Terrifying Opponent

Zhang Yang and his group stopped after running less than two kilometers because the Orc army had ceased their pursuit. They had formed a defensive line on the spot, preventing Zhang Yang's group from re-entering the battlefield.

"Village Chief, how about we charge them again?"

"Yeah, we haven't had enough fun killing yet."

The soldier captains were all in high spirits, eager for battle. It was true that the two brief skirmishes just now had been both exhilarating and unsatisfying; they hadn't really been able to show their true fighting strength.

But Zhang Yang ignored the soldiers' eagerness to fight. He simply watched the Orc army a kilometer away, and the battle at Jackalman Castle further in the distance.

Undoubtedly, the Jackalman were beyond saving; their demise was only a matter of time.

"Village Chief, should we send someone back to gather Song Dachui and the others? The Orcs opposite us are now well-prepared, and they'll be difficult to deal with."

Wu Yuan asked this, still very cautious, not letting the recent battle cloud his judgment. He knew that with only 25 of them, they couldn't achieve much more.

"No need. I don't plan on fighting these Orcs to the death again. I'm just trying to confirm one thing: Is the opposing Orc Village Chief running a Rush Strategy?"

Zhang Yang explained calmly. Wu Yuan was destined to become a hero unit in the future, so Zhang Yang often discussed these things with him.

"Do you know what a Rush Strategy is?"

Wu Yuan shook his head, then nodded. "To conquer without fighting?"

"More or less, but most of the time, a Rush Strategy is just a dirty trick. It involves compressing all resources, exploiting the entire population, and pushing forward all at once, giving the opponent no chance to breathe. That's how you win, if this game were a one-shot, do-or-die scenario."

At this point, Zhang Yang sighed. For a single life-or-death game, a Rush Strategy was undoubtedly excellent, but if this game were to extend for three hundred years, then a Rush Strategy wouldn't be suitable.

So, not to mention that he didn't have enough population, even if he did, he wouldn't dare to use a Rush Strategy.

Wu Yuan remained silent, seemingly pondering.

Zhang Yang continued, "So, Wu Yuan, and all the rest of you, listen carefully: If you need to lead an army independently in the future, remember, a single victory or defeat isn't important. What's important is to preserve the lives of your soldiers as much as possible. Don't fight unnecessary battles. It's okay to miss an opportunity; we can keep enduring, enduring constantly. If we can endure to the very end, we win."

"Don't think this is dishonorable. Look, the Jackalman now and the Deer Demon before are the best examples. That Deer Demon, relying on its superior strength, dared to put itself in danger even after using its biggest trump card, and as a result, we destroyed it."

"And these Jackalman, having already lost four soldiers, and knowing the situation had changed, still dared to send their main force to attack us, leading to today's defeat. If they hadn't lost those hundreds of soldiers, the Orcs would absolutely not have dared to attack them so easily today."

"Hey, what kind of look is that? Yes, I'm putting myself in danger now, but have I ever gone in alone? Have I ever exposed my trump cards? And don't you yourselves have a sense of how powerful our team's combat strength is? Up until now, have any of you gone all out? I haven't even used my own trump cards yet."

"The reason I keep bringing up the Deer Demon and these Jackalman is to learn from our mistakes, to tell you and to tell myself that in this world, we have no right, nor the conditions, to make mistakes. Even a tiny error could lead to our ultimate destruction."

"Alright, you still don't believe me? Then, everyone, let's make a bet. I bet that if we just stay here and defend, the Orc army opposite us won't actively attack us. Don't look at them having nearly three hundred soldiers right now. Want to bet? If I lose, I'll carve ten wooden spears for each of you. And if I win, you must remember to act cautiously from now on."

Zhang Yang chuckled.

"No way, Village Chief. Those Orcs have ten times our strength. How could they not come after us?" A soldier captain completely disbelieved him.

"I'll take that bet, Village Chief."

"I'll bet too. This might be the only chance in my life to win against the Village Chief; I can't miss it."

A group of soldier captains laughed, not taking it seriously.

"Okay, I'll bet too, but I bet the Village Chief will win." Wu Yuan suddenly said earnestly, which immediately earned him a chorus of boos. This guy was really cunning.

Zhang Yang also smiled and asked, "The reason?"

Wu Yuan replied, "It should be related to the Rush Strategy you just mentioned, sir. That is, the Orcs don't recruit soldiers indefinitely. If we hadn't wiped out sixty of their soldiers in one go just now, they would definitely have pursued us. But now, perhaps they could outflank us and destroy us, but the cost would be terrible—at least a hundred Orc soldiers would die."

"So, rather than that, they'd prefer to temporarily retreat, slowly figure out our true strength, and then take their time. That's better than losing another hundred soldiers for a momentary thrill, after all, population is the most important thing."

"This is also just as you said, sir. The true reason for the failures of the former Deer Demon and today's Jackalman lies here."

Zhang Yang neither confirmed nor denied Wu Yuan's answer, simply continuing to observe the battlefield opposite. In fact, he hoped the Orc hero would give the order to attack. If that happened, he could retreat calmly. Go ahead and chase me if you dare; at worst, I'll retreat to the Fortress, and we'll have another siege battle.

If he didn't leave two hundred Orc heads behind then his name was mud.

However, given the Orc commander's consistently cautious leadership, Zhang Yang thought that was unlikely. The opponent clearly wouldn't give him that opportunity, so this was definitely a formidable enemy!

Half an hour later, the smoke signals from Jackalman Castle died out, the battle ended, and the Jackalman village was completely destroyed, with no one surviving.

The Orcs' losses were not significant, only a few dozen casualties.

But, as Zhang Yang had guessed, the Orcs did not attempt to outflank and pursue Zhang Yang's group. Instead, they gathered their forces, scavenged all the supplies from the Jackalman village, and even very seriously took away several Imprisonment Spears left on the battlefield. An alleged Orc Mage also carefully studied the traces left by the out-of-control Fireball. Finally, they departed steadily, leaving no weaknesses behind.

Seeing this scene, the soldier captains around Zhang Yang were utterly perplexed.

But Zhang Yang's expression was extremely grave.

"Let's go back. For the next twenty days to a month, the Orcs won't actively bother us. But after a month, they will definitely come with a cracked version of the Imprisonment Spear, at least ten or more Orc Mages, and a large number of archers to launch a true war against us, one where they conquer without fighting."

"If we don't do something, the village will absolutely be destroyed, because this is a legitimate war of overwhelming force. There will be no fluke, and any small tricks will be futile."

"Once we're back, Wu Yuan, I will immediately take you to begin your Hero's Trial."