Chapter 145: Horse-Trapping Pit

At Fuxu Port, the surface of the South China Sea seemed to be boiling as wisps of mist steamed upward, rapidly spreading in all directions. Soon, they enshrouded the entire sky above Fuxu Town, accompanied by the first light of dawn, leaving a vast expanse of whiteness blanketing the heavens.

After nearly an hour of frantic running under this sea of white mist, Ding Li and his men, guided by Ludachi, finally returned to the main official road. With Heizi and Ding Li jointly conducting a reconnaissance, they soon found a location well-suited for an ambush.

When Ding Li and his men had departed from the city, they still looked like regular soldiers. Now, however, they completely resembled peasant rebels roaming the countryside. Once everyone gathered in the woods beside the official road and piled their carried bundles and possessions together, even they themselves were shocked by the sight before them: hoes, shovels, crowbars, and even axes and hammers. Of course, none of these items were favored by anyone present, because before setting out, Ding Li had brought out a batch of short crossbows from Zhang Mingzhi's estate. For a time, even the normally popular stiff-armed horn bows were ignored by everyone.

Ding Li could easily guess what was on their minds. Smiling, he pointed at the pile of "farm tools" surrounded by the men and made a joke: "No matter what your usual duties were within the South China Gang, today you will all play the role of farmers following my lead!"

Aside from Ding Li, Heizi, Aguda, and Ludachi, the rest had no idea what the purpose of this trip was. Though greatly puzzled as to what the farm tools before them were meant to be used for, they laughed one after another upon hearing Ding Li's jest, and the atmosphere instantly became much more relaxed.

"Brother Li, hurry up and tell us the plan! Don't keep the brothers in suspense!" Ludachi had a straightforward personality. Seeing his subordinates casting furtive, questioning glances at him, he stepped forward to speak up for his men and urged Ding Li.

"Alright, alright, don't rush!" Ding Li smiled, casually picking up a hoe from the ground and giving it a slight shake. He then looked up at the sky through the gaps in the dense leaves overhead, his expression suddenly turning solemn as he spoke in a deep voice to explain to the group: "Whether it's the Cao Family Chamber of Commerce or the Chaozhou Gang, they are all our mortal enemies—I surely don't need to explain that much to you brothers! Early this morning, a valuable cargo from the Cao Family Chamber of Commerce will leave Fuxu Town and be transported to Guangzhou City. Our target today is precisely this shipment!"

"Robbery?"

"Plundering cargo?"

"Isn't that what mountain bandits do?"

Just as the last person finished speaking, Ludachi suddenly lunged forward, raised his large palm, and brought it down on the man's head while cursing fiercely: "That's a terrible way to put it! Let you spout nonsense! I'll teach you to talk nonsense again! Open your eyes wide and look: who looks like a mountain bandit? Does Brother Li look like one, or do I?"

"Enough, enough! Stop fooling around!" Seeing Ludachi's fan-like palm fall repeatedly, Ding Li strongly doubted whether the beaten brother could withstand it. He hurriedly raised a hand to stop him, smiled, and continued to elaborate on what he had just said: "Actually, you could also call it plundering cargo. However, because the matter is of utmost importance—not that I don't trust everyone, but explaining it takes too much time, and time is pressing right now—I won't go into detail! Later on, just do exactly as I say, and our mission will be considered accomplished."

"Brother Li, just tell them directly what to do! We'll just follow orders!" Most of the men present were Ludachi's people, and even among the ten brothers chosen by Aguda, seven were Mongolian lads. Ludachi did not speak in the circuitous manner Ding Li did; he directly and straightforwardly waved his hand, urging Ding Li to get straight to the point.

"Alright, alright! In a moment, I'm afraid I'll have to put our brothers through some hard work!" Ding Li smiled and nodded, cupping his hands in a full-circle bow to Ludachi and the rest. Despite this polite gesture, his next words caused everyone to draw a sharp intake of breath, leaving them stunned and speechless in place for a long time. Pointing ahead in the direction leading to Guangzhou City, Ding Li said: "I inspected the terrain myself just now. About fifty paces ahead, there is a slope—not too steep, but quite long. The situation beyond the slope is similar, though a bit steeper. Later on, brothers, you need to go to the other side of the slope and dig three caltrops trenches! Given the width of a caravan traveling on the official road, to ambush the accompanying guards, we need a width of at least eight to ten zhang! Since time is short, the requirements for width and depth aren't strict; you can judge it yourselves based on circumstances. But you must make sure to plant horn spears and bamboo spears firmly inside the pits! Even if falling in doesn't guarantee certain death, at least it must prevent them from climbing out to counterattack!"

With that, Ding Li looked at the astonished expressions of the crowd and understood their feelings. Pausing slightly until they gradually regained their composure, he clapped his hands to signal them to continue listening to his arrangements. Then, pointing to both sides of the official road, he continued: "The caltrops trenches are mainly meant to cause chaos among the enemy, and their lethality won't be entirely ideal. However, as you've all seen the weapons we brought, those short crossbows are not just for show! Everyone gets one; go over to Heizi later to collect your crossbow bolts! Besides the trenches beyond the slope, we also need to dig smaller ones on both sides of the official road, about one to three paces away from the woods. As for how to distribute their locations, you can figure it out yourselves later!"

Hearing this, the listening crowd finally let out a sigh of relief. Three caltrops trenches over eight zhang wide beyond the slope were already a massive project. If Ding Li had said they needed to dig three more such trenches on each side of the official road as well, they probably would have thrown down their tools and cursed.

"Alright, alright, time is pressing, so no more arrangements. Just do your best!" Seeing the men regain their spirit, Ding Li smiled, clapped his hands, and was the first to bend down and pick up a hoe. As he walked toward the slope, he loudly reminded the crowd: "Brothers, the city gates of Fuxu Town will open soon. Judging by the time of our arrival and the traveling speed of the caravan, they should reach here in at most two hours. Therefore, our mission this time is still quite arduous, and I hope everyone will put in extra effort!"

"Brother Li! What should I do with that fellow?" Aguda had just picked up an iron pickaxe from the ground when he suddenly remembered that the extra mount he brought along still carried dead weight—specifically, one of the assassins who had attempted to assassinate Zhang Wu at the dock two days ago. He hurriedly called out loudly to ask Ding Li.

"Tie him up securely; he'll be useful later!" Ding Li replied without turning his head, shouldering his hoe and striding toward the slope. This demeanor greatly surprised Ludachi and the others who followed closely behind; at this moment, Ding Li looked entirely like an early-rising peasant working the fields.

For Ding Li, caltrops trenches were not unfamiliar, and the Mongolian lads selected by Ludachi were also quite familiar with them. Although most of them had grown up in Guangzhou since childhood, the blood of the Mongolian people still flowed in their bones. Ding Li had already noticed their riding skills along the way; they were completely unlike ordinary gang members, and even Ding Li, who had undergone strict training in the past, felt a deep sense of admiration for them. They truly were a nation born on horseback.

As the morning light pierced through the tearing seams at the edge of the sky, the three caltrops trenches began to take initial shape. Ding Li immediately ordered ten brothers to stay behind and continue expanding the excavation, while he led the rest to the other side of the slope to start selecting locations for smaller caltrops trenches along both sides of the official road.

Once all the required trenches began to take rudimentary form, a sweat-drenched Ding Li realized that half of the *Chen* hour had already passed. Glancing at the busy crowd around him swinging iron pickaxes and hoes, Ding Li stopped, rested his hoe against his chest, and shouted across the official road to Ludachi: "Ludachi, let the brothers take a rest, drink some water, and eat a few bites of the mutton we brought to line our stomachs. After we finish the job later, I'll treat the brothers to the best food available!"

"Alright! Brothers, Brother Li has spoken! Take a rest, eat and drink a bit, and then we'll get back to work!" Ludachi had long been impatient. He genuinely hadn't expected Ding Li to bring people out here to do such crude manual labor. In his understanding, hearing about how his tribesmen used to fight in the past, digging caltrops trenches was grueling work reserved for raw recruits. While working earlier, Ludachi had even felt a bit of regret for making up his mind last night to follow Ding Li into "battle side by side."

"Brother Li, this work is nothing, but can we let the brothers have a sip of wine?" Aguda, who had been digging trenches across the slope, immediately dropped his iron pickaxe upon hearing the rest order. Panting heavily and dragging legs as heavy as if they were filled with lead, he quickly reached the top of the slope, his legs turned to jelly, and collapsed onto the ground. Powerless, he shouted toward Ding Li: "Give us a few sips of wine to shake off the fatigue!"

As soon as these words were spoken, more than a dozen wolf-like gazes from both sides of the official road instantly converged on Ding Li, while feeling a deep sense of gratitude toward Aguda, whose words had perfectly voiced everyone's innermost thoughts.

Seeing this, Ding Li did not hesitate. Most of the people present were Mongolian lads, and Ding Li could well understand their habitual fondness for wine. He immediately nodded in agreement, though he waved his hand to instruct the crowd: "Drink—no problem! But none of you are to drink too much! Once this matter is over and we head back, I'll treat you all to a thorough drinking session!"

"Don't worry, Brother Li! The brothers know their limits!" Hearing this, Ludachi—fearing that Ding Li might suddenly retract his promise—hurriedly waved and smiled at Ding Li repeatedly. Without waiting for anyone else to move, his tired legs suddenly regained their strength as he turned swiftly, bolted into the woods beside the official road straight toward his mount, and skillfully untied the wine and meat bound to the side of his saddle.

Perhaps the crowd had not expected Ding Li to agree to Aguda's request so readily. It wasn't until Ludachi emerged from the woods into everyone's sight, holding a wine skin in one hand and tearing into a piece of mutton with his teeth in the other, that the rest suddenly snapped to their senses, immediately dropping their tools and dashing toward their mounts to fetch their own wine and meat.

Although there was wine and meat, there was no abundant time for them to enjoy it. In less time than it takes to burn half an incense stick—after Ding Li finished a whole chunk of mutton—he picked up his hoe again and resumed digging the caltrops trenches. Though Ding Li did not urge the others verbally, the men present were mostly bold and forthright fellows; how could they tolerate eating and drinking while their leader, Ding Li, was doing the heavy lifting himself? Exchanging glances with one another, they also picked up their tools and went back to work.

Perhaps a small amount of wine truly helped relieve fatigue, or perhaps Ding Li's actions greatly boosted everyone's morale. This time, they labored continuously for a full hour. Throughout the period, everyone vied to work harder; not a single person complained of fatigue, nor did anyone think of slacking off or holding back.

The three trenches over eight zhang wide beyond the slope, along with dozens of complex, interwoven smaller trenches distributed along both sides of the official road, were now complete. Under Ding Li's personal guidance, the camouflage applied over the trenches was so skillfully done that even they themselves could not tell at a glance. If they hadn't marked the spots beforehand, Ding Li even suspected that they might accidentally fall into the trenches themselves if they entered the woods on either side again.

With a great sense of accomplishment, Aguda accompanied Ding Li on an inspection of all the trenches. Finally, his gaze landed on the only trench that had not yet been covered with wild grass and fine soil for camouflage. Seeing that the time was getting close to what they had calculated, he asked Ding Li doubtfully: "Brother Li, the time is almost here; we'd better hurry with that one!"

"Yes, it's time to test their lethality!" Ding Li smiled and nodded, turning to pat Aguda on the shoulder as he said: "Trouble you once more, brother. Bring the fellow who assassinated Brother Wu over here, and by the way, have the brothers all come over to look at the fruits of our long labor!"