Chapter 322: Seizing the Initiative

Each fights on its own, the dragons are leaderless; who are you referring to when you say "we"?

Mu Yi sneered and mocked.

"I really have no idea how you all managed to reach this position! A bunch of good‑for‑nothing drunkards, and you still dare to issue military orders? Don't even know the word 'death'?"

"Hahaha, well said—a bunch of good‑for‑nothing drunkards!"

The legion commander appointed by Wei Qing laughed heartily in agreement; in his eyes, Yang Tiancheng and his men were good‑for‑nothing drunkards who had needlessly cost him many brothers.

"At least they still have the courage to siege; you, a coward, dare to speak of bravery?"

Mu Yi wouldn't tolerate anyone; seeing the legion commander step forward, he immediately mocked.

"None of them are decent!"

"Thanks to me, I specifically brought twenty thousand troops to support you!"

Boom— the whole camp reverberated, and everyone stared at Mu Yi with angry, displeased eyes, vaguely feeling the scorching heat of that fury; yet upon hearing that Mu Yi had brought twenty thousand reinforcements, they involuntarily suppressed their inner rage.

They all knew exactly what those twenty thousand reinforcements represented at this moment.

"Then… General Mu, what counsel do you have for us?"

Even Yang Tiancheng now had veins bulging on his forehead, straining to suppress the anger in his heart, and asked in as calm a tone as possible.

After all, among the officers Mu Yi mentioned, he was included.

"Nothing much, just simply think you're incompetent!" Mu Yi replied briskly.

"You're courting death!"

In that instant, the enraged commander drew his blade from the sheath with a reverse swing, a flash of cold light flashing, as if to slay the arrogant Mu Yi in an instant.

"I thought you could no longer lift a sword!"

In the next heartbeat, Mu Yi's hand pressed against his hilt, and both sides' Inner Qi erupted suddenly, blasting everything inside the camp into the air, even cracking the ground.

Yet in this tug‑of‑war, Mu Yi's hand was like an immovable mountain, gradually pressing the opponent's half‑drawn blade back down.

When the scabbard emitted a crisp closing sound.

Only then did the Inner Qi on both bodies subside, and Mu Yi smiled.

Commanding a great army requires uniting its forces under a common belief; subduing these proud warriors is too slow, and he lacks that much time.

Rather than gentle means, he would use the most explosive method: provoke these officers into anger and then channel that fury toward the enemy.

Regardless of emotion or motive, as long as everyone's strength is directed toward a single purpose, that is enough.

And the simplest way to establish authority in this process is to let strength speak.

Now, it is clear that he has gone from a baffling figure to one under great attention, thereby gaining a share of the discourse power.

The way to wield that power is simple: make everyone's eyes focus on you, so at least your words will be heard.

"It seems you haven't completely lost the will to fight!"

"What exactly do you intend to do!"

The officer blocked by Mu Yi's hard power wore a sour expression, clearly feeling the pressure Mu Yi exerted.

"Just leading you to victory!" Mu Yi continued to spew hatred as if it were natural.

"I heard your plan just now; in fact, sieging doesn't need such a complicated scheme!"

"Since you can't produce a viable plan, why not hear mine!"

Mu Yi, invoking his paper‑strategy art, projected Han Ye City before everyone.

"One side backed against the mountains can't spread the army; we'll attack from these three sides!" Mu Yi said, pointing at Han Ye City.

"You two lead troops to attack from the flank; whether it's a full assault or a feint, as long as you draw the enemy's attention." Mu Yi pointed at Yang Tiancheng and the officer who drew his sword.

"You two will lead troops to assault the opposite wall, just like them! I don't require you to capture the wall, but at least to contain the enemy." Mu Yi gestured to the other two officers.

Finally, Mu Yi turned his gaze toward the legion commander appointed by Wei Qing.

"Until I see a feasible plan, I won't send my brothers to die!" the legion commander appointed by Wei Qing said expressionlessly.

"If so, why don't you station your men in ambush on one side of the mountain to prevent the enemy from fleeing through the range?"

Mu Yi didn't force the other side; after all, they were Wei Qing's officers, and it was normal for them not to be ordered to move.

Moreover, from Lin Yi's words, the other side had initially cooperated, but Lin Yi had simply disappointed them.

The legion commander appointed by Wei Qing hesitated briefly, then nodded; it was indeed feasible and risk‑free for him, and refusing even such an order would make him a coward.

"We can't take this fortress this way!" someone retorted after hearing Mu Yi's arrangement.

"And what do you plan to do with the open front?"

"Leave the front to me! You just focus on your own tasks, and leave the rest to me! I will breach the front defenses and then lead you to capture this fortress!"

Obviously a baseless claim, yet Mu Yi spoke as if it were obvious.

Honestly, Mu Yi had no intention of letting them help.

Yang Tiancheng and his men might be decent officers, but now they're completely clueless, total dead weight; counting on coordination with them is futile.

It would be simpler to let everyone fight on their own, maximizing any remaining heat.

At least the orcs wouldn't know they're in internal conflict; a full‑scale attack would leave the enemy no room for caution.

"Why should we listen to you?"

"You have no choice: either follow me to take the city, or wait for orders to be carried out!"

Mu Yi stared calmly at the crowd; under his gaze, everyone fell silent.

Seeing the silence, Mu Yi knew the moment had arrived and immediately added his force.

"Since you have pledged a military decree before General Wei, I will also pledge one here: as long as you follow me, I guarantee to bring you victory!"

Hearing Mu Yi's words, Yang Tiancheng gritted his teeth, nodded, and said.

"Fine, we'll listen to you once! We'll do as you say! If this fails, you'll join us in awaiting military punishment!"

"Then we'll listen to you once!"

After Yang Tiancheng agreed, the others also nodded in succession.

Though they were dazed, they had at least somewhat grasped Mu Yi's intent; after all, they are outstanding disciples among the Military Strategists.

Under half‑coerced circumstances, everyone obeyed Mu Yi's arrangement.

The camp, which earlier was like a barrel of gunpowder, now harbored a new flow of vital energy.

"Since that's the case, each of you return to reorganize and relocate your troops; after a day, heed my command and launch a simultaneous attack!"

When the others departed, Yang Tiancheng looked at Mu Yi with a complicated expression.

At that moment he had already realized it was Mu Yi's stratagem.

Actually this was the condition he and Lin Yi had promised Mu Yi, but Mu Yi arrived so quickly that before he could start his own negotiation plan, Mu Yi was already there.

"Sorry, under the circumstances we had no choice but to use this method!"

Mu Yi expressed his apology to Yang Tiancheng, after all he unleashed a map bomb that covered Yang Tiancheng.

This was also to place Yang Tiancheng together with the others, achieving an inside‑outside coordinated effect.

It was unavoidable; if they didn't seize the initiative at the first meeting, later taking the initiative would be troublesome.

As the saying goes, speed is the essence of the Military Strategist; delay brings change. Not only Cold Leaf City, but Autumn Frost City may also face a counter‑attack from the Orc Kingdom, so they must act quickly.

After a round of actions, Mu Yi, though his hatred was maxed out, at least truly completed a deployment.

Moreover, Mu Yi knew that these officers who had reached the Legend stage were not useless, merely temporarily confused; as long as a solution is presented and accepted, they can be liberated from the cycle of mutual blame.

The next day, as Mu Yi expected, several officers had largely calmed down and began actively preparing for war.

People kept shouting orders, crowds lugged various items back and forth, and the whole camp resonated with clamor; tense, hurried preparations had begun, and everyone was getting ready for a new war.

This time the troops launched an all‑out assault filled with anger and resolve.

"Now it does feel like a burn‑the‑boats, fight‑to‑the‑death stance!"

Mu Yi watched the continuously gathering formations in the distance, nodding repeatedly.

Even from afar, Mu Yi could clearly feel the imposing presence of the soldiers under Yang Tiancheng and others; they were definitely elite, perhaps not inferior to the elite of the Mu Clan Army.

Among them, a legion stood out like a crane among chickens, dispatched by Wei Qing; its stern formation exuded astonishing momentum, clearly stronger than the other legions.

"Truly elite!"

Mu Yi sensed that every soldier in this legion had at least completed threefold refining.

It should be noted that only by truly refining a single Elite Talent does one fully master that talent; threefold refining equals fully mastering three Elite Talents, each of which visibly enhances a soldier.

"All is ready; we only lack the east wind!"

Mu Yi gazed toward Cold Leaf City; the reason he ordered the others to split forces and relocate was not only to besiege the enemy but also to lure the snake out of its hole.

The reason he did not send his troops out for early deployment was a gamble, betting that the opponent would see through the camp's emptiness and choose to attack proactively.

On the walls of Cold Leaf City, the Orc Sword Saint named Ba Ke Sa frowned, inhaled deeply, and sensed a scent of iron‑blood in the wind.

"They're coming; this time those human scum shouldn't be able to run away!"

Excitement flashed in his eyes, and Ba Ke Sa couldn't help but grip the axe‑like weapon in his hand tighter.

"Ba Ke Sa, don't be careless! I've seen danger; that human who appeared outside the camp earlier could be a strong opponent!"

An elderly Orc wielding a staff stepped out from behind the Orc Sword Saint.

"Prophet! Whatever strong opponent it is, leave it to me! Moreover, a battlefield can't be turned by a single person!" Ba Ke Sa grew more excited; slaying strong foes was his greatest pleasure.

"Report, Prophet, the human camp seems to have changed!" the Orc riding a hawk reported the observed situation to the Orc Prophet.

"Let me see!"

The Orc Prophet extended his trembling hand, and his vision suddenly spanned the distant distance, even penetrating the camp to see its interior.

"This is…" the Prophet murmured, puzzled; the camp was mostly empty, with only a few support troops diligently working.

"Go, dispatch flying scouts to investigate the surroundings; leave no corner unchecked!"

After a carpet‑style search, the Orc scouts discovered various legions moving toward the two side gates.

"Heh heh heh, trying to use this feint‑and‑real stratagem against us is too naive!" the Orc Prophet sneered.

From the start, they never relaxed their surveillance of the human army.

Even distant monitoring was enough for them to spot many clues.

"Order the reserve units to move toward the side walls and reinforce defenses against enemy attacks; redeploy troops from the mountain‑side as a central reserve ready to support any wall at any time!"

"Ba Ke Sa, go gather your troops!"

The Orc Sword Saint, called out suddenly, looked bewildered at the Orc Prophet.

"After night falls, lead a raid out of the city, set this camp ablaze; no large reinforcements have arrived, and they've shifted many people to the sides, leaving their main base empty. Set fire and burn them!"

The Orc Prophet wore a cold smile; having clashed twice before, they knew exactly how many people Yang Tiancheng had.

And now, since they chose to split forces, their strength inevitably thinned, presenting a perfect opportunity.

Anyway, an army needs supplies; the humans who fled to the sides can't bring much food, so taking advantage of the emptiness, they should launch an offensive.

Burning the camp would cut off the humans' logistics, leaving them without food—a huge blow to their side.

Perhaps the humans' morale will collapse, giving them a chance to capture all those who came to assault Cold Leaf City.

"Could there be an ambush?" Though warlike, the Orc Sword Saint is no fool.

Among the human army are at least five Legends; if they fall into an ambush, they might be killed on the spot.

"I've already checked; the human Legends that appeared earlier are all on the sides, only one Legend remains unfound!"

At that point, the Orc Prophet thought of Mu Yi, who had caused the camp's disturbance earlier, hesitated, then continued.

"The enemy can be at most two human Legends; when the time comes, I'll have men outside the city to support you. If trouble arises, retreat immediately!"

"Fine!" Hearing the Prophet, the Orc Sword Saint was instantly invigorated, leapt from the wall into the city, and began gathering his troops.

"Heh heh heh, humans, you will regret coming to Cold Leaf City!" The Orc Prophet gazed at the human camp, feeling a slight unease, and silently prayed to his deity.

"Great Mazikasa, please protect your followers!"