The First Order

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At Mt. Zuoyun, Ren Xiaosu led Ji Zi'ang on a walk in the wilderness with only the two of them.

"Bury a set of TNT here," Ren Xiaosu said as he looked at the map and pointed at his feet, "P5092 said that there'll be barbarian elites passing through here to provide cover for the expeditionary army's flanks."

With that, Ji Zi'ang followed Ren Xiaosu's instructions and placed the TNT on the ground. Then he controlled the soil on the ground to "swallow" up the TNT.

These days, burying explosives had become a technical skill. The barbarians had been blown up enough times that if the TNT were buried too obviously, it would definitely be discovered by the enemy.

There were many outstanding hunters in the expeditionary army, so it would be extremely easy for them to determine whether the ground's surface had been dug up before.

Therefore, after some thought, Ren Xiaosu asked Ji Zi'ang if he could bury the explosives without revealing any traces that it had been buried. Ji Zi'ang said that he could.

This answer left Ren Xiaosu overjoyed. It was as though he had found a new companion in his quest to ambush the barbarians.

Ji Zi'ang suddenly asked, "Future Commander, do you think we can win?"

"Definitely." Ren Xiaosu said firmly, "It's just a group of barbarians. How long do you think they can continue being so arrogant here in the Central Plains?"

"Then what if we really get trapped here?" Ji Zi'ang wondered. "Wang Run did say that there are still about 140,000 expeditionary army troops on the battlefield. That's much more than P5092's initial estimate."

According to P5092's plan, they were planning to fight this defensive battle with a kill ratio of ten to one, and that was still in the most ideal of situations. In other words, the 6th Combat Brigade could at most take out 60,000 expeditionary army troops in the best-case scenario.

However, the Pyro Company's early defeat had left the troops at Mt. Zuoyun and Mt. Daniu to bear all the pressure. Mt. Zuoyun alone might have to face 70,000 barbarians now. Even if everyone could achieve the best results and the expeditionary army might suffer heavy casualties, the 6th Combat Brigade would still definitely be wiped out.

Ren Xiaosu thought for a moment and comforted, "Actually, if we really get surrounded here for more than ten days, the 6th Combat Brigade will definitely not be left to fight alone."

"What do you mean?" Ji Zi'ang was puzzled.

"Fortress 178's troops will not sit back and do nothing. They don't have the habit of leaving their comrades helpless," Ren Xiaosu said.

"But P5092 said in the previous meeting that the best strategy for Fortress 178 is to defend the Northwest tenaciously and not recklessly send troops to the Central Plains," Ji Zi'ang said.

"Of course that's the best strategy." Ren Xiaosu smiled and said, "But when has the Northwest ever followed such conventions? With more than 6,000 Northwestern comrades at Mt. Zuoyun. Mr. Zhang won't stand to see us all die in battle. The Northwest's current military strength is much stronger than before."

During the wee hours of the fifth day, an emergency call to arms sounded at the defensive position.

Ren Xiaosu put on his clothes and came out of his tent. He rushed to the command post and asked, "What's the matter?"

P5092 was already dressed smartly as he stood in front of the sand table. "Wang Yun's recon troops have discovered the enemy's situation. The expeditionary army has herded more than 3,000 refugees and appeared at a location 40 klicks away. It's estimated they'll arrive at Mt. Zuoyun by dawn. But we don't know if they'll stop to rest and reorganize. Based on the progress of their advancement, the expeditionary army's main forces will likely maintain their stamina and should be ready for battle at any moment. Moreover, the expeditionary army troops that have us surrounded inside Mt. Zuoyun have rested for many days. If they don't start fighting soon, their morale will start to drop."

"Do you think that they might launch a direct assault once they arrive at Mt. Zuoyun?" Ren Xiaosu asked.

"Yes." P5092 said, "I figure there'll be a fierce battle at dawn, and it will likely last for the entire day. The expeditionary army's main forces are prepared to attack. They'll take turns to wear down the 6th Combat Brigade's troops, so we have to be prepared."

"Then let's fight them," Ren Xiaosu said.

"The expeditionary army will definitely try to break past the defensive position tomorrow." P5092 said, "You also know there's still elites hidden among the expeditionary army. Their destructive power is too strong for the defensive position, and they'll definitely appear during the positional battle tomorrow. Therefore, Future Commander, you mustn't make a reckless move. You have to wait for those elites to appear."

"Understood." Ren Xiaosu nodded.

"Also," P5092 suddenly said, "Future Commander, if the expeditionary army drives the refugees to charge at us, you can't become soft…."

P5092 was most worried that Ren Xiaosu would not have the heart to take action against the refugees when he saw them in a pathetic state and try to seek other strategies to save them. That would definitely delay the timing to blow up the barbarians.

How could there be so many perfect scenarios in war?

Ren Xiaosu gave him his word.

But by daybreak, Ren Xiaosu was still a little shocked when the refugees who were being herded into the mountains by the expeditionary army appeared.

When he saw the refugees approaching from afar, their feet were still bleeding as they walked on the mountain path. To make the refugees appear even more pitiful, the expeditionary army ordered them to throw away their shoes and walk barefooted.

The refugees had numb expressions on their faces. But when they saw the Central Plains front line appear in front of them, they started running madly as though they had seen their savior.

The expeditionary army followed close behind them and was ready to spring into action at any moment.

Everyone at the defensive position fell silent. Over the past few days, the soldiers were briefed by the officers on more than one occasion on what they were about to face. And the future commander had also volunteered to take on what would be the most difficult task at hand. All they needed to do was to wait quietly and take revenge for these Central Plains people.

The ones responsible for the deaths of these people were the expeditionary army, not the future commander.

Ren Xiaosu could see a glimmer of hope in the eyes of those refugees from afar. That was because they had finally seen hope. They thought they were about to reach the end of their suffering and could see the light again. However, these refugees did not know what was waiting for them.

Ren Xiaosu realized why P5092 specifically reminded him not to become soft. He must have anticipated this scene.

The 3,000-odd people were clearly looking with anticipation and excitement in their eyes, yet you had to personally kill they who had placed their hopes in you. This was a very cruel thing to do.

It was so cruel that even Ren Xiaosu's breathing turned heavy. For the first time, he felt the burden of letting down the trust and expectations of more than 3,000 people.

He asked Wang Run next to him, "Has your spy left the group yet?"

"No." Wang Run shook his head and said, "He's still among them. There's no chance to escape anymore."

P5092 looked at Ren Xiaosu. Right now, he was very worried that Ren Xiaosu would hesitate. But before he could say anything, Ren Xiaosu pressed the button just as the refugees rushed past the detonation zone.

Explosions boomed in Mt. Zuoyun as a series of buried explosives kicked up a huge cloud of smoke. Ren Xiaosu watched this sight quietly with a livid expression as though he were trying to commit to memory everything happening here.

The real battle on Mt. Zuoyun had begun.