Greed for Merit, Rushing Forward, Abandoning the Safe Path; Mistakenly Entering a Poisonous Trap, Losing the Way Home

Unlike the vigilance at the previous ambush point, the atmosphere was far looser among another Xiongnu ambush squad hidden in a forest hollow farther away.

This squad numbered roughly eighteen hundred men, concealed behind the woods and earthen slopes surrounding the hollow. Their cover was well hidden, but it lacked the grim tension of troops braced for battle.

Being far from the front lines and having waited so long without seeing any sign of the enemy, the soldiers had long since lost their initial nervousness. Some leaned against tree trunks with their eyes closed to rest, some chatted quietly, and others fiddled with the bows in their hands, their expressions lazy.

The commanding officer was a burly man with a face full of beard and a hasty temperament. At that moment, he stood with his hands behind his back, pacing back and forth before the cover. His brows were tightly furrowed, his face full of impatience, and he muttered under his breath from time to time.

"What the hell is going on? The commotion up ahead has been going on forever—why hasn't the enemy attacked yet?

Is Lord Lufan Lie's plan even any good? If we keep waiting, the day lilies will be cold!"

The soldiers around him immediately chimed in, their voices carrying the same doubt and slackness. "Yeah, sir. We've been hiding here for so long, and we haven't even seen the enemy's shadow. What are the brothers up front doing?"

"Could the squad up ahead have already succeeded and driven the enemy back? Otherwise, why has there been no movement for so long?"

"But even if they succeeded, they should've sent word. They can't just leave us wasting away here forever, can they?"

"And that group only has around a thousand men. Even adding the group ahead