Chapter 555

War has never been a game, but a gamble of life and death.

Chen Li's words not only failed to comfort Chen Wuji much, but instead made his heart even more unsettled.

A person whose words are unreliable is by nature unsuited to be an envoy.

From now on, it seems we must prevent Chen Luozi from participating in such matters.

They just need to watch from the side.

As dusk approached, scouts from all directions began to return one after another.

They brought detailed intelligence of the area within a thirty-li radius.

After Chen Wuji summarized the information, he briefly consulted with Chen Baojia and Chen Li, then ordered Chen Lang to lead his two thousand troops out that night, marching to Wild Elephant Ridge less than fifteen li away.

This is a necessary passage to Qingzhou, and the terrain is easy to defend but hard to attack.

Chen Lang's detachment must not only cut off communications and sever Lu Ping'an's link with Qingzhou, but also serve as Chen Wuji's reserve; they will bear the important task of reinforcements, and when Chen Wuji's frontline fighting becomes strained, they will be responsible for responding.

"Shi Yi Shu, it's dark already, and that loose-mouthed fellow still hasn't come back!"

Chen Wuji sat in front of the Zhongjun Camp's big tent, poking the campfire with a stick.

By the fire roasted a rabbit and several fish, which was their dinner for the night.

The meal was rather plain, with only a pitiful sprinkle of seasoning, but fortunately the ingredients were fresh, genuine seasonal wild game.

Chen Li looked up at the sky and said, "Wenkou Town may not be far, but it's still thirty li away; my round trip will take considerable time, so let's wait a bit longer."

"Just wait." Chen Wuji said.

Within the Chen clan, if one were to say who he gets along with best, it would naturally be these three paternal uncles and Chen Wu Yin; without them, he would have taken many detours in his life and certainly would not have reached where he is today.

Although Chen Li was consoling Chen Wuji, his expression could not hide his worry, and he kept glancing unconsciously toward the camp gate.

The tender rabbit and fish meat sizzled over the fire, their skins turning golden, fragrant oil seeping out and dripping into the flames, slightly boosting the fire's power.

The enticing aroma drifted out, not much from seasoning but mostly the genuine scent of fish and rabbit, quietly stirring people's inner organs and drawing saliva to their lips and tongues.

Chen Li turned the meat over, then firmly yet carefully repositioned it on the edge of the fire.

A bright moon rose, casting its light over the shadowy, undulating land, making it even more shadowy.

In winter, even this moon, nearly full on the fifteenth, shed little light, appearing clear and cold; yet the moon's true face became somewhat clearer, clearer than in the previous three seasons.

Chen Li picked up a small fish and handed it to Chen Wuji, saying, "Family Head, try this first; it should be edible."

Chen Wuji took it, took a small bite; the fish meat was tender and still carried a faint aroma.

The Dayu Dynasty conferred many benefits on Chen Wuji, food being one of them.

Everything he put in his mouth he could eat with ease, and even half of it was pure wild game, tasting all the better.

Chen Li left the fire, fetched a pot of water, and placed it beside the fire.

Just then, a commotion arose at the camp gate.

Chen Wuji and the others almost simultaneously turned their heads to look.

But to their disappointment, the one who arrived was merely a scout, not Chen Luozi.

"Perhaps we really are about to muster troops." Chen Wuji tore off a piece of fish meat, threw the bone into the fire, and said, "Bao Jia, after eating, get ready; we'll launch a night raid on Wenkou Town."

"Yes!"

At that moment, the scout who had appeared at the camp gate hurried over.

"Reporting, Commander, Chen Judge has an urgent report!"

The title "Commander" is Chen Wuji's new designation, though for now it is used only within the army.

Due to the military reorganization and Chen Wuji's intentional or unintentional leakage, the officers passed the requirement down; Deputy Commander Chen is now seen by the troops as a proper Chen Household Head.

"Speak!" Chen Wuji said sternly, raising his voice.

"Chen Judge ordered me to report that Lu Ping'an has some objections to the Commander's garrison at Po Feng Ridge; he thinks that although they previously had minor grudges, they have now turned swords into jade and silk, so the Commander need not be so cautious. To show his sincerity, Lu Ping'an will return to camp together with Chen Judge to meet the Commander." the scout replied.

Chen Wuji found it hard to believe: "Does that scoundrel Lu Ping'an really have the gall?"

Regardless of Chen Wuji's longstanding impression of Lu Ping'an or Yang Yu's evaluation of him, this man is a cowardly and arrogant fellow; how could he suddenly become so brave?

How dare he run to his grand camp in the dead of night to show sincerity?

Isn't that like a sheep entering a wolf's den?

Chen Li said, "Indeed, it's rather unexpected."

"Did Chen Judge give any other instructions?" Chen Wuji asked the scout.

"Nothing else; Chen Judge merely ordered me to make clear who and how many people accompanied Lu Ping'an." The scout first honestly reported what Chen Luozi had instructed, then continued: "Lu Ping'an is accompanied by about eight hundred men, all fully armed elite troops, and he also brought several dozen women."

"Chen Judge said those women seem to be from the Rivers and Lakes, possibly skilled in martial arts. Moreover, Chen Judge instructed that he had drunk too much and would surely not wake up soon, telling the Commander to be on his guard and guard against Lu Ping'an having ulterior motives."

"You say he's drunk?!" Chen Wuji exclaimed, startled.

The scout's expression was slightly odd: "Yes, Commander. After Chen Judge arrived at Wenkou Town, he and Lu Ping'an and their retinue drank heavily all afternoon; Chen Judge's single mouth couldn't withstand a crowd of mouths and was drunk under the table. But he sobered quickly; after reporting these matters to me, he went back to sleep, this time perhaps feigning sleep."

Chen Wuji: ……

Damn, that's truly awesome.

This Jiu Shu simply turned the pre-battle envoy mission between the two armies into a business negotiation.

Truly, one cannot help but be convinced!

"Anything else? No matter how big or small, say whatever you can think of; it seems I can't rely on the drunken Chen Judge either." Chen Wuji remarked ruefully.

The scout thought seriously, then said, "Reporting, Commander, there appears to be no other urgent matter."

"How many troops does Lu Ping'an have stationed at Wenkou Town?" Chen Wuji asked.

"About ten thousand, though I've heard Lu Ping'an split his forces into two routes, with another encampment east of Wenkou Town; the exact number of troops stationed there is unclear." the scout said.

"In that encampment near Wenkou Town, Lu Ping'an has also prepared for our army a set of tents capable of accommodating ten thousand, even providing stoves. The camp holds only a great banner and a military flag, suggesting Lu Ping'an brought only a single commander, but Chen Judge says he cannot rule out the possibility that Lu Ping'an is hiding his strength."