Chapter 593: Chapter 164: Mechanical Army, Attack!_2
“The Golden Halberd Army was purely dragged down by Sun Gan’s involvement.”
Sun Gan, as head of the Imperial Guards, had previously attempted to overreach his station by going after the Mu Upper General Mansion, trying to seize the advantage before anyone else.
He himself led the Imperial Guards, yet sought to jump ship to another post, which also displeased the Monarch.
Thus, this time he was sidelined, reduced to a pawn used for probing the enemy’s military strength deployment.”
Ning Zhuo thought for a moment and added, “Among our four armies, there will naturally be distinctions.”
“Based on my guess, among the four marching routes, our situation will not be ideal; there will definitely be several tough nuts to crack.”
Ning Zhuo’s conjecture was later confirmed.
There were indeed differences in the marching routes of the four armies, with Sun Gan’s Golden Halberd Army facing the most difficulties, followed by the Three Generals Camp, Red Flower Camp in third, and surprisingly, the Barbarian Demon Camp had the best route.
From this, Ning Zhuo inferred the changes in the Liangzhu Country’s court: “Traitors are the most detestable. Sun Gan’s disloyalty has enraged the Monarch.”
“Our Three Generals Camp made a name for itself in the last ambush, and there are many in the court who would like to suppress us.”
“The Red Flower Camp, ranking third, exposes that many still harbor hopes for the Mu Upper General Mansion.”
“The Barbarian Demon Camp, usually regarded as cannon fodder, receiving the best treatment is truly ironic. The scope of Liangzhu Country’s Monarch is just so.”
The three generals said nothing, but all wore expressions of agreement.
The military order was issued at noon that day.
The four armies hastily ate their lunch and then broke camp to march.
Mu Lan specifically called for Ning Zhuo to meet and handed him a military token: “In critical moments, crush this token, and I can wield military power to rescue you to my side.”
Mu Lan’s concern for Ning Zhuo was growing.
Without involving emotions, she remained that iron-blooded leader.
What was key is that Ning Zhuo’s life and death were deeply entwined with the interests of Mu Upper General Mansion.
Ning Zhuo accepted the token and expressed his thanks.
Before Ning Zhuo left, Mu Lan still suggested, “Perhaps you could march with me?”
This proposal was immediately rejected by Ning Zhuo, who clarified that he was the Military Adviser and Sacrificial Wine of the Three Generals Camp and had always got along well with the three generals. The battle had not even started, and if their own Military Adviser and Sacrificial Wine were to join another army, it would definitely cause trouble for the Three Generals Camp.
“Liu, Guan, and Zhang have treated me exceptionally well; how could I, Ning Zhuo, be a petty person who forgets favors upon seeing benefits?” Ning Zhuo firmly refused.
Mu Lan had expected this response and could only nod, instructing Ning Zhuo to be cautious.
Ning Zhuo rejoined the Three Generals Camp, causing Liu Er to secretly heave a sigh of relief.
Of course, Liu Er was worried that Ning Zhuo would switch allegiance to the Red Flower Camp and not stay in the Three Generals Camp.
Now, it seemed his worries were unnecessary.
Zhang Hei and Guan Hong had no such concerns; they were confident in Ning Zhuo’s choice of the Three Generals Camp.
The Three Generals Camp formed a One-Line Long Snake Formation and headed towards Thousand Peak Forest.
Along the way, they marched as normal, without any intentional delays.
On the evening of the third day, they reached the foot of the Heavenly Pillar Giant Tree Mountain.
After setting up camp, the night passed peacefully.
The next morning, they broke camp to set off, climbing the first Heavenly Pillar Giant Tree Mountain.
They encountered no enemies.
The soldiers detected many traces of Barbarian Clan and Demon Beasts’ activities, but these intelligent creatures had all moved away.
Although there were other creatures on this Heavenly Pillar Giant Tree Mountain, it had been abandoned.
The Three Generals Camp advanced unopposed, facing no resistance.
“General, we’ve found a large amount of food!” A reconnaissance cavalry returned to report, their expression excited.
Liu Er and Ning Zhuo went to inspect and discovered a large cluster of mushrooms.
Ning Zhuo advised, “The Barbarian Clan is adept at poison. They deliberately left behind this food, which could be a trap. In my opinion, we shouldn’t touch it at all.”
Liu Er originally wanted to pick some as backup provisions, but upon hearing this, he immediately nodded: “The adviser speaks wisely.”
He promptly ordered the entire army not to take anything and to press on.
The second Heavenly Pillar Giant Tree Mountain, the third Heavenly Pillar Giant Tree Mountain, were all abandoned. The Three Generals Camp encountered no enemies.
Liu, Guan, and Zhang Ning appeared calm, but their mood grew increasingly somber.
Encountering some resistance would be more favorable for them. First, it would serve to train the troops, second, to boost morale, and third, even if they suffered setbacks, they would have a reason to station locally.
On the contrary, now that the enemy voluntarily contracted their forces, consolidating nearby military power into a tight group, it posed a greater threat to the Three Generals Camp!
Finally, when they arrived at the fourth Giant Tree Mountain, they saw two military camps.
One camp was stationed at the foot of the mountain, and the other was halfway up the mountain; the two were positioned to mutually support each other.
The Three Generals Camp only had one force; they could not divide their troops between two locations.
“Damn it, the enemy outnumbers us, and our Triangle Arrow Formation requires the joint efforts of us three Golden Core cultivators; there’s no way we can divide our forces.”
While Zhang Hei was struggling, Liu Er gave a slight smile.
Guan Hong stroked his beard and said nothing.
Zhang Hei’s face lit up with joy: “If Big Brother smiles, he must have thought of a good strategy. Spill it, spill it.”
Liu Er then looked towards Ning Zhuo: “It’s not that I have a plan, but the adviser does.”
Ning Zhuo immediately knew what Liu Er was thinking and said, “General Zhang has been focused on training the troops and may not have noticed that I have also formed an army of Mechanical Puppets recently.”
“Because it’s inconvenient to deploy within the Three Generals Camp territory, I usually go to the Red Flower Camp to make use of the open space there for training.”
Zhang Hei was overjoyed: “Such a thing exists? Given the adviser’s abilities, this Mechanical Army’s combat strength must be strong!”
Ning Zhuo gave a wry smile: “General Zhang flatters me! The Mechanical Army is newly formed and insufficiently trained. However, my command of an army might buy some valuable time for the three generals.”
Liu Er replied, “If that’s the case, then we’ll trouble the adviser to deal with the enemy camp on the mountainside. My two sworn brothers and I will join forces to quickly eliminate the enemy camp at the foot of the mountain.”