Frontier Army Warrior

Chapter 1041 An Ambush

Lin Feng looked at the Yongding River from afar and let out a long breath.

The first difficulty he faced was that there wasn't enough food for so many people.

There are two options: either go find the Seven Heroes of the Yan Clan, or rob the nearby county government.

If it were a robbery, the fighting ability of these men on the ship, who were used to being slaves, would be questionable, and it wouldn't end well.

However, the forces of the Seven Heroes of the Yan Clan are not easy to find. Even the pirates cannot discern their movements. It will probably be difficult for Lin Feng to find them in the short term.

The ship's food supplies were running low. If they weren't replenished within a day, the crew would be starved, and the confidence they had just built up would likely collapse very quickly.

Lin Feng beckoned Wen Zhaorong to the cabin, and after looking at the few grain sacks, he pondered for a long time.

"Old Wen, do you have a way to solve the food problem?"

Wen Zhaorong said with difficulty, "Sir, you didn't have to let them eat so much. These men can eat too much."

Lin Feng waved his hand: "Since you've followed me, you can't even get enough to eat. You'd be a laughing stock. If you have any ideas, just say so. If you don't have any ideas right now, then go and find a good boat."

Wen Zhaorong frowned in thought. This was the first time Lin Feng had asked him for advice, so how could he let the master down?

"Sir, our boat has entered the Yongding River. Further ahead, Qi County is on the east bank and Mao County is on the west bank. We can choose one to enter the city and get some grain."

"Qixian County is now a ghost town, with no food left."

"My lord, Mao County is an important town in Fu'an Prefecture. In the past, it was rich in grain and aquatic products. My hometown is here."

"It has long been occupied by pirates, and it is uncertain whether there are any survivors."

"Sir, it's just a passing by, so it won't be a trouble to take a look."

After pondering for a moment, Lin Feng nodded in agreement.

Seeing that Lin Feng didn't say anything more, Wen Zhaorong cupped his hands and turned to leave, but stopped after taking two steps forward.

"My lord, I have thought of a way."

He turned around with a smile on his face.

"Sir, the Yongding River estuary is rich in spotted sea bass. This season is their migration period. The spotted sea bass are large and come with their young. We have nets on the boat. In the past, these pirates often fished in the sea. We can use fish as food to temporarily relieve our famine."

Lin Feng was overjoyed: "Yes, yes, that's a good idea. Go and organize the manpower right away, and we'll put on a whole fish feast today."

Seeing Lin Feng happy, Wen Zhaorong was also very excited, finally able to make Lin Feng feel useful.

She ran briskly onto the deck.

Sure enough, the Yongding River estuary had not seen fishermen for a long time, and the aquatic resources were very abundant. All three boats had fishing nets, and the people on them were all from the coastal area, including many fishermen.

So, after a few rounds, every single one of them was completely full.

Soon, the deck was piled high with fish that were over a foot long.

There are many ways to cook it: stewing, frying, roasting, boiling, and most of the time, if you can't finish it, you pickle it with salt.

In short, the problem of food shortage for the 13th Battalion of the Zhenxi Army Navy was immediately solved.

The next day, the three warships sailed from the mouth of the Yongding River to the Qixian Wharf.

Although the seven men of the Yan clan had left, Lin Feng still decided to use this place as the temporary base for the Thirteenth Battalion.

This place is at the junction of several major prefectures, and also at the border between the Taisho Dynasty and the two major forces of the pirates. Few troops come here.

The seven Yan brothers took advantage of this loophole, operating in these counties and townships, seeking survival in the gap between the Taisho Dynasty and the pirate forces.

Lin Feng relinquished control, allowing Wen Zhaorong to take full command. A force of nearly five hundred men sailed from the warships into Qi County and began repairing the city's facilities, including the city walls and gates.

The county town wasn't large, but once these people entered, the entire town came alive.

Lin Feng gathered a dozen or so officers from the army and began to teach them how to lead their troops and how to coordinate operations.

It continued to implement the same series of policies and management measures of the Zhenxi Army, and the structure remained the same.

Five men form a squad, with one squad leader. Ten men form a shi, with one shi leader. Thirty men form a jia, with one jia commander. One hundred men form a dui, with one centurion. One thousand men form a ying, with one chiliarch or commander.

Despite having fewer than a thousand men, Wen Zhaorong still serves as a centurion.

Lin Feng's strategy was still to use the "one-man formation" as the basic combat technique, with the "Wind-Splitting Blade" he taught as the unit, forming a blade formation of thirty people.

Officer A is the most important officer in the team. He is often responsible for independently commanding thirty people at the start of an operation and must possess a certain level of military skills.

Lin Feng also selected the three most basic moves from his Wind-Splitting Saber Technique as basic combat skills.

It's a very simple three-step process that anyone with normal intelligence can quickly master.

However, to meet Lin Feng's requirements, one needs to wield a knife and chop more than a thousand times every day for thirty days to be considered at the entry level.

There's also physical training, the most basic of which is running. This skill doesn't need to be taught; just line up and start running.

Lin Feng didn't have much time to train them here, so he only taught a dozen or so officers, who then became instructors to train the soldiers.

In addition to training, soldiers also need to cultivate land and grow grain as a food reserve for the army.

Of course, initially the main method was to collect grain from nearby towns and villages. Currently, the daily food consists mainly of aquatic products, supplemented by grain.

Lin Feng stayed in Qi County for three days, and after teaching everything he could, he took Wen Zhaorong, selected eighty elite officers and soldiers, and set sail for Peng County on a warship.

Lin Feng's plan was to help them collect some grain, and then he and Ye Haishan would continue westward into the territory of the Dazheng Dynasty. Wen Zhaorong, on the other hand, would take the collected grain back to Qi County to train soldiers, expand the army, and await Lin Feng's next order.

This can be considered an ambush force planted by the Zhenxi Army Navy in the southeastern part of the Taisho era.

Within three days, Lin Feng did not see the seven Yan brothers appear. He could only instruct Wen Zhaorong and others to explain themselves when they encountered the seven Yan brothers and try to integrate them, but not to lose their status as the main body.

It must be made clear to the seven Yan brothers that their force is the 13th Battalion of the Grand Western Garrison Navy.

After the warships sailed from Qi County to Peng County, they rested for one night and continued westward along the Yongding River the next day.

Scattered pirates were spotted along the riverbank. This was the garrison of Fu'an Prefecture. This section of the Yongding River is very close to Fu'an Prefecture.

Wen Zhaorong is very familiar with this place; it is his hometown.

The pirate scouts on the shore spotted them. Seeing that the ships were equipped with neat pirate gear and that they were all their own men, and that the warships were standard sea vessels with family insignia printed on the bows, they had no suspicions whatsoever.

Wen Zhaorong stood on the ship's railing, observing Fu'an Prefecture from afar. After a while, he turned to Lin Feng and said...

"My lord, if we want to get enough food, Fu'an Prefecture is the most suitable place."

Lin Feng didn't speak, but just frowned and looked ahead.

"My lord, there are pirate troops stationed in Fu'an Prefecture, probably no more than two thousand strong. We need to outsmart them to get supplies."

Lin Feng nodded: "It seems General Wen has a plan."