Chapter 270: Sacrificing to the Flag

Time passed minute by minute, and the formation set up in the allied camp looked as if no one cared about it.

"What is going on?"

Mawen gazed toward the camp entrance, "Even if that Keruien takes as long as a woman to get ready to go out, he should be here by now!"

"Don't be anxious, Feilipu should be back soon."

As the words fell, Feilipu walked quickly into the tent: "It's bad, that Keruien has closed the castle gates. Now, even the castle servants going out on errands aren't being let in, and no one is coming out either!"

Hearing this news, everyone was stunned for a moment.

"Damn it, who leaked the news!"

Mawen roared: "Is there a traitor among us?"

Keruien staying behind closed doors clearly meant he had learned the news, so it was normal for Mawen to have such suspicions.

For a moment, the people in the tent looked at one another, all appearing somewhat guarded.

Aside from Luoning and his men, the only ones present yesterday were Tolu, Mawen, Feilipu, and Suoersitain; even Talun did not know the inside story.

If there was a traitor, it had to be among these four.

The allied forces were already loose; if the high-level commanders also lacked mutual trust, that would be a very terrifying thing.

Luoning spoke at the right moment: "Everyone need not suspect one another. In my view, it was not our people who passed the information to Keruien. Amikusi in Chishan Town is also a possibility; after all, the disappearance of a core figure is something worth their vigilance."

Although he said it this way, he still had not expected the other side to notice so quickly, and to have reported the information to Keruien so promptly, which indicated a high degree of mutual trust and communication between the two parties.

Luoning could not help but lament the ever-changing nature of the situation; his plan to catch the turtle in the jar had gone down the drain.

"Luoning makes sense."

The tense atmosphere inside the An'an eased quite a bit.

They admired the adaptability of this young man before them even more; if it had been Weijinsi, no, if it had been them, their thinking would not have kept up with his.

"Luoning, what do we do next?"

Tolu asked: "With the supply reserves of a typical castle, even if Keruien hides in Jushi Castle for ten days or half a month, he won't have to worry about food. But we can't; for this expedition, Jushi Castle will bear the food consumption of the Wushan Castle Knight Squad and the Wubei Territory Knight Squad."

Simply put, if Keruien does not provide food, the allied forces will have nothing to eat.

With empty stomachs, not only will they be unable to fight, but it will surely bring about panic.

"The food problem is easy to solve."

Before Luoning could speak, Mawen offered a suggestion: "Jushi City is so large, with so many commoners; if it really comes to it, we can just requisition their food."

Requisition sounds nice, but in reality, it is robbery.

"The food storage in the camp should last for four or five days. If that's not enough, have the other nobles balance out the food, promising to return it after the war is won. The most important thing right now is to consider how to face the enemy."

Luoning said: "Jushi City is cooperating with the Bolante Bandit Group. Since they have shared information, presumably that Amikusi also understands Keruien's situation. As a key ally for victory or defeat, Amikusi will definitely send troops to support; we need to prevent being caught in a pincer attack."

Everyone nodded slightly.

Suoersitain could not help but ask: "Are we to divide our forces to resist?"

Luoning pondered for Along while, but in the end, he shook his head.

Sitting still won't work, and dividing forces to resist is not a good method either.

"Last night the time was rushed, making it unsuitable to attack Jushi Castle, but now we can try."

Luoning said: "If we can take Jushi Castle before the enemies from Chishan Town arrive, then not only will we have food, but we will only need to deal with one enemy."

Mawen looked worried, continuing after Luoning's words: "But the defensive power of Jushi Castle is very strong."

"I have a way to deal with it."

Luoning said: "The Marquis gifted me a Level 6 Magic Cannon; using it, perhaps we can blast open the gates of Jushi Castle."

"Magic Cannon? The Marquis is even willing to give you this thing?"

Mawen widened his eyes; he had tried every trick in the book to buy a Magic Cannon at a slightly cheaper price, but Lulansi had not agreed.

Now, it was better; the other party had directly gifted one to Luoning.

Sure enough, compared to a disciple, a grandson is closer.

The eyes of the others also lit up; with the assistance of a Magic Cannon, breaking into the castle would be much simpler.

"We are closer to Jushi Castle; even if the bandit group from Chishan Town rushes over, it will take them a day."

Marching at full speed would naturally not take that long, but facing a battle that could break out at any moment, they needed to conserve their strength and could not advance at full speed.

"Within one day, we will attempt to blast open the gates of Jushi Castle. Even if we can't blast them open, we must block them inside the castle so they cannot come out."

"At the same time, on the road where the Bolante Bandit Group will support Jushi Castle, we will set up traps and ambushes, relying on the surrounding houses and other favorable terrain."

Since luring the snake out of its hole and catching the turtle in the jar won't work, then let's besiege the point to strike the reinforcements. At the same time, facing a single enemy, the noble allied forces still hold the superior position.

Under his arrangement, everyone felt the chaotic situation suddenly become clear.

"Good, then that's what we'll do!"

Mawen clapped his hands, looking like he was ready for a big fight: "I'll have Talun take men to deal with Keruien's team in the camp; let's use them to sacrifice to the flag."

Naturally, there were innocent people among those Keruien left in the camp, but in the current situation, if they were not killed, it would indeed be difficult to handle.

Moreover, with a great battle imminent, suddenly announcing that an important figure in the allied forces is a traitor would surely bring instability to the hearts of the people. Publicizing Keruien's evil deeds while executing his subordinates in public could achieve a very good effect.

"Tolu, Ruidar, you two go handle the traitor matter as well; try your best to let the allied forces know of the crimes Keruien has committed, as well as the sequence of the whole affair."

Luoning instructed again: "Feilipu and Suoersitain, the scouts toward Chishan Town must not be reduced; they must be in batches, with multiple people in a group, to continuously pass the latest movements of the Bolante Bandit Group to us."

"Yes!" the two Deputy Commanders replied in deep voices.

After some arrangements, the others left.

"Maiken, go gather Qiaofuli, Luogena, and the other ten Transcendental; I have a special mission to entrust to you all."

"Yes, my Lord!"

Maiken had already witnessed the command ability of the Lord, and in his heart, he was very expectant of this special mission.

On the other hand, as Talun and Mawen led the knights to surround Keruien's subordinates, a huge uproar was stirred up in the camp.

The Barons, Knights, and the leaders of the various family contingents could not believe that the Baron of Jushi Territory would actually betray Wushan Castle.

They could not understand; having already attained the rank of Baron and being highly regarded by the Marquis, what was there to gain by betraying Wushan Castle?

But with Tolu's explanation and the interrogation of those few Knights, the truth behind the tragedy at Chishan Town that night and the death of Knight Haen surfaced.

The Noble Allied Forces began to denounce these traitors one after another, throwing stones and even drawing their longswords.

Amidst the waves of cries to kill the traitors and avenge Knight Haen, the members of the Knight Squad that Keruien had left in the camp were all slaughtered.

The hostility of the Noble Allied Forces toward Jushi Castle reached its peak, and following the orders of Tolu and the others, the organized Noble Allied Forces, led by their newly appointed captains, left the camp and marched toward Jushi Castle. (End of chapter)