I just reached the maximum level, and you want me to be a puppet emperor?

Chapter 641 Kill some, capture some, and release some! (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)
The atmosphere in the military camp's council chamber was somewhat delicate.

Although Li Chen's official rank was only that of a captain, he naturally sat in the main seat.

Supervisor Wang and Colonel Zhou Meng sat on either side, their expressions respectful, even somewhat reserved.

As for Batu, Feng Shuo, and others, they could only stand below with their hands at their sides.

Wang Jianjun spoke first, his tone a mixture of confusion and ease: "Lord Cheng, according to intelligence from all sides, Da Luo's detachment is still entangled with the demonic beasts outside the pass, making slow progress. Given the strategic importance of Han Tie Pass, coupled with the natural barriers around it, there is actually no need to fear a sneak attack. Moreover, using cavalry to attack the pass is really... uh, contrary to common sense."

He almost blurted out the word "brain-dead," but managed to stop himself in time.

Other generals echoed this sentiment, all believing that the other side was courting death.

Li Chen smiled slightly and tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "What you all say is all common sense, but precisely because of this, we may be able to take this opportunity to lure the enemy deep into our territory and turn the tables on them."

Supervisor Wang's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "What brilliant plan does Lord Cheng have?"

Li Chen calmly replied, "Didn't the Great Luo Army find the demonic beasts troublesome and the paths difficult to traverse? Then we'll 'help' them out. We'll secretly send people to deal with the demonic beasts they can't handle."

We cleared the paths they deemed impassable, while simultaneously reducing patrol frequency in key areas to give them the illusion of an opportunity to attack with confidence.

At that time, all we need to do is open our pockets, and they'll be sitting ducks!

Upon hearing this, the eyes of all the generals in the tent lit up! This was a military merit delivered right to their doorstep!
Zhou Meng immediately clasped his hands excitedly and volunteered: "Your Excellency's plan is brilliant! This humble general requests permission! I am willing to lead my troops to ensure that the attacking enemy will not return alive! In particular, we must capture Sergei, the son of Grand Duke Andrei, and make the Great Luo Dynasty pay a heavy price!"

Li Chen waved his hand and laughed, "Captain Zhou is commendable for his bravery, but this battle requires strategy. What you need to do is kill some, capture some, and let some go."

"Let some go?" Zhou Meng was taken aback, somewhat puzzled.

“Especially that Sergei,” Li Chen emphasized, “we must let him go.”

Zhou Meng, a straightforward soldier, scratched his head and asked, "Sir, how exactly should this be done? In battle, swords have no eyes; what if we accidentally kill him?"

Li Chen had already prepared his explanation: "At that time, a 'mysterious expert' will suddenly appear and rescue him. You only need to pretend to be no match for him and let him leave. There is no need to pursue him further."

Although Zhou Meng did not understand the deeper meaning, based on his absolute trust in Li Chen, he immediately clasped his hands and said, "This subordinate understands! I will certainly act according to your orders, sir!"

Wang Jianjun immediately declared, "This subordinate will immediately arrange manpower to secretly eliminate the demonic beasts and adjust the defenses. We will do it flawlessly and will not arouse any suspicion from the other side!"

The plan was set.

In the days that followed, Sergei was pleasantly surprised to find that many of the "troubles" that had previously hindered their progress had inexplicably begun to decrease.

Some particularly ferocious groups of monsters that had been entrenched in key areas seemed to have been driven away or hunted down by a more powerful being, and quietly left their original territories.

Several previously considered impassable hidden paths have become much "safer"; even the patterns of the Tian Ce patrol teams' appearances seem to have become predictable and easier to avoid.

All of this seemingly coincidental "smoothness" seemed to Sergei like divine intervention! His spirits, which had been somewhat low due to the setbacks, rose again, and his desire for battle grew stronger. He was convinced that this was fate's favor upon his ambition, unaware that he was stepping into the trap his master had carefully woven for him.

During this period, the core war zone between the Tian Ce Dynasty and the Da Luo Dynasty was already engulfed in flames of war.

According to news from the front lines, Tuoba Zhen and Helan Xuan, these two old rivals, have clashed several times in the continuous snow-covered mountains of the northern border, fighting fiercely until the sky darkened, ice collapsed, and snow cracked.

In every clash, Tuoba Zhen, relying on his slight advantage in strength, mocked recklessly: "Helan Xuan! Is this all you've got? You're a disgrace to Li Chen! Let him come and fight me personally!"

Helan Xuan's strength has greatly increased. Although he is still at a disadvantage, he can hold on without being defeated. He retorted, "Tuoba Zhen, stop barking! With your meager abilities, do you think you deserve His Majesty's personal intervention? Get past me first!"

Tuoba Zhen truly possessed extraordinary luck, encountering one extraordinary event after another.

However, as a descendant of the Sun and Moon Dragon Clan, He Lanxuan, despite his thin bloodline, possessed extraordinary talent.

Recently, the soldiers and cultivators of Tian Ce have been treating the East Sea Clan as a "dungeon" to farm, reaping countless resources. He Lanxuan even obtained a drop of precious ancient dragon king's essence blood, which greatly boosted his strength.

With the occasional guidance from Li Chen, he was no longer the naive person he once was.

He used to be suppressed by Tuoba Zhen, but now he can stand on equal footing with him.

Although they were still unable to defeat Tuoba Zhen, they had already achieved their goal of keeping him occupied and preventing him from commanding the army.

With their commander entangled, the Daluo army suffered repeated defeats under the fierce attacks of the Tian Ce Northern Army's elite forces, and the battle situation became extremely tense.

Meanwhile, at Hantieguan, far from the main battlefield.

A force of nearly 20,000 elite cavalrymen from the Great Luo Kingdom was quietly approaching the pass under the cover of night and snow.

The cavalrymen were all dressed in white camouflage, well-equipped, and their horses' hooves were wrapped in thick cloth to reduce noise, believing their actions to be extremely stealthy.

However, all their actions were already under the close surveillance of the Tian Ce garrison.

In a hidden sentry post on a snowy slope, Feng Shuo hunched his shoulders, rubbing his hands together, looking down at the vast, seemingly concealed enemy force below. He couldn't help but mutter a complaint to his colleague beside him:

"Damn it, these idiots! It's a good thing I led a team to clear and reinforce the snow on these slopes that are prone to avalanches a couple of days ago, otherwise, with the noise they made, they would have triggered a huge avalanche and buried them all! I'm speechless, I have to clean up their mess."

At another command post not far away, Batu observed the enemy's formation through a reconnaissance array, his brow furrowed slightly. He said to his deputy beside him, "This Sergei isn't good at fighting, but his army is certainly well-equipped. Look at those horses and that armor; they are definitely the elite of the elite. If it's a direct field battle, they'll probably be difficult to deal with."

His deputy beside him laughed and said, "Boss, you can rest assured. Prince Xu is personally leading the ambush! His 'North Wind Cavalry' is an iron army that has followed him in battles across the country and has never been defeated! Dealing with these young pampered soldiers will be a piece of cake."

Batu glanced at his deputy, somewhat surprised: "You're not thinking about grabbing some military merits? This is practically free meat."

(End of this chapter)