Chapter 432: What to Do When You Can't Win?

Sun Fuling fidgeted, then cleared her throat and stood up. "I still have laundry to do. I'm going back now. Get some rest."

He Lingchuan stood up right after her, looking at her with a pleading expression. "Swords and blades have no eyes. Can I ask for a good luck token from you before I leave?"

"What kind of token?"

"The same as last time," He Lingchuan said with feigned regret, "but it can't be just a simple one this time."

"You'll be fine," Sun Fuling said, her face flushing even deeper. "You don't need a token."

"How can you be so sure?"

Sun Fuling smiled. "You're going to earn merits. Won't promotion and riches upon your return be enough to boast about?"

Seeing the mischievous glint in her eyes, He Lingchuan sighed deeply, then suddenly grabbed her slender waist, pulled her close, and kissed her with lightning speed!

However fast she had been last time, he needed to be even quicker this time. He knew that with beautiful women, speed was key.

But Sun Fuling's figure blurred, and she was standing by the water vat before he could even move his lips.

He Lingchuan felt as if he had grasped a large, slippery fish; his hands were suddenly empty.

"You..." He had planned it, yet he failed again. This was ridiculous!

Just then, footsteps echoed outside, followed by a loud knocking at the door. "Broken Blade Squad, assemble in the south of the city! Broken Blade Squad, report to the south of the city immediately!"

He Lingchuan's heart churned with frustration.

To make matters worse, the person was incredibly persistent, continuing to knock until he got a response.

"I hear you, I hear you," He Lingchuan replied weakly. "I'm going now!"

Only then did the person run off.

The sudden interruption completely ruined the pleasant atmosphere. "So you're really not giving me that token?" He Lingchuan asked listlessly.

"You scoundrel," Sun Fuling said, flipping over the low wall and leaving him with just one remark:

"Take your things and go quickly."

He Lingchuan shrugged, then went inside to retrieve his weapons and medicine, changed into his gear, and headed out.

As he passed his neighbor's house, he saw the child, Little Fatty, sitting on the doorstep, resting his chin in his hands.

He had often given Little Fatty snacks, and Little Fatty's family had, in turn, sent him flowers and dishes, fostering a very amicable relationship between them. So he decided to ask:

"Hey, what are you doing out here?"

Panlong City was generally safe, with people leaving their doors unlocked at night, but for parents to let a six or seven-year-old child sit on the doorstep in the middle of the night seemed incredibly irresponsible.

Oh, right, he forgot the parents were quite busy at the moment.

"Mom and Dad are being so loud," Little Fatty said, looking up at him. "Are you going to war again?"

He Lingchuan shrugged.

The messenger had only called for the Broken Blade Squad to assemble, not for all soldiers to deploy, so the current operation couldn't be made public. "I have to go out on some business."

Little Fatty pulled a morning glory from between the bricks of his house and handed it to him. "This is for you. I want to grow up fast and go to war too!"

"War isn't a good thing," He Lingchuan said. He silently calculated the boy's age, realizing this kid might indeed have a chance to see battle in the future.

Such is the world.

"War is impressive," Little Fatty countered, clearly disagreeing. "I don't want to be as ordinary as Mom and Dad. I want to be admired!"

"You don't know a thing!" He Lingchuan flicked the boy's head before turning and striding away.

How could a child understand that simply staying alive was everything?

There was an assembly point nearby where a carriage would arrive every fifteen minutes to pick up people.

By the time he reached the South Gate Plaza, several teams were already assembling.

The Broken Blade Squad's designated assembly point happened to be by the river, not far from the Julo Tree.

Human voices suddenly erupted in the middle of the night, startling the sparrows in the tree into silence.

When He Lingchuan and his squad, Menban among them, arrived, someone was already waiting. The figure's back looked very familiar.

When the person turned around.

It was General Hong, as expected.

General Hong had changed into combat attire but still wore her eagle-head mask.

"You have a special mission and will be departing immediately," she said. Logistics soldiers had already brought the squad's mounts,

with two horses per person, their backs laden with dry rations and water.

Two horses per person, for changing mounts mid-journey, signified a high-mobility mission. He Lingchuan grew slightly cautious. "Please give us your orders, General."

"He Lingchuan, you've seen the topographical sand table of Xiji Kingdom in the War Council Hall. This country has large mountains in the west and plains in the east. If we attack from west to east, it will be difficult at first and then easier, with most resistance concentrated in the western mountains."

He Lingchuan nodded, both acknowledging the General and explaining to his squad: "Xiji is Panlong City's eastern neighbor. Its western mountainous region is guarded by two armies. If we imagine the rugged mountain paths as a great dragon, these two forces guard its throat and its hind leg, with 800 and 1,200 soldiers respectively, totaling exactly 2,000."

The squad members listened intently, despite their internal questions.

"They control vital passages, hold advantageous terrain, and are positioned in easily defensible, difficult-to-assault mountain passes," General Hong explained. "Taking them isn't the problem. The difficulty is that both passes have beacon towers. If attacked, they'll light the beacons, alerting Xiji's capital city, which is less than 200 li away. This would prevent us from achieving a surprise attack."

She paused. "You few teams will be responsible for solving this problem." With that, she gestured to someone behind her. "The Broken Blade Squad has been assigned a disruption and control mission for Dragon Throat Ridge this time. This is your temporary team member. You'll see his capabilities once you enter the mountains. You must protect him throughout the mission."

The man was thin and small, under forty, with a face that resembled a monkey's. He grinned at everyone.

"My surname is Yu, and I'm a mage. You can just call me Old Yu."

"This mission is extremely important," General Hong said gravely. "If you complete it well, many of our brothers will be spared. Broken Blade Squad, do not disappoint me!"

The squad responded "Yes" in unison.

He Lingchuan looked at General Hong's mask, appearing to want to speak but then hesitating.

General Hong noticed. "Speak your mind," she prompted.

"I'd like to ask you something."

General Hong seemed to know he wanted to ask something personal. "Come with me," she said.

She led He Lingchuan to the Julo Tree. From its branches came a couple of chirps, the sound of sparrows.

"Go on," she said.

"What should one do if faced with an overwhelmingly powerful, almost unbeatable enemy?" He Lingchuan added, "I'm not referring to this mission."

General Hong replied without hesitation, "Avoid them."

He Lingchuan's hand rested on the hilt of his Floating Life Saber, one of the Death Set's three artifacts. He remembered King Yuan's ultimate fate and his own destiny's prophecy. "What if I can't avoid them? What if they will find me sooner or later?"

Did King Yuan escape? Did Zhong Shengguang escape? Neither of those heroes succeeded, so what made him think he could?

Not a day had passed without him contemplating this since leaving the ruins of Ganxing City.

"How much does the enemy know about you?"

"Currently, I'm considered insignificant." He Lingchuan rubbed his nose. "To a behemoth like Beijia, I'm not even a tiny shrimp. Or rather, it doesn't even know I exist."

"Is there still plenty of time?"

"I suppose so."

General Hong thought for a moment before replying, "Suppose you are trapped in a haunted house, pursued by an evil spirit you can't defeat, and unable to escape. What would you do?"

He Lingchuan answered without hesitation, "Hide."

Only by surviving could he find a way to deal with it.

"Where would you hide?" General Hong pressed on. "If you stay hidden in one spot, you'll surely be found."

He Lingchuan gave a wry smile. "Then I'd have to follow behind the ghost, ideally keeping pace with it."

He hoped it wasn't a deceptive spirit.

"Observe it, study it, and if necessary, even follow it closely — the closer, the better!" General Hong stated decisively. "Is anything truly 'unbeatable' in this world? The deeper your understanding, the more likely you are to tear through any illusions and find its vital weakness."

If you can't beat it, why not dance with the ghost, making it a duo? He Lingchuan pondered this.

"For now, you remain in the shadows, and that is your greatest advantage."

"Thank you, General," He Lingchuan said with genuine gratitude.

The rest, he would have to figure out for himself, through experience.

In short, he needed to become more active and proactive.

"Go now, I have other matters to attend to."

General Hong's tone implied she didn't want her time wasted.

Accordingly, the various teams accepted their assignments and successively rushed out through the South Gate, heading east.

He Lingchuan looked up at the sky, seeing the crescent moon setting, yet a faint light still illuminated the world.

However, the new moon was approaching.

After leaving the city, the Broken Blade Squad rode for dozens of li through the night, stopping only at full daylight by the river to water their horses and rest.

Everyone was experienced with forced marches and took out medicated oil to massage their tense back, leg, and waist muscles.

As horses drank and men ate, every fifteen minutes was precious.

Menban found a large rock to lean against and let out a long, comfortable sigh.

Liutiao seized the moment to ask He Lingchuan, "Boss, why are we attacking Xiji? Is Lord Zhong no longer planning to lead us back to our homeland through the Jinxi Corridor?"

Hu Min laughed. "Attacking Xiji is perfect; it'll be satisfying!"

The others around them murmured in agreement.

Even the newly joined Old Yu nodded. "Xiji relies on its backers, barks without reason, and persecutes our countrymen. It would be ideal to defeat them on our way back home."

Liutiao rolled his eyes at him. "I didn't say attacking Xiji was bad. This flea-like little country, the sooner it's crushed, the better! But why choose *this* moment to attack it?"

"The Jinxi Corridor belongs to the Baling Kingdom. If we pass through there, we'll be under the Baling people's watchful eyes the entire time. How many elderly, infirm, women, and children, along with untold riches, are there combined in all the cities of Panlong Wilds? Without the protection of high walls and strong cities, can you truly count on the Baling people's benevolence?"

"They might just be waiting to tear us apart," Liutiao said bitterly.

He Lingchuan drew his saber and casually sketched a map on the sandy riverbank, using it as a sand table.

It wasn't perfectly drawn, but everyone managed to follow along.

"It so happens that at this critical juncture, the King of Xiji Kingdom passed away. A state funeral will be held soon, and the successor is Huyan Zhao." He recalled the scene in the War Council Hall:

"Announce to the entire city: we will fight our way back, immediately, right now!" General Hong declared with ringing confidence, her sword pointing at Xiji Kingdom on the sand table. "Do we need our King to issue a relocation order, or the Baling people to open the Jinxi Corridor for us? We will carve out our own path back to our homeland, starting with Xiji!"

"Seven days!" Zhong Shengguang exhaled. "Within seven days, we will launch our campaign against Xiji Kingdom with overwhelming force."

Everyone looked at the sand table.

The Panlong Wilds were vast. The straight-line distance from Panlong City to Xiji Kingdom was several hundred li, but factoring in terrain obstacles like hills, rocky valleys, and lakes would significantly extend the army's journey.