Chapter 80: Open Schemes

“I’d like to ask you all, if you were in the shoes of the ratmen across from us, what would you be thinking right now?” As Xue Hui finished speaking, the assembled officers fell into a brief silence.

As the chief commander, Xue Hui not only required his officers to obey orders, but also to possess the ability to think independently. He couldn’t have them coming to him for every little issue; such inefficiency would only invite mistakes at critical moments.

“Boss, I know!” Wu Fan replied. “If I were the ratmen, I’d want to stall for time. They hold the home-field advantage—if they drag things out until our supplies run short, we’ll have no choice but to retreat.”

Xue Hui nodded. “You’re right, but only half right.” He continued, “Besides stalling, they’re probing us.”

“Probing?” someone echoed.

“Yes,” Xue Hui affirmed. “The ratmen are in the same situation we are: neither side knows the other's true strength or deployment, nor what cards are hidden. Both sides will play cautiously for now.”

“This battle won’t be decided in a day. Our priority is to uncover the ratmen’s strength and hidden assets, and they’re doing the same to us.”

“As the saying goes, ‘Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.’ It would be reckless to attack before we understand their forces.”

The officers nodded thoughtfully.

“So, Boss, how do you plan to probe them?” asked Feng Wanqing, certain that he already had an answer.

“Time is indeed critical for us, but we must proceed step by step. Never fight an unprepared battle.”

“Pass the order: tonight, everyone rests well, and tomorrow we begin a rotating assault on the city.”

The officers exchanged puzzled glances, unsure what he meant by a rotating assault and waiting for his instructions.

Xue Hui didn’t keep them guessing. “Wu Fan, Wanqing, and Liu Wei—your units will take turns attacking, half a day each.”

“We’ll start with Wu Fan’s unit tomorrow morning. At noon, Wanqing’s will take over, continuing the assault. Liu Wei’s unit will handle the attack the following morning.”

“That’s the plan for now.”

“You three will cover a cycle of one and a half days. The afternoon after tomorrow, Wu Fan’s unit rotates back in. Is that clear?”

“Understood!” they replied in unison.

Just then, Liu Wei spoke up. “Boss, why am I placed last? I’d like to lead the first assault instead of Wu Fan!”

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For this campaign, Liu Wei had brought his most elite independent regiment, eager to prove themselves before all.

“You’re being foolish, Liu!” said Wu Fan with a smile. “How do you not see what the Boss is getting at?”

Liu Wei was momentarily confused.

“Brother, I’ve tangled with these ratmen before and paid dearly. I know their treachery and cunning all too well.”

“You’ve seen the ambushes along the way. Clearly, they’ve had plenty of time to prepare, thanks to whatever intelligence they’ve acquired.”

“That two-hundred-meter slope outside High Court City—who knows how many traps they’ve set? My troops are Zhang Wenyuan’s ragtag militia; if they’re wiped out, it’s no great loss, and Zhang himself won’t complain.”

“This first wave is bound to hit the mines, so it’s best I lead it and clear the way. After that, you can go in safely. Do you understand now, brother?”

Wu Fan patiently explained the logic, and Liu Wei quickly grasped the situation. “I’ll follow your arrangements, big brother!”

Xue Hui raised his wooden bowl and drained the now-cool water. “One more thing—I must remind you: during the feigned attack, keep casualties to a minimum. Every soldier should wear leg guards and carry a shield.”

“We must keep losses as low as possible!”

“Understood!”

…

Southern Norsen Plains

Within the lizardmen camp

“News from the front: the Human Alliance has arrived at the gates of High Court City, roughly twenty thousand strong.”

It was night. Flickering campfires cast anxious, solemn faces into relief.

“Should we deploy our troops now?” Elder Frank asked, seeking counsel.

“The ratmen and humans haven’t engaged in full-scale contact yet. We should not act rashly, especially since their chieftain hasn’t sent anyone to reach out to me,” Xia Rong replied uncertainly. She lacked confidence—recently, Yang Jie seemed to have vanished into thin air, answering none of her messages no matter how she tried.

This left Xia Rong uneasy…

“Now isn’t the right time; the battle has only just begun. We’d best wait until things heat up before intervening,” Morgan said.

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“But when is the heated phase? It takes our scouts a day and a half just to return from High Court,” Elder Roger said, stroking his thick, long beard.

“I fear something might change in the meantime. We ought to make preparations now.”

“I believe we can trust the ratmen; their strength is undeniable. We’ve already supported them with a million units of grain and plenty of weapons. Frankly, we’ve done more than enough,” said another lizardman elder with dark green skin, sitting in the corner.

But Morgan shook his head.

“Honored Elder Karls, this isn’t a matter of doing enough. We must do everything in our power to ensure the ratmen hold their ground on these plains.”

“We must exert ourselves fully to help them win this war.”

“Young man, I still don’t understand you!” Roger grumbled, annoyed by Morgan’s slick manner.

Morgan had been waiting for this question; the elders disliked him, and he felt little affection for their stubborn ways. But since Roger had asked directly, he couldn’t evade.

“It’s like this, esteemed Elder Roger,” Morgan began. “I think we shouldn’t focus solely on High Court. The dark elves in Fargon Forest are much closer.”

“Reliable sources say they’ve assembled two thousand troops in the southeastern Norsen Plains, a mere eighty kilometers from us.”

“You mean their target is us?” Xia Rong was startled. If that were so, their every move was exposed.

“I believe so,” Elder Lawrence continued. “If not, why haven’t they joined the Human Alliance’s assault on High Court?”

“Exactly! Those vile dark elves—one face in public, another in private!”

“I think they’re waiting for an opportunity, for us to mobilize in support of the ratmen. Once our main force moves, they have two options: attack our camp directly, or ambush us en route to High Court.”

Morgan’s words made all the lizardmen elders realize their predicament.

This was war; once the initiative was seized, one would seek to expand every advantage.

Meanwhile, inside High Court, the conference room was brightly lit as the officers engaged in fierce debate over whether to launch an offensive.

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