Chapter 351: That Stunned Look
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
…
The second morning.
A dense white mist covered the entire Thunderous Lion Settlement. In addition to the snow-white icy fog surrounding it, it gave off the impression of a winter silvery makeup.
The dense black cloud finally arrived in front of the Thunderous Lion Settlement, stopping at an area five hundred meters away from the Thunderous Lion Settlement and quietly gazing at the heavenly scenery in front.
Wu Feng, wearing an exquisite jade coloured armour, rode on the Jade Ripple Stallion positioned at the front of the black cloud. He gazed at the Thunderous Lion Settlement which was already so close to him with a faint smile on his face.
"Reporting!"
Right at this moment, a spy riding a horse dashed over from afar, arriving in front of Wu Feng. He dismounted and knelt down on one knee.
"Speak." Wu Feng replied blandly.
"The main gate of the Thunderous Lion Settlement is completely open. There isn"t a single soldier standing guard." The spy quickly blurted out everything that he saw.
"There are no defences?!" The smile on Wu Feng"s face instantly froze.
Before he arrived, he had considered many possibilities. For example, Chen Feiyu would set up defences around the Thunderous Lion Settlement in advance, or, Chen Feiyu would be standing at the main gate of the Thunderous Lion Settlement waiting for him.
However…
What does not setting up any defences mean?
The stratagem of the empty city?
Wu Feng was also very well-read. Even though he didn"t have much experience leading troops in battles, he was still well-versed with some of the famous stratagems.
The eponymous stratagem of the empty city. Setting up an empty city to see if one dared to attack.
Wu Feng frowned. He wasn"t a suspicious person, however, he wasn"t a reckless person as well. He was pondering Chen Feiyu"s intentions.
This form of pondering was one in which he placed himself in the other party"s situation.
However, after a long fifteen minutes of thinking, he couldn"t understand what reasons Chen Feiyu would have to set up the stratagem of an empty city at such a time.
It was simply too unexpected.
The power of the Thunderous Lion Settlement"s defences were imaginable. It was a fortress. In addition to Chen Feiyu"s military strength, there was simply no need for him to employ such tactics.
This time, Wu Feng was truly somewhat stunned.
Giving up the fortified Thunderous Lion Settlement just to give him a scare? No matter what, such a thought process was somewhat unimaginable. It was more similar to that of a plan thought out by a kid.
But, was Chen Feiyu such a person?
Of course not.
If Wu Feng hadn"t fought with Chen Feiyu before, he might feel that this was a sign that Chen Feiyu was surrendering to him. However, Chen Feiyu left the Thunderous Lion Settlement. Instead of defending, he attacked.
Clearly, he wasn"t a person who feared a battle.
It was recorded in ancient books that the stratagem of the empty city was first employed with one"s military strength was greatly outnumbered by the enemy, with the intention of enabling one"s troops to escape and prevent the enemy from giving chase.
But now…
The settings were clearly completely different.
Chen Feiyu had the ability to fight. Wu Feng was very sure of this point.
But, what was this all about?
"General, are we attacking?" A commander was similar confused after listening to the spy"s report. However, an empty city was placed right in front of him.
Leave it?
That was simply impossible.
"Attack!" Wu Feng quickly made a decision. He had already arrived at the main gate of the Thunderous Lion Settlement. Retreating now was impossible. As for what Chen Feiyu thought, since he couldn"t understanding, there was naturally no need to continue thinking.
"Send the entire army?" The commander asked once again.
If it was a completely fortified Thunderous Lion Settlement, he would definitely not ask such a dumb question. However, the settlement in front of him had absolutely no defences. Hence, he had to voice out this question.
"No, the Thunderous Lion Settlement leans against the cliff. There are three main gates. Give the orders. Send three hundred troops split into three groups, each group entering from a different gate into the Thunderous Lion Settlement for an hour. Report back after gaining knowledge about the situation within the settlement!" Wu Feng shook his head and decided upon a more conservative strategy.
"Roger!" The commander instantly understood.
The current situation in the Thunderous Lion Settlement was still unknown. The enemy hadn"t revealed his intentions. Sending the entire army into the settlement would indeed be an extremely dangerous and risky move.
Using three hundred soldiers to test the water was also indeed an extremely wise choice.
…
The three hundred soldiers were quickly picked out, their horses galloping as fast as they could towards the three main gates of the Thunderous Lion Settlement. Not too long later, they smoothly entered the settlement.
There wasn"t the slightest bit of resistance.
This caused Wu Feng, who was standing not too far away, to frown once again.
Don"t tell me this idiot Chen Feiyu really gave up the Thunderous Lion Settlement to me? Or, could he have other plans.
Wait a moment!
Don"t tell me Chen Feiyu was raising a commotion in the East to launch an attack on the West?!
Wu Feng"s expression instantly changed. At this moment, he had over ten thousand roops. However, there were two thousand troops in his camp, the Yan Ya Settlement and the s.h.i.+ Zun Settlement.
If...
Chen Feiyu gave up the Thunderous Lion Settlement and snuck around to attack the Yan Ya and the s.h.i.+ Zun main settlements, it was equivalent to using one main settlement to swap for two.
It was very worth it!
Wu Feng was in a dilemma. He felt that there was a very high possibility of this happening. However, he was thinking of another plan.
What if this was what Chen Feiu wanted him to think?
Then, causing him to give up the Thunderous Lion Settlement so that he could keep it safe? If that happened, whether they fought or not wouldn"t be the problem anymore.
Instead, it would be about him being outsmarted by Chen Feiyu.
Mock and shame!
This was something Wu Feng didn"t really wish to accept, especially being played around in the hands of Chen Feiyu after almost losing on the way here.
That was worse than death.
What should I do?
Should I immediately retreat back to the two main settlements, or grit my teeth and take down the Thunderous Lion Settlement first?
Wu Feng felt extremely hesitant. However, in the end, he decided to continue waiting. One hour wasn"t too tedious to wait, hence, he decided to wait for the three hundred soldiers to return with the news.
The dense black cloud pressed down upon the Thunderous Lion Settlement five hundred meters away from the main gate.
Quietly waiting for the news from the three hundred soldiers.
The wind grazed the faces of the soldiers. It was somewhat cold, signifying that winter was truly approaching. They also knew one thing. When the winter came, the combat examination would end.
The Great Xia would never allow a hundred thousand soldiers to suffer through winter in the chilling Southern Mountain Range.
Because, the soldiers of the Great Xia Dynasty simply couldn"t withstand the icy chill of the Southern Mountain Range. Other than them not being used to it, the other factor was that the snow would be too thick, greatly hindering the movement of the soldiers.
If they were forced to stay through winter in the Southern Mountain Range.
The price to pay would be extremely huge.
As time slowly pa.s.sedby, Wu Feng thought of another possibility. Would the three hundred troops be able to enter, but be unable to leave? If that was the case, should I still launch an attack?
Just as he thought…
Three groups of soldiers galloped in from afar. There were exactly three hundred.
When he saw this, Wu Feng finally heaved a light sigh of relief. Able to enter, and able to leave. The situation would at least be clearer than what he had imagined.
"Reporting to the general!"
"Speak!"
"We patrolled for one round on horseback. Other than the citizens of the Thunderous Lion Settlement, there isn"t a single soldier guarding. It really seems to be an unguarded settlement." A commander in charge of the three hundred soldiers immediately reported everything he had seen to Wu Feng, and waited for his decision.
"You are really using the Stratagem of the Empty City against me?!" When Wu Feng heard this, he was slightly stunned.
Thee wasn"t a single person in the Thunderous Lion Settlement. The best plan for him now would naturally be to lead his army into the settlement. However, he couldn"t dismiss the feeling that there would be some traps inside waiting for him.
What was this Chen Feiyu trying to do?
Wu Feng gritted his teeth hard, giving off waves of cracking sounds. It was as if he was suffering from dental erosion.
"General, what should we do now?" The commander standing beside Wu Feng looked at Wu Feng"s slightly hesitant expression and finally decided to ask softly.
"What idea do you have?" Wu Feng rarely seeked the opinions of the commanders. However, this time, he asked. Because, he really couldn"t understand.
"Based on what I think, why not we send a part of the army into the Thunderous Lion Settlement to secure it, controlling the important areas of the settlement. After everything is secured, it wouldn"t be too late to send the entire army in!" The commander quickly replied.
"Hmm…" Wu Feng"s eyes lit up slightly.
This was indeed an excellent idea. As long as he controlled the key areas of the Thunderous Lion Settlement, even if Chen Feiyu had truly set up an ambush in the city, he would have to worry.
Military strength!
He definitely had an advantage over Chen Feiyu in that aspect.
Combat abilities!
He overpowered Chen Feiyu as well.
Since he had an advantage in both areas, what did he have to fear?
"General w.a.n.g."
"Present!"
"You shall personally command three thousand troops into the Thunderous Lion Settlement and secure the key areas within an hour. Then, send soldiers back to report." Wu Feng quickly gave out the order.
"Understood!" General w.a.n.g immediately nodded.
Under the command of General w.a.n.g, three thousand soldiers charged towards the Thunderous Lion Settlement once again.
On the other hand, Wu Feng continued to wait outside patiently.
As the saying went, caution is the parent of safety.
The combat examination of the Court Examination wasn"t a child"s play. One blunder could cause the entire situation to overturn. When that time came, it would be too late to regret.
As he gazed at the three thousand soldiers smoothly entering the Thunderous Lion Settlement through the main gate, Wu Feng"s previous thoughts grew stronger and stronger. That was that there was a very high possibility that Chen Feiyu had skirted around to attack his Yan Ya and s.h.i.+ Zun Main Settlements.
However...
If that was truly the case, Wu Feng could only bear with it.
First, take down his Thunderous Lion Settlement, then, take back his Yan Ya and s.h.i.+ Zun main settlements. That was the only way he could save the situation.
"Chen Feiyu, if you really attacked my Yan Ya and s.h.i.+ Zun, I will definitely… break all your teeth!" Of course, Wu Feng couldn"t really do anything to Chen Feiyu.
Even though he was a disciple of one of the four sages, Chen Feiyu"s social status wasn"t ordinary as well.
However, after catching him, giving him a powerful beating was still alright!
…
An hour pa.s.sed by very quickly.
The sky which was initially sill dark had already turned sunny. The warm sun glowed above the Thunderous Lion Settlement, causing the mist to slowly dissipate.
The frosted dew on the gra.s.sy plains had also slowly begun to melt, turning it slightly damp.
Standing in the icy cold wind for two hours was indeed a small kind of torture. The soldiers all tapped their feet uncontrollably.
After all, the commanders had horses to ride. However, they didn"t
Being punished to stand for two hours?
Only those who had stood like this before would deeply understand how torturous it was.
In reality, not only were the soldiers feeling uncomfortable, the commanders also didn"t feel very well. Even though they had horses to ride on, they didn"t mean that they weren"t tired at all.
The soldier that General w.a.n.g sent back had finally returned.
"Reporting to the general, everything had been properly arranged. We have controlled every important area of the Thunderous Lion Settlement. General w.a.n.g sent me to report back that you can send the army in."
"Where is General w.a.n.g?" Wu Feng didn"t give the orders immediately. Instead, he asked a question in return.
"He is still in charge of deploying the soldiers in the Thunderous Lion Settlement." The soldier instantly replied.
"Go and tell him to report back personally." Wu Feng"s eyes narrowed slightly and gazed towards the bright sky, giving the order after a slight thought.
"Roger!" The soldier received the order, turned around, and re-entered the Thunderous Lion Settlement.
On the other hand, Wu Feng continued to wait on the spot.
A soldier reporting back wasn"t sufficient to convince him that the entire Thunderous Lion Settlement was truly under their control. Only if General w.a.n.g, who had followed beside him all along, reported back personally would he then truly dare to relax.
Not too long later, General w.a.n.g spurred his horse and rode out, and arrived in front of Wu Feng.
"General."
"There really isn"t a single soldier in the Thunderous Lion Settlement?" Wu Feng looked at General w.a.n.g who stood in front of him, then nodded and asked.
"This… I don"t dare to confirm this. After all, there are too many citizens in the Thunderous Lion Settlement. It isn"t impossible for the enemy to hide in certain places we do not know about. However, I dare to confirm that the key areas within the Thunderous Lion Settlement are already completely under our control. It is impossible for that to go wrong." General w.a.n.g hesitated for a moment, then replied carefully.
"I understand. Pa.s.s down my orders. The entire army shall enter the Thunderous Lion Settlement!" Wu Feng finally gritted his teeth and gave the order for the entire army to enter.
"Roger!"
As Wu Feng gave his order.
The dense black cloud finally began to move slowly, marching out step by step towards the Thunderous Lion Main Settlement. It appeared extremely cautious and alert.
Five hundred meters didn"t require too much time.
Very quickly, the army arrived in front of the main gate of the Thunderous Lion Settlement.
Wu Feng raised his head lightly and gazed at his soldiers who were already standing guard on the fortress. Yet, his frown didn"t relax one bit.
The stratagem of the empty city?
If the stratagem of the empty city was employed to such an extent.
Then, shouldn"t it not be called the stratagem of the empty city anymore? Shouldn"t it be called a strategic escape?
Wu Feng felt very uncomfortable inside his heart at this moment. Countless possibilities danced around in his mind as thoughts flooded his mind, causing him to be unable to grasp the concept behind this.
He could clearly defend!
Why would he employ a strategic escape?
Was there a need for that?
If he really didn"t dare to fight, why would he send an army to attack? After attacking, if he truly didn"t wish to fight anymore, there was clearly no need to deploy soldiers to hara.s.s them!
He sent two thousand soldiers to lure him to attack the city.
Yet, the outcome of that was losing an empty city.
No matter how he looked at the situation…
It still seemed that Chen Feiyu had something wrong with his brain!
This time, Wu Feng was truly a little disordered, so much so that he didn"t know whether he should ask Chen Feiyu.
"Chen Feiyu, what the h.e.l.l, are you stupid?!"