Chapter 736: with translation of chapter title

After cleaning up the battlefield left behind from last night's Burning Man Mountain, Chen Wuji continued to break camp and march north according to the original plan.

But this time, the army's march was somewhat different from usual.

The whole army appeared lax on the outside but tight within; although at first glance it seemed no different from usual, if battle were to break out, this seemingly loose formation would instantly assemble into an attack or defense array.

All the iron‑clad soldiers donned their armor, no longer leaving it on the supply wagons.

"Sir, does no news mean good news or bad?" Chen Wuji asked Xu Zengyi while riding alongside him on horseback.

It was almost noon, yet he had not received any word from Qian Fugui and the others.

Last night's situation made it hard for him not to worry.

Not everyone is as reckless as Chen Wu Yin, daring to launch a charge against the enemy in such circumstances.

"It should count as good news!" Xu Zengyi replied after a moment's thought.

"Why?"

Xu Zengyi said: "If the army were delayed by the rain and could not reach the designated position on time, Qian Fugui and the other generals would certainly send word immediately. Our forces are not far from Zhuque City; scouts arriving by the eight‑hundred‑li express should already be here."

"What you say makes sense, so let's treat it as good news," Chen Wuji said.

Although he couldn't help worrying, worrying now served no purpose.

Noon.

The army was now less than five li from the ambush site Mao Di that Xu Zengyi had marked.

Chen Wuji ordered the army to rest in place and have lunch.

Even now, he still had not seen any messenger arrive with news.

"We must send out scouts; we can't keep marching blind!" Chen Wuji said, taking a sip of hot tea in a low voice.

Xu Zengyi gave a slight nod: "To be safe, my lord, please pick men from the Personal Guard to act as scouts and scout a five‑li radius. Focus on checking for any signs of enemy movement and whether our ambush forces are in place."

"Although the heavy rain will wash away traces of the march, some signs should still remain."

Chen Wuji immediately ordered: "Wuyi, hurry up and finish your meal, then personally pick the men to go look; remember the two things Mr. Xu just instructed."

"Yes!"

After lunch, Chen Wuji did not rush to march; the army stayed in place, standing ready.

As the time approached mid‑afternoon, Chen Wuyi returned with his men, covered in blood.

"My lord, our troops encountered Qiang scouts; they are active all around, and within this five‑li area we have faced seven waves of Qiang scouts in succession," Chen Wuyi reported, stepping forward.

Seeing Chen Wuyi's armor slashed, Chen Wuji frowned sharply and asked, "Are you wounded?"

"No, it's just that the armor took a few hits; this blood is all from the enemy." Chen Wuyi grinned. "I captured a few Qiang scouts and interrogated them; they revealed that the Qiang have set an ambush at Jiuli Chuan with a force of about fifty thousand, and more troops are still to come."

"According to that Qiang scout, the Qiang allied forces have all withdrawn from Yu Gong Shan, merely lagging a bit behind these fifty‑thousand vanguard cavalry; they should arrive tomorrow. Yu Ren's forces have also withdrawn, but his troops are all infantry, so they move more slowly than the Qiang."

Xu Zengyi quickly unfolded the map: "What place is Jiuli Chuan? Wuyi, could you point it out for me? It isn't marked on this map."

"I don't know either, but the Qiang scout said Jiuli Chuan lies nine li south of Fukong Town; that's how the name came about, and it's a stretch of riverplain." Chen Wuyi said.

"Fukong Town…" Xu Zengyi quickly located Fukong Town on the map, then swept his finger south and jabbed hard at the vellum map: "My lord, it's location Yi!"

"Sir, you foresaw the enemy from a thousand li away; it's a pity that our own forces still have no word of their whereabouts." Chen Wuji said, noting that the enemy was already in position and the intel confirmed, yet our own people seemed out of contact.

Xu Zengyi gave a faint smile: "My lord, rest easy; our ambush forces are surely already in place."

"Do you think Qian Fugui and the others dare not send word because the Qiang scouts are too active?" Chen Wuji asked.

"Exactly!" Xu Zengyi nodded.

"Wuyi merely took men to scout the northern five li and encountered seven waves of Qiang scouts, showing how dense their activity is. They also seem wary of unexpected developments, hence their caution."

"With such dense scouting, Qian Fugui and the other generals, acting as ambush forces, naturally dare not act rashly; my lord, you need not worry about this any further."

Chen Wuji had actually been thinking just that.

But without definite news, his heart remained uneasy.

It wasn't that he feared being turned into dumplings by the Qiang; he worried he wouldn't be able to make dumplings out of them.

When the Qiang and Yu Ren's three‑hundred‑thousand‑strong army massed together, Chen Wuji still had to consider how to fight this battle; frankly, he felt a bit timid and dared not meet them head‑on.

But now that they have split their forces into three routes, what Chen Wuji needs to consider is no longer how to avoid the Yu Ren followers' sacrificial tactics and the Qiang cavalry, but how to shatter each of them individually and leave none alive.

After days of relentless harassment by assassins, Chen Wuji's temper flared fiercely, and he had no intention of missing this chance to make dumplings.

That is what truly worries him.

"Then let's move out and keep marching!" Chen Wuji ordered.

"Yes!"

The army again set forth in grand array, passed the first ambush site at Mao Di, and headed straight for Jiuli Chuan.

During the march, Chen Wuji ordered the Personal Guard to distribute all ten wagons of Shocking Heaven Thunder loaded on the supply carts to the soldiers.

If Qian Fugui and the other ambush forces cannot take position in time, this will be Chen Wuji's gift to the Qiang.

With the Shocking Heaven Thunder detonated, the army will charge—quick battle, quick decision!

At the hour of You, the army drew near to Jiuli Chuan.

Although Jiuli Chuan is nominally a river, it looks in fact like a plain.

The mountains on either side are far away; on this flat expanse of land, even gazing out makes them seem rather tiny.

The land here is fertile; it ought to be a major grain‑producing area of Songzhou.

Yet now, looking out, one sees hardly any fields; the plots that have been divided are overgrown with weeds, resembling a vast pasture.

"Such good land lies waste, while the villages are fairly dense, yet there's hardly any sign of people." Chen Li couldn't help letting out a soft sigh.

On this broad riverplain, one can see several clusters of villages huddled together.

But it is almost impossible to see any signs of inhabitants.

"Yu Ren's doing!" Chen Wuji cursed.

"Songzhou is such a tiny place with not many people; how could he scrape together three guards, four divisions, and ten districts, and yet these villages still have so few inhabitants?"

In this era, being able to see such methods is actually a very terrifying thing.

It also very directly proves Yu Ren's ability.

Putting aside whether it's good or bad, just this point, there are not many people in the world who can achieve it.