Chapter 107: Setting Fire

The noise they made had already alerted the people inside the camp. From the watchtower, a sentry called out from afar, “What’s going on?”

Xu Wenshan shouted back, “Nothing!”

Still uneasy, the sentry seemed about to come over and take a look. Lei Laohu and the others had already opened the camp gates and waved outside. The soldiers from Luhe outside the camp rushed in.

Xu Wenshan commanded, “Second squad, set fires from east to west. Third squad, set fires from west to east. Try to ignite every tent. If discovered, don’t linger—run immediately and regroup here in the end.”

The two squads promptly moved out. Xu Wenshan stood his ground, but the bandit sentry grew even more suspicious. Climbing down from the watchtower, he approached Xu Wenshan and asked, “What’s going on here?”

Before Xu Wenshan could answer, the sentry noticed three corpses at Xu’s feet. Gasping, he was about to shout, but Xu suddenly lunged forward, grabbing the man’s neck. “You saw it too—they’re dead. You’re alone now. If you shout, you die.”

The man struggled to breathe, kicking his legs wildly. Xu slightly loosened his grip, and the man immediately kowtowed, “I won’t shout. I’ll do whatever you say.”

“Good. Go back up to the watchtower. If anyone asks, say nothing’s wrong here. If you act suspiciously, watch out for my bow.”

Xu Wenshan weighed the bow in his hand. The man looked at the arrow with terror. “Alright, alright, you’re the boss. If you take the camp, please spare this little dog’s life.”

Xu shoved him. “Enough nonsense. Behave.”

Trembling, the man climbed back up the watchtower, glancing back at Xu Wenshan, who was concealed behind a pile of firewood, bow aimed at him.

Soon, the commotion inside the camp grew louder. Black smoke curled into the sky. Xu Wenshan knew the fire plan had succeeded. But as more bandits became aware something was wrong, their situation grew increasingly perilous.

A group of bandits, faces blackened by smoke, ran over and asked the sentry, “Seen anyone suspicious?”

The sentry immediately pointed toward Xu Wenshan’s direction and shouted, “There!”

With a sharp whistle, a feathered arrow pierced the sentry’s skull. The bandits were shocked and rushed to search Xu’s position, but he had already vanished.

More than half the camp was ablaze; there was no time to drag this out. Xu Wenshan had no need to linger and engage further.

---

The prized steeds of the Flying Horse Camp were kept in temporary stables east of the camp. Before setting the fires, Xu Wenshan had instructed the Spider Spirit to drive the horses away. If all went well, no riders would appear on this battlefield.

He telepathically asked the Spider Spirit, “How are the horses?”

A slightly aggrieved voice replied, “Not in the stables.”

“Where then?”

“This afternoon, for some reason, the Winged Horse ordered his men to move the horses out of the camp, saying the Black Wind Camp’s care was inadequate. Now, the horses are about a mile from the camp.”

Xu Wenshan’s headache deepened. This was likely an excuse by the Flying Horse Camp to avoid being controlled by Black Wind Camp, separating their forces. Unexpectedly, this complicated Xu’s plan considerably.

“Forget the horses for now. Hide quickly. Don’t get found. When I can’t hold on and call you, then come out.”

After arranging the Spider Spirit, Lei Laohu and Wu Yi’s squads returned. Xu Wenshan waved for a swift retreat from the bandit camp. Behind them, the camp was engulfed in towering flames, chaos reigning.

“This feels fantastic! We just lobbed the incendiary bottles onto their tents, and they caught fire instantly. Those bandits didn’t even realize it at first, but when the blaze spread, they ran screaming in panic.”

“The bandits’ camp is utterly fragile. All sorts of people live there, strangers to one another. After our commotion, they still hadn’t figured out we were the enemy!”

Xu Wenshan smiled, reassuring them, “Alright, hurry back to retrieve your weapons. Get ready for the bandits’ counterattack.”

Naturally, the soldiers didn’t carry their signature spears during the infiltration and torching; the weapons had been left outside the camp. Once they escaped, they would rearm themselves.

Soon, the enemy appeared—but these were disorganized remnants fleeing the fire, not a coordinated force. Xu Wenshan’s troops quickly skewered the scattered bandits with their spears.

No army can rally an organized counterattack when their stronghold is burning, especially these undisciplined bandits. That’s why Xu Wenshan dared to stand watch at the gate—kill every bandit who emerged.

His spear phalanx lacked mobility for pursuit but excelled at ambushing like this. Xu Wenshan couldn’t help but sigh: had he more men, he would have surrounded the camp by now. With fire behind them and a wall of spears ahead, the bandits would be wiped out in a single night.

Thick smoke billowed. Fewer bandits emerged from the south gate; many had either burned, suffocated, or escaped elsewhere.

---

There was little point in holding this position now. The enemy’s morale was shattered, their supplies and camp burned. Without food or shelter, these bandits faced certain death and would eventually dissolve on their own.

His spear phalanx was too few and unwieldy to finish them off tonight.

Just as he prepared to withdraw, a telepathic warning came from the Spider Spirit: “Bad news! The enemy’s cavalry is coming toward you!”

“How many?”

“All of them!”

The Flying Horse Camp was only a mile away. Once the cavalry locked onto Xu’s position, it would be a simple charge to reach him. Xu Wenshan gave the order decisively: “Orderly retreat!”

He was at the south gate of the camp. To reach Fengshi Village, one must travel east. But the bandit camp’s main gate was also to the east; heading straight there risked running into the enemy’s main force.

To be safe, Xu Wenshan commanded the entire army to move southeast.

Meanwhile, the Winged Horse spotted the fire at the Black Wind Camp’s main stronghold and laughed aloud.

“Brothers, this is the perfect opportunity for the Flying Horse Camp to rise with the wind! Erlang, ride with ten horsemen to the main gate of their camp. Tayu, this fire’s sudden—there must be something wrong. Take twenty horsemen to scout the camp for enemy presence!”

“To the rest of you, ready your weapons! The overlord of this region will now be me, the Winged Horse!”