I Am Supreme
chapter-448

To be more precise, it was Fu Baoguo who had changed.

He was not the Fu Baoguo he used to be.

The Fu Baoguo that Han Sanhe knew would have done the only thing he needed to do, which was to put up a secure defense when faced with Han Sanhe's imposing army. He would have done this in order to minimize the losses – nothing less, nothing more!

In spite of this, Fu Baoguo's countermeasure was far from such a mundane tactic.

The Fortress of Resilience had to be heavily and securely guarded so that it was as safe as an unmoveable mountain.

At the same time, however, Fu Baoguo was executing a decision vastly distinct from his previous military ways – he was attacking in a manner normally reserved for the insane.

Such an attack made even the normally unperturbed Han Sanhe feel uncomfortable.

Fu Baoguo's strategy was to deploy a hundred thousand men of Steel Cavalry – yes, a full battalion of a hundred thousand men from the Steel Cavalry had been sent in unison to take Dongxuan!

Of course, the hundred thousand men of the Steel Cavalry was not going to ambush Dongxuan's base like the thirty thousand men from the Steel Cavalry had done before. If he had done so, Han Sanhe would be guffawing because it was not a wise move at all, an unadulterated act that would seal his own doom.

The hundred thousand men of the Steel Cavalry had been divided into twenty squads by Fu Baoguo and scattered within the dense forest.

Once the army was engaged in battle or Dongxuan's troop began attacking the fort, they would be ambushed like they had met a pack of wolves!

The Steel Cavalry squads had fulfilled the depth of the words irregular and unpredictable like the wind, striking from every direction and scattering the same way they came.

This was the most effective battle method of the bandits. Now, the tactic that had never been regarded by true cavalrymen, was being revised by Fu Baoguo and executed by the world's elite Steel Cavalry.

Be it day or night, whenever there was a chance, they would jump in for the kill.

Their equipment was refined and their speed was swift; they would flee far after an ambush no matter whether it succeeded or not, never lingering in the vicinity.

As for Dongxuan's troops that were being attacked, they were content to avoid giving chase after being ambushed. If they had insisted on revenge and sped after the Steel Cavalry, not only would they be unable to catch up to them, another squad might pop out in some other direction sometime later and repeat the ambush!

Once the pursuers increased in number, the chase would be slowed down; if the number of people dropped too far, they might be utterly annihilated!

It was a tricky decision whether to give chase or not.

The Steel Cavalry, who had brought sufficient food, water, and arrows, terrorized the battlefield from any direction they could; they were bold, perpetually goading the enemy into doing something rash and behaved arrogantly.

Within just a few short days, Dongxuan's path which served the provision wagons was ambushed on at least five different occasions.

Each time, the attack was preceded by a shower of arrows. Although the provisions had not been looted, there were still losses suffered. The ring around Dongxuan's base inexplicably caught fire in the middle of the night; although it did not develop into an overly large fire, the people in the base did not manage to catch a single wink of sleep that night.

Dongxuan's troop was already fighting the entire day and was exhausted; then came the sleepless nights in addition to being frightened and anxious. How could they have endured this for much longer?

The damage wasn't severe, but it was enough to cause Han Sanhe a headache.

It was not that Han Sanhe did not set up any traps of his own; he had installed so many booby traps and ambushes to lure the Steel Cavalry in, but somehow, they had not been tricked at all. They did not fall into the traps and ambushes, as if they knew that the secure and attainable camps were actually packed with lethal danger every step of the way!

Han Sanhe, who was already a veteran of war, could not help wondering how could Han Sanhe suddenly turn so almighty?

Which deity had enlightened Fu Baoguo? Was he still talking about the same man?

Han Sanhe's headache hurt so much that he felt his head grow twice in size.

…

"Five thousand men a team, come back to the fort for supplies every three days."

"All operations are of your own accord! There's only one goal – weaken Dongxuan's combat power!"

"The first request – horse hooves must be wrapped with cotton when moving at night; this ensures minimal noise. Furthermore, don't tempt fate by trying to advance further than necessary!"

"The second request – no more than ten casualties can be suffered on our side in each fight!"

"The third request – only when your warhorses' velocity accelerates to the maximum can you attack! Once you have attacked, draw back immediately, no matter the result!"

"The fourth request – no matter how good a chance looks for a battle, do not be foolish enough to join in!"

"The fifth request – only disrupt and weaken. Do not strike a death blow! Even if it's only a hundred-men squad, retreat at once after shooting when the horses have sped up!"

"The sixth request – even if your comrades and squad have been ambushed right before your eyes, even if the entire team is about to be annihilated, those ambushed will not ask for help! Witnesses, do not save them! Draw back at once! Take another chance to weaken the enemy!"

"The seventh request – even if it only takes a turn of your body to save your comrade, don't you dare turn around!"

"The eighth request – even if the Fortress of Resilience is being breached, do not speed off alone to help!"

"The ninth and final request – each return for supplies shall be accompanied by a rock and a log individually in exchange for weapons and arrows!"

"Each provision will see the team leader beheaded if his team has more than fifty casualties in three days! The assistant general will be beheaded as well! The team will be dismissed, reshuffled and reorganized!"

"Any violation of all the requests above shall see the beheading of the team's general and assistant general! The entire team will be dismissed, reshuffled and reorganized!"

This was what Fu Baoguo had asked of them when he sent the Steel Cavalry into operation. It was also a matter of discipline during practical battle.

This was truly what it meant to obey the prohibitions like strict commands and assume law in accordance with words; it was to nip all sorts of unaccountable danger in its bud.

The Steel Cavalry's strategy to attack like a wolf pack had scored, causing Han Sanhe a headache. In spite of it, it was only a minor detail that did not affect the overall picture. The main warfare still lied within the status of the battle.

Both sides fought vehemently. Days passed one after another; the Fortress of Resilience seemed to be swaying each day, yet it had persevered!

…

It was after another attack of the fortress when Fu Baoguo stood atop the fort, as usual, watching the assistant generals anxiously conduct the repair of a wall. There was also the movement of resources and transfer of injured soldiers, but he remained stationary.

The generals were the soldiers' courage while the marshal was the army's soul!

Despite not doing anything, as long as Fu Baoguo stood there tall and proud, Yutang's army would somehow find their backbone.

Fu Baoguo had not slept for three consecutive days now, but he still looked well-rested and exuded a sense of immense confidence to everyone.

As long as Marshal Fu was there, the Fortress of Resilience would remain Yutang's! No one could conquer it, not even Han Sanhe!

Fu Baoguo stood at the highest point, watching the clouds with a leisure gaze; there was only one thing on his mind now.

"I've used all my aces and all my might. I don't think I can hold out any longer… Yutang is suffering from tens of thousands of casualties daily, a loss that the military morale can't compensate… Nine Supremes Lords, the only hope in this war is you! When are you coming? I… I wish to see you again… to tell you that you didn't let me go in vain that day – Fu Baoguo is no longer that selfish and despicable varmin!"

"Report!"

"Speak!"

"Marshal! The city wall's repairs are completed!"

"Good! All those involved rest on the spot, recover your energy as much as possible!"

"Yes!"

Looking at his tired fighters rest, Fu Baoguo stood tall and laughed suddenly, asking out loud, "Brothers, do you know what I'm thinking of now?"

An assistant general quipped appropriately, "We don't, but we certainly won't mind knowing!"

Fu Baoguo laughed, "I'm thinking that Han Sanhe, as a God of War of his time, a top general acknowledged by the world whose military strength is several times more than ours. Have you noticed that he hasn't been going anywhere for so long despite only attacking this small Fortress of Resilience? We remain secure like a mountain, unmovable!"

"Say, isn't the title God of War a little unfitting?" Fu Baoguo said loudly.

"Hahaha…" The soldiers guffawed, feeling curious as well – That's right, the opponent has millions of army and is led by the God of War to attack one Resilience Fortress; they have so many advantages yet haven't been able to take us down for so long. The reputation is indeed unbefitting!

"Right now, I honestly feel embarrassed for Han Sanhe. Think about it, how long have I not gone into a war? My individual combat power is just so-so, but Han Sanhe is still helpless against me – this speaks a lot!" Fu Baoguo chortled.

He was expending all his tricks to boost his men's spirit, resorting even to self-deprecation! However, the tactic proved useful as all that could be heard was laughter.

Even those who were utterly exhausted felt pride wracking through them and could not help puffing their chests out. Of course, no one would really assume Fu Baoguo's combat power to really be mediocre.

"Coming back to this, it's not wrong that Han Sanhe can't vanquish the Resilience Fortress! At least, I think it's reasonable!" Fu Baoguo's eyes were radiating with sudden clarity.

"After all, the one guarding this fort is me, Fu Baoguo!"

"As long as I, Fu Baoguo, am here, forget one Han Sanhe – even if there are ten Gods of War, what can they do to me?"

Fu Baoguo's voice was thunderous and deafening.

"All hail the marshal!"

Countless Yutang militants roared, high in spirits.

No one would have thought that Fu Baoguo was contradicting himself. After all, they, especially the veterans, knew that perhaps Marshal Fu was instead Yutang's top militant currently – it was not just the top militant of Yutang's younger generation!

Fu Baoguo chortled, as if triumphant and confident.

Inwardly, he was anxiously calling out, "Lord Supreme Wind! When are you coming?"

…

In Tiantang City, Empire of Yutang.

Qiu Jianhan had not been sleeping nor resting for multiple days now. He was organizing the army, directing the provisions and sending relief troops…

Every matter, be it big or small, had to go through his hands before he could feel at ease.

There was no room for carelessness.

It was not just Marshal Qiu; the entire Yutang imperial court was hectic and buzzing as well. When they were occasionally free, the emperor and Old Marshal Qiu would gather with their frowns locked in place, the solemn mood difficult to resolve.

"Supreme Cloud, what ails you?"