Staggered Formation Revised, Responding to Ambush

Yellow sand still spiraled in the wind. Chen Wuya leaned against that jutting rock, the cloth on his shoulder stiff with dried blood. His broken blade lay across his knees, edge pointing upward. He stared at several high points along the valley rim that had remained silent all this time, keeping his breathing low.

"They're afraid we'll move—then we move. But not blindly."

Bai Zhi stood one step ahead of him, her flexible sword still drawn. At his words, her fingers tightened slightly. Without looking back, she asked quietly, "How do we move?"

"Spread out." Chen Wuya raised a hand and tapped the ground with the back of his blade. "Seven squads, three men each. Take cover by five jutting rocks and two sand pits. Don't bunch together, but don't lose contact either."

The soldiers gathered around, their faces covered in dust and exhaustion. Some had arms wrapped in strips of cloth; others leaned on long spears as they panted. One squad leader frowned. "If we spread out now and they loose another barrage of arrows and stones, we won't even be able to cover one another."

"That's exactly why we can't crowd together if they're going to rain down arrows and stones." Chen Wuya closed his eyes. Misaligned Force slowly seeped into the earth as he sensed every tremor. "They rely on rhythm—three volleys of arrows, then a pause of seven breaths; two waves of stones, twelve breaths apart. Before every strike, there's movement overhead. That means they're watching to see whether we panic."

He opened his eyes, sweeping his gaze over the group. "They don't dare fight us up close. They don't have the numbers, and they're afraid we'll break out. So they can only suppress us from the heights. But what does suppression fear most? Not knowing