Chapter 1340: Making Things Worse (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

A day later, Gong Xichou wanted to retract his words from the previous chapter.

I'm increasingly doubting whether something is wrong with my life.

Before setting off, Lin Feng was making a final effort to restrain Gong Xi Chou. Unfortunately, she had never owned a large pet, otherwise she would know that when a huge animal gets excited, not even eight oxen could pull it back. Wasn't Gong Xi Chou even more capricious than a pet?

"Lin Xiaoma, changing orders frequently is a major taboo in the army!" Gong Xichou adopted a serious and irresistible posture, using his status as a general to "pressure" Lin Feng for the first time. When he was serious, he was not to be defiant. "You will be in charge of the mission to Qu Kingdom, but I will be the general after the mission is over. Tell me, when a general is in the field, whose orders should be obeyed?"

Lin Feng said, "Of course I will listen to the General."

Gong Xichou's serious and tense expression seemed to melt away like ice and snow in a spring breeze. He looked younger and more energetic than his peers, the secret lying in his clear, unchanging eyes, devoid of any of the sinister darkness accumulated from years of killing. They were always bright and sparkling, as lustrous and lustrous as pearls he had treasured for many years without turning yellow: "That's right, if the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up!"

They wouldn't want to crush Lin Feng, who's shorter than them, first.

Lin Feng felt helpless, but still voiced his concerns: "Judging from the current situation in Sugyong County, even if the scale of the forces that the Lord has built in the central region is not large, it should not take more than a month to conquer it. I am worried that the Lord may have encountered some difficult trouble, or that there is some secret about Sugyong County that we do not know about."

That's the trouble with a lack of information.

There are many possibilities, making it impossible to accurately select the correct one.

Gong Xichou, unusually willing to use his brain, countered, "Lin Xiaoma is just too worried; being overly cautious isn't a good habit. Why isn't it that Mama deliberately left Shan Yong County unattacked, intentionally using this piece of meat to lure reinforcements to their deaths?"

From a geographical perspective, Sugina County still holds strategic significance.

Lin Feng said, "That's certainly a possibility."

The Lord has used the tactic of besieging a point and attacking reinforcements before going to war.

Using an encircled target to draw enemy reinforcements, and then leveraging terrain and troop advantages to strike the arriving reinforcements, gradually weakening the enemy forces, is indeed beneficial to the lord's current situation. This also explains why she couldn't find the lord's main force.

Lin Feng still had doubts about this tactic.

There shouldn't be any troops monitoring and surrounding the area near Suginaga County.

This unfounded worry persisted until Gongxi Chou and his men challenged them from below the city walls. He wasn't even wearing armor; he rode his warhorse casually towards the drawbridge over the moat, focused his inner energy, and channeled his martial spirit into his voice, the sound waves carrying his provocation throughout the outer city: "Those inside, come out and open the city gates—"

The fifty-odd men who had been brought out raised their arms and shouted, "Open the city gates! Open the city gates! Open the city gates!"

Gongxi Chou rode his horse freely, his leisurely demeanor showing no signs of being on the battlefield; even a blind man could see he was taunting them. Any warrior with a modicum of spirit would find this humiliation unbearable: "I'll count to ten. If you open the city gates before ten, I'll spare your life. If you open them after ten, don't blame me for slaughtering the entire city with this halberd in my hand!"

Luo Sha asked Lin Feng seriously, "Slaughter the city? Us?"

It wasn't a question of whether or not the city should be massacred, but rather that they had only managed to muster this small force, with the rest of their troops stationed and guarding the valley.

If there are 50,000 people in the city, one person would have to kill 1,000.

Lin Feng lowered his voice and said, "I just said it offhand."

Say whatever you can threaten the other party with.

Gongxi Chou had never personally led a massacre in his entire life. Even when he attacked Xiaocheng under Tang Guo's command, he was only responsible for dueling generals and suppressing the city's defenders like Mama. Lin Feng knew the inside story, but the soldiers and commoners inside the city were unaware of it.

These men had endured a long siege and been without food for some time; their morale and physical condition were at a low point, and the harsher Gongxi Chou's threats were, the more effective they became. Sure enough, the defenders on the city walls were thrown into chaos.

"Report! Someone is challenging us from below the city walls!"

The captain suddenly opened his dark, tiger-like eyes, which flashed with a sharp light. His aura exploded, like a volcano about to erupt, carrying a terrifying pressure that made the messenger almost suffocate. He said in a low voice, "My ears aren't deaf. I heard you!"

The enemy's arrogant countdown rang in my ears: "Ten!"

The other party deliberately dragged out the last syllable, exuding contempt.

The captain suppressed his murderous intent: "How many men have come?"

The countdown continues: "Nine!"

The soldier replied quickly, "Forty-nine people in total!"

The captain almost laughed in anger when he heard the number, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fists: "Ha, forty-nine men?"

Forty-nine ants dared to jump on his face?

Gong Xichou steadily counted down: "Eight!"

The captain grabbed his weapon, roared, and summoned his personal guards to the city wall. Today, he was determined to capture all the invading villains, skin them alive, scrape off their fat, extract their oil, and burn them as sky lanterns! Even their intestines would be thoroughly cleaned and spread out to be made into human kites!

He leaped forward and headed straight for the city wall.

The countdown had gone from "seven" to "six," and the final "five" was shattered by a terrifying sonic boom. As the smoke and dust cleared from the city wall, a burly figure emerged. His face, beneath his helmet, was as black as ink, now clouded with shadows. He stood on the wall, looking down at the mere forty-nine people below, and roared, "You're courting death!"

He really wanted to kill someone.

After the last incident, the granary suffered heavy losses, and the foundation of trust between him and the prefect completely collapsed. The captain knew that the prefect must still have a batch of grain, but the other party refused to give it to him, claiming that he had none. You can't cook without rice! This led to the complete explosion of the long-accumulated conflict between the two sides, from arguing, shoving, fighting and even bloodshed, like a runaway horse completely out of control.

The captain, upon learning of this, could not blame his subordinates.

The contradictions were so acute that they were out of control.

His troops took full control of all affairs in the city, and in the following half month, they dealt with the invading enemy twice more. Unable to gain any advantage from him, the enemy changed their strategy, which made the commander more worried than pleased.

While enemies can be dealt with by force, a food crisis cannot be overcome simply by tightening one's belt. Wealthy grain merchants in the city, with their sinister intentions, pushed already high grain prices to new heights.

The captain, unable to bear it any longer, slaughtered all of them.

Trouble is like field mice; you beat one batch and another batch pops out from another hole to provoke your nerves.

It's been repeatedly banned but still doesn't stop, it's incredibly annoying! I wonder how the prefect who was imprisoned in the dungeon dealt with these troublesome issues before.

The captain had considered taking the initiative.

But he also needed to find Shen Tang's main force; these men were elusive and relentless! When he wanted to fight them, he couldn't find them, but when he wanted to break out, they would conveniently block key routes. The morale of the captain's side was plummeting. The physical hunger was bearable, but the mental torment was driving them mad!

At this moment, forty-nine ants came to challenge the establishment.

Hehe, Luo San was almost laughing in anger.

These people below the city hadn't even raised a flag! The captain initially thought they were a bunch of arrogant warlords and bandits, but upon closer inspection, he realized something was amiss. Among the forty-nine men were two high-ranking officials of the eighteenth rank, and the rest were all skilled in both martial arts and literature.

Ten, eight, etc., great, commoner, elder?

Luo San burst out laughing this time!

Gongxi Chou pointed his halberd at the opponent.

This eleventh-rank right guard was the one he had scouted out yesterday; he seemed to be the city's garrison commander. He raised his head defiantly: "Grandpa doesn't kill nameless nobodies. What's your name? State it!"

"I am Luo San!" Luo San was in a better mood and was willing to show some patience. "You arrogant brat, how dare you call yourself grandpa in front of me? Leave your life, and I'll scatter wine on your grave next year!"

"Luo San? Luo Shenlu, you're from my clan from five hundred years ago." Gong Xichou continued his usual scathing remarks, his aggression undeniable. "What a name that's neither loved by father nor mother. Remember, your grandfather's name is Gong Xichou!"

Having said that, he and his men charged straight up the city wall and charged into battle!

Luo Sha roughly assessed the situation on the city wall. It was filled with remnants of the army, the wall was dilapidated in many places, and the surrounding aura was thin and weak, suggesting it couldn't even support the wall's defenses. Naturally, Luo Sha wasn't worried about Gong Xi Chou being in danger.

The next breath—

A massive explosion erupted from the city wall.

A figure was shot off the city wall like a cannonball.

With a loud bang, the ground collapsed, and dust filled the air.

Luo Sha's pupils suddenly contracted.

Outsiders couldn't see the situation clearly, but he saw the fleeting scene on the city wall perfectly. The person forcibly knocked down wasn't the expected defending general Luo San, but Gong Xi Chou, who had confidently gone up to take the hit! Without hesitation, Luo Sha chose to strike!

With a clang, the trident deflected the falling blade.

Gong Xichou leaped out of the deep pit, simultaneously attacking Luo San, whose strength was indeed strange. Before the fight, Luo San was merely an eleventh-rank right-hand man who could be easily understood, but the moment they clashed, Luo San's body unleashed power far exceeding Gong Xichou's. Caught off guard, Gong Xichou could only deflect the force with a light touch.

Even so, he still managed to get some dust in his mouth.

Armor instantly covered his entire body; he was no longer letting his guard down.

"...Old bastard, you're truly shameless!"

Gongxi Chou had traveled far and wide for many years, and he had never seen a 19th-rank Guannei Marquis disguised as an 11th-rank Right Watchman fishing. Judging from his imposing aura, he was probably not far from being a 20th-rank Chehou (a high-ranking official). This guy wasn't like Gongyang Yongye, who was just slacking off; his momentum and will were at their peak! It was truly an eye-opener, like a small knife pulling a slit in the back!

In their first exchange, Lin Feng realized the worst had happened. He raised his hand and conjured the Word Spirit [Five Virtues of a General], with four beams of light landing on Gong Xichou and Luo Sha respectively: "Send a message back and order the people in the valley to prepare for evacuation."

Lin Feng made a simple assessment of the enemy and friendly forces situation and made a diagnosis.

They've really messed up.

Luo Sha's arrival did not alleviate Gong Xichou's pressure; in fact, they vaguely sensed that the opponent's momentum had intensified, and the oppressive force coming their way only increased. However, fortunately, there were two of them, allowing them to alternate between offense and defense. With Lin Feng's spiritual power assisting them, and the occasional strange and unusual literary energy barriers hindering the opponent's vision and judgment, their lives were not in immediate danger. They were just a bit disheveled.

"Look at the arrow—"

With bows and crossbows in hand, martial energy transformed into thousands of arrows, raining down, turning the battlefield below the city into scorched earth. The already sparse vegetation hissed and emitted black smoke under the corrosive acid. Luo San cleaved forward with a powerful strike, his wind-breaking blade slicing diagonally into the ground, causing the earth to surge dozens of feet high like ocean waves, engulfing the area in front of Luo San, followed by a thunderous strike!

Luo San's eyes turned sinister: "Die!"

The arc-shaped light blade spread out with the force of sweeping across an army.

All those over six feet tall were cut down!

Gong Xichou and Luo Sha simultaneously attacked, cleaving a gash in the air. They, along with Lin Feng, commanded a small military formation, forming a goose-like formation, yet the strong wind still made it difficult for them to maintain their footing. Luo San, however, possessed some martial virtue; he didn't pick on the weak, refraining from attacking Lin Feng and his group, his eyes fixed only on Gong Xichou and his two scoundrels! The next instant, the mist and fog above and behind him coalesced into a colossal, sky-covering mass.

The giant creature opened its massive mouth, ready to swallow him whole.

He scoffed, "What little bastard!"

The moment the phantom of the bow-backed whale opened its mouth and touched him, a tremendous force erupted from Luo San's palm, like a mountain smashing into the whale, leaving it dizzy and abruptly deflecting its downward dive. The bow-backed whale crashed into the moat with a thud, letting out a pitiful cry.

Luo Sha was taken aback.

Clearly, they hadn't expected the other party to handle the situation so calmly.

Even Luo Yuan in the past couldn't do this.

no--

Could it be that they've run into a genuine Lord Che?

Luo San cracked his knuckles together, making a snapping sound, and sneered, "You two are jumping around like monkeys, you've got some skills, you can make this old man's joints loosen up completely!"

Even a rank twenty marquis doesn't have such an arrogant tone!

Gong Xichou wanted to roll his eyes. Even Yun Da back then didn't have such a boastful tone! If he really spoke so casually to Luo San, how could the two of them have survived? They're still stubborn even after they're dead!

He and Luo Sha exchanged a glance.

"superior!"

Even if this old man pretending to be an eleventh-rank right watchman fishing wasn't a marquis, Gongxi Chou wouldn't be too worried about his life, even if he were a twentieth-rank marquis. That old man from Weicheng said he was only responsible for providing support and didn't care about the others' lives, but Lin Feng judged that he probably hadn't gone far and was likely still nearby until they were truly safe—otherwise, why would the lord say he was of pure character and chivalrous spirit?

Since there's no danger to our lives, let's do it.

"Report—Urgent request from the front lines—"

Shen Tang's good mood was completely extinguished by this urgent letter.

Before she could even put the noodles in her mouth, she slurped them down while asking the soldier to explain the situation: "Read it—"

As we all know, 99% of urgent dispatches from the front lines bring no good news.

This time is no exception.

"Pfft—what did you say?"

Shen Tang almost choked on her noodles and hurriedly wiped her mouth.

The first question: "What's the situation with Suginaga County?"

The second question: "Who's trying to steal my peaches?"

The third question: "Why make such a commotion by stealing peaches?"

Gong Xichou was right about one thing: Shen Tang was currently employing a strategy of encirclement without attack, besieging a point to lure reinforcements, while simultaneously consuming the enemy forces that came to her doorstep, moving from one battlefield to another. Her forces were limited; only a small contingent was keeping a close watch on Shen Yong County, disguised as villagers to secretly relay intelligence. As soon as she received any news from Shen Yong County, she would lead troops to intercept them.

Luo San may not starve, but the others might not be able to endure it.

It not only torments their stomachs, but also their minds.

Just as their efforts to train the eagles were showing results, news arrived from the front lines that something was amiss: a massive explosion had suddenly erupted within Sugenaga County, suggesting that a warlord force was bypassing their lines and launching a direct attack on Sugenaga County. Judging from the scale of the attack, the leading general was formidable!

"Powerful?"

Shen Tang raised an eyebrow and slurped up the rest of the noodle soup.

"Don't panic, how strong can it be?"

|ω`)

Sigh, the thing I feared most still happened.

I drove out of the garage today and my tire ran over dog poop, boohoo.

(End of this chapter)