Frontier Army Warrior

Chapter 1145 Night Battle in the Wilderness

Lin Feng sighed: "Remember their names, and we'll provide generous compensation to their families later."

"That's not what I meant. How can we let our elites, whom we've trained with such difficulty, lose their lives on the battlefield so easily?"

Chen Dongping was getting a little anxious.

The Prime Minister's request for him to assist Lin Feng was actually intended to supervise and dissuade him, as he was heartbroken to see over a hundred people lost in the battle.

Although the Zhenfeng Battalion, with its strength of five hundred cavalry, routed nearly a thousand pirates and killed several times their own number of pirates, making it a truly glorious battle in the Taisho Imperial Army, precious talents were lost, and after that... there was no more.

"Elite warriors are forged in the brutal battlefield. If we hoard them like treasures, what use are they?"

"But, but we can't just squander it like this."

Lin Feng smiled: "As Lord Chen said, how can we avoid being wasteful?"

Chen Dongping raised his hand: "Let's head back to Luocheng now, to cooperate with His Highness the Crown Prince's 30,000 Imperial Guards, and let these elite soldiers play a greater role."

Lin Feng shook his head: "Going back now would be tantamount to suicide. The pirates are already on guard against our return to Luocheng."

Chen Dongping knew that Lin Feng was telling the truth, but he was eager to lead these elite Imperial Guards back to Luocheng.

Only by returning to Luoyang and meeting His Highness the Crown Prince can their achievements be recognized in the court. Otherwise, no matter how many pirates they kill, if all these talented individuals are also killed, their efforts will have been in vain.

Chen Dongping continued to try.

“We can take a roundabout route, but we can’t go in the opposite direction. If we go further south, it will be even more difficult to turn back.”

Lin Feng nodded in approval, saying, "Lord Chen is right. I am currently formulating a plan for a roundabout approach, so please be patient."

Chen Dongping breathed a sigh of relief when he realized he had persuaded Lin Feng.

He knew that arguing with Lin Feng on such a risky grounds could very well lead to an accident.

Of course, an accident is when you mysteriously disappear from this world.

Pei Qiyin spoke only after Chen Dongping left.

"Boss, should we turn back?"

"How could that be? We finally managed to leave."

"Okay, so what's the next step?"

Lin Feng looked down at the map, frowning as he pondered.

After a long while, he finally looked up at Pei Qiyin.

"Now that we have occupied Fengping County, we are being pursued by Meijin. After receiving the news, Fu'an Prefecture and Yongning Prefecture will also send troops over. We will be surrounded in this county by three forces."

Pei Qiyin tensed up: "Then let's get out of here quickly!"

Lin Feng shook his head: "We can't leave now, let's wait a bit longer."

Pei Qiyin was even more puzzled: "Boss, if we wait any longer, a large number of pirates will arrive. Once they surround us, with such a city wall and so few people, we definitely won't be able to hold it."

Lin Feng laughed and said, "Alright, now Qi Yin can think independently and has started to question my decisions."

Pei Qiyin frowned: "Boss, I didn't have any doubts, I was just... worried about you."

Seeing that she started to act coquettishly, Lin Feng changed the subject.

"How was the harvest this time?"

Pei Qiyin immediately became excited: "These pirates have looted a lot of good stuff, they've reaped a great harvest!"

Lin Feng waved his hand: "That's not important. Go and give the soldiers a good meal. Now they can rest well and be ready to be deployed at any time."

Pei Qiyin nodded in agreement and left the room with a puzzled look in her eyes.

The room was suddenly empty.

Originally, Qiao Jushan and Ye Liangcai were Lin Feng's personal guards, but now they have both been sent out by Lin Feng to lead troops.

Because Lin Feng no longer needed guards; with his abilities, no assassin could get close to him.

If cultivators from reclusive sects come knocking, even having guards won't be of much use.

Therefore, apart from keeping Pei Qiyin by his side to relay orders at any time, Lin Feng has sent everyone else to lead troops into battle.

Lin Feng doesn't trust anyone else; these people who have followed him for a long time are his true confidants.

On the battlefield, you need the people you trust most.

Otherwise, any slight delay in any step could lead to a life-or-death situation.

Wei Bao's battle report arrived: the pursuing troops from Meijin County, numbering two thousand infantrymen, were less than eighty li from Fengping County.

Three thousand pirates from Fu'an Prefecture have also approached within a hundred miles.

There were also two thousand pirates from Yongning Prefecture who entered the area within 150 li.

Lin Feng let out a long sigh: "Sigh, what's coming will come. Let's see who's stronger."

After resting for an hour, the four hundred men of Zhenfeng Battalion were called to a halt.

Fengping County is not a large town. Four hundred people were dispersed to begin cleaning the moat and the defensive tools for the city walls.

Everyone felt that Lin Feng's order clearly meant to defend Fengping County to the death.

Chen Dongping couldn't hold back any longer and quickly went to the temporary command post.

"My lord, we can't just hold the city to the death. We've heard that nearly ten thousand pirates have come from three directions, and we only have four hundred men left. How can we defend this city?"

Lin Feng asked calmly, "What is Lord Chen's opinion?"

"We need to run fast. First, we'll detour to the south, then turn north and find a chance to get back to Los Angeles."

"Hmm, that's a good idea."

Hearing Lin Feng say this, Chen Dongping assumed that he had persuaded Lin Feng once again, and felt smug.

"Sir, shall we quickly assemble the troops and leave the county town?"

Lin Feng turned to look at the sky outside and nodded.

"I will naturally leave, but not now."

"Time is of the essence. Leaving early will give us the upper hand. If we wait any longer, it will get dark, and then it will be much more difficult to leave."

Lin Feng remained calm and composed, leaning back in his chair.

"Lord Chen, tell me, what exactly is the trouble?"

Chen Dongping gritted his teeth in anxiety, but there was nothing he could do. In Zhenfeng Camp, only Lin Feng had the final say; anyone else's words were meaningless.

"My lord, once it gets dark, we can't see anything, and even our warhorses can't move. How are we going to shake off the pirates?"

"Lord Chen, have you forgotten the subjects of our training?"

Chen Dongping looked bewildered: "What subject?"

"Night battle in the wilderness."

Chen Dongping narrowed his eyes, as if he remembered that there was indeed such a subject in the soldiers' training, which he had questioned at the time.

"Sir, are you planning to break out tonight?"

"Ah."

"It's too dangerous, sir."

"You're surrounded by tens of thousands of pirates. Wouldn't it be even more dangerous during the day?"

Chen Dongping was speechless and unable to respond for a moment.

Lin Feng waved his hand: "Go and get ready, and await my orders."

Chen Dongping turned around blankly, mechanically stepped over the threshold, and slowly walked away.

Mizukawa urged his generals on the march, and the more than two thousand infantrymen marched rapidly across the open field.

I had planned to reach Fengping County before dark, take the city in one fell swoop, and wipe out those who set fire to the ships, so as to vent my anger.

He was seething with anger and urged his men to speed up the march, but no matter how fast they ran, they could never keep up with the warhorses.

By the time they reached the walls of Fengping City, it was already dark, and the soldiers of the entire army were so exhausted that they were practically panting with their tongues sticking out.

If they go to attack a city in this state, where will they find any fighting power?

Mizukawa had no choice but to order his troops to set up camp three miles from the city and wait for the attack the next day.

He had already received the battle report and knew that the other two prefectures had dispatched troops who were on their way.

Therefore, he did not order a siege.