Chapter 1016

Wushuang's temperament really gave Chen Wuji no end of worry.

Apart from martial‑arts stuff, his head seemed to have nothing but a narrow goat‑trail.

This kid's fighting ability is truly formidable, and he's obedient to a fault—tell him to go east and he won't take a single step west.

But aside from those two strengths, everything else is pitiful enough to make your scalp crawl.

His IQ is a concern, and his EQ is practically zero.

Now that this has happened, he clearly can't regulate himself anymore—he's completely stuck, like barging into a south wall and unable to get out.

"Wait a bit longer; if it's still like that before nightfall, I'll take care of it!" Chen Wuji said, giving Guo Songbai a look. "Old Guo, with that little brain of yours, don't you have any ideas?"

Guo Songbai blinked, then burst into a hehe‑haha laugh. "My lord, you wrong me—this deputy general has no such scheming mind…"

"Huh?"

"But for Wushuang's important life affair, I, the deputy general, can rack my brains to give it a try—though it may not work and I'm likely to get beaten. I hope my lord will back me up; if that brat beats me to death, I'd feel terribly wronged."

Chen Wuji laughed. "You thick‑skinned lug, still scared of his two punches?"

Guo Songbai's face fell. "My lord, I truly can't stand up to Wushuang's fists."

"All right, go ahead and try— I'll take care of the rest."

Guo Songbai's face lit up. "Deputy general, I obey."

By mid‑morning, the ruined, chaotic camp was put back in order.

Chen Wuji ordered the Yíngzhù reinforced, had traps laid all around, and set up two dummy Yíngzhù five li north and five li west of Luoying Camp to conceal the real camp and confuse the enemy.

Next, he intends to stay put for now, not moving until he has a clear picture of the Uyghur People's situation.

He had hoped to play the mantis catching the cicada, with the oriole waiting behind, in Lingshouzhou—but Li Qichen that brat nearly pecked his eyes out. Now Chen Wuji intends to stay put right here, not going anywhere.

At the same time, this is meant to match Kong Fang's upcoming plan, projecting the illusion that we're awaiting reinforcements.

In the afternoon, when the scorching sun had wilted the mountain grass, Chen Li returned with his men.

They had toiled like convicts in the mountains for months, exhaustion etched on every inch of them—lips cracked like parched desert, bodies covered in bloody sores, barely dragging themselves back.

Only their eyes remained sharp, still flashing ferocity and resolve.

"How did you end up like this? If you have something to say, don't rush—sit down first." Chen Wuji asked. "Someone, get them warm salt water, then prepare hot soup to fill their stomachs."

Chen Li and the others thanked him and plopped down on the ground.

"My lord, the Uyghur great army is pressing the border—so many, so very many!" Chen Li blurted out as soon as he settled.

Chen Wuji waved a hand. "Hold on, speak slowly."

"My lord, I'm all right—just a bit bedraggled, but nothing serious." Chen Li said. "We just walked a long way, got a little weak; we scouted over two hundred li, sneaking along the Uyghur People's supply line to get a glimpse of their border."

Chen Wuji snapped his brows up. "You mean you covered four hundred li in half a day and one night?"

"If we calculate it as a round trip, it seems indeed to be the case," Chen Li said.

……

Chen Wuji remained silent for a long moment.

This kid is really damn ruthless, is he even human?

He must be an iron man.

"If you really can't hold it in, just say it, speak slowly, don't rush," Chen Wuji said.

He was also curious, but he could at least hold it for a while; however, seeing Chen Li like this, it was obvious he could no longer hold back.

"We went along the southern side of Yǐnmǎchuān, following their grain transport traces to the Uyghur border; when we were near the Uyghur heavy city Qijiangcheng, we turned back about eighty or ninety li away." Chen Li said slowly, "Along the way we encountered three military forts."

"Military fort?" Chen Li asked with emphasis.

"Yes!" Chen Li nodded.

"Those three military forts are extremely large, likely built some time ago, each constructed based on strategic terrain and heavily garrisoned. The exact number of troops stationed is unclear; we can only estimate from the scale of the forts. Moreover, their patrol range is extensive, and we haven't determined exactly how far they go. However, the farthest we encountered was about twenty li from the forts, with a hundred cavalry, and a patrol unit appears every half hour."

"Of the three forts, two are in Yǐnmǎchuān and one is on the border. We sent people to closely observe the two in Yǐnmǎchuān; each can accommodate around a hundred thousand troops. The border fort's patrol frequency is so high that we couldn't infiltrate it, so we had to give up."

Chen Wuji frowned, "It's said the Uyghurs have mustered a force of two hundred thousand from the whole nation; where do they get so many troops? If your assessment is correct, just these two forts alone would already amount to two hundred thousand."

At that moment, Kong Fang hurried in upon hearing the news.

He entered the tent and bowed to Chen Wuji, "My lord, I heard that Training Officer Chen Li has returned; may I be allowed to listen in?"

Chen Wuji nodded.

Chen Li continued, "My lord, I don't know the exact situation of the Uyghurs, but according to my own judgment, the claim that the whole nation cannot muster two hundred thousand troops is likely a rumor, or else the Uyghurs deliberately spread false information to numb the Dayu Court."

Kong Fang peeked in and raised his hand.

"Just say what you have to say, why are you being sneaky?" Chen Wuji shouted.

Kong Fang immediately straightened his face, "My lord, the Uyghurs have always done this; merchants who have traveled among them know that the Uyghurs now have a large population and their strength is no longer what it once was. Yet they still use the same old tactics against our Dayu, practically begging for mercy every year according to the twenty-four solar terms."

"But there are some fools in the court who readily believe such things; as soon as the Uyghur king sends up a memorial crying 'father emperor,' they immediately bestow rewards."

"Claims that the whole nation cannot muster two hundred thousand troops are nothing but nonsense; even at their poorest, the Uyghurs had over a million people nationwide, let alone that it's been nearly a hundred years."

Chen Wuji: ……

"Damn, he seems to have become a clown."

"But this saying isn't something he made up; he had indeed heard it before."

"They're doing this to sleep on firewood and taste gall, to avenge past humiliation!" Chen Wuji remarked, then said to Chen Li, "Please continue."

Chen Li hesitated, "My lord, I... have finished speaking."

"The time was too short; all we could gather was this information."