Three Crossings of the Luo River

On the northern bank of the Luoshui River, nestled within a hidden valley of rugged terrain far from the main road.

"Your Highness!"

Chen Busha's armor clanked as he strode forward to greet the newly arrived main force.

With a trace of excitement on his face, he reported, "I have led three thousand of our boys to lie in ambush here without leaving a single trace! We await your command, Your Highness!"

Gu Chengyin's gaze swept over the soldiers standing silently before him like iron towers.

They had once again donned their heavy steel armor, which gleamed with a cold, metallic luster under the dim sky.

With long weapons in hand and shields standing like mountains, a heavy, murderous aura silently permeated the valley.

"You've worked hard, General Chen." Gu Chengyin nodded slightly, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "The ambush mission was executed perfectly. Now, it's time to unsheathe our swords."

His voice rang clearly in the ears of every general. "General Chen, lead your three thousand heavy infantry and immediately advance to occupy the front of the valley."

"Assume a formation ready for a counter-charge. Let your banners fly high, and don't be afraid to make a scene."

A bright glint flashed in Chen Busha's eyes. "Are we using the three thousand heavy armored soldiers as bait to attract the main force of the allied army?"

"Yes." Gu Chengyin nodded, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile. "What you need to do is openly and boldly tell the Three-City Allied Army that the main force of the Golden Feather Guard is here, and it is a heavily armored main force."

He paused and added, "Later, I will have the rest of our men show themselves as well, busily constructing a camp behind and on your flanks."

"Create the illusion that the entire army is gathering here to defend. Remember, our goal is to convince them that we are preparing to break out towards Dawn City."

"I understand!" Chen Busha cupped his fists, a fierce grin appearing on his face. "Rest assured, Your Highness. With this heavy armor and the geographical advantage, even if a hundred thousand allied troops were to attack, they would shatter all their teeth trying to chew through these three thousand men!"

Gu Chengyin nodded. "That won't be necessary. The enemy won't send a large army right now."

He turned to Shangguan Yunying. "Yunying, immediately arrange for men to set up the main camp. At the same time, scatter all our scouts to closely monitor any movements, especially any unusual activity coming from Dawn City and Yellow Bell City."

"Yes!" Shangguan Yunying received her orders and quickly went to make arrangements.

After experiencing the emotional turmoil in the forest, the strange affection deep in her heart when she faced Gu Chengyin had not dissipated, but it was now overshadowed by a more complex sense of awe.

This man was playing a massive game of chess that she couldn't fathom at all.

Soon, the inside and outside of the valley became bustling with activity.

Under Chen Busha's command, the three thousand heavy armored soldiers moved like a mobile wall of steel, chopping down trees to build palisades and digging trenches, constructing a defense line that appeared impenetrable.

Deep behind them, a large number of Golden Feather Guards were busily setting up more tents and raising more cooking smoke, creating a scene of mass assembly, deliberately flaunting their presence.

...

Just as Gu Chengyin's grand play was raising its curtains and the various commotions began to spread outside the valley.

An elite reconnaissance squad dispatched from Dawn City slipped into the peripheral woodlands of this area as quietly as ghosts.

There were about thirty of them, all top-notch scouts handpicked from Dawn City.

Wearing dark leather armor suited for concealment and smeared with grass juice to mask their scent, their movements almost blended seamlessly into the shadows of the forest.

The leader was an experienced old scout, currently lying prone behind a thick bush, carefully observing the valley ahead.

"Captain, look over there... my god!"

A young scout lying next to the captain suddenly gasped. His voice was kept extremely low, but it couldn't hide his terror. He was pointing toward the valley pass.

The scout captain quickly focused his gaze, and upon seeing it, his heart shook violently!

At the only entrance and exit of the distant valley, it was completely blocked by a steel wall flashing with a cold, eerie gleam!

It was clearly a tight formation formed by countless Golden Feather Guards clad in full heavy armor!

The finely forged golden armor reflected large swaths of heart-palpitating metallic cold light, like countless points of ruthless stars!

What made his scalp go numb even more was that the formation was not standing completely still. Under the shouts of officers, some of the soldiers were conducting minor formation changes and weapon drills.

The heavy footsteps and the friction of armor could be faintly heard even from over a mile away, carrying a heavy sense of oppression!

The scout captain's vision extended deeper into the valley. He saw faint dust rising, and amidst the shadows, there seemed to be the silhouettes of countless tents.

There were also several thick columns of cooking smoke rising straight into the clouds. Vague figures could be seen moving around the camp, the numbers looking quite substantial!

"It's the Golden Feather Guard! It really is the heavily armored Golden Feather Guard!" The scout captain's throat went dry, his voice hoarse. "Looking at this setup... there are definitely more than a few thousand! They are actually really here!"

"And judging by their formation changes, the direction of their banners, and the activity in the valley, it doesn't look like a simple defense. It looks more like they are actively preparing to gather strength for a charge!"

This judgment made his entire body turn cold. The main force of the allied army was currently converging on this location.

If the Golden Feather Guard was truly resting and recuperating here, preparing to use their heavily armored elites as a vanguard to launch a desperate breakout counter-attack, then the first to bear the brunt...

"We must take this news back immediately! This intelligence is too important!"

The scout captain made a prompt decision and shouted in a low voice, "Retreat! Go back the way we came, hurry! We absolutely cannot be..."

Before he could finish the word discovered, a sudden change occurred!

Whoosh! Crack!

A whistling arrow shot up into the sky without warning from a nearby tree canopy to their front flank, instantly exploding into a small cloud of red smoke!

"We're exposed! Run!" The scout captain, terrified out of his wits, roared hoarsely.

Almost at the same time the whistling arrow exploded, dozens of figures suddenly stood up like phantoms on the originally quiet wooded slopes on both sides!

Their movements were as agile as leopards, the powerful crossbows in their hands already drawn, the cold arrowheads flashing a deadly, eerie light in the morning sun.

"Surround them! Don't let a single one escape!" A cold, stern command rang out from the forest.

"Scatter and break out! Whoever can get away, go! Take the news back!"

The scout captain's eyes turned red. He drew the short sword at his waist and took the lead, sprinting towards a dense patch of forest in the direction of Dawn City!

He knew that the mission of his squad was not to fight, but to deliver the intelligence back!

"Chase them!"

With a wave of the Golden Feather Guard commander's hand, dozens of elites immediately lunged forward like wolves and tigers, pursuing relentlessly in pairs!

A suffocatingly tense, small-scale pursuit rapidly unfolded in the forest.

Screams and muffled groans rang out from time to time, the sounds of men being struck by crossbow bolts or forced into close-quarters combat and killed.

The scout captain, leading the remaining seven or eight scouts, used every ounce of their strength to flee for their lives, taking cover behind trees and rocks.

They discarded all unnecessary burdens, even tearing off their cumbersome cloaks, just to fight for a sliver of a chance to survive.

In the end, when the scout captain stumbled and crawled out of the dense forest, seeing the faint banners of the allied army camp in the distance.

Only three equally battered and exhausted scouts remained by his side.