Chapter 124

Training day thirteen.

Evening.

The sun set behind the mountains, and there was still an hour before dark. There was no training last night. The Boss said there would be a very important and very strict training tonight. Everyone's heart was in their throats because usually, when the Boss said it wouldn't be too tiring or just a casual practice, they were already trained to the point of being half-dead. This time, even she said it was strict training... they really dared not imagine!

Gu Yun led all the soldiers to this end of the back mountain, five or six miles away from the forest where they usually trained. Here, they had the back mountain at their backs, and in front of them was an open flat land with no cover. Just as the soldiers were anxiously waiting for Gu Yun to give orders, she was walking around nearby, not knowing what she was looking for.

With great difficulty, she found a tree branch as thick as an index finger, took a small triangular flag from her sleeve, walked in front of them, and smiled very easily, "Two days from now is the start of the night raid battle. Tonight is the last night training. I want to test the results of your training. The training project tonight is—a night raid drill."

A drill battle?!

Not expecting such a training project, the generals were stunned for a moment. Gu Yun ignored their reaction and said to herself, "The attacking side tonight is Ge Jingyun's team, and the defending side is Leng Xiao's team. Before the drill is completed, I will not give you any advice or orders. You each lead two hundred and forty people to complete this battle."

Handing the tree branch and the small flag to Leng Xiao, Gu Yun continued, "This is the commander's flag. Leng Xiao, your team must protect your commander's flag well. If it is snatched away by Ge Jingyun's group, you lose. Conversely, Ge Jingyun loses. This is Leng Xiao's main camp, and the place where we usually practice is Ge Jingyun's camp. Now I give you an hour to prepare. One hour later, the drill battle officially begins."

This group were all new recruits who had never truly experienced so-called war, and for a moment, everyone looked at each other, still a bit stunned.

"Do you understand?" Gu Yun's sudden sharp shout finally brought them back to their senses. The soldiers quickly stood at attention and replied, "Understood!"

"Prepare yourselves." Gu Yun nodded with satisfaction, really saying nothing more, and led the remaining twenty people to climb to a place with a wide view on the hillside of the back mountain, sitting there leisurely.

Tonight, she wanted to see who could become her vanguard tomorrow night!

The twenty soldiers stood behind Gu Yun, not knowing why, watching the two teams below who had already begun to actively deploy. They didn't understand what the Boss's intention was in bringing them here. Although they were confused, the training over the past half-month made them deeply understand one truth: do not contradict the Boss. Whatever she did, she must have her reasons, no matter how strange it looked.

Sure enough, after about a quarter of an hour, Gu Yun finally turned her head and said to them, "In groups of two, from the chaotic forest to the camp, you divide into five routes, observe along the way, and report any situation at any time. You only need to watch, and you are not allowed to intervene in any situation. Do you understand?"

Not daring to hesitate, the twenty people replied in unison, "Understood."

Waving her hand at them, Gu Yun leaned against the rock wall, her bright eyes quietly watching the situation below. In fact, she was relaxed and calm on the surface, but she was worried about these soldiers in her heart. They were all new recruits who had never experienced so-called war, and they were about to face Su Ren and his elite soldiers. In this night raid battle, it was not difficult to defeat the new recruits trained by Su Yu, but to fight Su Ren, she had no confidence.

This drill was less about testing their skills and more about testing their courage and adaptability. She hoped they wouldn't let her down.

Gu Yun's eyes, which had been staring at the bottom, suddenly narrowed. What is Leng Xiao doing?!

On the open ground, the two hundred or so soldiers who had been neatly arranged were divided into five teams. Except for thirty or so people standing behind Leng Xiao without moving, the rest ran off in four directions.

Gu Yun's expression darkened, and her hands gradually clenched into fists. After taking a few deep breaths, she slowly relaxed them again, coldly continuing to stare at the other soldiers on the open ground who seemed a bit idle, as well as Leng Xiao, who, although still expressionless, couldn't help but reveal a bit of complacency.

The sky grew dark, and it was time for the night raid. Leng Xiao lit two fires on the open ground, looking up at the direction of Gu Yun from time to time. Gu Yun was sitting in a backlit spot, and the sky was dark, so Leng Xiao couldn't see her expression clearly, but he could feel a pair of sharp eyes looking at him coldly.

He would never have believed before that a woman could have such sharp, clear eyes and such a tenacious and tough personality. But since meeting her, he finally believed that there really were women in this world he had to admire.

He knew that she was choosing a general for the night raid battle between him and Ge Jingyun tonight. He would definitely prove that he was more outstanding, more strategic, and more talented than Ge Jingyun.

Hurried footsteps came from behind. Before long, a small general came to Gu Yun and said, "Report. Ge Jingyun has divided his troops into three routes, setting off toward the camp from the east, south, and west."

Gu Yun nodded slightly and said nothing. The small general hesitated for a while, and seeing that she had no orders, he quickly ran back to continue monitoring.

After less than a quarter of an hour, another small general ran over and reported, "Report. Leng Xiao has sent out four teams, digging mud pits and occupying high ground in the east, south, west, and north, waiting in ambush with arrow formations for the enemy."

Gu Yun smiled and shook her head. Offense is the best defense; Leng Xiao did a good job on this point. Given Ge Jingyun's honest personality, he probably wouldn't expect to encounter an ambush on the way here!

According to the time, Ge Jingyun's team should have reached the vicinity of the camp by now, but except for the cold moonlight and the burning firewood, there was no movement around. Nine times out of ten, Ge Jingyun's team had already encountered an ambush.

"Report. In Ge Jingyun's group, the team on the east side fell into a mud pit and were all captured."

"Report. The team under Ge Jingyun's command attacking from the west encountered an arrow ambush in the back mountain, and the attack failed."

The two reports that sounded almost simultaneously behind her confirmed Gu Yun's guess. But after waiting for a long time, the report for the third team didn't come. Looking at Leng Xiao, whose expression on the open ground was becoming more and more relaxed, Gu Yun's lips lifted in a strange smile. Arrogant soldiers will be defeated; the final showdown hasn't even started yet!

"Report." Another small general ran back panting and said loudly, "The team brought by Ge Jingyun fought fiercely with the soldiers ambushing on the high ground in the south and successfully broke out of the encirclement, but—" After hesitating for a while, Gu Yun's face darkened, and the small general quickly continued, "casualties were heavy."

Gu Yun squinted and looked over. Directly in front, dust was flying. Leading the team in front was Ge Jingyun, covered in stains and in a sorry state. Behind him, twenty or so soldiers were jogging along, with no formation to speak of.

Holding his personal weapon, a long blade, Ge Jingyun brought overwhelming fury and charged straight toward Leng Xiao.

Leng Xiao was shocked. It seemed he hadn't expected Ge Jingyun to be able to break out of the encirclement. He hurriedly picked up the double halberds placed to the side and met him.

The long blade and double halberds clashed. The two commanders fought in a stalemate, and because Leng Xiao was too confident and didn't have good defense, the remaining thirty people were basically the weaker soldiers in this team. So, after a round of confrontation, the soldiers under Ge Jingyun gained the upper hand.

The confrontation between Leng Xiao and Ge Jingyun was naturally very intense, but he ultimately couldn't withstand the furious Ge Jingyun.

Ge Jingyun snatched the commander's flag and waved it toward the direction of Gu Yun. There was no joy on Ge Jingyun's face, especially when he saw in the distance that the soldiers under Leng Xiao were escorting his own soldiers back; he looked even more furious.

The soldiers under Leng Xiao returned to see that the commander's flag was already in Ge Jingyun's hands, feeling somewhat annoyed and discouraged. Meanwhile, those soldiers who had already been captured or "killed" immediately cheered. In an instant, the small open ground was filled with either frustration or cheers, becoming a mess.

It was very lively below, but the twenty people standing behind Gu Yun on the hillside didn't dare to even breathe loudly. The Boss had been silently watching below for a long time, and even if it was just her back, these people could already feel her fury rising.

A quarter of an hour later, the soldiers finally felt the tension in the atmosphere, and the drill had long since ended. Even if she wanted to scold someone, that dark, petite figure should have appeared long ago, but it was still silent, which was a bit wrong.

The soldiers quickly lined up, not daring to look at the shadow on the hillside, and their hearts finally began to feel uneasy.

Another quarter of an hour passed, and Gu Yun finally stood up, went down the back mountain, and walked toward them slowly. Backlit by the moonlight, it was impossible to see whether her expression was happy or angry, but the special pressure she exuded made all the soldiers know before she even opened her mouth that they were dead meat tonight!

Standing still in front of the team, Gu Yun said neither lightly nor heavily, "Ge Jingyun, Leng Xiao, step out."

"Yes." The two stepped forward. Leng Xiao was expressionless, and Ge Jingyun looked annoyed.

Walking between the two, Gu Yun asked coldly, "What are you two doing?"

As soon as Gu Yun finished speaking, Ge Jingyun attacked first, "He didn't follow the rules. He was clearly the defending side, but he didn't guard the camp properly and ambushed us halfway. He cheated first!" Clearly, the attacking and defending sides had been divided, so how could he break the rules!

"Nonsense!" Ge Jingyun's righteous look made Gu Yun finally unable to help but roar, "All is fair in war! Did I say you weren't allowed to take the initiative to attack? On the battlefield, there has never been an absolute attacking side or defending side; roles can be swapped at any time. You didn't treat this drill as a real battle at all. Do you think that when facing an enemy, you can also ask the enemy who is eager for your life to honestly wait for you to attack them?!"

(End of chapter)