Four Crossings of the Luo River

"Commander! Commander! We found them! We found them!"

A scout stumbled and crawled into the central military tent, his helmet askew and his armor crooked, covered in blood and dirt.

"My subordinates and I discovered the main force of the Golden Feather Guard near Eagle Grief Ravine, south of Dawn City! They are all clad in heavy armor! They are currently building sturdy fortifications; it looks like they are preparing to break out of the encirclement!"

"The valley is filled with endless tents and countless plumes of cooking smoke. There are absolutely no less than thirty thousand of them! We were discovered, and many of our brothers died..."

"Eagle Grief Ravine?" Yang Yufeng abruptly stood up from his seat, a brilliant light bursting from his eyes!

The Demoness indeed did not go to Yellow Bell City! They were hiding right near Dawn City! It seemed Wei Tingsong's judgment was at least half right!

Almost at the exact same time, another messenger sprinted into the tent. "Report! Urgent report from Yellow Bell City! The scouts sent to the mountain hollow in the southern suburbs have confirmed that the camp is indeed a fake. It is completely empty, with only scarecrows as camouflage! The main force of the Golden Feather Guard is not in Yellow Bell City!"

The two pieces of news arrived one after another, causing the expressions of everyone in the tent to vary.

Yang Yufeng let out a long sigh of relief, the confident smile of a man in total control reappearing on his face. His previous anxiety and gloom were swept away.

"Good! Excellent! The Demoness is truly cunning. First, she used a fake camp as a decoy, then released false news about crossing the river, intending to lure the tiger away from the mountain!"

"Unfortunately for her, we still saw through it! They are now cowering in Eagle Grief Ravine, wanting to break out through Dawn City? Dream on!"

He looked at Wei Tingsong and nodded in approval. "The military advisor predicts things like a god. The Demoness indeed made a feint to the east while attacking the west. Her true target is still my Dawn City! If not for the military advisor's caution, we would have almost fallen for their trick!"

Wei Tingsong also breathed a sigh of relief, a reserved smile appearing on his face. "The Commander overpraises me. This is merely my duty. Now that the Demoness's location is clear, it is the perfect opportunity for our army to surround and annihilate them in one fell swoop!"

Although Lu Ming was somewhat lingeringly fearful after the false alarm, knowing that the Golden Feather Guard was not at Yellow Bell City set his mind at ease. He hurriedly said, "Commander, since we have found the Demoness, we should dispatch troops immediately to surround them completely! This general is willing to be the vanguard!"

"No rush."

Yang Yufeng waved his hand, restoring the composure of a veteran general. His gaze landed on the location of Eagle Grief Ravine on the map, and he sneered, "The Demoness chose Eagle Grief Ravine. It is true that this place is easy to defend and hard to attack, but it is also a dead end! Surrounded by mountains on three sides, there is only one main pass and a few treacherous, narrow paths for entry and exit."

"They want to rely on their heavy armor and the geographical advantage to wear down our army and delay for time. Perhaps they also want to wait until we fail to take the ravine after a long siege, and then look for an opportunity to break out when our morale is exhausted..."

A trace of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes. "Transmit my orders to the three armies. Move out immediately, target: Eagle Grief Ravine! Fifty thousand from Dawn City, forty thousand from Double River City, and forty thousand from Yellow Bell City. A total of one hundred and thirty thousand troops! Surround Eagle Grief Ravine like an iron barrel for this commander! Not even a drop of water should leak through!"

"Yes!" The generals acknowledged in unison.

Wei Tingsong, however, stepped forward and added, "Commander, we still need to prevent the Golden Feather Guard from jumping the wall in desperation like a cornered dog. Currently, the allied forces are in the east, leaving the west side empty."

"If the Demoness fights to the death to break out toward the west, abandoning a portion of their heavy armor to scale the mountains lightly equipped, it is still possible for them to escape with their lives. Therefore, it would be better to..."

He looked at Lu Ming. "General Lu, please send orders back to Yellow Bell City to dispatch... hmm, ten thousand elites. They need not join the frontal siege. Instead, have them lay an ambush at Wild Wolf Valley, thirty miles east of Eagle Grief Ravine."

"There is no need to clash head-on. Just utilize the terrain, set up extensive obstacles, and deploy many decoys to delay their breakout. Wait until our main allied forces have worn them down significantly. When they eventually route and flee toward the east, this ambushing force can easily intercept and slaughter them, or at least pin them down until the main allied forces arrive in pursuit!"

Yang Yufeng's eyes lit up. "Brilliant! The military advisor's plan can be said to be foolproof! It completely seals off the Demoness's route of retreat! General Lu, what do you think?"

A sharp glint burst from Lu Ming's eyes. If the Demoness really broke out from the east, wouldn't this be the best opportunity to snatch the credit!?

That fool Yang Yufeng actually surrendered such a great opportunity on his own initiative. With Chen Busha's Foundation Establishment realm strength, no one could stop him if he wanted to break out. A mere ten thousand troops was truly too few.

An ambush would certainly be enough to deal with the enemy, but it would be far from enough to block Dawn City and Double River City from taking the credit. Now that the Demoness's location had been confirmed, keeping more defenders in Yellow Bell City was completely meaningless.

It would be better to send them all out. As long as they could capture the Demoness, everything would be worth it! But for now, he still needed to fool Yang Yufeng. Since he said ten thousand, then ten thousand it is.

Once the commanding general of my Yellow Bell City personally arrives with his troops, let's see how you, Yang Yufeng, can still flaunt your authority as Commander in Chief in front of me!

"The military advisor makes a valid point, and this general has no objections. I will immediately send orders back to the city for my commanding general to dispatch ten thousand elites to set up an ambush at Wild Wolf Valley at once!" Lu Ming cupped his fists in agreement.

"Good!" Yang Yufeng was in high spirits. He waved his large hand. "Generals, hear my command! Rally the troops immediately and march on Eagle Grief Ravine! This time, we will definitely capture the Demoness!"

......

The dust kicked up by the fleeing scout squad from Dawn City had not yet completely settled.

However, the bustling scene within the valley of Eagle Grief Ravine had reached its peak, abruptly shifting into a completely different kind of busyness.

"Quickly! Remove all heavy armor on the spot and keep the formation unchanged!" Gu Chengyin's orders were concise and clear, echoing throughout the valley.

Under explicit commands, the Golden Feather Guards in the rear immediately surged forward to help remove the armor. They then set up dummies and dressed them all in the heavy armor, majestically maintaining the appearance of a heavily armored formation.

In just half an hour, all the Golden Feather Guards successfully evacuated the fake camp and the fake military formation. From a distance, no one would ever believe that there was actually not a single person here.

"Her Highness has orders!"

Gu Chengyin vaulted onto his horse, his gaze sweeping over the thirty thousand Golden Feather Guards rapidly assembling in the night. "After crossing the river, turn northwest. The target is the fake camp at Yellow Bell City! Pay attention to concealment, muffle the horses' hooves with cloth, and march swiftly in silence!"

"Understood!" The low chorus of acknowledgment rolled across the earth like muffled thunder.

The thirty thousand Golden Feather Guards, like a massive specter blending into the night, quietly left the stage they had just meticulously set up under Gu Chengyin's leadership.

Leaving the illusion of a heavily guarded stronghold for the approaching one hundred and thirty thousand allied troops, they traveled light and simple, heading in the exact opposite direction to begin yet another deadly maneuver.

Luo Water River.

A shallow shoal where the current was gentle and the riverbed firm.

By the time the Golden Feather Guards arrived, it was already midnight.

There were no torches, only the faint starlight and the sharp gazes of the soldiers to guide them.

The river crossing proceeded methodically. The vanguard went first to scout the path and secure the opposite bank.

Following that, the main force quickly waded across. The icy river water soaked their clothes and armor, but no one uttered half a word of complaint. There was only the splashing sound of the current and muffled breathing.

Crossing the Luo Water River for the fourth time meant they had completely leaped out of the encirclement of the three cities' allied forces.

After a brief rest, the Golden Feather Guards continued their rapid march toward the northwest.

Their target was clear: the fake camp area in the southern suburbs of Yellow Bell City that they had personally set up and deliberately exposed.

They were familiar with the terrain there, and since it had just been confirmed as empty and fake by Yellow Bell City, it was like the darkest spot right under the lamp—the absolute best place to hide.