My Sexy CEO Wife

Chapter 374 - 371 Miao Kuangfeng

"Since Cao Buwei has ordered the retreat, why didn't you leave?" the man in the golden armor asked.

"Lord Cao left us to cover the rear." Gao Fei replied with a bitter smile.

"Cover the rear?" The man in the golden armor raised an eyebrow, "Letting hundreds of you stay behind to cover the rear? It's clearly sending you to death!"

"Military orders are as weighty as mountains; we dare not disobey!" Gao Fei said with some bitterness in his voice, "Even if we know we will die, we will strictly carry out the orders." Saying this, Gao Fei's expression became serious, "We are soldiers! To eliminate bandits is our duty and obligation! Even if we die in battle today, we will have no resentments or regrets!"

"What a 'no resentments or regrets'!" the man in the golden armor praised, "For a mere Centurion to have such magnanimity is indeed rare... By the way, what's your name?"

"My name is Gao Fei."

"Hmm, Gao Fei! Not bad! You are very good! From now on, you will follow me."

"Ah? Follow you... this... this is inappropriate..."

"What's inappropriate about it?"

"If Lord Cao finds out, he probably won't be pleased."

"Cao Buwei?" The man in the golden armor let out a cold laugh, "If he's not pleased, let him come to see me!"

At this moment, an officer following the man in the golden armor spoke up, "This is Wan Fuchang, sir. It's your good fortune to be able to work by Wan Fuchang's side."

"Ah! Lord Wan Fuchang!" Gao Fei's face changed, and he quickly dismounted and bowed respectfully, "I did not realize it was Lord Wan Fuchang. I was disrespectful just now; please, Lord Wan Fuchang, do not take offense." In fact, from the first glance at the man in the golden armor, Gao Fei had his suspicions, but his face showed nothing of the sort.

"Are you willing to follow me?" the man in the golden armor asked again.

"Willing! Of course, I'm willing!" Gao Fei hurriedly said, "It is my honor to be able to follow Lord Wan Fuchang."

"Let's go, follow me back to the military camp." The man in the golden armor gestured grandly, leading the tens of thousands of soldiers majestically away.

Gao Fei quickly led his men to catch up.

Up until now, Chen San and the others were still somewhat dazed. Things had changed so quickly it felt like a dream to Chen San and his men.

"Hey," Liu Qing tapped Chen San, "Lord Gao is becoming more and more mysterious to me."

"Eh?" Chen San was stunned, "What do you mean?"

"Just now, Lord Gao had already ordered a retreat... but then he suddenly changed his mind and led us to charge against the bandits... I thought I would die here, but then Lord Wan Fuchang arrived with the troops and wiped out the tens of thousands of bandits. Not only were we unharmed, but we also gained merit. It's really... inconceivable."

"Are you saying... Lord Gao knew that Lord Wan Fuchang would come with reinforcements, and that's why he changed his mind and led us into combat?"

"Do you have another explanation?"

"...How did Lord Gao know that Lord Wan Fuchang would come?"

"You ask me, who do I ask…"

"It's indeed inconceivable."

"Could it be... Lord Gao can predict things like a divine strategist?"

"It's possible."

"Lord Gao is capable in both civil and military affairs, skilled in tactics and strategy; his future is boundless. Following him, we'll surely reap many benefits."

"Yes, you're right, we must stick closely to Lord Gao."

...

A hundred li away, rows upon rows of tents were encamped. The outer tents were somewhat simple, designated for the soldiers to rest, while the tents in the center were more lavish, meant for the officers. The tent of Wan Fuchang was the largest and most luxurious, with a large flag atop it, bearing the bold character "Miao."

Wan Fuchang's name was "Miao Kuangfeng," and he had joined the army at the age of fifteen. He climbed the ranks one step at a time and finally became the Wan Fuchang. His experiences were filled with legendary colors and could entirely make up a book.

Miao Kuangfeng held great prestige within the army; from the generals to the common soldiers, everyone respected him deeply. It was a genuine respect that came from the heart. Whatever orders Miao Kuangfeng issued, the officers and soldiers below would spare no effort in carrying them out.

Even the city master, Bai Daqing, had to be exceedingly polite when he saw Miao Kuangfeng.

By territorial division, the hilly grasslands just happened to fall under Miao Kuangfeng's jurisdiction. In recent years, the bandits of the hilly grasslands had been extremely rampant, engaging in burning, killing and looting, committing all manners of evil deeds, causing the nearby common folk to be full of complaints.

A while ago, several tribes had been slaughtered by the bandits, with hundreds of thousands of civilians dying tragically; not even the elderly and children were spared.

After learning of this, Miao Kuangfeng was extremely outraged and immediately led a large army to exterminate the bandits.

...

After returning to the military camp, Miao Kuangfeng summoned the generals to discuss the extermination of the bandits, and Gao Fei was honored to attend.

"In just half a month's time, my lord has eradicated tens of thousands of bandits. Such military exploits are truly unprecedented and unrepeatable."

"My lord is my idol."

"It is my honor to serve under my lord."

"My lord is the undeniable War God!"

A bunch of officers were tripping over themselves to sing his praises.

"Enough," Miao Kuangfeng waved his hand: "I called you here not to listen to your flattery! I want to discuss serious matters." He paused for a moment then continued, "The remaining bandits have been scared witless and are hiding in the shadows, making them difficult to find."

"I think... we could divide our forces to search," one of the officers suggested. "By doing so, we could save a lot of time."

"Hmm, not a bad idea."

"I agree."

"I too agree."

Many officers spoke up in support.

Divide the forces for a search? As if that's a good strategy! Standing at the back, Gao Fei curled his lip, showing a look of disdain. Coincidentally, Miao Kuangfeng noticed his expression.

"Gao Fei, what are your thoughts?" Miao Kuangfeng suddenly asked.

"Ah?" Gao Fei was taken aback, as he had not expected Miao Kuangfeng to seek his opinion. Hesitating for a moment, Gao Fei said, "I think... dividing the forces to search... is unwise."

As soon as Gao Fei spoke, several officers' expressions changed; they were the ones supporting the division of forces to search, and now Gao Fei's disagreement seemed to be a direct challenge to their proposal.

"What's unwise about it?" Miao Kuangfeng asked, his voice betraying no emotion.

"May I ask, my lord, how much does your lordship know about the bandits' details?" Gao Fei queried, "Exactly how many bandits are there on the hilly grasslands?"

"That...," Miao Kuangfeng hesitated, "I am really not sure..."

"Not sure?"

"I can only say... there are a lot of bandits on the hilly grasslands, but as for the exact number, I am unclear."

"My lord, as the saying goes, 'know the enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat.' Currently, we know nothing about the bandits' numbers. We must be extra cautious when devising a battle plan. We should not take action unless we are absolutely certain."

"Continue," Miao Kuangfeng prompted.

"On the surface, dividing our forces to search seems to be a good method, but on closer consideration, there's a substantial risk involved."

"What risk?"

"After we divide our forces, our overall strength will be diminished. Should we encounter a large number of bandits, we will be in danger," Gao Fei said firmly.