Chapter 15: How can ten thousand defeated troops possibly defeat fifty thousand enemy soldiers?

Xiao Qidi assured him he would certainly have the Jinli Fairy take all of these.

Night gradually fell.

Tens of thousands of people in Lin Xian Village, aside from the injured, sick, elderly, and children, regardless of gender, began busying themselves according to Xiao Qidi's arrangements and orders.

Military doctors and barefoot medics were responsible for using the medicine provided by Ning Jinli to treat illnesses and injuries.

The remaining laborers all dug earth and moved stones to build defensive walls.

About forty thousand people participated, relying on the natural defenses around Lin Xian Village and the partially ruined walls from years ago; they could finish it in just two days.

Although far less sturdy and tall than the border pass walls, it would still serve its purpose.

Such a commotion was quickly spotted by scouts of the Yu Guo enemy army, who immediately reported it to their commanders.

"Hahaha! Building walls? I think they're digging their own graves!"

The Yu Guo border pass general laughed until he doubled over in his tent.

A deputy general asked, "Should we send people to sabotage it?"

"No need to waste troops!" the generalissimo snapped, biting hard into a roasted lamb leg in his hand, "Tens of thousands crammed into a village with no food or water would barely last a few days anyway; now they're wasting energy building walls, only to die even faster!"

Several other deputy generals nodded in agreement.

Those people in Lin Xian Village were merely making a futile struggle.

The Yu Guo army of fifty thousand was strong and well-fed, with endless supplies of grain and fodder, able to sustain itself completely; when the time came, they could slaughter everyone in Lin Xian Village without losing a single soldier.

This would not only let the Yu Guo king seize the Canglan Jade Disc, but also annex a large area of Xi Tun Guan into Yu Guo territory, preparing for the future annexation of Xuan Guo—a triple win.

In the Yu Guo army's camp, both officers and soldiers were drinking and eating meat.

Over here in Lin Xian Village, forty thousand people were busy as bees.

The vast majority were working hard, but some slipped off to corners to slack off.

A dozen or so burly men gathered together, chatting and passing gas.

The atmosphere had been fairly relaxed, when someone suddenly blurted, "I think building these walls is utterly useless. What do you say?"

Everyone turned their heads in unison toward the sound.

Under the pallid moonlight, the speaking man wore a grim face, his eyes flashing with resentment.

"Brother Kui... what do you mean by that?" someone asked.

"Brother Kui, don't be so disheartened," someone whispered, "We know last time you had a few brothers follow those Xi Tun Guan officers into the Immortal Cave to steal food, and His Majesty cut them down... It's natural for you to hold a grudge, but... you must never speak recklessly, for if His Majesty finds out, he'll punish you for disturbing military morale."

These dozen or so people were all from the same village, having fled here together; they were familiar with each other and thus all knew about this incident.

Zhou Da Kui said coldly, "What, are you going to tattle?"

The person trying to dissuade him hastily shook his face, showing fear.

Zhou Da Kui was notorious in their village as a ruthless man who killed without blinking and bore grudges; none of these people dared to offend him.

"I tell you, I bear a grudge! I'd love to flay Xiao Qidi and tear out his tendons!" Zhou Da Kui's face grew ever more ferocious, "Those brothers of mine who grew up playing together—he cut them down just like that! What is he? Claiming to be the Xuan Guo king, he actually has no power or influence, running here to flaunt his might!"

Someone wanted to say that His Majesty was acting to maintain stability, but because Zhou Da Kui was furious, they dared not speak.

"Brother Kui, you just said building the walls is utterly useless—what exactly do you mean?" another person interjected, changing the subject.

Zhou Da Kui's eyes flashed with a cold, eerie light as he asked, "Tell me, what is building these walls for?"

"Obviously to resist the Yu Guo army."

"Then I ask again, how many troops do we have here?"

"Um... it seems to be about ten thousand?"

"And Yu Guo?"

"I've heard... fifty thousand."

Zhou Da Kui snorted coldly, "Ten thousand defeated remnants who fled from Xi Tun Guan here, with weapons and gear all junk—how are we supposed to fight the Yu Guo army of fifty thousand strong and well-mounted?"

Everyone fell silent.

Zhou Da Kui continued:

"Here we supposedly have a Fairy providing food and water, but then what? Fight with food and water? Without sufficient manpower or decent equipment, once the Yu Guo army launches an attack, how can we possibly hold them off?"

"Just look at Xiao Qidi's posture in building these walls—once they're finished, all the able-bodied men here will be conscripted into his army; we'll be bare-handed and forced to go die for him!"

"In the end, all the villagers here will become his sacrifices to buy time; he only needs to hold out until court reinforcements arrive, while we? By then we'll already be dead beneath his blade!"

After that speech, the rest of them felt a chill run down their spines.

Zhou Da Kui stared at them intently and posed a soul‑searching question: "Are you truly willing to die for a king who can't even control the imperial court?"

Finally someone couldn't hold back, voice trembling, and asked, "Brother Kui... then... what should we do?"

Zhou Da Kui spat out two words: "Defect."

"Defect... defect?" the man grew even more fearful, "The Yu Guo army has always been brutal, often enjoying the torture of prisoners; if we go over to them, we... we'll die a horrible death."

Zhou Da Kui gave him a sideways glance, "We're different—we can bring them important news, such as that there's a Fairy in Lin Xian Village who provides food; you've all eaten that food, and it's far better than anything we've ever seen in our lives."

The crowd fell silent again, their expressions showing hesitation.

Zhou Da Kui threatened and enticed:

"One road is to stay here—although there's food and drink, you'll work yourself to death, only to be slaughtered like pigs and sheep by the Yu Guo army in a few days."

"The second road is to defect to the Yu Guo army with vital intelligence; there's still a sliver of hope, and you might even earn merit, be rewarded, and rise to great heights."

"Now answer me— which path do you choose?"

The crowd looked at one another, their gazes gradually turning resolute.

"Brother Kui, you're right!"

"We of course must choose the second path to life! We want to rise to great heights!"

"Brother Kui, we're all following you!"

Seeing everyone declare their stance, Zhou Da Kui broke into a satisfied smile.

At this moment, someone gritted their teeth viciously and proposed: "Anyway, we've already decided to defect, so why not kill Xiao Qidi tonight and bring his head over? That would be more secure! What do you think?!"

Several immediately voiced their support, saying that although Xiao Qidi held no real power, he was still the monarch of Xuan Guo, and sending his head over would also be a great achievement.

Furthermore, I've heard that Xiao Qidi is injured; this is the perfect opportunity to strike at him!