The bamboo grove was still about five kilometers from Zhuangdong Ridge, so they had some time to get there.
Whether any unexpected incidents would occur along the way, Liu Tiezhu couldn't predict.
Thus, they had to leave enough time to handle any surprises.
Half an hour later, the three of them had eaten their fill, mounted their horses, and galloped toward Zhuangdong Ridge.
"Brother Tiezhu, where exactly is that bastard Jiang Tianliang's unit stationed?" Ergouzi asked.
Zhuangdong Ridge was vast; without precise information, finding the unit's hideout in a short time wouldn't be easy.
"They're hiding on the north side of Zhuangdong Ridge, a place called Crescent Pool."
"It's all huge rocks and ancient pine trees. We just head north once we reach the foot of the mountain."
Liu Tiezhu replied, urging his horse to go faster.
The three rode hard for dozens of minutes, finally stopping at a stream at the base of a mountain.
Liu Tiezhu roughly oriented himself, then pointed north.
"Everyone be careful. That place should be our destination."
Yang Haitian and Ergouzi looked up.
In the dim moonlight, the north side was covered in bizarrely shaped boulders, with one particularly conspicuous rock halfway up the mountain.
This rock hung like a curved crescent moon on the mountainside, surrounded by stones below like a deep pool.
If the intelligence he'd received was correct, that should be Jiang Tianliang's unit's hideout.
"Brother Tiezhu, what are we waiting for? Let's grab the grenades and go wipe them out."
Thinking about taking down Jiang Tianliang's lair, Ergouzi felt an inexplicable excitement.
Liu Tiezhu responded by giving Ergouzi a sharp knock on the head.
"Rushing up there recklessly—do you want to get shot full of holes?"
Yang Haitian chimed in, "Tiezhu's right. We can't charge in blindly."
"Logically, if they're stationed here, they've definitely set up sentries around."
"If we go up carelessly, we'll get hit by bullets."
Ergouzi paused, then dared not speak again.
Yang Haitian turned his gaze back to Liu Tiezhu.
"Tiezhu, do you have any good ideas?"
Liu Tiezhu shook his head. "I've carefully observed the surroundings. There's only one path up."
"If we take that path, the sentries will spot us."
"Of course, we could take a detour, but we don't have enough time."
Yang Haitian fell silent, then his eyes landed on the grenades behind him, and they lit up.
"Tiezhu, can we lure them out somehow?"
Liu Tiezhu was taken aback. Seeing Yang Haitian's gaze on the grenades, he quickly caught on.
"Brother Tian, you mean using these to make some noise?"
Yang Haitian nodded. "My idea is to set off two grenades to create a commotion."
"Once they come out to check, we fire some shots."
"As long as the noise kicks up, the ones inside will definitely come out."
Liu Tiezhu said, "That plan could work, but we need to find a good spot to ambush first."
After deciding, they picked up the grenades and moved forward.
To avoid being spotted by sentries, none of them dared walk too fast, stopping every few steps to scan the area.
Moving like this, they halted after just over ten meters.
The rocks ahead were densely packed, dozens of them, forming a triangle shape, surrounded by thick pine trees—perfect for hiding.
Liu Tiezhu carefully examined the area for a moment, then confirmed this as their ambush point.
"Ergouzi, you hide behind the rock on the left. Brother Tian, take the right. I'll handle the middle."
With the plan set, they divided the grenades from the crate and took their positions.
Once in place, Liu Tiezhu pulled out a grenade and tossed it forward.
Seconds later, a massive explosion echoed through the ravine.
The men stationed above Crescent Pool immediately fell into chaos.
They quickly dressed, and under the leadership of Jiang Tianliang's brother-in-law, Huang Jizhong, they rushed downhill with flashlights.
Seeing the dense, swaying beams of light, Liu Tiezhu and the others knew their plan had worked.
"What's going on? Which direction did that grenade come from?"
Huang Jizhong asked the two men on watch.
"Captain Huang, the grenade went off about thirty meters below. It should be—"
Before the two men could finish, another burst of gunfire rang out from below.
Liu Tiezhu had deliberately added fuel to the fire to hurry the men down the mountain.
Huang Jizhong, utterly clueless, turned pale at the sound of gunfire.
He waved his hand and shouted, "Damn it, they're definitely coming to attack us. Everyone, charge!"
No one dared delay; they loaded their rifles and followed Huang Jizhong.
Watching the approaching lights, Liu Tiezhu and the others grew tense.
Judging by the number of lights, there were at least fifty or so men.
Yang Haitian was the most nervous.
It was his first time doing something like this, and fear crept in.
His palms were slick with sweat, and his heart felt like it might leap out of his chest.
But he knew that no matter how scared he was, he had to push through.
If he held them back, all three of them would end up dead.
About ten minutes later, Huang Jizhong led everyone into the ambush zone.
Seeing the swirling dust, he immediately ordered caution.
Watching this, Liu Tiezhu, hidden behind a rock, almost laughed out loud.
He never dreamed the enemy would be so foolish—lured out by a single grenade and a few dozen bullets.
He wasn't about to miss such a golden opportunity.
Without a second thought, he pulled the pin on a grenade and hurled it at Huang Jizhong.
The hissing fuse made Huang Jizhong and the others freeze.
By the time they snapped out of it, the grenade was already at their feet.
"Damn, it's a grenade!"
A sharp-eyed man shouted.
The others, coming to their senses, were paralyzed with shock.
Boom!!!
The deafening blast and blinding sparks swallowed six men instantly, flesh and blood scattering, terrifying the rest into a stupor.
They scrambled to their feet, panicked, ready to flee.
But as they moved, countless grenades flew in.
Boom, boom, boom...
Explosions rang out one after another, the scene filled with flying debris and agonized screams.
Under the relentless bombardment of dozens of grenades, nearly all of Huang Jizhong's men were wiped out.
Those not hit by the grenades were riddled with shrapnel from shattered rocks, their injuries even more horrifying than the blast victims.
When the chaos subsided, Liu Tiezhu and the others raised their guns and stepped out to survey the battlefield.
What met their eyes were severed limbs and scattered flesh.
Yang Haitian took a few steps, turned pale, and vomited on the spot.
It was a normal reaction; after throwing up, he'd be fine next time.
Ergouzi had had the same reaction when he first killed, but now it didn't affect him.
Liu Tiezhu checked the area and found three men still clinging to life.
Their lower bodies were blown off, their faces ashen, lying on the ground in agony.
Seeing Liu Tiezhu approach, terror filled their faces.
Liu Tiezhu aimed his gun at one of them.
"How many are still stationed up there?"
"Twelve... twelve men," the man replied weakly.
"Where are they stationed? Give me the exact positions."
The man, knowing he wouldn't survive, revealed all twelve locations.
As he told Liu Tiezhu, he asked for a quick death.
With a gunshot, Liu Tiezhu granted the man's final wish.
After dealing with him, the three regrouped and moved toward the supply depot at Crescent Pool.