Chapter 1023: Everything is ready, only military merit is lacking [Seeking monthly votes]
Kangguo Camp.
Birds occasionally fly by in the clouds beneath the distant sky.
Some of these birds are real, while others are the martial totems of enemy scouts. Below the camp is an airspace restriction; any unfamiliar martial energy approaching within a certain altitude will trigger it, alerting the enemy. The Northern Desert scouts only dare to circle and monitor from outside the safe zone; if they inadvertently fly too low, they could be shot down with an arrow.
Of course, this doesn't mean that the Northern Desert had complete knowledge of the Kang Kingdom's camp layout and troop rotation secrets. When setting up camp, their own military scribes would use specialized military formation spells to create camouflage and cover the camp. For example, from a low-altitude perspective, the camp would appear normal, but from a high-altitude perspective, it would appear to be covered by thick clouds and fog, precisely to evade enemy scouts.
Respond to each move as it comes.
The scouts also had ways to break this trick.
It all depends on whose methods are more ingenious and more watertight.
From the outside, the Kangguo camp looked no different from usual.
The military discipline was strict, and the troops were well-organized.
However, if one were to enter some of the tents at this moment, one would find them crammed with soldiers standing ready for battle. These soldiers had already formed ranks, ready to array themselves and meet the enemy at the first sign of trouble outside. The atmosphere in the main tent was so tense it was suffocating.
Qi Shan and the others sat in their respective seats without saying a word.
They all seemed to be waiting for something.
Watching the sun outside the tent gradually slant downwards.
All eyes turned to Qi Shan again.
Qi Shan showed no outward reaction, but inwardly she was somewhat irritated.
After a long silence, he said, "There's still no response."
Despite his minor "threat" to his mistress, given her temperament, she would sever all ties without hesitation should a life-threatening situation arise. Qi Shan couldn't be certain he was unharmed; he wondered if the fight between his mistress and Yunda hadn't started yet, or if they had already begun but the connection had been unilaterally severed by his mistress. This left Qi Shan quite frustrated.
He had no other means of coercion or pleading.
Qi Shan couldn't help but miss the Lord of yesteryear.
Naive, innocent, and easily fooled.
He had yelled "Shen Youli!" in anger, and she immediately gave in. Unlike now, where she verbally agrees with "Okay, okay, yes, yes, yes," but then goes back to doing whatever she wants. She's acting like a scumbag who was completely submissive during the ambiguous stage of a relationship, but became arrogant and demanding after things got official…
【The Five Elements are Lacking in Morality】Well said.
Those who are favored are always fearless.
Qi Shan was anxious and irritable because of Shen Tang, and these negative emotions naturally needed an outlet. The Northern Desert troops were the perfect target at this critical moment. The sound of hurried hooves came from outside the tent.
Those who seemed to be daydreaming subconsciously straightened their upper bodies.
It leans towards the entrance of the camp.
Outside the tent, a warhorse neighed and came to an abrupt halt a hundred paces from the main tent. The messenger dismounted. Clad in light armor, she moved with such grace and agility that she stirred only a gentle breeze as she galloped: "Report—"
Qi Shan suddenly stood up, her eyes hardening.
"Ah, you've finally arrived!"
Of all the scouts in the Northwest Continent, only the Northern Desert has the largest number and the highest quality; Kang State is truly inferior to the Northern Desert in this respect. However, Lin Feng has a special skill: she can manipulate Gu worms.
Gu worms have always been considered unorthodox or heretical practices.
This area was so cold it was practically unusable for routine military reconnaissance, making it difficult for the scouts carefully trained by the Northern Desert to counter the network Lin Feng had established. Lin Feng sensed the approaching Northern Desert troops the instant they entered the inspection area.
To avoid arousing suspicion from the Northern Desert, the Kang Kingdom camp did not expand its overt patrols, and Lin Feng could not bring too many guards when he was on patrol, lest his whereabouts be exposed. To streamline personnel while ensuring Lin Feng's safety, the only option was to increase manpower.
Lin Feng simply brought Su Shiyilu along.
Su Shiyilu, who was almost fully recovered in the wounded soldiers' camp, received the news and angrily smashed his wooden bowl: "This is outrageous!"
That young lady surnamed Lin shouldn't get too cocky!
Even a clay figure has some earthy qualities, let alone a human being!
Lin Feng: "Everyone else is doing their job, you're just sitting around doing nothing."
One sentence left Su Shiyilu speechless and his face turned ashen.
The elite troops of Wuzhou Prefecture led by Su Shiyilu did not suffer heavy losses, but many were wounded. Several of Su Shiyilu's deputy generals were still snoring in the wounded soldiers' camp, and the other wounded soldiers were recovering even more slowly.
In this counterattack, these wounded soldiers will definitely have to guard the wounded soldiers' camp.
The wounded soldiers' battalion was located in the main camp's logistics area.
It is also considered one of the safest areas in the Kangguo camp.
With Su Shiyilu's soldiers all stuck in the wounded soldiers' camp, the general was naturally left idle. Lin Feng's decision to conscript him was certainly tinged with personal revenge, but it also reflected a practical consideration.
Su Shiyilu: "..."
Lin Feng and he hid under a makeshift hole.
The space was dark and cramped.
Lin Feng didn't need to look to feel the murderous intent in Su Shiyilu's eyes; they were practically glued to her neck.
She said, "If I can return alive from this battle..."
Su Shiyi Lu did not respond.
Lin Feng held a sticky, strange animal in his arms and wrote information such as the number of troops in the Northern Desert and their marching speed on its back with his fingers: "I'm going to pay respects at your nephew's grave."
Su Shiyilu snorted.
Lin Feng said, "You're still not satisfied?"
Back then, they were enemies, so it was a life-or-death struggle. Lin Feng didn't think there was anything wrong with killing her; she was willing to go to the grave because she had voluntarily yielded, and if she didn't want to accept it, then so be it.
Su Shiyilu: "Hmph."
Lin Feng: "I have some connections with the Imperial Physician."
Su Shiyi Lu: What?
"If your sister needs anything, I can help her make contact."
Su Shi Yi Lu's younger sister, the former queen of Shi Wu, suffered a series of blows, including the death of her only son, her husband turning against Su Shi Yi Lu, being held hostage to threaten Su Shi Yi Lu, and nearly dying on the battlefield. After these events, her mind became completely unstable.
This is the information Lin Feng found out.
After the death of King Shiwu, Su Shiyilu took her back and cared for her. Over the years, he sought medical treatment for her, but the medical conditions in Shiwu were extremely poor, with folk remedies everywhere and quack doctors everywhere. Her condition remained untreated.
Physicians were scarce, and since Wuzhou surrendered late, they naturally couldn't get any. So even though Su Shiyilu knew that physicians in the medical field were highly skilled, he had no way to seek medical help. He had no connections with the medical bureau, and this time, he planned to use his military merits to hire a physician from the medical field to treat his illness.
Su Shiyilu snorted again.
This time, however, they clearly lacked confidence.
After Lin Feng finished his business, Su Shiyi escorted her back to camp.
Just as Lin Feng ran out of the cave, he heard Su Shiyilu say, "That child, Twelve, is my only descendant."
At first glance, this statement seems reasonable.
Upon closer listening, however, it sent chills down my spine.
"I remember the general seemed to have quite a few brothers and sisters."
With so many brothers and sisters, how come there's only one nephew/niece?
Su Shiyilu merely glanced at her indifferently.
Lin Feng twitched the corner of his mouth: "...Oh, I understand."
With detailed intelligence relayed back to the main camp, Qi Shan and his men made targeted adjustments. Everything was ready except for military merit.
The troops in the northern desert were fully armed.
Tens of thousands of soldiers donned their armor, mounted their horses, and charged into battle.
The tremors could be felt even at a distance of ten or twenty miles.
Despite the devastation wrought by the Northern Desert's spearhead formation, the triple military defenses outside the Kang Kingdom's camp failed to halt their advance. The Northern Desert army's vanguard, like an open arrowhead, concentrated its forces in the center. Charging with all its might, it shot towards the lifeline of the Kang Kingdom's camp like an arrow released from a bow. In just a few breaths, the distance between the two sides rapidly closed. The morale of the Northern Desert army solidified above.
attack!
attack!
attack!
The morale of the Northern Desert soldiers surged with each relentless charge, accompanied by a subtle tremor in their muscles. This wasn't fear, but rather a rush of adrenaline. Their minds went blank, filled only with excitement and exhilaration!
They craved the blood of their enemies.
I was so excited that I was trembling.
Dozens more incantations of various colors burst forth from all parts of the army. The soldiers covered by these lights had bloodshot eyes, bulging muscles, and their already tall and burly bodies swelled even more, stretching their originally well-fitting armor a size too big.
"kill--"
As this command fell.
The rapid drumbeats began.
These drumbeats fall on my ears and tug at my heartstrings.
The heart rate tends to match the drumbeat.
From high above, the Northern Desert troops were hurtling into the Kang Kingdom's camp like arrows, the wooden palisades blocking their advance being pulverized by the shockwaves. The Kang Kingdom soldiers in their path were thrown into disarray, hastily firing warning arrows, but before those arrows could even reach the sky and explode, they were precisely pierced by a beam of light!
Tudego put down his bow and arrows.
His eyes blazed with ambition: "Kill—"
The outermost tents of the main camp were scattered by the iron hooves.
The Northern Desert army advanced effortlessly, cutting straight into the enemy territory. The Kang soldiers were caught completely off guard, displaying no real fighting ability whatsoever, like prey on a chopping block. In an instant, shouts of battle and screams of agony mingled together.
Meanwhile, trouble also broke out to the west of the Kangguo camp.
This is what Tudego wanted to see.
He and his trusted confidants had arranged a time to launch a surprise attack together.
Start from both the east and west directions simultaneously.
The Kang Kingdom's army was suddenly attacked. Coupled with the fact that they could not defend both ends, were attacked from both sides, and had the disadvantage of a small camp that was not suitable for setting up formations, their morale was bound to plummet and their formation would fall into disarray. And at this critical moment, their general was still unable to return.
Tudege has only one objective this time.
The main tent of the Kangguo camp, the coffin of Shen Youli.
Whether the other party is truly dead or feigning death, they will die today!
Liu Guan couldn't help but pour cold water on the idea.
"My lord, be on guard, something's wrong." Tudege, as a military commander, was easily influenced by the bloodshed of the battlefield, but Liu Guan was different. She keenly noticed a problem—the Kang Kingdom's resistance was far too slow. Although the Northern Desert army's advance from breaking through Kang Kingdom's military defenses and breaching the camp's guards to charging towards the main tent was very short, Kang Kingdom was, after all, a victor who had fought their way out of the Dragon Slayer Incident. They couldn't possibly be without contingency plans to deal with a sudden attack. No matter how sudden the event, they should have reacted by now!
All that remained were shouts of killing.
Liu Guan's voice did not drown out the commotion.
She had no choice but to raise her voice and repeat herself.
Tudego was alert, but he also knew he was in a difficult situation.
First, he couldn't order the army to switch from an offensive to a defensive formation based on Liu Guan's baseless speculation; second, the banner of the Kangguo camp was already in sight. Which vanguard soldier wasn't determined to cut down the banner?
This is the battle flag of the Kang Kingdom's main camp!
First to charge, first to break through enemy lines, capture the flag, and slay the general!
Which soldier could resist these temptations?
Not only is the banner of Kang Kingdom here, but beyond the banner lies the main tent of King Shen Tang of Kang Kingdom! If we could seize Shen Tang's coffin, or even cut off his head... just thinking about it would be enough to get our blood pumping, making it impossible to be rational!
Upon seeing this, Liu Guan knew what Tudege had chosen.
I was worried, but I couldn't show it.
The upheaval began at this very moment!
Bang bang bang bang——
A series of explosions, like thunderclaps from a clear sky, resounded from the rear of the Northern Desert! Accompanying the explosions were flying sand and scattered limbs. The weakness of the wedge formation lay in its rear! These commotions from the rear without warning clearly indicated that the Kang Kingdom troops were not beginning a counterattack, but rather that it was premeditated. Liu Guan slashed down a charging Kang Kingdom soldier with a single sword strike, the soldier's head rising several inches from the spray of blood.
Then it rolled down to her feet.
Liu Guan glanced down unintentionally.
That one glance sent a chill down her spine.
She remembered that the person she had just killed with her sword was not this one!
Most of the soldiers in Kang Kingdom have black hair and black eyes. Only in Kunzhou, which borders the Northern Desert, are there a significant number of soldiers with other eye and hair colors, and their facial features are more defined and broad. The head at your feet happens to have red hair and green eyes, which is not common even in Kunzhou.
This is……
What's going on?
A bold idea sprouted in her mind.
Ignoring the fact that this was a battlefield, she raised her hand and whipped the horse's rump.
The warhorse, in pain, carried her forward at full gallop.
The fighting at the front lines intensified.
The further you go, the more corpses you find.
Liu Guan noticed that very few of the corpses on the ground had black hair and eyes; most had heterochromatic hair and eye colors. As far as she knew, the proportion of Kunzhou troops in the Kang Kingdom's camp wasn't this high! Liu Guan's ominous premonition grew stronger, and a terrifying guess occupied her entire mind: "They're all wrong! They're all wrong—this…"
The man surnamed Shen exchanged prisoners with the main force of Shexing Pass.
They traded two Northern Desert prisoners for one Kangguo garrison soldier.
Judging from the numbers, Kangguo should not have many Northern Desert prisoners left, but no one except Shen Youli knows the exact number.
These so-called Kangguo soldiers in front of me...
They were simply disguised prisoners from the Northern Desert!
The man surnamed Chen tricked them!
Liu Guan wanted to inform Tudege of this news.
It seems we've fallen into a trap today!
The Kangguo camp had long been prepared and waiting for them to arrive!
Before she could run far, her warhorse began to neigh restlessly, refusing to go any further, and the ground began to shake. Liu Guan's face darkened: "Another earthquake?"
A rumbling sound came from all directions.
The sunlight falling on her was gradually swallowed by the shadows.
No, something is blocking the sunlight!
She looked up sharply and saw that the original wooden fence of the camp had been replaced by a thick wooden wall that had risen from the ground. This "wooden wall" stretched endlessly, covering the entire camp!
The wooden wall was over twenty feet high.
There was a figure sitting on it.
He propped himself up on one leg, his right hand resting on a strange wooden box.
The person was facing away from the sun, so Liu couldn't see their face clearly.
But I could hear what the other person was saying.
"Ha, close the door, beat the dog!"
"Show them what you've got, members of the Mohist school!"
＿|￣|●
I have a draft saved up; I hope I can finish it by catching the high-speed train tomorrow.
Suddenly I find the idea of raising a lord quite interesting, with a group of civil and military officials wielding a lord-raising system... I wonder if there are any novels with this kind of setting.
(End of this chapter)
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