Wang Ming, good luck

The Zhang Shi of old had merely been a guerrilla general who knew a little divination and hoped to use it to earn a few military merits.

Then Wang Ming goaded him into accepting the mission of launching a lightning strike against the barbarians on the grasslands. After surviving countless bloody battles, Zhang Shi had forged himself a swift and ruthless style of warfare, sweeping through enemy territory and gaining a fearsome reputation.

By the time he returned, Zhang Shi had changed.

The scars on his face could not conceal the sharpness radiating from his entire being. His every movement exuded a bold confidence so dazzling that it was impossible not to marvel at him.

Unfortunately, after Ren Tianye’s army began attacking Yunjing, Zhang Shi suffered one defeat after another, while the credit all went to Wang Ming. The sharp edge that had once enveloped Zhang Shi faded away completely, leaving him almost indistinguishable from the crowd.

At the time, even Ren Tianye had grown anxious for him.

Who launched flanking attacks every single day?

One had to adapt to circumstances and employ different military tactics, surely!

And after placing so many hopes in him, Ren Tianye discovered that the Zhang Shi standing before him now… had returned!

Or, more accurately… he had been tempered and refined!

The sharpness that had once characterized him had returned in full force, making him nearly impossible to look at directly. His eyes shone with a confidence that seemed to say he could cross any mountain and conquer any sea!

“Zhang Shi…”

Ren Tianye smiled. “Your gains this time are quite substantial. I am very pleased. This time, we will launch an assault on the fortress complex north of the river at Yunjing.”

“Would you dare take command of the vanguard?”

Zhang Shi answered without hesitation, “I dare!”

“Lord Duke, so long as you are willing to give me another chance, I swear I will seize the northern fortress complex at the fastest possible speed.”

As he finished speaking, Zhang Shi could not help glancing at Wang Ming. In a leisurely tone, he said, “If General Wang is willing to compete with me one more time, I will be even more certain that I can seize the northern fortress complex at a faster speed!”

Ren Tianye immediately burst out laughing.

Wang Ming had become Zhang Shi’s inner demon!

He turned to Wang Ming and asked with a smile, “Wang Ming, General Zhang Shi wishes to compete with you again. Do you have the courage?”

Wang Ming hurriedly said, “Lord Duke, General Zhang Shi, you flatter me far too much. I am merely a deputy general, and all I do are trivial little tasks.”

“How could I dare compete?”

“Besides, how could I compete with General Zhang Shi, whose name is renowned for sweeping through enemy territory?”

Wang Ming’s modesty was consistent as ever.

Zhang Shi knew this very well, but he was still somewhat annoyed. “Wang Ming, stop pretending. The things you do are trivial little tasks?”

“If what you do counts as trivial, then what do other people do? Things in their dreams?”

“Hmph!”

“Just the shout of ‘husband’ you gave on the battlefield has been circulating throughout the military camp to this day. If it did not involve Lord Su Jin, it would certainly have spread across the whole world and become a legend in the army for generations to come!”

“…It will become a legend in the military camp even now.”

“You are already impressive enough. Stop pretending.”

“Today, I, Zhang Shi, am challenging you outright. Do you dare to settle this between us? Let’s see who can seize the northern fortress complex first!”

Seeing the heated atmosphere at the scene, Ren Tianye immediately said, “Wang Ming, since General Zhang Shi has made such a request, I believe you need not refuse. Show Zhang Shi who is truly superior here in Yunjing!”

Ren Tianye had already given the order, so Wang Ming had no choice but to agree.

“Yes, Lord Duke. I will do as you say.”

“Good!”

Ren Tianye rose to his feet, his own blood beginning to surge with excitement.

“The northern fortress complex is no simple target.”

“It guards the waterway’s entrance into the river and contains an elite naval force. It has also been fortified over many years, with countless water barriers installed and iron chains stretched across the river. The terrain is complicated as well. The enemy can block the tributaries, drive stakes into the shallows to prevent ships from approaching, and deploy ambushes everywhere.”

“It will be extremely difficult to capture!”

“If I let the two of you split your forces and attack together, it would be disadvantageous to our army.”

“Therefore, I have an idea.”

“At present, I have two missions, which I will assign to the two of you separately. Whoever completes his mission first will be the winner. Are you both willing?”

Zhang Shi immediately replied, “Lord Duke, I am willing.”

Wang Ming also said, “Lord Duke, I will follow your orders.”

“Very well.” Ren Tianye continued, “The first mission is to gather intelligence.”

“I urgently need detailed information about the northern fortress complex. I want the two of you to obtain it for me. The more comprehensive, the better.”

“As for the second mission…”

“Bring one man back alive.”

“This man is named Lu Chaosheng. He is the supreme commander of the entire northern fortress complex. In other words, the fortress complex operates under his command.”

“Therefore, so long as we capture him, the northern fortress complex will be a tiger without fangs.”

“And my second mission is to capture him!”

By the time Ren Tianye finished speaking, his intentions were perfectly clear. He wanted Zhang Shi and Wang Ming to serve as the vanguard and break through the heart of the northern fortress complex, after which he would personally lead the main army to destroy it.

He had never intended to place the entire responsibility for attacking the northern fortress complex on the two of them alone.

Zhang Shi and Wang Ming understood this much, but they also heard the unspoken meaning behind Ren Tianye’s words.

Gather intelligence?

Difficult, but only relatively so!

Capturing Lu Chaosheng, the commander of the northern fortress complex, was the truly difficult task.

It would be comparable to capturing Ren Tianye from within their own army.

So…

Although the Lord Duke had assigned two missions and set the two of them against each other, the difference in difficulty between those missions was as vast as heaven and earth!

Then…

How would the Lord Duke assign them?

Ren Tianye’s gaze slowly swept over the two men before he finally spoke.

“My intention is…”

“Wang Ming, you will capture Lu Chaosheng and bring him back to me.”

“Zhang Shi, you will gather intelligence for me.”

The moment he heard this, Wang Ming understood.

“Lord Duke deliberately wants General Zhang Shi to win once? That works too. General Zhang Shi has been in a poor mood lately. If he wins, he should be happy again!”

He immediately dropped to one knee and said loudly, “Yes, Lord Duke. I will go capture Lu Chaosheng—”

Before he could finish, Zhang Shi interrupted him loudly.

“No!”

“Lord Duke, I object to this arrangement!”

“I will capture Lu Chaosheng!”

“As for gathering intelligence, leave that to Wang Ming. Besides…” A powerful confidence surged through Zhang Shi’s eyes. “I will definitely complete my mission faster than Wang Ming!”

Ren Tianye looked at Zhang Shi with an expression of helplessness. “Zhang Shi, are you certain?”

“Certain, absolutely certain, and unquestionably certain!”

Ren Tianye then glanced at Wang Ming and found that he, too, looked helpless. With no other choice, Ren Tianye said, “Very well. If that is what you want…”

“Zhang Shi, you will capture Lu Chaosheng.”

“Wang Ming, you will gather intelligence.”

When his eyes met Wang Ming’s, Ren Tianye deliberately gave him a meaningful look.

Wang Ming had been at Ren Tianye’s side the longest, and he immediately understood what Ren Tianye meant.

“Lord Duke wants me to keep quiet even if I gather the intelligence ahead of schedule.”

“He wants to save General Zhang Shi’s pride.”

Wang Ming immediately said, “Yes, Lord Duke. I will go gather intelligence!”

“Good!”

After Ren Tianye finished giving his instructions, he dismissed everyone.

Zhang Shi and Wang Ming walked out side by side.

The two men walked side by side, looking as though they were on excellent terms. In reality, Zhang Shi had something he wanted to say to Wang Ming.

“Old Wang,” Zhang Shi said, “your mission won’t be easy. To gather military intelligence on the Jiangbei Fortress Complex, you’ll have to capture at least one high-ranking officer from the complex.”

“Preferably one of the commanders responsible for guarding its many passes.”

“How many passes does the Jiangbei Fortress Complex have again?”

“Oh, right. Seven or eight. With Zhenjiang City at its core, it controls five strongholds: Tiemen Pass, Langyan Fort, Suojiang Outpost, Hengjiang Camp, and Linjiang Ferry.”

“Zhenjiang City is definitely the most difficult.”

“That leaves the five strongholds, such as Tiemen Pass. Which one are you planning to target?”

Wang Ming smiled. “I have no idea either!”

“We’ll see. Whichever one gives me a chance to capture a prisoner and extract information…”

“Still, I doubt any of them will be easy!”

“Alas, this mission won’t be simple.”

Wang Ming’s tone and attitude made Zhang Shi feel quite pleased. He smiled and said, “Don’t lose heart. Put in a little effort, and with your abilities, you should be able to handle it easily enough.”

“I…” Zhang Shi, who had been brimming with confidence, finally offered Wang Ming a blessing. “I wish you good luck!”

“Thank you, General Zhang Shi!” Wang Ming hurriedly replied.

Before he could say anything more, a messenger came running over from nearby.

“Report!”

“Report!”

“Report!”

“Generals, something terrible has happened… No, wait—something wonderful has happened!”

“The commander of Tiemen Pass has offered his surrender!”

“He has also brought with him the complete set of highly classified military maps and intelligence concerning the Jiangbei Fortress Complex—including all its river fortifications, hidden defenses, waterways, warships, and weapons.”

“He’s waiting just outside. Shall we bring him in?”

Zhang Shi: “???”

In an instant, the confidence on his face turned into a look of utter misery.

“Damn it! I really need to learn to keep my mouth shut!”

“Why did I have to wish him good luck?”

Wang Ming was feeling somewhat awkward as well.

He had already planned to quietly obtain the intelligence and then quietly report it to Lord Duke. So what was going on with the commander of Tiemen Pass?

How had he surrendered just like that?

He hadn’t even made a move, and the man had already surrendered?

Fine, surrendering was one thing—but he had brought the intelligence with him?

And not just some of it…

All of it!

Wouldn’t that mean he had won before he had even lifted a finger?!

What did that leave for General Zhang Shi?

Thus, Wang Ming said, “Er, General Zhang Shi, this must be some kind of misunderstanding. How about…”

“We switch assignments again?”

“I’ll go capture Lu Chaosheng, and you intercept the intelligence?”

“What do you think?”

Zhang Shi immediately rejected the idea with a cold expression. “No need!”

“Wang Ming, the intelligence mission is ultimately meant to serve the capture of the Jiangbei Fortress Complex. I, Zhang Shi, may have lost—but I haven’t lost that completely!”

“Before Lord Duke launches the general assault on the Jiangbei Fortress Complex, I, Zhang Shi… will surely establish further merit. And I absolutely will not fall short of you!”