Morning.
Lin Zhao slowly woke from his sleep. He still remembered the words spoken in the dream, where someone mentioned "Xiao Zhao." Was that him? And someone had uttered the name "Shen Xingchen." Could it be the Shen Xingchen he met in Tianchi Town? He pondered for a long time, but the more he thought, the more confused he became, so he decided to put it aside for now.
For breakfast, Lin Zhao, for the first time, enjoyed the meal of a Centurion in the vanguard camp: four large flatbreads, a bowl of meat broth, and four meat buns. It was already quite substantial. He heard that the ordinary cavalrymen in the vanguard camp only had three flatbreads and a bowl of meat broth, with both quantity and variety far inferior to a Centurion's. This brought Lin Zhao a little joy; his treatment had improved, and he was no longer the poor boy from the small town.
...
In the morning, Lin Zhao inspected the hundred-man camp under his command. A hundred warhorses stood aligned in the wind, awaiting the Centurion's inspection. Their armor and swords gleamed, and the banners fluttered. As Lin Zhao rode past them, his chest filled with a passionate fervor. A man who died without donning armor in this life would surely regret it. Now, not only was he armored and armed, but he was also a Centurion, fighting against demons, monsters, and ghosts, protecting the human race's homeland. This was how a man should live!
The young man lightly clasped his fists in greeting, meeting everyone for the first time. Afterward, they began their morning cavalry training, which Lin Zhao also participated in. A Centurion wasn't a high-ranking officer; in battle, they were expected to lead the charge from the front. Therefore, the main training task for Lin Zhao's hundred-man camp was for the Centurion to lead the cavalry in charging and fighting, practicing on straw dummies and wooden stakes in the training ground.
This time, Lin Zhao began to truly wield his sword, infusing his true qi into the blade, giving it immense destructive power. When charging into battle on horseback and swinging his sword, using a sword might be cleaner and more efficient than using his fists. Moreover, with the aid of his flying sword, Mingyue, he would be a sharp point for the entire camp.
Night.
The Deputy Commander's tent.
Huang Tingyu stood before an exquisite sand table. Beside him were the ten Centurions of the entire vanguard camp, including Lin Zhao, who, due to his young age, was placed at the end of the line.
"West of Jiuzhangyuan."
Huang Tingyu narrowed his eyes as he looked at the sand table and said with a smile, "According to today's scout intelligence, the demon tribe's stationed forces have decreased from three thousand to one thousand. Perhaps tomorrow it will be even less. If that's the case, our vanguard camp's mission tomorrow will be to concentrate our forces and launch a fierce attack on the demon tribe's Jiuzhangyuan west encampment. Once we break through here, the Decisive Battle Camp and the Gale Camp can then split into two wings and begin infiltrating the entire Jiuzhangyuan."
A middle-aged Centurion nodded and said, "What the Lord says is absolutely true!"
Huang Tingyu pursed his lips, feeling that something was not quite right.
Lin Zhao glanced at the troop banners on the sand table. Each blood-red banner represented a thousand demon troops. The deployment of forces on Jiuzhangyuan was complex. The Tianchi Army had about five to six thousand troops engaged, while the demon side had a great many blood-red banners, totaling around twenty thousand troops. If the Tianchi Army were not so elite, ordinary human forces facing such a disparity in numbers would have long since collapsed.
"Lin Zhao."
Huang Tingyu looked at the young Centurion and said with a smile, "Do you see anything unusual?"
"I see a little bit."
The young man took a step forward and asked, "May I speak freely?"
"You may."
Huang Tingyu nodded with a smile.
The other nine Centurions also smiled. In reality, these nine men were all seasoned veterans, survivors of countless bloody battles, and none of them were to be trifled with. At this moment, they all wanted to see what insights this fifteen-year-old Centurion could offer.
Lin Zhao looked at the sand table, his mind racing rapidly. "The demon tribe has a total of twenty thousand troops. According to their current deployment, they have moved two thousand troops from the west. So, where have these two thousand troops gone? If it were me, I absolutely would not transfer troops from here. Instead, I would reinforce the defenses here, preventing the Tianchi Army from advancing an inch, and then, from both flanks, I would crush their foundation and attack from the center to break through the Decisive Battle Camp's defenses."
"If that's the case..."
A young Centurion frowned, "Why would the demon tribe transfer these two thousand men away?"
"Perhaps it's intentional."
Lin Zhao said, "Intentionally relaxing the defenses on the west side, making us think there's an opportunity."
He extended his hand and gently pulled up two blood-red banners, inserting them into a certain spot on the sand table. "When we decisively defeat the demon guards on the west side, and the Decisive Battle Camp and Gale Camp take the opportunity to press towards the armies on both sides, the demon tribe's two thousand troops might descend from here, forming a pincer attack on the Tianchi Army's three elite cavalry camps. Even if I were in command, I would transfer five thousand more men from the east and launch a large-scale attack. This way, the Tianchi Army's original linear defense would be completely destroyed. Even if they retreated promptly and consolidated their lines, they would be unable to stop the losses, and the casualties would inevitably be immense. They might even lose their positions."
"Hoo..."
Huang Tingyu was somewhat chilled by the young man's words. He knew that in terms of swordsmanship, he was far superior to Lin Zhao. However, in terms of battlefield victory, Lin Zhao's words made Huang Tingyu feel as though he had narrowly avoided a disaster. He was also a battle-hardened general and naturally understood the possibility of what Lin Zhao had described. He frowned and asked, "If it were you, how would you deal with this situation?"
"Play along with their scheme."
Lin Zhao extended his hand and gently stroked the sandy terrain resembling hills on the sand table. "The vanguard camp will continue to attack the west tomorrow, but the elite troops from the Breakthrough Camp, the Valiant Camp, and the Broken Halberd Camp will be withdrawn and ambushed in this area with its forest terrain. At the same time, the Decisive Battle Camp and the Gale Camp will be secretly moved into the forests on the flanks, waiting for the opportunity. In addition, the Lightning Strike Camp will be deployed on a nearby mountain, specifically waiting."
"Waiting for whom?" asked a Centurion.
Lin Zhao smiled. "The demon tribe will undoubtedly send an absolutely elite main force to strike directly behind the vanguard camp. We are waiting for this main force. If we can eliminate this elite force of at least five thousand men in the nearby forest terrain, then the demon tribe will likely have to retreat. We have a night to set up ambushes, dig traps in the vicinity to cut off the demon tribe's retreat route, and arrange sufficient strong bows and crossbows. In short, if the demon tribe dares to come, they have already lost."
"Hmm..."
Huang Tingyu crossed his arms and pondered for a long time. Finally, he said, "The meeting ends tonight. The content of this meeting is absolutely confidential. No one is to reveal a single word. I will go to Commander Chu's tent. Everyone, do not sleep yet. Prepare for night combat."
"Yes, Lord!"
...
About half an hour later, Huang Tingyu returned and summoned the ten Centurions. He said sternly, "Order everyone to bring shovels and rations, and march with their horses. We will help other camps dig pitfalls tonight and launch an attack on the demon tribe's west encampment tomorrow morning."
The men set off.
Lin Zhao was somewhat surprised. Judging by the situation, it seemed Commander Chu had also accepted his "play along with their scheme" strategy. This made him feel a little uneasy. What if the demon tribe didn't fall for it? Wouldn't the Tianchi Army have worked in vain? Moreover, half of the elite troops had been drawn from each camp, creating a general void in the defensive line. If the demon tribe launched a decisive battle, the Tianchi Army might fail.
In fact, Chu Huaixi was gambling, gambling that Lin Zhao had correctly guessed the intentions of the opposing commander.
...
The next morning.
At the break of dawn, the demon tribe's Jiuzhangyuan west camp indeed began to withdraw again. According to reconnaissance by the accompanying cultivators, their numbers had decreased from one thousand to only five hundred. These five hundred demon troops looked as enticing as a cage full of steamed buns. As the morning sun appeared, Huang Tingyu personally led the troops. With a single command, nearly a thousand cavalrymen of the vanguard camp, clad in armor and wielding weapons, galloped forward on their warhorses.
"Kill them all before the sun comes out!"
Huang Tingyu did not charge at the very front. This swordsman of "unclear cultivation level" rode his horse in the center of the formation, overseeing the entire vanguard camp. Those charging at the forefront were Lin Zhao and four other Centurions, leading the mighty cavalry towards the west.
"Swish!"
Huang Tingyu suddenly unleashed a beam of sword light, instantly killing a demon cultivator acting as a scout in the forest. Lin Zhao, meanwhile, spurred his horse away from the formation, leaped high from his mount, and punched a third-realm demon cultivator hiding in a tree to death. He then landed back on his horse with the wind and continued to speed forward with the others.
Shortly after, the vanguard camp's thousand cavalrymen stormed into the demon tribe's encampment, cutting down many demon soldiers with their swords before they could even wake up. In less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, this five-hundred-man demon legion had been torn to shreds.
"Advance behind us!"
Huang Tingyu pointed his sword tip and shouted, "Head southeast, charge!"
...
Jiuzhangyuan, the forest was silent.
Chu Huaixi, Chen Yu, and other generals sat motionlessly on their horses in the forest. Mountains and dense woods were filled with Tianchi Army soldiers lying in ambush. They gazed into the distance at the only passage leading to Jiuzhangyuan. If the demon tribe had indeed dispatched elite main forces to cut off the vanguard camp's retreat, they would surely appear from here.
"They won't not come, will they?"
Zhang Yanping, the commander of the Iron Foot Camp, frowned.
"Wait a little longer."
Chu Huaixi said, "Have some patience."
"Yes!"
After a while, Ma Feiyu, the commander of the Lightning Strike Camp, said grimly, "Commander Chu, the brothers of the Lightning Strike Camp are all lightly equipped today. If we keep waiting like this, before we even see the demon tribe, our brothers will freeze to death."
Chu Huaixi frowned. "Wait!"
"Yes!"
The commanders of the Broken Halberd Camp, Breakthrough Camp, and Valiant Camp also wore somewhat complex expressions. They all knew that the strategic proposal from the late-night meeting last night had come from that young Centurion, Lin Zhao. This plan of "playing along with their scheme" was a gamble on the demon tribe's commander's cunning. If the gamble failed, they might have worked in vain.
Furthermore, these battle-hardened veterans understood that the battlefield was constantly changing. Who was this young man, Lin Zhao? He had only recently taken up a sword on the battlefield. Even if his martial cultivation was not low, he was still just a martial man. How much could he possibly understand about true battlefield strategy, tactics, and momentum?
Therefore, the men were fundamentally unconvinced by Lin Zhao. The only reason they hadn't voiced their objections was that Chu Huaixi was holding them back.
Who was Chu Huaixi? For decades, he had led the old troops of the Great Chen Dynasty in resisting the demon tribe at Tianchi Ridge, achieving great merit and being known as the foremost general of the human race's northern frontier. The men might not believe Lin Zhao, but they could not disbelieve Chu Huaixi's judgment.
...
In the early morning, as the first rays of dawn pierced through the clouds, dense figures of demon troops appeared in the valley. They marched at an extremely rapid pace, covering the sky and the earth like a tide, surging towards the location the young man had pointed to earlier.
"Three thousand men!"
Zhang Yanping's expression was excited. "There are already a full three thousand elite demon troops."
"And more."
Wang Jiang said with joy, "Five thousand troops now!"
"No, there's more."
Chu Huaixi looked into the distance and said calmly, "A total of eight thousand elite troops. The demon tribe has sent out all the elites of this corps."
He slowly drew his sword and said with a smile, "Brothers, in this battle, fight with all your might!"