Mythical Three Kingdoms

”Military Advisor Fa, your words always make me feel uneasy. I’ve heard people say that such remarks before setting out on a campaign, going to the battlefield, or taking risks often lead to ill outcomes.” Gan Mo, who had been standing silently at the side for a long time, finally couldn’t resist speaking up.

”Oh, I know that. Zichuan has mentioned this before too. But it’s nothing to worry about. At my level, when I meticulously plan against the unaware, if an accident occurs that even I can’t counter, then it can only mean that my fate is thin.” Fa Zheng turned his head to look at Gan Mo and responded with a smile, showing no signs of worry.

”There is some truth to this.” Gan Ning nodded and said, ”If, under such calculated circumstances, Fa Zheng is still powerless against unforeseen incidents, then his destiny is indeed at an end. Beyond that, there’s no point in discussing further.”

”I am confident that I am already capable of facing anyone without fear. In this situation, what I need is no longer bold schemes and cautious execution; rather, it is to maintain my state and confidence in my abilities!” Fa Zheng gazed toward Xuzhou with a trace of pride in his expression as he spoke.

”If one begins to doubt their own abilities over mere talk of gods and ghosts, then perhaps I’ll spend the rest of my life forever traversing the battlefield—though only for that one match!” Fa Zheng stood up with an air of arrogance and declared, ”If someone cannot even trust their own abilities, how could they expect others to trust them?”

”Military Advisor Fa, you do make a valid point.” Gan Mo thought for a while before silently retreating, once again displaying his stiff, emotionless demeanor.

”Have you truly reached the point where you fear no one?” Gan Ning asked curiously, ”What about Military Advisor Guo? I heard he once led you.”

”Of... course.” Fa Zheng’s lips twitched twice but still managed to give a satisfactory response.

If Guo Jia and Fa Zheng were ever to meet on the battlefield, the current Fa Zheng wouldn’t be intimidated by Guo Jia. On the contrary, if Fa Zheng could successfully defeat Guo Jia on the battlefield, the shackles that once constrained him would be broken, and his abilities might even advance significantly. Unfortunately, the two are unlikely to ever encounter each other on the battlefield in their lifetime.

As for meeting in everyday life, Fa Zheng would undoubtedly still feel apprehensive, though Guo Jia really seemed to enjoy cornering Fa Zheng.

”Alright, let’s set aside other matters and prepare to earn achievements and establish careers.” Fa Zheng, with a solemn expression, extended his hand. For the first time, he faced the prospect of going up against an army of 100,000 men alone, aiming to defeat them with weaker forces.

”I trust you—as always, your predictions will hit the mark!” Gan Ning noticed the faint uncertainty within Fa Zheng and smiled while patting his shoulder.

”No need for you to say it; I will undoubtedly fulfill the promise I once made to Master Jia flawlessly!” Fa Zheng proudly affirmed. At this moment, the confusion and hesitation in his eyes had entirely disappeared.

That night, Gan Ning headed to Xiapi to mobilize troops, while Fa Zheng began selecting the most outstanding soldiers. He required 300 of the strongest, most courageous, and fearless warriors to achieve something that had only ever been done by unparalleled valiant generals of the past.

Very quickly, 300 tall, robust, and highly skilled soldiers were chosen. All had survived numerous battles, with over a dozen of them being experts who had followed Gan Ning out of the most perilous battlefields. If not for being personal soldiers under Gan Ning, these individuals could easily have become Centurions or even Garrison Commanders elsewhere.

”You’ve been chosen to undertake an extremely dangerous mission, one where you may all very well perish.” Fa Zheng addressed the 300 soldiers with bluntness, ”Anyone who wishes to withdraw may leave now.”

”Good, no one is leaving.” Fa Zheng looked at the group before him with satisfaction, thinking, [It seems Gan Lan has understood my intentions. These men have likely reconciled themselves with the possibility of dying in battle.]

”Since that’s the case, each of you must write a will. If you can’t write, I’ll act as a scribe. As for matters concerning your families, rest assured—I, Fa Zheng, may not be considered upright, but I do keep my word. Should you fall tomorrow on the battlefield, I will personally take care of your wives, children, and elderly parents in my estate!” Fa Zheng declared solemnly. One of his particularly admirable qualities was his clarity in distinguishing benevolence from enmity and his reliability.

The group of 300 looked at each other, and soon chaos ensued as individuals began discussing amongst themselves. Fa Zheng, however, did not rebuke them. He quietly helped each soldier write their last will for their families, jotting down their names and keeping everything carefully collected. While such a task could have been delegated to others, he needed to remember every one of them.

”Tomorrow, come to me to receive a set of finely woven silk clothing and a suit of plate armor.” Fa Zheng’s hand was sore from writing, but in the lengthy process, he managed to familiarize himself with each individual, connecting their names to their faces.

”Understood!” The soldiers all bowed in response. Though Fa Zheng did not specify any rewards for surviving the battle, everyone understood one thing clearly: as long as tomorrow’s battle was victorious and some of them remained alive, the act of Fa Zheng personally writing their wills today indicated that they would undoubtedly be handsomely rewarded.

The next day, Gan Ning acted according to Fa Zheng’s orders and divided the 9,000 Xiapi soldiers into nine squads. Apart from the first squad of 3,000 soldiers, the other eight had between 500 and 1,000 each. Following Fa Zheng’s meticulous plans, these troops spent the day traveling to various ambush locations.

That morning, Zhang Fei marched out, leading 6,000 soldiers to a location dozens of miles outside Xiapi City where they were to engage in formation battle with the Yuzhou Army as previously arranged. Chen Deng made no effort to conceal his presence, riding openly alongside Zhang Fei to ensure Li Tong’s scouts reported back with confirmation that Chen Deng was personally commanding the troops.

”Report! General, upon investigation by our scouts, soldiers who have previously seen Chen Deng observed him from afar. After multiple confirmations, it is indeed Chen Deng himself.” A Scout Sima reported to Li Tong.

Li Tong, along with Li Yan and others, was thrilled and immediately began issuing orders to mobilize troops. ”Zheng Fang, Ziyuu, the matter of engaging Zhang Fei’s formation battle is entrusted to you. Do not be careless; the primary objective is to stall them for three hours. Regardless, even if it means fighting overnight, they must be held off!”

”Rest assured, General. As long as nothing unexpected arises, I, Yan, will not retreat!” Li Yan solemnly replied. Although Li Tong had not held him accountable for his unauthorized deployment of troops two days prior, Li Yan still bore the weight of his previous errors.

”I leave Zhang Fei to you. For the rest, instruct the rear army to set up cooking stations, prepare extra rations, and order each soldier to carry three days’ worth of dry rations. Should we succeed in taking Xiapi in one go, we must pursue and capitalize on the victory!” Li Tong nodded toward Li Yan, then turned to issue orders to the other generals.

”Understood!” The generals all stood and responded in unison.

”But regarding the military camp…” Li Tong hesitated slightly.

”We should abandon it. Keeping the camp intact will only give us lingering thoughts. Without it, if this campaign fails, we should retreat directly to Eastern Wu.” Lai Min seized the moment to speak as soon as he noticed Li Tong’s hesitation. Among the assembled generals, they quickly understood Lai Min’s point.

(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile readers, please visit m.qidian.com for access.)