Chapter 1224: First Volume, Chapter 1224: Bandit Troops Collapse

First Volume, Chapter 1224: Bandit Troops Collapse

Seeing the floating rags and the foul-smelling drinking water, the guards were stunned and immediately reported the matter to Wu Heli.

Wu Heli's heart sank—he rushed to the WaterTanks, took a close look, and felt his spirits drop halfway.

These three WaterTanks contained their last remaining drinking water; they had to hold out until the next Wu Zi Chu Bei Dian.

Although the water was still drinkable, it was contaminated and reeked horribly—once distributed, it would surely incite the soldiers' rage.

"Damn it!"

"Qin Feng has definitely sent agents to secretly infiltrate our ranks!"

Nearby, Wu Cheng's face was equally grim: "We're few in number, all familiar faces—no matter how powerful Qin Feng's Anwu Guard is, they couldn't have infiltrated us silently."

"The only explanation is that some deserters were captured by the Anwu Guard and turned against us—they've returned to sabotage us!"

Liu Biao's eyes also showed despair: "Our biggest problem is the lack of a Supervisor of the Army!"

These troops are bandits; they have virtually no Loyalty to Wu Heli, and only devoted Confidants can serve as Supervisor of the Army.

Without a Supervisor of the Army, we cannot fully control the Army's condition.

And…

With morale already unstable, even if we had a Supervisor of the Army, we couldn't enforce strict discipline without risking a full-scale Rebellion Inducement.

In these deep mountains, there are no other constraints—the only thing that can hold these soldiers in check is Materials and Supplies.

Now that the drinking water has been sabotaged, how can we calm our troops?!

We probably won't make it through today.

Liu Biao couldn't help muttering: "I never thought Qin Feng's tactics would be this low—how can he still call himself a Prince?"

Hearing this, Wu Heli shook his head with a bitter smile: "Qin Feng can use even more despicable tactics—he may be a Prince, but he's always been active on the Front Line, nothing like those pampered nobles."

"In fact… Qin Feng is even more despicable than common thugs!"

What good is cursing Qin Feng now?

Wu Cheng's eyes flickered—he made up his mind and ordered the guards to watch the WaterTanks and delay water distribution.

He then left with Wu Heli and Liu Biao, putting distance between them and the others.

Wu Cheng's voice dropped to a whisper: "To prevent mutiny, we still have one WaterTank stored separately—I've kept it under my own watch."

"That one WaterTank can't possibly satisfy five hundred men—it can barely sustain one hundred until the Wu Zi Chu Bei Dian."

"Big Brother, we've reached this point—we must sacrifice the few to save the many!"

Before Wu Heli could respond, Liu Biao frowned sharply: "Are you saying we abandon the remaining four hundred?"

Wu Cheng's gaze was resolute: "Brother Liu, if we can't muster the heart to do this, those furious soldiers will chop us into Meat Mud—this isn't Betrayal, it's self-preservation."

"Since we entered the mountains, we've lived in constant dread—whose pressure is this really from? Qin Feng's, or our own troops? Do I need to spell it out?"

"These bandits are utterly unreliable."

"Sacrifice four hundred, keep only the relatively loyal—quality matters, not quantity."

"As long as we can hold our ground, a resurgence is not impossible."

Liu Biao hated to accept it, but he knew Wu Cheng was right—better to streamline the force and keep only loyal men than live in constant fear.

Though our numbers shrank, this is still the deep mountains—a hundred men can still achieve much; Qin Feng won't send a large army after us—too costly.

Most crucially, fewer men mean faster movement—we won't be stuck on his heels anymore.

Even rationing will become generous—we won't fear being trapped in the mountains.

Liu Biao no longer hesitated—he gritted his teeth and accepted Wu Cheng's plan.

Since fifty men had already been sent ahead to the Wu Zi Chu Bei Dian, we only needed to select another fifty.

Choosing them was simple—the soldiers guarding the Materials and Supplies were entirely trustworthy.

The three of them, under the pretense of scouting terrain and selecting ambush points, led the fifty men away without looking back.

The remaining four hundred soldiers showed little reaction.

The reason was simple: Wu Heli had taken the soldiers guarding the Materials and Supplies with him.

The men even sneered inwardly, thinking Wu Heli had lost his mind.

Once Wu Heli was far enough, they rushed toward the Materials and Supplies—clearly, the WaterTanks were their target.

But when they lifted the lids, they all froze.

A stench hit them—looking at the murky water, the bandits stood stunned, then erupted in furious rage.

"Son of a bitch!"

"How did the water turn like this?!"

"Could Wu Heli have run off?!"

"Not 'could'—he definitely ran! Damn it, he abandoned us!"

"I'll kill him!"

"Comrades, Wu Heli led us into the mountains, repeatedly abandoning his own troops—he's worse than a pig or dog! If he just left, fine—but before he went, he poisoned the water! We must kill him to settle our hearts!"

"Exactly! Chase him down and chop him to pieces!"

Four hundred enraged bandits surged after Wu Heli's direction in a chaotic mob.

Unfortunately, they knew nothing of Qilian Mountain's terrain—after running a short while, they became hopelessly lost in the hills.

Meanwhile, Wu Heli, with his Confidants, had already reached the opposite Shan Tou.

At the same time, Qin Feng led his troops, turned around, and prepared for Military Retreat.

Zhao Zhenhai was puzzled: "Your Highness, we've chased them so long—why retreat now? Isn't this giving up halfway?"

"Wu Heli's just half a day's march ahead—if we push harder, we can still catch him."

Qin Feng had always hated Wu Heli—yet now he suddenly let him go. Zhao Zhenhai racked his brain but couldn't understand why.

Qin Feng shrugged his shoulders, appearing remarkably carefree.

"This is deep wilderness—don't use plains logic to estimate the distance here."

"Wu Heli is a full Shan Tou away from us; as the saying goes, 'seeing a mountain can kill a Horse'—do you think crossing one Shan Tou takes only half a day? It might take two or three days!"

"This place is half a month's journey from beyond the mountains; the Qilian Mountains will soon grow damp, and Wu Heli, trapped deep in the wilderness, can only leave it to fate."

"Wu Heli's force has scattered; the four hundred bandits abandoned here won't survive five days in the deep mountains."

"We have already achieved our goal."

"War doesn't always require direct combat—forcing the enemy into utter desperation is already Military Victory."