Chapter 142: The Qi Army's Grand Tent

Qi Wang sat high in the lofty king's tent, the surrounding candlelight flickered, casting his face in shifting light and shadow.

He was the supreme commander of the Qi Army, long known for being both wise and brave and for strict military discipline.

Yet now his face was overcast with gloom, as if a storm were about to break.

Outside the tent, the Qi Army's barracks stretched densely for miles.

Qi Army soldiers bustled about, yet each carefully avoided making any sound, for they all knew that Qi Wang was now in extreme anger.

Not long ago, Qi Wang received shocking news: Xue Ren Gui and the others had actually escaped unharmed despite being surrounded by the Qi Army's layers of encirclement. This was not only a challenge to the Qi Army's prestige but also a grave insult to Qi Wang's wisdom and strategy.

Qi Wang could not accept this outcome; he felt his dignity had been trampled upon like never before.

"Bang!" With a loud crash, Qi Wang slammed his palm on the table and rose to his feet.

A piece of intelligence was harshly slapped by Qi Wang onto the table before him.

"You lot are nothing but a bunch of rice buckets."

"With so many of you, you still let those loaches slip away."

"You all ought to go feed the pigs!"

His figure loomed especially tall in the candlelight, like a tiger about to erupt in rage.

"How could this happen?!"

Qi Wang roared, his voice echoing in the king's tent, "With so many of you, you can't even stop a handful of people?!"

The officers beneath the tent lowered their heads, not daring to breathe.

They knew that Qi Wang's anger now was not directed at any one person, but at the disappointment and anger toward the entire Qi Army.

They also understood what it meant for Qi Wang that Xue Ren Gui and the others had succeeded in raiding supplies and yet escaped unharmed.

Qi Wang drew a deep breath, striving to calm his emotions.

He knew that as the commander of an army, he could not let his emotions affect the morale of the whole force.

Yet the fire of anger in his heart was hard to quell.

"Just what is going on?"

Qi Wang asked coldly, his gaze sweeping over the officers below, "I want a detailed report."

One officer summoned his courage, stepped forward, and began to give a detailed account of the operation.

From Xue Ren Gui and the others suddenly appearing within Qi Zhou, they first clashed with a small detachment of the Qi Army.

Yet no one paid them any heed.

Then they went on to directly raid supplies, faced the Qi Army's encirclement, and finally broke through—every detail was reported without omission.

As he listened to the officer's report, Qi Wang's complexion grew ever uglier.

His fists clenched, his joints emitting a "crack-crack" sound.

The anger in his heart blazed fiercely, as if it would devour everything.

"You're all a bunch of good-for-nothings!"

Qi Wang shouted, "With so many of you, you actually let a few enemies slip right from under your noses! What use are you?"

"Is it that the next time I wake up, they'll have come to kill me right before my own tent?"

The officers kept their heads lowered, daring not to speak.

They knew that Qi Wang's anger now came from deep within; they could neither refute nor shift the blame.

Qi Wang paced back and forth in the tent, the anger in his heart hard to quell.

He could not accept this defeat, nor could he accept that an enemy force could come and go at will within his own Qi Zhou.

This made him feel his authority was facing a tremendous challenge.

Qi Wang's face darkened like still water, his gaze sweeping over the officers below.

He stopped pacing, drew several deep breaths.

He forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart.

The events have already happened.

Getting angrier about it now serves no purpose,

the urgent task is to devise a solution.

"You." Qi Wang spoke slowly, his voice low and powerful, "Xue Ren Gui and the others actually escaped unharmed despite our encirclement."

"This is the shame of our Qi Army, and the shame of each of us."

The officers below kept their heads lowered and silent, knowing Qi Wang spoke the truth.

This defeat dealt them a heavy blow; they could not accept this outcome.

"We cannot just let this go,"

Qi Wang continued, "Xue Ren Gui and the others now run rampant within Qi Zhou, a grave threat to our heartland; if we do not eliminate them, our Qi Army will never know peace."

"So I hope you can pool your wisdom and devise a good strategy to deal with them."

"Otherwise."

As Qi Wang's somber words fell, an officer forced himself to stand and said, "Great King, in my view we should strengthen our defenses to guard against sneak attacks by Xue Ren Gui and the others."

"At the same time, send out elite troops and strong commanders to pursue them, ensuring we net them all."

Qi Wang nodded slightly, his expression easing a bit: "Your suggestion is not bad; strengthening defenses is necessary."

"But mere defense is not enough; we also need to take the offensive."

"Xue Ren Gui and the others can pose a huge threat to my Qi Zhou in a short time; they must therefore be difficult to deal with."

"If we do not adopt some extraordinary measures, it will likely be hard to cope with them."

Another officer thought for a moment and said, "Great King, we can set a trap to lure Xue Ren Gui and the others into taking the bait."

"As long as they dare to come, let them have no return."

"Setting a trap?"

Qi Wang furrowed his brows slightly, "This idea is somewhat novel."

"But Xue Ren Gui and the others aren't fools; would they fall for it so easily?"

"Moreover, even if they really take the bait, we need sufficient strength to wipe them out in one fell swoop."

"According to intelligence, even without a War God present, Xue Ren Gui's force still has several divine generals."

"In the previous two battles, Xue Ren Gui and his four companions had not encountered any particularly formidable opponents."

"Therefore, as War Gods, Jiao Mo and Mo Peng merely used vigorous energy to attack."

"They did not employ the War God's signature Dharma Aspect."

"Although there are still some differences compared to divine generals."

"But the opponents they encountered were not overly strong."

"Therefore, one could not tell that Jiao Mo and Mo Peng actually possessed War God-level strength."

"Thus, this information gap arose."

"At this moment, Qi Wang and his subordinates were completely unaware of the gravity of the situation."

"The commanders under his tent were still discussing heatedly, each voicing their own opinions."

"Qi Wang listened to the commanders' suggestions, sometimes nodding, sometimes shaking his head."

"These suggestions all had some merit, but each also carried problems and risks."

"He must consider carefully in order to make the correct decision."

"Time passed bit by bit, and the commanders' discussion gradually quieted down."

"\"I have heard all of your suggestions, and they each have some merit. \""

"\"But I believe we should adopt a more stable and effective countermeasure. \""

"Finally, Qi Wang took a deep breath and slowly spoke."

"The commanders all raised their heads, looking at Qi Wang, waiting for his next words."

"(End of chapter)"