The noon sun was scorching, and the forest felt like a giant stear. The cicadas chirped impatiently, and the animals that had been noisy all morning retreated to their nests to hide, making the forest quiet once more, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind, as if complaining impatiently about the weather. The troops hiding in the forest were drenched in sweat, their clothes soaked through. Many had opened their clothing to cool off, lying around ground sleeping.
Luo Zheng was sitting under a shade, eyes closed, recuperating. The continuous forced marches had worn him down, and he sought to recover before the coming battle. Next to him sat Ghost Hand, who wasn't sleeping, laden with worries. Though the dical team and Madela's n had been rescued, his fiancée was still missing, unsettling Ghost Hand. But to avoid pressuring Luo Zheng, he kept it to himself, bearing the concern silently.
The next battle was critically important. If they won, Hariri's forces would be compromised, benefiting not only Bar but other tribes nearby who eyed the spoils covetously. If they lost, Hariri's might would be untouchable, and finding and rescuing his fiancée would be increasingly difficult.
Ghost Hand anticipated the next battle but also harbored a baseless fear. There was just over an hour until the fight comnced, but Luo Zheng hadn't disclosed the tactical plan, instead resting with closed eyes, making Ghost Hand more uneasy, yet he dared not ask, worried he'd disrupt Luo Zheng's rest.
Ti ticked away second by second, Ghost Hand growing more anxious with concern, checked his watch - the appointed hour had arrived, but Luo Zheng was still asleep. Unable to restrain himself, Ghost Hand nudged Luo Zheng's arm, softly asking in Huaxia language, "Brother, ti's about up, give so insight; how are we fighting this battle? I'm all jittery, not at ease."
"Lure the enemy into a trap, surround but leave an escape route, then kill at each layer - three deadly moves," Luo Zheng earnestly stated.
"What do you an?" Ghost Hand's eyes lit up, quickly asking.
Luo Zheng didn't answer imdiately but cast a glance at Ghost Hand, got up, and called to Bar who was also resting nearby. Ghost Hand understood and awakened Madela. The two hurried to follow, eting Luo Zheng at a strategic high point on the Mountain Ridge. Luo Zheng pointed to a valley opposite, saying, "That valley looks like a dead end. The entrance is a gorge, about two kiloters long, with a relatively narrow entrance. Do you see it?"
Everyone startled, peering into the distance, nodding in agreent. Bar, with suspicion, pressed on, "Are we about to launch an attack? What's your specific plan? How much confidence do you have?"
"Yes, this fight must go ahead, and it needs to be executed with prowess to overpower Hariri's forces, intimidate other tribes. I'm seventy percent confident in vanquishing them entirely, eighty percent confident in defeating them; it depends on how well you coordinate." Luo Zheng earnestly stated to Bar.
"No problem; as long as we win, I'll follow your lead," Bar replied resolutely, having learned wisdom through hard lessons.
"With that assurance, my confidence rises by another ten percent," Luo Zheng smiled upon hearing this.
"Great, outline your plan," Bar quickly inquired, perking up.
Luo Zheng cast a serious glance at everyone, earnestly saying, "My plan proceeds in three steps. Step one is luring the enemy into a trap. The enemy knows we have about a hundred n but doesn't know about our nearly one thousand n. We need to station around a hundred n at the critical points in the gorge to cover our retreat. If we fight resolutely enough, the enemy will think that's all we are, then we've made progress."
"What about the second step?" Bar hurriedly asked.
"Don't rush. The enemy numbers around eight hundred, they are quite combative. For a complete victory, the first step is critical; the key is deceiving the enemy, making them believe we only have about one hundred n, so we need to dispatch an elite troop to fight intensely, ferociously," Luo Zheng gravely said to Bar.
Bar's expression tensed, seriously contemplating for a while. With a deep sigh, he seemingly made a decision, resolutely saying, "No problem. I'll deploy my Guard; each is an elite warrior, capable of handling this task."
"That's excellent." Luo Zheng sought exactly Bar's decisive determination, reassured, he earnestly continued, "Step two is surrounding but leaving an escape route, drawing the enemy into the valley to fight. The valley is a dead end; if we hold the entrance, they can't escape. The surrounding area comprises towering mountains, not easily scalable, which benefits our position. This step's crucial elent is enticing the enemy to crazily pursue without realizing a second troop exists; it relies solely on the blocking troop."
"No worries, understood," Bar earnestly replied.
The battlefield is brutal, with a life-or-death outco. For final victory, sacrifices must happen. Luo Zheng observed Bar's resolute expression, seemingly prepared for sacrifice, feeling relieved himself. He earnestly stated, "Sacrificing a minor portion for major gain is the battlefield rule; war ans death, the fact that you see this is good enough."
"I'm fine; what's the specific plan for step two?" Bar earnestly asked.
"The key to step two is troop deploynt; the enemy has substantial forces, impossible to obliterate instantly. We leave the valley direction as their route for escape, appealing to their survival instinct, diminishing their resistance spirit, which favors us imnsely," Luo Zheng explained earnestly.
"Hold on," Bar interrupted, "If the enemy flees during this ti, wouldn't it all be for nothing?"
"Not possible. We'll position one hundred n on each of the valley's three sides—not very spacious, more troops would be cumberso. A hundred on each side is adequate. Once gunfire erupts, the enemy will surely realize they've fallen into an ambush, prompting retreat. That brings us to the third step I want to discuss," Luo Zheng stated confidently.
"What is it?" Bar eagerly pursued.
"Layered kill zones - deploying three hundred n in the valley, the remaining seven hundred split into three groups, pre-emptively ambushing both sides of the gorge—capturing strategic terrain. As the enemy rushes through the gorge, we execute surprise attacks, catching them off guard without pursuit but allowing them to continue fleeing. The valley ambush, coupled with three successive ambushes along the gorge, will surely annihilate a significant portion of their forces. The enemy, in panic, flees. By the ti they pass the three ambush points, the valley ambush has ti to circle forward and seal off the gorge—other ambush squads catch up, resolving in a decisive final strike," Luo Zheng declared with mounting determination and exploding confidence.
Bar, infected by this confidence, clenched his fist and raised it enthusiastically, exclaiming, "Excellent, let's proceed this way!"
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