Chapter 1225: Mutual Insight

The higher-ups also disagreed with Ghost King Xuanlu's request. Bixia had just suffered a defeat, losing Baifang Town and over a thousand troops. Morale was low, and they needed time to regroup and recover.

The Ghost King's sudden demand for troops to attack Rolling Stone Valley put Bixia in a difficult position.

For the past 150 to 160 years, Luoshengjia had been completely absent. How could it suddenly appear in Rolling Stone Valley? Even if the Ghost King's intelligence was accurate, the Bixia people were aware of the long-standing animosity between it and this evil armor.

Luoshengjia was formidable; how many troops would it take to confront it?

Even if Luoshengjia were captured, would the Ghost King truly hand it over to Bixia?

If they sent troops, wouldn't they just be doing the Ghost King's bidding, especially when they were already weakened?

With Baifang Town lost, Jucheng was in a precarious position. Logically, all military forces should be used for self-preservation, not for risky ventures outside the city to seize some evil armor.

Commander Shi understood that after their recent defeat, the higher-ups' strategy would naturally be conservative.

However, he still pressed his case, arguing that "if the evil armor falls into Situ's hands, our victory will become even more difficult."

The significance of seizing the evil armor wasn't necessarily about gaining a greater advantage for themselves, but about preventing their opponent from gaining further ground.

Furthermore, with Baifang Town lost, Jucheng had become an isolated city in urgent need of a new stronghold. Rolling Stone Valley's terrain was barely suitable, but its proximity to Jucheng meant that with timely supply deliveries, it could serve as a temporary base.

He argued strenuously until the higher-ups finally relented, allowing him to allocate eight hundred troops to Ghost King Xuanlu. It was unclear if his persuasion had worked, or if Ghost King Xuanlu had made the demand directly to Bixia.

Bixia and the Ghost King had a cooperative relationship, so however reluctant, they had to comply to some extent.

However, no sooner had the order for troop allocation been issued than Ghost King Xuanlu entered and declared bluntly, "The operation has been moved forward. Depart now."

"Now?"

Commander Shi felt his scalp tighten. "But the troops aren't ready..."

"Luoshengjia will leave Rolling Stone Valley tomorrow morning. Sending troops tomorrow will be useless," Ghost King Xuanlu stated. He then asked, "How many troops did Bixia allocate to me?"

"Eight hundred."

"Too few. The Situ family alone has three hundred troops stationed in Jishi Village, not to mention other ambushes," the Ghost King declared decisively. "I want two thousand men, right now! Jucheng has far more troops than that!"

Jucheng currently had over three thousand defenders. Eight hundred were allocated to the Ghost King, and the remaining two thousand-plus could not leave without further orders.

"No, the higher-ups instructed..." Commander Shi's mind raced.

"What are you afraid of?" the Ghost King asked, red light flickering in his eyes as he looked at Commander Shi. "You've already been derelict and are guilty. If you don't achieve anything now, you'll be stripped of your position and punished upon your return. Only by taking Rolling Stone Valley and Luoshengjia can you redeem yourself. Fortune favors the bold. Since you're facing disciplinary action anyway, why not go for a big win?"

The Ghost King's words struck a chord with Commander Shi. He took a deep breath, realizing he truly had no other option. Should he take the gamble?

"If we seize Luoshengjia...?"

"It will belong to the Bixia people; I won't take it," Ghost King Xuanlu immediately stated. "I've already agreed to this with your leader."

Commander Shi felt a slight relief. That was good news.

"What's more, my full army has arrived and will fight alongside you."

Commander Shi was overjoyed. The Ghost King had brought his entire army of ghost soldiers? This was highly unusual; the Ghost King's army rarely mobilized so extensively. Bixia and Screaming Forest had been allies for so long, yet this was the first time they had received such support.

"With your full army deployed, victory is assured!" He immediately issued orders for assembly and then moved to the sand table. "Do you have a strategy for the attack?"

"Of course," Ghost King Xuanlu replied, walking over and pointing at the sand table. "The target, surnamed He, is hosting a village-wide feast tonight in Jishi Village, causing quite a commotion. The village has three hundred Situ guards, over one hundred seventy miners, fewer than twenty villagers, and twenty-six members of their merchant guild."

Commander Shi stroked his chin. "From Jucheng, even by night, it will only take an hour to arrive. Two thousand troops against just over three hundred means victory should be assured."

The more than one hundred miners were not considered combatants.

"You also attacked Jishi Village, and failed, didn't you?" the Ghost King said coldly. "It seemed you were stopped outside the village by organized miners."

Commander Shi felt a little embarrassed recalling that incident. However, that raid had been to procure provisions for the Ghost King.

"Too few men were sent then. This time, we have several times that number, allowing us to annihilate them in one fell swoop," Commander Shi countered. With the entire Jishi Village feasting, they would be completely unprepared. He optimistically thought that if the Bixia troops moved swiftly, launching a decisive surprise attack, the battle tonight would not be difficult.

The Ghost King shook his head. "We cannot directly attack Jishi Village."

"Why not?"

"The man named He has been loudly announcing during the feast that he will return east tomorrow morning, sailing back from Julu Port," the Ghost King said calmly. "Why would he host a village-wide feast at this particular time? He's clearly trying to ensure my informants in the village hear the message he wants to spread."

Old Woman Li in Jishi Village had worshipped him, but her statue had been confiscated by the Yangshan Merchant Guild, and her house was almost demolished.

But he still had informants in the village; an old farmer, around fifty, was currently eating and drinking heartily in Jishi Village's threshing ground, hearing every word from the Yangshan Merchant Guild clearly.

"The man named He wants to lure me into attacking Jishi Village tonight," the Ghost King said, tapping the sand table. "It's no surprise you failed to take Jishi Village last time. Its terrain is excellent, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and with an additional three hundred defenders, forcing a capture would be a considerable effort."

Outside Jishi Village, there were barricades and low stone walls, all defensive structures built by the locals.

"Most importantly, the man named He is currently an honored guest of the Situ family. Tonight's banquet was specially arranged from outside, and he has Situ's troops as escorts. Do you really think he would dare to lure me there without a contingency?"

"Are you suggesting there are more hidden troops in Jishi Village?" Commander Shi frowned deeply. "But the village grounds are limited. It's already remarkable to fit three hundred defenders. Where would additional ambushing forces hide?"

"If Jishi Village can't hide them, then they must be hidden elsewhere – somewhere close and concealed," the Ghost King explained fluently. As a commanding general in his lifetime, he had long mastered such strategic calculations. "If we forcefully attack Jishi Village, the man named He only needs to hold out for a short time, waiting for reinforcements."

Hiding ambushing troops elsewhere? Commander Shi, prompted by the Ghost King, examined the sand table for a few moments and then suddenly realized:

"Mian Village!"

Mian Village, which they had raided a month ago, was only three li of mountain road from Jishi Village. A fast horse could reach it in no time.

Even better, all the villagers in Mian Village had been taken, and it had long since become a deserted village. Nestled in a mountain hollow, travelers avoided it.

It was indeed an ideal location for an ambush.

If Situ concealed troops there, they would encircle the Bixia forces as soon as they attacked Jishi Village.

With an attack from both inside and outside, it would be a truly "wicked scheme."