I maxed out the Scholar talent at the start, but I want to be a Warrior.

Gu Cheng woke up before dawn.

He barely slept last night—the events of the day had a huge impact on him.

He sat up and stretched his stiff neck.

Gu He leaned against the doorway, bow resting on his knees, eyes closed.

I don't know if she's really asleep or just pretending.

Gu Cheng didn't wake him and tiptoed out.

A layer of grayish-white light shone on the horizon, and the mist in the mountains had not yet dissipated.

He took out a map and glanced at it.

The location circled in red is approximately ten to fifteen li to the north.

It should arrive today.

……

The three ate some dry rations and continued north.

The further north Gu Cheng went, the more he sensed that something was wrong.

The road has changed.

Previously, we had been walking along mountain paths overgrown with weeds, and in some places, we couldn't even see the path.

But starting about five miles ago, the road widened.

It wasn't an official road, nor was it a mountain path—it was worn down by countless footsteps, and it was wide enough for three or four horses to walk side by side.

"This is a horse trail." Gu Qingshan glanced at the ground. "There are traces of a large number of cavalrymen passing through."

Gu Cheng squatted down and took a look.

The hoof prints were densely packed, layer upon layer, some of which had already been covered by new hoof prints.

"At least several hundred horses," he said.

Gu He didn't speak, but his grip on the bow tightened.

The three continued walking forward.

After walking about three more miles, Gu Cheng habitually scanned ahead with his probe.

Then he stopped.

"What's wrong?" Gu Qingshan asked.

"There are people there," Gu Cheng said in a low voice. "About 150 paces ahead, two people."

Gu Qingshan and Gu He stopped at the same time.

"Barbarians?"

"Unsure." Gu Cheng closed his eyes and concentrated.

The information obtained from the investigation popped up.

[Hunter] [Strength: 24] [Status: Hungry]

[Hunter] [Strength: 22] [Status: Hungry]

They are not barbarians.

He is a Han Chinese.

Gu Cheng breathed a sigh of relief.

"They are two hunters, not barbarians."

Gu Qingshan glanced at him.

How did you know he was a hunter?

"...I could tell," Gu Cheng said.

Gu Qingshan did not ask any further questions.

He knew that Gu Cheng was a chosen one, and that scholars with this trait might have stronger observational abilities than ordinary people.

This kind of thing doesn't need much explanation.

"Let's go take a look," Gu Cheng said.

The three of them walked over.

The two hunters, huddled behind the bushes by the roadside, were so thin they looked unrecognizable. When they saw Gu Cheng and his companions, their eyes first showed fear, then confusion.

"You are..." one of the hunters began, his voice hoarse.

"From Anle Village," Gu Cheng said. "We're heading north to scout out the situation."

"Anle Village?" The hunter paused, taken aback. "You're heading north?"

"What about the barbarians? Have they retreated?"

The hunter's expression changed.

"Retreat my ass," he said. "The north is full of barbarians, and there's a military camp of several thousand men not far ahead."

"A military camp?" Gu Cheng pressed. "Did you see it with your own eyes?"

"Of course I saw it with my own eyes," the hunter said. "We were originally hunters from Anxi Village. After the barbarians came, we ran south, but we ended up circling back. Yesterday, we took a look from afar—tents stretching as far as the eye could see, one after another."

Anxi Village.

Gu Cheng remembered the name.

How many people are in the military camp?

"I don't know the exact number, but there are many. There are also many horses, at least several hundred."

"Did they head south?"

"Not yet," the hunter said. "They seem to be waiting for something."

What are you waiting for?

Gu Cheng made a mental note of this information.

"You should head south," Gu Cheng said. "There are no barbarian soldiers to the south."

The hunter nodded repeatedly, thanked him profusely, and left.

Gu Cheng watched their figures disappear into the woods.

"Should we continue north?" Gu Qingshan asked.

"Let's go," Gu Cheng said. "Now that we're here, how can we explain it to our uncle if we don't see it for ourselves?"

Gu Qingshan nodded.

Gu He didn't say anything, but he had already started walking forward.

……

They walked another five miles.

Gu Cheng stopped.

A strong smell permeated the air.

It smells like horse manure.

It smelled of sweat, rust, and some indescribable fishy or muttony odor.

The taste of barbarians.

"stop."

The three of them stopped.

Gu Cheng used his detection technique to scan forward.

Two hundred steps.

There was nothing there.

He frowned, walked a little further, and then scanned again.

I spotted it this time.

not human.

It's a horse.

About three hundred paces ahead, there are a large number of horses.

The area he explored was two hundred paces; three hundred paces was beyond the precise range, but he could vaguely sense that there were many living creatures there, densely packed together.

"There are horses ahead," Gu Cheng said. "Lots of horses."

"What are you doing—"

"I heard it." Gu Cheng pointed ahead. "The wind is blowing from that direction, and I can hear horses neighing."

Gu Qingshan listened intently for a while.

"I can't hear you."

"You can't hear it anymore once the wind stops," Gu Cheng said. "There was wind just now."

Gu Qingshan did not ask any further questions.

"Go around it," Gu Cheng said. "We can see further from the east side of the mountain."

The three left the horse trail and climbed up the hillside to the east.

The slope wasn't steep, but it was covered in lush vegetation. The three of them walked uphill, bending over as much as possible to avoid making a sound.

After climbing for about half an incense stick's time, they reached the halfway point of the mountain.

Gu Cheng found a big tree, lay down behind its roots, and began to investigate.

Then he saw it.

At the foot of the mountain lies a wide river valley.

tent.

Tents packed tightly together.

Like chess pieces on a chessboard, they are arranged in neat rows.

Gu Cheng took a deep breath and began to scan bit by bit with his probe.

Direction of the main gate —

[Barbarian Soldier] [Strength: 28]

[Barbarian Soldier] [Strength: 25]

[Barbarian Soldier] [Strength: 31]

……

There are twelve people. The strength of the gate guards is generally between 22 and 31.

not much.

He continued sweeping inside.

Inside the camp—

The red dots started to become denser.

Patrol teams, three teams, each with six to eight people, strength 25-32.

Main operating area——

There were about twenty people, with strength levels of 20-30, and most of them were sleeping.

Mawei District —

Ten people, strength 22-26.

Supply area —

Fifteen people, strength 20-28.

Gu Cheng counted them one by one and memorized them one by one.

There are twelve main gates, twenty-four patrols, twenty main camps, ten stables, and fifteen supply depots.

Eighty-one people.

Plus the scattered ones—

Approximately one hundred people.

One hundred people stayed behind.

Gu Cheng continued sweeping.

He is looking for the chosen one.

Within the exploration range, red dots with a strength exceeding 50—

There is one.

[Barbarian Centurion] [Strength: 51] [Warrior Skill: Slam (Tier 1)] [Current Action: Patrol]

Strength 51, awakened combat skills.

A fourth-rate soldier.

First-tier Fierce Strike—Gu Cheng searched his memory.

Slam is one of the most common combat techniques of barbarian warriors. Its effect is simple: concentrate your power on one point, and the destructive power of a single blow is doubled.

For an ordinary person, this strike could cleave through iron armor.

Even those favored by Heaven can suffer considerable harm.

He was on patrol.

Gu Cheng stared at the red dot for a long time.

The patrol route starts from the west side of the camp, circles the perimeter, passes through the main camp area, the supply area, and the stable area, and then returns to the west side.

One lap takes about 15 minutes.

The time interval between passing through the supply area —

Gu Cheng counted silently in his mind.

three minutes.

We passed through the supply area every three minutes.

the second.

[Barbarian Centurion] [Strength: 50] [Warrior Skill: Slam (Tier 1)] [Current Action: Sleeping]

Sleeping.

Two of the chosen ones were on patrol, one was sleeping.

Gu Cheng breathed a sigh of relief.

If both are awake, or both are near the supply depot, then this will be difficult.

But now—

One was patrolling at the farthest point, while the other was snoring.

opportunity.

……

Gu Cheng withdrew his probe but didn't rush to speak.

He lay down behind the tree roots and observed with his naked eye for a while.

The camp layout is very clear.

The outermost perimeter was protected by barricades and stag antlers to prevent cavalry charges.

Further inside were soldiers' tents, arranged neatly.

Further in are the stables and supply area, on the east side.

In the very center, a flag was planted.

A black flag with a blood-red wolf's head embroidered on it.

Gu Cheng closed his eyes and quickly estimated the size of the camp.

There are at least three hundred tents.

The stables housed thousands of warhorses.

The fact that only 100 people remain indicates that the main force has left.

Where have you been?

Gu Cheng took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

"How is it?" Gu Qingshan asked in a low voice from the side.

Gu Cheng said, "The barbarian military camp was very large, with a strength of at least a thousand people."

"A thousand people..." Gu Qingshan's expression changed.

"The main force is not here; there are about a hundred people left behind," Gu Cheng said. "Among them are the Heavenly Favorites; I saw one on patrol."

Gu Qingshan was stunned for a moment.

How do you know how many people stayed behind?

"It was counted," Gu Cheng quickly explained, "based on the number of tents, the distribution of campfires, and the size of the patrol team, a comprehensive estimate."

Gu Cheng secretly warned himself to be more careful next time and to try to package the information he had gathered more carefully before speaking.

Gu Qingshan glanced at him but didn't ask any further questions.

Gu Cheng knew what he was thinking—lying on the hillside counting the enemy's tents and campfires, even down to the size of the patrols and the number of the chosen ones.

This is a bit beyond the scope of what is expected; it's not something an ordinary scholar-type person favored by heaven could do.

But Gu Qingshan didn't reveal it; he knew Gu Cheng had his own secret.

"That flag," Gu Cheng pointed to the wolf-head flag in the center of the camp, "Do you recognize it?"

Gu Qingshan squinted and watched for a while.

"Wolf Head Banner..." His voice lowered, "Barbarian Vanguard Battalion."

"The vanguard battalion..." Gu Cheng paused for a few seconds, "...behind the vanguard are the main force."

"right."

Neither of them spoke.

Gu He stood beside him, silent, but the knuckles of his fingers gripping the bow turned white.

"Let's go," Gu Cheng said. "We've finished looking at it, it's time to go back."

"Just like that, you left?" Gu Qingshan frowned.

"Let's retreat to a safe place first," Gu Cheng said. "The main barbarian force could return at any time, and we can't fight these hundred people."

Gu Qingshan remained silent for a while.

"OK."

The three of them retreated down the hillside and headed south along the path they had come from.

After walking about a mile, Gu Cheng suddenly stopped.

"etc."

"What's wrong?"

Gu Cheng did not answer.

He was thinking about something.

One hundred people remained to guard the area, while only fifteen guards were stationed in the supply area.

Two of the chosen ones were on patrol, one was sleeping.

If—it's a case of someone with intentions trying to outwit someone without intentions.

While the patrolling Heavenly Favored Ones were at the farthest point, they sneaked into the supply area, set it on fire, took some items, and then ran.

Let's take a gamble and avenge those Chongqing residents we saw yesterday.

"Xiao Cheng?" Gu Qingshan called to him.

Gu Cheng came to his senses.

He turned around and looked at Gu Qingshan and Gu He.

"I'm not going back."

Gu Qingshan was stunned for a moment.

"Let's go pull off a heist."

……

The three found a secluded cave and waited for nightfall.

Gu Cheng squatted on the ground and drew a sketch on the ground with a twig.

"Twelve guards at the main gate, three patrol teams, fifteen men in the supply area, and ten men in the stables."

Gu Qingshan and Gu He both looked rather unwell.

One hundred people versus three people.

Gu Cheng said, "We're not going to confront them head-on."

He circled three locations on the sketch.

"First step—" He pointed to the west side of the camp, "Brother Gu He, go around to the stables, find an opportunity to shoot out two or three torches, make a commotion, drive the warhorses out, and remember to run away after you've shot them."

"The second step—" he pointed to the supply area, "while the guards' attention was diverted, Brother Qingshan and I sneaked into the supply area from the east side."

"The third step—arson. After setting the fire, run away; don't linger in battle."

Gu He glanced at the sketch and remained silent for a few seconds.

"How far is it from the stables to the supply depot?"

"About two hundred paces. It will take the garrison at least two or three minutes to get there."

"That's enough," Gu He said.

In short, it can be summed up in two words: decisive and straightforward.

Gu Qingshan remained silent for a while.

"When did you learn how to deploy troops?"

"I read it in a book," Gu Cheng said without changing his expression.

He can't exactly say he learned it from novels, can he? In the 21st century, everyone's a Zhao Kuo, the greatest strategist in the world.

Gu Qingshan looked at him for a few seconds, then didn't ask any more questions.

"When will you make your move?"

"Wait until it's completely dark," Gu Cheng said. "Around midnight, that's when the guards are most relaxed."

The three of them rested and recharged their energy.

Gu Cheng leaned against the cave wall and closed his eyes.

His mind was filled with images of the layout of the barbarian army camp.

Outside the cave, it was already dark.

almost.