Chapter 107

The five commandants met Li Zichen outside the big tent and entered together.

Everyone saw Gong Xiaohua standing in front of a table in the middle of the tent. On the table was a large map.

She was quietly staring at the drawings in front of her, seeming to be lost in thought.

As the group approached the table, they said to Gong Xiaohua: "Commander."

Seeing the commandants and Li Zichen, Gong Xiaohua stopped thinking and went to the main seat in the tent. She motioned for the commandants to sit down.

"Commander, I wonder if you have summoned us to discuss going to war with Dawei?" shouted the sturdy Commandant of Assault Camp in a thunderous voice.

He was tall and burly. His weapon was a heavy axe. Ordinary people would be terrified as soon as they saw him - he looked extremely fierce.

But he was actually very righteous towards his own people, always rushing to the forefront.

Not only was he extremely loyal to Gong Xiaohua, he also admired her greatly.

Although the commander was a generation younger than him, her courage, spirit and ability were unmatched. Moreover, she had broken the rules and promoted him.

"That's right. I have received news that Dawei may dispatch troops soon. I summoned everyone today to discuss countermeasures. How is the training in the camps going?"

"Commander, we in the Assault Camp have been training vigorously every day. The effect is dozens of times better than before. Everyone has become much stronger and is just waiting for your order to annihilate the enemy troops without leaving a single armor behind." "Although the soldiers in my Blade and Shield Camp are still not very skilled in troop deployment, the effect has improved tremendously compared to the previous defensive formation with low lethality. I believe that in this battle, our Blade and Shield Camp will be able to kill many more enemies."

"Ever since you gave us the drawings of the latest crossbow, Commander, I studied them overnight and made one. Our crossbows used to have a maximum range of 120 meters. Now it has increased to nearly 300 meters, with the ability to shoot three arrows simultaneously. The lethality is incomparable. These days, the craftsmen have been working day and night. So far, they have produced over a thousand such crossbows. We can’t wait to let Dawei have a taste of the power of these new crossbows."

"Following the training methods formulated by the Commander, although the training time has been short, there is a noticeable improvement in the soldiers' physical strength and flexibility. Especially with the Commander’s martial arts combined with weapons, the lethality has increased several times. We are also waiting for the Commander’s order to fight the enemy to death."

"The catapults, crossbow beds and other weapons in my Weapon Camp have also improved their range several times according to the Commander’s requirements. They can also launch fireballs. This time we will also let them taste the pain when our brothers died miserably in Bu Luo Jian."

"Very good. But everyone needs to recognize one reality: Dawei's army are brave warriors, and half of their 40,000 troops are the elite forces controlled by Dawei’s Second Prince. Even though we have improved our training and upgraded our weapons, the time has been too short for us to confront the enemy head-on. So we need to come up with a foolproof plan to determine the outcome in one strike."

After speaking, Gong Xiaohua stood up and walked over to the table with the map in the middle.

Seeing this, everyone else also got up and gathered around.

"Please take a look. This is the terrain map around Dawei's camp that I have drawn based on the surrounding terrain. Dawei's army is currently camped under the Wuxing Peak cliffs 15 kilometers away. Behind them is the treacherous Lingshui River terrain. The other directions are plains. Their camp has a radius of 2 kilometers which is patrolled by soldiers. They are on high alert so any unusual movement will be discovered."

"Does anyone have any thoughts?"

"Commander, given that the enemy is strong and we are weak, I think we can adopt the same approach as the previous battle and launch a surprise night attack. Since the enemy is on high alert this time, we should attack at night. But we must also learn from the lessons of the previous battle and not pursue the fleeing enemies." Li Zichen said after thinking for a while.

"What about the rest of you? Speak out if you have other ideas."

"Commander, I'm just a brute. I don't know anything about troop deployment. Just tell us where and how to fight."

"Commander, I agree with Brother Li's analysis. I support his ideas." said the Commandant of Blade and Shield Camp.

"We have no objections. Please just give the order." said the other commandants.

"Alright. We will attack Dawei from three routes tomorrow night. The Infantry Camp, Assault Camp and Weapon Camp will attack from the front. The Cavalry Camp and Blade and Shield Camp will attack from the left and right flanks. Follow my commands then. Also, inform all the camps to stop training this afternoon and gather to pledge allegiance tomorrow at dawn to prepare for the expedition."

"Yes!"

"This battle concerns the life and death of our Daye Country and our status among the five countries. A victory can deter other major countries and allow our border residents to live in peace. A defeat would mean our Daye would be at the mercy of other countries for slaughter. So I hope everyone can do their best." said Gong Xiaohua.

"Yes, Commander, don't worry. We vow to fight this battle to the death!" After the five commandants left, Li Zichen came to Gong Xiaohua and asked, "Xiaohua, can those two commandants under Gao Hu be trusted? I'm worried they are from some faction in the Capital City who will sabotage us in this battle."

"Why does Uncle say that? Have the people monitoring them noticed anything unusual?"

"No, it's just that I feel very uneasy."

"Don't worry, the key to this battle does not lie with these five camps. I have other arrangements."

"This battle not only concerns Daye, but also the lives of many people in the Gong family. We can only win, not lose, and cannot afford to lose." said Gong Xiaohua gloomily.

"Xiaohua, no matter if you win or lose, we are all proud of you. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

"Thank you, Uncle. It's getting late, please rest early."

"Alright, you should rest early too."

After Li Zichen left the tent, a small shadowy figure could vaguely be seen outside.

"Take action at the hour of Hai tomorrow night."

"Yes." The figure then disappeared.

The next day, the expedition pledge ceremony.

The low, mournful sound of a horn rang out from early morning, followed by the rousing beating of drums, stirring people's passion.

Once again assembled, tens of thousands of cavalry stood neatly in formation below, with Gong Xiaohua in full armor and a long sword, solemnly standing on the high platform.

"Warriors, Dawei has been brutally killing our people for years. Hundreds of thousands of our people have become victims under their blades. In the battle at Bu Luo Jian, we lost another hundred thousand souls. They were our loved ones, our brothers who we lived with day and night. They died in cruel and tragic ways.

"Now is the time to avenge them. Stand up with pride and let our fists tell the enemy that there is a kind of fortitude called fearlessness in the face of death, and there is a kind of death that can be called dedication to our country. Wash away the enemy's cruelty with our blood, and tell them with our lives that we cannot be violated."

After speaking, Gong Xiaohua raised the wine glass in front of her and drained it in one gulp, then smashed it fiercely to the ground, shouting loudly: "May my warriors fight bravely ahead with invincible prowess!"

These words completely ignited the passion and anger in the warriors' hearts. They followed by draining their wine glasses, smashed them fiercely in front of themselves, and shouted in unison: “Fight bravely ahead with invincible prowess!" The sound resounded to the skies, stunning and astounding.