Ted vs. Dud: A Tactical Showdown

The moment these words left his lips, everyone present was stunned. Even the Sixth and Seventh Heads, Thomas’s own confidants, hadn’t anticipated that Thomas would entrust the plan, meticulously crafted by Ted himself, to the Eighth Head for execution! Yet, the various Heads exchanged glances, then broke into smiles. “Crimson, tonight, we, your uncles, await the legendary feats you are sure to achieve!”

Hmph, Thomas had chosen well on behalf of the Valley Master. Firstly, Crimson truly possessed the capability to lead troops to victory. Secondly, were Ted to personally lead and emerge victorious… this Violet-Blood, who had only joined them a little over a year ago, wouldn’t he then be able to lord over them all by virtue of this accomplishment! A grand achievement should rightfully belong to one’s own nephew!

Crimson, too, smiled, but then stated with gravity, “Esteemed uncles, it is said that Francis’s current strength is no less than that of the old Pontiff Sama, and Second Uncle also mentioned that his daughter Belmonde’s Spiritual Power is of a titled rank. I, Crimson, dare not boast; tonight, I guarantee the defeat of Francis’s army, but I dare not claim to capture his daughter and him alive!”

“Good!” Measured in advance and retreat, confident yet not arrogant! Thomas was secretly pleased with his choice of man. He slammed the table and declared, “The indomitable Thorns shall conquer any foe!”

Everyone roared in unison, “The indomitable Thorns shall conquer any foe!”

Only Ted’s expression seemed a touch melancholic. As the former Marshal of the Fiendkind, how he yearned to once again stand on the battlefield and slay his enemies!

***

Evening descended early upon the Great Snow Mountain. By four or five o’clock, the sky had already dimmed. Inside the warm commander's tent, Aliza and Mas were locked in a drinking contest, while Xue Ji and Frinda discussed peculiar aristocratic matters comprehensible only to Divine Princesses. Du Chen, meanwhile, was writing a letter, a knowing smile playing on his face.

This letter was addressed to Liana. Though worlds apart, the two siblings were not out of touch. Recently, Du Chen had been busy, and Liana too was preoccupied with annexing islands in the Grand Delta Sea. They hadn’t had much time to communicate. Now, seizing a rare moment of leisure, Du Chen penned Frinda’s recent reform proposals in the letter, seeking Liana’s opinions. Simultaneously, he hinted to Liana that a major upheaval would strike human society in five months, suggesting that if she wasn’t too busy, she should pay a visit and seize the opportunity to gain high standing amidst the great changes.

Soon, the letter was finished. Du Chen chuckled, “Old Brother Bairu, the next time the transport convoy comes, please hand this letter to them. Have the Papal Curia’s flying beasts deliver it to Miki Duchy!”

“Eh!?” Little Beibei, her mouth full of delicious food, timidly peeked up and whispered, “A letter for Sister Liana! Papa, aren’t you afraid Mama will get jealous?”

Her voice was indeed very soft, but what caliber were the people present? Xue Ji turned her head and chuckled, “Beibei, what nonsense are you spouting? Queen Liana is a close friend of our family. You mustn’t speak so carelessly in front of her!”

Du Chen also patted his daughter’s head. “You little rascal, now that you’re full, go check on your brother. Where’s that boy gone? Has he run off to streak naked on the Great Snow Mountain peak again!?”

“Godfather, Third Brother is indeed on the snow mountain peak!”

Dud lifted the tent flap and entered, tossing Alex, whom he’d been holding, onto the table. He said in a deep voice, “Starting tonight, the highest peak of Zaro Snow Mountain and its steep western slope will be under martial law. Please, Godfather, keep Third Brother in line; no one is permitted to set foot on these two locations!”

Alex looked up, indignant. “The Master’s profound contemplation, ruined by Dud! Damn him!” If an adult had uttered these words, they would be infuriating, but coming from the little one’s mouth, it only provoked a roar of laughter from everyone.

Frinda raised an eyebrow. “Why must these two places be sealed off?!”

Dud replied coldly, “Military matters require no explanation from me to you! Esteemed Frinda, has Adams, who was sent out to scout, returned to report?”

Frinda snorted, then said coolly, “He has returned, and is in the rear camp!”

Dud nodded slightly. “Very good! Instruct Adams: starting tonight, the vanguard division is to be split into three teams. One team will search day and night, another will excavate the snow mountain, and the last will maintain combat readiness, concealed in a Mountain-Hiding Array on the western slope of Zaro Snow Mountain. Should the main camp face any changes, they are not to return for rescue, but immediately attack any enemy forces on the western slope! Aliza!”

Dud stepped forward, smashing all of Aliza’s wine jars with a halberd. He barked, “Effective immediately, alcohol is forbidden within the military camp! You are to immediately lead your division to the Zaro Divine Emperor’s Tomb, stationing yourselves there under the guise of rebuilding the tomb. However, all sacred artifacts of war under your command are to secretly aim at the Mountain Mid-section of Zaro Snow Mountain!”

This string of Military Edicts left everyone bewildered. Only Frinda, after pondering over the snow mountain map for a moment, exclaimed in surprise, “General Dud, do you suspect Thornwood Valley will launch a surprise attack on our main camp from these two locations?!”

“My Godfather has decreed that I alone am to oversee military affairs; no explanations are required!”

Frinda slammed her hand onto the table, seething, “Dud, as a chief minister of Durkes City, why can I not question your military decisions?! Do not think that merely because you have defeated me ten times in military exercises you can be so arrogant! This is real war, not a drill!”

Dud cast a cold glance at Frinda, completely ignoring her, and turned to leave!

Frinda blocked the tent entrance. “Lord Du Chen, Dud is pigheaded and monopolizes authority! Where are the laws of our Durkes City?!”

Du Chen had been smiling, watching Frinda get flustered, but Bairu and Mas were also present. Although, as Bairu had said, they wouldn’t interfere in any matters and would only observe the entire process, they were still outsiders. He couldn’t let Frinda, one of his own, lose too much face in front of them. He chuckled, “Dud, why don’t you tell me? I’m a bit lost myself!”

“As you command, Godfather!” Only then did Dud turn back and approach the map, pointing to it. “The answer lies on this map. Dud has said all he needs to say. I must now arrange the main camp’s military affairs. Farewell!”

With that, Dud strode away, leaving Frinda standing there, utterly flummoxed!

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances. Bairu stared at the snow mountain map he had seen countless times, his gaze filled with confusion. Du Chen and the others couldn't even understand such a military map, leaving them speechless. Frinda slowly walked to the map, muttering, “The answer is here?”

“The surrounding snow mountains, centered on the Divine Emperor’s Tomb at Zaro Cliffs… to the north is the highest snow mountain, to the west are less snowy cliffs, and to the south and east are open plains. The primary danger in snow mountain warfare isn’t the enemy, but avalanches! Our army is stationed beneath the less snowy cliffs, with troops guarding all passages atop the cliffs, and open plains to the southeast for troop deployment, also serving as a retreat path. There seems to be no mistake! Why would Dud conclude that the enemy would launch a surprise attack on our main camp from these two locations?!”

Alas, Dud had left, and no one could answer Frinda’s musings.

The first day on Zaro Snow Mountain passed like this. At midnight, Frinda was still in the commander’s tent, poring over the map, deep in thought. For half a day, she hadn’t eaten a bite or drunk a drop, simply staring at the map!

Du Chen couldn’t help but marvel. While that stubborn mule of a woman might be a pain to deal with, sometimes he had to admire her tenacity!

“Esteemed Frinda, it’s already past midnight. Tomorrow…”

“I understand!” Frinda completely ignored Du Chen’s words, pointing at the map. “The camp’s location is militarily flawless! And Dud’s decision to send Adams to search on the first day also seemed perfectly reasonable! But in reality, he was telling Thornwood Valley—we have your traitors, and we will find you eventually… So Thornwood Valley would surely think: since Francis has our traitors, a static defense is a Dead End; we must take the offensive!”

Frinda suddenly turned to Du Chen, exclaiming, “Once Thornwood Valley decides to attack, their first choice would be to descend from the highest peak, gaining a commanding height and the initiative… but Dud has already had Aliza target their advance route with sacred artifacts of war! Secondly, Thornwood Valley would choose the western slope, most suitable for deploying sacred artifacts of war, to create a massive avalanche to bury our army—but Adams is already ambushed behind them with a Mountain-Hiding Array!”

Du Chen was taken aback.

Frinda’s voice grew louder. “Stationing the camp beneath the cliffs, sending Adams to search the snow mountain, having Aliza ‘repair’ the Divine Emperor’s Tomb… everything was a military order Thornwood Valley would expect. But these perfectly reasonable orders, when combined, create a death trap Thornwood Valley never anticipated! What a brilliant move, both logical and utterly unexpected! Dud… you never gave your full effort during our military exercises!”

Boom!

Just then, a thunderous boom from a giant cannon echoed outside. Frinda gasped, “Thornwood Valley has indeed attacked, and so swiftly! Francis, let us join the battle immediately!”

Du Chen nodded slightly. “Xue Ji, protect Alex. Andy, come with me!” The two rushed out of the tent, only to see the entire grand camp seemingly roused by the “sudden” night raid. Beastkin slave soldiers, fully armored and wielding Weapons, surged out of their tents!

Dud, astride his horse and holding his halberd, stood like an ancient deity resurrected, beneath the black banner emblazoned with a golden lotus.

Du Chen quickly rode up beside him, mounted his own warhorse, and said with a faint smile, “Frinda has explained everything to me. Dud, I trust your military command completely!”

Dud, rarely, let out a raspy chuckle. “My Godfather flatters me!” But even that raspy chuckle conveyed a profound disappointment.

‘Were it in those days, were Margaret in Thornwood Valley’s position, even if I, Dud, could predict her imminent attack, I wouldn’t dare claim she would come from those two specific locations. Even if she did, I wouldn’t be confident in annihilating her entire force with merely thirty thousand slave soldiers—the Grand Marshal of the Skylands’ deployment of troops is the most bizarre and cunning technique among the Fallen Gods! But observing Thornwood Valley’s military might today… it’s uninteresting!’

“Report… Vanguard General Adams launched a counter-attack, completely annihilating the enemy’s Weapons camp ambushed on our western flank! Forty-eight sacred artifacts of war of six-rank or higher were captured!”

Dud’s posture seemed eternally unyielding, proudly standing on his warhorse. Upon hearing the report, he merely nodded slightly, his gaze already fixed on the highest peak, where nearly twenty thousand enemy soldiers, traversing on sleds, were descending from the sky!

But just as they reached the Mountain Mid-section, artillery fire from the Zaro Sacred Tomb delivered a massive surprise! Following close behind, Aliza led his troops in a charge, completely encircling the remaining enemy forces!

Frinda watched as the twenty thousand-strong army was swallowed by the cannon fire, feeling a chill run through her limbs. She involuntarily recalled her own words from days prior: ‘This isn’t a military exercise, it’s real war!’ If her previous confrontations with Dud hadn’t been drills… how many times would she have died by now? Dud simply didn’t belong to this era. Perhaps even her ancestors, if resurrected, could only hope to escape his military formations with their lives!

A military report interrupted Frinda’s contemplation. “General, General Aliza engaged his division’s Weapons, completely annihilating the enemy attacking from the northern peak! The main camp suffered no losses!”

Dud suddenly sighed. “Hmm, instruct Adams to assist Aliza in encircling the enemy. Surround and thin their ranks, but take no prisoners! The main camp’s主力部队 is to remain on standby!” He sighed inwardly, ‘If it were Bonis leading troops, even if I, Dud, won this battle, I would never have the opportunity to execute the second phase!’ Observing Thornwood Valley’s commanders today… boring!

Frinda was startled. “General Dud, is there a second phase?” Before Dud could answer, she pondered the peculiar order, “Surround and thin their ranks, but take no prisoners,” and gave a bitter smile. “I understand. Thornwood Valley’s Military Edict—only the Heads have The Prerogative to enter and leave freely with open eyes. The General fears that the true location of Thornwood Valley cannot be extracted from prisoners, and so he forces these twenty thousand warriors to sacrifice their lives, compelling Thornwood Valley’s Heads to expose their positions…”

Dud seemed lost in thought, not hearing that Frinda had actually guessed correctly!

‘Margaret, Bonis, I heard you’re not dead, are you? When will I, Dud, finally get to face you on the Battlefield?! Facing a formidable enemy, with powerful armies arrayed—that is what I, Dud, have always yearned for in life! Observing Thornwood Valley’s officers and soldiers today… tasteless!’

***

At this very moment, within Thornwood Valley, Crimson frantically fled back beneath the city walls, shouting, “Second Uncle, our army’s intentions have been completely exposed to the enemy! Now our main force is trapped…”

Thomas, standing atop the city gate, had been preparing a welcome ceremony. Hearing this, he was greatly alarmed. “Our main force is trapped, and you, Crimson, still have the audacity to flee back?!”

Crimson urgently pleaded, “Second Uncle, the enemy’s might was unpredictable; the fault doesn’t lie in our fighting… Stop wasting words! The Weapons camp is completely annihilated! Quickly think of a way to rescue our brethren trapped on the Mountain Mid-section of Zaro Snow Mountain! Our Thornwood Valley’s forces are a family army, and the fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters of those trapped brethren are watching us, their Heads, from within the city!”

Thomas was soberly startled. Indeed, Thornwood Valley’s soldiers were recruited from various households. If he sat idly by and did nothing to help those trapped brethren, how could he maintain his position as second-in-command?

But just then, Ted, standing at the very end of the line of Heads, shouted, “Second-in-command, we cannot go for a rescue! The opponent is forcing us to expose our position!”

Thomas roared, “Ted, do you still have the face to speak?! Whose plan was it tonight?!”

Ted was momentarily stunned by the reprimand, feeling a twinge of guilt. Although he had heard that Dud once slaughtered a hundred thousand with three thousand, that was a special battle under unique circumstances, with an element of trickery! The other day, when he observed Dud’s troop deployment, everything seemed logical and reasonable. While Dud possessed the demeanor of a great general, there was nothing overly miraculous, which was why he had presented his suggestions yesterday!

However, upon observing today’s battle, Dud’s killing blow clearly lay in those four words: “logical and reasonable.” He had used predictable military orders to lure him, and everyone else, into a trap!

Ted gritted his teeth. “Today’s battle is my fault, Ted’s! But Second-in-command, now that our main force is trapped, if we go to rescue them, we will surely take the lifeline path beneath the cliffs, and then Thornwood Valley’s location will be exposed! With formidable enemies surrounding us, we need Thornwood Valley’s concealment to buy us time for preparation!”

News of the front-line defeat had already reached the valley. Such matters couldn’t be concealed. Those with trapped family members immediately gathered at the city gate, looking up at Thomas with anticipation.

Thomas sighed inwardly. How could he not know that the best choice right now was to abandon those trapped soldiers? But… tens of thousands of common folk were watching him eagerly, and the First Boss was on his deathbed. If he were to abandon his brethren’s lives at this critical juncture, what prestige would he have left to inherit the position of Valley Master in the future?

Thinking this, Thomas suddenly bowed deeply to Ted, his voice loud enough for the people below the city walls to hear. “Third Head, I am resolved to rescue our trapped brethren. As for how to rescue them… you were the highest-ranking military officer in the valley. Please, say no more, just tell us how to save our brethren!”

Cheers immediately erupted from below the city. “Second-in-command, this old man thanks you on behalf of my son trapped outside!”

“General Ted, quickly think of a way! My Second Brother is still out there!”

Ted frowned. “Second-in-command, Thornwood Valley currently has an army of thirty thousand. We will immediately conscript another fifty thousand reserves, forming a force of eighty thousand! Then, the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Heads will lead fifty thousand troops to guard the four gates. The remaining thirty thousand will accompany me to open the grand gate of the cliff and thirteen of the sixteen secret passages, launching a frontal assault to disrupt the enemy! Crimson, return to the front line immediately and order our brethren to withdraw through the secret passages they used to leave. Upon returning to the valley… destroy the thirteen exposed secret passages, understand?!”

The others exchanged glances, but no one responded.

Thomas roared, “What are you standing around for? Everyone, follow the Third Head’s orders!”

“Understood!”

Ted let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you for your trust, Second-in-command!” With that, he descended from the city walls to organize the troops.

Thomas stared icily at Ted’s retreating figure. Hmph, you were a Grand Marshal of the Fiendkind, having studied military formations with Bonis for years, and you are impartial in public and private matters… At a time like this, anyone who doesn’t trust you is a fool! Francis, you may have God-General Dud, but I have Ted, whom Bonis himself praised as the greatest general of the Fiendkind in a thousand years. Our true contest is still far from over!

At this point, The Sixth quietly asked, “Second Brother, you’ve just handed over all military authority to Ted?”

Thomas, also in a low voice, replied, “Let us see the battle between Ted and Dud tonight…”