Start with a red name

The man, known as "Commander-in-Chief" by his men and "General Liu" by the messenger from Chizhu Plain, was named Liu Mu.

He dismissed his attendants, leaving only the messenger in the tent.

He had already considered many possibilities regarding the "secret order" mentioned by the messenger.

These adjustments generally fall within the scope of making partial adjustments to the "southward strategy".

But when the messenger actually revealed the contents of the "secret order," his first reaction was not shock, but rather his gaze sharp as a hawk's, fixed on the man in front of him.

He did not question the content of the "secret order," but rather doubted the authenticity of the messenger's identity.

Rather than scrutinizing the absurd "secret order," questioning the messenger's identity, or suspecting that he was switched by a hostile force to carry out such a daring scheme, he believed that this was more reasonable.

Seeing his expression, the messenger naturally understood what he was thinking and took out a half-broken jade pendant with irregular serrations from his pocket.

He said to Liu Mu:
"General Liu, this was personally handed to me by the military commander before my departure."

"..."

Liu Mu stared intently at the half-broken jade pendant in his hand.

His doubts gradually wavered, but his face remained frozen.

With a blank expression, he turned and went to the inner side of the tent.

Soon, he returned, carrying a small wooden box in his hands.

Open the box and take out the item inside, which was carefully wrapped in brocade.

Unveiling the brocade revealed another half-broken jade pendant.

He took out the jade pendant and gradually closed it with the half-broken jade pendant in the messenger's hand.

Both jade pendants had the same irregular, serrated edges, which instantly fit together perfectly.

It is as if they were one, as if they were made by nature.

They were originally a single, complete piece.

Liu Mu's eyes were fixed on the jade pendant.

Faced with irrefutable facts, his previously feigned expressionless eyes finally revealed intense emotions.

A torrent of questions, like roars of anger, poured out of his mouth.

To prevent his voice from spreading and being heard by his subordinates outside the tent, he had to suppress his true nature as much as possible and keep his voice extremely low.

Such an action, however, only further ignited the flames of anger within him.

"Why?!"

"Who dared to speak such slanderous words before the military commander?!"

"What's the situation now? The time to head south is just around the corner, and now you're telling me we're not going south?"

"What do you take this for? Child's play? You think you can just quit whenever you want?"

"We've gathered on this island and been waiting for months."

"The military has been conducting simulations and preparations for this plan for over a decade!"

"The entire state, including the military commander, has devoted a whole year to this plan!"

"Everything is ready now, just waiting to head south and make our mark... Now you're saying you're done?... Ha, are you kidding me?!"

"Who exactly spread these slanderous rumors?"

We've been arranged to leave, as if we're dead and gone, right?
During this period, everyone who stayed by the military commander's side, every single one of them, should be killed!

"Damn it, damn it, they all deserve to die!"

"..."

Amidst his suppressed, roaring fury, saliva splattered onto the messenger's face like snowflakes.

The messenger stood there motionless, ramrod straight.

Only after Liu Mu had finished venting his emotions did he speak:

"General Liu, I understand your feelings, but please believe that the commander made this decision after careful consideration."

Such a significant decision couldn't possibly be made simply by one person offering slanderous advice.

In fact, Liu Mu understood this principle all too well.
At first, it was simply a pure emotional outburst.

But in his mind, thoughts were racing non-stop.

As reason gradually returned to his mind, he also began to form his own judgments.

He took a deep breath and asked in a low voice:
"What happened?"

"Two of our cavalry units that were dispatched on missions were completely wiped out."

The messenger's opening statement was a game-changer.

This explosive information stunned Liu Mu, causing his eyes to widen and his body to sway uncontrollably.

After a moment, he asked in a trembling voice, "...When?"

"Two days ago, on the evening of the seventh day of the lunar month," the messenger said.

"where?"

He couldn't help but wonder if it was a cavalry force scattered across the north bank of the Hanghe River, preparing to cross the river and head south.

An enemy across the river spotted their weakness and, before they could advance south, launched a preemptive strike.

If this is the case, it means there are serious errors in their deduction.

There was a serious misjudgment of the strength of the enemy to the south.

In this situation, suspending the southward expansion, conducting a thorough self-examination and rectification, and re-formulating the southward expansion strategy, while somewhat conservative, is reasonable.

The reason he considers this approach conservative is that, from a military perspective, he believes it could be the result of a desperate gamble or a show of force by an enemy.

Dong Guan's hasty "secret order" at this moment played right into the other party's trap.

As he was thinking this, the messenger's reply finally reached his ears.

"The incidents occurred at Wild Wolf Gorge and Yanlai Peak, and the number of cavalry killed was around two thousand each time."

"hiss--"

Liu Mu couldn't help but click his tongue.

The messenger's reply completely overturned his initial assumptions.

"...What exactly happened?" Liu Mu's expression became even more serious as he inquired earnestly.

"Based on the information we have now, it's roughly like this..."

The messenger quickly recounted the information they had gathered.

He began by recounting the plan, launched around the New Year, targeting tens of thousands of bandits.

They were the ones who spearheaded this plan, so they naturally know it best.

They used various methods to force the scattered bandits in the two states of Xuanyou into eight bandit gathering places.

Then, they sent out a cavalry force of about two thousand men to each location to "pluck" the spoils, and led these bandits away from Xuanyou and other states, crossing the Yellow River southward.

However, they found nothing at the other six locations; they didn't encounter a single living bandit.

The two teams that went to "Wild Wolf Gorge" and "Swallow Peak" were completely wiped out, without even having the chance to send out information before they were destroyed.

After losing nearly two hundred scouts, they finally managed to catch the enemy's tail.

That was an enemy force that had now joined forces, numbering around 40,000.

"...If that's all there is to it, it's nothing special."

At most, a portion of the manpower can handle it.

However, analysis revealed that the vast majority of these enemy troops were composed of bandits.

General Liu, you should know what kind of people those bandits are.

But how long has it been?
Not only did they actually rally together, but they also dared to bare their teeth at our iron cavalry. Even with such terrifying casualties, they were not scattered!
This is what worries the military commander and his men the most.

As he spoke, the messenger looked at Liu Mu and said solemnly:
"Therefore, the military leaders believe that this enemy may have mastered an extremely strange secret technique."

"Able to transform a disorganized group into a sharp blade capable of cleaving through any enemy in a short time!"

"Hiss... Such a secret technique must come at a high price, right?!" Liu Mu couldn't help but click his tongue.

The messenger shook his head and said, "No matter the cost, this is extremely fatal for us."

Liu Mu nodded slightly.

Even if the price of doing so is that the recipient will die suddenly ten days or half a month later.

However, as long as they can exchange some of their own troops before that happens, even if it's five for one, or even ten for one, it will be a huge loss for them.

Most importantly, such an enemy cannot be given any more time to develop.

With each passing day, more people will fall victim to this "poisonous hand," becoming a force against their own side.

This is the very foundation of the Xuanyou and You states!

Even if they eventually manage to defeat the enemy, after all this turmoil, the two states of Xuanyou will inevitably suffer heavy losses.

What a cruel method!

As a veteran soldier, after hearing the messenger's report, Liu Mu had already figured out most of the subsequent developments of the situation.

They also fully understood the necessity and timeliness of this "secret order".

"Making this decision must have been extremely painful for the military commander!"

He understood the "secret order" from the bottom of his heart, but Liu Mu's tightly furrowed brows showed no sign of easing.

Dong Guan only needed to overcome his inner hurdle to issue an order. But for commanders on the front lines, the problems they faced were far more complex.

Even though he understood the "secret order," it was completely useless.

How to properly carry out this secret order, which is completely contrary to everyone's expectations, at this time?

The most difficult part is getting everyone to follow through.

Now, everyone in the military, including himself, has been lured by the allure of the South, to the point of longing and their eyes are bloodshot with greed.

Asking everyone to stop at this point could easily cause widespread unrest and a mutiny among the soldiers.

Liu Mu frowned, racking his brains over how to resolve this issue more effectively.

Just then, he suddenly froze.

He looked at the messenger beside him and asked, "Did you hear anything?"

The messenger looked surprised and uncertain, and hesitated to speak.

Just then, the heavy leather curtain door of the tent was suddenly flung open.

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah------"

"Awoooo ...

In an instant, a roar that was more than ten times louder, like a tidal wave, swept across the night sky and crashed fiercely into the tent.

Liu Mu and the messenger were stunned by the sudden surge of sound, standing frozen in place, seemingly losing the ability to think and speak for a moment.

The person who lifted the curtain practically tumbled into the tent.

He looked at Liu Mu, his face filled with panic and urgency, and said, "Commander, mutiny! Mutiny has broken out all over the island!"

But he saw that the "military commander," whose brows had been tightly furrowed, gradually relaxed under the impact of the surging night torrent.

All right.

No need to worry about it anymore.

When Liu Mu stepped out of the tent, his steps even seemed somewhat light.

No sooner had they stepped out of the tent than loud sounds of battle suddenly came from the north of Huangwei Island.

He, who had been walking briskly just moments before, suddenly stomped his foot heavily on the ground.

"You bastard!" he shouted angrily.

In his mind, this must be the law enforcement team and his most trusted personal guards suppressing the situation.

Given their consistent approach, their behavior would inevitably be extremely brutal.

At another time, this might be very effective, and it can immediately intimidate people.

Whether they want to kill or torture us, we can only leave it to them to do as they please.

But what time is it now?
Using such harsh methods, do they really think the people below wouldn't dare to rebel?!
Before he could react effectively, sounds of battle came almost simultaneously from the northeast and northwest directions of Huangwei Island.

Soon, the sounds of fierce fighting drowned out the howling and wailing of the camp.

No, no, no...

The law enforcement team and the royal guard could never have caused such a commotion.

Moreover, unless they're completely out of their minds, they would never stoop to this level of absurdity.

Realizing something was amiss, Liu Mu looked around and said sternly, "Quickly, go and see what's going on."

Before the people around him had dispersed, several disheveled soldiers with numerous bruises on their bodies ran over from the north.

"Commander, we have been attacked by the enemy at night!"

"Commander, there are two vehicles and ships carrying thousands of soldiers attempting to storm the island in the waters directly north of our post!"

"Those enemies were like they had lost their minds, like a bunch of madmen, rushing onto the island without any regard for anything."

“We killed quite a few of them, but our already weak defenses couldn’t stop them in the slightest, and they have now completely breached them.”

"When I arrived, they had already pushed their front line up to their encampment!"

"..."

At the height of the commotion, in their encampment, facing this sudden attack from the enemy, one can only imagine how they would respond.

"Huangwei Island" is located in the heart of the Xuanyou and You states.

They also firmly controlled the waters further south that met the Hang River.

It's fair to say they never considered the possibility of enemies attacking from the water.

The strict guard posts are largely due to military orders and established habits.

What they really need to guard against is internal turmoil.

Secondly, the surrounding waters should be sealed off to prevent anyone who accidentally enters from revealing the situation.

Maintain secrecy as much as possible before the operation officially begins.

Therefore, after hearing the hurried report from these people, the group of high-ranking generals gathered around Liu Mu looked at each other in bewilderment.

They had absolutely no idea what was going on.

enemy?

Where is the enemy?
But after listening to these incoherent words, Liu Mu and the messenger looked at each other and saw a kind of calm, stillness in each other's eyes.

Who is the enemy?

They all knew it perfectly well.

Liu Mu calmly waved his hand and said, "Instead of wasting our time here, let's hurry up and go meet them."

Soon, he led the people around him northward.

He thought with a touch of regret that these enemies must have gotten incredibly lucky to attack when they were at their weakest.

Even if it had been a little earlier or a little later, things wouldn't be this messy now.

As they acted, the seemingly out-of-control "Yellow Reed Island" began to regroup around them.

They charged toward the suddenly appearing enemy.

A mutiny in the camp is one of the situations that a general least wants to encounter.

Being unexpectedly attacked at night by an enemy when one's own side is at its most chaotic and weakest is also a problem.

Neither of these two issues is easy to handle.

However, under Liu Mu's skillful hands, these two extremely unfavorable events actually had a "double negatives make a positive" effect.

The clamor is a "fire" that burns from within.

The night attack was caused by "water" rushing in from the outside.

Now, Liu Mu and his team, who need to both "put out fires" and "control floods," have come up with the ingenious method of "using water to extinguish fires."

Of course, such skillful maneuvering only gave Liu Mu and his group more room to maneuver.

The overall situation remains extremely unfavorable for them.

Moreover, compared to any single calamity, the situation on Huangwei Island is far more difficult at this moment.

……

"Wonderful!"

Geng Xuan expressed these sentiments about Iron Wolf.

He thought that by striking the enemy at their weakest moment, he could deliver the fatal blow and completely derail the situation on Huangwei Island.

But the reality before him made him quickly abandon this "wishful thinking".

Just then, Geng Xuan stared intently into the interior of "Huangwei Island".

He, who could see the night as if it were day, had already seen a steady stream of figures rushing towards this place from other areas.

The Black Wind Army broke through the outer defenses like tearing through a spider web, and then charged into the interior of "Yellow Reed Island" as if it were empty land. The exhilarating situation of turning those who were howling like ghosts a moment ago into "real ghosts" is gradually becoming more and more difficult.

The resistance is gradually increasing.

However, what Geng Xuan was looking at at that moment was unaware of these things.

In the direction he was staring at, there were more than ten figures, surrounded by others in the very center.

Among them, a short, stout man with an unremarkable face was the leader.

What immediately caught his attention was their red names, each one far more prominent than the others.

They were all so red they were almost black.

Upon closer observation, he discovered that none of these dozen or so people were below the peak of the first realm.

Any one of these people could easily kill Iron Wolf.

Iron Wolf was already his most capable combat force.

and so--

Geng Xuan tilted his head and said to Tie Lang:

"I'll leave this to you."

He silently added in his heart, "I hope you can live to see the end of this battle."

After giving a brief explanation, he took the initiative to go and meet them.

Even for him, this was a rare and tough battle. (End of Chapter)