful voice: "Coming!"A crimson figure suddenly appeared in the dense forest. The young man smiled brightly, darting past like a swallow with effortless grace. Yet to his opponents, his presence was nothing short of a dire threat. Before the man at the edge could hide his bundle, a long shadow lashed toward his face. Startled, he instinctively let go. The shadow coiled like a serpent, nimble and sinuous, snatching the bundle away. The boy retracted his nine-section whip and perched on a tree branch, shaking the bundle open with a flick of his wrist. The cloth fluttered down as he held up a flag, grinning. "Thanks!" he called before vanishing into the woods with a final shout: "Got it! Retreat!"
As if on command, Jiang Jiao and the others, who had been locked in fierce combat moments ago, immediately disengaged. They sheathed their spears and fled. Exhausted from the climb and the skirmish, their pursuers could barely keep up. After a few hundred paces, they gave up, watching helplessly as the group disappeared into the distance.
"What kind of bandits are these..." one of them collapsed to the ground, grinding his teeth in frustration. "Utter lawlessness!"
"Can't blame them. Thieves never leave empty-handed," He Yan remarked on the other side, motioning for Jiang Jiao to stow the red flag. With a snap of his fingers, he declared, "Let's go."
"Where to?" Wang Ba asked.
"To rob the next one."
...
A pigeon paced back and forth on the windowsill. Someone scattered a handful of grains into their palm, and the bird obediently landed, allowing them to retrieve a copper tube from its leg.
Xiao Jue read the note inside, then passed it to Shen Han with an amused shake of his head.
The message was simple: He Yan had set up ambushes all over the mountain, engaging in a flag-robbing spree, seizing banners from several new recruit squads.
The essence of the flag competition lay in the word "compete," but competing in such a stealthy yet brazen manner was unprecedented. From the start, they had focused solely on the flags, avoiding direct clashes with other recruits. Even their ambushes prioritized the banners—ignoring squads without flags and swiftly targeting those that had them, striking and retreating without delay.
In the end, they suffered minimal losses while amassing the most flags.
"He’s quite cunning," Shen Han finally managed to say after a long pause.
"Not just cunning—he knows how to command troops," Xiao Jue added.
"Command troops?"
"Using proximity to strike from afar, resting to await the weary, staying well-fed to exploit the hungry." He curled his lips into a slow smile. "He’s made fools of Liang Province’s new recruits."
Shen Han was speechless. This young man truly left him at a loss for words. Then another thought struck him: "Come to think of it, those five follow his lead without question."
In the flag competition, conflicts weren’t just between squads—they also arose within teams. Differences in habits and tactics often led to discord, with some squads even fighting over leadership, ending up empty-handed. The ability to coordinate and strategize reflected a recruit’s potential. In this regard, He Yan had already demonstrated the aptitude for military command.
Among the five, only Shitou had never clashed with He Yan before. Yet now, none of them challenged his authority.
This was another testament to the young man’s exceptional qualities.
"These five are quite capable," Shen Han mused. "Jiang Jiao and the others have consistently outperformed other recruits in skirmishes. So far, they’ve remained undefeated. What does the Marshal think—are they fit for the vanguard camp?"Xiao Jue chuckled lightly, neither confirming nor denying. "It's not their strength, it's because He Yan set up the formation. A squad with a formation and a group of scattered soldiers are simply incomparable."
"Commander, you mean..." Shen Han seemed to grasp something.
"Spread out like the wings of a crane, with the leader holding the center and rear. Didn’t you notice?" Xiao Jue said, "He used five people to form the Crane Wing Formation."
Perhaps the revelation was too shocking, as Shen Han fell silent for a moment. If a recruit could set up formations, it almost certainly meant there was something unusual about them. Shen Han hesitated before asking, "Maybe... it's just a coincidence?"
"Whether it's a coincidence or not, we'll find out soon enough," Xiao Jue replied. "Fei Nu."
The black-clad guard appeared silently behind him. "Young Master."
"Send word to the other captains on White Moon Mountain," he said, picking up a teacup from the table and taking a sip. "Set up formations along the descent path."
"Commander!" Shen Han grew anxious. "This will prevent the other recruits from coming down the mountain!"
"Don’t worry," the young man set down his teacup and picked up a black chess piece instead, placing it decisively on the board. In that instant, the situation shifted dramatically. "Someone will break the formation."
...
On White Moon Mountain, near the rocky cliffs, a group of people hid in the grass, counting their spoils.
"One, two, three... six! We’ve got six flags!" Jiang Jiao exclaimed excitedly.
"That’s not even half," Wang Ba poured cold water on his enthusiasm. "What’s there to celebrate?"
"Six is already pretty good," Huang Xiong chimed in. "And three of them were snatched from others."
Of the six flags, three had been found by He Yan and the others by taking shortcuts, while the other three had been seized from recruits who already had flags, ambushed near the mountaintop.
"Still not enough. Let’s grab some more." Wang Ba adjusted his axe. "More than half means we win."
He Yan shook her head. "We won’t be able to take any more now."
Shitou frowned. "Why not?"
"Other recruits are gradually making their way up the mountain now. Those we robbed earlier must be spreading the word about us. By now, we’re probably infamous among them. The recruits with flags will be extra cautious around us. Besides, after raiding three spots in a row, our stamina isn’t what it was earlier."
"Who says?" Wang Ba flexed his muscular arms. "I’m bursting with energy, not tired at all! I could rob a few more groups!"
He Yan countered, "Oh? And what if several groups team up against us?"
Wang Ba froze.
He Yan spread her hands. "Right now, we’re holding six flags—basically walking targets. I bet the smarter recruits up there have already thought of joining forces to take our flags and split them. Two fists can’t beat four hands. If our five face ten, twenty, thirty... or even a hundred, do you think there’s any point in fighting?"
The group fell silent.
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Wang Ba finally snapped impatiently.
"In this world, once a trick is used, others will follow. We’ve already shown them how to take advantage. The remaining recruits will likely do the same. We don’t need to compete with every single one—just the strongest group left."
Jiang Jiao’s eyes lit up. "You mean, let them fight it out while we reap the rewards?"Leave the remaining recruits on the mountain, no matter which side prevails—east wind over west or west wind over east—it doesn’t matter. Eventually, one team will emerge victorious. What they needed to do was ambush that winning team, seize their flag, and in doing so, they should be able to claim half the flags.
“So…” Huang Xiong looked inquiringly at He Yan.
“We go down the mountain.”
“Now?” Jiang Jiao hesitated.
“If we go down now, we’ll have time and the advantage. We’ll hide along the only path down. Whether the recruits have flags or not, they’ll have to pass by us. The strongest team we scout out will be our mark.”
“You make it sound easy,” Wang Ba couldn’t help but argue. “They’re no marks. If they’ve gathered so many flags, they must be tough. We might not win.”
“You make a good point,” He Yan nodded. “So the fight at the foot of the mountain won’t be easy. But it doesn’t matter—we’ll definitely win.”
“Why?”
The young man grinned, brimming with confidence: “Because I’m here.”
Yan Yan: Me, MVP, the gold-tier jungler.
(End of chapter.)
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