Volume One, Chapter 29: The Final Counterintelligence Stratagem
Page (1/3)
On the snowy ground of Tiger Beacon Pass, the charred remains of warhorses still smoldered.
The Liang soldiers stood amid the battlefield, where corpses lay everywhere, their hands still trembling around their blades.
They had won!
Five hundred men had driven back five thousand Blood Wolf Riders!
Arrowheads and weapons lay scattered across the ground. The air reeked of scorched flesh and blood, so foul that it seemed impossible to breathe.
“Won?” a young soldier murmured.
“We won!”
An old veteran suddenly raised his bloodstained blade, his hoarse roar tearing through the silence.
In an instant, the entire Tiger Beacon Pass erupted in thunderous cheers.
Some fell to their knees and wept bitterly. Some embraced one another and laughed. Even more simply collapsed onto the snow, as though every ounce of strength had been drained from their bodies.
Wu Kexiong stood atop the pass, gazing at the mountain of corpses below. The corner of his mouth twitched.
“Everyone, clear the battlefield! Quickly!”
“Yes!”
The soldiers came to their senses and rushed onto the field.
More than five hundred warhorses, over a thousand sharp Yan blades, and mountains of armor, bows, arrows, and quivers were dragged aside. Even the frozen corpses of the warhorses were hauled away. Such meat was a rare delicacy, enough to improve the brothers’ meals for several days.
As for the corpses of the Blood Wolf Riders, the soldiers doused them with the remaining sesame oil and burned them to ash. Every last bone was swept into an ice cavern. No one was willing to let the bones of those jackals defile the soil of Tiger Beacon Pass.
Wu Kexiong surveyed the battlefield and raised a brow.
“Old Chen, how are our casualties?”
“Twenty-three dead, fifteen severely wounded, and more than forty lightly wounded.”
“Haha! We were facing the Blood Wolf Riders, who lost more than a thousand men! These casualties of ours were worth it!”
Laughing heartily, Wu Kexiong slapped Chen Xiucheng on the shoulder.
“Your hundred-man unit was the first to charge down the slope. Not only did you crush the Yan dogs’ morale, you also overturned the planks and cut off their retreat. I’m giving you first credit!”
Chen Xiucheng hurriedly waved his hands.
“I wouldn’t dare claim the merit. That five hundred men could defeat five thousand was entirely due to the battalion commander’s brilliant strategy. The ice cavern, the rolling boulders, the fire attack—each part linked perfectly to the next. Even an immortal would have been unable to withstand it!”
“Exactly!” Liu Yunzhao chimed in, a broad smile spread across his face. “The battalion commander’s strategy was truly inspired!”
“My admiration for the battalion commander is like the ceaseless flow of a mighty river, or the flooding of the Yellow River, impossible to contain—”
“That’s enough!”
Wu Kexiong’s weathered face reddened beneath their flattery. He waved them off and asked, “Herlian Jue has suffered such a devastating loss. He certainly won’t let it go. What do we do if they attack again?”
Without a moment’s thought, Liu Yunzhao replied, “We’ll break through all the ice on the river and keep them from crossing!”
“Idiot!”
Wu Kexiong glared at him.
“The river will freeze to a thickness of half a foot in a single night! If the Blood Wolf Riders guard the riverbank, they’ll be able to cross on the ice within two days at most!”
Rolling boulders?
Fire arrows?
Those tactics could only be used once.
Having suffered this defeat, the Blood Wolf Riders would certainly be on guard next time. Once they reached the foot of Tiger Beacon Pass, five hundred men would never be able to stop them.
The squad commanders were dumbfounded. They looked at one another, but no one could say a word.
Their only hope was reinforcements from Northern Suppression Pass.
But Wu Kexiong knew very well that when they had gone to Northern Suppression Pass last time, they had not even been granted an audience with Xiao Lie. They had merely been told that he had “unexpectedly caught a chill.” Think about it: how could a Blood Refining realm martial artist fall ill so easily? The situation at Northern Suppression Pass was probably even worse than they imagined.
The atmosphere inside the tent instantly grew heavy.
Page (1/3)
Page (2/3)
Wu Kexiong suddenly turned to Chen Xiucheng.
“Old Chen, where’s Zhang Muyang from your unit?”
“He’s clearing the battlefield. He was at the very front this time, so he’ll certainly receive his share of the credit.”
“Someone, call Zhang Muyang here.”
“Yes.”
The personal guard accepted the order and left.
At that moment, Zhang Muyang, Su Ying, Zhang Xiaobei, and the other young men from Zhang Family Village were gathered in the corner tower.
The bonfire crackled, illuminating the exhaustion and excitement on every face.
“The Blood Wolf Riders weren’t anything special! I cut one down with a single slash!”
“I killed two!”
“Oh, give it a rest.” Zhang Xiaobei laughed and cursed. “Who was it that nearly threw away his blade just now?”
“I was only—only frozen!”
The young man scratched his head, his face turning crimson. A roar of laughter immediately rose around him.
Su Ying sat beside Zhang Muyang without saying a word, repeatedly wiping her Yan-feather blade.
The blade was already gleaming, yet she continued as if possessed, unable to stop.
Herlian Jue had escaped, and the thought sat heavily in her chest.
Zhang Muyang took her hand and said softly, “There will be another chance.”
Su Ying nodded, her voice cold and sharp.
“I will kill Herlian Jue. Otherwise, the souls of those hanging from the flagpole will never rest in peace!”
At that moment, the voice of a personal guard came from outside.
“Is Zhang Muyang here? The battalion commander wishes to see you!”
Zhang Muyang rose, brushed the snow from his clothes, and followed the guard toward the command tent.
The tent was warm and comfortable.
Wu Kexiong held a bowl of hot wine and grinned.
“Zhang Muyang! You helped defeat the Blood Wolf Riders this time, so I’m awarding you first credit and twenty ounces of silver!”
“Thank you, Battalion Commander.”
“You may all leave.”
Not again.
Chen Xiucheng, Liu Yunzhao, and the other squad commanders withdrew.
Only after the tent held the two of them alone did Wu Kexiong set down his bowl and speak in a solemn voice.
“Herlian Jue will certainly counterattack. Do you have any ideas?”
After witnessing the slaughter just now, he had come to trust this young squad leader completely. Perhaps this boy truly could bring about a miracle.
Zhang Muyang had been waiting for precisely those words. Su Ying had just been muttering about infiltrating the Blood Wolf camp to take revenge, and he had been worrying over how to find an opportunity. Wu Kexiong’s question had given him the perfect excuse.
“I have an idea! The Blood Wolf Riders have suffered heavy losses, and their morale must be in disarray. We can take advantage of the night to burn their provisions.”
“What? Burn their provisions?”
Wu Kexiong slammed down his bowl, his eyes widening.
The idea was far too bold!
Even after losing a thousand men, the Blood Wolf Riders still had more than three thousand cavalrymen. Their camp would certainly be heavily guarded. Sneaking inside to burn the provisions would be no different from throwing one’s life away.
“It won’t be difficult.”
The corners of Zhang Muyang’s lips lifted slightly.
“Didn’t we seize several hundred warhorses and the Blood Wolf Riders’ armor? We can choose twenty veterans, have them put on the captured armor, and disguise themselves as scattered cavalrymen. Then we find someone who understands the Northern Yan language to handle any questioning. Once we reach their supply camp, a single torch will reduce it all to ashes.”
Page (2/3)
Page (3/3)
Without provisions, the Blood Wolf Riders wouldn’t last three days.
Wu Kexiong stared at him for a long while before shouting, “Good! We’ll do it! Are you willing to lead the team?”
“Me? This is a mission that could cost me my head…”
“One hundred ounces of silver. Once it’s done, I’ll promote you to a Centurion Commander!”
Wu Kexiong pulled twenty ounces of silver from his robes and pressed it into Zhang Muyang’s hand.
“This is the deposit. Take it first.”
“With the battalion commander placing such trust in me, I will certainly fulfill my mission.”
Zhang Muyang accepted the silver, then reminded him, “Wei Wentong is still being held by Squad Commander Chen. Perhaps we can pry some information out of him. You should interrogate him.”
“I’ll interrogate him myself. Ask for whatever you need.”
“Thank you, Battalion Commander.”
Zhang Muyang turned and left. Together with Su Ying and twenty veteran soldiers, he quietly slipped out of Tiger Beacon Pass.
Wu Kexiong stood there with a gloomy expression, watching until Zhang Muyang and the others had disappeared into the distance. Only then did he enter the tent next door.
Inside, the brazier burned brightly.
Wei Wentong hung from a torture frame by iron chains. The flesh of all ten fingers was mangled, every fingernail pried out, yet a cold smile still lingered on his face.
Wu Kexiong snorted.
“Speak! Who is your contact inside Northern Suppression Pass?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Won’t speak? Do you think Wei Song can protect you? I’ll report that you died fighting the Blood Wolves. No one will ever know.”
“Pah!”
Wei Wentong spat out a mouthful of blood, then suddenly began to laugh hoarsely.
“Wu Kexiong, do you really think Zhang Muyang is innocent?”
Wu Kexiong’s pupils contracted.
“What do you mean?”
Wei Wentong suddenly began coughing violently and spat out a wax pellet wrapped in blood.
A personal guard pried open the pellet. The secret message that fell out contained a detailed map of Tiger Beacon Pass’s defenses—and it matched the strategy Zhang Muyang had proposed down to the last detail!
A deathly silence filled the tent.
Wei Wentong bared his bloodstained teeth.
“That boy has been communicating with Herlian Jue for a long time.”
Chen Xiucheng abruptly drew his blade and cursed, “Bullshit! How many Blood Wolf Riders has Zhang Muyang killed?”
“Nothing but a ruse to win your trust.”
Coughing blood, Wei Wentong’s gaze turned venomous.
“Now he’s taken twenty veterans out with him. What do you think he’s really going to do—burn the provisions, or deliver a message? When he returns, he’ll certainly bring a large force of Blood Wolf Riders with him.”
Chen Xiucheng, Liu Yunzhao, and the other squad commanders were all left dumbfounded.
Slash!
No one had expected Wu Kexiong to stride forward and kill Wei Wentong with a single stroke.
“Still trying to sow discord with death staring you in the face? I wouldn’t believe a word you said! Take him away!”
Several personal guards dragged Wei Wentong’s corpse outside.
Yet a trace of gloom flashed through Wu Kexiong’s eyes.
He would see what happened when Zhang Muyang launched his raid on the enemy camp.