Chapter 1323 – Attacking Huang Song, Uniting Dongqing (64)
“Mind over matter is a type of energy,” Jiang Pengji thought as she navigated the cerebral realm. With two sub-systems trapped within, she seldom unleashed her mental prowess on a broad scale, always wary of granting them the chance to cause trouble. Generally, she kept her psychic reach tightly constrained—only enveloping a radius of a hundred meters around herself.
If outsiders entered her domain, she would instantly be aware of their presence, acting as an excellent alert system. In the future Federation, assassinating a master with such formidable mental abilities would be a Herculean task, as they’d have to bypass that very first line of defense.
Of course, if the assassin also happened to be a master of cerebral abilities with exceptional control, there was still a chance of success.
But Jiang Pengji hadn’t encountered that yet.
Previously, her mental coverage had been at least ten kilometers.
Now? Who could snipe at her from ten kilometers away?
A hundred meters was plenty. She could keep it active all day long.
Out of caution, as her troops arrived, she expanded her mental reach and conducted a thorough scan. As long as it was brief, the drain on her psychic energy wasn’t significant. Almost immediately, she detected thousands of people hiding in a certain deep mountain! What might they be up to? One could guess with just a toe.
According to ordinary reasoning, attackers would likely emerge from a camp, so keeping an eye on the enemy camp would allow her to gauge their timing for a night raid. Any movement would trigger her scouts to raise the alarm. Who would’ve thought Huang Song had already stationed troops in the mountains early on?
They knew Jiang Pengji wouldn’t camp in the mountains, so this batch of soldiers’ tracks would remain concealed.
“What time is it now?”
As she stood up, Jiang Pengji picked up the God-Slaying Blade resting beside her and called out to the guard outside the main tent.
“Reporting to the Lord, it has just passed the first watch.”
Jiang Pengji did the mental math and strode out of the main tent.
“Immediately send word down! The enemy is coming! Prepare defenses to the northeast of the camp!”
Jiang Pengji refrained from using the live stream cameras. Though using them wouldn’t drain her psychic energy, they came with limited angles, and obstacles could create blind spots. In contrast, her mental abilities spanned everywhere.
The soldier paused for a moment, seemingly surprised at how Jiang Pengji had come by this information.
“Understood!”
The guard dashed off, while the others remained steadfastly guarding the main tent.
Jiang Pengji whistled, and not far off, Xiao Bai, her horse, seemed to sense her call, woke up with a snort, and trotted over.
Meanwhile—
The enemy, numbering in the thousands, stood ready, muffling their horse hooves with dried grass and wrapping their mouths to limit noise.
As the appointed hour arrived, a shadow darted forward like a ghost, speaking in hushed tones, “General, everything is ready.”
“How is the enemy’s camp?”
“The patrols are still tight, but the tents aren’t fully set up yet; the northeast is the best point to break through.”
Tens of thousands of troops sprawled across the camp, their tents linked in a continuous line for miles.
It was a monumental undertaking, even with so many hands at work; constructing a proper camp wouldn’t be done in a day.
Jiang Pengji noted that the current camp was still incomplete, with logistics soldiers working overtime to erect it.
The camp was the first line of defense, and with basic defenses still not established, a surprise attack was bound to be easy.
“Consolidate the troops, let’s move!”
As the night deepened, the distant campfires illuminated the area, shining like the brightest pearl in the darkness.
Ancient night raids were fraught with complications; the common folk often suffered from malnourishment and a high rate of night blindness. Huang Song had gone to great lengths to select these thousands of men. Despite the pitch-blackness, they could still see the path clearly and managed to sneak to within a mile of the enemy camp.
Unbeknownst to them, all their movements were under Jiang Pengji’s control.
The live stream cameras provided angles, but her mental reach was omnipresent.
She “saw” thousands of men split into two groups, stealthily approaching the camp…
The enemy had crept right to her doorstep, and Jiang Pengji remained in a lighthearted mood, joking, “Wenbin, doesn’t this feel like that time at Shanweng City?”
Han Yu paused for a moment before realizing what Jiang Pengji was referencing.
During the battle of Shanweng City, Han Yu had cleverly utilized a “blind spot” created by fleeing soldiers to secretly deploy night raiders, eluding all watchful eyes. Had it not been for Jiang Pengji’s superhuman fighting prowess, Xie Ze’s night raid might have succeeded. Once she fell, the crisis at Shanweng City was swiftly resolved.
Han Yu chuckled, “Does the Lord think it’s similar?”
Jiang Pengji responded earnestly, “However, Ber Gao’s plan was not as refined as yours.”
Han Yu had executed that surprise attack without Jiang Pengji even noticing. Her usual mental range covered either a hundred meters or the entire camp but rarely extended beyond. The broader the mental range, the longer it lasted, which merely increased her burden and allowed the sub-systems more chances to act out.
Han Yu replied, “Your Lord’s praise is much too generous. I feel unworthy.”
It was commonplace for ordinary people to feel uncomfortable discussing their humbling experiences. Jiang Pengji was different; she not only brought it up but also teased others about it, showing none of the slightest tension.
Han Yu was somewhat taken aback; at first, he thought she would seek revenge.
As they spoke, the enemy had crept closer to the northeastern camp, mere half a mile away.
As the watchtower hadn’t been manned yet, the camp’s external defenses were limited.
However, if they moved any closer, they would be easily discovered.
“Here they come—” Jiang Pengji said suddenly.
No sooner had the words left her mouth than enemy arrows whizzed over the camp’s crude wooden barricades, a rain of arrows descending rapidly.
Instantly, the camp erupted in screams, sending chills down spines.
Since Jiang Pengji had forewarned the guards, they immediately reacted after the first wave of arrows, sounding the alarm and organizing defenses as the enemies charged in—hundreds of armored warriors crashed through the paper-thin wooden barricades—without the barrier, the ensuing enemies piled into the camp, flame arrows ready—
“Kill—”
“Enemy raid—”
The chaos rapidly spread throughout the entire camp, boiling over like water in a kettle, stirring everyone into a frenzy.
The enemy surged in with great momentum, as unstoppable as a flood, but soon realized something was amiss—
The soldiers under Jiang Pengji reacted far too quickly!
The once ferocious advance seemed to hit a wall, slowing abruptly.
Enemies poured forth one after another, and both sides became entangled in a chaotic battle.
“Uh-oh—we’ve walked straight into a trap!”
Such rapid responses conveyed one undeniable truth—the enemy was clearly well-prepared!
The essence of a night raid lay in “striking when least expected.” If the enemy was already prepared, how could they achieve the intended surprise?
