Astral Apostle

541 Intimidation and Secret Connection (2)

Yuwen Yan laughed dryly and gave him a flattery.

The corners of Ma Zhen’s eyes twitched. He felt like vomiting when he heard this, but he could only hold it in.

He did not want to dwell on this point and changed the topic,

“Chen Feng is so ferocious and vicious. If he makes a comeback, how should we deal with him? We can’t repeat the same mistake today. Do you have a plan?”

When everyone present heard this, they immediately lowered their heads in silence.

They were all people who understood warfare well. If the Perfected One could not restrain Chen Feng, with Chen Feng’s mobility and lethality, it could be said that he could come and go as he pleased. As long as he kept attacking the camp, he could cause great damage to the soldiers. It was almost an unbreakable battle method.

Ma Zhen’s heart was solemn as he now agreed with Privy Pang’s warnings before he left.

As expected, Chen Feng was not a person that was all brawn but no brains. He was basically a figure who had never appeared in the world… He had broken through the army and defeated everyone to seize the area. His momentum was like the thunder in the nine heavens, and his attacks were so strong that he could be said to be a top figure since ancient times. He was really difficult to deal with.

The more Ma Zhen thought about it, the more his head hurt. He really did not know how to restrain such an enemy.

This world had never come into contact with such supernatural wars, so it had no relevant experience at all.

Even if Ma Zhen could think of a way, he could not cook without rice… After all, the only supernatural being under him who could match the enemy’s top combat strength was actually an undercover “werewolf”.

“… Pass down the order. Tell the various camps to strengthen their night defense. Don’t slack off.”

Ma Zhen took a deep breath. He could only take some conventional precautions at this point. It was better than nothing.

The five strategies to break the bandits had worked, but he had also released a fearless tiger because of this. He did not know which was more advantageous, and he could not help but feel a little vexed about the results.

However, he had no choice. If he wanted to break through the Huyang stronghold, he had to do everything he could. He could not hold back.

“Maybe I should consider retreating and prepare my final trump card…”

This thought flashed through Ma Zhen’s mind.

…

That night, a frontline camp of the official army was completely destroyed. The next day, the officials could only send people to clean up the battlefield and deal with the corpses.

The soldiers who were tidying up the battlefield saw the cruel and tragic scene here and were naturally terrified. They felt that this resembled the purgatory of the mortal world.

There were many survivors who participated in the support that night. Soon, the news spread throughout the army, and more and more soldiers found out about the situation that night.

Chen Feng had destroyed a camp alone and even repelled the reinforcements. Even though the attacked camp had discovered their assailant in advance and was prepared to face the enemy, they still did not escape the fate of being completely wiped out.

This outcome frightened the soldiers of the various camps. They were afraid that Chen Feng would use the same trick again and attack the other frontline camps.

Even if they discovered him in advance, they could not stop him!

Intimidated by this battle, the morale of the Imperial Court’s troops plummeted, and their morale fluctuated. They felt that with their mortal bodies, how could they fight such a monster? They would only be devoured by the enemy bit by bit. It was no different from sending them to their deaths.

There were even rumors that Chen Feng was a cannibalistic demon who liked to eat people’s hearts the most. This rumor was actually unanimously agreed by countless soldiers. It was as if the more ferocious and terrifying Chen Feng was, the more it matched their expectations of his image.

In the next few days, Zhou Jing did not stay idle and attacked repeatedly.

Because the Imperial Court used the five strategies to break the bandits and control the commoners, Zhou Jing simply experimented with a new fighting style of the bandits in Huyang. He personally led a group of troops and moved outside the area controlled by the Dragon King Stronghold, attacking the territory of the Imperial Court’s army everywhere.

The reinforcement soldiers were exhausted from running and could not muster enough strength to properly defend at all. Meanwhile, those troops who were attacked could not fight Chen Feng’s troops at all.

Under Zhou Jing’s successive victories, the civilian control that the Imperial Court’s army had just established not long ago fell bit by bit. The effect of the five strategies to break the bandits was affected, and it became increasingly difficult to maintain.

However, without Chen Feng guarding the Dragon King Stronghold, the Imperial Court’s army took the opportunity to launch many attacks at it.

Unfortunately, the Dragon King’s soldiers were also seasoned and resilient. They blocked wave after wave of attacks and could even organize a counterattack from time to time. If the soldiers were careless, they would suffer.

The Imperial Court’s army could not attack, and they repeatedly returned empty-handed. Ma Zhen kept asking Ling Fengzi for help to break through the stronghold, but he was rejected every time.

Seeing the opportunity slip away again and again, Ma Zhen became even more dissatisfied with Ling Fengzi’s attitude.

…

In a certain pass of the Dragon King Stronghold.

This place was located on the other side of the battlefront, blocking one of the troops of the Imperial Court to prevent the enemy from advancing and attacking the headquarters.

Fan Zong was one of the generals guarding this pass.

That night.

Fan Zong was drinking alone in the room, as if he had something on his mind.

At this moment, a guard came in to report.

“There’s someone outside who wants to see you. He claims to be from the same hometown as the leader. His name is Cao Sheng.”

“Oh? Invite him in.”

Fan Zong had an impression of this name, it seemed to be one of his friends he had made a long time ago.

Soon, a middle-aged man in plain clothes walked in and cupped his fists, “Brother Fan, do you still remember me?”

“Haha, of course I remember. Take a seat.”

Fan Zong called him to take a seat and got someone to add a set of bowls and chopsticks.

Cao Sheng sat down and said, “Big Brother, why are you drinking alone?”

“It’s just a few drinks… As for you, why are you here to see me today?”

Fan Zong was a little curious.

He remembered this fellow countryman, but they usually did not interact much and had not seen each other for many years.

“I was asked by someone to deliver a letter.”

“Oh, who is it?”

Cao Sheng looked around and whispered into Fan Zong’s ear, “The Imperial Court.”

Fan Zong’s expression suddenly changed as he narrowed his eyes at him.

Cao Sheng’s heart turned cold. He hurriedly took out a letter from the hidden pocket of his sleeve and quietly handed it over.

“Big Brother is known as the Golden Scale King and is one of the famous Three Flood Dragons of Huyang. The Imperial Court admires Big Brother’s abilities and specially found me to be a lobbyist. They want to recruit Big Brother and give him a bright future.”

“The Three Flood Dragons of Huyang are long gone. I submitted to Chief Chen two to three years ago. Now, I’m just an ordinary leader under him.”

Fan Zong’s tone was indifferent, but he did not immediately call his personal guards in to capture him. Instead, he took the letter and read it.

This was a personal letter from a general among the soldiers. Other than pleasantries, it was all about the recruitment conditions.

Seeing this, Cao Sheng was delighted. He felt that there was a chance and advised,

“Big Brother, you’re also a famous figure. After all, you were once the leader of a stronghold. How can you endure living under someone else’s roof? Big Brother underestimated his enemy and lost to Chen Feng, so you had no choice but to submit to that person. Don’t you feel aggrieved? Now that the government is willing to offer an official position to recruit Big Brother, why don’t you abandon this group of rebels and return to the right path? You know that rebellion is a crime worthy of killing nine generations of your family, how can you miss this opportunity to turn back?”

“You sure know how to think for me.”

Fan Zong was not angry. He only lowered his head to read the letter before burning it on the candlelight.

“Big Brother, Chen Feng’s actions go against the Heavenly Dao. He will definitely be punished by the heavens. Why do we have to stick with him?”

Cao Sheng persuaded earnestly.

Fan Zong frowned and looked a little hesitant, as if he was in a dilemma. He finally shook his head.

“Go back and send a message. Let me consider this matter… But if word gets out, I don’t want to hear you mention it again. Leave.”

Hearing this, Cao Sheng knew that Fan Zong would not make up his mind so quickly. He did not dare to rush him and quickly stood up to bid farewell and return to report.

Fan Zong watched him leave and subconsciously stroked his beard that was already a little white. His expression became subtle.

He had already submitted to the Dragon King Stronghold for a few years. He was once the Chief of a faction, but now, he was only an ordinary leader on the mountain. This made him feel a little awkward at times.

Most of the leaders who had originally followed him had already been divided and completely integrated into the Dragon King Stronghold.

For example, his former military advisor, Du Ying, had completely submitted to Chen Feng. Now, his seat was even above his, and they rarely interacted with each other.

It was as if he was saying, “Don’t contact me. I’m afraid the Chief will misunderstand.”

Fan Zong was the first faction to be subdued by Chen Feng. Back then, he surrendered to save his life, having had no choice but to do so. In the end, he became the only survivor of the Three Flood Dragons of Huyang.

However, in the past few years on the mountain, he had become more and more depressed because of the difference in status.

Now, the Imperial Court wanted to poach him and give him, the “rebel”, a way out. They wanted to bribe him to open the pass that they were guarding so that the officials could march in and destroy the back courtyard of the Dragon King Stronghold.

As long as he could help the Imperial Court succeed, not only would he let bygones be bygones, but he could also obtain an official position and rise above others.

“Repent and you will be saved, huh…”

Fan Zong muttered to himself, his eyes flickering.