The next day, Xu Tian proposed that he take the main assault, and let the Bandit Suppression Camp intercept the other two mountain strongholds.
Of course, Li Changmin was unwilling, as the Bandit Suppression Camp had fewer men.
"I will give you more men. I only need to lead five hundred men up the mountain. You can take all the remaining men with you. Moreover, the place where the enemy reinforcements will be intercepted is flat terrain, which is suitable for the cavalry operations of the Bandit Suppression Camp," Xu Tian explained to Su Fan.
His explanation was flawless and sounded very reasonable.
In reality, Xu Tian was still worried that Li Changmin would pit his soldiers, sending the Bandit Suppression Camp to intercept reinforcements. The Assault Camp had more men than the Bandit Suppression Camp, so even if Li Changmin caused trouble, he wouldn't be able to make much of a splash. Xu Tian simply wanted to use more men to limit the Bandit Suppression Camp.
"Alright, but do you have confidence in taking down Fierce Fang Stronghold?" Su Fan asked, nodding.
"Yes! In at most one hour, I will ensure Fierce Fang Stronghold is annihilated!" Xu Tian declared confidently.
"Good! I will have the Bandit Suppression Camp stall for you for one hour. If you cannot take Fierce Fang Stronghold within an hour, you will come to me with your head!" Su Fan immediately agreed to Xu Tian's proposal.
The battlefield was no place for boasting. Military orders were like mountains. Since Xu Tian dared to say it, he had to achieve it. Failure to do so meant a death sentence!
Seeing how serious Su Fan was, Xu Tian breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't afraid of fighting, and he wasn't afraid of fighting mountain bandits. Were mountain bandits more troublesome than enemy soldiers? He was only afraid of the Bandit Suppression Camp causing trouble behind his back. Since Su Fan had said this, it meant the Bandit Suppression Camp would also take this seriously this time and wouldn't repeat what happened last night.
"Set off. I want you to capture the key figures of Fierce Fang Stronghold alive," Su Fan nodded and said to the two of them.
"Yes!" Xu Tian immediately went to gather soldiers and head for Fierce Fang Stronghold. Li Changmin also gathered the Bandit Suppression Camp to meet with the Assault Camp. Su Fan sat in the command tent, waiting for their return.
It felt so good to have subordinates. Grinding monsters and leveling up? He just needed to wait for his subordinates to capture elite monsters and bring them to him.
Xia Yun poured Su Fan a cup of freshly brewed tea and gently pushed it in front of him. Su Fan smiled. Look, he even had a beautiful woman to brew tea for him. Although Xia Yun couldn't see, her other senses were very keen, and her normal life was not significantly affected.
Time ticked by, and the hour was almost up, but Li Changmin had not returned. Su Fan couldn't help but feel a little nervous. He wasn't worried about Xu Tian. Whatever Xu Tian did, whether he lived or died, was none of his concern. But Li Changmin was different; Li Changmin was his man.
"My lord! The Assault Camp has returned!" A subordinate rushed to report to Su Fan. The army had now become Su Fan's messenger, informing him of any matters immediately. Su Fan frowned slightly. "Where is the Bandit Suppression Camp?" He was still more concerned about the brothers in the Bandit Suppression Camp. The messenger shook his head, indicating he hadn't seen them. This made Su Fan even more anxious.
"The commander of the Assault Camp, Xu Tian, has returned successfully after clearing Fierce Fang Stronghold, capturing ten bandit leaders alive! And several boxes of ill-gotten gains!" Xu Tian cupped his hands and said to Su Fan. Su Fan showed no expression; he was still worried about Li Changmin and the others.
"Army, go to the front line and see why they haven't returned yet!" Su Fan said to the messenger.
"Report! The Bandit Suppression Camp and the Assault Camp have successfully intercepted the reinforcements and returned!" Just as Su Fan finished speaking, a soldier came to report. Su Fan immediately became happy.
"Good, well done!"
"Your subordinate, Li Changmin, was ordered to intercept the reinforcements. This battle resulted in the loss of 48 brothers. I request punishment from Commander Su Fan!" Li Changmin said to Su Fan with a grim expression.
"It's alright, as long as you returned safely," Su Fan was not too concerned about the casualties on the battlefield. As long as they returned, it was fine. Casualties were inevitable in war and could not be avoided, especially since they had chosen to attack directly.
"Who did you capture? Bring them up to see," Su Fan said to Xu Tian. The captured bandit leaders were quickly brought forward. Su Fan took one look and smiled. They were all elite monsters!
"Who is the great leader of Fierce Fang Stronghold?" Su Fan asked the ten people present.
"Officer, spare my life! I'm just a handyman in Fierce Fang Stronghold, not a bandit leader!" One of the pockmarked faces immediately knelt on the ground and cried out to Su Fan. Su Fan's expression was cold. Could he fool others but not me? Was the word "elite" clearly written on your name just for show?
"Officer, don't listen to his nonsense. He's the fourth leader. I report him! Can I atone for my crimes? The great leader isn't here. He went to Spirit Snake Stronghold to discuss how to deal with the Bandit Suppression Camp with their leader. I report him! I'm being honest!" Another timid man immediately betrayed his brother, revealing all their secrets and the great leader's whereabouts to Su Fan.
"Not bad, young man, you're quite perceptive," Su Fan looked at him with admiration and nodded.
"Guards, take them out!" Su Fan immediately drew his greatsword and walked out. The other party was stunned, their smiling faces instantly turning ashen.
"Officer! My lord! Don't kill me! I'm willing to atone for my crimes! Let me go!!!" Regardless of the other party's screams, Su Fan ignored them. He had captured them for experience and equipment, so why would he keep them? Su Fan raised his greatsword and was the first to strike him! With a single slash, the other party was instantly decapitated. When Su Fan attacked the vital points of subdued enemies, it would trigger a beheading effect, resulting in instant death. Su Fan's experience increased, and a blue light flashed, causing two items to appear before him. This guy, although timid, was quite generous, dropping two pieces of equipment at once. Both were weapons, which was amazing!
Purple Lightning Frost Sword (Blue)
Level: 40
(Unidentified)
Both were unidentified equipment, which was impressive. After putting away the equipment, Su Fan then killed the remaining nine people under their terrified gazes. Some dropped equipment, while others dropped nothing.
Su Fan currently had:
Tai Chi Silk Robe * 3
Seven Star Purple Gold Crown * 3
Nine Step Auspicious Cloud Boots * 3
Purple Lightning Frost Sword * 2
Blazing Fire Treasure Eye * 2
He was only one bracelet away from completing the level 40 equipment set. But it didn't matter; Su Fan could now try to identify them. Perhaps he could complete a set.
The subordinates below frowned upon seeing Su Fan's actions, unable to understand the reason for his actions. He ordered them to capture the bandit leaders alive, and then upon returning, he personally killed them? What kind of operation was this? Su Fan knew that many people would not understand his actions, but it didn't matter. He was too lazy to explain; let them think whatever they wanted. Su Fan wiped the blood splattered on his hands and turned back, leaving the bewildered crowd behind.
"You killed them to deter the bandits who joined the Bandit Suppression Camp, didn't you?" Xia Yun, still in the room, continued to pour tea for Su Fan and said slowly. Su Fan froze. He looked at Xia Yun in surprise. He thought to himself, "That's a good excuse, I'll use it."
"Yes, you saw through it," Su Fan pretended to be nonchalant and said.