Chapter 167: Assaulting Valley Fort Town

Among the Four Young Masters of Kyoto, Guan Ning possessed the weakest psychological resilience and found it extremely difficult to accept failure. In Chen Hao's memories, Guan Ning had hit a wall everywhere in the early stages of the game, only managing to carve out a foothold for himself after slowly learning his lessons. Right now, Guan Ning had not yet suffered any major setbacks. Wearing the halo of being the first to establish a stronghold, he would never give it up unless it was an absolute last resort.

Since Guan Ning could not decisively abandon his stronghold and retreat, rushing to Gubu Town quickly would allow them to trap the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry in a pocket. The northern and southern sides of Gubu Town were bordered by mountains, while the eastern side was a patch of woods. It would take only a small number of troops to block the northern and southern gaps, and with an attack launched from the east, Guan Ning would be left with no choice but to flee toward the west.

Chen Hao prepared to deploy a strategy of attacking three sides while leaving one open, driving the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry toward the west, where the cavalry battalion would set up an ambush to completely annihilate the remaining enemy forces. Speed was the key to executing this plan. Arriving at Gubu Town before the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry could organize their defense would make capturing the town an easy task for the Right Guard of the Martial Guard.

If Chen Hao wanted to leave a deep impression on Yuan Shikai, he not only had to completely annihilate the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry, but he also had to keep his own casualties to a minimum. Speed is the essence of war; the moment he obtained command of the two battalions, he immediately led his troops toward Gubu Town.

After Chen Hao departed with his troops, Duan Qirui said to Yuan Shikai, "Sir, that Chen Baxian is boasting shamelessly about completely annihilating the Boxer bandits. Will he disregard casualties just to achieve his goal? Isn't it far too risky to hand two battalions over to him?"

Yuan Shikai shook his head and replied, "No. Chen Baxian wants to demonstrate his capability in front of me, so he knows that I care more about troop casualties. He will not issue reckless commands just to wipe out the bandits. He is a clever man. Since he wishes to showcase his abilities, I will give him this opportunity."

Leading his troops to the southern outskirts of Gubu Town, Chen Hao took out his binoculars to observe the towering mountain directly adjacent to the town and discovered, to his surprise, that no personnel were stationed on it. A sneer appeared on his face. The towering mountains, over three hundred meters high to the north and south, provided complete firepower coverage over Gubu Town. They were strategically vital points for both offense and defense, and Guan Ning's failure to arrange for defensive forces there was nothing short of courting death.

Chen Hao split two hundred men from the infantry battalion, ordering one hundred of them to ascend the southern mountain to capture the commanding heights, while the other hundred took a detour to seize the northern high ground. Fishing Passerby was assigned to accompany the southern troops up the mountain, and the Maxim heavy machine gun was hauled to the southern heights, granting full firepower coverage over the entire Gubu Town.

The infantry battalion assigned to Chen Hao by Yuan Shikai also possessed a Maxim machine gun. Chen Hao arranged for non-player characters to transport this Maxim to the northern mountain. Operating from high vantage points, the two Maxim machine guns raining down suppressive fire would inflict immense pressure on the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry. As for transporting the heavy machine guns and ammunition, they simply needed to enlist the help of the NPC soldiers climbing the mountains.

Anxious and restless, Guan Ning paced back and forth inside the command post. The reason he had been so careless as to leave the northern and southern mountains unguarded by players was that he had never expected the enemy to arrive so swiftly; his mind was entirely consumed with waiting for news from Ayilian.

Guan Ning had been harboring wishful thinking, hoping to resolve the trouble through diplomatic channels. Yuan Shikai loomed like a massive shadow over his heart, robbing him of any thought of resistance. If Old Yuan truly sent troops to attack, Guan Ning would undoubtedly choose to flee with his subordinates rather than resist, making defensive arrangements utterly irrelevant.

It was precisely this mindset of Guan Ning's that allowed Chen Hao to exploit the opportunity. He swiftly completed his pre-battle deployment. Once the two hundred men responsible for the northern and southern sectors had ascended their respective mountains, he ordered Feng Yong to lead the remaining six hundred men of the infantry battalion to launch an attack from the east, while he himself took the cavalry battalion to lay an ambush on the western side of Gubu Town.

Chen Hao possessed the cavalry special skill, Galloping Steed, making him best suited to lead cavalry. Under the effect of this skill, the movement speed of the cavalry battalion was increased by ten percent. Since the western terrain was relatively open, should the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry crack under pressure and choose to flee westward, the speed-boosted cavalry battalion would undoubtedly hunt them down and slaughter them all.

Chen Hao scheduled the assault for ten past three in the afternoon. Fishing Passerby had assembled the heavy machine gun atop the southern peak, awaiting the moment for the general offensive. His gun muzzle was aimed squarely at the stables in the town. Since the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry relied primarily on mounted troops, their stables had been built on a large scale, and at that moment, over four hundred horses were tethered within them.

Every member of the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry owned a horse, meaning their mount count should have originally exceeded a thousand. However, their earlier ambush had resulted in heavy losses, and the warhorses of the slain players had all been confiscated by Yuan Shikai's forces, leaving only a little over four hundred remaining.

Before ascending the mountain, Chen Hao had instructed Fishing Passerby that, because they were helping an NPC complete a mission, any items seized by the military would not belong to them personally. Therefore, he was told to open fire on the stables at the very first moment to rob the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry of their mobility.

Chen Hao had set the attack time at ten past three because the game's respawn time was one hour. The players of the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry who had been killed earlier met their demise around two o'clock, meaning they would have largely respawned by ten past three.

The moment when a large number of players respawned was when Gubu Town would be in its utmost chaos, making it the prime timing for an attack. Waiting for the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry players to respawn before launching the offensive would not only inflict heavier losses upon them but also make his own combat record look far more impressive. Had he attacked before the players respawned to capture the stronghold, his enemy kill count might only be four or five hundred; by waiting until the players respawned, the number of enemies eliminated would multiply severalfold.

Newly respawned players possessed no horses, and a significant number had lost their weapons and ammunition during their deaths without having had the chance to replenish them, rendering their combat effectiveness negligible. Upon establishing the first command post in the game, Guan Ning had obtained the blueprint for constructing a barracks, utilizing it within Gubu Town to recruit NPC soldiers, bringing almost the entire town under his control.

Therefore, even if Chen Hao had not engineered a scheme against him, Yuan Shikai would not have tolerated him for much longer. Unlawfully establishing military barracks without holding an official court position, coupled with the de facto control of a town, was tantamount to treason.

"Bang."

Feng Yong, positioned on the eastern side, took the lead by commanding the infantry to launch the attack. The players on the eastern side of Gubu Town immediately rushed to report to Guan Ning. Upon learning that the forces attacking from the east were Yuan Shikai's New Army, Guan Ning's face turned ashen. He shrieked hysterically, "Why is there still no news from Ayilian after she went to find Yang Shixiang?"

Smiling Maitreya could only step forward with a bitter expression and say, "Boss, Yuan Shikai's troops are arriving far too quickly. We have no time left to maneuver. In my view, we should just retreat!"

"Retreat?" Guan Ning roared at the top of his lungs. "The command post and barracks construction blueprints cost tens of millions, and splashing cash just to buy cheers and secure the support of the town's NPCs cost millions more. You make it sound so easy..."

"Dadada."

"Neigh!"

Before Guan Ning could finish speaking, gunfire erupted simultaneously from the north and south. The warhorses on the southern mountain let out agonizing neighs, causing Guan Ning's expression to alter drastically in an instant. He rushed out of the command post in a frantic panic, only to see more than forty warhorses struck down by the heavy machine gun fire, while the surviving horses struggled desperately, unable to break free because their reins were tethered to the railings.

"Hurry, untie the reins and let the warhorses escape!"

Guan Ning roared at the players scrambling for cover all around him. Reluctant though they were, these players dared not disobey Guan Ning's command and could only charge toward the stables with bitter grimaces. The elites of the Right Guard of the Martial Guard lying in ambush on the mountain peak took aim from their commanding heights and opened fire. The majority of the players were gunned down on their dash toward the stables, while the few who managed to get close were swept away by the heavy machine gun fire.

Every time he saw a warhorse collapse in a pool of blood, Guan Ning felt a sharp twitch in his heart. Warhorses were not cheap, and across the entire server, only he had been willing to shell out such a massive fortune to purchase over a thousand of them. Earlier, when he dispatched troops to ambush Nie Shicheng's family, he had lost seven or eight hundred horses, and now the mere four hundred and odd remaining had become sitting ducks, among them his prized Jade Lion, purchased for over a thousand silver dollars. Guan Ning's heart was bleeding.

Under the three-pronged assault, the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry suffered catastrophic losses. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that none of them, including Guan Ning himself, retained any thought of resistance. Feng Yong's infantry battalion soon smashed their way into Gubu Town from the east. Supported by Smiling Maitreya and Long Dahai, Guan Ning was half-dragged in a daze as they fled toward the west, while the remaining players flooded toward the western exit in a chaotic mob.

The players of the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry did not dare approach the stables, choosing instead to flee entirely on foot. Fishing Passerby ceased his fire on the stables and shifted his gun muzzle toward the main street of Gubu Town. Players running down the street toward the western gate were mowed down in droves, yet they dared not seek shelter anywhere because right behind them pursued hundreds of elite NPC New Army soldiers.

Out of the more than fifteen hundred Guan Ning Iron Cavalry players, only four or five hundred managed to run out of the town, but they had not yet escaped with their lives. No sooner had Long Dahai and Smiling Maitreya escorted Guan Ning out of the western gate than a dense mass of cavalry materialized before their eyes. These horsemen brandished sabers, hacking and slashing in all directions, throwing the fleeing players into complete disarray across the open plain.

Guan Ning stared fixedly in a single direction, the fury in his eyes seemingly capable of burning the enemy to ashes. He caught sight of that familiar Snow-Treading Dapple. Seated atop the horse was the person he hated with a bone-deep vengeance—the very individual currently commanding the NPC cavalry to hunt down his subordinates on all sides.

Guan Ning had suffered heavy losses when he sent troops to ambush Nie Shicheng's family, and at the time, he had already suspected he was being manipulated by Chen Hao. Seeing Chen Hao commanding the NPC forces now, he became firmly convinced that the NPC army's assault on Gubu Town was tied to Chen Hao. Watching his men being cut down one by one, Guan Ning roared in fury, "Chen Baxian, you lowly peasant! I swear I will never let you go!"

Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Guan Ning had inherited wealth from older generations that he could never spend across multiple lifetimes, and in reality, he had always maintained an inherent sense of superiority. Chen Baxian had even been willing to sell command post construction blueprints; in his eyes, such a person was nothing more than a peasant who would do anything for money.

Guan Ning's sense of superiority was entirely useless in the game. Hearing his roaring tirade, Chen Hao cracked a grin, raised his rifle with a cold expression, and said, "I've already heard you say that line several times. Can't you come up with some fresh dialogue?"

"Bang."

Chen Hao pulled the trigger, but his shot went wide. His attempt to look cool by executing Guan Ning ended in failure, and he was denied a second chance as the commander of the nearby cavalry battalion unceremoniously shot Guan Ning dead, completely lacking any appreciation for dramatic flair. Ultimately, two legs could never outrun four. Hunted down by the soldiers of the cavalry battalion, the players of the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry had nowhere to hide and were thoroughly annihilated within moments.

"Player Chen Baxian, you have commanded the 'Assault on Gubu Town' campaign. In this battle, you have completely annihilated 1,486 members of the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry, captured one command post and one barracks, and suffered 3 casualties on your side. The system rates your performance as Perfect. Congratulations, your Strategic Command attribute has increased by 1 point."