Counterattack

After becoming a Hundred-Man Commander, Li Xuancang's treatment was worlds apart from before.

Not only was he in charge of a hundred men and enjoying a dramatic improvement in every perk, he also had a personal guard at his beck and call.

"Your subordinate Nangong Zhan pays his respects, sir."

Nangong Zhan bowed respectfully to Li Xuancang, his eyes full of admiration.

"There's no need for formalities. From now on, you'll stay by my side."

Nangong Zhan was the personal guard Li Xuancang had chosen. He had initially wanted Wang Xiaoniu to serve as his guard, but Wang Xiaoniu was too weak to do the job.

"Yes, sir."

Nangong Zhan was also thrilled to become Li Xuancang's personal guard.

After becoming a Hundred-Man Commander, Li Xuancang enjoyed many more perks, while his workload actually decreased.

Now, whenever he had something to do, all he needed was to give an order, and Nangong Zhan would go deliver it.

From time to time, Zhou Xiong summoned him to assign him various tasks.

More than half a month passed. Li Xuancang had grown used to his life, and his strength continued to improve steadily.

"Why haven't the Barbarians launched an attack yet?"

The army had retreated to Jade Sun City more than a month ago, yet the Barbarians still hadn't attacked. This left Li Xuancang baffled.

The Barbarians should have pressed their advantage and wiped out the Human Race's remaining forces in one fell swoop. Instead, they had yet to attack, giving the Human Race a chance to catch its breath.

Though he was puzzled, the current situation actually worked in Li Xuancang's favor. As long as he was given time, he could transform himself completely.

During this time, the government forcibly conscripted a large number of civilians, forming the five-thousand-strong Conscripts' Camp.

Although the conscripts were weak, they would only be helping defend the city, so that wouldn't be a problem at all.

"Sir, Lord Zhou requests your presence."

Nangong Zhan came to Li Xuancang and reported respectfully.

"Hmm!"

Li Xuancang murmured, puzzled. He didn't know why Zhou Xiong had summoned him.

Suppressing his doubts, he hurried to Zhou Xiong's tent.

When Li Xuancang arrived, two Battalion Commanders and five Hundred-Man Commanders were already there.

Zhou Xiong sat in the seat of honor, legs planted wide apart, exuding the aura of a battlefield veteran.

"Greetings, sir."

Li Xuancang cupped his hands and bowed to Zhou Xiong.

Zhou Xiong gave Li Xuancang a slight nod, indicating that he should take a seat.

Before long, another Battalion Commander and four more Hundred-Man Commanders arrived.

Once everyone had assembled, Zhou Xiong's expression turned stern, and he spoke in a low voice.

"I called you here because we're making a big move."

At his words, everyone stiffened and turned to look at Zhou Xiong.

"The Colonel has ordered us to head to Blackwind Ridge tonight, lie in ambush, and cut off the Barbarian army's retreat."

As soon as Zhou Xiong finished speaking, everyone's expression changed dramatically.

Sending them to ambush the Barbarians at Blackwind Ridge—wasn't that a death sentence?

The Barbarians were vicious by nature. If they found themselves cornered, they would surely fight with everything they had. None of them were confident they could escape unscathed from a frenzied enemy.

Hu Hua, the Battalion Commander, looked grave as he asked what everyone most wanted to know.

"Lord Zhou, is the army preparing to launch a counterattack?"

Since the Colonel had ordered them to ambush the Barbarians and cut off their retreat, the army must be planning a counterattack, perhaps even one they were certain to win. They wanted to know the details.

"Carry out your orders. Go make preparations and set out tonight. Not a single word of this is to leave this room."

Zhou Xiong gave no answer, issuing his order in a cold voice.

"Yes, sir!"

Daring not ask anything more, everyone bowed, accepted the order, and withdrew.

Upon returning to his camp, Li Xuancang immediately assembled his hundred-man unit and waited for nightfall.

Under a moonless sky, with only a sparse sprinkling of stars, a force of more than a thousand men slipped out of Jade Sun City under cover of darkness.

The army avoided the main roads, traveling by night and hiding by day. Carrying only a few days' worth of dry rations, they steered clear of everyone's sight and made their way to the designated position.

At the same time, Zhou Xingzhan led every soldier in Jade Sun City out in full force, advancing toward Azure Cloud Ridge in a mighty procession.

Among the army were several hundred people dressed like martial artists. They came from the gangs and factions of Profound Sun Commandery City and were the main force in this counterattack against the Barbarians.

"The Barbarians are running wild. Let's make sure not a single one gets away!"

"Leave them all here and bury them in this place!"

"My saber is already thirsty for blood!"

"..."

The gang members showed no fear of the Barbarians. Their hearts were filled with nothing but eagerness to fight.

"For once, the Imperial Court is being generous. The bounties are pretty good."

To get the gangs and factions to fight, the Imperial Court had offered generous terms.

For every Barbarian they killed, they would receive a handsome reward.

Everyone's eyes gleamed. They couldn't wait to go to war with the Barbarians.

The Human Race's army made no effort to conceal its movements, and the Barbarians soon caught wind of it.

On Azure Cloud Ridge, the Barbarian commander Gu Shuo summoned his generals to discuss the Human Race army bearing down on them.

"Sir, the Human Race is only digging its own grave. Let's make sure not a single one gets away!"

"We've already crippled the Human Race. They're no longer a threat."

"If they're coming here to die, then let's grant their wish."

"..."

The Barbarians thought nothing of the Human Race. They couldn't have been happier that its army was coming to attack them.

If they could wipe out the Human Race's army in a single battle, all of Profound Sun Commandery would become their hunting grounds, where they could do as they pleased.

"We mustn't underestimate them. If the Human Race dares to attack us, they must have made preparations."

One of the generals urged caution, arguing that they shouldn't underestimate the Human Race.

Most importantly, they had fallen out with the Demon Race and nearly come to blows. Without the Demon Race's help, they would suffer considerably more casualties fighting the Human Race.

"The Human Race is nothing. What is there to fear? If you're afraid, then let me lead the charge."

"Don't be reckless. Better to err on the side of caution."

"..."

The two sides argued without reaching an agreement, and Gu Shuo struggled to make up his mind.

After capturing Azure Cloud Ridge, they should have pressed their advantage and wiped out the Human Race's remaining forces.

But the Demon Race had actually dared to eat the Barbarians, treating them as food. The two sides immediately clashed and nearly fought to the death before finally going their separate ways.

That was precisely why the Barbarians had missed their best opportunity to wipe out the Human Race's army.

After hesitating for a moment, Gu Shuo's eyes turned steely, and he gave his order in a low voice.

"Rally the troops. Follow me into battle."

Gu Shuo decided to face the Human Race head-on. Even without the Demon Race's help, he was confident he could defeat them.

"Yes, sir!"

Everyone stopped arguing and hurried off to muster the troops.

"Kill!"

The Barbarian army quickly assembled. They didn't wait around; led by Gu Shuo, they charged toward the Human Race army.

The Barbarians' morale soared, and every one of them had absolute confidence in this battle.

Lead-colored clouds hung low as the two armies gradually drew closer across a stretch of wilderness.

"The Barbarians are coming. Can we really beat them?"

"The Barbarians are vicious. I heard they eat human flesh raw. They're practically demons."

"We can't possibly defeat the Barbarians."

"..."

The Human Race's morale was low. They had lost their nerve before the fighting even began.

Back then, three thousand Battle Soldiers and five thousand conscripts from the Conscripts' Camp hadn't been a match for the Barbarians.

Now, although the Conscripts' Camp still had five thousand men, there were fewer than a thousand Battle Soldiers. How could they possibly stand against the Barbarians?

Everyone was afraid, even the Battle Soldiers.