In August in Liaodong, autumn is just around the corner.
In the primitive dense forest that blocks the sky and the sun, it is very cold because it blocks the sunlight.
No one dares to walk in it alone.
Danger is always inexplicable.
"Did you see clearly, how many people are here?"
"Ten days ago there were 3,000 people, five days ago there were 2,500 people, and yesterday there were 5,000 people. All added up, it's already over 10,000."
"Which route are they from?"
"Two white flags, you will never admit your mistake."
In the thick grass, scouts wearing ghillie suits looked at Jinzhou City unscrupulously.
Everything that comes in and out here, from morning to night, from day to night, cannot escape their eyes.
"We're going to fight a big battle this time, so we don't have to worry about it anymore."
"Captain, we only have one brigade, can we handle it?"
"You have to carry it even if you can't bear it. Can we still lose Port Arthur?"
Man Liao raised his wrist and looked at the time.
"Okay, let's withdraw."
Following his command, there was a rustling sound in the grass near him.
After a while, three or four people gathered around him.
The group of people were still lying in the grass, moving their hands and feet together, slowly crawling backwards.
With such an action, the grass will not move at all from a distance. Naturally, no one will think that there is anything fishy in the grass.
Man Liao and his men climbed like this for a full stick of incense, retreated for nearly fifty meters, and then straightened up and entered the dense forest.
They completed their reconnaissance mission and now want to go back and report.
In the ensuing war, they will not have much to do with their scouts.
There is no room for them on the brutal frontal battlefield.
The investigators' next action plan also needs instructions from the brigade headquarters.
In the dense forest, Man Liao and others were hurrying southward.
We have been out for more than a month, crawling around in the deep mountains and forests.
What they wanted to do most at this time was to take a hot bath after returning to the camp, eat a meal of pork stewed vermicelli, and then have a good sleep.
While walking, Man Liao suddenly raised his arm and quickly lurked down.
The three soldiers following him moved equally quickly and spread out in all directions, their keen eyes staring at every corner of the dense forest.
Unfortunately, as far as the eye can see, nothing can be seen.
But because he couldn't see anything, Man Liao was particularly nervous. While trying to adjust his breathing, his cheeks began to be covered with hot sweat.
He raised his hand and pointed to the left.
A soldier understood, leaned out slightly, and moved in the direction he pointed.
Just after taking two steps, there was a "bang" in the shadow, and an arrow quickly arrived in front of me.
The soldier remained nervous all the time. When the black shadow just appeared in front of his eyes, he rolled on the spot without even thinking.
The hidden arrow missed and was nailed to the tree.
At the moment when something unexpected happened, another soldier turned his head and came out, and fired back with a powerful crossbow.
There was a sound of "Ah" in the shadow, and someone was obviously hit by an arrow.
The soldier was delighted, and before he could say anything, seven or eight arrows were fired at him.
He was too late to dodge, and was hit by an arrow in his right leg, and immediately fell to the ground.
There were strange whistling sounds in the dense forest, and dozens of black shadows came out, howling and rushing towards this direction.
Seeing the true form of the enemy, Man Liao immediately knew that he had encountered Hou Jin's scouts.
These Jurchens are born hunters in the dense forest. Even the most experienced scouts will not have an easy time meeting them here.
But between life and death, there was no time for him to think too much.
Man Liao first fired his crossbow arrows, and then retreated sharply.
He ran to the injured soldier, picked it up without saying a word, put it on his back and ran away.
The other two soldiers also fired crossbows, then took out grenades and threw them wildly in the direction of Houjin's scout.
Although Houjin's archers were accurate in their archery skills, the quality of their bows and arrows could not be compared with the steel crossbows of the New Army's scouts.
Three crossbow arrows shot over and killed two scouts.
The grenades that followed knocked over several people, and the smoke caused Houjin's scouts to slow down, and the two scouts who were also behind them also began to retreat.
In the dense forest, a tense pursuit battle began.
There are the most elite warriors on both sides.
On one side is a single soldier trained using the most scientific training methods.
On one side is the natural king of the mountains and forests.
Man Liao was running wildly with his men on his back, and suddenly his feet were in the air. His ankles were quickly caught by the rope, and then his whole body turned over and flew into the air.
Apparently he fell into a trap set by the Jurchens.
But just as his men left the ground, the scouts who followed him ran past like flying, and the sharp blades in their hands had already cut the ropes.
Not only that, the injured soldiers who fell were picked up, and the forward momentum did not stop.
Man Liao rolled on the ground, quickly got up and stuck a grenade under the root of a tree.
Then another grenade was placed on the other side.
The string between the two grenades looked like hair, and it was impossible to see it in such a dark environment.
The last soldier jumped from the air and became their rearguard this time.
Not far away when I ran out, there was a roar behind me.
Apparently another Houjin scout was tricked.
But the scouts the day after tomorrow are not given in vain.
Even while running at high speed, they can still shoot arrows with great accuracy.
One of the arrows hit the right shoulder of the scout at the rear.
He staggered and fell to the ground.
The Houjin scout who caught up was overjoyed and jumped up with a roar, slashing down with his blade in mid-air.
Man Liao returned the crossbow.
He knocked the man back from the air and nailed him to the ground.
However, their situation has become extremely dangerous.
There is no road ahead.
The cliff tens of meters high became a natural chasm, which also made the pursuing Houjin scouts extremely happy.
"Catch them alive."
The war is about to begin.
But Houjin still knew nothing about the newly acquired Ming army from Lushun.
If we can capture the prisoners and produce effective information through interrogation, it will definitely be a great achievement.
It's a pity that these Houjin scouts don't know what they are facing.
The cliff of tens of meters is already a dead end in the eyes of many people, but in front of these unrivaled scouts, it is no different from a smooth road.
Man Liao fought off the fastest chasing scout, picked up his injured companion, let him lie on his back, and ran towards the cliff.
Another soldier also carried his wounded companion on his back, doing the same thing.
Houjin's scouts thought they were going to commit suicide, and they were all stunned and didn't think of anything else.
But while Man Liao and the soldier were running, they had already taken the rope from their injured companion.
One end of this rope has sharp and strong metal claws.
The two people didn't slow down, and had already clasped their paws on the trunk of the big tree as they ran past.
At the same time, he fastened the iron ring on the rope to his belt.
When they rushed to the edge of the cliff, they didn't stop at all. They turned around and faced the cliff and jumped directly.
Hou Jin's scouts had never seen such a scene.
When I cautiously approached the edge of the cliff, I saw a body that had been shattered beyond recognition.
Instead, Man Liao and the others had almost disappeared without a trace.
A small pursuit battle completely broke the Jurchens' understanding of combat.