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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 17: The Crossbowman
They took a detour this time, wasting some time, but given the current situation, there was no turning back. Man Chengwen felt frustrated about this. They retraced their steps, and everyone was running around frantically. Nevertheless, the Officers did their utmost to maintain order and stabilize the morale of the troops.
Ji Zichen finally spotted Wei Ye. Wei Ye was commanding the troops on how to attack from behind the outskirts of Mountain Valley. Upon seeing Ji Zichen arrive, Wei Ye asked, "Did you not capture the Arbitrator?"
Ji Zichen shook his head and sighed, "No."
Wei Ye replied, "This time we must take down the Arbitrator's stronghold. I need you to go to the left hill; you will play a significant role there."
Ji Zichen was taken aback. "The left hill? What do you want me to do?" Ji Zichen actually intended to listen in on the battle reports, but if Wei Ye had other instructions, he was willing to comply.
"I hope you can command from the hill," Wei Ye expressed sincerely. "I believe it would be better for you to lead those men. Captain Fang from Zhang City is in charge there, but he still seems inexperienced and young. We need to control the situation now, rather than just recklessly attacking."
With that clear explanation from Wei Ye, Ji Zichen had no further arguments. However, he asked, "Is it alright for me to go there so suddenly?"
Wei Ye replied, "It doesn't matter whether it's alright or not; winning is what matters most. You going there is an order from the Zhang City Lord. Leave the Female Medic here; they are not suited to go further in right now."
Ji Zichen nodded and exchanged a few words with Xia Lian and Man Chengwen. Xia Lian still looked worried, while Man Chengwen said, "Stay focused."
Ji Zichen activated his lightness skill and moved forward. This was the outskirts of Mountain Valley, where many hills were scattered around. Although Ji Zichen did not know Captain Fang from Zhang City personally, finding him was not difficult at all. The Zhang City Soldiers were positioned on a hill facing the enemy; from Ji Zichen's perspective, they were quite conspicuous. There were two large Watchtowers on that hill, which originally belonged to the Hall of Malevolence. Now that the hill had been captured, it was certainly worth utilizing.
The Hill Base had guards stationed. As Ji Zichen approached, one of the guards stepped forward to block him. However, one guard recognized Ji Zichen and allowed him to ascend the hill. In fact, many soldiers had already recognized Ji Zichen due to the impressive formations he had arranged.
Upon reaching the hilltop and seeing Captain Fang, Ji Zichen immediately recognized him by his bright armor. Captain Fang was directing soldiers as they launched attacks against the Cult at Hill Base. The soldiers here wielded numerous magical artifacts, and the Cult at Hill Base was being bombarded relentlessly; charred bodies fell like rain amidst the chaos.
Some soldiers also unfortunately fell victim to counterattacks from the Cult, meeting a grim fate on the battlefield in a similar manner.
Several Thunder Mage Soldiers fell dead, and Captain Fang, upon seeing this, angrily berated the remaining Thunder Mage Soldiers. Each city had its share of them, but their numbers were not large.
"He really is killing indiscriminately," Ji Zichen thought to himself. "If this continues, everyone around him will end up dead."
Just as Captain Fang was about to issue a command, he caught sight of Ji Zichen. A smile appeared on Captain Fang's face, but it was not a friendly gesture towards Ji Zichen; rather, it was a warning that he was not the only one capable of wielding magical artifacts in this world.
"You must be Ji Zichen, right? What brings you here?" Captain Fang asked, eyeing Ji Zichen suspiciously.
Ji Zichen made his intentions clear. "Commander Wei wants me to take over here."
"Take over?" Captain Fang's expression darkened. "You mean take over from me?"
"Yes," Ji Zichen replied, feeling no need to comfort him.
Captain Fang sneered. "So you think that by setting up a formation and killing a few people, you can snatch control from me? It seems you have quite the connection with Wei Ye."
Ignoring his insinuations and mockery, Ji Zichen calmly asked, "Will you agree or refuse?"
Captain Fang clearly hesitated but had no choice but to acknowledge the reality of the situation. "I'm just an officer; how could I go against Commander Wei's wishes? General Ji has requested this; what else can we do?"
Ji Zichen moved closer to examine the terrain of Hill Base. The landscape formed a convex shape. "Using thunderstorms to strike enemies from the hill is a good option, but it consumes a lot of energy. I'm not a general and don't have much experience with such matters. Let's work together."
Hearing Ji Zichen's reasonable words, Captain Fang felt he could regain some dignity. He became polite towards Ji Zichen. "I am Fang Xingsi; feel free to give any orders."
Ji Zichen nodded. "I think we need to take a risk this time."
After Ji Zichen joined, some Thunder Mage Soldiers seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. They didn't care whether Ji Zichen was a soldier; the formation had already demonstrated his capabilities. They only hoped that Ji Zichen could lead them better.
Ji Zichen took one last glance at Fang Xingsi. Although Fang Xingsi's tone had softened somewhat, he still seemed far from satisfied. Ji Zichen knew this was not ideal, but he wanted to help secure Mountain Valley before the Arbitrator managed to escape.
Ji Zichen understood that he and Fang Xingsi were working together, and Fang Xingsi could interpret this as not being dismissed from his position. Ji Zichen left some room for maneuver, but he was aware that Fang Xingsi would not feel grateful.
Ji Zichen was not a soldier, but he knew that those in the military aspired to achieve great feats and create legends. Facing this battlefield presented a great opportunity, yet it was evident that Fang Xingsi was eager to make a name for himself; it was clear that this was not the time for him to be immortalized in history.
Wei Ye and Prince Huixin had great faith in Ji Zichen, and he did not want to betray their trust. He could transform from an unknown figure into someone whom the soldiers could rely on in the blink of an eye.
Ji Zichen thought that if Fang Xingsi was unhappy, so be it; after all, once this battle concluded, Fang Xingsi would still have opportunities to distinguish himself, and they would not have to meet again.
Now, Ji Zichen had to decide the direction of the battle at this location. Although he lacked extensive experience in military strategy, given the current terrain, they needed to occupy the gap at the top of the convex shape. Securing that breach would prevent enemy reinforcements and allow them to capture the Cult at Hill Base easily.
To take control of the gap, someone had to go down. Ji Zichen said, "I'll take some people to secure that gap; you stay here and cover me."
Fang Xingsi was taken aback. "You want to go down? Don't joke around; you'll get yourself killed. I can't explain that to Commander Wei."
Ji Zichen smiled slightly. "It's fine; as long as we work together, I'm confident I can secure that gap."
As an officer, Fang Xingsi certainly understood the advantages of occupying that gap. In fact, he had been thinking about taking it himself. However, the terrain at Hill Base was complex; while they struck with thunderstorms from above, those Cult members seemed to hide among the rocks. As soon as the storm subsided, they would emerge and counterattack. The Cult members were quite troublesome; if they rushed down without caution, they might not even know how they died.
Ji Zichen was not a soldier. Seeing Ji Zichen willing to take such risks made Fang Xingsi feel a measure of respect for him. With a serious expression, Fang Xingsi said, "Since you've made up your mind, I won't say much more. I'll do my best to cover you."
Ji Zichen replied with a smile, "You're more familiar with the soldiers here than I am; just give me twenty men."
"I'll provide you with the best soldiers here," Fang Xingsi assured him.
Fang Xingsi had no ulterior motives; he genuinely handed over twenty of his best soldiers to Ji Zichen. Leading his troops from the side of Hill Base, Ji Zichen and his team had just descended when they immediately encountered a Tusked Boar. Ji Zichen swiftly struck down the Tusked Boar that attempted to charge them with his sword, its agonized cries attracting a group of Cult members nearby.
The soldiers beside Ji Zichen fought fiercely alongside him, pushing back against the relentless onslaught of the Cult. They drew confidence from Ji Zichen's resolute expression, hacking away at the Cult members that surged toward them. Ji Zichen embodied what a leader should be; a leader is the soul of the soldiers, and as long as he remained alive, they would find the strength to slay their enemies.
Ji Zichen observed the determined and proud faces of his soldiers. They understood that they might die in battle, yet they exerted every effort to prevent the Cult from achieving victory. A group of Cult members gathered around Ji Zichen, seemingly recognizing him as their captain. They coordinated their attacks against him, coming perilously close to inflicting wounds on him several times.
On multiple occasions, the weapons of the Cult members were mere inches away from Ji Zichen's body, but he always managed to evade them at critical moments. Before long, the incoming Cult members had been dealt with.
A sharp-eyed soldier pointed toward a nearby tree trunk and warned, "Look! There's someone in that tree!" Another soldier shouted, pointing to another tree, "There's someone in that one too!" Soon after, figures from the Cult appeared on over a dozen trees.
The Cult members perched on the trunks wielded crossbows and began firing bolts down at them from above. "Get down!" Ji Zichen shouted, deflecting one of the bolts with his sword.
However, while he managed to deflect one bolt, he could not account for another; a bolt struck and killed a soldier just half a yard away from him. "Look out! The ones in the trees are crossbowmen!" The soldiers immediately began to panic. Seeing their distress, Ji Zichen bellowed, "Stay calm! There’s a large cover over there—take shelter behind it!"
The cover was a protruding rock face on the hillside. Following his command, the soldiers huddled behind it for protection against the crossbow fire. This provided them with safety but also trapped them behind cover, preventing any forward movement.
Ji Zichen cautiously peeked around the edge of the cover and saw a bolt flying toward him. He quickly pulled his head back. Though this action was brief, he had already assessed the positions of the nearby Cult members.
There were no tall trees flanking their cover; all the tall trees were directly in front of them. If Ji Zichen had a hundred or eighty men under his command, he could afford to be more aggressive; with numbers on their side, they could charge forward without hesitation.
Unfortunately, their current numbers did not allow for such reckless assaults. Ji Zichen glanced at the rock face; it was a dead angle on the hill. Even if Fang Xingsi had intentions to assist, he would be powerless to do so. A look of desperation crossed Ji Zichen's face as he declared, "Don't expose yourselves; wait for my signal."
The soldiers looked at Ji Zichen with confusion. They couldn't fathom how he planned to turn this dire situation around.
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