91. Preparations for the Assault

"Kane, tell everyone not to relax; the real battle may be about to begin," Mo Fei said, stepping up to Kane and his group.

"Young master, don't worry. These guys' legs are as soft as noodles—it's not even satisfying to cut them down. I wish more would come; the more, the merrier." Kane, having experienced the last fight on the continent and this one, no longer took these adversaries seriously.

Mo Fei, however, had a different thought. Fighting in someone else's territory—if things get destroyed, so be it. As long as they don't make a mess in my city, that's all that matters.

"Right now, we have about six thousand warriors. To swallow the enemy whole in one go isn't realistic. Just the sixty thousand outside the mountain—if you wanted to cut them all down, you'd wear yourselves out before you finished. Everything requires brains. If all you think about is charging forward and cutting, do you really think it's like mowing the lawn?"

"Sixty thousand is a bit much," Kane admitted, scratching his head. "But they can't all deploy at once, can they? If they dare to send people in little by little, young master, I guarantee I'll deal with as many as they send."

"I believe you can do it, but I want you to do it even better and with less effort," Mo Fei said meaningfully.

"Rest assured, young master, I know what to do. It's time to let these brats practice a bit. I'll just watch from the side and let them play. When we go home, they can be sent out as generals to guard the frontiers. Otherwise, staying at home all the time is just too lacking in ambition."

"It's good you think that way. Our warriors have seen plenty of battles. Among them, there must be those like Hilai. Guide them well. One mustn't be too single-minded in life or work. I don't provoke others now, so they can laugh behind my back. Who else would dare trouble me? You can relax—does the empire really need all of you guarding just me?"

"I know you're formidable, young master," Kane laughed. "It's just that no one wants to leave you. But this time, when we return, I won't care—I'll kick them out one by one to show you what they can do."

As they spoke, the two thousand berserkers behind them were moved to tears. Kane looked back, equally touched, but shouted, "You all heard what the young master said. When we return, you're all going out to do your part. Show him that berserkers aren't only good at fighting—we can guard the frontiers just as well!"

"Yes!" the two thousand replied in unison, and a wave of murderous intent swept over the small village.

"You are all outstanding. We've come to this continent, invaded and seized from them, so that our own won't suffer disasters like last time. Let us give them back everything they gave us!"

"Kill! Give it all back!"

...

"Young master, the brothers guarding the sea passage have sent word. Several of the enemy's ships were sunk by boulders and blocked the route. The four ships trying to escape are now trapped inside. Some of their warriors were killed by falling rocks as they tried to swim out to sea. There may be a few who slipped through, but they're searching along both shores and will report later if anything turns up."

"Good. Find a way to move those four warships to the place where we hid our ships last time. We'll need them in the future."

"Yes, young master."

With Mo Fei's intervention, several consecutive victories had been won, delighting the elder. He was now leading the remaining villagers—old, young, and women—to slaughter the few livestock left in the village, as well as magical beasts hunted from the mountain, all of which went into the pot.

The food made by the Minotaur tribe was just as Wodo had described; the aroma alone made one's mouth water. Fortunately, Wodo had sent Mo Fei to call back the Wolf tribe, or else they might have been drooling right now.

The threat from the sea was gone, but sixty thousand troops still watched from the mountain. The news of the naval battle wouldn't reach the land forces immediately, but it wouldn't be long. Mo Fei was trying to play a timing game—swallow as many of the sixty thousand as possible, and at least make sure the Bear tribe would not dare to come seeking Wildfire so easily in the future.

After gathering his forces, Mo Fei had fewer than four thousand men fit to charge. Of the original six thousand, some had to be left out due to exhaustion, so only this handful remained. That included his two thousand heavy cavalry—his forces were stretched thin. He wasn't sure if the terrain outside the mountain would allow cavalry deployment; if it did, his two thousand heavy cavalry could be useful. But these mountains...

"Young master, what's troubling you?" Kane, ever since arriving, had stuck to Mo Fei's side except when sleeping.

"With so few troops, how can we defeat the enemy's sixty thousand? And we need to act before news of the sea battle reaches them. Too little time, too few soldiers—ah!" Mo Fei rubbed his aching head.

"Why not call for reinforcements from the capital?" Kane suggested without thinking.

"The Bear tribe has no fewer than two million troops. If we called for reinforcements every time we fought, we'd be better off relocating the Death Empire here." Mo Fei was a bit annoyed.

"Heh, young master, if they learn they've been beaten at sea, they might start retreating. We could attack as they withdraw—there's a way, but we'd need to sneak our men close to their camp for it to work."

"Why didn't you say so earlier? You made my head spin!" Mo Fei slapped Kane on the back of the head.

"With you around, young master, I don't bother to think," Kane muttered, rubbing his head.

"What are you two up to?" Just then, Vivian and Aileen walked in.

"Nothing much, just thinking about how to get men close to the Bear tribe's camp outside the mountain, so we can strike when they retreat," Mo Fei said, pulling the two girls close. "Been out playing again?"

"Yes," Aileen replied. "We went into the forest—there are so many magical beasts in there..."

"Don't go too deep. If you get lost, you won't be able to come out," Mo Fei said clumsily.

"Brother, don't you know the forest is the domain of the elves? If we elves got lost in our own forests, we'd have nowhere to belong," Aileen laughed.

"I'm just worried about you," Mo Fei replied sheepishly. Truly, concern muddled his mind, and he spoke without thinking.

The three were lost in tender affection, forgetting Kane was still there, the unwelcome third wheel. Kane could only sigh, "Young master, let's focus on getting our men close to the enemy. That's the real issue at hand."

"Isn't it just a matter of getting people outside the mountain? We can pass through the forest. It's not easy, but it's not impossible," Aileen said.

"Aileen, do you mean the forest can lead us around to the mountain's other side?" Mo Fei, troubled by how to get his men out, perked up.

"Yes, but..."

"But what?" Mo Fei and Kane asked nervously.

"If I don't lead you, you'll never find your way out. Once you go in, you'll probably lose even the way back," Aileen assured them.

"As long as we can get through! Aileen, we'll set out soon, and you'll guide us," Mo Fei said. "Will our magical beast cavalry be able to make it?"

"If there are too many, it might be troublesome, but it should be doable. It might just take longer." The forest was difficult, but not insurmountable for magical beasts; Mo Fei was overthinking it.

"Then there's no time to lose. Kane, take your men and Sheng Hailin, and go through the forest to find a place to ambush. Wait for them to start retreating, then strike. If they're prepared, wait for my signal. One way or another, we must leave them with something—they can't escape so easily."

"Alright, young master. We're off now. Do you want me to leave you a squad?" Kane saw Mo Fei was heading to the mountain and worried for his safety.

"What's the worry? There are more than a few who want your young master dead, but I'm still alive and well. Look after Aileen on this trip—don't let anything happen to her."

"Don't worry, we'll go," Kane replied, and went out.

"Be careful—don't rush ahead. Stay at the back of the team and use your little crossbow to help them," Mo Fei cautioned, afraid Aileen would charge too far forward like last time.

"Don't worry, brother. I'll help Kane from the rear. I won't do what I did last time," Aileen said sweetly.

"Go on, I'll head up the mountain. Move quickly; the enemy may act as soon as night falls."

"I understand. I'm going now. Be careful, brother!" With time short, Aileen hurried out after speaking.

...