Chapter 371: Northwest Bandits
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The Northwest Bandits were extremely rampant in the western and northern regions. The Chen Clan had long wanted to eliminate them, but the valley the Northwest Bandits resided in was easily guarded and difficult to attack. Even with an army led by Ye Mo and Chen Yanzhi, though it would be an army led by a Heaven’s Gate Realm powerhouse, the attack was unlikely to be successful.
“What?” Yanzhi stood up in astonishment and spoke in a daze. “You want me to lead an army with him to eliminate the Northwest Bandits? Are you sure? Not even General Fei Long has been able to eliminate them.” General Fei Long had led an army on several expeditions against the bandits but each time, he returned after suffering disastrous losses.
“What exactly are the Northwest Bandits?” From Yanzhi’s reaction, it was obvious that the Northwest Bandits had a fearsome reputation.
“The Northwest Bandits is a collection of unaffiliated warriors. Most of them were wanted criminals in the kingdom. All year round, they plunder and rob the intersection of the western and northern regions. They even occasionally attack some cities. Several cities have already fallen to them, resulting in wanton massacre in those cities. The crimes of the bandits are unforgivable. Furthermore, the leader of them is a Heaven’s Gate Realm powerhouse. He is known as the One Armed Butcher. Although he only has one arm, causing him to have one less Mortal Gate, his strength is still not something even a late stage True Energy Realm warrior could match,” Yanzhi explained.
Ye Mo frowned when he heard this explanation. A Heaven’s Gate Realm powerhouse would indeed be troublesome to deal with. Even with one less arm, he was still a Heaven’s Gate Realm powerhouse.
“If you are not confident, forget about removing the marriage agreement,” Chen Yihan said with a wave of his hand.
This Chen Yihan was evidently trying to force them to capitulate by assigning a difficult task.
“Fine, I agree. So long as we can eliminate the Northwest Bandits, you have to remove our marriage agreement.” Ye Mo suddenly slapped the table and nodded in agreement.
“What?” Chen Yihan cried out in astonishment. Then he asked anxiously, “Are you aware of how powerful the Northwest Bandits are? Your expedition might end in complete annihilation, and you might not even be able to preserve your own life.” Even Yanzhi was shocked by this. Chen Yihan had merely suggested this assignment for the sake of forcing them to capitulate, but he had never expected Ye Mo to agree.
“Marshal Chen, don’t worry. If the army loss exceeds 10%, I will immediately take Miss Yanzhi as my wife upon my return. On the other hand, if I managed to eliminate the bandits, you must remove the marriage agreement.” Ye Mo vowed solemnly, his face a mask of confidence.
“Don’t worry, I won’t allow the army loss to exceed 10%,” Chen Yanzhi declared. After seeing how confident Ye Mo was, her sense of pride was provoked.
“Haha, fine!” This was a random assignment but the two had surprisingly agreed. Chen Yihan laughed loudly before saying, “If that is the case, we shall make haste. Any extra second the Northwest Bandits are allowed to exist is a disaster for the kingdom. Now lead an army of 1,000 soldiers and head towards the intersection of the western and northern regions and eliminate the Northwest Bandits.”
On top of the large Lightning Bird, Ye Mo and Yanzhi stood side by side. Behind them were the 1,000 soldiers. The soldiers were comprised of people of all strengths, from Energy Shaping First Realm to Energy Shaping Ninth Realm.
“Chuchu, take care of the Devil Firecloud Sword. I will return soon.”
After consoling Chuchu, Ye Mo headed westward with the army. This was a large army, and as they marched, they appeared incredibly imposing. But Ye Mo was not good at leading armies. Therefore, he was only responsible for fighting. Chen Yanzhi would be the one responsible to actually lead the soldiers and control their formations.
When night arrived, they stopped and rested. Tents were erected and bonfires were lit. In groups of 10, the night patrols started their shift. This was a piece of grassland and it was extremely spacious and empty. As this was a huge army of 1,000 soldiers, they did not need to worry about ambushes. However, they were still on guard as a precaution.
Within the tent, Chen Yanzhi and Ye Mo sat cross-legged. She took out a piece of a map.
“Ye Mo, considering how confidently you have accepted the mission, I trust that you have a confident plan in mind. Tell me, how are you planning to break through this line of defense.” Chen Yanzhi pointed at the headquarters of the bandits and sneered. “The terrain here is high, with canyons on both sides. To reach their headquarters, we have to pass through this canyon. But if we do, the bandits will lie waiting in ambush from both sides of the canyon. They are equipped with heavy bows that not even Energy Shaping Ninth Realm warriors can survive.”
Looking at where Chen Yanzhi was pointing, Ye Mo frowned. Even if he flew there, he would be instantly discovered. Although he was not afraid of the bows, if he attracted the attention of the One Armed Butcher, things could get complicated. And if an army of 1,000 marched into the canyon, the losses would be disastrous.
If the 1,000 soldiers were allowed to preserve their strength, they would be able to kill the One Armed Butcher by attacking together in formation. But it was evidently difficult for the army to pass through the canyon.
“The formation of the 1,000 soldiers will be our trump card to defeat the One Armed Butcher. We can’t allow them to suffer any damage. Therefore, I am thinking of sneaking into their headquarters alone and luring the One Armed Butcher out. We will ambush him instead. The moment he appears, activate your formation and kill him. With his death, I can kill all the bandits all by myself,” Ye Mo said after giving it some thought.
“What?” Yanzhi was shocked when she heard this plan. “Ye Mo, do you know what you are saying? This was what General Fei Long tried in the past. Ultimately, he was forced to flee the headquarters with serious injuries. The headquarters is no simple place. For you to go hastily like this is no different to suicide.”
“Wouldn’t my death signify the cancellation of our engagement?” Ye Mo teased with a smile.
“You!”
Yanzhi was at a loss for words. She was advising him out of kindness, but she was teased with the engagement as a reply.
“Fine, die if you want.” Then, Yanzhi put the map back into her dimensional bracelet and lay down. Just as she was about to shut her eyes, she said, “I am going to sleep. Why are you not leaving?”
“I plan to set off immediately. It will be easier to move around at night. If I manage to successfully sneak into their headquarters, I will wait in hiding until tomorrow before luring the One Armed Butcher out.” Ye Mo stood up and slowly walked to the tent’s entrance.
“Are you really going?” Yanzhi asked, her voice now calm and level instead of the previous sharpness and annoyance.
“Yes. After dealing with this, it will be time for me to return to the Qingyun League. I need to start preparing for the league war,” Ye Mo said before his body flickered and vanished.
Looks like I have indeed wounded his heart too badly in the past. Yanzhi shook her head and shut her eyes.
Under the cover of the night sky, Ye Mo headed towards the location indicated on the map. A black silhouette glided in the air, and each step on the ground would propel this silhouette about 15 meters forward. Like a black wind, the silhouette traversed the dark night. An ordinary person would have a hard time detecting Ye Mo.
Late at night, Ye Mo was staring upon a canyon. Slowly, his face grew solemn. The canyon before him was precisely the easily guarded and hard to attack canyon.
“Brother Ye Mo, it’s already this late yet both sides of the canyon are still guarded by a large number of bandits. Looks like they are very guarded against the Chen Clan Army.” with Ling’er’s sharp senses, she instantly discovered the huge number of bandits hidden in ambush.