Chapter 43: Strike First to Avert Future Trouble

The smoke of the night raid cleared, and the dawn's light spread across Jiao Tu Zhen.

The exhilaration from last night's victory has not yet subsided.

Chen Wen has already turned his gaze toward the layered, overlapping mountain ridges to the west.

——Old Crow Ridge, the lair of the Black Wind Stronghold.

Inside the council wooden house, the atmosphere was solemn.

Zhang Cheng, Aunt Wang, and the newly summoned blacksmith Shi Dun and merchant Qian Gui sat together.

After a few days of rest, Qian Gui's complexion had improved considerably.

He was also invited to participate, because he has traveled south and north, gaining richer knowledge of the terrain and all factions.

"The situation is clear to everyone."

Chen Wen got straight to the point, pointing his finger at Old Crow Ridge's location on the map.

"The main force of the Black Wind Stronghold has been crushed by us, and the prisoners' testimonies agree."

"Inside the stronghold, it is now empty, leaving only a few elderly and weak to guard."

"This is a rare opportunity that comes once in a thousand years."

Zhang Cheng cracked his knuckles, excitedly saying.

"Chief, let's fight!"

"Strike while he's ill, take his life!"

"I'll take the brothers and guarantee we'll wipe out the Black Wind Stronghold!"

Aunt Wang, however, showed a worried expression:

"Wen Ge, taking the initiative to attack……"

"Isn't the risk too great?"

"Our militia's training period is still short; defending the city last night was fine."

"Going deep into the mountains to assault the stronghold, I fear……"

Shi Dun spoke in a muffled voice:

"Whether the stronghold is easy to take depends on how it's built."

"If it's perilous, a frontal assault will surely suffer losses."

Qian Gui stroked his sparse beard, speaking cautiously:

"Chen Chief, the Black Wind Stronghold has been a scourge for years; the government's several encirclement and suppression campaigns failed to eradicate it, so its lair must be perilous."

"Moreover……since they have some collusion with Liu Du Tou!"

"If we wipe out the Black Wind Stronghold, won't that be like directly slapping Liu Du Tou's face, inviting greater retaliation?"

Everyone's concerns are understandable.

Jiao Tu Zhen, newly established, cannot withstand major losses, and fears drawing the attention of stronger enemies even more.

Chen Wen swept his gaze over the crowd, speaking calmly:

"I understand all your worries."

"So this battle must not be a brute-force clash; we must win by strategy, achieving the greatest result at the smallest cost."

"Furthermore, it must be swift and clean, leaving no time for outsiders to react."

He paused, a flash of sharp light appearing in his eyes:

"To win by strategy, the most crucial point is knowing oneself and the enemy."

"Relying solely on the prisoners' confessions is not enough; I must personally go to Old Crow Ridge for a trip."

"What? Chief, you want to personally go on reconnaissance?"

Zhang Cheng exclaimed.

"It's too dangerous! Let me take a few clever brothers!"

Chen Wen shook his head:

"No, I must go."

"Some things can only be judged accurately after seeing them with one's own eyes and experiencing them personally."

What he did not say outright was that only by going himself could he maximize the effect of his eightfold ability.

【Resolve set, executing high-risk reconnaissance mission, decision‑making and responsibility boosted (8× bonus)! Diligence Points (WP) +80!】

【Current WP: 6221】

Having persuaded everyone, Chen Wen began making final preparations.

He changed into a set of dark gray coarse‑cloth clothing, lightly smearing dirt on his cheeks and arms.

He slung a hunting bow and a quiver of arrows on his back, and wrapped the hilt of his waist saber with cloth to prevent glare.

He looked just like an ordinary mountain hunter.

"After I leave, the town's defense will be entirely in Zhang Cheng's hands, and internal affairs will be decided by Aunt Wang."

"Guard the gates strictly, heighten vigilance."

"If fast, one day; if slow, two days—I will definitely return."

Chen Wen finished his instructions, amidst the crowd's worried yet expectant gazes.

Like a ghost, he silently merged into the morning's thin mist, heading west.

A thirty‑li mountain road would take ordinary people most of a day.

But with Chen Wen's eightfold boost to strength and agility, he approached the Old Crow Ridge area in just two hours.

He slowed his pace, becoming more cautious, perfectly concealing his movements using the shadows of trees and rocks.

His eightfold senses were fully activated.

His ears caught every sound in the wind:

Birdsong, insect calls, leaves rustling, and… faint human voices and knocking sounds from far away.

His nose distinguished the complex scents in the air:

The earthy odor, the smell of humus, and a wisp of cooking smoke, and…

The foul air of human settlements.

His eyes were like a high-powered telescope.

He carefully examined the mountain's orientation, vegetation changes, and any possible signs of human work.

Based on the vague direction given by the prisoner and his own observation.

Chen Wen quickly identified a strategic location deep in a mountain valley.

There, two mountains flank each other, with only a narrow path leading upward, easy to defend but hard to attack.

He climbed a steep cliff on the flank like a gecko, silently and without sound.

He found an observation point with excellent visibility and excellent concealment, and lay down.

【Entering the "Earnest Selflessness" state! Stealth, observation, terrain analysis, memory increased eightfold!】

Gazing out, the full view of Black Wind Stronghold lay before his eyes.

The stronghold was larger than imagined, relying on the natural terrain, built with thick logs into walls and watchtowers.

But as the prisoner said, the stronghold's interior was sparsely populated.

Only a few listless bandits were moving about, and the guards on the watchtowers were dozing.

The walls had multiple damages, clearly from long neglect.

Chen Wen's gaze was like a scanner, carefully recording every detail:

The structure and material of the gate, the position and blind spots of the watchtowers, the weak points of the walls.

The layout of the buildings inside, the location of the water source, and even the bandits' patrol routes and intervals.

His eightfold-enhanced brain worked like a precision computer, quickly integrating, analyzing, and modeling this information.

"A frontal assault, even if the enemy is few, would inevitably suffer heavy losses thanks to the terrain."

"The rear mountain is a cliff, seeming a dead end, but the cliff face has several protruding rocks and tenacious dwarf trees; perhaps… we could try climbing?"

"The watchtowers' vigilance is nominal; infiltrating at night is not difficult."

"The stronghold's defenses are lax; if we could silently eliminate the sentries, open the gate, and coordinate inside and out…"

One idea after another flashed through, constantly being revised and refined.

Chen Wen silently rehearsed in his mind the feasibility of various attack plans and possible obstacles.

Time passed bit by bit; he observed from noon until sunset, recording all the bandits' routines: shift changes, meals, activities.

Night fell, and scattered lights flickered within the stronghold.

Chen Wen remained motionless like a stone carving until the stronghold fell completely silent, leaving only snoring and occasional sleep-talking.

Only then did he slide down the cliff like a civet cat, under the cover of night.

He approached the stronghold again for a closer reconnaissance, confirming that several breaches in the wall could indeed be used for infiltration.

Mission accomplished.

Chen Wen lingered no longer, retreating silently along the route he came.

On the return journey, his speed increased; his mind had already sketched a detailed battle map and several attack plans.

The next afternoon.

When Chen Wen, dusty from travel yet with bright eyes, appeared at the gate of Jiao Tu Zhen.

Zhang Cheng and the others, who had been waiting a long time, finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Boss, how did it go?"

Zhang Cheng asked eagerly.

Chen Wen did not answer immediately, but first drank a large bowl of water.

Then he went straight to the map in the council wooden house, picked up a charcoal stick, and began marking it rapidly.

"This is the main gate of Black Wind Stronghold; it's sturdy, but has blind spots…"

"The flank cliff is about fifteen zhang high, with three points usable for climbing; I've already marked them…"

"Two guards on the watchtower basically fall asleep after midnight…"

"Patrol intervals inside the stronghold are about half an incense stick, with fixed routes…"

"The best time to attack is the darkest moment before dawn…"

He spoke extremely quickly, with clear organization.

He elucidated the gathered reconnaissance information and the preliminary attack plan point by point.

Everyone listened to his vivid, you-are-there description, watched his precise markings on the map, and all felt shocked.

This isn't reconnaissance; it's practically turning Black Wind Stronghold inside out!

【Completed high-precision enemy-rear reconnaissance, obtained key intelligence, formulated preliminary battle plan, tactical planning ability increased (x Bonus)! Diligence Points (WP) +220!】

【Current WP: 6441】

"……So, my plan is,

Chen Wen concluded.

"Form an elite squad, led by me personally, to sneak in at night by climbing the rear mountain cliff, neutralize the sentries, and seize the gate."

"Zhang Cheng, you lead the main force in ambush outside the main gate; upon seeing the gate set ablaze as the signal, charge into the stronghold immediately for a quick victory!"

This bold yet detailed plan made everyone feel excited yet somewhat apprehensive.

But seeing Chen Wen's eyes full of confidence and resolve, all doubts turned into trust.

"Let's do it!"

Zhang Cheng was the first to voice his stance, his eyes blazing with battle intent.

Aunt Wang and Shi Dun also nodded heavily.

Qian Gui, watching from the side, secretly clicked his tongue.

This Leader Chen not only boasts extraordinary martial prowess, his strategy and courage are also far from ordinary.

Jiao Tu Zhen's sharp sword has been unsheathed, its blade pointing directly at the malignant growth in the western mountains.

A small battle that will decide the future pattern of the surrounding regions is about to commence.