Tiangang shot Dizang a sidelong glance. Whenever Dizang used that tone, he usually had some sort of plan.
"Master, we only need to buy three to five days. Perhaps we can use the following delaying tactic."
"Oh? What sort of tactic?"
"We were just hit by an air raid and suffered heavy losses. Perhaps we can use the opportunity to pretend to negotiate with the authorities, making it look as though we're willing to accept their offer of amnesty. Since it's a negotiation, taking three to five days would be perfectly reasonable, wouldn't it?"
Tiangang frowned. "The Golden Fox and Golden Bear groups intend to leave by the secret passage and attack Tantou and Wangqiao. If we start talking about negotiations now, won't that contradict their plans?"
"They haven't set out yet, have they?" Dizang said with a smile. "When dealing with the authorities, we have to adapt to circumstances and use a little guile if we want a chance of going toe-to-toe with them. Otherwise, we'll always be at a disadvantage."
Tiangang hesitated.
If he followed his own inclinations, he wouldn't want to go head-to-head with the authorities either. They had the advantage of the terrain, and his men were certainly strong and well-armed.
But that only made them a formidable force among the surrounding bases. It depended on who they were being compared with. Against the authorities—or the military—they were still an irregular outfit, a ragtag group.
To put it bluntly, they were a rabble, albeit a somewhat stronger one.
But this was Lord Tree Ancestor's will. Lord Tree Ancestor had given him a direct order: he had to take the hardest possible line with the authorities and make it clear that they would never compromise.
Lord Tree Ancestor had originally intended to feint in Star City, drawing