Chapter 129

The journey from Songzhou City to Snow Wolf Valley is about three hundred miles. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble and alert the people from the Japanese Martial God Camp, Pang Jun had to find some small paths or even climb the mountain by force, cross the peaks near the Snow Wolf Valley, and after crossing the Snow Wolf Valley, find the location of Zhang Fu's troops according to the intelligence obtained. The military situation was urgent and no time could be lost.

　　Starting from the hour of Chou, Pang Jun rode his horse all the way, and finally arrived at the end of the hour of Chen, less than a hundred miles away from the Snow Wolf Valley. When he got here, he could no longer ride a horse, and had to conceal his whereabouts, for fear of being discovered by the Japanese scouts or the people from the Martial God Camp.

　　It is early autumn now, but Songzhou is located in the northeast of Dajin. It is already chilly and windy. People have started to wear thicker clothes, and Pang Jun can only wear a single piece of clothing similar to the color of the forest for convenience of movement. However, he has internal strength to protect his body, so he does not feel cold. He sneaked around the Snow Wolf Valley and found that there were already many military camps here, and a group of sharp-eyed and murderous warriors were constantly patrolling everywhere in the mountains, so he didn't even dare to take the small path and kept walking through the jungle.

　　The mountain that formed the Snow Wolf Valley is called Lumen Mountain, a branch of the Baishan Mountain. The mountain is steep and endless. In order to climb over this mountain, Pang Jun had to avoid the patrols of the Japanese. It took him two full days to climb over the mountain.

　　A hundred miles southeast of Snow Wolf Valley, by the river, is where the imperial army is stationed. The leader of this army, veteran general Zhang Fu, Marquis of Xichang, is looking at the map of Liaodong and Chaoguo with a worried look on his face. At this time, one of his subordinates enters the camp, and he asks hurriedly, "How is it? Is there any news from Xinzhou or Yanzhou? Have the border guards or the garrison troops of Xinzhou started to attack the Japanese?"

　　The subordinate shook his head and said, "No, Lord, the army has run out of food and grass. Now the army has to cook porridge. If this continues, I am afraid that in less than five days, we will be completely out of food and grass. Two days ago, Lord sent people to the mountains to hunt. Although Liaodong is rich in products, it is still a drop in the bucket. What's more, there are people from the Japanese Martial God Camp roaming in the mountains. The hunting soldiers will become the enemy's prey if they are not careful."

　　Zhang Fu sighed and said, "Alas, winter is coming soon. The winter in Liaodong is extremely cold. The soldiers will not only have no food, but also lack clothes. The losses will be even faster. Humph, the cunning Japanese and the incompetent Chao people, if they were not so incompetent, how could they let the Japanese advance 200 miles in two days? This time, is the reputation of my Zhang family for generations of generals, along with my 30,000 elite troops of the Great Jin, going to be buried here?"

　　After hearing this, his subordinates immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty has been very kind to us. We will protect you at the cost of our lives and return to the land of our Great Jin!"

　　However, Zhang Fu just waved his hand and said, "Go back? How can we go back? To the east are 50,000 Japanese troops, to the south are 50,000 Japanese troops that landed a few days ago, and to the west are 10,000 elite troops from the Snow Wolf Valley, including the Martial God Camp. We are surrounded on three sides and one is missing. If we want to leave here, we can only go north. But going north is a deserted land of eternal winter. There is no food, let alone other things. Even the icy wind like a knife can freeze our soldiers to death."

　　"Then, shall we break out to the west? Although Snow Wolf Valley is a place where one man can block a thousand, there are only 10,000 people. Although they are elite, the people of our Imperial Lion Legion are no pushovers!" said the subordinate.

　　Zhang Fu shook his head. "It's useless. If we break out to the west, we will really fall into their trap. If we go east or south, they will hold on until we run out of soldiers and food. But if we go west, the armies in the east and south will all come to us and suppress our space for movement. We will be surrounded and killed by them, and our death will be accelerated."

　　Just when they were at a loss, another of Zhang Fu's men came to report: "My Lord, there is a young man outside the barracks, holding a messenger's token and coming to the gate of the barracks, asking to see you, my Lord."

　　After hearing this, Zhang Fu was cheered up and said quickly, "Pass it on!"

　　When his subordinates heard this, they hurriedly stopped him and said, "My Lord, be careful, there may be a scam."

　　Zhang Fu smiled bitterly and said, "So what if it's a trap? Could the situation be worse than it is now? I have been in the army for many years and have seen all kinds of people. Bring him in. With an army of 30,000, what are you afraid of that he can do?" After hearing this, his subordinates stopped talking.

　　Not long after, a young man was brought in by two soldiers. When Zhang Fu saw the young man, his pupils shrank slightly. As a senior military general and a marquis, he was certainly qualified to stand in the court. It was natural that he had met Pang Jun, especially at the Qianqiu Banquet. Pang Jun shined during that period and left a deep impression on him. He didn't expect to see this young man again at this time and in this place. Oh no, I heard that he is already the governor of Songzhou.

　　He raised his hand, signaling his subordinates to retreat. His subordinates wanted to say something, but he said, "It's okay, don't worry. I know this young brother." Only then did his subordinates leave the tent as he said.

　　After all his subordinates had left, Pang Jun bowed to Zhang Fu and said, "I am Liu Jun, the governor of Songzhou. I am honored to meet the Marquis of Xichang."

　　"No need to be polite, Ziye, thank you for your hard work," Zhang Fu looked at Pang Jun seriously. Although Pang Jun was exhausted, his handsome and heroic appearance was still impressive. "Why are you here? Did you receive my messenger asking for help?"

　　Pang Jun said solemnly, "My Lord, three days ago, I received a message from my subordinates saying that they had met your scout messenger, who gathered his troops overnight and headed straight for Snow Wolf Valley. They should be a hundred miles away from Snow Wolf Valley now, temporarily out of the range of the Japanese scouts. At the same time, I have already sent out an alarm to the capital and Yanzhou. I believe that the border troops in Yanzhou will respond soon, but the mobilization of the border troops requires the imperial tiger talisman, so we can't count on the border troops to break through the defense line in Xinzhou in a short time. My Lord, you can only go through Songzhou."

　　Zhang Fu nodded and said, "This is a battlefield. You can send a subordinate with strong martial arts skills to deal with the situation here. As the governor of Songzhou, you should be in charge of everything in the government office. Why risk your life?"

　　Pang Jun smiled and said, "Lord Zhang, have you forgotten that I am the top martial arts scholar? The area around Snow Wolf Valley is full of soldiers from the Japanese Martial God Camp. No one is more suitable than me in Liaodong. Moreover, I have brought 5,000 soldiers with me this time, including 1,000 cavalry. At Chou time in two days, I will personally sneak into the Japanese camp to destroy it. After you receive my signal, attack them at the same time!"

　　"But the Japanese army in Snow Wolf Valley is Japan's top-tier army, and Snow Wolf Valley is a terrain where one man can block a thousand. Will this work? Moreover, a large number of warriors from the Martial God Camp are nearby. It will not be easier to break through here than in Xinzhou." Zhang Fu said worriedly.

　　"Don't worry, I will try my best to create chaos in the Japanese camp and lure away some of the troops and people from the Martial God Camp. At that time, we will not only break the siege and return to Dajin, but also take advantage of the situation to eliminate these 10,000 elite Japanese troops." Pang Jun said firmly.

　　"You are outnumbered, which is too dangerous. Not to mention that the Japanese army is large in number, even if it is just a Martial God Camp, I have seen the two commanders of their Martial God Camp. They are among the best masters in Jian Lu, and their martial arts are even better than yours," Zhang Fu said worriedly, "I will send fifty elite scouts to follow you to the Snow Wolf Valley camp to ensure your safety."

　　Pang Jun shook his head and said, "I appreciate your kindness, sir, but fifty people are too big a target. Moreover, when I came here, the people from the opposite Wushen Camp had been patrolling the mountain non-stop. The most important thing for this infiltration is concealment. Although the scouts are the elite of the army, fighting on the battlefield is not like this kind of secret infiltration mission. Facing a large number of Wushen Camp warriors with good martial arts, once they are discovered, all the previous efforts will be wasted. I hope that sir can understand."

　　Then he continued, "As for the people of the Wushen Camp, I have already learned about them when I was serving as the Shenyi Guard in the capital. The chief commander of the Wushen Camp is Sanada Yukigen, who is the second of Jianlu's 'Thirty-Six Swords' and is known as the 'strongest soldier in Japan'. The deputy commander is Yoshikawa Harumitsu, who is the sixth of the 'Thirty-Six Swords'. Yoshikawa Harumitsu once led a group of people from the Wushen Camp to sneak into Songzhou, but was discovered by me. I have fought with him before, and I can probably beat him by half a point. Facing them, I should be able to protect myself, please rest assured, my lord."

　　After hearing this, Zhang Fu looked at Pang Jun with a complicated expression. After a long while, he put his hands on Pang Jun's shoulders and said solemnly: "Then the lives of this old man and the 30,000 soldiers of the Imperial Lion Legion are in your hands."

　　Pang Jun laughed and said, "Hahaha, my lord, don't worry. Although I dare not say that my lightness skills are the best in the world, but when it comes to stealth ability, my lord, you must not forget what I used to do. Wait until we are out of trouble and then we can talk slowly about it." The Divine Guards are responsible for various special tasks, including assassinations and stealth. Pang Jun used to be the commander of the Divine Guards, so this kind of thing is not difficult for him.

　　Zhang Fu finally reacted and said gratefully, "Okay, okay, thank you so much, Ziye. When we are out of trouble, I will come to your house in person and drink with you." He patted Pang Jun on the shoulder and said, "You must be tired after coming so far. Take a rest first and recharge your energy before setting off again."

　　Pang Jun declined politely, "I'm afraid I can't stay here. Speed ​​is of the essence. I need to make some preparations to sneak into the Japanese camp, and I also need to find a route to retreat. I don't have much time to rest. I hope you won't mind, my Lord."

　　"Okay, take care." Zhang Fu said solemnly as he looked at the young man in front of him who brought a glimmer of hope to himself and his 30,000 soldiers.

　　"Take care, my lord." Pang Jun clasped his fists, bowed, turned around and left the tent.