Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 131 Frontline Strategies, Rear-Line Tricks

Two days after the Battle of Lizhuang in Bodi, on July 24th of the 36th year of the Shutian calendar, the various troops of Haotian's side were in complete disarray, like swarms of mosquitoes buzzing haphazardly in the summer evening sky. The Wu family army, on the other hand, moved like dragonflies, sometimes darting past, sometimes hovering.

Eighty kilometers outside Donglei City, Wu Fei's mobile corps encountered an angry resistance from the Hao army. This resistance force consisted of three Taiyue Luan and four Haotian Lions (similar to winged tigers). The enormous beasts circled around the ground formation like a flock of crows fighting dogs.

Two days ago, Wu Fei's field troops suddenly launched an attack and, before the other units of Hao's army could react, annihilated the terracotta warriors and heavy cavalry battle group. This enraged Huang Yucheng's military commander, who immediately ordered the entire army to seize the mobile forces of the Dongshi army.

The various battalions of Hao Jun who went out of the city to fight varied in speed and could not keep up with the rapid march of the Dong Shi army. It was like a group of kindergarteners chasing college students.

The college students could run while looking back to see if the children had caught up. Wu Fei could also run while sending out scouts to check on them.

…and Wu Fei was rotated among different players…

Two days ago, Wu Fei's 5,000-strong army finished off the first wave and dragged the entire army to the vicinity of Donglei City within seven hours.

After counting the number of troops that had arrived, the officers in the army exchanged horses and men with the support troops sent by Donglei City. A full 70% of the ordinary soldiers were replaced, while a quarter of the officers were rotated. So the Yao army was still a force of 5,000 men, but their stamina was new, their morale was full, and their combat experience was accumulated.

Apart from Donglei, Wufei's three other locations, in addition to fixed camps, all had personnel rotated at any time to ensure that his 5,000 mobile troops were always fully energetic.

Wu Fei led his 5,000 men on the front line, like the head of a king cobra standing upright, swaying from east to west and from west to west, pulling the 20,000 Hao soldiers who had come out of the city to follow suit.

The specific effect is that, right from the start, it drew over the most mobile aerial behemoth force in the Haotian Army.

…Wu Fei: The essence of the mushroom tactic is to prevent the enemy from coming at you one by one, and instead use movement to pull them apart and isolate them…

Wang Mingxing, the commander of the aerial behemoth Haotian, was not aware that he had been "fished" for a trap. Instead, he believed that during the two days and two nights that his entire army had been pursuing this Yao army, his unit had used its air superiority to successfully search for and stick to this cunning Yao army. He thought that if he could delay it for four or five days, the follow-up troops would be able to arrive and annihilate it.

Today, Wang Mingxing launched an aerial assault on a 300-strong army camp on the flank of the Dongshi Army. This camp was two or three miles away from Wu Fei's main force, and was practically out of formation.

This is like sleeping on a summer night when an arm suddenly sticks out from under the covers, which is especially tempting to swarming mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes buzzed as they flew, while Taiyue Luan and Haotian Lion hovered in the sky, flapping their wings with a whooshing sound.

In the East Market Army, in the camp exposed outside the main camp, musketeers and halberdiers were all crouching in groups, staring intently at the sky.

From the sky, Wang Mingxing felt he had a chance to intercept this detachment as it approached headquarters and began its assault towards the formation.

So they began to command the circling behemoths, attempting to disrupt the defensive formation of the Great Yao Army by circling, diving left and right, then pulling up, diving at a different angle, and pulling up again.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The ground forces fired round after round, but Haotian Lion dodged most of the bullets, and managed to withstand the few that followed thanks to its feathered armor imbued with malevolent energy. The shattered armor turned into scattered feathers that fell from the sky.

…The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind…

Just as Wang Mingxing was constantly calculating the physical strength and fear level of the troops below, five hundred paces away, three groups of cavalrymen lifted the straw hats and grass clothing they were wearing as camouflage and began to outflank the enemy from the rear.

As the cavalry's hooves thundered on the ground, the Dragon Horse unit in the ranks began to flap their wings and take off, this Dragon Horse unit of more than a hundred people rushing directly towards Wang Mingxing's rear.

Meanwhile, in the main camp, Wu Fei held up a ball of silver metal and threw it into the sky. The ball of metal burst out with a dazzling flash, just like pure oxygen, and of course, there were also electromagnetic waves that were invisible to the naked eye.

The peacock, which had been hiding in the sky, flew out and swooped down towards the army. As it reached its lowest point, it raised one claw. Wu Fei raised the lasso and hooked the claw. With a slight lift from the peacock, Wu Fei used the force of the swing to take off into the air.

Wu Fei and the peacock coordinated very well. As the peacock performed the falling leaf maneuver, Wu Fei adjusted his body and landed on the downy feathers on the peacock's back, where he was attracted by the force field.

Thus, with the dragon-horse in the sky, the musket array on the ground, the guerrilla cavalry, and the flying warriors of the main force all around, a hand was formed that gripped the Haotian army.

With his retreat cut off by the flying cavalry, and the malevolent aura forming a net, Wang Mingxing felt himself grow heavy in the air. The flapping of the wings of the aerial monsters he led also slowed down, becoming less swift. He knew that the malevolent clouds were pressing down from above, and he had to send the giant beasts to the ground to dispel them.

If we don't land and fight, we can't even escape by flying; if we fly carrying a menacing aura, we'll be exhausted and have to land after less than two kilometers.

However, Wu Fei chose to take the lead, urging his vehicle to charge straight towards Wang Mingxing, without giving him a chance to give orders.

The peacock was three times the size of the Taiyue Luan, and the impact was like a horse charging at a donkey. Wang Mingxing was immediately thrown over, and he held tightly to the reins of the Taiyue Luan to withstand the violent roll.

When he tried to command the Haotian Lions to gang up on Wu Fei, he suddenly discovered that the three Haotian Lions around him were controlled by the "Binding Immortal Technique" as they rushed over. Spider silk-like things condensed in the air and pulled the Haotian Lions directly to the ground.

Just then, the cavalry charged forward and fiercely stabbed the lion with their lances. The lion, its wings flapping wildly after being pierced by the lances, flew through the air, blood and feathers flying everywhere. The broken lances and the torn lion's tail scattered in all directions. After the lion's tail was removed, the young soldiers of the East Market began to stab the lion in the rear with their lances.

Meanwhile, Tai Yueluan was also entangled by the Dragon Horse Knights.

At this moment, Wu Fei was like a pendant stuck to Ming Zun's (the Great Peacock's) downy feathers, watching the Great Peacock unleash a series of "flying" skills, and occasionally providing Ming Zun with some technical assistance: "Tear its abdomen with its claws after impact," "Don't engage in low-altitude combat with it," "Use the Dazzling Light spell to dodge it, then pull up and continue charging at it."

Just like a Pokémon trainer, Wu Fei commanded his legendary Pokémon to launch an effective attack.

The peacock quickly grew stronger with each battle, and soon Wang Mingxing's mount lost its balance and fell to the ground under the blow of Wu Fei's "Swallow Return" move. Just as Wang Mingxing faced a hail of musket fire, he shouted that he surrendered.

And so, the battle ended. The nearest remaining Haotian troops were only fifty li away, and their commanders could be said to have watched helplessly as Wang Mingxing handed over his strategic forces.

The victorious Dongshi Army used oil-soaked thick ropes to bind and pack up the entire formation of giant beasts in the sky and took them away. Eight hundred Dongshi Army soldiers were sent to escort these giant beast prisoners, while Wu Fei led the main force to continue moving.

Because Wu Fei's troops were mobile, Hao Tian's side did not dare to pursue the formation that had captured the giant beast too deeply.

After two consecutive major defeats, the commander-in-chief of the Haotian Army cursed the front-line troops as useless, but he also became vigilant and ordered all troops to gather together. He also sent his confidant, Sun Yong, to lead the army.

…While the general was fighting on the battlefield, the emperor was indulging in excessive singing and dancing…

After June, subtle changes were also taking place in the capital. King Zhou was quite diligent in the first few days of his regency, but he soon began to indulge in debauchery.

After all, King Zhou had been suppressed for more than ten years. When he was suddenly released and gained endless power and flattery, his moral rationality was at its most vulnerable.

Therefore, some wise monarchs have this problem: they dislike their older princes, believing that they have become wicked with age. Little do they know that when a normal person's worldview is forming in adolescence, they need to be wary not only of their own father, but also of their teachers, classmates, and societal opinions.

If the only thing a crown prince needs to be wary of from childhood is his wise and powerful father, then one day his restless mind will lose its sole restraint, inevitably leading him astray in his "unrestrained and dissolute" ways. After learning of the Zhou King's irrational actions from behind the scenes, Xuan Chong couldn't help but offer the following commentary.

Xuan Chong: The two major incompetent ruling groups of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Liu Song and Gao Qi, shared a common trait: both had an exceptionally intelligent founding emperor, Liu Yu and Gao Huan. However, their successors, after the passing of their brilliant emperors, embarked on an unprecedented path of depravity. In Liu Song, Liu Yifu was replaced in time by Liu Yilong, but Liu Yilong still couldn't stop the beastly behavior of his descendants.

The chaotic corruption from beyond the heavens had no effect on Wu Fei, but for the successor of Da Yao, the three-eyed man had been making very good progress.

In the tavern, Xian Daoren ordered a pot of wine and watched as the chess piece he had placed disappeared from one royal palace to another.

King Zhou did not suddenly fall into depravity. He handled state affairs with ease afterward. However, some desires that he dared not do or listen to normally were stirred up when his subordinates presented them to him in a way that suited his tastes.

At the end of June, with reports from the front lines that "everything is going smoothly," he began wandering around the capital and became interested in women from the common people.

After his first taste of the refined young lady, King Zhou was still somewhat apprehensive. However, as his palace officials quickly cleaned up the mess, his apprehension subsided, and he found the experience exceptionally satisfying. Thus, he began to seek her out again.

A month later, he gazed contentedly at the woman on the bed. She was a woman of unparalleled beauty, possessing a unique charm. Having conceived the idea of ​​taking her into the palace, he lifted her face with his hand and asked, "What is your name?"

The woman, her face like pear blossoms in the rain, said, "My name is Li, and I am from the Li family of Xingshui."

King Zhou was slightly taken aback, feeling a sense of familiarity. Then it dawned on him: the Li family was a powerful clan that had moved to the capital after the chaos in the northern border. Since she was from a respectable family, it shouldn't be a problem for her to move into the palace and become one of his concubines, right? Looking at the bloodstains on the bed and the woman's snow-white skin, King Zhou's impulse ignited, and he quickly made his decision. He sent someone to the Li residence to announce the matter.

It wasn't until several days later that King Zhou realized the identity of his second daughter, whom he had slept with, was quite complicated. She was a concubine whom his cousin desperately wanted to marry, and she also had an ambiguous relationship with a general from the southern border, with whom she had been engaged.

King Zhou's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately thought to himself, "Damn it, could it be that guy from the Eastern Market Army now?" However, what he feared most came true. After the eunuch uttered the name of this military family, King Zhou's vision went black.

This was a family scandal, and King Zhou was furious at himself for getting involved. However, after investigating, he found out that his uncle, the Prince of Beijing, did not want Lady Li to enter the family, and his son threatened to kill himself to stop him.

So he came up with this plan: he spread false information to lure Li to his door, but when Li arrived, he locked the gates of the mansion and wouldn't let her in. Coincidentally, the palace eunuchs who were searching for beautiful women immediately arrested her. Originally, it should have ended there.

The Queen Consort of the Prince of Beijing, Jiaqia Yang's mother, could have used the excuse that Li had not returned home for a night to completely drive her away. But unexpectedly, the eunuch did not investigate anything and directly sent her to the Prince of Zhou's bed.

Princess Bei Jing hadn't expected things to escalate so much. In her view, "Li was originally given to the Wu family by the King of Zhou. Li was taken away by the eunuchs of the King of Zhou's family, but she would definitely be released in the end." This was based on the assumption that the King of Zhou's family knew what was going on. But in reality, the King of Zhou, whose reputation for virtue was widespread, had dealt with too many princes and ministers. How could he remember what Wu Hanluan, who was trying to curry favor with him, wanted?

King Zhou, sweating profusely, looked at the report from the inner quarters, his head throbbing with pain. He had only been doing what he wanted, but he had been tricked by the damned infighting within the Prince of Beijing's household.

However, a eunuch under the Zhou king said: "My lord, I have a way."

The yellow doorman's eyes gleamed with a blue light.

For King Zhou, his reputation for virtue was extremely important, and he absolutely could not allow himself to be involved in a dispute with his younger brother over a woman. Therefore, the woman could not belong to the Prince of Bei Jing's family; the Wu family should be allowed to take her away, and then the matter should be quietly covered up by pressuring the Wu family to prevent it from escalating.

…The Man of the Way: What an ingenious plan! But there's an extra element…

July 5th arrived, and Zhao Xianzhong, who had just arrived in the capital, was originally heading north to Bozhou to report to Wu Fei on the situation in the southern border region, and would also make some purchases in the East Market along the way. The Li family sent a visiting card, requesting that Zhao Xianzhong welcome their mistress.

After taking a closer look, Zhao Xianzhong investigated this so-called mistress and discovered that Li was indeed promiscuous and still wanted to enter his household. He immediately took Wu Fei's place in announcing the annulment of the engagement.

Upon hearing this, the Li family sent out a persuader, but this persuader, perhaps arrogant and self-important, considered himself a native of Yaodu and disregarded Zhao Xianzhong, a southern barbarian. As a result, Zhao Xianzhong drew his sword in the street and beheaded the Li family's persuader.

The murder committed right under the emperor's nose caused an uproar, and Zhao Xianzhong, who had caused such a great disaster, simply fled north to find his lord.

However, what was originally intended to be covered up became the talk of the town. In order to control the noise, King Zhou had no choice but to detain Lady Li.

The Taoist Master smiled as he watched the "Purple Star" above the Zhou Prince's Mansion become entangled in the purple moonlight. Then, looking at the starlight streaking across the northern sky, he slowly said: "Loyalty is the most useless thing."

System: Ignore this...

On July 25th, Wu Fei, who was conducting his third maneuver and planning to besiege the enemy's stronghold and ambush reinforcements, encountered the self-bound Zhao Xianzhong in the main camp. He was surprised, but after listening to Zhao Xianzhong's story, Wu Fei's murderous aura suddenly erupted.
Wu Fei sealed off the camp and paced back and forth. Kneeling before him was Zhao Xianzhong.

At first, I was happy when this guy came to me because I was short-handed. But when I heard about the trouble this guy had caused, I was terrified.

Wu Fei pointed at his nose and said, "Killing someone in the street right under the emperor's nose, how dare you!"

Zhao Xianzhong said in a muffled voice, "Young master, a subject dies for his lord's disgrace. The reason I came here is because my head belongs to you, and they cannot take it. Only you can hand over my head to the Li family."

Wu Fei smashed the bamboo tube against his forehead: "Teach your mother's head!"

After saying that, he kicked the guy hard, cursing as he kicked: "I spent money training you, and you use your life to pay off those lowly servants. How many times have I taught you to remain calm in the face of adversity and to calculate the gains and losses? Yet, when faced with such trivial matters, you don't even think before you act."

Then, pointing south, he said, "The Li family is doing this like a brothel setting prices for prostitutes. I have several ways to get revenge, and you've chosen the most expensive one."

After kicking and cursing, Wu Fei picked up his water bottle, took a sip, and cleared his throat before saying, "Now go to the recruit camp as an instructor. You are not allowed to come out without my orders."

…A world of swords and swords is fundamentally different from a world of song and dance…

Inside the tent, Wu Fei pondered the situation in the capital: the Li family's insistence on forcing a promiscuous woman upon him was clearly suspicious. Even if the betrothed woman was impure, he could still choose another noblewoman, change her name, and take her place as a secondary wife. A woman from a wealthy family? It's just a status, having nothing to do with talent. Whether she's a legitimate or illegitimate child, anyone who disgraces the family, no matter how legitimate, can have their household registration cancelled.

Wu Fei: Could it be that I offended too many people by what I did in the East Market, and now that I have achieved military merit, those bastards in the court want to deliberately humiliate me? Wu Fei was unaware of the involvement of Prince Zhou.

Of course, even if he knew, Wu Fei wouldn't hand over Zhao Xianzhong just to avoid trouble. Because in Wu Fei's eyes, "life is of a different value." Zhao Xianzhong's life was more valuable than a servant's, and he would protect not only his life but also his future.

Don't talk about equality for all. Even the so-called "equality of human rights" in the past was just empty talk. When soldiers of a certain country were withdrawing, they kicked the lackeys who had relied on them out of the plane.

By strictly adhering to the formula of "blood for blood," one can ensure that the "military group" is an unbreakable bulwark. If one does not follow the formula and compromises with these ancients, gradually losing control of the "military group," then one day in the future, one may truly be controlled by the ancients.

Wu Fei didn't waste much of his energy on this matter and began to focus his attention on the war.

(End of this chapter)