Chapter 663: Ambush of the Qiang People

Until the army broke camp, Xu Zengyi still couldn't figure out where that uneasy feeling came from, which made him extremely awkward, so much so that his face remained drooping from start to finish, completely lost in his own thoughts.

"Sir, it's been a whole night; if you can't figure it out, just stop thinking. When the cart reaches the mountain, there will be a way; maybe it's just a slight illusion of yours, no need to obsess over that feeling." Chen Wuji looked at his expression, which was really awkward, rode his horse up to Xu Zengyi's side and said.

This state of his, Chen Wuji is actually quite familiar with it.

When he was in school, he had a classmate studying engineering who was just like that; when faced with a problem he couldn't figure out, he was prone to getting stuck in a rut, and to find the answer he could even go without eating or sleeping.

That kind of determination makes Chen Wuji, even now, feel admiring.

Xu Zengyi shook his head. "My lord, my intuition isn't just intuition; it's more like a rule I've followed for many years to stay alive. I can't explain this matter in a few words, but this point, which feels like a casual thought, is a subtle intuition that has let me win several battles and escape many deadly situations over the years."

His statement is quite mystical.

But Chen Wuji happens to be someone who buys into that kind of thing.

If nothing unexpected happens, he should be considered the most mystical thing in this world, so anything else that sounds mystical and hard to understand, in his view, is worth trying to comprehend.

Seeing this, Chen Wuji didn't try to persuade him further, but said: "Sir, just think it over slowly; as long as you can figure out this puzzling point before we reach Wuyang City, there's still time."

Xu Zengyi nodded, his eyelids drooping as he sank back into his own world.

Chen Wuji didn't bother him further and rode ahead.

"Family Head, what's wrong with Mr. Xu?" Chen Li rode alongside Chen Wuji, leaned in, and lowered his voice to ask.

He had noticed Xu Zengyi was off since yesterday, but hadn't found a good chance to ask.

But now the army has set out, battle could break out at any moment, and as the military advisor, Xu Zengyi is in this state as if his soul had wandered off, which inevitably makes Chen Li a little worried.

Chen Wuji casually said: "It's nothing urgent; just something he can't figure out, and he's obsessing over it. Let him think it through slowly."

"Is it related to the battle?"

Chen Wuji nodded: "He thinks there's something off about this battle, but he can't figure out exactly what."

"What's off about it?" Chen Li muttered, "What could possibly be wrong with this battle?"

As for the tactics of this battle, although he didn't voice his own opinion during yesterday's discussion, the whole process was clear to him, and he fully agreed with it.

But Xu Zengyi felt there was still something off, which made Chen Li unconsciously keep an extra eye out, beginning to review the entire tactical arrangement and possible deployments of the Qiang people.

"Something off..." Chen Li muttered, his brows knitting tightly, as if deep gullies were carved into his already aged forehead.

Chen Wuji asked: "Eleventh Uncle, have you figured something out?"

Although Chen Li is the commander of the central army and has always served as a personal guard by his side, when it comes to discussing battle formations and strategy throughout the army, he should be the second person after Xu Zengyi.

He just rarely shows it.

Chen Li shook his head: "I need to go over it more carefully."

Seeing Chen Li like that, Chen Wuji shook his head and gave a light chuckle.

Alright, one hasn't figured it out yet, and another has gotten sucked in.

In this battle, what other changes could still happen?

Surely the Qiang people didn't set up a fake at Gongyi Town and then ambush us outside Wuyang City, right?

That possibility is far too slim.

As long as Lü Ji isn't blind, how could he fail to spot something like this?

Forget it, let them keep thinking.

Chen Wuji cast aside those distracting thoughts and focused on marching.

This kind of mentally draining matter should be left to the professionals; since even Xu Zengyi and Chen Li can't figure it out, even if he now tried to unravel it thread by thread, he probably wouldn't hit the mark.

Wuyang City and Wuyang Mountain—just hearing the names tells you they're not far apart.

Just past mid-afternoon, they had already reached ten li outside Wuyang City, less than four li from the Qiang people's main camp.

Chen Wuji ordered the army to rest where they stood, then began sending out many scouts to observe up close.

At the same time, Tang Yu and Xie Fengxian, who were in charge of the left and right wings, had already spread out their formations, ready to meet the enemy at any moment.

The terrain of Wuyang City is somewhat more complex than that around Wuyang Mountain, with greater elevation changes, the rolling hills are not large, and there are unknown-aged thickets.

Due to the terrain, tens of thousands struggle to deploy an attack formation all at once; Tang Yu and Xie Fengxian can only keep a distance from the central army, protecting it within a range of about one li.

"Sir, have you figured it out?" Chen Wuji walked over to Xu Zengyi's side and asked.

Xu Zengyi shook his head in frustration: "I couldn't work it out; the feeling is strong, but I just can't locate that point, can't tell where the problem lies."

Xu Zengyi clenched his fists tightly, forcing out the words through a strained mouth: "It's like… like something you're very familiar with, yet you just can't think of what it is—it's a thin sheet of window paper; maybe all it takes is a light poke to tear it."

Chen Wuji smiled and soothed: "Since you can't figure it out, don't bother; right now there's probably no chance for you to think it over carefully anyway—the enemy is right before us, it's time to fight."

As he spoke, he turned his head to look at Chen Li, who was one position behind him: "Eleventh Uncle, you didn't see it either?"

Chen Li shook his head: "Our tactics should be correct."

Just as they were chatting, a sharp sound suddenly came from the woods on the left.

It was arrow rain.

A barrage poured down from above, dense as black clouds—arrow rain.

"An ambush! Protect the lord!"

A personal guard shouted at the top of his lungs.

Chen Li's face changed drastically in an instant; he grabbed Chen Wuji and pulled him down under the horse's belly, then quickly turned his warhorse to block in front of Chen Wuji.

Chen Li's pupils shrank sharply: "When did I start having a jinx's mouth? Damn, I can even predict this?!"

He thought the least likely thing would happen, and there it was, blatantly before his eyes.

That damned Langdu actually dared to dig a pit trap for him right under Wuyang City!

This really is a wolf!

Chen Wuji hardened his heart, used his arm to push himself up from under the horse's belly, jerked the reins hard, and shouted loudly: "Eleventh Uncle, guard Mr. Xu well, Chen Wuyi, take the cavalry and follow me!"

"Yes!"

Chen Wuyi bellowed at the top of his lungs.

The command flag waved, the cavalry kicked up rolling dust clouds, quickly gathered in one place, and followed Chen Wuji's steps.