In an instant, the entire path fell deathly silent.
Zhang Lin turned around and stared at the young man behind him in shock. Xu Gan, Huang Yongtu, and Bai Siling were stunned as well.
Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu were just trying to provoke Wang Chong so as to vent their frustrations. Yet, who could have thought that Wang Chong would actually agree to it?
Because they were too surprised, the three of them were stunned, and none of them could say anything.
"Lad, what did you just say?"
Xu Gan suddenly urged his steed forward and stared at Wang Chong in bewilderment. Even now, he wasn't sure whether he had really heard those words or not.
"I said, 'Alright'! I can lead my men to suppress the bandits. "
With a slight smile, Wang Chong glanced at the trio calmly without the slightest hint of stage fright.
"But..."
Zhang Lin opened his mouth, wanting to stop the other party, but he found himself unable to say a word.
"Hahaha, good! Lad, you sure have guts! "
After receiving the confirmation from Wang Chong, Xu Gan burst into laughter from sheer rage.
"Fine! You are formidable, you are stronger than us. We will await your good news! — — "
As he spoke, his eyes were filled with hatred. One could imagine the rage in his heart.
"Lord, this isn't a good time to make a move!"
A ten-man squad leader rode up from behind and said worriedly. Even though Xu Gan had failed thrice, there was one thing he was right about. An operation carried out at night would definitely have a higher chance of success than one carried out in the day.
"There's no need to say anymore. Let's go."
Wang Chong raised his right hand and gestured for them to leave. The mouths of the two ten-man commanders behind him opened and closed, but they still respectfully followed Wang Chong out of the tent.
"Lord, the sun is already up. How can I succeed? Lord, there's no need for you to agree to their terms. "
At this moment, another ten-man squad leader rode up from behind and said worriedly.
Failure was a small matter. Given their strength, the bandits posed no threat to them at all. However, he had already made his statement. If he were to return like this, he would probably be ridiculed by others.
It would have been fine if he hadn't known of Wang Chong's identity. After all, this was just a conflict between Wang Chong and Xu Gan and the other trainees.
However, after learning of Wang Chong's identity and the fact that he came from a military family, as well as the grandson of Duke Jiu and the youngest son of General Wang Yan, everyone's impression of him had changed.
Emotionally, no one wanted to see Wang Chong being humiliated. Because that would be the same as insulting everyone else.
"Haha, don't worry. If you're only worried about daybreak, it's not that complicated. "
Wang Chong stopped next to a tree, his expression indifferent. He was not as nervous or worried as the others, and he was even able to smile.
"The sun has just risen. Think about it, if we all think that we have a chance of success during the day, what will those bandits think?"
"This —"
The two ten-man squad leaders were taken aback. They glanced at one another, and their eyes suddenly lit up. As soon as Wang Chong said those words, they vaguely understood what he was thinking.
"Bandits are bandits, after all. Once the sun rises, we in the army will all take up our positions and be extremely vigilant. But let me ask you, do you think that the bandits are that well-mannered? Do you think they won't wash up, cook, eat, or rest? Do you think they'll just scatter and go to different mountains? "
"Ma Song, you've participated in a few encirclement missions. Do you think that the bandits are that well-mannered? "
Wang Chong said as he glanced at Ten Man Ma Song.
"No, the bandits aren't that well-mannered."
Ma Song's eyes grew brighter and brighter. He had already caught up to Wang Chong's train of thought, and he knew what the latter was thinking. Ma Song was astonished.
As expected of Duke Jiu's grandson, the young master of a military family, even his train of thought was different from ordinary people. Indeed, the bandits were well-disciplined. If even the imperial army felt that the operation was unlikely to succeed, then the bandits would probably be even more relaxed and think that they wouldn't be attacked.
From this point of view, the success rate of the operation at this time was probably higher than that at night.
Ma Song finally understood why Wang Chong would agree to encircle the bandits even though it was already morning.
Looking at this young man who looked to be at most 15 or 16 years old, Ma Song couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.
"Haha, it seems that you have understood."
Wang Chong stared at Ma Song and laughed. This ten-man squad leader was very quick-witted. Perhaps after this operation, he could make use of his relationship with The King of Song to transfer him to his side through the Ministry of War.
A mere ten-man squad leader shouldn't be too much of a problem.
Moreover, with the intelligence that he had displayed, Wang Chong could think of ways to groom him after he returned. His future achievements would definitely not be as simple as a ten-man squad leader.
But of course, these were all matters for the future. There was no need for Wang Chong to tell Ma Song about it now.
As these thoughts flashed across Wang Chong's mind, he quickly regained his composure.
"Alright, let's begin! Tear off a few pieces of cloth and wrap the hooves of the horses. Make sure not to make any noise. "
"Yes, lord!"
…
A moment later, after the preparations were completed, Wang Chong waved his hand grandly, and four echelons of cavalrymen swiftly darted into the forest.
Wang Chong left quickly, but he returned even faster. Around an hour later, Wang Chong and his twenty horsemen emerged from the forest, once more appearing before the crowd without a speck of dust.
"It's over?"
Xu Gan charged over with a doubtful look on his face.
"Un, it's over."
Wang Chong nodded with a smile.
"You succeeded?"
Huang Yongtu also charged over with a doubtful look on his face.
"Un, it's a success.
Wang Chong nodded once more.
"How is that possible? Who are you trying to fool? An hour's time is at most a round trip from here to that stronghold. You said that you succeeded? Do you really think we're fools? "
Xu Gan flew into a rage. He had carried out the mission three times in a row, and each time, he had taken close to two hours. Yet, Wang Chong claimed that he had succeeded in less than an hour, and it was in broad daylight on top of that?
How was that possible?
Did he take them for fools? Empty words and white teeth, pure nonsense.
"Hehe, I have already said that the mission is complete. There's nothing I can do if you don't believe me. "
Wang Chong sneered.
"Lad, you aren't spouting nonsense. This mission was arranged by the Bureau of Military Personnel. You should know the consequences of lying about your contributions! "
Huang Yongtu retorted with a stern expression. Clearly, he didn't believe Wang Chong's words either.
Wang Chong chuckled, not bothering to respond to him.
"Soldiers, Zhang Jia and Zhang Yi, step forward. Did you really manage to eliminate the bandits?"
Lieutenant Zhang Lin suddenly galloped over and asked sternly.
He had no idea what the truth was, but since a dispute had arisen, as an official lieutenant, he had the responsibility to get to the bottom of it.
"Reporting to Lord Lieutenant, we have indeed eliminated the bandits in the mountain, and none of them escaped."
Behind Wang Chong, two of the horsemen whose names had been called stepped forward and bowed as they sincerely spoke.
This time, Zhang Lin didn't have any objections.
Unlike Wang Chong, Xu Gan, and Huang Yongtu, the soldiers on the mission had to return to the training camp after the mission was over. However, these soldiers were soldiers on duty.
Soldiers had to obey orders.
If they were to lie about the military, even if it was something as simple and insignificant as this, they would be severely punished by the Bureau of Military Personnel.
Furthermore, as veterans of countless wars, soldiers had their own pride. They wouldn't lie, and it was beneath them to do so.
Since they said that Wang Chong had completed the mission, it was definitely true.
"Li Kuan and Song Zhu, head out to take a look. I want to know if all of the bandits have been eliminated," Xu Gan suddenly said.
Xu Gan suddenly said. He didn't trust Wang Chong that easily.
"Yes, lord."
The two cavalrymen swiftly left. An hour later, they returned once more, and the news they brought back left Xu Gan stunned.
All of the bandits in the den had been killed. Most of them were still asleep, and some of them were killed while they were cooking. Pots, bowls, pots, and ladles were scattered all over the place, and not a single one of them managed to escape.
Wang Chong had really wiped out a bunch of bandits.
Facing this result, Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu were stunned. Regardless of whether they believed it or not, Wang Chong had really wiped out a bunch of bandits.
Out of the four of them, only Wang Chong had succeeded in six missions.
"Perhaps it's just my luck. The bandits I met were all exceptionally weak. "
Wang Chong brushed aside the hair at his temples and met the strange gazes of the crowd.
Hearing Wang Chong's words, Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu didn't say anything. On the other hand, Bai Siling couldn't help but glance deeply at Wang Chong.
"Hmph, brat, count yourself lucky!"
"Let's see if you'll be so lucky the next time."
Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu glared at Wang Chong hatefully.
Even if they were beaten to death, they wouldn't believe that they would lose to a person from the Kunwu Training Camp, not to mention that he was even younger than them. Wang Chong's explanation gave them some consolation.
Indeed, compared to Wang Chong's strength, they were more willing to believe that Wang Chong was just lucky.
This operation didn't improve the relationship between Wang Chong, Xu Gan, and Huang Yongtu. Instead, it made the two of them dislike this' commoner 'from the Kunwu Training Camp even more.
For the rest of the journey, the two of them became increasingly estranged from Wang Chong. They basically had nothing to say to each other. The troops of both sides were also very far apart, and there was a clear sense of coldness and hostility.
Time passed slowly, and before they knew it, the day had passed, and it was night time again.
"Kid, you go!"
Xu Gan suddenly came to look for Wang Chong, and for once, he didn't volunteer himself to deal with the bandits. Xu Gan wasn't a fool either. In the short span of a day, the news of the official army encircling the bandits had already spread far and wide.
If he went now, the success rate would definitely not be high.
Under such circumstances, Xu Gan didn't believe that Wang Chong would be as lucky as he was during the day.
"That's right. We were the first ones last night. Now it's your turn. "
Huang Yongtu also chimed in, using a small trick to change the topic.
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