Chapter 216: Suddenly Became the Vanguard General

The centurion tried to struggle due to suffocation.

But he had no strength left, and soon Feng San smothered him to death.

This was Feng San's first kill.

Watching the burly centurion being killed so easily by himself, his heart pounded and his whole body trembled violently.

But this was not due to fear or fright.

It was excitement.

A feeling of excitement he had never experienced surged straight to his head, making him feel as if he had drunk sweet nectar.

Thinking again that just today he had been a poor commoner who could freeze or starve to death at any moment, in the blink of an eye he had become part of the Zhenhuang Army, and soon would become a general, rising rapidly—this swift ascent thrilled him to the point of his scalp tingling.

"Lord Feng, the general summons you." A voice sounded from outside the tent.

Feng San realized at this moment that trying to slip away would be too late; upon further thought, he knew the centurion's subordinates were aware they had been drinking together in the tent, and sneaking off would only raise suspicion.

He then had an idea: he filled the wine bowl on the table, which was larger than a face, with liquor, submerged the centurion's face down in it, and then himself clutched the wine jug and lay down on the ground.

"Lord Feng, Lord Feng?" The subordinate outside the tent, hearing no reply from the centurion, shouted again louder.

Inside the tent it remained peaceful and quiet.

The two subordinates had no choice but to lift the curtain and peek inside.

All they saw was the centurion slumped over the table, Feng San lying on the ground, both motionless.

"Have Lord Feng and that lad both gotten drunk?"

"No, we must quickly wake Lord Feng; the general is still waiting for him!"

The two hurried into the tent.

They stepped over Feng San, one on the left and one on the right, and came to the centurion's side.

"Lord Feng, wake up…"

"Sir?"

"Something's wrong… how did the sir end up face‑first in the wine bowl?"

The two were somewhat panicked, fumbling to lift the centurion upright, but his head lolled to the side and fell, revealing a bloodless face.

"Lord Feng! Lord Feng!"

The subordinate shouted while shaking the centurion's shoulders; seeing no response, he mustered his courage to check breath and pulse, and only then realized the man was dead.

The two were shocked and pale, hastily grabbing Feng San's collar and slapping his face: "Feng San! Wake up! Wake up quickly!"

After taking several hard slaps, Feng San feigned slight sobriety, his speech slurred and eyes vacant: "Huh… what happened? Why are you hitting me?"

The two subordinates glared, eyes wide with anger.

"Lord Feng is dead!"

"What on earth happened?! Speak!"

Feng San first showed an expression of disbelief.

He deliberately belched, laughing nervously: "You… you… what joke is this… my adoptive father wasn't… wasn't just drinking with me… how… how could he be dead… come… you… you also… also drink with my adoptive father, I really can't drink any more…"

"Damn it!" one subordinate shouted, slapping him twice more, splitting his lip: "Get a grip, damn it!"

The other subordinate dragged Feng San over to the corpse, snarling: "Open your dog eyes and look!"

Feng San pretended to examine the body seriously, even checked his breath, then flung himself onto the centurion and wailed: "Adoptive father! My good adoptive father! How… how did you suddenly die? Weren't you just saying you'd drink with me till dawn? Adoptive father!"

The centurion's two subordinates had originally planned to get some information from Feng San's mouth, but seeing this, they could only give up.

Soon after, the medic from the camp heard the news, rushed over, and examined the centurion's corpse.

The conclusion was that the centurion had drowned.

Combined with what the two subordinates saw when they entered, it was obvious that the large bowl of strong liquor in front of him was what had drowned him.

He was so drunk that he plunged headfirst into the wine bowl, his face submerged and unable to breathe; likewise, his intoxication robbed him of consciousness, so that large bowl of liquor literally drowned him alive.

"Wuu… adoptive father! It's all my fault!" Feng San sobbed heart‑wrenchingly, "If only my alcohol tolerance weren't so poor, and I hadn't passed out before you, you wouldn't have met this mishap! I deserve to die!"

Although the centurion's subordinates felt something was a bit odd, the current evidence all pointed to an accidental death, and there were more pressing matters, so they stopped dwelling on it.

"Feng San, stop crying!"

"The general wants to know more about those food, clothing, and bedding supplies; since Lord Feng is dead, only you can go tell him!"

Faced with the two's urging, Feng San's heart leapt with joy, yet his face still showed an expression of unbearable pain.

He cried out, saying he had just told his adoptive father everything, and was waiting for the father to finish his drink before reporting to the general—little did he expect that in the blink of an eye they would be separated forever.

He felt truly awful, afraid he wouldn't be able to see the general.

The two subordinates grew anxious, hauled him up from the ground, gave him a good round of persuasion and comfort, urging him to consider the bigger picture.

Only then did Feng San feign reluctance, wiping his tears and saying: "If that's the case, then I… I'll go see the general; please, you two, lead the way."

Soon, Feng San arrived at the tent of the Zhenhuang Army General.

"Your humble Feng San pays his respects, General." Feng San bowed low, touching the ground with his five limbs, then declared that he was a subordinate of Centurion Feng.

The Zhenhuang Army General frowned: "How did you come? Where is he?"

Feng San put on a mournful expression and told the general: "He became overly excited, drank to the point of insensibility, and accidentally fell headfirst into the wine bowl and drowned."

The Zhenhuang Army General stared, then said: "There's such a thing? Really remarkable."

"If the general doubts it, he can summon the military doctor and others for questioning."

"No need; he's merely a centurion—dead is dead, but…"

"General, in fact it was I, the lowly one, who told him how to obtain those rare items; if you want to know anything, just ask me."

"Hmm?"

The Zhenhuang Army General's face lit up with joy: "So it turns out the real contributor is you! No wonder that fellow, when I appointed him centurion and asked him to report in detail, said he first wanted to comfort his subordinates below, then later come to me with the full report."

Feng San silently cursed the centurion in his heart, then gave an embarrassed smile at the general without speaking right away.

The Zhenhuang Grand General said, "Since you are the one who earned merit and he has already died unexpectedly, you shall take over his position as Centurion."

Feng San rubbed his hands and said, "Grand General, I have always vowed to serve the Great Wilderness, but fate mocks me; even though I have the ability to command troops in battle, I have never been recognized…"

"Hehe," the Grand General laughed, "From what you say, your ambition is lofty. Do you despise the Centurion's rank? Surely you don't aim to become a Thousand Centurion, do you?"

Feng San sneered inwardly.

Thousand Centurion?

That's still a bit lacking!

At least I must be a commander!

Otherwise, why expend so much effort, betray Niu Village, kill the Centurion, and put on a show? What for?

"Sir, Grand General," Feng San knelt on both knees, speaking earnestly, "Those delicious and filling unique foods and the world‑rare thick cotton clothing and bedding actually come from within the Xuanhuang Shanmai."

The Zhenhuang Grand General frowned, "What do you mean? Are you trying to tell me those grew out of the mountain, were picked up by some Niu Village villagers? Do you think I'm a fool?"

Feng San hurriedly replied, "Such rare items could not simply sprout from the mountain; there is a military camp in the mountain! These are the camp's provisions and supplies!"

The Zhenhuang Grand General slammed the table, "Absurd! The Xuanhuang Shanmai is a deep, remote forest; how could there be a camp?!"

"Grand General, please calm down and let me speak slowly; if any half‑sentence of mine is false, you may punish me!" Feng San then vividly recounted how he and a few people from Niu Village went hunting in the mountains, discovered the Xuan Guo camp, and obtained those supplies.

After hearing this bizarre story, the Zhenhuang Grand General was filled with astonishment.

He could not believe that Xuan Guo actually had the ability to build a camp inside the Xuanhuang Shanmai.

Yet Feng San's tale, though bizarre and exaggerated, did not seem something that could be fabricated out of thin air.

He furrowed his brows, thought for a moment, and asked in a deep voice, "The terrain of the Xuanhuang Shanmai is so complex and the environment so harsh! How could Xuan Guo possibly build a camp and station troops there? They simply cannot! Speak! If you fabricated this nonsense to fool me, what is your true purpose?"

"Grand General! Every word I said is true!" Feng San panicked and hurriedly kowtowed.

The Zhenhuang General rose, drew his battle sword, pressed it against Feng San's neck, and coldly said, "If you do not speak the truth now, I will cut you down!"

Feng San was so frightened he almost wet his pants, yet he firmly insisted that he had said nothing false.

The Zhenhuang General had actually intended to pressure and test him; when he saw the fellow on the brink of death still not recanting, he felt a slight belief.

Feng San noticed the blade on his neck had not fallen, seized the moment and said, "Grand General! You yourself have seen those foods and clothing and bedding, which already exceed our knowledge. Though we do not yet know how Xuan Guo's Zhen Xuan Army obtained them, it proves they must rely on these excellent supplies to secretly establish camps in the Xuanhuang Shanmai!"

The Zhenhuang Grand General lifted his long sword a bit higher, "Interesting, continue."

Feng San breathed a sigh of relief, "The people in that secret camp can easily spare that many supplies to Niu Village; moreover, winter has arrived and they are still so generous, which proves their stockpiles far exceed our imagination! This further suggests that the Zhen Xuan Army is preparing to attack our Great Wilderness!"

The Zhenhuang Grand General was uncertain and uneasy.

The Xuanhuang Shanmai has always been a towering natural barrier between Xuan Guo and the Great Wilderness.

If one cannot cross from that side, the other side is equally impassable.

If disputes arise, both sides must scale the mountains and converge within the range to fight a battle.

Such labor‑intensive, unrewarding tasks are unwanted by either side.

Let alone mustering troops to cross the range and attack the opponent?

Isn't that just first whittling down one's own forces and then handing them over to the enemy to be beaten!

Who would do such a foolish thing!

Especially in winter, when heavy snow blocks the mountains, any troops that enter the range are doomed.

Therefore, no one in the Great Wilderness has ever imagined that Xuan Guo would launch an attack under such conditions.

"Grand General…" Feng San forced himself to continue, "Our soldiers here are starving and freezing, completely unprepared, while the Zhen Xuan Pass on the other side of the Xuanhuang Shanmai has already begun covert actions. Perhaps… perhaps one day when we wake up, Xuan Guo's Zhen Xuan Army will already be at our doorstep!"

The Zhenhuang Grand General shivered instantly, and the long sword in his hand clanged to the ground.

He had originally been just a subordinate of Liu, but after Liu died he succeeded to the Grand General position; before he could even taste the benefits of being the frontier commander, he now faced an attack from Xuan Guo's main army?

The Great Wilderness monarch had recently issued an order that this year even supply deliveries were cut off, demanding each frontier pass resolve matters on its own.

If Xuan Guo's main army truly came, Zhenhuang Pass would have no means of resistance!

"Grand General, stay calm." Feng San picked up the long sword, raised both hands above his head and presented it, "Now we know Xuan Guo's secret scheme, we can respond in advance."

The Zhenhuang Grand General took the long sword, thought for a moment, then helped Feng San to his feet, "What plan do you have?"

Seeing the Grand General's attitude shift dramatically, Feng San realized his ascent to officer status was almost certain, and his heart swelled.

"Actually it's simple," Feng San said confidently, "If we strike while they are unprepared and seize the Xuan Guo secret camp in the Xuanhuang Shanmai, then the camp they painstakingly built will become our territory, and its abundant supplies will be ours!"

The Zhenhuang Grand General said, "Since they have the ability to secretly build a camp there, their supplies must be ample and their defenses excellent. Capturing a stronghold has always been a hard task in campaigns. If I dispatch troops into the Xuanhuang Shanmai, in such harsh weather they may be lost in the forest before even reaching their camp."

Feng San chuckled, slapped his chest and said, "I know their camp like the back of my hand! Moreover I am familiar with the terrain; even if heavy snow blocks the mountain, I can lead men to charge in! If the Grand General trusts me, allow me to serve you faithfully!"

"Good, that's perfect!" the Zhenhuang Grand General, having waited for this, smiled broadly, "How many troops do you need?"

Feng San recalled the observations he had made inside the camp.

Unfortunately, at that time most of them stayed inside the tents and were being watched, so he could not grasp everything; his earlier bragging was only to secure the chance to become a general.

He then casually speculated, analyzing seriously, "That camp probably holds at most… about two thousand people. Grand General, give me five thousand soldiers, and I can wipe out those Xuan Guo men completely!"

When he opened his mouth to demand five thousand, it was mainly because he lacked confidence and had never led troops; he thought that as long as there were enough men, he could lead them over and win with his eyes closed.

The Zhenhuang Grand General, seeing his confidence, agreed without hesitation, "I now appoint you as a Vanguard General, allocate seven thousand Zhenhuang troops for your use; if you can capture that camp, I will promote you to Deputy General of Zhenhuang Pass!"

Feng San did not expect the General to give him more troops than anticipated, nor that he would instantly receive the title of Vanguard General and even later become the Deputy General here; his blood boiled with excitement, and he fell to his knees, pounding his head three times heavily.

"Thank you for the Grand General's favor! I… the junior officer will not disappoint this great expectation!"

"Hahaha, General Feng, rise quickly!"

Hearing the words "General Feng", Feng San felt elated and could not wait to say, "Grand General, the junior officer will set out now! If I fail to capture the Xuan Guo camp in the Xuanhuang Shanmai, I will present my head!"