Chapter 643 – Mental Breakdown (1)
Attempting a sneak attack backfired, and they ended up being dumplings.
The news of the Red Lotus Sect’s disastrous defeat returned to Fenghu County, and the Scholar was left in a daze.
Just a moment ago, he had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Liu Xi escorted by his men, and in the next moment, he was completely soulless.
“What did you say—” The Scholar stepped forward, grabbing the Messenger by the collar, his expression a terrifying grimace, rage flaring in his chest like a wildfire. He thought he must have misheard or that this Messenger delivered the wrong news—how could they have suffered such a crushing defeat?
The Messenger struggled to breathe as he was lifted by the collar.
Even he was taken aback; who would have thought that the usually scholarly and slender Military Adviser could look so frightening when enraged?
However, he still needed to convey the message, so he stammered through the details again.
The three thousand troops that the Red Lotus Sect sent to ambush had not only failed to capture Liu Xi but were instead surrounded and annihilated on the mountain path.
The Scholar gritted his teeth in anger.
He was furious, enough to hurl the Messenger to the ground.
No, wait—
As the Scholar prepared to gather troops for a counterattack, something suddenly struck him.
“Wait—while the Liu Thief’s force might be strong enough to deal with our three thousand elite, what about the supporting troops outside?”
If there had been supporting forces outside to charge into the mountain path and fight, it should not have ended in such a humiliating defeat.
The Messenger turned pale, cold sweat beading on his forehead as he knelt on the ground, unable to stand.
Seeing this, the Scholar realized something was amiss. This audacious Messenger had concealed crucial information. He scolded fiercely, “Speak up quickly! What exactly happened? If there’s a single lie, I will summon divine punishment to obliterate you and your entire clan!”
The Messenger trembled in fear, his mouth loosened, and he spilled the beans.
“Military Adviser, the Liu Thief is truly cunning; it’s not that we didn’t go to the rescue.”
The Messenger, shaking in terror, revealed the concealed information, though the details were still “polished.”
Though the Scholar was not the brightest, he was exceedingly vicious and jealous.
If he discovered the truth, many people would not make it out unscathed.
Left with no choice, they could only find a way to blame Jiang Pengji to alleviate their own responsibilities.
If the Scholar was enraged, at least it would be directed at Jiang Pengji, and these small fries would be able to escape disaster.
“When the General noticed something was off, he led a force into the mountain path to rescue. But who would have known the Liu Thief was cunning enough to have already blocked that section of the path, deploying hundreds of crossbowmen on the stone walls? The General attempted several strong assaults, and brothers fell dead or wounded by the hundreds but still couldn’t budge the Liu Thief’s defenses. At this moment, the brothers inside could no longer hold out. For the good of the other brothers, the General had no choice but to retreat; otherwise, he would never abandon them so easily. Military Adviser, you must avenge our brothers!”
After hearing this explanation, the Scholar was nearly had a heart attack from rage.
And of course, there were even more reasons to be angry. The hits just kept coming, piling on the Scholar’s frustrations.
He used all his might just to suppress his fury, his mind going blank, unable to come up with any countermeasures to reclaim their honor.
Clearly, the Liu Thief’s arrangements had seen through their tricks, and the opponent was already prepared.
If they resorted to sneaky tactics again, it would surely not yield significant results.
While he was lost in thought, a small leader came stumbling in, shouting, “Military Adviser, it’s bad news!”
“What bad news? I’m fine!” The Scholar frowned, his already chaotic thoughts becoming even more irritated by the interruption, like a tangled ball of yarn he couldn’t unravel. He retorted, “Speak! What has happened? If it’s not significant, you’ll face punishment!”
The small leader, panting heavily and drenched in sweat, felt an overwhelming urge to cry without tears as he replied, “Military Adviser, Jinmen County has fallen.”
Huh?
Everyone present was dumbfounded; the Scholar was nearly convinced he was hallucinating.
“What do you mean it’s fallen?”
The small leader finally caught his breath and wailed, “Jinmen County was taken by the Liu Thief.”
The Scholar’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably, his heart sinking into a panic, but he insisted, “Impossible! The Liu Thief was practically under our nose; where would he get the manpower to attack Jinmen County? Are you reporting false military information? Do you understand the crime you could face?”
The small leader was in a frenzy, “It’s true! Yesterday morning, the Liu Thief suddenly attacked Jinmen County, and it wasn’t long before they seized it. Countless brothers were killed or captured. If I’m lying, let the gods strike me dead!”
Jinmen County… really fallen?
The Scholar’s heart sank to the bottom like a lead weight, chilling him to the bone, making him forget how to breathe.
Impossible, impossible!
The Liu Thief’s goal was clearly Fenghu County; he had been sending Scouts to probe the area. How could he possibly have spare troops to attack Jinmen County?
When did this happen?
If Jinmen County had indeed been captured by the Liu Thief, how could they have enough strength to ambush them at night?
The Scholar couldn’t fathom the crucial points and had no time to figure it out.
Either the opponents were like divine soldiers appearing out of thin air, using some supernatural method to win, or Liu Xi had brought more than ten thousand troops with others hidden away!
At this moment, the Scholar was left flustered by one shocking piece of news after another and hadn’t even thought to suspect An Huan.
Regardless of whether the Scholar was suspicious or not, that ruthless An Huan had also stirred up some trouble.
“Military Adviser… what do we do now?”
The subordinates exchanged glances.
The Scholar shivered suddenly, his countenance turning cold as he declared, “Gather the troops and take back Jinmen County. The Liu Thief’s main forces are still here; if we take the official road, we can surely arrive in Jinmen County before the Liu Thief does. There are still our common people and followers inside; with their help, we can retake it.”
For once, the Scholar was clever. If they acted according to his plan, they would be quick enough to reclaim Jinmen County.
After all, the Red Lotus Sect had been operating in Jinmen County for long; while many common people detested them, quite a few were swayed, viewing the gods as their faith and offering daily worship. Jiang Pengji had only just taken Jinmen County, and the garrison force was sparse, leaving their hold unstable.
As long as the Red Lotus Sect arrived in Jinmen County ahead of her, victory was still up in the air.
However, the Scholar’s opponent was none other than the decisive action-taker, Jiang Pengji, known as the rhythm master of the battlefield; could he match her speed?
Haha.
Meanwhile, Jiang Pengji was racing back with her troops. Xu Ke, as her exclusive steward and hidden chief strategist… he and Jiang Pengji had a synergy that was second to none, and their siege equipment practically arrived at the city of Jinmen County right behind her!
Upon witnessing this, Yang Si and Qi Guanrang couldn’t help but admire.
