Chapter 303

Chen Wuji was excited, the corner of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.

It'd be great if they fought!

This is definitely the best news he's heard tonight.

Chen Wuji ordered the soldiers to continue resting in place; he only took Chen Li, Chen Luozi, and more than ten personal guards and sneaked over.

The Qiang People fighting each other like dogs is a good show; we must see it with our own eyes.

Just after rounding the ridge ahead, waves of fierce shouts of killing rose from the valley below.

But still, we only heard the sound, didn't see the people.

Chen Wuji and his party walked all the way to the mountainside before finally finding a spot from which they could see the situation in the valley.

The surrounding peaks are all steep mountains with deep gullies, everywhere are blind spots.

They are essentially different from the peaks Chen Wuji just came over.

Although just crossing a mountain to the north, it felt like switching instantly from a tree-covered loess plateau to the vast mountains.

On the loess plateau, pick any mountain at random; even from the mountainside you can easily see several surrounding peaks, and from a higher point you can take in the entire mountain range at a glance.

But in the vast mountains, it's truly "viewed from the side it's a ridge, viewed from the front it's a peak"—only because we are inside these mountains.

The standard by which locals distinguish the deep part of Shenxian Ling from its outskirts is actually just this terrain.

Gentle slopes are the outskirts; once the peaks become steep and dangerous, you've reached the fringe of the deep area.

"Awesome, they actually split into three factions all at once." Chen Wuji looked at the battle below and couldn't help exclaiming, "These guys have split so thoroughly they've literally formed a three-way standoff."

Chen Luozi laughed: "You don't need to worry about this now; after they fight it out among themselves, we'll intercept them and deal a blow—this battle will surely be a great victory!"

"No, no, no, they're still strong; before they're completely wiped out, any caution is not excessive. We can't block the road, gather forces, and start fighting here," Chen Wuji said.

Chen Luozi:?

He stared blankly at Chen Wuji, "If we act now, they'll surely unite again; this isn't a good time to strike."

"I certainly know that; we definitely need to give them time to bite out a result. When the three sides decide a winner, that'll be our chance to move." Chen Wuji gave a sinister smile, "From this high ground we don't need to expend a single soldier; just with stones we can smash them to bits."

Back when Chen Wuji read Water Margin, he always thought the folks on Double Dragon Mountain throwing stones at enemies were as careless as playing house, and would never achieve any real military success.

But now that he's leading troops in battle, he suddenly realized that after securing advantageous terrain, throwing stones at people is genuinely effective—better than bows and arrows.

"Turns out I was overthinking it." Chen Luozi shook his head helplessly.

Chen Wuji smiled, "Naturally you were overthinking it. Although I'm tired and weary, I'm not prone to such a small mistake. Chen Bang, go pass the order: the sky is already getting light, let the soldiers light fewer torches—just enough to see."

"Yes!"

In the valley, the Qiang People's slaughter was proceeding in a very strange manner.

One moment you hit me, the next I hit him; the three sides were fighting in utter chaos.

Just then, a fire dragon suddenly rushed out from the other side of the valley.

"Soldiers, now is the time to achieve merit and fame—follow me to kill the Qiang dogs!"

"After this battle wins big, I'll take you to the city's largest brothel, order a beautiful courtesan for you to indulge in rest. Rest however you like—sleep two or three days if you want; I keep my word, I have silver! To whoever kills the most enemies, I'll give him three."

Hearing that familiar voice, Chen Wuji's mouth corner twitched fiercely.

Charging out from the north side of the valley was none other than Qian Fugui and his Qian Family retainers.

Whether Wu Bu Yong is present or not, the distance is somewhat far, so Chen Wuji can't see clearly.

But judging by the number of people, he should be there.

Chen Luozi sprang to his feet, "What is Qian Fugui up to?"

"He's stealing my merit..." Chen Wuji said gloomily, "This little bastard, I almost thought he was a timid rich kid, but damn, he's as sly as a fox!"

He still suffered a loss from not understanding people.

Chen Wuji had only met Qian Fugui twice, and his impression of him remained stuck on the "rich young master" stereotype; plus Qian Fugui kept emphasizing how cowardly he was, afraid of death, unable to shoulder a burden or lift a thing, so Chen Wuji didn't think much and really believed it.

As a result, this guy tonight kept giving him surprises everywhere.

This move of "mantis stalks cicada, oriole behind" was played out beautifully.

Qian Fugui took the lead, brandishing his knife as he charged forward.

His aura showed no trace of cowardice; it was as if Lü Bu had possessed him, wanting to single-handedly take on all the Qiang People and cut his way through nine times in and thirteen out.

The Qiang People engaged in the melee suddenly stopped.

One faction of the Qiang People had someone shout loudly, "Da Yu's army, we surrender; we're willing to help you behead the Great Elder so you can win."

"We also surrender, surrender! We dare not fight!" another wave of Qiang People shouted.

Qian Fugui halted his steps, "If you've surrendered, why are you just standing there? Surrender isn't just lip service—cut down those who refuse to surrender, and I'll guarantee your safety."

The two groups that had loudly proclaimed surrender immediately turned their blades and attacked another Qiang faction.

The sole faction that hadn't surrendered, originally the largest in numbers among the three sides, now found the other two united under Qian Fugui's pressure, instantly multiplying the pressure on the holdouts.

Just from the initial clash, their defeat showed; they were beaten back repeatedly, fleeing in disarray through the valley.

"Shi Yi Shu, take some men and find a path; we're going down the mountain." Chen Wuji suddenly said.

"Yes!"

Chen Li clasped his fist, casually picked a few people, and headed toward the gentle slope of the terrain.

"There's no doubt left; this battle, we've won big!" Chen Luozi laughed.

"The things Qian Fugui promised the soldiers sound rather unpleasant; I doubt Yunan City even has enough courtesans to serve that many troops."

"That's his problem; since he dared to promise, he must figure out how to fulfill it for the soldiers. If he just talks big and doesn't act, he'll wait for me to hang him up and whip him in front of the whole army; if I can't whip him to death, I'll release him whenever the troops are satisfied." Chen Wuji gave a cold snort.

This scoundrel actually came up with such a rotten idea just to boost troop morale.

Could a person even think of that?

Whether Qian Fugui carries out that promise or not, it's trouble either way.

If he doesn't do it, the soldiers will lose trust in their commander.

It's done, the army's morale is stable, but he, this Commandant who hasn't officially taken office yet, will probably also become famous.

Chen Luozi thought for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said: 'Actually it's not difficult; the soldiers can go in batches.'

'The Family Head can let them take turns in leave when the time comes; during their leave, what the soldiers do has nothing to do with the army.'