"Kewang."
"To keep timely track of the government army's movements, you will personally oversee the scouting teams we've already sent out."
After giving it some thought, Zhang Xianzhong decided to give this adopted son another burden to shoulder, testing his mettle to see whether he could bear great responsibility in the future.
"Oh, and Feng Shuangli will be transferred under your command from now on. He can serve as a deputy commander."
"He is both brave and resourceful, so he should be able to help you considerably."
This excellent adopted son seemed highly capable now, skilled in both letters and arms, but he had only recently joined the Rebel Army. The three hundred Veteran Camp soldiers were still largely unfamiliar with him.
Sending Feng Shuangli, one of his three trusted generals, to assist Zhang Kewang could help him swiftly take control of the hundred Veteran Camp soldiers under his command.
"Thank you, Foster Father!"
Zhang Kewang was overjoyed. He hurried forward, bowed deeply, and said in thanks, "Rest assured, Foster Father. I will personally monitor the essential routes the government army must take to reach Dingbian City."
"I will do everything possible to prevent the terrible situation where the government army reaches the outskirts of Dingbian City while our Rebel Army remains completely in the dark."
This was a matter of life and death.
Sun Kewang wanted to help Zhang Xianzhong rebel and thereby rise above others, but he had no wish to die young in the prime of his life.
Therefore, no amount of attention was too much when it came to the Rebel Army's greatest current source of danger.
"Mm."
Zhang Xianzhong nodded and smiled with satisfaction. "Kewang, you need not go personally. No matter how swiftly the government army reacts, you know perfectly well how sluggish the current authorities are when it comes to getting the soldiers' marching provisions and funds in place."
"Under normal circumstances, we should be safe for at least two months."
"The Orphan Youth Camp has now been roughly trained up by me."
"Once I take them outside the city twice for practical experience and let them see blood, I can more or less begin gradually letting go. Then I will have time to concern myself with other matters."
He laid bare his plans for the near future to Zhang Kewang. "Now that our Rebel Army has gained a Fourth Layer of Martial Dao Qi Refining Realm expert like you, Kewang, and the Veteran Camp soldiers' training has begun to bear fruit, in at most another half month, our Rebel Army must make a move as well."
"Tian Family Fort, located northwest of us by the Wuding River, has been investigated thoroughly. They were the first to send people to secretly report us to the Governor's Yamen of Yansui Town. That was why news of our Rebel Army raising the banner of righteousness leaked so quickly and drew the authorities' attention."
"Otherwise, after our Rebel Army captured Dingbian City and sealed it so that people could enter but not leave, how could news of our uprising have leaked out so swiftly?"
"That retaliatory move by the Tian family robbed our Rebel Army of at least three months of rest and recuperation! Unless the Tian family is uprooted, the hatred in my heart cannot be dispelled!"
"Tian Family Village, one hundred and fifty li northwest of Dingbian City, and Wang Family Village, a hundred li southeast of the county seat, respectively guard the official roads along the Wuding River to the north and south of Dingbian City. They are nails we must pull out!"
"Once the government army arrives, if those two wealthy gentry families so desire, they can easily block off both of our escape routes!"
"It is not as though there are no other routes, but those are all places where Demons and Monsters run rampant. With the combat strength of our Rebel Army, we lack the ability to pass through them!"
"To ensure the safety of our two routes of retreat, north and south, these two gentry fortresses that cannot coexist under the same sky as our Rebel Army must be destroyed one after another!"
A murderous glint flickered in Zhang Xianzhong's eyes as he said sinisterly, "Another reason I have decided to attack these two gentry fortresses as soon as possible is that after our Rebel Army captured the county seat, we obtained a great quantity of cultivation resources. But because we recently recruited too many soldiers for the Logistics Camp and resumed the ongoing selection of Martial Soldiers, the consumption of all kinds of cultivation resources has been enormous. They have almost been depleted."
"At the current rate of consumption, they can support us for another half month at most."
"Of course, the two of us could lead the three hundred Veteran Camp soldiers and form the Blood Fiend Army Formation we have only just begun to master, then hunt low- and mid-level Demon Beasts outside the city to temporarily solve the shortage of cultivation resources."
"Since destroying those two gentry fortresses can solve the same problem while also gaining us plenty of armor and weapons, I do not think we need to deliberate further over something that kills two birds with one stone."
"In the past, our Rebel Army had only me, a single Qi Refining Realm expert, holding down the fort. On top of that, the Rebel Army had only just risen up, and everything was a complete mess. We had no ability to capture those two gentry fortresses."
"Now, not only have we gained a Qi Refining Realm expert like you, but the Veteran Camp's Martial Soldiers have also learned some basic military formations, while the Orphan Youth Camp I have focused on cultivating has achieved preliminary success in its training."
"As long as our Rebel Army strikes with all its strength, we have every confidence of capturing those two large gentry fortresses in succession."
"Whether to ensure the security of our Rebel Army's retreat or to obtain enough cultivation resources to meet this Rebel Army's needs, this battle is unavoidable!"
Zhang Xianzhong was a Rebel Army leader blessed with far-sighted vision. Since he had spoken of his plans to Zhang Kewang now, he had clearly already made his decision.
He was merely informing Zhang Kewang now, so that he could prepare himself mentally.
"This child obeys!"
Zhang Kewang immediately accepted the order.
The gaze he raised toward Zhang Xianzhong was filled with admiration.
As expected, Zhang Xianzhong, one of the Eight Great Kings, had not disappointed him. He was a Rebel Army leader with both courage and foresight.
Compared with other Rebel Army leaders, he stood far above them all. They were simply not in the same league.
Only a Rebel Army leader like this—ambitious and clear-headed—was worthy of Zhang Kewang's wholehearted allegiance.
Seeing Zhang Xianzhong take one step while looking three steps ahead, already planning their way out before the crisis had even arrived, Zhang Kewang found him exceedingly wise. He truly possessed the qualities of an enlightened lord in Zhang Kewang's eyes.
As for attacking two ordinary gentry families, Zhang Kewang felt not the slightest pressure.
Their side had two Qi Refining Realm experts leading Rebel Army soldiers who had already begun to get on the right track. If they still could not take down those two gentry fortresses, they might as well go home, wash up, and sleep. They should never again dream of achieving great things through rebellion.
After discussing matters for a while longer, Zhang Kewang took his leave of Zhang Xianzhong, then turned and strode away with confidence brimming in his heart.
"This Zhang Kewang seems proficient in both letters and arms, and his recent performance has been remarkable. There is an eighty or ninety percent chance that he is also a prodigy who has awakened a Star Destiny."
Seated in his grand chair, Zhang Xianzhong watched Zhang Kewang's departing back and guessed inwardly, "From what I can see now, there appears to be no problem with his loyalty."
"Next, I must test his ability to lead troops in battle and see whether he is worth employing."
"If he performs outstandingly, then I, Zhang Xianzhong, will have gained my first capable helper. Someone will be able to share some of the pressure I will face in the future."
"As for the four monstrous geniuses in the Children's Camp, especially Ai Nengqi and Li Dingguo, once they grow up quickly, my core group will formally take shape. This Rebel Army can then thoroughly get on the right track."
Thinking of this, he let out a long breath. The immense pressure accumulated over this period eased slightly as well.
He turned to look at the night outside the window. Light and shadow shifted unpredictably in his eyes as he remained seated for a long while without moving.
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