484 Risk (2/2)

Gu Shenwei had thought about transferring the troop out of Wushan. However, taking the way to the Land of Fragrance into account, he did not. Later, when he decided to set up an ambush, Tuo Nengya's army immediately crossed his mind.

When Tuo Nengya entered the mountain under the Dragon King's orders, Dugu Xian had not yet been appointed the Left General. Thus, he was not familiar with the old machetemen. ”Wushan tribes and mine thieves, are indeed brave. Several of them, or a dozen of them at most, is strong combat power, but a bunch of them is more of a mob.”

Gu Shenwei had fought with the tribe troops, thus he had more confidence in them than Dugu Xian did. ”Tuo Nengya can train them.”

After a long while, Dugu Xian spoke. ”To be honest, Your Majesty, these are not tactics I like. There're too many uncertainties, one wrong step and we'll lose. Especially if we give up half of the An Kingdom, we may see a great decrease in our morale.”

The conversation took place before they went south, when the Dragon army's most reasonable tactics were to take the An Kingdom and attack the Golden Roc Army who had just landed ashore. The Dragon Army should have eliminated the enemy's main force at the shoreline to pave the way for the final battle.

However, the Golden Roc Army had developed a passage on the western bank of Xiaoyao Lake. They had built bridges and sent troops to seize part of the southern bank. So far, the Dragon army's initial plan was failing. So, Dugu Xian decided to take a risk by carrying out the Dragon King's plan.

From east to west, he visited the entire An Kingdom in the name of scouting and setting up checkpoints. During his trip, he took the opportunity to study the place the Dragon King had chosen.

”It's indeed a good place for a flank attack.”

After going south, the two of them discussed the plan further. Dugu Xian had gained more confidence and bore more questions. ”Will Shangguan Jianyi notice us? The gentle slope is rather conspicuous. Moreover, I've asked about it, the road behind the hill is rough. The An Kingdom tried to develop a track there but failed.”

”That's exactly why tribe soldiers living in Wushan can use their dexterity on the rough road, and Shangguan Jianyi won't bother to take precautions there.”

Dugu Xian agreed, but then he pointed out the biggest loophole in the plan. ”If that's the case, the entire Dragon army will depend on a newly-recruited tribe troop that Your Majesty hasn't even met.”

Gu Shenwei admitted it was true. This was his biggest concern as well. He trusted Tuo Nengya, and believed in Ha Chilie. However, as for the Wushan tribe, he was not so sure.

According to practice, outside the Gulping Wind Gorge and into Wushan, did not belong to the Western Region anymore. Previously, the Wushan tribe had been on its own. They hated mine thieves from the Western Region. It was indeed questionable if Tuo Nengya could turn them into loyal soldiers and have them fight in the land of the Western Region.

”I should go to Wushan myself.” The Wushan Tribe would play an unexpectedly important role in this fight. Gu Shenwei was indeed worried and wanted to make sure they were willing to fight for the Dragon army.

Dugu Xian immediately opposed. ”No, you shouldn't. If Your Majesty leaves, our 30,000 soldiers will be at a loss. It would do more harm than good.”

To keep it confidential, the ambush was never revealed to a third person. Even Tuo Nengya was not aware of the responsibility he was going to take.

Thus, Gu Shenwei had the Left General recommend one man to pass the secret order to Tuo Nengya. The man needed to have knowledge of tactics so as to help Tuo Nengya organize the troop.

”Wu Zongheng.” Dugu Xian immediately had a candidate.

Wu Zongheng had been a guard leader in the An Kingdom. He'd been promoted to vice commander because of his leadership. In the Willow City at the border of the Hui Kingdom, he had resisted the Golden Roc Army, organized an orderly retreat, and gone south. He had lived up to the Dragon King's expectations.

Another reason Dugu Xian chose him was that the Dragon King trusted him.

If not for the Dragon King, the civilian Wu Zongheng could never have achieved what he had done today. Therefore, he was one of the most reliable people in the five countries.

Indeed, Gu Shenwei believed in Wu Zongheng, but not as much as Dugu Xian imagined. He needed to assign one more person, one who he trusted whole-heartedly.

Maid Lotus's task was easy. She protected Wu Zongheng along the way and made sure he was truly trustworthy at critical moments.

Maid Lotus was brought back to the days when they were killer apprentices in the Stone Castle. At that time, Slave Huan and she had suspected each other but had to ally against common enemies in the end. They had built the ”Tattooed Arm Gang” together. She was not only the best partner, but also the most resourceful advisor. She advised on almost every one of Gu Shenwei's plans and participated in them.

Now, she was purely a guard.

The Dragon King discussed different things with different people. Sometimes she could hear them, sometimes not. In the end, she seldom took part in them.

It was normal for the Dragon King since Maid Lotus was not war savvy. She only missed the old times once in a while.

”Yes.” She accepted the task as usual, but Shangguan Fei's words kept echoing in her mind. She started to wonder if the Dragon King was deliberately sending her away.

Gu Shenwei was also thinking about Shangguan Fei. He decided to give the latter an unexpectedly important role as well.