Book 3, Chapter 203: Feints And Real Attacks

Yuan Qiuyuan stroked his chin and said, “Are you saying that this is just a misdirection tactic? That the Iron Monster is making it seem like he’s going to attack Fort 104, but his real target is still Fort 73?”

“Based on his habits, after an attack, he always pretends to be nearby. Once he draws our troops away, he appears at another place with weak defenses and ambushes it. It’s either this, or he goes back and attacks the first target after everyone thinks he has left.

“The Iron Monster is unlikely to reveal his intentions at the start. I think he’s testing the waters by passing by Fort 104. He wants to see how we’ll react before deciding his next move.

“I believe that he’s either hiding near Fort 104 or wants us to think that way but is actually coming here. That’s why I don’t suggest we leave the place.”

Yuan Qiuyuan and Qin Qingque turned to Chen Chuan for his decision.

Since they were the ones fighting against the Iron Monster, they could choose whether to adopt the strategy or not. They had done so when they came to Fort 73. Now that there was an update to the situation, they needed to decide whether they wanted to listen to Rao Qili again. Since they belonged to Chen Chuan’s unit, their captain’s opinion was more important.

Chen Chuan pondered over it and decided to continue listening to Rao Qili. After all, the man knew the Iron Monster much better than he did. He was willing to trust Rao Qili in this regard.

If they ran after the Iron Monster before even confirming where he was, they would just be led around by the nose. There was even a possibility that the Iron Monster would appear somewhere else after they reached Fort 104.

Staying to defend Fort 73 was the best choice.

“We’ll stay here,” Chen Chuan said to his team members.

Rao Qili sighed in relief. As a tactical advisor, he could only make suggestions, but he wasn’t the one who had come up with the strategy. It had been decided by him and his colleagues from the Intelligence Department, which meant that the strategy had been made based on previous evidence. That was why he really wanted to continue with it.

But this was the first time Chen Chuan led a team, and he was worried that the young man would be eager to gain achievements, which would end up with the strategy going down the drain. Fortunately, Chen Chuan was calm and rational.

Nothing happened over the next two days, but on the third day, they finally got an update.

A patrol unit was ambushed when they went out for their morning patrol. Everyone had died.

They immediately checked the map and found that the place was two days away from Fort 104. If the Iron Monster continued in this direction, he could head straight to the rear.

They began wondering.

Has the Iron Monster switched tactics and decided to forgo mixing feints with real attacks? Has he decided on a blitz to break into the heart of our territory?

With a deep scowl, Rao Qili stared at the map.

Half a day later, they received another update.

A communication station was destroyed. Based on the route, the enemy platoon had advanced further into their territory.

Another night passed. In the morning, they got another update.

A fort had been passed. A patrol guard had seen dozens of cavalry troops rush by the fort heading to the rear.

A senior military officer in the base sent a telegram to ask them where their unit was and what they had been doing over the past few days.

Once he learned that the unit was still defending Fort 73, he snapped at them, “Why are you staying put after receiving all these updates?!”

At this point, even Rao Qili was beginning to crack. He started becoming visibly anxious, but he bit down on his lip and refused to back down. Even now, he believed in his and his colleagues’ analysis.

Yuan Qiuyuan said nothing and just watched.

Qin Qingque appeared quite anxious, but she played her role of a good subordinate and followed Chen Chuan’s orders without question.

Meanwhile, Chen Chuan remained calm. He pondered over it for a while and said, “Advisor Rao, I’m going to stick to your plan.”

Rao Qili looked at him in surprise.

“I trust in your judgment, but I have my own reasons too. I believe that the tracks of his destruction are too obvious.

“I might not understand battle tactics, but I know martial arts. When an opponent’s intentions are obvious, it’s easy to counter them. As an experienced martial artist, there’s no way the Iron Monster would make such a mistake. Besides, this is completely different from his usual behavior, isn’t it?”

“What if he foresaw that we may predict his actions, so he decided to change tactics?” Yuan Qiuyuan asked.

Chen Chuan replied, “I won’t deny that possibility, but he won’t go against his basic principles. If he continues further into our territory and we block off the entrances of Fort 104 and Fort 73, he won’t have a way to retreat.

“Once he’s surrounded by our organized forces, he’ll only be able to leave through the mountains. That would require traversing the territories of fierce creatures.

“While he and the Third Limit warriors under his wing might be able to escape, most of his soldiers won’t be able to. It’s unlikely he’ll do something that’s going to result in such a major loss.

“Based on their system, the Iron Monster used his own money to build up his cavalry, as well as buy their equipment and horses, right?”

Rao Qili gave an affirmative answer. “Yes, he built them with the money he earned from his estate, the factory, and the ranch behind his estate.”

“That confirms my thoughts. His platoon looks like it’s an elite force, and he built it with his own money. He wouldn’t want to throw it away just like that,” Chen Chuan stated.

“Makes sense,” Yuan Qiuyuan agreed with a nod.

“Also, I noticed something else. That unit has attacked Fort 104 three times but has never conquered it, only broken through.

“Third Limit martial artists are pretty obsessive people. If they can’t complete a goal, they’re left unsatisfied, and they can’t let go of it. They keep on thinking how to do it to prove themselves worthy. I’m sure that you’ve felt it before.”

Qin Qingque thought about it and nodded.

Yuan Qiuyuan, too, pondered over it for a moment. “I have to say, I did have that feeling before.”

Rao Qili turned to Chen Chuan and said, “Captain Chen, the Intelligence Department has also considered this, and your judgment aligns with ours. I’ll record this and send it to the department as additional information.”

“This is just a guess, while your analysis is based on facts.” Chen Chuan shook his head.

He wasn’t being humble. The Intelligence Department had made their decision based on information he didn’t know yet.

In slightly exaggerated terms, someone working with the Iron Monster might have given the Intelligence Department extra information, which meant that they had an answer sheet while working on their strategy. Chen Chuan couldn’t hope to compare to them in this aspect.

Since his judgment was similar to the Intelligence Department’s plan, it meant that defending Fort 73 was definitely the best choice.

“I support the captain’s decision,” Qin Qingque piped up.

“Same,” Yuan Qiuyuan added.

“Advisor Rao, send my opinion back. I’m the captain for this operation. If any problems arise, I’ll shoulder the responsibility,” Chen Chuan declared as he stared at Rao Qili.

After some hesitation, Rao Qili said seriously, “I’ll submit a report with both our names. I’m the tactical advisor, and I’m the one who suggested defending Fort 73. There’s no reason why you should be held accountable alone.”

Then, he saluted Chen Chuan and went to send a telegram.

***

Another day passed. This time, they suddenly received a lot of updates in the morning. Apparently, multiple communication points had been damaged in the rear, which seemed like solid proof that the Iron Monster’s platoon was wreaking havoc over there.

That night, another senior military officer called to rebuke them, and his tone was even harsher.

Chen Chuan remained unmoved. As long as they didn’t transfer him back, he could just ignore them.

The Command Center was directly in charge of him, and as long as they hadn’t said a single thing, the senior military officers had no place to yell or give him orders.

Besides, there was never just one correct decision. Waiting here was a strategic contest and part of the battle against the Iron Monster.

Chen Chuan looked at the dark night outside. He couldn’t see anything, as if the darkness had blocked off everything. Only the light within the fort occasionally could be seen.

***

At that moment, several kilometers away from Fort 73 was a man in armor and a helmet. He had a red mask over his face, which made him look like a demon sitting on a huge horse with red spots over a black coat. He was staring at the fort.

Dozens of cavalry troops stood behind him. They said nothing, and only their horses’ eyes shone a dim, red light in the darkness.

These troops were part of the platoon that had broken through Fort 104. Once they got through that place, they split. One team rode forth to misdirect the enemy and create chaos in the rear.

Meanwhile, the main force took a huge detour traveling only at night. They chose to go through the territories of creatures that could be easily taken out. Despite losing two cavalrymen on their way, they successfully arrived behind Fort 73.

The fort might have set up tight defenses on multiple sides, but its best-defended area was still the front. It had closely packed trenches and barbed wire facing the valley. Compared to the front, its back was much more poorly defended.

This time, the cavalry was fully prepared. As long as they seized this place, their retreat would be secured. Then, they could attack and raid the other bases.

They would act according to the situation later. If Fort 73 mobilized its soldiers, they would swiftly retreat and attack other areas. They were the ones with the initiative, after all.

The leader let out a low, surreal series of sounds.

All the cavalry got off their horses. Aside from the noise made by their armor shifting, there were no extra sounds. Each of them retrieved a cage with an insect-like creature inside it from their horse.

The governments and companies had bioweapons that could assist their fighters during combat. The remnants of the old dynasty, too, had such technology.

They put the cages on their backs and headed to the fort above them. The leader remained on his horse as he watched the fort with crimson eyes.

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