Chapter 794 – The Veteran’s Unexpected Strategy (Part 4)
Elsewhere, Meng Hunyun led his troops to stealthily bypass the enemy and approached Jia Men Pass.
They had established a signal with Jiang Pengji to use fire arrows as a command to concentrate forces and breach the gate.
Tonight was a new moon, making the darkness particularly oppressive; timing was crucial and easily miscalculated.
As Meng Hunyun anxiously awaited news, a Messenger hurried over to report.
“Commander Meng, there’s a fire arrow signal from the camp direction.”
Meng Hunyun paused in shock, “That can’t be our signal. Go investigate further and return immediately with any news.”
The Messenger complied and soon returned.
“Our camp is on fire! It appears the enemy has breached the camp’s center…”
In the night, the sky was lit with an orange hue, as if the last rays of sunset were desperately painting over the dark canvas.
Meng Hunyun shot up, moving to a higher vantage point to look toward the camp, where indeed flames were raging.
“The previous fire arrow must have been fired by the enemy…”
Thanks to his keen eyesight and the vigorous flames in the distance, Meng Hunyun made out vague black shapes.
From the fire, he could infer the dire situation ahead; Fu Wang would surely suffer losses, and the Meng Clan would be left in tatters.
He stifled his internal glee, but his lips couldn’t help but curl into a smile.
The Meng Clan had indeed lost both troops and advantage, suffering the loss of thousands of soldiers was one thing, but if the strongest Military General fell too, they’d really be in deep trouble! He cleared his throat and asked the Messenger seriously, “Is there any news from Jia Men Pass?”
The Messenger shook his head. “We’ve been keeping watch, and so far, everything is calm.”
Meng Hunyun replied, “Go investigate again. If the Lord sends out a signal, we must be the first to support.”
The fire at the camp burned so brightly it could be seen from afar, like a vivid splash of orange paint pushing back the thick black ink.
Jia Men Pass was situated higher up; it wouldn’t be long before the enemy discovered the camp’s inferno, and naturally, Jiang Pengji inside would see it too.
Meng Hunyun was certain it wouldn’t be much longer before he received a signal from Jiang Pengji.
Meanwhile, the defending soldiers at Jia Men Pass had also noticed the unusual fiery clouds at the horizon.
However, they did not realize Fu Wang had fallen into a trap; instead, they believed it to signal Fu Wang’s great victory over Jiang Pengji’s camp.
The soldiers on guard immediately reported the anomaly to the commanding officer left behind.
Due to unequal distribution of military honors, Fu Wang could only take the elite troops close to the Meng Clan and had to shelve his own confidants for a while.
Nevertheless, he felt at ease leaving Jia Men Pass to a trusted confidant with whom he had fought for many years.
Upon receiving the news of Jiang Pengji’s camp burning, this confidant didn’t suspect anything amiss, thinking similarly to the soldiers.
It wasn’t due to carelessness; Fu Wang had never been defeated since he stepped onto the battlefield.
Because of his brave and robust appearance, others perceived him as a muscle-bound brute, but in reality, he was cunning and cautious, treating battles like hunting and having immense patience while laying in wait for prey.
As long as the opportunity wasn’t ripe, no matter how chaotic it got outside, he could remain utterly still, as steady as a well-behaved beast.
Take for instance the time when Fu Yang fell gravely ill; right after his death, the Meng Clan came knocking, hoping to recruit Fu Yang’s remaining troops.
Rumors outside, though unverified, had many suspecting the Meng Clan’s involvement in Fu Yang’s death.
Even though Meng Clan had nothing to do with it, there was enmity between Fu Yang and them, and for the Meng Clan to try and poach his followers just after his death was far too much!
At that time, Fu Wang’s confidants expected him to explode, jumping straight to confront the Meng Clan, but what happened?
He calmly accepted Meng Clan’s overtures, preserving Fu Yang’s elite troops, seizing the opportunity to lay low and build his influence.
For the sake of his ambitions, Fu Wang was incredibly patient.
This approach, coupled with his immense martial prowess, made him exceptionally popular on the battlefield, earning great accolades for the Meng Clan, remaining undefeated to this day.
“No need to panic, keep the situation inside steady for now.”
Fu Wang’s soldiers held blind trust in their General, never even thinking that he could face defeat.
“Send a team to the front lines to investigate. Liu Xi is no bumbling fool like the Wolong County’s governor; she won’t give up easily.”
While everyone believed Fu Wang would win, they felt a faint unease thinking back on Liu Xi’s previous achievements.
To be safe, they decided to send someone to probe the front lines, so if the troops under the General turned out to be insufficient, they would be ready to reinforce.
Just then, loud commotion erupted outside, distracting everyone inside.
“Who’s causing the ruckus out there?”
Hearing the noise, Fu Wang’s confidant raised his brows, his face filled with rage.
Wolves thrive in packs; they aren’t the strongest beasts, but they are remarkably powerful and disciplined as a group.
Fu Wang, influenced by the wolf pack mentality, enforced strict military discipline, being the least lenient among all the Meng Clan retainers.
Under normal circumstances, no soldier would dare openly violate military conduct.
The noisy soldier was brought in, barely able to catch his breath, hastily kneeling and reporting, “Deputy General, there’s a fire inside the gates!”
A fire inside the gates?
The retained confidant’s eyes twitched, a cold dread creeping up his spine.
“What fire?!”
He stormed outside, scanning the heights, and indeed saw flames flaring from Jia Men Pass.
“Who set this fire?!”
The soldier replied, “Unknown at this time; the fire was already substantial when we discovered it.”
At that moment, another soldier rushed in with news.
The arsonist had been found.
“Reporting Deputy General, the Guard sent by Liu Xi is gathering to revolt, heading towards the gate.”
“What?” Upon hearing this, his heart dropped, icy dread washed over him as a thought registered. “Could it be those Guards discovered something was wrong at Liu Xi’s camp? This is bad, send men to intercept them!”
He had just issued the command when dozens of sharp bamboo whistles pierced the air above Jia Men Pass.
Looking towards the direction of the sound, he discerned several fire arrows in the distance.
At that moment, the retained officer dismissed his earlier musings, replaced by even more ominous thoughts.
This movement of over a hundred Guards was not a coincidence; they clearly had premeditated plans!
Realizing this, he hastily rallied soldiers to block Jiang Pengji and others’ approach towards the gates.
“Report—”
The Messenger, shouting at the top of his lungs, galloped in, and as soon as he dismounted, he was out of breath, hastily bowing in a half-kneel.
“Reporting Deputy General, a large number of unknown enemies suddenly appeared outside the gates!”
The stationed officer’s face turned pale as he instinctively gazed towards the orange glow of the “burning clouds” in the sky.
“This is Liu Xi’s deceit!”
“This is bad, the General is in trouble!”
With the gates catching fire, the Guards Liu Xi sent charging towards the gates, and then an uncounted number of enemies appearing outside—it was clear this had been premeditated. If that was the case, it meant Liu Xi had not fallen for the General’s scheme at all, but rather, the General had walked right into the opposing trap!
“Gather the troops, prepare for battle!”
Jia Men Pass must not fall!
