Countermeasures

Dawn had not fully broken yet.

Cat Loi City had just endured a night soaked in blood. The earthen-yellow formation still glowed across the walls, while outside the encirclement, the points of spiritual light within the enemy camps had never gone dark. Both sides were using the brief lull after the assault to rotate personnel, reorganize their formations, and recover what strength they could.

Hao Nhien did not rest.

After leaving the treatment area, the first thing he did was go directly to Cat Loi City’s transmission station.

The formation master responsible for it was already waiting. His face was pale, and his eyes were bloodshot from nearly an entire night without sleep.

“Clan Chief.”

“How is the signal?”

“Still being interfered with.”

The old man pointed toward three crystals embedded in the formation table. Two flashed continuously, while the third brightened and dimmed irregularly, its spiritual light fluctuating across the surface.

“Something outside is disrupting the spiritual transmission. They have not cut it off completely, but the longer the message, the greater the chance that parts of it will be lost.”

“What about short messages?”

“If we relay them through intermediate stations, we can still try.”

Hao Nhien nodded.

“That is enough.”

He took out his communication jade token and kept the messages brief.

The first was sent to Hoa Duong, ordering him to continue leading the one hundred elite fighters forward at maximum sustainable pace. Once they reached a point roughly half a day southeast of Cat Loi, they were to stop and await further orders. Under no circumstances were they to approach the encirclement on their own.

The second message went back to Hoa Van, addressed to Tieu Lan and Phong Van Tu. The alchemy hall was to temporarily prioritize Life-Vitality Pills, hemostatic medicine, antidote pills, and pills that aided spiritual power recovery. For now, quantity and speed mattered more than pursuing high grades. Everything already in stock was to be gathered immediately and sent toward Hoa Duong’s force as it advanced on Cat Loi.

The final message, sent to Tam Thanh, was even shorter.

The assault on Cat Loi had been confirmed as genuine. Forces from Western Wastes tribes were participating, including people suspected to belong to the Sa Manh Tribe. There was a possibility that Heavenly Eye was supporting the operation from behind. City Lord Lieu should prepare a force capable of moving west once the next signal arrived.

Hao Nhien lowered the jade token.

The three crystals on the formation table flashed rapidly. After a while, each message was confirmed to have left Cat Loi.

Only then did he let out a slow breath.

Hoa Duong could not appear immediately.

Even Hao Nhien and Luu Thanh had needed more than a day to reach this place from Hoa Van by flying sword. A hundred people moving in formation would naturally be slower. Unless something unexpected happened, it would take roughly two more days before that force could reach the designated rally area.

During that time, Cat Loi would still have to defend itself.

Hao Nhien turned.

“Let’s go to the main hall.”

Less than half an hour later, everyone with decision-making authority in the Cat Loi Tribe had gathered in the central hall.

The building was constructed from yellow sandstone, with a high domed ceiling. Swirling sand patterns intertwined with lightning motifs along the four walls. Dim red lamps cast light across a stone floor still covered in dust and chaotic footprints left by people moving in and out throughout the night.

No one had taken the time to change clothes.

Cat Thanh still wore the torn armor from the night before, though one shoulder had been freshly wrapped in clean cloth. Luu Thanh placed his longbow within easy reach, while several elders who had only recently come down from the walls wore pale expressions after spending the night continuously expending spiritual power.

A large map of Cat Loi and the surrounding region had been spread across the stone table in the center of the hall.

Beside it lay several objects recovered after the battle: lengths of black chain, a fragment of the beast-control pillar Hao Nhien had shattered, two bells, the torn blood flag, and pieces of clothing taken from enemy corpses.

Cat Thanh placed one hand on the map.

“Seven days ago, the first strangers appeared along the western routes. At first there were only small groups, so I assumed they were scouts. I strengthened our defenses and sent Cat Luc to Hoa Van with a warning.”

His finger moved toward Cat Nguyet Lake.

“After that, the water route was cut, and people began appearing along the other roads in and out. By the time we realized their numbers were still increasing, the encirclement had already mostly formed.”

An elder beside him added:

“They did not arrive together. They came in many smaller groups, most entering the area at night. That is probably why we underestimated their numbers in the first few days.”

Hao Nhien looked at the map.

“Last night, I could see only the southern side, and there were already more than three hundred people there.”

Cat Thanh nodded.

“After you entered the city, I ordered each section of the wall to recount everything they could observe.”

He pointed around the city one direction at a time.

“More than three hundred in the south. Around two hundred and seventy in the east. Nearly two hundred in the west. The north has fewer people, but most have higher cultivation. We have already confirmed more than one hundred and fifty there.”

His finger stopped at several areas farther beyond the formation’s observation range.

“And those are only the people our observation posts can confirm. There are at least two additional camps beyond direct sight, not counting transport teams, scouts, rotating forces, and groups that have never entered the city’s visible range.”

One elder said quietly:

“If we count only what has already been confirmed, their numbers exceed one thousand.”

The hall immediately fell silent.

Hao Nhien did not look surprised.

After a brief pause, he asked:

“What about the beast forces?”

The elder responsible for the southern wall shook his head.

“We cannot count them accurately. More than twenty were used directly in the southern assault last night, but after the control apparatus was destroyed, we still saw people bringing more beasts forward from the rear. Sa Lang and Iron-Armored Lizards have appeared in the east as well. We have also heard repeated beast roars from the west, but the dunes block our view.”

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Cat Thanh picked up one of the black chains.

“The Sa Manh Tribe would not bring every beast they have onto the battlefield at once. If the people we saw last night truly belong to one of their branches, then there is a strong chance that additional beast forces remain unused behind the lines.”

Hao Nhien looked at the chain.

“So we have a rough estimate of their manpower, but not their beast forces.”

“Correct.”

Cat Thanh placed the chain back down.

“The Sa Manh live deeper to the southwest. They were once a fairly powerful tribe. They are skilled at hunting, taming, and controlling spirit beasts. Beast-command bells, Spirit-Sealing Nails, and formation flags are all characteristic methods of theirs.”

Hao Nhien recalled the people with beast-head emblems sewn across their chests.

“So the beast-control unit last night really was Sa Manh?”

“Very likely. But that does not mean the entire Sa Manh Tribe has submitted to Heavenly Eye.”

Cat Thanh continued:

“I have traded with their people before. The Sa Manh are a large tribe divided into many branches, and those branches do not always agree with one another. A few dozen or even a few hundred appearing here is not enough to prove the entire tribe has sided with the enemy.”

Hao Nhien gave a slight nod.

That distinction mattered.

If they saw one Sa Manh branch on the battlefield and immediately declared the entire tribe an enemy, they might only help whoever stood behind this war create even more hatred between the tribes of the Western Wastes.

He picked up a torn piece of black cloth from the table.

“The people outside also do not resemble the forces we faced at Heavenly Eye Forward City. Those troops used spears, wore standardized black armor, and fought with strict coordination. The force here uses different weapons, different cultivation methods, and their cooperation looks more like multiple groups forced into a single structure.”

Cat Thanh looked at him.

“You think Heavenly Eye is using other people to fight for them?”

“There is a strong possibility.”

Hao Nhien put the cloth back down.

“Heavenly Eye does not need to send its entire force here. If they provide resources, intelligence, a target, or enough incentive, they can pull in tribes that hold grudges against Cat Loi, branches competing for resources, or people looking for stronger backing.”

One elder frowned.

“Then the people of the Western Wastes will kill each other.”

“Exactly.”

Hao Nhien looked down at the map.

“That is the dangerous part. If one Sa Manh branch can be drawn into this, other tribes can be drawn in as well. In the end, most of the dead will still be people of the Western Wastes, while Heavenly Eye’s main force may suffer almost no losses.”

No one replied.

The logic was easy to understand.

The difficult part was stopping it.

Cat Thanh braced both hands against the table.

“Larger matters can wait. First, we have to keep the city standing.”

He looked at Hao Nhien.

“Do you have a plan?”

Hao Nhien studied the map for a while longer.

More than one thousand enemy troops had been confirmed. The number of spirit beasts remained unknown. Their Foundation Establishment cultivators and reserves were still outside the city’s observation range.

“Hoa Duong’s force is only one spearhead. It is not enough to directly break a siege like this.”

Cat Thanh nodded.

“I agree.”

“The first priority remains an urgent military report to Tam Thanh. We do not merely need them to move closer and apply pressure. We need a force large enough to make the enemy understand that if they continue maintaining this encirclement, their own rear may come under threat.”

An elder asked:

“And if Tam Thanh cannot arrive in time?”

“Then Cat Loi has even more reason to hold firmly until reinforcements arrive.”

Hao Nhien placed his hand on the map.

“Right now, we know only the visible troop count. We do not know where the reserves are, how many Foundation Establishment cultivators they have, how many beast forces remain, which direction their supply line comes from, or where their true commander is positioned. Without those answers, any counterattack would be nothing more than a gamble.”

Cat Thanh said in a low voice:

“You intend to scout outside?”

“Possibly, but not immediately.”

Hao Nhien moved one finger across the different sections of the walls.

“First, the south, west, and north must strengthen their defenses. No pursuit. No opening the gates simply because the enemy appears to withdraw. The wounded rotate down. Those still fit divide into shifts. Spirit stones should be concentrated only where the formation is actually under attack.”

Then his finger stopped at the southeast.

“Hoa Duong is approaching from this direction. Once we scout the enemy deployment, if a counterattack becomes necessary, I want to create a local advantage here.”

One elder looked at the marked area.

“You want Hoa Van’s troops to attack inward from outside?”

“Exactly. And the city attacks outward at the same time, but only if a real opportunity appears.”

Hao Nhien looked around the table.

“One hundred people cannot defeat one thousand. But one hundred elite fighters appearing at the right moment, in a place where the enemy cannot react in time, can still break one wing of their force or at least compel them to redeploy.”

Luu Thanh understood immediately.

“The other three sides hold position?”

“Yes. South, west, and north remain defensive. Even if chaos appears outside, no one chases. We create superiority at one point only. If no sufficiently good opportunity appears, Hoa Duong’s one hundred remain hidden and do not reveal themselves.”

Cat Thanh studied the map for a long time.

“Only attack one point…”

His finger moved along the southeastern route, and his gaze gradually sharpened.

“I understand.”

Hao Nhien remained silent.

Cat Thanh continued looking over the markings surrounding the city.

“The south, west, and north are all held by Cat Loi’s own people. I know each stretch of wall, where the formation is weaker, which units still have strength, and which ones have already been rotated out. Everything inside the city, I can calculate.”

His finger moved toward the southeast.

“But the Hoa Van force outside the city is different. Tam Thanh may also approach from that region later. I do not know when they will arrive, and I know even less about how you intend to coordinate those external forces.”

Cat Thanh looked up at Hao Nhien.

“That is a variable Cat Loi did not possess before you arrived.”

Hao Nhien said:

“That is why I want to open only one front. The other three sides continue defending, so the entire line is not dragged into a single counterattack.”

Cat Thanh remained silent for several breaths before nodding.

“Good.”

This time, his tone had changed.

He was no longer asking for an opinion.

He was making a decision as the man responsible for the entire city.

“Defense inside the city remains under my command. The elders keep their current positions. No gate opens without my order.”

The elders cupped their hands in unison.

“Understood!”

Cat Thanh turned back to Hao Nhien.

“As for everything outside the city—Hoa Duong, reinforcements from Tam Thanh if they arrive, the timing of the counterattack, signal flares, and coordination between those forces and Cat Loi—I leave that to you.”

The hall went quiet.

Hao Nhien looked at him.

“You are certain?”

“Certain.”

Cat Thanh answered immediately.

“If this involved only Cat Loi, I would make the decisions myself. But this battle now includes Hoa Van’s forces and may soon include Tam Thanh as well. More importantly, the force the enemy has not yet seen is in your hands.”

He pointed to the southeast on the map.

“I am inside the city. I cannot hold the entire defensive line while also accurately judging when the outside battlefield offers the best moment to strike. That is better left to you.”

Hao Nhien understood.

Cat Thanh was not handing Cat Loi City over to him, nor was he surrendering command.

He was only entrusting the part of the battlefield beyond his own reach to the person capable of connecting Cat Loi with the forces outside.

Hao Nhien nodded.

“Very well. I will be responsible for finding the opportunity.”

Cat Thanh added:

“Until your signal flare appears, Cat Loi will not attack outward on its own.”

The two looked at each other.

Nothing more needed to be said.

One would hold the city.

The other would look for a chance to break the encirclement.

For the first time since the siege began, Cat Loi possessed a force the enemy had not yet seen.

Its numbers were not enough to overturn the entire balance of the battlefield, but at least one new variable had entered the equation.

Hao Nhien turned toward the elder responsible for communications.

“Please send an urgent military report to Tam Thanh. Confirmed enemy numbers now exceed one thousand. Beast-control forces are participating, and the number of spirit beasts cannot yet be determined. Cat Loi needs reinforcements large enough to place real pressure on the encirclement, as soon as possible.”

He paused before adding:

“Also make it clear that until reinforcements arrive, Cat Loi will continue to hold.”

The elder instinctively turned toward Cat Thanh.

It was only a small movement, but everyone around the table noticed.

Cat Thanh showed no displeasure.

“For orders involving reinforcements, coordination of forces outside the city, and the timing of the counterattack, follow Hao Nhien’s instructions. There is no need to ask me again.”

The elder immediately cupped his hands.

“Understood!”

Hao Nhien paused for the slightest moment, but Cat Thanh merely looked at him without further explanation.

The decision had been made.

Hao Nhien did not stand on ceremony any longer.

“While we wait for reinforcements, I will find a way to confirm the forces still hidden outside and choose the right moment for a southeastern counterattack. Until then, everyone continues defending according to the current plan.”

He looked over the map one final time.

“We do not need to win quickly.”

His gaze moved across the room.

“We only need to avoid losing before the reinforcements arrive.”

No one added anything.

The meeting ended soon afterward.

One by one, everyone left the hall and returned to their positions.

Luu Thanh had already picked up his longbow and was preparing to leave when Cat Thanh suddenly called out:

“Luu Thanh.”

He stopped.

“What is it, City Lord?”

“Please wait outside for a moment.”

Luu Thanh looked slightly surprised, then glanced at Hao Nhien.

Hao Nhien was already looking at Cat Thanh.

There was no urgency in the City Lord’s eyes, but the heaviness in them was unmistakable, as though there was something he had kept hidden for a long time and had finally reached the point where it had to be spoken.

Hao Nhien gave a slight nod.

Luu Thanh asked nothing more. He cupped his hands, then left with his longbow.

The heavy stone doors closed behind him.

His footsteps gradually faded down the corridor.

Only Hao Nhien and Cat Thanh remained in the vast hall.

The dim red lamps along the walls flickered slightly.

The map still lay spread across the stone table, beside the lengths of chain, the broken beast-control pillar, and the dried blood flag.

Cat Thanh did not speak immediately.

He stood before the table for a long time, his gaze resting on the objects recovered from the battlefield as if weighing one final time whether he should reveal what came next.

Hao Nhien did not hurry him.

He simply stood and waited.

At last, Cat Thanh slowly raised his head.

“There is something I did not want to say in front of the others.”