Chapter 149: Mousetrap

The war was taking a new turn tonight. The Jiao troops managed to get near the Chu military camps. Su Menqi raised her hand to signal a halt.

"Send the assassins."

A new group of highly skilled soldiers was formed and trained personally by Su Menqi. They were tasked with taking out the guards surveying the area. Receiving the signal, they proceeded to execute the enemy.

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Small growl of pain could be heard, as the guards had their life drawn out of them. The soldiers managed to execute the perimeter guards quite fast. The next part was infiltrating into their base.

"Exchange your clothes with these guards. You will be entering the camp while impersonating the dead. You just need to take care of the watch towers and the gate-keepers."

"You can either kill them or exchange your post with them. The choice is upon you."

"Just act as if you are the replacement for the night-shift. Don't get nervous. The number of soldier sis too high for you to be recognised as an imposter. Go with the natural flow."

After the exchange of clothes, the bodies were hidden within the cravings. The leader of the team signalled all to disperse and move in.

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The Chu stronghold-

The soldier's moral was quite low due to the consecutive losses in the hands of the Jiao army. The arrival of the unrivalled general brought some motivation to the troops.

The general decided to form their camps within these mountains. The first stronghold was already lost, they couldn't bear to lose this one. The spies brought news regarding the enemy troops moving in and capturing the uninhibited zones. The idea of dispersing the troops like this seemed funny to the Chu commanders.

They didn't know that the enemy is already on their front doors.

The soldiers were working in shifts. The first groups of soldiers guarded the outer-perimeter. There were soldiers of watch-towers and at the front gates. The placement was with respect to the fact that enemy approach could be identified as fast as possible.

Su Menqi didn't want to let that scenario pass. The imposters managed to get in and started taking care of the people inside. The first group to be killed were the soldiers un the watch-towers. The troops moved in group of 3 to instantly overpower the enemy.

After the soldiers at watch-tower were taken care of, the next in line were the ones at front gates and the inspection office. 

"Half of us will be moving n on inspection office, while the other half take care of the people at the front gate." Two groups moved forward towards their respective targets.

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Su Menqi was waiting for the signal from the soldier. The support troop was going to be the first line of offense. Soon enough a man holding a bright torch was waiving his hands from one of the watch-towers.

Su Menqi signalled the commander of the relief troops. "Move in."

"You will be taking your position within the Chu stronghold first. No need to switch to active killing. The indication to attack will be arriving soon enough."

The Jiao troops slowly invaded the enemy territory. After the relief troops were completely placed within the stronghold, Su Menqi raised her voice and shouted," Ring the bell."

The bell chimes alerted the whole stronghold about the enemy's arrival. Soldiers began exiting their tents, but the scene awaiting them was instant death. A one-sided massacre soon began.

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The Crimson lord world-

"Are you sure about this visit. I won't be able to help you because of the absorption process."

"You need to concentrate on fixing the artifact, I will be able to hold my ground. Although my guts say something is missing here, I will take every precaution to prevent capture or death."

The invitation at this time came as a surprise, but the details indicated within its shocked Long Tao. His attention was successfully drawn. If he can take care of the root cause, he would be able to put an end to this war."

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General Unrivalled was sleeping within his tent when a huge commotion occurred. Waking up, he could hear multiple foots steps approaching his dwelling.

"We are sorry to interrupt your sleep, sir. We come bearing a very urgent message. The second stronghold has been attacked and captured by our enemies."

General Unrivalled pranged out of his bed. "How dare they break the rule of war and attack during night. Are there any survivors."

"A small group of people managed to escape their clutches. The troops stationed was instantly annihilated. It seems the commander this time is Su Menqi. No hostages were taken. They might be preparing for an attack on this stronghold soon. I advise you to move out of here."

"Alert the troops and begin preparation for battle. We can't let the enemy go any further. They are already so deep within the Chu territory."

A loud gong sounded and the battalion was soon assembled. 

"The enemy has broken the sacred code of war and attacked during night. We need to get revenge for our fallen brothers. Sharpen your sword, cause the enemy might descend upon us anytime now."

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"We will be halting our progress here. Began the healing of the wounded."

"Wouldn't we proceed towards the next stronghold, madam?" One of the commanders asked.

"If it weren't for the foolish action of someone, a group of people might not have escaped and alerted the enemy. Unrivalled must be prepared for a fight by now. We can't take our chances. Capturing this stronghold is good enough of a feat."

Long Tao advised her to be persistent and not make rash decision. She will be holding her grounds for now.

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The Chu capital-

Long Tao was peeking around the city, gaining a general idea regarding the current situation within the capital. An emergency order had been implemented by the royal clan and every activity was strictly monitored by the guards. 

The location marked on the map was one of the biggest merchant guilds of the city. It was front for the second prince's operation. Long Tao surveyed the whole area, before deciding to enter the guild.

"How may I help you sir?"

"A friendly hand has arrived to support during these difficult times." The manager indicated Long Tao to follow him into the building.

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"The prey has successfully taken the bait. Should we move in?"

"Prepare the troops for an instant seize. Use this." A small talisman was given to the speaker. "It is a space locking artifact which would prevent him from teleporting out."

A large group of people began to move towards the merchant guild.

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"I am happy that you responded to my request, brother Long Tao." The second prince greeted Long Tao instantly.

"Your report seemed to be exciting. My attention was instantly drawn towards your mentions. How far have you planned the revolution?"

The second prince handed Long Tao a cup of tea and then began to explain his strategy. Long Tao sipped while listening to it. The plan was quite elaborate 

" When are we going to infiltrate the castle?"

"You won't need to. We are here to accompany you into it." A voice sounded. Long Tao tried to move instantly, but his body seemed to have glued itself to the ground. He looked at the second prince, who was now smiling.

"I beg your pardon, brother. But my objective of becoming the king has already been achieved." Long Tao fell into the enemy trap.