Chapter 58: Suspicion and Astonishment

For the first time, the bandit army of Wolf Fang Mountain stronghold truly experienced the might of a regular military force. Had it not been for the crucial moments when Hu San, wielding his mighty Oxbow, repeatedly picked off the enemy commanders and captains, the bandit force—despite their numerical advantage of two to one—might have been utterly annihilated instead.

Even so, though they emerged victorious, they lost a third of their strength, failed to wipe out the enemy entirely, and even let a squad captain escape. The disparity in power left Hu San with a throbbing headache; he could not be bothered to chase the fleeing captain and promptly led his battered elite troops in retreat.

After this battle, Hu San was utterly convinced that should he meet Mons' army in open combat, it would be a massacre—whether he commanded five thousand or fifty thousand men, it would not matter; they would still be no match. The hastily trained bandits simply could not rival the enemy in quality; they were not even in the same league.

Hu San was formidable, but even he had his limits. If encircled by a single enemy battalion, he might fight his way out, but if surrounded by two, he would be lucky to escape with his life, and that was assuming the enemy cultivators did not join the fray.

Thus, Hu San was filled with anxiety over the coming confrontation; he knew he could not take the enemy head-on, or it would end in utter disaster. Only now did he understand why so few mountain strongholds survived these trials—the difference between the two sides was simply too great.

While Hu San was left shaken, he was unaware that his feat—leading his men to destroy five elite battalions and a commanding officer with equal numbers—had thoroughly shocked Mons' high command.

In the past, five elite battalions under a cultivator's leadership could easily chase two or three thousand bandits across the land; never had they faced calamity like this. To suffer total annihilation, even if the enemy boasted a master archer, the casualties should not have been so lopsided—a four to one ratio was simply ludicrous!

If the positions were reversed, with Mons' troops outnumbered four to one, their commanders would never accept such losses. But now, the brutal truth was that they were the four, and the enemy was the one!

In the elders’ chamber of Shixia Village, the deputy generals and General Kang, the roving commander, all wore grave expressions. None paid heed to the desperate pleas of the lone surviving squad captain.

Five entire battalions, five hundred men, a battalion captain and a commanding officer—dead, leaving only him alive. What was this? How could the army’s morale be steadied if he was allowed to live? How else to vent the terror gripping the officers?

Only Deputy General Baishan twitched the corner of his mouth, but wisely refrained from pleading for the captive.

"Gentlemen, let us discuss: a young bandit capable of wielding the Oxbow, an elite bandit force that slaughtered us with a four to one ratio—are we dreaming?"

General Kang’s features twitched as he fixed his gaze on Wang Can, who had suffered the heaviest losses.

Poor Wang Can—his thousand-strong unit had lost half its men before the campaign had barely begun. His mood was predictably foul.

"General Kang, please entrust the scouting mission to me again. This time, I will lead the team myself and see just how formidable this youth with the Oxbow truly is."

Wang Can bit his lip, his face ashen, burning with the desire to tear Hu San apart on the battlefield.

"Foolishness! The key issue now isn’t the youth with the Oxbow, but the strength of their main force. If they are truly so formidable, we might as well give up and go home."

"Though we have some cultivation, in the face of a truly elite army formation, we both know it makes little difference. Even a top-tier cultivator at the peak of internal energy would be dragged down and killed; what chance do half-trained men like us have?"

General Kang exhaled and said gravely, "For one so young to wield the Oxbow, he must have some renown in these parts. Baishan, find me a few local villagers—use whatever means necessary. I want everything there is to know about this youth."

---

"In addition, Zheng Qiang, deploy the true scouting teams from the main force. Tell them I don’t care how many enemies they kill; I want intelligence on the enemy. If they fail to bring back information, even if they destroy the enemy single-handedly, I will have them executed."

"Yes, sir!" "Understood!"

The two deputy generals quickly departed, leaving only the grim-faced Wang Can, the thoughtful Heiji, and the ever-stern Xu Yu in the room.

"You two may go as well. Steady your men’s morale. We cannot let this news crush the troops’ confidence; otherwise, we may never return to the Kingdom of Mons."

Seeing General Kang’s exhausted demeanor, the three bowed and withdrew, leaving him alone, staring vacantly at the table.

"Wang, seeking a chance to redeem yourself?"

Outside the command tent, Heiji paused and looked up at the sky. Sensing the confusion of his two companions, he spoke suddenly.

"What do you mean?"

Wang Can, walking ahead, was momentarily taken aback, thinking he’d misheard.

"Heh, you’ve suffered such heavy losses. Without a major achievement, your days in Mons will be tough; at best, you might retain your rank, at worst, you’ll be demoted."

"Enough talk. I have a plan that might defeat the enemy, but I’ll need your help."

Though Heiji spoke to Wang Can, his gaze drifted to Xu Yu. Seeing Xu Yu’s interest, he felt assured—his plan was already half-sold.

"What is this brilliant plan, and why not present it to General Kang?"

A flicker of wariness crossed Wang Can’s eyes. Though colleagues in appearance, their rivalry for promotion was fierce—five deputy generals, but only one promotion to roving general.

"General Kang has enough to worry about. Why trouble him with minor matters?"

Heiji smiled mysteriously, and both Wang Can and Xu Yu understood the implication. Though General Kang was their immediate superior, this was a newly formed force, and his control was limited, arguably even less than that of the five deputies.

Battle honors in this Qilian Mountain trial would be clear and indisputable, with no room for ambiguity—thus, Heiji’s motive for personal glory was not lost on anyone.

"So, what is your plan?"

Wang Can fell silent, but Xu Yu’s face showed genuine interest. Few knew that beneath Heiji’s rough exterior was a mind of rare cunning—a truly remarkable man.

---

"It’s hardly a brilliant plan. Wang’s unit was blocked not long after setting out, and judging from the enemy’s numbers, they’re clearly wary of us."

"Though the four-to-one losses prove the enemy’s strength, it was only because our experts were all slain by their archer. If we had experts to counter him, the outcome might have been different—wouldn’t you agree?"

Heiji began his analysis of the previous battle.

Wang Can, his shortcomings exposed, snorted, "So what? If all their troops are this strong, even if we win, our losses will be catastrophic."

"I don’t yet know the true strength of the enemy, but I will soon."

With a glint in his eyes, Heiji summoned a trusted subordinate and instructed, "Take a squad of elite soldiers and patrol the mountain village. If you spot any suspicious villagers trying to leave, no matter what they’re doing, arrest them at once. Understood?"

The subordinate accepted the order and left swiftly. Heiji continued, "Wang’s earlier encounter proves the enemy knows our movements perfectly. They can’t be clairvoyant, so it must be the villagers acting as spies."

"Once we catch their informants, getting intelligence will be easy—why bother sending out our own scouts?"

"There’s no such thing as an unbreakable bandit. General Kang is skilled in military matters and strong in cultivation, but he knows too little about the Qilian Mountains—no better than that effeminate Baishan."

His reasoning was sound, though his words bordered on insubordination—if Kang found out, Heiji would be due a flogging. Yet the other two officers only admired his cunning; no one mentioned keeping secrets from General Kang.

The trio left the small village and entered Heiji’s own thousand-man battalion. They had just taken their seats when a trusted aide arrived to report: five suspicious individuals had been captured and, under questioning, had confessed everything.

"So, did you learn anything about the youth?"

The three exchanged glances, delight flickering across their faces.

"Reporting, General—the youth’s name is Hu San, a native of Wolf Fang Mountain. Last year, he was kidnapped from his village by the Wolf Heart Bandit Gang and forced into their ranks. In just one year, he rose from a village boy to a highly respected bandit leader."

"It is said that countless experts have fallen at his hands—even the third leader of another stronghold, a cultivator at the third level of internal energy, died indirectly because of him."

The aide proceeded to recount the year’s events and all the rumors circulating among the bandits.

"This youth is a genius, but not a cultivator yet—he’ll be easier to deal with, then."

Heiji nodded, satisfied—this was his turf, his confidant, and his interrogation.

Once his companions digested Hu San’s rise, Heiji continued, "So, Hu San is exceptional, but not so fearsome as to warrant dread. What about the Wolf Heart and Wolf Fang strongholds? Which one attacked us? How many are there? Did you find out?"