Chapter 428

This was a completely one-sided slaughter.

The enemy army had meticulously prepared, while Chen Wuji lay in wait, using rest to await the enemy's fatigue.

In the Xianya, Chen Wuji had already ambushed a unit of Bīngmǎ, and with an additional hundred fully armored Personal Guard attacking from behind, the two-pronged assault sealed off the enemy's retreat.

Whether in equipment or troop strength, they far surpassed the enemy.

The battle started very suddenly and ended just as suddenly; before less than half an hour had passed, it was already time to clean up the battlefield.

Opposite the Xianya, at the Coffin Shop door that Xu Zengyi had already closed and locked, Xiaoyu in a raincoat silently turned his head aside, his body pressed against the wall, slowly moving toward the alley mouth.

"It's over, it really seems over……"

Wushuang and Chen Wuyi arrived with that female spy, Wushuang still holding a long string of Head Trophies in his hand, which looked like a string of large grapes.

"Family Head, the bandits' strongholds have all been cleaned up."

Chen Wuji grunted, not asking for more details, then looked at the female spy: "How many of your people are in the city? What exactly is the plan?"

"Sir, it's the rebel army; I have already defected." The female spy corrected him.

"Lu Changwu told me that only two hundred people have sneaked into the city; their targets are several: kill the county magistrate, burn down the Xianya and the granary, then coordinate an inside‑outside attack to seize Yunan City."

Chen Wuji frowned, "Only two hundred?"

"Yes." The female spy replied respectfully.

"Their main force is used to attack the Xianya—these are the very people already dead. Lu Changwu said the Xianya has many constables who would be troublesome, so more troops are needed to achieve a quick victory."

"Burning the grain supplies is meant to lure the city's garrison to split their forces, with only about ten men assigned. Once the garrison is drawn away, they'll finish here just in time to launch an inside‑outside assault and take the city."

Chen Wuji couldn't help but admit, their plan really was quite thorough.

If it were Yunan City's former garrison strength, they would really be led around by the nose.

"How many troops are outside the city?" Chen Wuji asked.

"Eight hundred!"

Upon hearing that number, Chen Wuji abandoned the idea of rushing to reinforce the city gate immediately.

They have an inside‑outside coordination, and so does he.

If it's just this amount of troops, he seems not to need to rush headlong into acting as a fire‑fighting commander.

In that case, the troops coordinating with your subordinate spies in the frontline army are not Gu Wenjie's elite force, but the Bīngmǎ of Peaceful Far and Three Origins?" Chen Wuji asked.

The female spy nodded, "Yes."

Lu Changwu didn't even voluntarily mention this matter to me; when I asked, he looked down on me and scoffed, saying that if I had any progress on my side, I should naturally contact the Bīngmǎ of Three Origins and Peaceful Far, rather than asking here whether there is any concrete plan.

He said there was no concrete plan, and it's impossible to have one on the frontline battlefield. If I were stupid enough not to see this, the Bīngmǎ of Three Origins and Peaceful Far, upon seeing mutiny or unrest in the Commandant's army, would also rush to assist.

But I feel we are more like expendable pawns.

Chen Wuji wanted to say, what they said actually does make some sense.

But only a little.

To call them expendable pawns would be going too far.

Someone like the Snake Staff Old Man probably doesn't have a habit of wasting pieces.

But the plan really is incomplete.

How can the frontline battlefield not have a concrete plan?

With an inside collaborator to turn people, setting a concrete time, then inciting mutiny, wouldn't inside‑outside coordination be easier to fight? If one could properly make use of timing and terrain, it would be entirely enough to achieve a perfect victory of the weak over the strong.

Chen Wuji snorted, "The Snake Staff Old Man really is a good schemer; with just this little force, he actually wants to swallow Yunan City and my frontline great army all at once—this old coot isn't afraid of bursting."

The female spy calmly said, "The Snake Staff Old Man always likes to use scheming plots to win big with small means; facing the enemy head‑on is actually not his forte."

This point, Chen Wuji has already deeply experienced.

He also really dislikes playing mind games with such people.

He feels weary.

"Any more news?" Chen Wuji asked.

The female spy had already gone through everything she needed to say on the way here, but upon hearing Chen Wuji's words, she still thought it over seriously, then shook her head: "That's all, there's nothing else."

However, does the Commandant need to rush to the frontline to take command? Without a concrete plan, the Commandant would need to fabricate a false mutiny to lure the Bīngmǎ of Three Origins and Peaceful Far into taking the bait, swallow them, and then seize the lands of those two counties.

Chen Wuji chuckled lightly, "Your change of stance is quite swift; you've actually started thinking for me?"

"Being a half‑hearted traitor is no better than dying!" the female spy said.

"This battle doesn't need me to personally take command." Chen Wuji turned his head to glance at Chen Wuyi's long string of Head Trophies in his hand, "Drop these things, personally run to the frontline, and tell Lao Yang what you just heard."

"Yes!"

Chen Wuyi clasped his fists in acceptance, handed the Head Trophies to Wushuang, and hurried away.

Just then, Qin Feng led a group of soldiers over, marching with a ruthless step.

"Rather boring; I'd been nervous for several nights, repeatedly plotting how to fight this battle, and then a bunch of little troublemakers showed up, still stupid to death. From far away they just lit torches and charged in—I hadn't even drawn my sword, and they were all dead."

Qin Feng loudly complained, glanced at the tragic scene before the Xianya gate, and said regretfully, "You should have let me have this; I also want to try this sure‑win battle to see if I can pull it off."

"Next time, if you have an idea, just tell me directly; don't mutter to yourself." Chen Wuji said.

Qin Feng blinked, then said, "Actually I think anyone of sound mind would focus on the granary, not the Xianya. They brought so many troops to assault the Xianya, yet used only a handful to burn the granary—what's the meaning of that?"

"Their plan is correct; burning the grain supplies is to lure the city's garrison, a case of killing two birds with one stone." Chen Wuji said, "Don't take it for granted, Sir Magistrate."

Qin Feng opened his mouth, then said, "Forget it, it seems I really am not cut out for the battlefield."

"Nobody is born a general; I'm still just a hunter." Chen Wuji turned, headed toward the city gate, "Come on, let's go up onto the city walls to have a look."

Qin Feng said speechlessly, "Can a hunter from the Chen clan really be the same as an ordinary hunter?"

As for that question, Chen Wuji didn't bother to explain further.

Having said it many times, he really couldn't be bothered to say it again.

The Chen clan's prestige is great, but what he has truly learned is not much.

It's only military books that I've been forced to start reading in the past two months.

However, the Chen family indeed has many military books; he has no trouble borrowing or finding books.

When Chen Wuji and Qin Feng rushed to the city wall, the outside was eerily quiet.

Not to mention the enemy army, there wasn't even a person's shadow.