Chapter 318: People Missing, Water Gone, the Frustrated Wuxi Duke!
“There’s a fire over there, a blazing red expanse, like it’s on fire!”
“Forest fire, such a massive fire!”
“The Phoenix Mountain Range is ablaze!”
…
Atop the city walls of the Phoenix Fortress, everyone exclaimed in alarm.
At this moment, Lin Beifan also stood on the city walls, gazing at the towering flames in the distance, with a faint smile.
Beside him, General Zhu frowned, saying, “It was perfectly fine over there… how did it catch fire? And this fire is enormous, igniting the hilltops so quickly!”
“The weather is hot, and the air is dry, making it prone to fire!” Lin Beifan smiled, “But I have a feeling this mountain fire is unusually intense. It might be intentional… Why not send someone to investigate? There might be unexpected gains!”
“Lord Lin speaks wisely!” General Zhu nodded, taking Lin Beifan’s words seriously.
Because in the past two days, he had realized that Lin Beifan was indeed quite capable.
He had said, in the hot and dry weather, preparations were necessary.
Sure enough, for two consecutive days, the scorching sun blazed, and sweat drenched everyone’s backs, leaving them on the verge of exhaustion.
Fortunately, they had prepared some water, or else many might have suffered from heatstroke.
He had said, place copper mirrors in water basins, and under the scorching sun, it could generate hot water.
Sure enough, after basking for half a day, the water in the basin did become hot, too hot to touch.
Thus, he prepared many water basins and copper mirrors to store water.
Now, he said this mountain fire was extraordinary, possibly yielding unexpected gains. General Zhu immediately dispatched a highly skilled expert to investigate, hoping his hunch was right.
Meanwhile, the martial forces of Wuxi and Dayue also spotted the mountain fire.
“It’s on fire, there’s a fire there!”
“Such a massive mountain fire!”
“Sigh, hot weather makes fires easy to start!”
…
After hearing this news, Wuxi Duke and General Gongsun stepped out of their tents to observe.
The fiercer the blaze grew, the stronger their uneasy feelings became.
Strategist Fengchu wiped off the sweat, nervously saying, “That… seems to be the origin of the Wutong River. Our army went there to investigate water sources!”
Wuxi Duke and General Gongsun exchanged a look, their expressions horrified, “Something’s not right! Trouble’s afoot!”
They immediately gathered numerous experts and raced toward the site of the fire.
They were all martial practitioners, covering the distance of several dozen miles in no time, only to be stunned by what they saw.
Because this fire was too fierce, as if the entire mountain had been set ablaze!
Amidst the raging inferno, they faintly heard cries for help and pleas.
“Our soldiers are in there!”
“Hurry and save them!”
…
They rushed into the midst of the fire quickly.
They discovered that their soldiers were indeed trapped in the midst of the blaze, running around in disarray, hoping to escape from the mountain fire.
But many more had already perished in the flames, the scene was terrifying.
Without hesitation, they immediately began rescuing people—one by one if they could, in pairs if possible.
However, it was a drop in the bucket; they were only a dozen or so people, yet within the mountain fire were a hundred thousand soldiers, scattered throughout the entire hillside, too dispersed to be saved in time.
In the end, it took an entire night, and they were only able to rescue three to four thousand people.
Yet over ninety thousand had become buried in the mountain fire.
Wuxi Duke stared at the sky-obscuring blaze before him, his eyes turning bloodshot, a surge of killing intent rising within him: “It’s definitely the Rat Army! They actually set fire to my troops and killed them. There’s no reconciling with them now!”
“They… truly deserve death!!” General Gongsun roared.
Rarely leading an expedition, he hadn’t even had the chance to establish his accomplishments, not even fought a battle, yet fifty thousand soldiers were now burnt to ashes!
Coupled with the thirty to forty thousand soldiers lost on the way…
He had already lost eighty to ninety thousand soldiers!
In other words, he hadn’t achieved anything and had already lost nearly twenty percent of his troops!
The losses were undoubtedly heavy!
He detested that group of rats to the core!
“Aaaah!” General Gongsun struck out with all his might.
“Boom!”
Within a dozen yards, a deep pit was created, extinguishing some of the flames.
However, human strength was limited. His power was useless before this massive mountain fire; it soon flared back to life.
“Although the loss of tens of thousands of soldiers is extremely heart-wrenching, the most urgent matter now is to find a water source and solve the drinking water problem!” Wuxi Duke said with a heavy expression, “Without water, our hundreds of thousands of troops will die of thirst!”
“Your Highness speaks the truth!” General Gongsun nodded gravely.
Then, they charged into the midst of the flames once more and finally reached the mountaintop along the river.
However, the scene before them drove them mad once again!
Because atop the mountain, there was a massive lake, the source of the Wutong River. Yet, this lake had been ruptured, the water completely drained.
“Those damned Rat Army! They’ve gone too far!” Wuxi Duke pounded his chest, shouting in anger.
“They truly deserve to die! To die!” General Gongsun also raged.
Their voices resonated for three hundred miles, causing birds in a thousand mountains to take flight!
This news was soon known to General Zhu as well.
“Good news! Tremendous news!”
He arrived before Lin Beifan with a spring in his step, saying, “Lord Lin, you were spot on! I sent people to investigate, and we truly found an unexpected piece of good news!”
“The Wutong River has dried up, the armies of Wuxi Duke and Dayue have run out of water. So Wuxi Duke dispatched a hundred thousand troops to enter the Phoenix Mountain Range through the Wutong River’s course, to investigate water sources. Guess what happened?”
“What happened? Were they burned by the fire?” Lin Beifan asked with a smile.
General Zhu danced with excitement, “Exactly! Once they entered the mountains, a raging fire ignited within. The blaze was so intense that even Wuxi Duke’s experts could only rescue three to four thousand people! Nearly a hundred thousand soldiers were buried in the flames, never to return!”
“This battle hasn’t even started yet, and they’ve already lost a hundred thousand soldiers. Truly, luck is on our side, luck is on our side! Haha…” General Zhu laughed with great joy, his satisfaction evident.
“Rather than saying it’s luck, it’s more accurate to say it’s deliberate!” Lin Beifan chuckled.
General Zhu nodded repeatedly, “Master Lin, you’re right! This mountain fire was likely caused by the rebel forces of Wuxi! They cut off the water source of the Wutong River, drained the water from the mountains, and then lured the armies of Wuxi Duke and Dayue over, setting the fire! Such a brilliant plan, it’s truly done us a great favor! Haha…”
At this moment, he really wished he could say to the rebel forces of Wuxi: Well done!
After laughing, Lin Beifan said seriously, “But next, we’re in for a tough battle!”
“Why do you say that, Lord Lin?” General Zhu was puzzled.
“Marching and fighting can’t be done without water! However, the Wutong River has dried up, and its water source has been destroyed. The million-strong army outside the city can’t continue without water! To find the nearest water source, they must travel a hundred miles away, which is too far and unattainable!”
“So, Wuxi Duke has only one option!”
Lin Beifan’s gaze intensified, “That is to breach the Phoenix Fortress, to enter the city, and secure the water source! Thus, Wuxi Duke is bound to mobilize his troops, preparing for a city siege! This battle will undoubtedly be fiercer than ever before!”
“Lord Lin’s words are indeed true!” General Zhu greatly agreed and asked with anticipation, “They’re about to launch the attack on the city. Do you have any effective strategies?”
Lin Beifan smiled, “In terms of defending the city, General Zhu, you’re the expert. How could I meddle where I’m not knowledgeable?”
“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare!” General Zhu waved his hand repeatedly, modestly saying, “It’s you, Lord Lin, who is more remarkable. I greatly admire you! When it comes to the critical moment, please don’t hide your talents!”
“In fact, I do have a strategy! Once it’s implemented, they won’t have a way out!” Lin Beifan chuckled.
General Zhu’s eyes brightened, “What strategy? Please tell me quickly!”
However, Lin Beifan mysteriously shook his head, “The time hasn’t come yet. The secrets of fate mustn’t be revealed!”
“Huh? Why can’t you say?” General Zhu was dumbfounded.
“Because the time hasn’t come. If I say it now, it won’t be effective!” Lin Beifan smiled.
General Zhu was itching with impatience, “Lord Lin, could you please tell me in advance? I promise not to leak it!”
Lin Beifan didn’t yield, “General Zhu, please be patient for a bit longer! When the time is right, I’ll definitely be the first to tell you!”
Disappointed, General Zhu left.
Meanwhile, Wuxi Duke, General Gongsun, and the others returned to the main camp, their faces heavy.
Sacrificing a hundred thousand troops, yet the water supply issue remained unsolved, leaving them both furious and disheartened.
“Without water, it’ll be a problem to cook food for tomorrow. What are we going to do?”
“Never mind cooking, not dying of thirst is already a challenge! With hundreds of thousands of troops, how can we fight without water?”
“These damn Rat Army! I won’t spare them!”
…
Wuxi Duke turned to Fengchu, his strategist, with a glimmer of hope, “Strategist, do you have any good plans?”
Fengchu sighed, “Your Majesty, you can’t make bricks without straw! Without water, no matter how great the strategy, it’s futile!”
“Other than the Wutong River, where’s the nearest water source?” General Gongsun asked.
“The closest water source is still within the Phoenix Mountain Range, another river known as the Vermilion Bird River. But it’s still a hundred miles away from here! Our troops will need one to two days to get there! However, even if we resolve the water problem by going there, we won’t be able to fight!” Fengchu sighed.
Everyone followed suit with bitter smiles.
After drinking water there, they would need one to two days to return and fight.
During those one to two days, would they not drink water?
Would they not cook food?
They would still need water!
The demand for water by the 900,000-strong army was truly staggering!
And you couldn’t possibly transport water over, that was beyond your capability.
“We have only one path left for the current situation!” Wuxi Duke said solemnly.
“What path?” everyone asked in unison.
Wuxi Duke pointed his sword toward the direction of Great Wu, his gaze gloomy and fierce, “The Phoenix Fortress definitely has water! As long as we breach the Phoenix Fortress, the water problem will be solved!”
“Yes!” Everyone’s hearts stirred.
