After subduing the five surrounding bandits, Zhou Jing temporarily postponed his expansion and watched the situation change. At the same time, he reorganized the newly joined troops.
“Now that we’ve taken down Small Wind Lake, Taimen Lake, Guanya Lake, Green Slope Swamp, and Lonely Autumn Lake, biting off a huge piece of meat from Fan Zong, he will definitely not let the matter rest. He will probably take action in a few days.”
In the main hall of the stronghold, Zhou Jing was discussing matters with the leaders.
“Second Brother’s plan is an open scheme. We quickly expand and only occupy Fan Zong’s territory, forcing him to fight. If he doesn’t deal with it, his prestige will be greatly damaged, and it will be difficult to convince the public.”
Guo Haishen nodded.
Duan Yunfeng pondered out loud as well, “Even if Fan Zong sends troops to suppress us, he will have no choice but to split the troops to guard against the other two enemies to prevent the void at his backyard from being taken advantage of. Therefore, he definitely don’t dare to send out all our troops… Brother Sheng Rong, how many people do you think Fan Zong will send to attack?”
Sheng Rong thought for a moment and replied, “We only have 8,000 people. Among them, we can only gather 4,000 to 5,000 people to fight at most. With my understanding of Fan Zong, he will probably mobilize more than half of the water generals. Coupled with some of the main troops, there will be about 18,000 to 25,000 people going out to war, several times more than us.”
When the other bandit leaders heard this, they nodded in agreement.
These leaders also had titles in the Green Forest. When they were under Fan Zong, their status was higher than Sheng Rong’s. However, as newly joined camps, they were currently inferior to Sheng Rong.
“The manpower difference is indeed huge.” Duan Yunfeng frowned.
Fang Zhen snorted, “Back then, the three of us only brought 200 people, but we were able to flatten Tiger Head Mountain, which has more than 10,000 people. A mere few times the number of troops is nothing.”
“We naturally admire Brother Chen Feng’s deed of flattening two mountains with a single spear. However, this water battle is different from land battles. The situation is more complicated.” One of the bandit leaders shook his head.
Sheng Rong also advised against it,
“I know that all of you are strong in martial arts, but don’t underestimate Fan Zong. In a naval battle, numbers are secondary. The most important thing is the warships. Fan Zong’s navy is quite powerful. They have several types of warships, such as barges and striker?ships1. They can advance and retreat in an organized manner and cooperate well. However, we only have some small boats. If we want to face the enemy, we can only board them. We’re at a huge disadvantage.”
Zhou Jing nodded and said,
“Therefore, I have to choose a complicated and long battlefield on the water to restrain the other party from setting up a formation. It’s best if it’s only suitable for the light boat to pass through. Only then can I weaken Fan Zong’s advantage…”
Just as everyone was discussing, a messenger rushed in and shouted,
“Report! Leaders, Fan Zong has already sent troops to attack us.”
When everyone heard this, they subconsciously looked at Zhou Jing.
Zhou Jing raised his eyebrows and smiled, “I thought this person could calm down and wait a little longer. I didn’t expect him to be so anxious… Since he wants to fight me, I’ll send a letter of challenge to him to fight at Green Slope Swamp.”
Among the five territories, Green Slope Swamp was the most dangerous. After discussion, everyone felt that it was the most suitable place to use as a battlefield and decided to give up the other four territories and join forces here.
Zhou Jing was not afraid that Fan Zong would not accept the challenge. The territory was dead, but the people were alive. Fan Zong could ignore his letter of challenge and take the opportunity to take back the territory, but it was useless to take down some empty strongholds. If he did not chase his group away directly, the threat would not be eliminated.
After giving the order, Zhou Jing looked at the leaders and said in a deep voice,
“We have to take down Fan Zong and capture the leaders of his navy in this battle. Whether we can gain a foothold in Huyang depends on this battle.”
“Understood.”
Everyone responded loudly.
…
Under the forceful interference of Chen Feng, the dragon that crossed the river, the originally deadlocked situation in Huyang suddenly became turbulent.
The “Golden Scale King” Fan Zong had summoned the remaining 17 water generals and brought eight of them with him. Together with a portion of his own troops, there were a total of 22,000 people. They were known as The 30,000 Strong Army, and they set off with much fanfare.
The other troops guarded their territories against the other two enemies.
Fan Zong received Zhou Jing’s challenge and was also fearless. He marched steadily all the way to Green Slope Swamp.
Green Slope Swamp had dangerous terrain, and the reeds were like a maze. The deeper they went, the denser they became. There were also shallow areas everywhere, and it was difficult for ships to drive in them. If they were not careful, they would easily be stranded.
In the center of the lake was an island with a low terrain, like a steep slope. It was where the stronghold was located, surrounded by layers of reeds. If one was not familiar with the waterway here, it would be difficult to even step onto the island.
At this moment, Fan Zong’s troops had set up a temporary camp on the distant shore. Many warships were lined up along the shore, located on a slightly flat lake outside the green slope, facing the sinister green slope from afar.
Warships were lined up everywhere, and there was a sea of people. Banners fluttered, and the scene was quite grand.
Fan Zong stood at the bow of a ship in the array and frowned as he sized up the environment. Then, he tilted his head and asked a man dressed as a scholar.
“I wonder what Military Advisor thinks?”
This scholarly-dressed man was the military advisor of Fan Zong Stronghold. His name was Du Ying, and he had learned a little about arranging troops.
Du Ying stroked his beard as he spoke,
“Chief, this green slope is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Chen Feng is weak, so he naturally wants to rely on geographical advantage to defeat us. I sensed some faint killing intent in the lake, but the enemy is nowhere to be seen. He’s most likely waiting in ambush within the reeds. He didn’t hide this intention because he wanted to see if we dared to enter.”
Fan Zong rolled his eyes, “Since you know the opponent’s plan, why don’t you surround them and not attack? Defend the exit, cut off their supplies, and trap these people to death?”
Du Ying thought for a moment and replied,
“I’m afraid this plan is not appropriate. Chief, don’t forget that Chen Feng’s martial arts are astonishing. He’s good at attacking camps and can’t be judged by common sense. If we keep trapping them and don’t attack, we’ll give Chen Feng a chance to use his skills. If we delay, something will happen. In my opinion, why don’t we end the battle quickly?”
Facing Chen Feng, who exceeded common sense, it was not good for him to use conventional thinking to make a judgment. If he did not take the initiative to attack, he was afraid that Chen Feng would give them a “night inspection”. But if he took the initiative to attack, he was basically stepping in even though he knew that the other party was lying in ambush.
Fan Zong calculated in his heart and decided to adopt the latter plan. He asked,
“Then what plan does Military Advisor have to defeat the enemy?”
Du Ying pondered for a while and said, “Now that our army is powerful, there’s no need for any surprises. We should use the direct method to win. Maintain the encirclement formation and advance steadily. Don’t go deep rashly. Let the outer ships scout around and release the divers to explore the reefs and stop the enemy’s own divers from harassing us.
At the same time, try your best to cut down and burn the reeds blocking the way, breaking the geographical advantage so that our army fleet can advance straight in. This way, the enemy will have nowhere to hide and be forced to fight head-on. With my army’s advantage, we can attack the enemy’s weakness…
By the way, we also have to prevent Chen Feng from relying on his strength to kill and seize the flag. Otherwise, all our efforts will be in vain.”
“Right, that makes sense.”
Fan Zong’s expression relaxed. He felt that this move was quite satisfying, in line with his thoughts.
At this moment, more than ten small boats appeared on the side of Green Slope Swamp. Zhou Jing stood on one of the boats and sailed towards Fan Zong’s large fleet.
Halfway through, the dozen or so small boats stopped and faced Fan Zong and the others from afar.
Zhou Jing glanced around and locked his gaze on the yellow-clothed person at the bow of the ship. Through his characteristics, he recognized that this person was Fan Zong.
“Are you the Golden Scale King, Chief Fan?”
“Exactly.”
Fan Zong replied and sized up Zhou Jing. Then, he said angrily,
“Hmph, you’re the Chaotic World Demon, Chen Feng? I’ve really heard a lot about you! I respect you as a good man and wanted to befriend you, but you came to snatch my territory for no reason. Do you think I’m easy to bully?”
“Haha, Leader Fan, don’t misunderstand. I’m not targeting you.” Zhou Jing crossed his arms and laughed loudly, “I’ve long heard that the Three Flood Dragons of Huyang are not ordinary people. However, I see that in the end you’re just mediocre. Although your military might is strong today, in my eyes, they’re all useless. I think you might as well surrender to me directly so that you can suffer less.”
These words were no different from saying that everyone present was trash.
Hearing this, many of the leaders under Fan Zong were immediately furious and cursed loudly.
Fan Zong was also furious as he shouted, “Chen Feng! Don’t be arrogant! How dare you look down on my Huyang heroes? I’ll let you know my strength today!”
“Oh? Then which hero from Huyang dares to come up and receive my spear?”
Zhou Jing hooked his leg and kicked up his Coiling Dragon Spear high into the air. He casually grabbed it and turned it around. The 80 catty iron spear was like a light wooden stick in his hand.
As soon as he finished speaking, the curses in Fan Zong’s area instantly fell silent. No one answered.
What a joke. Do you think we haven’t heard of your story? Only those that are tired of living will fight you one-on-one!
Fan Zong was not embarrassed at all and snorted, “Chen Feng, our army is powerful now, so we’re not in the mood to fight you.”
At this moment, a small boat beside Zhou Jing suddenly sailed forward.
Duan Yunfeng stood on the ship and deliberately provoked,
“Hero of Huyang, with this bit of courage, how can you be called a hero? There’s no need for my brother to attack. I, Duan Yunfeng, am enough to deal with you rats.”
Hearing this, the leaders in the Fan Zong Formation cursed and clamored again, requesting to fight.
Duan Yunfeng was not famous in the Green Forest Path, and the rich people of Huyang did not recognize him.
It was fine if Chen Feng or Guo Haishen said that, but who are you, a nobody with the surname Duan? Do you think you’re worthy of looking down on us?
Seeing that the crowd was agitated and that Chen Feng was not leaving the formation, Fan Zong thought for a moment and turned to point at a leader, “Brother Ling, I’ll have to trouble you to take down this person and show off your might for our army.”
As long as it was not a one-on-one against Chen, he did not mind letting his leaders fight, especially since Duan Yunfeng was a nobody.
In a battle in the Green Forest, it was common for two armies to fight against each other in small duels. In a water battle, both sides would each send out a small boat to dock in the center. The experts of both sides would use the boat as the ground to capture and kill each other.
“Just watch me.”
The leader surnamed Ling nodded calmly. Then, he boarded a small boat and headed straight for Duan Yunfeng.
Fan Zong’s main stronghold had more than ten leaders, including two experts. This person was one of them. His name was Ling Tong, and he wielded two short spears with chains in the middle. His nickname was “Ground Sweeping Wind”, and his martial arts were extraordinary.
Under everyone’s gazes, in the middle of the two armies, the small boats docked and the battle began.
Duan Yunfeng held two swords in his hands, ruthless and crafty. Ling Tong held two spears and was fast and agile.
For a moment, sword light and spear light danced all over the place. The two figures twisted and turned on the narrow ship, fighting evenly.
After fighting for 40 to 50 rounds, Ling Tong gradually could not hold on anymore. Sensing that he was not his match, he hurriedly attacked a few times to force Duan Yunfeng away and decisively jumped into the river to escape.
However, Duan Yunfeng reacted quickly. The moment Ling Tong jumped into the water, he immediately stabbed downwards into the water.
In the next moment, a smear of blood appeared on the lake.
Water splashed everywhere as Ling Tong struggled to float up. Duan Yunfeng grabbed him and carried him back to the boat before kicking him unconscious.
“Aiyo, Brother Ling!”
Fan Zong shouted anxiously when he saw that his expert had been captured.
Duan Yunfeng sheathed his sword and shouted, “How dare you show your strength with this little ability? You overestimate yourself!”
However, even after this remark, the Fan Zong Formation was completely silent.
Many of the leaders and lackeys were shocked. The other party could actually capture one of the top experts on their side with just a nameless pawn?
How many powerful people were under Chen Feng?
Seeing this, Du Ying immediately spoke,
“Master, Leader Ling has lost this round. The morale of the boys is low, so we can’t duel anymore. Let’s directly kill our way up and push forward.”
“Alright, beat the drums and march!”
Fan Zong gritted his teeth and ordered loudly.
Soon, the sound of war drums rumbled as Fan Zong’s navy set off in large numbers.
Seeing this, Duan Yunfeng hurriedly drove the small boat back to Zhou Jing’s side.
“Fortunately, I didn’t disappoint you.”
He nodded to him.
Before the battle began, he had already planned to use his lack of fame to specially step out and attack the morale of his opponent.
“Brother, well done.”
Zhou Jing praised before looking at the gradually approaching navy. His gaze locked onto the flagship ship under heavy cover.
“Follow the plan and let our brothers use the waterway to disperse and attack. We’ll fight and retreat, luring the enemy deeper. When we reach our position, it’ll be time for me to show my might.”
With that, the dozen or so small boats immediately retreated and disappeared into the reeds