Lord: Starting with Summoning the Regular Army of Earth

Chapter 78 Offense is the Best Defense (Please Subscribe)

Inside the lord's manor, candlelight flickered.

Matthew received an urgent report from Sun Zhengwu that the two "eyes" of the Kress family had been silently removed, leaving no trace.

Everything went as he expected. The gift from the Kress family was a complete conspiracy, but this cruel game had only just begun. Shooting out Renault's eyes was just the first step.

The real threat comes from the blood crows lurking in the shadows.

Their informants will probably find their way here soon.

Matthew then instructed Sun Zhengwu to increase the intensity of surveillance, expanding the entire intelligence network to include all high points and key routes under monitoring, ensuring that no one escaped.

Sure enough, late at night, the sentry reported that two suspicious-looking, armed, and furtive strangers were cautiously making their way towards Emberstone Ridge, using the terrain as cover.

Their attire and demeanor were completely different from those of the previous city defense scouts, and were more in line with the characteristics of bandits.

Sun Zhengwu immediately reported to Matthew: "The venomous snake has started to flick its tongue. Two people have arrived; they should be spies sent by Blood Raven to scout the area."

"Alright, proceed as planned. All construction must cease immediately, all goblin units must be concealed, and all citizens must return home to rest and are not permitted to venture out."

Matthew gave the order quickly.

Soon, the hustle and bustle and firelight of Jinshi Ridge were extinguished as if they had never existed, leaving only a few lonely lights in the lord's mansion, which looked particularly fragile in the night.

However, at this moment, Matthew, Sun Zhengwu, and several military staff officers were discussing tactics around the sand table.

"I think the commander makes a lot of sense. This time, if we don't eliminate these two spies, killing them would be easy, but it would alert the enemy." Sun Zhengwu pointed to the area on the sand table representing the edge of the Misty Mountains. "The main force of the bandit gang is currently missing, and they are most likely hiding in some secret stronghold in these mountains. If we can have our goblin sentries follow these two spies without anyone noticing, we might be able to find their lair, or at least determine the hiding area of ​​their main force."

He further explained, "The bandits would never imagine that seemingly foolish goblins are conscious scouts. Our goblin sentries are skilled at tracking and infiltration in the wild, and the probability of them being discovered is extremely low. Once we know their hiding place, we will have a great deal of initiative."

Sun Zhengwu's words made everyone's eyes light up, and they all nodded in agreement.

"The best defense is offense. If we can win the battle on the outside, it's better than letting them fight on our doorstep," Matthew added, knowing that Sun Zhengwu must have thought the same thing.

"That's right! The best defense is offense." Sun Zhengwu smiled and immediately began to work out his preliminary battle plan on the sand table: "My idea is that if we can find the bandit group's hiding place, we can roughly deduce their inevitable route to Jinshi Ridge. After all, they have very limited routes to choose from in order to avoid being detected by Tieyan City and arrive here silently. At that time, we just need to set up an ambush on their inevitable route, lay landmines and explosives in the valley in advance, and ambush archers and throwers."

Once they enter the ambush zone, detonate the explosives to first cripple their morale and organization, then provide flank fire, and finally have the assault team clear the battlefield. The goal is complete annihilation, leaving no one alive.

"Of course," Sun Zhengwu added, "that's the ideal situation. If they choose other, more difficult-to-ambush routes, we also have backup plans."

Matthew listened carefully and thought the "outside-line annihilation" plan was excellent, making full use of their intelligence and firepower advantages.

"Prepare accordingly, and make sure to keep track of those two spies!" Ma Zheng said solemnly.

"yes!"

The order was quickly given. When the two spies of the bandit gang returned confidently after scouting the situation at Emberstone Ridge, they were unaware that they were being secretly followed by goblin sentries who were even more adept at concealment and tracking. Goblins have night vision and a sensitivity to smells and traces that far surpasses that of humans; they are natural jungle stalkers.

They blend into the darkness, maintaining a safe distance, and locking onto their targets using only the faintest sounds and smells.

We traversed dense forests, waded through streams, and crossed two mountain ridges.

About three hours later, two bandit scouts slipped into a very well-hidden valley entrance.

The entrance to the valley is partially hidden by dense vines and scattered rocks, making it extremely difficult to find without someone leading the way.

The goblin sentries stopped outside the valley entrance, and one of them, as nimbly as an ape, climbed up a nearby tree and peered into the valley through the gaps in the branches.

The valley floor was relatively flat, with faint flickering lights and the faint sound of human voices coming from deep within.

It can be seen that there are some simple hut outlines and the silhouettes of horses tied to trees.

A rough estimate suggests there are signs of activity from around forty to fifty people in the valley.

The other goblin silently circled the valley to scout out the area, and after confirming that there were no other exits or sentries, it quickly returned to rejoin its companion.

The two goblins exchanged a glance, one remaining to continue watching from the high vantage point, while the other, like a melting shadow, returned at astonishing speed to report back to Emberstone Ridge.

Deep in the valley, a campfire burned within a circle of rocks, dispelling the chill of the night.

Several men with imposing presence sat around the campfire.

The leader was about forty years old, with a lean build and a hideous scar running from his brow bone to the corner of his mouth, which added a touch of ferocity to his otherwise decent-looking face.

His eyes were sharp as an eagle's, revealing a ruthless and cautious nature honed through years of battle.

This man is the leader of the "Blood Raven" bandit gang, nicknamed "Blood Raven".

Next to him was a bald giant with a muscular build like a bear, named "Barbarian Bone," who was the gang's number one fighter.

On the other side was a thin man with shrewd, gleaming eyes, called "Ghost Hand," who was the bandit gang's advisor and head of spies.

At this moment, the two scouts who had just returned were standing respectfully in front of the fire, reporting their findings.

"Boss, take a good look," one of the scouts said. "That Ashstone Ridge is indeed poorly defended. Although they are building a wall, it's only part of it and can't form an effective defense at all. The whole territory is dark, except for that big house in the middle which has some light."

Another person added, "We got very close and looked around. We were almost inside the walled area. Apart from the figures on the watchtower and a few patrols near the fortifications close to the Misty Mountains, we hardly saw any large-scale guards within the territory."

Upon hearing this, Man Gu grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and said in a gruff voice, "Boss, it seems the rumors were true. That Jinshi Ridge is really just a bunch of farmers and a down-on-his-luck prince. What's there to be afraid of? Tomorrow night we'll storm in, kill them all, loot them all, and burn them all!"

Blood Raven didn't speak immediately. He slowly poked at the fire with a twig, causing sparks to crackle.

He remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, his voice hoarse yet calm: "The Kress family—would they be so kind as to give such a large sum of treasure to that bastard for nothing?"

Ghost Hand chimed in with a sinister tone, "The boss is absolutely right. It's too much of a coincidence that that kid Renault suddenly sent money to Emberstone Ridge. It might be a trap to lure us in."

Blood Raven nodded, his eyes growing increasingly wary: "The soldiers of Ironrock City may be useless, but they're not just for show. We just slaughtered a squad of them, and instead of searching the world for us, they went to provide aid to Emberstone Ridge. That's definitely unusual."

He looked at Ghost Hand: "Tomorrow, you take a few sharp eyes and keep a close watch on all the key roads coming from the direction of Iron Rock City. Pay special attention to any signs of troop movements. If you spot anything unusual, immediately report it using the old method."

"Understood, boss!" Ghost Hand replied.

Blood Raven then looked at Barbarian Bone and the scout who had just reported back: "Tomorrow night, Barbarian Bone, you choose fifteen brothers who are quick-witted and daring to fight, and you will lead them to go to Ashstone Ridge again."

Barbarian's eyes lit up: "Boss, are we going to make our move?"

"No, we're going to probe their defenses." A cold glint flashed in Blood Raven's eyes. "Don't rush in all at once. Your mission is to probe. First, make some noise, set fire to one or two of their houses, or the outer sheds, and see how they react. Engage with their night watchmen, but don't linger. See how much resistance they offer—whether they crumble at the first touch or if they have some semblance of order. Second, loot what you can. If the resistance is weak, rush in, grab the easily obtainable supplies, and retreat immediately. Don't be greedy, and don't go too deep. Most importantly, watch out for signs of an ambush, especially for any Ironrock City army equipment or personnel."

He paused, his tone chilling: "If everything goes smoothly, and they are powerless to resist and fail to detect the ambush of Ironrock City—then at the first light of dawn, we will launch a full-scale attack, catch them off guard, seize the treasure, and disappear into the Misty Mountains."

If anything seems amiss, or if any of Ironrock City's henchmen show up, retreat immediately, without hesitation. This is a deal we'd rather miss than risk our brothers' lives.

"Yes, boss!" Although Barbarian thought his boss was being a bit too cautious, he didn't dare to disobey.

Blood Raven waved his hand, signaling everyone to go and rest.

He sat alone by the fire, watching the leaping flames, his scars appearing even more menacing in the firelight.

Years of life on the run had instilled in him a beast-like instinct.

The Kress family's "generosity" always made him uneasy, and the seemingly readily available Ashstone Ridge seemed to exude a faint but dangerous aura.

"I hope I'm just overthinking it—" he muttered to himself, snapping the branch in his hand and throwing it into the fire, but it's always better to be safe than sorry.

In this world, to survive, you have to be more cunning than a fox and more patient than a venomous snake.

As dawn broke, Emberstone Ridge learned of the bandit group's hiding place, and an emergency military meeting was held in the lord's manor.

Under Sun Zhengwu's leadership, a battle plan was quickly formulated and combat tasks were assigned. To support this battle, Matthew even temporarily added fifty combat units to their ranks.

[Thanks to the bosses for the tips and monthly tickets]