After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 143: Chapter 144: Intricate and Complex

Hee Lingchuan watched them, feeling a surge of self-satisfaction. It wasn’t easy to get friendly with these man-eating monsters. His original plan had been to use the Turtle Pearl, but then a flash of inspiration struck. He dangled an official title and, with nothing but empty words, secured the Crocodile God’s help.

’Ah, power... Power is such a useful thing. No wonder Dad is obsessed with it.’

By the time Hee Lingchuan had finished the seven or eight large flatbreads in his hands, the Mountain Bandits had concluded their discussion. Wu Shaoyi approached with his men.

”Chief Steward Hee, does this unit of yours have a name?”

”Yes, it does.” Hee Lingchuan took a sip of water. ”It’s called the Supporting Army.”

This was also the result of discussions between Hee Chunhua and his advisors. He had originally intended to name this core force he was personally leading to Xiazhou the Black Water Army, but Hee Yue and the advisors had strongly objected, believing it was too provincial to name the army after its place of origin.

”We are willing to join, but I must have at least the rank of Vice General, and my men must also be given proper positions.”

”Acceptable.” Hee Lingchuan considered it. ”With General Wu’s qualifications, the position of Vice General is certainly fitting. But I must warn you, your men will likely be broken up and integrated into the larger army.”

This was standard procedure to prevent cliques from forming. Wu Shaoyi didn’t object; in fact, it made him trust Hee Lingchuan’s assurances even more.

’If the kid had agreed to everything without question, it would have just been empty promises.’

”Now, let’s talk about the plan.” Wu Shaoyi found a tree stump and sat down.

He was just beginning to recover from a serious injury. Although he had used a Forbidden Technique to transfer the wound, the massive blood loss was real, and he still hadn’t replenished it. His face remained pale.

He had already swallowed several pills to replenish his blood and restore his energy, and he was chewing on an old ginseng root. It was the only thing preventing him from suffering from dizzy spells and shortness of breath.

’He knew what he really needed was a large pot of ginseng and duck soup—to eat every last bit of meat and drink all the broth—and then to lie down and sleep for a day and a night.’

’Sleep is the best way to replenish blood.’

’Unfortunately, the situation wouldn’t allow for it. The Prefect’s eldest son standing before him was waiting for him to score his first major achievement since pledging allegiance.’

So, Wu Shaoyi picked up a branch and began to sketch in the sand on the shore:

”Speaking of West Mountain Road, the units ahead of us are already far away. It won’t be easy to catch them on horseback, and we probably won’t be able to rendezvous with Hee Prefect.”

Hee Lingchuan could see that he was drawing the shapes of the nearby mountains on the ground.

”Because we planned to rendezvous at Xianling Village, I had my men scout the surrounding terrain beforehand. The mountains here follow the water. From Desheng Town to Xianling Village, the mountain range basically runs alongside the upper part of Immortal Spirit Lake,” Wu Shaoyi said. ”The land routes are difficult. Why don’t we take to the water instead?”

”By boat?” Hee Lingchuan turned to look at the wooden dock. ”There aren’t enough boats, are there?”

There were only seven or eight boats by the shore, one of them quite large. But even with that, they could carry a hundred-odd men at most. Otherwise, Lui Yao would have abandoned his horses and used the boats to intercept the official troops long ago.

”They aren’t enough, but don’t forget about *them*.” Wu Shaoyi pointed to the giant crocodiles on the bank. ”People can stand on their backs. The Crocodile God, in particular, can carry sixty or seventy men all by itself.”

The Crocodile God was over five zhang—more than seventeen meters—in length, making it longer and wider than some river ferries. If the men packed in tightly on its back, shoulder to shoulder, they could fit several dozen people.

Lui Yao hadn’t dared to entertain the idea because his own agreement with the Crocodile God was complete; the beast had no further obligation to help him.

But Hee Lingchuan was different. The Crocodile God was now a member of the Official Family—or rather, the Official Family’s crocodile.

”An initial force of over two hundred can travel by water. Whether for a surprise attack or to provide support, that’s enough to deal with the immediate crisis,” Wu Shaoyi continued. ”The rest can travel by land on horseback.”

Seeing Hee Lingchuan fall into thoughtful silence, he added, ”Right now, the most important thing is to contact Pei Xinyong.”

”Contact Pei Xinyong?”

”That’s right. He commands sixteen hundred men, making him the most critical force on West Mountain Road. If he helps the official troops, their chances of victory will soar. But if he helps the Lui Thief, Hee Prefect will be in for a world of trouble.”

Hee Lingchuan’s expression changed. ”You’re right!”

At this moment, the Crocodile God, who had been idle on the side, spoke up slowly, ”Where are you all going?”

”The seven hundred men the Lui Thief stationed at Whistle Rock never showed up, which means Pei Xinyong succeeded in his mission to intercept them. Since those seven hundred couldn’t advance east, they must be retreating west.” Hee Lingchuan pointed to the drawing of the mountains on the ground as he analyzed the situation. ”In that case, we don’t just need to get ahead of the official troops; we need to get ahead of Pei Xinyong, too.”

”It’s quite a distance from Xianling Village to Whistle Rock. And considering Pei Xinyong has been on the move since Lui Yao’s Command Arrow was launched last night, he should be three double-hours ahead of us.”

It was still dark when Pei Xinyong intercepted the ambush at Whistle Rock, and now the sun was high in the sky.

Hearing this, Wu Shaoyi actually smiled. ”The mountain roads are treacherous; he couldn’t have gone far. If we take the water route, we’ll catch up in no time.”

The mountain roads here weren’t just winding; they were a serpentine maze of switchbacks.

In contrast, the vast, open lake beside them was free for travel. That was why the villagers of Xianling Village, whether they were transporting people or goods, preferred to travel by boat when coming and going from the mountains.

He poked a spot on the drawing. ”The best place to end our water journey is Desheng Town. It’s right on the river, so there should be a dock.”

And where there’s a dock, there’s a proper road for people and carts.

”The Lui Thief has occupied that town. I heard several hundred of his men are garrisoned there.” Hee Lingchuan was skeptical. ”And we’re still going?”

”Even if we make it by water, we won’t have horses. How are we supposed to chase after Pei Xinyong?” Wu Shaoyi smiled. ”Lui Yao always keeps his Elite troops by his side. The soldiers left in town are probably just a weak garrison, meant only to guard his rear. Our two hundred men can take them completely by surprise.”

’This Young Master Hee is still young and has no real experience in war. With proper coordination, it wasn’t unheard of for two or three hundred men to launch a successful surprise attack on a camp of two or three thousand.’

He continued, ”According to the plan I made with Pei Xinyong last night, I was to deal with the Lui Thief while he intercepted the seven hundred men ambushing Whistle Rock. Afterward, he was supposed to rendezvous with me. So, he won’t pursue them all the way to Desheng Town. He’ll turn back at Zhumapo at the latest. That place is easy to defend and hard to attack. If he just leaves two hundred men there, they can hold their ground for some time, even if the Lui Thief’s vanguard turns back for a surprise counterattack.”

Hee Lingchuan nodded. ”We also anticipated that after being attacked, the Lui Thief’s seven hundred men at Whistle Rock would flee toward Desheng Town. It’s human instinct to seek safety; retreating to their main base gives them options to either attack or defend. So, Pei Xinyong will likewise be herding them toward Desheng Town. To prevent him from turning back halfway, Hee Prefect’s forces will take an earlier fork in the road and head for Qianteng Town.”

When Hee Chunhua devised this strategy, he had to account for the risk of Pei Xinyong turning back. He is, after all, a bandit chief with over sixteen hundred men under his command. If he were to run into the official troops head-on, wouldn’t he be tempted to attack?

Fortunately, while the latter half of the road into Xianling Village is a single path, there are several forks when leaving the village, especially heading west. This provided Hee Chunhua’s forces with more strategic flexibility.