Chapter 1015: with translation of chapter title

Kong Fang's plan, Chen Wuji roughly understood it.

The ten thousand tents he needs to bring are bait for fishing.

These baits are to muddy the water, to mobilize the Uyghur army.

His true purpose is actually reconnaissance!

Scout the enemy army's strength, scale, manner of employing troops, and the map.

Kong Fang, this rascal, has big ambitions; he intends to use this operation to fully map the terrain from Yǐnmǎchuān to the Uyghur border.

The plan is very bold, and indeed, as he said, it exerts the scout to the fullest extent.

Even this cannot be considered scouting; it's like doing a big jump of love's magic spin on the Uyghur people's faces.

But the risk is also extremely great!

"Just go for a stroll around Yǐnmǎchuān, don't go into the Uyghur border; it's not easy for me to round up you people, so better cherish your own lives a bit more." Chen Wuji said.

If the lord were an unfeeling person, eyes only on fame and success, this would indeed be a plan worth a try, but Chen Wuji simply cannot change his habit of loving his soldiers like his own children.

The risk of Kong Fang's plan is really too high.

"My lord, regarding the Uyghur border, I will only attempt to enter after the Uyghur people have been mobilized; if they don't take the bait, I will not take the risk." Kong Fang said seriously.

"I am not the kind of person who treats soldiers' lives as unimportant; I take out a thousand elite troops, and I want none lost, all to return."

Chen Wuji glanced, "Don't brag here!"

"……"

"My lord, why not let me explain the plan in more detail again?" Kong Fang said.

"Are you doubting my intelligence?"

"I dare not!"

"Alright, speak. Anyway, it's almost dawn; after speaking, let's go eat something."

"Yes!"

At dawn, Kong Fang spent half an hour laying out his plan in great detail to Chen Wuji.

After listening, Chen Wuji stared at Kong Fang for a while without speaking.

"My lord, is it feasible?" Kong Fang, feeling a bit nervous under Chen Wuji's gaze, asked cautiously.

He felt the plan was very thorough, and the chance of success was extremely high.

As for the remaining risks…

That is certain!

War is inherently an risky endeavor; if there is no risk at all, is it still war?

Kong Fang thought Chen Wuji was doubting his tactics, but he didn't know that.

Chen Wuji was actually—shocked.

Kong Fang's detailed plan carried a strong sense of special operations.

The thinking of special operations, in this era, was raised by a strategist?

How could this not shock people?!

"The plan I approve, but to achieve what you said, relying solely on the elite troops in the army would be hard." Chen Wuji said in a low voice, "Later go find Lu San ye, let him arrange a few reliable masters to protect your life."

Kong Fang's expression brightened, "Thank you, my lord; if we add a few Lu clan masters, I can guarantee with my life at least a seventy percent chance of success."

"Don't get too excited; the role of masters on the battlefield is very limited; I give you these masters merely as a backup, to let them help you handle some thorny matters." Chen Wuji reminded, "Also, don't rush to set out; wait until Chen Li returns before we talk again!"

Chen Li personally led Scouts last night to scout the nearby situation, and still hasn't returned.

If the nearby enemy situation cannot be clarified, it's uncertain that as soon as Kong Fang steps out, the enemy will lock onto him; once the enemy bites at the moment he leaves the main camp, even if the rest of the plan is meticulous, it will become mere decoration.

Kong Fang accepted the order and said yes.

As the morning sun poured over the land, the mess from last night in the camp was clearly displayed.

Li Qichen's frenzied left-and-right charges destroyed more than half of Chen Wuji's main camp; what met the eye were burnt, tattered tents, with equipment and banners strewn everywhere.

If one only looks at this scene, Chen Wuji's battle last night was simply miserable beyond misery.

The Luggage and Supplies camp has already dispatched personnel, some busy cooking, others sent to tidy the tents.

"Guo Songbai!" Chen Wuji shouted.

"Hey, I'm here, my lord!"

Guo Songbai came running from not far away, his head dripping with water.

He is a genuine Qingzhou man, big and thickset, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted; at first glance he gives the feeling of Cheng Yaojin.

He was originally a Brigade Commander under Lu Ping'an's command, later stood out from the Qingzhou Conscripts camp, and by military merit rose to become a Training Officer of one of the seven main camps of the central army.

Among the Qingzhou Conscripts, currently he and Feng Linchuan are the fastest to advance.

If not for Xie Fengxian and Lu Ji's earlier accumulated prestige, they might have long been left far behind by these two; however, Guo Songbai's military merit background differs slightly from Feng Linchuan's.

Feng Linchuan's personal ability is exaggerated, but he likes to charge headlong in battle.

Guo Songbai's combat ability is not weak either, but he prefers to use his brain; for things that can be thought through, he never resorts to brute force, and he also likes to hide his clumsiness.

He originally looked like a merchant, and he greatly enjoys dropping his demeanor to mingle happily with the soldiers, praising everyone he meets, his mouth moving like a horse's spring.

Thus, in the entire central army, this guy's connections are the best.

Fortunately, everyone still has a bit of sense, and they didn't take this guy's outward appearance as genuine strength.

"Arrange people to quickly gather the tents and help the Luggage and Supplies camp tally the losses." Chen Wuji ordered.

"Yes!"

Guo Songbai answered, hesitated a moment, then put on a full-face smile and said: "My lord, coincidentally, as Deputy General, I have a small matter I wish to discuss with you."

"Speak."

Guo Songbai leaned in, lowered his voice, and said: "My lord, Wushuang seems a bit off."

"What's wrong?" Chen Wuji asked.

Guo Songbai glanced into the distance, "When I got up this morning, I saw Wushuang sitting on the grass over there, so I went over intending to chat a bit, but he was dazed and vacant-eyed, as if his soul had wandered off."

The Deputy General only learned after questioning Wushuang's personal guard that he had been sitting there all night; ever since the battle ended yesterday, he has remained there until now.

The Deputy General suspects Wushuang fell into a ditch that some old man had tampered with, and now he can't get out.

Chen Wuji rubbed his face, "What else could it be? It's definitely this. Let it be for now—see if he can figure it out himself; if he can't, we'll settle it later. Advice from others doesn't help much in such matters."

"At the height of his vigor, he was made to fall into a ditch by a tea‑selling old man—anyone would feel stifled and upset by that."

"Yes!" Guo Songbai replied, "But most people just feel stifled for a moment and then they're sure to want to regain their standing. As for Wushuang, though, the Deputy General sees him as completely sunk in."