Chapter 10: Claiming the Mountain as King

Lv Ning also did not know how to defend, relying only on summarizing through practical experience. Moreover, isn't it said by later generations that the best defense is offense? It makes sense; as long as you strike faster than others, they will certainly have to defend. If you are even slightly slower, you might lose your life, let alone be able to attack. No matter how exquisite your skills are, what use are they if you cannot execute them

Li You led all the brothers from the stronghold down the mountain to welcome Lu Ning. After everyone exchanged greetings, they walked together up the mountain. As Lu Ning conversed with Li You, he observed the geographical location of the stronghold.

After hearing Lv Ning's words, Li You was also greatly astonished. He had never expected the enemy to use fire attacks; he thought he had chosen a good stronghold. Now, after listening to Lv Ning, he was sweating all over. Fortunately, no one had thought of using fire to burn the mountain this year.

Lv Ning solemnly stated: "For an elite troop to achieve invincibility in battle, it is essential to have strict military regulations and discipline. Only when both generals and soldiers adhere to military discipline can they become a formidable force. Otherwise, no matter how elite the troop is, it will be ineffective and unable to secure victory. Therefore, we must now establish military discipline. Over the past few days, I have made some preliminary arrangements. If you have no objections, all our brothers will be required to strictly enforce it, including myself, who will also adhere to the military regulations and discipline."

Li You, upon hearing this, thought it was rather severe, but still nodded and said: "Yes, my lord, I will obey your command."

At the welcome banquet, Lu Ning drank relatively little, mainly because the wine was too unpleasant. What kind of wine is this? It is sour and spicy, and it is not even as good as the rice wine from the Dai people in later generations. The alcohol content is probably only around 3 to 5 degrees, so Lu Ning only took a symbolic sip.

After reading it, Li You said to Lü Ning: "The Lord's writing is excellent, I have no objections, I will proceed as the Lord has instructed."

The stockade is situated on a small peak. It is surrounded by dense forests, and there is only one path leading up the mountain. Although there are certain perilous points upon reaching the summit, if the enemy were to set the mountain ablaze, Lü Ning estimates that there would be no chance of escape.

In the context of combat between two parties, the key to victory lies in speed. As long as your speed surpasses that of your opponent, no matter how exceptional their techniques may be, they will be rendered ineffective before they can even execute them. What use is a special technique if it cannot be applied? However, to possess speed, one must first have superior vision, able to see further and react more quickly than the opponent, and a heightened sense of hearing that is more acute than others, allowing one's actions to be executed faster. Therefore, the abilities of vision and hearing are of utmost importance. Since Lü Ning arrived in ancient times, his vision has significantly improved, likely surpassing that of the average person today. When he encounters skilled opponents in the future, it will be interesting to observe their speed. If it appears as if he is viewing them in slow motion, it would indicate a remarkable enhancement in his own visual and auditory capabilities.

The next day, Lü Ning and Li You discussed the key focus of their future work, informing him that they could not stay here for long; otherwise, if the enemy were to launch a fire attack, we would all perish in the flames

Those who dare to falsely report military achievements shall be executed by decapitation

In the village, more than ten hunters heard that Lü Ning was going to hunt the barbarians, and all of them wanted to follow him. Lü Ning politely declined them all, but still took along two hunters who were relatively clever, honest, and skilled in archery. They were Zhang Chuang and Zhang Sha'er.

Lü Ning shook his head while watching, completely unaware of why Li You would think of establishing a stronghold here. Isn't this playing with one's life

Lu Ning glanced at Li You and said slowly, "Li You, since you do not yet have a courtesy name, let me give you one. I shall call you Bu Hui, Li Bu Hui. What do you think?"

Lü Ningdao: "Then tomorrow we will announce to everyone that all military regulations must be memorized by each person within ten days. Those who cannot memorize them after ten days will receive fifty military strokes. There will be a check every half month thereafter, and those who have not memorized them will also receive fifty military strokes."

Ten days later, Lü Ning's battle flag and osmanthus flowers were also prepared by them, and it was time for Lü Ning to leave Shanhou Village. The villagers knew that Lü Ning was going to lead Li You and others to fight against the Xianbei, Xiongnu, and other Tartars. Although they fervently tried to persuade Lü Ning to stay, she still had to leave

Li You immediately knelt down and thanked Lu Ning, saying: "Thank you, my lord, for the bestowed name."

In recent days, Lu Ning has not only learned the setting of mechanical traps from the hunters and practiced archery, but has also trained his horsemanship skills. In later years, Lu Ning had never ridden a horse, let alone a warhorse. Especially now, there is nothing on the horse's back, nor are there saddles or stirrups; it entirely relies on the strength of his two legs.

Those who dare to commit sexual assault, engage in forced buying and selling, or bully the elderly and the weak shall be executed

Additionally, Lü Ning has devised more than ten to twenty knife techniques suitable for use on horseback, inspired by the fighting moves depicted in later films and television shows. However, all of these techniques are offensive in nature, with none focused on defense

When Lu Ning left, the entire village knelt down to bid him farewell, and Guihua was especially in tears. Lu Ning helped her wipe away her tears and encouraged her to be a little happier

Less than two hours past one o'clock, Lu Ning and his group arrived at Li You's mountain stronghold

Those who dare to abandon their comrades shall be executed

Lü Ning primarily focuses on meat, with little else in terms of vegetables, only a small amount of unknown wild greens, but they taste quite good

Those who dare to forcibly seize the property of the people or borrow from the people's wealth without repayment shall be executed

At the very beginning, the inner thighs of Lu Ning were as uncomfortable as they could be. As for items like saddles and stirrups, although Lu Ning was aware of them, he could not speak of them just yet. Such things were too simple; once mentioned, they could be easily learned by others, and by then, he would be in big trouble.

Lü Ning shook his head and said, "Get up, there is no need to be so polite around me"

After parting ways with the villagers, Lu Ning and his group of five proceeded towards the mountain stronghold of Li You. The two subordinates left behind by Li You were named Er Gou and Hei Zi. Due to the lack of extra horses, Lu Ning had no choice but to have Zhang Chuang and Zhang Sha Er share two horses with Er Gou and Hei Zi, making a total of four people riding on two horses.

Those who dare to betray the army shall be executed

Li Youdao: "It is the lord's command, everything shall be at the lord's discretion"

That evening, Li You held a grand welcome banquet for Lü Ning. Lü Ning naturally became the leader of the mountain bandits, a role he never expected to assume in ancient times. However, this was not a sustainable plan; if he wished for better prospects in the future, he must quickly shed the title of mountain bandit leader. Otherwise, he would be eradicated by the authorities as a bandit or a member of organized crime.

They walked slowly along the way, and Lu Ning took the opportunity to leisurely admire the beautiful scenery of the Han Dynasty. The landscape was indeed enchanting, with the forests largely undamaged, the vegetation intact, and no pollution. The air was fresh, and the sky was a clear blue, unlike the modern times when the sky is overcast with smoke and dust, leading to a plethora of respiratory diseases.

1. All actions must follow orders, and all confiscated items shall be turned over to the public; those who violate this order shall be executed.