"Urgent report from the city—!!"

Warhorses rampaged through the city, and scouts who swept through the city shouted incessantly, shattering the tranquility of Anyi. The people whispered among themselves, cursing the Qin state for its brutality and for launching another war without cause.

Inside the General's Mansion.

Ke Lan, the general guarding Anyi Town, was hosting a banquet for his subordinate generals. Inside the hall, people were singing and dancing, clinking glasses, and the atmosphere was lively.

Ke Lan raised his cup and invited, "Gentlemen, let's drink to this cup together. With Lord Xinling's alliance against Qin, we can finally enjoy a few comfortable days."

"Great prize!"

Everyone stood up, laughed, and drank their wine in one gulp.

"Urgent report from Juancheng: The Qin army is attacking the city! General, please send troops to reinforce us immediately!"

Just then, an untimely shout rang out, cooling down the heated atmosphere in the hall.

Ke Lan's originally cheerful face suddenly darkened, and anger surged in his heart. He had just been saying that the Qin state would not dare to invade, and now they were contradicting him.

"Tell me, how many Qin soldiers are there?"

The scout dared not conceal the truth and replied, "I do not know the true number, but I know that the number of attackers is about forty or fifty thousand."

Ke Lan's eyes narrowed suddenly. According to the usual pattern, the vanguard attacking the city would have 40,000 to 50,000 men, while the main force behind the city would have at least 200,000 to 300,000 men, which should be similar to the number of troops in Anyi!

After a moment of contemplation, Ke Lan said loudly, "Jian Zhang, take 200,000 troops to provide support. Together with the 100,000 garrison troops of Juancheng, they will be able to deal with the invading Qin soldiers."

As soon as he finished speaking, the man sitting at the head of the left seat below him stood up and said decisively, "As you command, General, Jian Zhang will certainly live up to your expectations."

Having said that, he turned and followed the scout away.

"Keep the music playing, keep dancing!"

Ke Lan hurriedly urged everyone to continue, thinking that with Jian Zhang's abilities and an army of 200,000, blocking the Qin army would not be a problem at all. He did not take it too seriously, but little did he know that Juan City had already fallen and all 100,000 soldiers in the city had been slaughtered.

“General, this matter is likely not simple!” A young man sitting at the far right end of the table stood up with a solemn expression and slowly said, “I urge you to report this to the King and send people to notify the surrounding cities to be on high alert in case of any unforeseen circumstances!”

A hint of displeasure rose in Ke Lan's heart, and she waved her hand, "Then I'll leave this matter to you."

Having said that, before the young man could continue, his gaze fell directly on the dancers, "Keep playing the music, keep dancing!"

As the melodious chimes rang out, the atmosphere became lively again, and no one paid any attention to him, treating him as if he were invisible.

"I'm furious! Ke Lan underestimates the Qin Kingdom, he'll suffer a great loss!" Seeing that no one paid any attention to him, the young man was both angry and furious, and turned away with a flick of his sleeve.

He was originally a retainer and advisor of Lord Xinling, possessing extraordinary strategic acumen and deeply appreciated by Wei Wuji. However, after Wei Wuji formed an alliance to attack Qin, he aroused the suspicion of King Xi of Wei. In order to weaken Wei Wuji, he scattered his trusted confidants to various places, where they suffered bullying and oppression.

As one of Wei Wuji's confidants, he suffered far more than the others.

After leaving the bustling general's mansion, he immediately summoned scouts, intending to send them to report to King Xi of Wei and the garrison commanders of the surrounding cities.

Unexpectedly, as the saying goes, like general, like soldiers. These scouts were all seasoned veterans in the army, and knowing that he was not favored by Ke Lan, they directly rejected him on the grounds that he did not have the general's orders.

"The Wei general is doomed..."

Enraged, the young man left Anyi under the cover of night and disappeared without a trace.

...

"I admit I underestimated you, but don't even think about getting any information out of me." The garrison commander of Juancheng stiffened his neck, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the wicked husband.

Without saying a word, the old man stood up and beheaded him with his sword. Blood splattered from his neck, soaking the unsuspecting wicked husband.

"Young man, I used to admire you, but it was wrong of you to leave this man alive."

"Don't forget our purpose in coming here. We should take as many cities as we can, so as to strike at Wei and add color to Your Majesty's personal rule, rather than actually destroying or annexing it."

The wicked man was speechless for a moment. He had gone to great lengths to capture this person, intending to learn about him and his enemy, but he had wasted his time.

Biao Gong patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, saying, "In military campaigns, speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness are key. Never waste any energy, and don't create unnecessary unhappiness for yourself, which could affect your judgment."

“What Biao Gong said is right. Whether you ask or not, does that mean we won’t fight?” Meng Ao also stood up and said meaningfully, “Planning a strategy is like peeling back silk; you have to be careful at every step.”

"At all times, one must avoid emotional fluctuations and never underestimate the enemy, lest one end up like the city's garrison commander today."

The fact that the wicked man was able to easily breach the city was mainly due to his strength, but it was also largely because the city's garrison commander underestimated the enemy and lost his mind. Otherwise, even if 100,000 pigs were stuffed into the city, they could have held them off for a while.

"I've learned my lesson!" The wicked man cupped his hands in greeting, knowing that the two were giving him pointers.

Meng Ao and Biao Gong exchanged a smile and walked straight past him. "Kid, we'll each take 50,000 troops and go ahead. We'll leave 100,000 troops for you. How many cities you can capture depends on your own abilities."

The two veterans have achieved remarkable feats to get to where they are today. More or less merits are actually dispensable to them. They will not steal the spotlight, so they have ceded the stage to the villain.

"Thank you, Generals!" The wicked man watched the two old generals depart, a surge of heroic ambition welling up within him. He took a deep breath, strode out of the generals' residence, and went to gather his army.

...

The next day, at the crack of dawn.

"Issue the general's order: leave no Wei soldier alive within the city!"

"Pass on the order... leave no one alive!"

The scouts sent out by the wicked husband sped through the streets and alleys of the lake city, repeatedly shouting the military orders that the wicked husband had just issued, their voices clear and loud.

Last night, after leaving Juancheng, the wicked man gathered 100,000 troops and headed south towards Hucheng. He attacked Hucheng, which was defended by only 20,000 to 30,000 people, with the appearance of a heavenly army descending to earth.

The soldiers showed no signs of fatigue, and were searching for Wei soldiers in the city with great enthusiasm. These were all living achievements and riches, so how could they feel tired?

In other words, most of the pressure of the daytime battles was borne by the Evil Man and the Black Dragon Armored Army. Otherwise, even an iron man would not be able to withstand the fierce battles during the day and the nighttime raids covering dozens of miles to attack the city.

As the shouts of battle within the city gradually subsided, the soldiers returned in small groups, their faces beaming with smiles. The wicked man immediately ordered, "Rest in the city, and set off for Dayang after half past noon."

He came here hoping to add as much color as possible to Ying Zheng's rule. If he weren't worried about the soldiers' lack of energy causing additional casualties, he would have loved to march straight to Dayang.

"Let me go! Is this how your Qin state treats those who surrender, or are you afraid of me, an unarmed man?"

The wicked husband, who was leaning against a stall and pretending to doze off, was startled awake by the rebuke and looked up toward the source of the sound.