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Though Dai Chengfeng wanted to avenge his fallen soldiers, he clearly understood that war was no child's play—everything required meticulous planning.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be revenge—it would be leading his troops to their deaths in vain!
As stated in The Art of War by Sun Tzu, in the chapter on strategic attacks: "If you have ten times the enemy's strength, surround them; if five times, attack them; if double, divide them; if equal, engage them; if fewer, evade them; if weaker, avoid them."
"The number of usable soldiers in Wu'an City isn't even double that of the enemy. How can we possibly encircle and annihilate them? Let alone capture the city…"
Dai Chengfeng took out the map of Wu Ping City and studied it carefully.
Soon, his brows furrowed deeply. Wu Ping City was similar to Wu'an City—a small forward outpost under the jurisdiction of a major fortress along a strategic pass.
Though it was a small city, its mountainous terrain made it easy to defend but difficult to attack.
"Since a direct assault is impossible, we must rely on strategy… What is our greatest advantage compared to Wu Ping City?"
Dai Chengfeng stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Soon, a confident smile spread across his lips as he devised a plan.
"I almost forgot—this world isn't like my previous one!"
"Our greatest advantage over Wu Ping City isn't Zhu Fan, my uncle, who is a Soul Douluo?"
Without further hesitation, Dai Chengfeng issued his orders to those outside. "Deliver my command!"
"Instruct Zhu Yan to focus on crafting siege ladders and other siege equipment within six months. At the same time, send workers to repair the official road leading to Wu Ping City at all costs, ensuring it is smooth for future troop movements!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
The guard quickly departed.
Meanwhile, Zhu Fan and Zhu Yan, members of the family, were sitting by the training grounds watching the soldiers train while chatting casually.
At this moment, the guard rushed over to relay Dai Chengfeng's orders to Zhu Yan.
"???!!!"
"Such an absurd… er… order?"
Upon hearing the guard's recounting, Zhu Yan's first reaction was… this order was utterly ridiculous!
"Focus on crafting siege equipment, but spare no expense in repairing the road?"
"Are you sure you didn't mix up the order of priorities?"
The guard hastily shook his head. "This is exactly what His Highness commanded—there's no mistake!"
"And His Highness specifically emphasized that you need not understand, only obey!"
"Yes, I will comply!"
Zhu Yan nodded. Though he couldn't fathom the reasoning behind this military order, he still carried it out immediately. After all, he had witnessed his lord's tactical brilliance on the battlefield.
But after issuing the command, he hurried back to the training grounds to find Zhu Fan.
After all, such an order left him deeply uneasy.
"Commander Zhu Fan, I can understand why His Highness would want to craft siege weapons to avenge our fallen and attack Wu Ping City."
"But… repair the road too?!"
"This… forgive me for saying this, but this order is simply absurd!"
"It's practically announcing our plans in advance! The enemy's spies need only observe when we stop building equipment and repairing the road to guess our attack timing!"
"Commander Zhu Fan, do you have any idea why His Highness issued such an incredibly… strange order?"
Zhu Fan's eyes were also filled with seriousness as he shook his head. "I don't understand either!"
After all, such an order blatantly violated the fundamental principles of warfare—actively exposing all your movements to the enemy in advance…
If anyone else had dared issue such a ridiculous order in front of him, Zhu Fan would have slapped them hard across the face and then berated them, calling them a fool who knew nothing about leading troops.
But he trusted his nephew—he wasn't that kind of person.
"Commander Zhu Fan, you don't know either?" Zhu Yan was baffled, his eyes filled with worry. "Perhaps we simply can't comprehend His Highness's deeper strategy…"
"Let's hope so."
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In the following days, though Zhu Yan still didn't understand why repairing the road had to take priority, he faithfully executed Dai Chengfeng's orders.
So did the soldiers of Wu'an City.
At first, they too questioned Zhu Yan's seemingly incomprehensible decisions…
But when they learned the order came directly from Prince Dai Chengfeng, they stopped asking.
"His Highness is the savior of Wu'an City. Whatever His Highness does, there must be a reason—we can't possibly understand it."
"Besides, could His Highness ever harm us?"
For a time, everything proceeded smoothly. Road repairs were underway with great enthusiasm, while progress on the siege equipment lagged significantly.
Even Emperor Dai An of the Star Luo Empire became aware of Wu'an City's unusual actions.
Dai An stared at the letter Zhu Fan had sent him, caught between laughter and tears. "Such a foolish order—did Chengfeng really issue it?"
"Not prioritizing siege equipment but instead focusing on road repairs… This is…"
"Simply outrageous!"
Grand Priest Zhu Hongye also frowned slightly. "It does seem rather foolish."
"His Highness previously commanded the defense of Wu'an City so brilliantly, but now… how could this happen?"
For a moment, concern flashed in the Grand Priest's eyes.
After all, repairing roads all the way to the enemy's doorstep before launching an attack…
It was simply preposterous!
Throughout the 500-year history of the Star Luo Empire, no general had ever waged war like this.
Dai An shook his head. "Sigh, I can't tell whether this is part of Chengfeng's strategy or simply childish impulsiveness."
"Let's wait a little longer… wait a little longer…"
"Even if Chengfeng fails, our Star Luo Empire can afford the loss."
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Five and a half months later
In the residence of the Lord of Wu'an City, inside Dai Chengfeng's room—
At this moment, Dai Chengfeng sat cross-legged on his bed, hands clasped in meditation, fully immersed in cultivation. Waves of soul power surged ceaselessly around him.
His eyes were tightly shut, his expression focused, sweat forming on his forehead—but he was completely unaware of it.
After an unknown amount of time, a sudden surge of intense soul power erupted from Dai Chengfeng's body. The previously calm room was instantly thrown into chaos as air currents swirled violently.
His hair fluttered in the wind, his clothes flapped loudly…
Dai Chengfeng slowly opened his eyes, a fleeting burst of crimson-gold radiance flashing within them. "I've known since youth how harsh the world can be, yet I still aspire to soar like a flying swan through the clouds… Cough, no, that's wrong."
Dai Chengfeng smiled faintly, clenching his fist as he felt the flow of energy within him. His eyes were filled with joy.
"I've broken through! My soul power has finally reached level 20!"
He muttered to himself, his voice brimming with unrestrained excitement. "No wonder it's the Innate Qi, derived from the Yellow Emperor's External Scripture!"
"Even during the day, when the Kidney-Spine Gate closes, reducing efficiency…
"But still, I managed to break through seven levels in just a year!"
Though two of those levels were achieved by absorbing killing intent, without the Innate Qi, he might not have been able to refine the overwhelmingly violent killing aura from the battlefield so easily!
"Next, I'll obtain my second soul ring, and then…"
"Revenge!"
Dai Chengfeng's gaze instantly turned resolute and sharp, as if piercing through the walls to see distant Wu Ping City.
"Five and a half months—long enough to lull you into complacency, unless you're a military genius like Han Xin. Otherwise…"
Dai Chengfeng didn't finish his sentence.
Instead, he turned to look at the blood-soaked uniform he had deliberately preserved, along with the nearly broken spear riddled with notches.
He walked over and gently ran his fingers along the spear's shaft—the scars of battle.
"Hoo!"
Dai Chengfeng took a deep breath, murmuring softly, "Wait for me!"
Then he turned to the door and called out, "Uncle, my soul power has reached level 20. Is the carriage ready?"
He didn't want to wait another moment!
Hearing Dai Chengfeng's words, Zhu Fan, who had been waiting outside, entered the room.
His gaze fell on Dai Chengfeng as he sighed repeatedly, shaking his head. "Sigh, sigh… Sigh!"
"Uncle, what's wrong with you?"
Seeing Zhu Fan deliberately pacing around him and sighing dramatically, Dai Chengfeng's forehead twitched with annoyance.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Fan stopped walking. "Though I've long known you're a genius born with full soul power…"
"Don't you think you've gone too far?"
Zhu Fan's eyes were filled with pride and envy. "It took me nearly five years to reach level 20—five whole years!"
"But you?"
"In less than a year, you've raised your soul power from level 10 to level 20!"
"I consider myself someone who's seen a lot in life, but your cultivation speed is unheard of!"
"Waaahh…"
"Heavens above, how can the gap between people be greater than the gap between humans and dogs?!"
Seeing Zhu Fan intentionally teasing him, Dai Chengfeng rolled his eyes in exasperation and headed straight for the door. "We leave today—to acquire my soul ring as soon as possible."
"Chengfeng, wait for me!"
Zhu Fan watched Dai Chengfeng ignore his dramatics and hurriedly jogged after him. "Have you decided which soul beast you'll choose for your second soul ring?"
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