62: Chapter 62 All-Out Attack

His finger first pointed to a small flag in the deepest part of the map.

"This place is called the Hundred Ghost Cave. It is located deep in the mountains with complex terrain, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Furthermore, their actions are mysterious, and there is no direct conflict of interest with our Panshi Stockade for the time being. Attacking it by force would outweigh the gains. Therefore, we will set it aside for now and resolve it last."

Then, his finger landed heavily on another, largest black flag.

That flag was planted at the intersection of three roads.

"This place, the Three-Forked Crossing! It is a major trade route from Ghost Sees Sorrow to the outside world! The bandits here are filthy rich from collecting tolls! Taking it down will not only solve part of our money and food problems, but it will also allow us to completely control this trade route!"

"Therefore, our main target is this! As well as other small factions scattered around the periphery!"

Gao Feng raised his head, his gaze like lightning, looking at Du Wei.

"Du Wei!"

"This general is here!" Du Wei immediately stood up, cupped his fists, and bowed.

"I appoint you as 'General of Enemy Breaking', commanding the Tiger Guard Battalion, and selecting another five hundred elite infantry! You have only one mission! Capture the Three-Forked Crossing and pull out this hardest nail!"

"This general accepts the order!" Du Wei's voice was decisive and filled with powerful self-confidence.

As soon as the appointment was made, a trace of imperceptible complexity flashed across King Tiger's face.

He couldn't help but speak up: "Stockade Master, the Three-Forked Crossing is a tough nut to crack. General Du has just joined us; although his ability is outstanding, this kind of heavy responsibility... is it..."

His words were not finished, but the meaning was obvious: he was worried about reusing a surrendered general and feared problems might arise.

The atmosphere in the meeting hall became instantly subtle.

Many of the old members of the Panshi Stockade actually had the same concerns as King Tiger in their hearts.

Gao Feng's eyes instantly became sharp as knives, scanning the audience.

"I trust General Du's ability and loyalty!"

His voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable majesty.

"In our Panshi Stockade, we employ people based on talent, not their background! From today on, whoever brings up background again, do not blame me for being ruthless with military law!"

"I will put it this way: whoever can perform meritorious service for the stockade is my, Gao Feng's, brother! Whoever engages in petty tricks behind my back or drags us down is an enemy of the Panshi Stockade!"

The whole room fell silent instantly. King Tiger was so scared he broke into a cold sweat and hurriedly bowed: "Stockade Master, please calm your anger. It was this general who spoke too much!"

Gao Feng's gaze softened slightly.

He knew that this kind of suspicion was normal and must be nipped in the bud with thunderous means.

And for Du Wei, this was pressure, but also immense trust.

Du Wei looked at Gao Feng gratefully, and the last trace of estrangement in his heart vanished. What remained was only the determination to die for someone who understands him.

Then, Gao Feng's gaze turned to Liu Chengfeng.

"Liu Chengfeng!"

"Chengfeng is here." Liu Chengfeng stood up with a smile.

"I appoint you as 'General of Peace and Stability', commanding the Rangers, and selecting another three hundred light infantry. Your mission is to sweep away all small factions in the surrounding area with lightning speed while General Du attacks the Three-Forked Crossing! I want you to make Ghost Sees Sorrow have only one voice within half a month!"

"Chengfeng accepts the order!" Liu Chengfeng smiled confidently, as if all this had long been in his expectations.

After the military tasks were assigned, Gao Feng looked at Old Qiu and Sun Jiu again.

"War is fought on logistics. With two armies away, our rear must not be slack."

"Old Qiu!"

"Subordinate is here!"

"I order your 'Pacification Department' to immediately increase efforts! Along all major trade routes, wherever we can control, set up 'porridge sheds' for me! Actively take in refugees displaced by the war and the coming winter. Take in as many as you can! If there isn't enough food, I will find a way! But the people must be brought back!"

"Yes! Stockade Master!" Old Qiu nodded heavily.

"Sun Jiu!"

"This one is here!" The Old Blacksmith Sun Jiu stood up excitedly.

"I order your 'Ministry of Works' to pause most city construction immediately. Concentrate all the best craftsmen; if there aren't enough hands, pick from the laborers! You have only one mission! According to the new blueprint I gave you, build me a new type of iron-smelting blast furnace that can refine 'steel'! Whatever Materials you need, go directly to Chief Manager Luo Qin to requisition them! I give you the maximum authority!"

"This one... this one will definitely not fail the Stockade Master's trust!" Sun Jiu was trembling with excitement.

Steelmaking! This was an extravagant hope that he, a blacksmith, never dared to imagine in his entire life!

Finally, Gao Feng's gaze landed on the faces of the young, newly promoted officers present.

His tone became full of encouragement.

"In our Panshi Stockade, we do not support idlers, and even less do we support mediocre people!"

"This expedition is the best opportunity!"

"All soldiers who perform excellently in battle will be rewarded according to their merits after the war! They will be directly promoted to squad leaders or platoon leaders! For those with great contributions, promotion to company commander is not impossible!"

"I will name two people in advance here."

His gaze scanned the crowd and finally fixed on two upright youths.

"Flank General!"

A sturdy, calm-faced youth immediately stepped out and knelt on one knee excitedly: "Subordinate is here!"

"Flank General!"

Another youth with agile eyes also quickly stepped out and knelt on the ground: "Subordinate is here!"

Gao Feng looked at them and nodded with satisfaction.

These two youths, one had revealed strength and calmness far beyond his peers in daily training, with a tenacious personality. The other had shown amazing Comprehension Ability and observational skills in scout training, like a leopard in the forest.

Moreover, their talents were very good; they were promising talents he had personally observed for a long time.

"Flank General, you are assigned to General Du's command as his personal guard!"

"Flank General, you are assigned to General Liu Chengfeng's command as his personal guard!"

"Your mission is not only to protect the safety of the generals, but also to open your eyes wide and learn with your heart!"

"I hope that when the army returns in triumph, I will see two qualified future generals!"

"Thank you, Stockade Master, for the cultivation!"

The two youths were flushed with excitement, their voices trembling with excitement.

A vigorous war mobilization meeting ended.

The entire Panshi Stockade, like a precision war machine, began to operate at high speed.

Du Wei received the order and, without a moment's delay, strode out of the meeting hall.

The autumn sun shone on his angular face, but could not dispel the murderous air between his brows.

He went straight to the exclusive training ground of the Tiger Guard Battalion.

There, five hundred veterans of the Tiger Guard Battalion and one hundred newly added elite infantry had already gathered, waiting for the order.

They were all wearing heavy armor, holding sharp blades, and standing there silently, like a forest made of steel.

The murderous air rushed straight into the sky.

Du Wei stepped onto the platform, his gaze slowly sweeping over every firm and eager face under the stage.

His heart was filled with mixed feelings.

His thoughts seemed to return to more than a month ago.

At that time, he was still the Third-in-Command of Dushan Stronghold, full of spirit, but under the trickery of fate, he became a cripple lying on a stretcher, unable to even control his own life and death.

He remembered that kind of bone-deep despair.

He remembered the coldness of the blade entering his bone when Nie Kong was stabbed.

He remembered the feeling of the sky collapsing when Bear Overlord died before his eyes.

He remembered even more, after waking up, facing Gao Feng, the complicated mood of resentment and unwillingness intertwined.

It was Gao Feng who used that mysterious medicine to pull him back from the gates of hell, and even made him have a blessing in disguise, with a Foundation more stable than before.

It was also Gao Feng who, in the meeting hall, withstood everyone's questioning and handed the most elite troops of the Panshi Stockade, the most important offensive battle, to him, a "surrendered general", without reservation.

This trust was as heavy as Mount Tai!

Du Wei took a deep breath and suppressed the emotions surging in his heart.

He knew that he was no longer the Du Wei of the past.

His life was given by Gao Feng.

His glory would be reforged by this battle!

His eyes became incomparably firm, and his loyalty to Gao Feng was already like a brand, deeply carved into his bone marrow.

He did not need a long speech.

His gaze was the best mobilization.

"Brothers!"

Du Wei's voice was low and loud, like thunder, exploding in every soldier's ear.

"The Stockade Master has handed the hardest bone to our Tiger Guard Battalion!"

"What is this?!"

"It is trust!!"

"The Stockade Master trusts us to be able to gnaw down this tough nut for him! To be able to win prestige for the Panshi Stockade!!"

"This battle, we advance and never retreat!"

"I don't care if you were from Dushan Stronghold or old members of the Panshi Stockade before! From today on, you only have one name! That is the soldiers of the Tiger Guard Battalion!"

"Once on the battlefield, your lives are mine!"

"My life is the Stockade Master's!"

"Now, I only ask you one thing! Do you have the confidence to follow me and take the Three-Forked Crossing?!"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

The mountain-calling and sea-howling roar made the whole valley tremble.

Du Wei drew his war knife, the blade pointing forward.

"Good!"

"Either follow me and bring back the head of the leader of the Three-Forked Crossing to celebrate!"

"Or, leave your lives there for me!"

"Whole army! Set off!"

Without any hesitation, under the leadership of Du Wei, this steel torrent, with an indomitable momentum, moved out of the Panshi Stockade.

...

On the other side, in the tent of General of Peace and Stability Liu Chengfeng, the atmosphere was completely different.

There was no blood-boiling roar, no murderous atmosphere.

The Rangers and three hundred carefully selected light infantry were sitting together, listening to their general, in a tone almost like chatting, arranging the next mission.

Liu Chengfeng, in a Confucian robe, held a slender willow branch, pointing at a more detailed map spread out in front of him.

"Everyone, our mission looks much easier than General Du's."

He smiled and spoke, his tone gentle, like a spring breeze.

"We have to deal with eleven factions of all sizes scattered in this mountainous area."

"Among them, the largest is the 'Red Rock Bandits' entrenched in Red Rock Ridge, with about two hundred people."

"The smallest, such as this 'Sand Wolf Gang' blocking the road at Liusha Ferry, has only twenty or so people."

"They are like a group of hyenas that have not yet formed a climate. Although they cannot bite people to death, they are very annoying."

His willow branch gently swept across the map, connecting the black dots representing the bandit strongholds.

"Therefore, our first priority is not to attack, but speed."

"We must clear these small fry before General Du takes the Three-Forked Crossing, clearing the threats to his flanks, so that he can deal with the main battlefield without distraction."

His gaze landed on the new personal guard, Flank General.

Flank General was staring intently at the map, with a thoughtful light flashing in his eyes.

Liu Chengfeng nodded with satisfaction and said to him: "Flank General, come here."

"Yes, General!" Flank General immediately stepped forward.

"You are a good hunter, so tell me, when an excellent hunter faces a group of prey, will he choose to charge hard and scare them all away, or will he choose to approach quietly and solve them one by one in the most labor-saving way?"

Flank General thought for a while and answered seriously: "Back to the General, naturally the latter. Moreover, one must first solve the leader or the most alert one, and the rest will be easy to handle."

"Well said!"

Liu Chengfeng patted his shoulder approvingly.

"Fighting is the same principle."

"It's not about whose fist is harder, but about whose brain is faster and whose means are smarter."

"Our mission is not simple killing, but subjugation."

"The Stockade Master once told me that every life willing to lay down its weapons is a future wealth for our Panshi Stockade. What we want to build is a home where everyone can live and work in peace, not a graveyard full of white bones."

"Therefore, what can be solved with brains, never use hands."

"Being able to exchange the smallest price for the greatest victory, this is what the Stockade Master really wants to see."

"Do you all understand?"

"Understood!"

The soldiers present responded in unison.

In their eyes, there was no bloodthirsty fanaticism, but a sense of calm and confidence.

Liu Chengfeng smiled slightly, and the willow branch in his hand pointed to the first target on the map.

"Very good."

"Then our first stop starts here."

"Whole army, set off immediately!"

The east road, the west road, two armies, with different styles, but all with the belief of victory, disappeared at the end of the mountain forest.

The entrance of the Panshi Stockade soon returned to its usual tranquility.

But everyone left behind knew that a war that would decide the fate of Ghost Sees Sorrow had begun.

The atmosphere in the stockade also became a bit heavy because of this.

Gao Feng, however, did not lock himself in the meeting hall, waiting for reports from the front.

He knew better than anyone what war was about.

It is logistics, it is strength, it is a powerful Foundation that can continuously support the consumption of war.

Therefore, he devoted all his energy to the construction of the rear.

He personally took Sun Jiu and a group of craftsmen to the edge of the valley, to a newly opened space.

Here will be the location of the first iron-smelting blast furnace of the Panshi Stockade.