Top-tier Unruly Master-Chapter 1752 - 1789: Follow Me to Slay the Enemy
At this moment, Ruo Zhong pondered slightly, then looked at Ding Fan with a piercing gaze and said:
"Mr. Ding, this matter... I’m afraid..." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Ding Fan looked at Ruo Zhong with a slight smile, a gleam flashed in his eyes, and then he spoke slowly to Ruo Zhong:
"Hehe, General Ruo, there’s no need to refuse me just yet. I understand you have your difficulties, but as the saying goes, when a general is out in the field, many commands can be bypassed. There’s no need for you to be so serious about everything!"
Listening to Ding Fan’s words, a hesitant expression appeared on Ruo Zhong’s face. To be honest, he was indeed worried about Gao Jian’s side, after all, that was a force of 2,500 soldiers, equivalent to half of his entire army. If they all perished at the hands of bandits, it would be a responsibility Ruo Zhong could not bear.
The two strategists standing beside Ruo Zhong noticed the expression on his face and knew their general was wavering. They thought to themselves that it wouldn’t be good if Ruo Zhong easily agreed with Ding Fan. Getting more benefits from Ding Fan would be even harder for them.
"Hehe, Mr. Ding, you can’t say it like that. Even if Gao Jian’s troops are completely wiped out, our General Ruo at most suffers from a command error and gets demoted. However, if our general leaves here to assist Gao Jian, it would be a capital offense for dereliction of duty!"
Upon hearing the words of the two strategists, Ruo Zhong sharply inhaled, thinking to himself that they were right. Not going to rescue those 2,500 soldiers of Gao Jian, at most, was a mistake in command, falling into someone else’s trap. But if he left his post, that would be a capital offense.
With this in mind, Ruo Zhong shook his head forcefully at Ding Fan, speaking in a heavy tone:
"I’m sorry, Mr. Ding, I’m afraid..."
Seeing this, Ding Fan slightly curled the corner of his mouth, gave the two strategists beside Ruo Zhong a heavy look, with a gleam in his eyes, but soon he tidied his clothes, speaking in a relaxed manner:
"Ah! General Ruo, there’s no need to refuse me hastily. If General Ruo is willing to assist me, I’m willing to add another twenty million Spirit Stones as help!"
Ruo Zhong’s eyes widened immediately upon hearing Ding Fan, filled with an incredulous expression. He really did not expect Ding Fan to be so wealthy, offering tens of millions of Spirit Stones; even in the entire Tufan Country, there wouldn’t be anyone so prosperous.
Truth be told, hearing this, it was impossible for Ruo Zhong not to be tempted, but once he deployed his troops, his life would be in jeopardy.
As Ruo Zhong hesitated secretly, the two strategists beside him had their eyes light up. To be honest, they were just waiting for Ding Fan to make an offer, given that someone who could casually take out millions of Spirit Stones couldn’t be a simple person. They didn’t believe Ding Fan didn’t have other treasures.
As expected, Ding Fan once again offered over ten million Spirit Stones, and these Spirit Stones were a private agreement between Ruo Zhong and Ding Fan. As long as Ruo Zhong fulfilled his promise, these tens of millions of Spirit Stones would be theirs to split alone. Just thinking about it made them excited.
Thinking of this, the two strategists slowly came in front of Ruo Zhong and whispered to him:
"General Ruo, I think this matter is feasible. After all, it’s just a small group of bandits. Wouldn’t it be easy for you to handle once you intervene? By then, wouldn’t these twenty million Spirit Stones be yours?"
Hearing this, Ruo Zhong took a sharp breath, and his eyes turned red instantly. That was twenty million Spirit Stones! If they were entirely his, then no one in Tufan Country could threaten his life.
With this thought, Ruo Zhong’s breathing involuntarily became rapid, and his hands trembled slightly at the thought of being so close to endless wealth.
However, Ruo Zhong still had some concerns. If this matter was discovered by the state, it would be a deadly affair. Having understood this, Ruo Zhong became very hesitant and indecisive for a while.
By this point, the two strategists had already seen through Ruo Zhong’s thoughts. They exchanged a look and then began to launch a final aggressive persuasion.
"General Ruo, are you still worrying about the Imperial Court?"
Listening to the strategist, a grim expression appeared on Ruo Zhong’s face, and he nodded heavily.
Seeing Ruo Zhong’s reaction, the strategist also slightly curved his lips, and enticingly said to Ruo Zhong:
"General Ruo, just think, if you could obtain such a huge amount of Spirit Stones, who in the Tufan Country could threaten your position? You could even take this opportunity to go further."
As they spoke, a sinister smile appeared on the faces of the two strategists. To be honest, who doesn’t want to advance further in life? If they could seize this chance to break free from their current stagnation, that would truly be a great success in life.
Upon thinking about it, Ruo Zhong gritted his teeth, a greedy and vicious gleam flashed in his eyes, and suddenly he raised his head, looking at Ding Fan with a burning gaze, decisively stating:
"Alright! Mr. Ding, I accept this matter!"
Hearing Ruo Zhong’s words, Ding Fan’s eyes lit up, and he slightly curled his lips, giving the two strategists beside Ruo Zhong a look, as if to say ’you two did well.’
At this moment, after agreeing to Ding Fan’s request, Ruo Zhong seemed to be liberated, glowing with excitement and anticipation in his eyes.
"Everyone, listen up! According to my command, all squads gather! We are going to rescue Captain Gao!"
"Yes sir!"
The order was answered with a loud shout, and then the messenger ran out. In no time, about two thousand five hundred elite soldiers gathered outside the central army tent, each clad in solid armor, exuding an aura of fierce determination.
At this moment, Ruo Zhong sat in the tent, watching the soldiers gather around him. A slight curve formed at the corner of his mouth as he glanced at Ding Fan beside him, a hint of inquiry in his eyes.
At this time, Ding Fan slowly turned his head, giving a slight nod to Ruo Zhong, his expression unusually serious. It seemed Ding Fan was extremely concerned about this operation.
Upon receiving Ding Fan’s signal, Ruo Zhong chuckled, waved his hand grandly, and shouted loudly:
"Strike camp!"
As he spoke, the numerous soldiers stationed at the foot of the Great Ocean Sect Mountain began striking camp to march. Observing this scene, Ding Fan felt a twinge of conflict in his heart. After all, it involved the lives of five thousand people; to say he felt no sympathy was impossible.
However, Ding Fan couldn’t afford to hesitate. At this moment, Ruo Zhong had already begun leading the army forward. The group hurriedly advanced toward the bandits’ stronghold.
Meanwhile, during Ding Fan’s absence, Qin Wu’s side was not idle. Now that Gao Jian had been captured by Qin Wu, the soldiers of Tufan Country dared not act rashly. They stood there, looking at each other in dismay.
Just then, two burly figures, one black and one white, emerged from the bandits. These men looked more than nine feet tall, human-like moving weapons when seen from afar.
Once the black and white giants appeared, they were like beasts thrown into a crowd, killing anyone they saw and cutting down anyone in their path. In no time, they had the soldiers of Tufan Country wailing in despair.
"Brothers! Charge! Beat those damned soldiers to death, let them know how many eyes Lord Horse King really has!"
The black giant roared angrily, instantly stirring the surrounding underlings into a frenzy, putting Tufan Country on the backfoot.
There’s no denying, these black and white giants were truly formidable—one wielding a knife, the other swinging a sword, embodying the spirit of one man defending against thousands.
Now, with their leader Gao Jian captured, the Tufan soldiers found themselves restrained, incapable of mounting any significant resistance. This led to the two thousand five hundred strong army being slaughtered incontestably by a few hundred bandits.
Seeing this, Gao Jian, captured by Qin Wu, felt a wave of guilt. Such a large force fell into subjugation because of him; his guilt was undeniable.
But Gao Jian, after all, was a coward who cherished life. Even in such circumstances, he hoped to live a while longer in Qin Wu’s grip.
Thus, a peculiar situation unfolded on the field, where a few hundred bandits relentlessly pursued and slew thousands of soldiers, while the soldiers focused solely on fleeing, without any show of resistance.
Before long, the two thousand five hundred strong army brought by Gao Jian had been decimated by Qin Wu’s bandits, leaving only a few hundred crippled soldiers.
Ruo Zhong was now drawing ever closer to the bandits’ field where Gao Jian resided. During their march, Ruo Zhong noticed sparse remnants of his own troops resting by the roadside.
Upon inquiry, Ruo Zhong’s rage surged to his head. Unbelievable, this Gao Jian, for selfish gain, ordered the army to remain passive, resulting in the near annihilation of the two thousand five hundred soldiers.
The soldiers encountered along the way returned to Ruo Zhong’s ranks. Soon, Ruo Zhong gathered the scattered remnants of the defeated soldiers.
Now, Ruo Zhong commanded less than three thousand soldiers. Witnessing this, he wished nothing more than to kill Gao Jian on the spot. As a commander, his cowardly and selfish actions caused the death of so many comrades—a crime worthy of death a thousand times over!
Ruo Zhong deeply regretted his misjudgment in employing someone as vile as Gao Jian. However, regretting now was too late; the defeat complete, two thousand of his soldiers crushed by mere bandits, was laughably absurd.
"Brothers, we must avenge today’s blood debt! Listen well, when you see either the bandits or that traitor Gao Jian, capture them all. I will personally take his head!"
The soldiers had long been infuriated by Gao Jian’s heinous actions. Hearing Ruo Zhong’s words, they raised their weapons high, shouting loudly:
"Exterminate the bandits! Capture the traitor Gao Jian!"
"Capture Gao Jian! Capture Gao Jian! Kill this traitor!"
Each soldier was filled with rage, always disliking Gao Jian, the sycophant, but powerless due to General Ruo’s usual fondness for him. Now, with Ruo’s directive, they wanted nothing more than to tear Gao Jian apart limb by limb.
Seeing the soldiers’ emotions kindled, Ruo Zhong gently pressed down with his hand. The crowd fell silent in an instant.
"Brothers! Follow me to slay the enemy!"
