"General, we're still about two li from the target location," a soldier reported. It had taken nearly two days since encountering the mountain bandits. Yang Su had deliberately slowed the march. First, he suspected a trap—moving slowly would make the enemy impatient. He waited for them to err in haste. Second, the terrain was heavily fortified. Charging in recklessly might spring an ambush. He needed a plan to conquer it.
"Halt the troops for reorganization! Everyone rest in place!" Yang Su commanded.
Lieutenant Liu, Yang Su's vice general, had fought alongside him for many years. She knew exactly what worried him now.
"That terrain is perfect for ambushes," Lieutenant Liu said, scanning the surroundings. "The slopes on both sides offer excellent hiding spots. We should send two or three nimble scouts to check the nearby woods for hidden enemies. Then we decide." She added, "But even if those bandits set traps, our five hundred Imperial Elite Guards aren't pushovers. We can easily handle them."
"Complacency loses battles," Yang Su chided. "You still haven't changed your careless attitude." On battlefields, Liu always acted as if the enemy was weak and she was strong, looking down on others. Her impulsive nature, somewhat like his own, often got her into trouble. Once, she nearly fell to an assassin's arrow—saved only by a loyal guard who took the fatal shot.
That incident had saddened Liu for a long time. Yang Su had hoped it would change her ways. But... she remained the same.
"Still, I'll take your suggestion," Yang Su said. "Pick two agile scouts to check both jungles for ambushes. Whether traps exist or not, we enter in batches. And we take a detour—advancing from both sides of the valley entrance."
"Enter from both sides?" Lieutenant Liu frowned. "Why?"
"If we bunch up, the enemy can break through at one point," Yang Su explained. "Entering in separate, spread-out batches scatters their assault and boosts our chances." He grabbed a branch, sketching positions on the ground. "We have five hundred twenty-seven men total. Five hundred Imperial Guards enter in three batches: first, one hundred; second, one hundred fifty; third, two hundred. The remaining fifty guard the carriage at the valley entrance." Yang Su sighed. That Despised Emperor really knew how to cause trouble. Fifty fighters, gone just like that.
"I lead the first batch," Yang Su stated. "Lieutenant Liu, you take the second. The third follows behind, adjusting if your formation changes."
"General, let me lead the first batch!" Lieutenant Liu insisted. "How can you take the most dangerous one?"
The first batch faced the greatest peril—vulnerable to ambush at any moment.
"I know what you're thinking," Yang Su replied. "But you're too impulsive. I may be hasty too, yet I still weigh things. Besides, the first squad needs keen observers—unsuitable for you."
"But—"
"Enough. It's settled." Yang Su waved his hand, ending the discussion.
This wasn't a grand battlefield. The flat valley floor couldn't support large-scale tactics. With only a hundred cavalry and the rest infantry and archers, complex maneuvers were impossible. This deployment was the best for now. They'd adapt as events unfolded.
"Advance!!!" Yang Su commanded. At full speed, the two li would take under two minutes.
"Are they here?" Suryehok and his men had withdrawn from the cave, awaiting scout reports.
"They're coming. Less than one li from the valley entrance," Shao Bu reported.
"Good. Retreat." A smile curled Suryehok's lips. "Duermu, concealing this gap is up to you."
Duermu mastered the Mystic Divination Art. Hiding troops within formations was routine for him. Concealing a small gap was child's play.
"At your command."
Suryehok had anticipated Yang Su wouldn't walk blindly into their trap. He deduced Yang Su would first send scouts to check the woods for ambushes, then move troops in batches. Suryehok wasn't worried about discovery. With Duermu, Yang Su's force—now without a strategist—was just a paper tiger.
Yang Su would never suspect none of them were actually in the valley. Suryehok could wait. Once Yang Su committed his entire force inside, his goal would be achieved.
"General, no ambushes on either side," the scouts reported. "And the valley is quiet—doesn't seem occupied."
"Quiet?" Impossible. If this was the bandits' lair, it shouldn't be empty. Had they fled upon hearing the news?
It was very likely. Just two days ago, those bandits had escaped Lieutenant Liu's grasp. They were clearly nimble. Upon learning of the approaching army, fleeing was their only survival tactic.
"Regardless, move in batches. Stay vigilant, everyone."
"Yes!!!"
From behind the illusion of the Mystic Gate Concealment, Suryehok watched the first batch enter. Though distant, the leader stood out—a pivotal figure, radiating a presence utterly different from his soldiers.
"Choosing to advance from both sides..." Suryehok chuckled. "Clever. This prevents us from concentrating our assault. Truly a seasoned general."
"Chief, General Yang is said to be only twenty-seven or twenty-eight—not exactly a veteran," Duermu remarked.
"Only twenty-seven or twenty-eight?" Suryehok nodded. "It's grudging to admit, but that Despised Emperor has no shortage of talented people."
"If we reclaim the throne, then we'll have no shortage of talent under us," Arslan said, gripping his Horse Chopper tightly. Of all here, Arslan harbored the deepest hatred for the Great Ming. Perhaps indoctrinated since childhood by his parents about their ancestors' legacy, he had grown this way.
