My Sexy CEO Wife

Chapter 372 - 369 Unfavorable Start

Chen San's expression changed, "My lord, please don't act rashly."

Gao Fei shook his head, "I'm not being impulsive, I have made this decision after careful consideration."

"My lord..." Chen San started to speak but was immediately interrupted by Gao Fei.

"This bandit suppression operation is personally commanded by Wan Fuchang. Tens of thousands of troops have set out across the hilly prairies to carry out an annihilation sweep against the bandits there," Gao Fei said. "If nothing goes wrong, the bandits on the hilly prairies will definitely be wiped out."

"I think..."

"Let me finish," Gao Fei waved his hand. "Cao Buwei already harbors a grudge against me. Even if I can avoid trouble this time, he'll find other ways to deal with me. Rather than taking hits passively, I prefer to strike first." As he spoke, a cold smile appeared at the corners of Gao Fei's mouth. "Isn't it just about playing dirty tricks? I can do that too!

I will make sure Cao Buwei leaves and never comes back! Let him stay on the hilly prairies forever!"

Chen San shuddered, feeling a chilling killing intent from Gao Fei just now.

"Tell Cao Buwei for me that I agree, and I will send out troops tomorrow," Gao Fei said decisively.

Seeing Gao Fei had made up his mind, Chen San no longer tried to persuade him and turned to leave.

...

In the hall.

Cao Buwei held a pen and scribbled on a piece of paper, his eyebrows sometimes furrowed, sometimes relaxed, and he muttered to himself, "Hmm, we need to deploy a batch of soldiers here... and here too... to form an encirclement and deliver a devastating blow to the bandits..."

"My lord." Ding Dalin burst in excitedly, "My lord, that guy Gao Fei has agreed."

"Oh?" Cao Buwei raised an eyebrow.

"Gao Fei pretended to be ill to avoid seeing me, so I told his subordinate...

Gao Fei only has two options, first, obediently lead the troops to the hilly prairies to suppress the bandits, second, relinquish his military command, be locked up in the prison and wait for judgment..." Ding Dalin recounted enthusiastically: "Gao Fei was so scared he agreed on the spot to lead the troops to the hilly prairies."

"Very good," a cold smile appeared on Cao Buwei's lips. "This time I will make sure Gao Fei leaves and never comes back, to forever remain on the hilly prairies." Cao Buwei had already thought it through: he would set a trap for Gao Fei, letting him die at the hands of the bandits.

That way, not only would he get rid of a critical problem, but City Lord Bai Daqing would also have no reason to blame him. It was like killing two birds with one stone.

This was a classic case of using someone else's hand to wield the knife.

Of course, if Gao Fei were to shrink back and refuse to fight, Cao Buwei had other methods to deal with him. In a nutshell, Cao Buwei was not going to let Gao Fei off the hook.

Those who knew Cao Buwei were aware... Cao Buwei was narrow-minded and particularly vindictive; anyone who crossed him could expect troubled days ahead.

"Get ready and follow me to the hilly prairies tomorrow," Cao Buwei said.

"Ah?" Ding Dalin was stunned, "Me... I'm going too?"

"Of course, you're going. What? You don't want to go?"

"It's not that... I want to... it's just that..."

"Just what? Afraid of danger?"

"I..."

"Don't worry, with me here, nothing will happen to you."

With Cao Buwei having said that much, what more could Ding Dalin say? He could only reluctantly agree.

...

One day later.

Cao Buwei led thousands of troops toward the hilly prairies. The massive army, all mounted on tall steeds and clad in armor, wielding weapons, advanced with chests thrust out, exuding an imposing air.

Cao Buwei might not be a good person, but he was skilled at leading troops. Ever since he had become a chiliarch, he had taken bold and radical steps in reforming the army camp. Within half a year, the camp had transformed. Soldiers who previously trained halfheartedly and often slacked off no longer dared to be lazy after Cao Buwei's discipline and began to train with great enthusiasm.

Today was good weather; the sun was bright, the sky cloudless, making for ideal travelling conditions.

"Gao Fei, you look quite hale and hearty, not at all like someone who's been ill," Cao Buwei said, eyeing Gao Fei askance.

"Oh, my illness has already passed," Gao Fei replied.

"Recovered?"

"Somehow, I came down with a sudden fever two days ago. It was so bad my head started to feel foggy, but after taking some fever medicine and getting some sleep, I woke up feeling fine."

"As the saying goes, 'illness arrives like a collapsing mountain but departs like drawing silk.' Don't you think your recovery was a little too quick?"

"Perhaps I was just lucky."

"Gao Fei, your skin is thicker than average, isn't it?"

"Sir, what do you mean by that? I don't understand," Gao Fei asked, his voice growing heavy.

"Figure it out for yourself, I can't be bothered with you." Cao Buwei snorted coldly, then rode away on his white horse.

A sharp glint flashed in Gao Fei's eyes as he cursed silently, "Enjoy your last few days of smugness. Once we reach the great plains of the hills, we'll see how I'll deal with you."

...

Several days later.

The thousands-strong army arrived at a vast grassland.

"This is the great plains of the hills!" Cao Buwei announced loudly. "From now on, everyone must remain highly vigilant, as we may encounter bandits at any time."

"Rumble rumble..."

Just as Cao Buwei finished speaking, a roaring sound came from the distance.

What's that noise?

Everyone looked up to see dust billowing in the distance as a group of yaks approached. Each yak had a person sitting on its back, dressed in tattered clothing and brandishing a broadsword while making "Ao ao" noises.

"Bandits!"

"Damn! Could our luck be any worse? We run into bandits right as we arrive at the great plains of the hills!"

"To arms! Quickly form up to meet the enemy!"

The thousands of soldiers lined up, forming a defensive formation.

While traveling, Cao Buwei would ride at the very front, but now... he was hiding at the rearmost on his horse, under the pretense of "supervising the battle."

Truth be told, even Cao Buwei hadn't expected to encounter bandits so soon, and he was completely unprepared.

"Dammit! Talk about rotten luck!" Cao Buwei cursed silently. "There are more than a thousand bandits over there, and they look extremely fierce. Once the fight starts... the outcome is uncertain... Even if we win in the end, it's likely to be a Pyrrhic victory."

"Rumble rumble..."

Another group of bandits appeared in the distance, even more numerous than before. There had to be at least ten thousand of them. The sound of ten thousand horses galloping was immense and awe-inspiring.

"Damn it!"

Cao Buwei's face underwent a drastic change. "How could there be another group of bandits? And with such numbers!" There were thousands of bandits, and Cao Buwei only had a little over two thousand men, a far too great disparity in strength.

"Sir," Ding Dalin said urgently, "we should retreat."

"Retreat?" Cao Buwei hesitated; retreating without a fight would surely impact his reputation. If Wan Fuchang heard of this, it would leave a bad impression.

"The enemy is stronger than us. If we engage, we're bound to lose," Ding Dalin asserted. "Rather than needlessly sacrificing our soldiers' lives, it's better to retreat for the time being..." As he said this, Ding Dalin added, "Even if Wan Fuchang learns of this, I'm sure he won't blame you, sir."