Chapter 431: Striving to Achieve the KPI (Part 11) [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
"If that's the case, then it's not entirely impossible."
Shen Tang was quite tempted upon hearing this.
Some things need to be resolved quickly.
She was, after all, wandering around on someone else's turf. If she didn't get caught, all would be well, but if she did, she'd be finished. Just surrounding her would be enough to pin her down in Shiwu's territory.
A large tribe of four thousand people should not be difficult for us to take down.
Xu Quan rested his chin on his hand and interjected.
"But we only have a little over two thousand people..."
Are you going to start with a force of four thousand people right away...?
It wasn't that he was undermining his own morale; he simply preferred to target the weakest link to get off to a good start and boost morale.
Bai Su held a different opinion: "Of the more than four thousand people, there must be elderly, weak, women and children among them, right? How many able-bodied men can actually play a role? Why can't we launch an attack?"
Xu Quan laughed and said, "You can't say that. This approach doesn't apply to foreign tribes like the Ten Crows and the Northern Desert. Especially the Ten Crows, this place is even more barren than the Northern Desert. Apart from various minerals, they lack almost everything. I've heard that in the tribe, ordinary elderly women over forty-five and men over fifty-five are sent to the deep mountains to starve to death, so that food can be saved for the other young and strong. The tribe's children can fight as soon as they can walk, and the women are also fierce."
A tribe of over four thousand people actually has a fighting force of far more than just a thousand.
Underestimating your opponent can easily lead to defeat.
Furthermore—
Xianyu Jian, who had been silent, also spoke up: "When I was in the sect, my fellow disciples who came back to visit mentioned that since the Ten Crows Royal Court unified the tribes, it has implemented a special garrison system. Each tribe, depending on its size, sends a number of warriors of varying strength to be stationed there. We cannot be careless."
Their current roster is rather awkward.
We have no shortage of high-end combat capabilities, but we are in dire need of mid-to-low-end capabilities.
The skill levels of the lower-ranking soldiers are uneven, and there are many new recruits who have never seen bloodshed since enlisting and lack experience.
Xianyu Jian was also somewhat worried.
Shen Tang frowned and glanced at Jiang Sheng out of the corner of her eye.
The latter nodded to her.
Shen Tang then looked at Gu Chi.
Gu Chi also gave his approval.
Shen Tang: "..."
Are her subordinate attributes reversed?
The military commander was extremely cautious, while his two advisors were both incredibly reckless, wanting to take on a tribe of four thousand people without hesitation.
She touched her face, weighing the pros and cons in her mind.
The decision was made immediately and it was finalized.
Damn it!
Before setting off, make sure you are well-rested and refreshed.
Everyone gradually left, leaving only Jiang Sheng and Wang Chao behind. Shen Tang asked, "Do Xian Deng and Wang Chao have anything else to say?"
Why must we avoid Xianyu Jian and a few others?
Well—
It wasn't that they were deliberately avoiding it; it's just that what the two were about to say needed to get past Shen Tang.
Shen Tang muttered, "What's so mysterious?"
Gu Chi asked, "What does the lord intend to do with the prisoners?" He was already certain of victory even before the battle had begun.
Shen Tang was baffled: "Just kill him, what else can we do?"
Are you saving it for the Lunar New Year?
Putting aside the KPI of 30,000 heads, even without that metric, she had no intention of keeping any of them alive. This was war, and a highly risky attack deep into enemy territory. Why would she keep prisoners alive?
These two old men stayed behind just to ask this one question?
Does Shen Tang have the word "Bodhisattva" etched on her face?
Jiang Sheng immediately realized that Shen Tang hadn't grasped the core issue and reminded him, "Among more than four thousand people, there must be women, children, the elderly, and the weak."
Leaving survivors would expose our whereabouts.
In other words—
Once we launch an attack, we'll kill any passing dogs.
Shen Tang finally understood, her brows furrowing tightly before relaxing after a long while. She exhaled a breath of stale air and said with a bitter smile, "Anyone who picks up a weapon is an enemy..."
War is always cruel.
Where is there any place for "kindness" in such an environment?
Think more about the fate of Longwu County...
Shen Tang forced herself to recall the various tragedies she had heard and seen upon entering Longwu County in order to calm herself down.
As the governor of Longwu County, protecting the common people under her jurisdiction was her primary duty. Sympathizing with the lower classes of Shiwu was something she should only consider if she had sufficient power to intimidate or even subdue Shiwu; she was not qualified at the moment. Sympathizing with an ambitious and bloodthirsty enemy would only bring misfortune.
Hearing a satisfactory reply, Gu Chi and his companion bowed and withdrew, leaving Chen Tang alone to compose herself while looking at the pieced-together Ten Wubu Defense Map. After walking for a while, Jiang Sheng suddenly sighed, "Our lord is too soft-hearted..."
Gu Chi nodded in agreement.
Although her lord also has a cold and ruthless side, it is mostly when facing "evil people," in which case she never hesitates to use ruthless methods. However, when facing the vulnerable, such as commoners suffering from hardship, she becomes exceptionally soft-hearted.
Jiang Sheng said, "I was born in the wrong era."
In a prosperous era, he had no doubt that Shen Tang would become an honest and virtuous official, perhaps even a paragon of virtue praised by the common people, the kind of official whose name would be enshrined in their honor. But it was the world he lived in that inevitably led him to go against his conscience and take up the butcher's knife.
Gu Chi disagreed.
He countered, "Why isn't it the right time?"
Our lord has many secrets.
She's soft-hearted, but she doesn't hesitate to be tough when necessary.
Being able to do this already saves a lot of trouble.
Gu Chi teased in a nonchalant tone, "Besides, the most basic requirement that the literati who follow their lord have for him is that he must be a living, breathing person?"
Jiang Sheng: "...Are you serious?"
Gu Chi nodded shamelessly: "Mm."
Jiang Sheng: "..."
His colleagues...
They all have some kind of mental illness.
While Shen Tang was comfortably resting and recovering, Su Shiyilu, who had escaped earlier, was not so relaxed. Thanks to Shen Tang's "righteous act of covering his retreat," he fled in a sorry state to the nearest trusted confidant's camp. By the time he arrived, he was already unconscious.
Relying on his martial prowess and good physique, he awoke after several hours of unconsciousness and immediately summoned the tribe's troops to return.
You must arrive before the evidence is destroyed.
The tribe's armed garrison was from Sushilu's faction, and they immediately mobilized enough troops to follow, arriving before nightfall. The original camp had been completely burned to the ground, leaving only a patch of black scorched earth, with a strange, acrid smell permeating the air.
"General, there are no survivors."
After searching extensively, not only were there no survivors, but not even a single intact body was found. Apart from the bodies on the outer edge of the camp, most of the bodies closer to the center of the fire had been completely burned. Furthermore, the area around Shiwu is prone to strong winds, and most of the ashes had already been blown away, making them impossible to trace.
However, it wasn't without its gains.
They unearthed several "survivor" corpses in the deep pits created by the fighting in Sushilu. The corpses were relatively well-preserved, and a careful examination revealed some important clues. Different patterns were tattooed under the armpits and on the groin of the thighs of the corpses.
Which faction should it belong to?
Su Shiyilu took a look at the rubbing of the pattern.
He immediately sneered repeatedly.
Ignoring the pain from his still-healing wounds, he gritted his teeth and said, "It really was those bastards..."
He then asked, "Has the princess of the Geng Kingdom been found?"
"Several female corpses matching the princess's age and build were found a few miles away, but without exception, they were either decapitated or unrecognizable, making it impossible to identify which one was her..."
"Never mind, it's not important."
Su Shiyi waved his hand, his anger burning inside. He was determined to make those bastards pay for this loss.
|ω`)
Although, but...
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P.S.: Even a small mosquito is still meat.
(End of this chapter)
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