Chapter 263: 263, Ren Xiaosu's first battle!

Under Ren Xiaosu's leadership, a large private army swept through the mountains like swarms of locusts, leaving no edible thing untouched. During this time, Ren Xiaosu raided three snake dens, capturing over two hundred hibernating snakes, some of which were exceptionally plump. Seizing the moment before they could awaken, he ordered his men to slaughter them all. This act won the admiration of everyone, and following the deputy company commander became almost a belief in each person's heart... Li Qingzheng laughed heartily: "It's you, Xiaosu, who has the solutions. You never lack food wherever you go." In this wilderness, the ability to find sustenance anywhere was a remarkable skill in itself. At this moment, Ren Xiaosu turned to look at the reinforced company and paused: "Hey? Where's Liu Taizu?" Originally, the reinforced company had been taking turns carrying Liu Taizu, but as they walked, Liu Taizu vanished. Li Qingzheng whispered: "I saw them secretly throw Liu Taizu by the roadside. They probably think you're more reliable than him, showing their loyalty." Ren Xiaosu felt a pang of melancholy. A former deputy company commander had been so callously "abandoned." Today, the reinforced company could discard Liu Taizu; tomorrow, they could do the same to him, Ren Xiaosu. Who would dare accept such "loyalty"? This incident reminded Ren Xiaosu once again that there were no good people in the Iron Second Company, so he shouldn't take his position as company commander too seriously. The reinforced company's commander approached Ren Xiaosu and said with a smile: "Commander, why don't we camp here tonight? I think we have enough food." Ren Xiaosu smiled: "You've worked hard, but we still need to move on. It's not safe here." "Alright, then I'll rally everyone to push a bit further," the reinforced company commander said, beaming with delight as he walked away. Ren Xiaosu didn't want to camp there not because it was unsafe, but because he hadn't yet led his private army to the designated location. The team continued forward, and though they hadn't eaten anything, everyone felt unusually energetic. Suddenly, Ren Xiaosu spotted smoke rising from a valley ahead. He called over the reinforced company commander and said: "Is that a friendly force ahead? Let's check. If we meet them, we'll greet them and ask for directions. Are we heading in the right direction? Is it toward Fengyishan?" "Sure," the reinforced company commander replied. At this point, Ren Xiaosu quietly instructed Li Qingzheng and Chen Wudi: "You must stay at the back of the formation. Make sure no one falls behind. If anyone tries to flee, treat them as deserters and execute them on the spot. If it comes to a full-scale fight, stay out of the way and avoid stray bullets." Li Qingzheng froze. Ren Xiaosu's words clearly indicated he knew what was in the mountains, and now he was deliberately luring these private soldiers into the trap! Moreover, Ren Xiaosu was certain that a fierce battle would erupt soon! What was going on? How did Ren Xiaosu know all this? Li Qingzheng suddenly remembered that Ren Xiaosu had been sneaking out frequently lately. Had something changed during that time? The Qing Yun's representatives could have taken the main road, surrendered their weapons, and negotiated with Li's side without being killed. However, Qing Zhen insisted on secrecy to prevent third-party spies from learning about the negotiations. After all, if the Qing faction and the other two parties negotiated simultaneously, it would be disastrous if either side found out. Thus, the negotiation team had to come secretly. Only after reaching the designated location would Qing Zhen contact Li's high command, who would then personally come to the mountains for a secret negotiation. Yet Qing Zhen had no intention of negotiating with Li's side. From the start, he planned to sacrifice Qing Yun's elite forces on Li's territory. As the team moved deeper into the mountains, the reinforced company commander suddenly halted, his face paling as he realized the opposing forces wore Qing Shi's black military uniforms. In an instant, he understood—these weren't private soldiers but Qing Shi's infiltrators! When the Qing Shi soldiers saw the Shenji Camp uniforms, their first reaction was to raise their hands: "We are Qing Shi's representatives here to negotiate!" Behind them, hundreds from the Qing Shi camp slowly emerged, their rifles angled, ready to fire at any moment. Yet they looked uncertain. Were these really a thousand Shenji Camp warriors? How had they encountered the main force of Shenji Camp... Ren Xiaosu asked suspiciously: "How do you prove you're here to negotiate? We received no notice." "Our frontline commander, Qing Zhen, is negotiating with your high command. If you don't believe me, you can inquire," the Qing Shi soldier replied. Ren Xiaosu said coldly: "Put down your weapons to show your sincerity. Rest assured, Shenji Camp won't kill unarmed troops." The Qing Shi soldiers exchanged glances. The Qing Shi officer gritted his teeth, thinking long and hard. Honestly, he hadn't expected to meet Shenji Camp, and he knew full well that their 400 men faced no chance against 1,000 Shenji Camp warriors. Since they were here to negotiate, only by proceeding smoothly could they survive. Even if they barely won a chance to escape, could they flee Li's territory? Yet how could a regular force surrender their weapons just because of a few words?! The atmosphere grew increasingly tense. At this point, the reinforced company commander's legs trembled, not just him—most of the private soldiers were the same. They never imagined their deputy company commander would be so bold as to impersonate Shenji Camp to persuade them to surrender! Though they wore Shenji Camp uniforms! In the standoff, Ren Xiaosu suddenly said: "Why don't we both take a step back? I'll hand over our reinforced company's commander as a hostage to show our sincerity." The reinforced company commander: "???" How had he become a symbol of sincerity?! Who would willingly be such a hostage?! But before he could react, Ren Xiaosu shoved him forward. Stumbling, he crashed into Qing Shi's ranks, where a group of people pointed guns at him, leaving him stunned! Ren Xiaosu said coldly: "If this isn't enough, I suspect you have no sincerity and aren't here to negotiate!" At this, the Qing Shi officer slowly said: "I order you to surrender your weapons!" Just as the Qing Shi troops lowered their guns, Ren Xiaosu drew a pistol and shot the Qing Shi officer dead. The crisp gunshot echoed through the valley, leaving everyone stunned! How underhanded! Ren Xiaosu roared: "They're unarmed now! Kill the Qing Shi forces! Follow me!" The others, bewildered, some charged forward, while others wanted to flee, but Li Qingzheng and others stood behind with guns, Li Qingzheng raising his weapon and sneering: "Try running and see what happens!" A group of people rushed forward like ducks, all raising their guns and surging ahead. The battle was chaotic, with some not even understanding what was happening. Only Ren Xiaosu, fearless and charging forward, prompted them to instinctively follow, firing wildly! The Qing Shi forces behind, seeing this, immediately drew the hidden pistols in their armpits. They had agreed to surrender only because they still had concealed weapons; they were never truly disarmed! The soldier at the forefront saw Ren Xiaosu's wrist twitch, and a reinforced company soldier stepped in front of him. The movement was so subtle that the scene appeared as if the soldier had voluntarily shielded Ren Xiaosu from bullets. Ren Xiaosu cried out in anguish: "No!" By then, the reinforced company commander lay on the ground, spitting blood, the only one who had seen Ren Xiaosu's small gesture. He mumbled indistinctly: "You bastard..." Amid the dense gunfire, no one could hear what the commander was saying. ... Sorry everyone, today's third chapter update is a bit late. I don't know what to say, so I'll just ask for a monthly ticket...