Black Pine Territory (VIII)

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew from the watchtower. The autumn night wind on the northern grasslands was very cold, and it made Shang Ye's mind go blank, bringing him back to his senses.

He glanced into the distance and then asked the soldier beside him, "How many hidden sentries have we deployed?"

"Detachment Commander, we have set up 10 hidden sentry posts."

"They're probably coming soon. Let's use the fake shift change to bring back all the brothers in the hidden sentry post."

"But, Detachment Commander, won't the enemy become suspicious? It's easy to alert them."

"There's no need. The Viscount said that a battle that is sure to be won doesn't require unnecessary sacrifices. Even if they don't launch a night attack tonight, they will still fight us when we penetrate deep into Black Pine Territory tomorrow."

"Yes, Detachment Commander."

Upon hearing the Detachment Commander's words, the other two soldiers on the watchtower were also invigorated. After all, every soldier is willing to follow an officer who will not squander the lives of his men.

Soon, all the sentries on the edge of the Black Forest were withdrawn.

Under a tree next to what used to be a hidden sentry post, two soldiers in black suddenly emerged from the bushes. They looked at the now empty sentry post, and one of them said to the other.

"Something's not right. Why did all the sentries in the Two Rivers Territory suddenly leave? Wasn't there a change of shifts just now?"

"This is really strange. Even if they discovered us, they could have just sent people to arrest us. What do they mean by this?"

"I don't understand either. Never mind, you wait here, I'll go report to the Battalion Commander."

After saying this, the soldier turned and ran into the forest, quickly disappearing into the night. The other soldier also vanished from under the tree, and silence fell once again.

At this moment, Arman was leading his troops stealthily through the forest, and the soldiers of Black Pine Territory could sense the direction of the pine needles even with their eyes closed.

These soldiers, clad in black leather armor, resembled a group of ghosts of the night. They needed no torches, relying on the silvery glow of the moonlight to move along the dark tree veins. Their movements as they stepped over fallen trees were as fluid as fish returning to the sea. The entire army flowed gently through the forest like black waves, without making a sound.

At that moment, a soldier emerged from the darkness of the forest and stopped Arman: "Battalion Commander, the situation has changed."

Arman recognized the soldier in front of him as a member of the Night Owl Platoon. Not understanding why he was being stopped, he asked the soldier directly, "What happened?"

"The camp in the Two Rivers Territory has recalled all the sentries in the forest, but they haven't sent any troops to search for us, so we don't know if we've been exposed."

Arman's expression turned grim after hearing this. He hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to end the operation, but ultimately chose to take the risk.

He said to the few guards following closely behind him, "Tell the squad leaders to slow down the march and organize their formations. I'm going ahead to scout the way."

"Yes!"

Arman followed the night owl, speeding towards the edge of the forest. He could hardly control his desires; he hadn't fought in a long time, and he desperately wanted to prove himself and Black Pine Territory by defeating the army of the Two Rivers Territory.

Soon, they reached the edge of the forest. The owl let out a cry, and several owls suddenly emerged from the dark forest.

Arman directly asked the Night Owls, "What's the deal with the Two Rivers Territory army's sentries? Do you have any leads?"

Most of the night owls shook their heads; they had only discovered that the sentries had left, and nothing else.

One of the night owls suddenly spoke up, "Battalion Commander, there are more people on their watchtowers, and I've seen the patrols inside the camp are also patrolling more frequently."

Arman turned to look at him. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Take me to see it."

After saying that, the night owl nodded and set off. Arman followed behind him, and the other night owls looked at each other and followed the two of them, whispering to each other as they walked.

Did you just notice that?

"I wasn't paying attention; I was too focused on the hidden sentry."

"So what do you think the intruders are planning to do? If it's true, there's only one possibility: they found that the sentries weren't effective, so they simply gave up and planned to rely on the watchtowers with better visibility and the patrols inside the camp to carry out their guard duties."

"Isn't there any other possibility?"

"That means they discovered us, but couldn't find us, so they simply withdrew their sentries. These actions were all traps to lure us into attacking their camp."

"That's impossible! How could we possibly be discovered by these intruders? We Night Owls are..."

Arman was walking ahead, overheard these conversations and agreed with them in his heart.

Just half an hour ago, Shang Ye suddenly remembered something and issued another order, requiring the patrol team to increase the frequency of patrols, and at the same time, to increase the number of personnel on the watchtower and to make the fire source brighter.

His personal guards didn't quite understand the orders after they were relayed.

Shang Ye replied, "It's just to confuse the enemy. Simply withdrawing the sentries might deter them from taking action. I'm giving them an excuse; whether it works or not depends on their decision."

The guard scratched his head and said, "It's just like gambling."

Shang Ye glanced at him sideways. "Mammon, you're not involved in gambling in the camp, are you?"

Mammon quickly waved his hand, "How could I dare? Gambling is strictly prohibited during wartime."

"And what about normally?"

"I wouldn't dare, Uncle. Don't try to trick me. If I dare to gamble, my dad will beat me to death."

"You know that much, but you're absolutely right, that's gambling."

When the Viscount taught us, he talked about game theory. He always said that on the battlefield, you have to seize opportunities, and that commanders inevitably have to gamble.

But today is different. I'm the dealer. Even if they don't take the bait, I won't suffer any loss. But if they do come, I'll let them experience the power of the Two Rivers Territory.