Chapter 912: The Reward
Chapter 912: The Reward
2017-09-25
[Congratulations! Under the command of your subordinate Zhang Mancheng, the Allied Forces have captured Hu Lao Pass, and you have obtained a Mythic-tier treasure chest.]
[Your subordinate Zhang Mancheng led the Allied Forces to defeat Dong Zhuo, Lu Bu, Zhang Xiu, Zhang Ji, Fan Chou, and Niu Fu. You have obtained two Mythic-tier treasure chests.]
As the system announced the fall of Hu Lao Pass, Lu HaiKong's attention wasn't on the treasure chests or the fleeing Dong Zhuo. His focus was entirely on Zhang Mancheng.
Zhang Mancheng, who had just barely survived, was still unconscious, and Lu HaiKong's emotions were complex.
Regarding Zhang Mancheng's final blood spray and the failure of his last attack, Lu HaiKong had suspicions that the system might be at fault, especially since the system had a history of such incidents.
In reality, this time, Lu HaiKong was indeed wrongfully accusing the system. This time, it wasn't the system's doing.
Zhang Mancheng's final blood spray was, in fact, partly his own doing. It wasn't a matter of recklessness but rather a consequence of Zhang Mancheng's own unique trait backfiring.
Undoubtedly, Zhang Mancheng's trait was incredibly powerful. Not only did it allow him to control nearly a million soldiers, but it also enabled him to unleash such terrifying power from the million-strong army.
This trait, which allowed Zhang Mancheng to control such a massive force, was undoubtedly the most powerful trait Lu HaiKong had encountered so far.
The strength of Zhang Mancheng's trait wasn't solely dependent on the number of soldiers he controlled. For Zhang Mancheng's trait to reach such a level, nearly impossible conditions needed to be met, and even then, it couldn't be unleashed at will.
Consider Zhang Liang's trait, [Borrowing Heaven's Power]. This trait, when activated, directly reduced Zhang Liang's lifespan by several years. The price Zhang Mancheng had to pay for his trait to reach such a level was indeed significant.
Zhang Mancheng's final attack was halted due to the backlash from his trait.
At this point, it was unlikely that Zhang Mancheng would be able to use his trait again anytime soon, and even if he could, it was unlikely he would encounter such a powerful force again.
So, Lu HaiKong decided that this might be Zhang Mancheng's only chance in his lifetime, but unfortunately, this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity didn't have a perfect ending.
Although it didn't have a perfect ending, Zhang Mancheng's battle at Hu Lao Pass would be remembered for eternity. After all, to capture Hu Lao Pass in less than half a day, in a direct confrontation, was an unparalleled achievement.
With Zhang Mancheng suffering from the backlash, the Allied Forces scattered after capturing Hu Lao Pass, making it impossible for Lu HaiKong to pursue Dong Zhuo.
Of course, if they really wanted to chase, they could concentrate their elite cavalry and generals to give it a try. However, Lu HaiKong ultimately decided against pursuing Dong Zhuo.
His intuition told him that chasing Dong Zhuo wouldn't be easy, and if he did, he might not only fail to capture Dong Zhuo but also face a bitter defeat.
Lu HaiKong hadn't forgotten that Dong Zhuo had two formidable allies, Li Ru, who was often by Dong Zhuo's side, and Jia Xu, who was elusive and unpredictable. If someone like Lu HaiKong said that Jia Xu wasn't a threat, Lu HaiKong would spray a mouthful of salt soda at them.
Lu HaiKong's decision to not pursue Dong Zhuo was soon proven correct by some self-interested alien lords who thought that the fleeing Dong Zhuo was weak and could be easily captured. They decided to pursue Dong Zhuo with their elite cavalry.
In this situation, Lu HaiKong didn't interfere as he believed the Allied Forces would be no match for Dong Zhuo's forces. As a result, the Allied Forces suffered heavy losses, and less than fifty out of five thousand elite cavalry returned.
Lu HaiKong had no reaction to the Allied Forces' foolish behavior and simply ignored them.
After capturing Hu Lao Pass, the first thing Lu HaiKong did was to arrange for the injured Zhang Mancheng to be taken care of. After Chen Ping provided basic medical treatment and ensured Zhang Mancheng was in no immediate danger, Lu HaiKong had Yue Ying send Zhang Mancheng back to Beifeng.
Given Zhang Mancheng's condition, it was unlikely he would be able to participate in the upcoming battles. Due to Zhang Mancheng's exceptional performance in this battle, Lu HaiKong was worried that someone might target him, so he decided to send him back to Beifeng for better recovery.
After all, Si Li and Bingzhou weren't that far, and Zhang Mancheng would be better off recovering there than staying on the battlefield.
After sending Zhang Mancheng away, Lu HaiKong didn't have much time to spare. He was about to begin the next phase of his plan.
Although the Tiger Prison Pass had been secured, Lu HaiKong didn't have much time left. He intended to strike while the iron was hot and take Luoyang.
However, at this moment, striking while the iron was hot required thorough preparation. Due to the loss of Zhang Mancheng's support, Lu HaiKong didn't plan to mobilize the entire alliance army this time. After all, without Zhang Mancheng, he himself might not be able to command such a massive force.
Therefore, for this attack on Luoyang, Lu HaiKong decided to stick to his specialty—the elite troops route.
This path was feasible because within the alliance army, there were not only nearly a million troops but also numerous elite battalions and generals.
By concentrating these forces, Lu HaiKong could still assemble a powerful legion.
Thanks to his understanding of the alliance army from the previous days, Lu HaiKong was making good progress in this matter. He estimated that it would take at most one or two days of preparation to complete.
Of course, if Lu HaiKong didn't possess the [Alliance Control], even as the so-called leader, wanting to extract the most elite soldiers and generals from various feudal lords was almost an impossible task.
However, as Lu HaiKong prepared and concentrated the alliance's elite forces, the feudal lords within the alliance began to stir after securing the Tiger Prison Pass.
Humans are always the most complex species. Simply gather a few of them and let them interact for a few days, and they will surely come up with something, big or small. Not to mention, when you throw dozens of them with hidden agendas together for several days, something is bound to happen.
Under this alliance, the hidden undercurrents began to surge, though they were relatively restrained.
Regarding the situation within the alliance, Lu HaiKong, of course, wasn't unaware. He just didn't want to deal with it at this moment.
Anyway, he held the power to suppress everything in his hand, and in this situation, he would let them do as they pleased. As long as they didn't act recklessly, it was fine.
Whether they schemed against Dong Zhuo or planned to retreat the allied forces after taking him down, Lu HaiKong didn't want to interfere. As long as they didn't do anything foolish, he would let them be.
In the 6th month, on the 19th day, reading the error-free version!
...
Luoyang
As Lu HaiKong prepared to concentrate the alliance's elite forces to take Luoyang, within Luoyang, Dong Zhuo's two top advisors gathered once again.
"How is the situation with Lord Dong?" Jia Xu glanced at Li Ru and asked.
"It's not good. The injuries are minor, but the main issue is Lord Dong's injury, which has caused an imbalance of power." Li Ru replied, his eyes filled with concern.
Jia Xu fell silent for a long time after hearing this. He looked up at the sky, his eyes gleaming with determination. "I never thought there would be such a person under Lu HaiKong's command. It seems we have underestimated him."
"Not you, but me. It's my fault for being too careless!" Li Ru said, his face turning grim. He felt ashamed, knowing that if he hadn't been too careless, Dong Zhuo wouldn't have been in this situation.
Jia Xu didn't respond, directly ignoring Li Ru's situation. He understood that Li Ru could regulate himself.
Indeed, after a few minutes, Li Ru regained his composure.
However, at this moment, he seemed to have gone past his composure, his eyes fixed on Jia Xu, not moving an inch. "Help me!"
Jia Xu's lips curled up, revealing a smile that was hard to discern whether it was bitter or cold. "Help? Help with what? Save Lord Dong or retreat the allied forces?"
Li Ru's eyes gleamed with determination. "Both!"
"Both? Are you sure you want to follow my method?" Jia Xu turned to look at Li Ru, his expression extremely serious at this moment.
"In this situation, I have no other choice." Li Ru looked up at the sky, his face filled with helplessness.
Jia Xu fell silent for a long time, not saying a word. What could he say at this moment? Could he say that his method was only meant for the most insane individuals?
(End of Chapter)
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