"Get ready. We'll split into four groups and take care of the bandits and scouts along the way, the treetops, the bushes, the rocks, and the hills. Remember, don't let them send out any signals. As long as a single one of them escapes, our operation will fail. There's no need for us to continue with the assault. Let's retreat and leave them to the other soldiers to deal with. "
Wang Chong turned around and continued commanding the operation.
"Yes, lord."
Ma Song quickly left to carry out the orders.
Hearing the dull thuds from the forest, a smile slowly crept onto Wang Chong's lips. It was just that the bandits were weak, they weren't fools.
To be able to survive the encirclement of the imperial army, they either possessed superior strength or exceptional alertness. No matter how strong they were, they were no match for the imperial army. Thus, it was easy to imagine how alert the bandits were.
Snakes had their ways, and rats had theirs.
After all, scions like Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu were too inexperienced, and they had underestimated the difficulty of the mission. They thought that they would just have to dispatch their troops and defeat the bandits with overwhelming strength.
But from the very start, Wang Chong knew that this mission was a test of experience, insight, and wisdom, not just pure martial prowess.
The bandits on the mountain had their own scouts. No matter how deep the night was or how sleepy the bandits were, there would always be a few of them standing guard.
If one didn't eliminate these scouts, it would be impossible for one to eliminate all of the bandits.
Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu should have thought of this when they failed the first time.
However, it was a pity that they were too inexperienced, and they had underestimated the bandits. Even until now, they still hadn't thought of the fact that there were scouts among the bandits, thinking that it was just their bad luck.
"Prepare yourselves, begin!"
After swiftly dealing with the scouts, Wang Chong waved his hand, and under the cover of the night, the four echelons split into eight groups and charged into the den.
At this moment, the bandits on the mountain peak were still sleeping soundly.
...
"What? Scouts?! "
On the path at the foot of the mountain, Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu stared at one another in bewilderment. From the beginning to the end, the two of them had never taken these bandits seriously.
After failing for several days straight, Zhang Xuan had thought that it was due to his bad luck. Never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined that he would be noticed by the scouts the bandits had arranged.
"So that's how it is. It's been so many days, but this kid actually didn't mention it!"
Huang Yongtu was infuriated when he thought of this.
If that kid had told them a little, they wouldn't have been unable to complete the mission until now, and they even almost got poisoned by him.
However, Huang Yongtu also knew that given their attitude over the past few days, it was impossible for Wang Chong to tell him about it.
"Humph, so that's how it is!"
On the other hand, Xu Gan didn't think too much about it. Knowing Wang Chong's' secret ', he flung his sleeves and stood up.
"I was wondering how capable that kid was. Now that we know what's going on, we won't need him anymore."
As he spoke, he regained his confidence. At the same time, the disdain and contempt he had for Wang Chong surfaced in his eyes once more.
It was just a moment of carelessness that he failed to notice the scouts among the bandits. Since he knew what was going on, he would surely do better than Wang Chong in the future.
This' commoner 'of the Kunwu Training Camp no longer had the slightest bit of pride to speak of before him.
Di da da!
While Zhang Xuan was still deep in thought, the clopping of hooves sounded from the forest. Dressed in a casual outfit, Wang Chong led the group out of the forest with a smile on his face.
"Mission accomplished?"
Xu Gan asked from afar.
"Un."
Wang Chong nodded.
"Hmph, congratulations," Xu Gan replied coldly.
Even a fool could hear the disdain in Xu Gan's voice.
Wang Chong chuckled. Glancing at a certain cavalryman behind Xu Gan, he already knew what was going on. But Wang Chong didn't expose him, only indifferently replying with two words.
"Thank you."
"Lad, don't get too complacent. Do you think that we don't know what you're up to? Huang Yongtu, let's go. It's our turn now! "
The two of them galloped forward, leaving a trail of dust in their wake.
They had left in high spirits, but when they returned, their faces were still covered in dust. In fact, their complexions were even more awful than the previous few times they failed.
"What happened? Didn't you notice how he eliminated the traps? "
Xu Gan found the cavalryman tailing Wang Chong. His face and neck were flushed red. In this operation, he had learned from Wang Chong's mistake and eliminated the bandits' scouts and sentries beforehand.
However, an ordinary twig trap had rendered all of Xu Gan's efforts futile.
Not only so, as they advanced westward, Xu Gan noticed that the bandits had set up more and more powerful traps, making it nigh impossible to guard against them.
Only at this moment did Xu Gan realize that the only way to sneak into the stronghold without alerting the bandits was to eliminate the scouts.
On top of that, he had to find a way to eliminate the numerous traps.
"I-I don't know either. I was tailing them, but I realized that they didn't fall for any of the traps. That was a moment of carelessness! "
The cavalryman tailing Wang Chong was also sweating profusely.
It was the duty of a soldier to follow orders. Xu Gan had instructed him to follow Wang Chong, and he had done so. How could he have expected so much? Xu Gan's request had already exceeded the scope of his responsibility.
"Damn it!"
Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu's complexions darkened.
"We have underestimated that lad."
"That lad held back!"
...
Hatred flashed across the duo's faces. Xu Gan had suffered a setback, and so had Huang Yongtu. Even though the two of them appeared to be amicable on the surface, one stemmed from the might of a dragon while the other stemmed from the might of a god.
Huang Yongtu thought that it was a coincidence that Xu Gan had failed, but it turned out that he had failed as well.
In this silent contest, the two of them were the losers. And the winner was none other than the person whom they didn't think highly of, Wang Chong.
"Hehe, the two of you are back. May I know if the bandits have been eradicated? "
On the main road, upon seeing the duo, Wang Chong immediately stepped forward and clasped his fist to welcome them.
Even though the duo had always been arrogant, recalling the disdain they had for Wang Chong before leaving, they couldn't help but feel embarrassed by Wang Chong's words. Their faces reddened, and they felt as though they were about to find a hole to crawl into.
If they had succeeded, the two of them would have been able to look down on Wang Chong and harshly mock him. But now, the tables had turned.
"Don't get gleeful! Didn't you just eradicate a few groups of bandits? What's there to be proud of? "
Huang Yongtu scoffed coldly.
Even though he felt his face reddening, it was more anger than anything else. If not for the fact that Lieutenant Zhang Lin was supervising them, he would have long made a move.
"Hmph!"
Compared to Huang Yongtu, Xu Gan's reaction was much simpler. With a cold harrumph, he led his subordinates to the other side.
"Why don't you tell them directly?"
A voice suddenly sounded by Wang Chong's ear. Bai Siling had unknowingly arrived at his side.
"What?"
Wang Chong shot a doubtful look at her.
"They think that you are a commoner from the Kunwu Training Camp. Why don't you tell them your identity?"
Bai Siling assessed Wang Chong from head to toe with a probing look in her eyes.
The sense of familiarity she felt from Wang Chong was growing stronger and stronger. She was certain that she had met Wang Chong somewhere in the past, or perhaps it was something similar.
Furthermore, his way of doing things had also piqued Bai Siling's interest.
"Hehe, what identity could I possibly have?"
Wang Chong feigned ignorance.
"No commoner would dare speak to scions of prestigious clans like Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu in such a tone."
Bai Siling shook her head as she stared intently at Wang Chong, seemingly trying to peer into the depths of his soul.
"Your background is definitely not that of a commoner!"
"Hehe, I have no idea what you are talking about!"
Wang Chong chuckled as he urged his steed forward. This lady from the Bai Clan was much smarter than Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu.
If he were to continue chatting with her, Wang Chong was afraid that he might give himself away.
Looking at Wang Chong's back, Bai Siling sighed deeply. She had a feeling that Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu had kicked a metal plate this time.
That person was clearly displeased with them. He was currently toying with them.
However, as long as he refused to reveal his identity, there was nothing Bai Siling could do.
...
After failing twice in a row, the two of them immediately lost the chance to try again. No matter how many bandits they killed, it was meaningless if they couldn't complete the mission.
Soon, after a brief discussion, they turned their attention back to Wang Chong.
"Lad, get up. It's your turn now! "
While Wang Chong was resting against a pine tree by the side of the road, Huang Yongtu suddenly walked up to him, blocking the moonlight that shone through the forest.
"What's wrong with me?"
Wang Chong opened his bleary eyes.
"It's time for you to exterminate the bandits!"
Huang Yongtu cursed.
"I'm not going!"
Wang Chong took out a handful of beans from the pouch at his waist and stuffed them into Little Wu's mouth, who had stuck its head out and was licking him with its tongue.
"What did you say?"
Huang Yongtu's mouth twisted in anger. Wasn't this lad thinking too highly of himself?
"If I recall correctly, I have already been there today, right?"
Wang Chong replied calmly.
"The rules have changed. From now on, each of us can go there twice."
Huang Yongtu replied without any hesitation. He and Xu Gan had already considered this matter.
"I'm not going!"
Wang Chong rejected him once more.
"You dare!"
Huang Yongtu flew into a rage. Whether Wang Chong would go or not was secondary. What was more important was his infuriating attitude.
"This is the unanimous decision that we have come to after much consideration. You have to go regardless of whether you want to or not. Otherwise, don't blame me for getting nasty. "
Huang Yongtu had been suppressing these words for a long time now, and he finally made use of this opportunity to speak them out. He had long wanted to teach this lad a lesson. Those who came from the Kunwu Training Camp were way too arrogant.
They might not be a match for this lad in exterminating bandits, but in terms of individual cultivation, they were far superior to Wang Chong. This was their forte.
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