Strongest Soldier King

The morning sunlight shone on the vast primeval forest, causing the dense canopy to come alive. Birds and beasts frolicked, and on the branches by a small river at the foot of the mountain, a few birds were attentively observing the situation in the river. Suddenly, with a swift movement, one flew over, grabbing a small fish from the river accurately, fluttered up, landed on a branch, its neck stretched back, swallowing the fish.

"Whoosh!" From the bushes, a snake shot out like lightning, biting the small bird and uncontrollably fell into the river, quickly swimming towards the shore. At this time, a large school of piranhas swam by, savagely flashing their sharp teeth, surrounding the snake. The snake, in pain, swam swiftly, but by the time it reached the shore, its body was already bitten all over, barely alive, the bird in its mouth left uneaten.

The nature's food chain operates daily, a brutal but fair law of the jungle.

On a towering peak, Luo Zheng was sitting on some rocks near a cave, eating dry rations—a piece of meat reheated over fire. He held a water bottle in one hand, chewing slowly, his gaze calmly fixed on the mountain below. Beside him, Lan Xue took small bites of her dry food, eating elegantly without making a sound, her face also looking gravely towards the foot of the mountain.

After a while, Lan Xue swallowed the last bit of her dry food and quietly asked, "Things seem a bit off. Should we continue with the planned counterattack?"

"Let's observe the situation first," Luo Zheng replied calmly.

Just then, Zhou Gang came running hurriedly, with a solemn expression, saluted as he reached them and said, "The situation is somewhat off. According to our reconnaissance, it seems the coalition forces are not showing any signs of attack. Instead, they're ambushing in the dense forest at the foot of the mountain, completely surrounding the peak."

"Huh? Trying to trap us?" Lan Xue exclaimed in surprise.

"Last night's battle resulted in over fifty enemy deaths, the injured we don't know, but shouldn't be too many. That is to say, the coalition lost at most a third of their fighting power. If they're hiding in the dense forest at the foot of the mountain, us recklessly charging down would be like being live targets, forcefully breaking through is not feasible either; we can't break through without paying the price of at least a hundred men." Luo Zheng pondered deeply.

"It seems the enemy knows that attacking directly is too difficult. We have three lines of defense; they won't gain much and can't afford the losses, so they switched to a siege tactic. This way, we're put in a passive position. Indeed cunning, they only need to besiege us for five days, and we'll run out of food. It'll be troublesome then," Lan Xue reminded.

"Not even five days, if they occasionally harass us, shooting here and there, fatigue tactics, we'd be too exhausted to fight back; without defense, the team can't hold up, and it would collapse in three days," Luo Zheng worriedly said. "It seems we have to adjust our tactics. Zhou Gang, go call Hook, Ghost Hand, and Mountain Eagle over."

"Yes!" Zhou Gang responded quickly, turning to leave.

"If the enemy opts for harassment warfare and doesn't let us rest, the best way is counter-harassment. Their besieging the mountain means their forces are spread out. We can organize personnel to attack in all directions, fight if advantageous, retreat if not. In three days, no one will have it easy, but we have more people, and can rest alternately," Lan Xue suggested quietly.

"Right, that's exactly my thought. Zhou Gang and everyone else should each lead a squad, not too many, sixty persons each is sufficient, but they must be elite, at least fast runners. With the five of them combined, it's three hundred men; we can organize a two-hundred-men squad for support at any time, leaving four hundred men to rest and rotate," Luo Zheng agreed.

In last night's battle, the Hook Tribe suffered significant losses, so it wouldn't be wise for Luo Zheng to lead everyone in a forced breakout, causing greater casualties. However, small unit harassment wouldn't be a big problem. As they conversed, Hook, Ghost Hand, and Mountain Eagle came rushing over. Luo Zheng explained the situation and finally looked at Hook.

Hook thought for a moment, believing this was the best way to break the siege. If they were passive against harassment, the team would collapse without the enemy even striking. So, he nodded in agreement, saying, "Counter-harassment is doable, picking out three hundred capable men is also doable. I'll arrange it now."

"Go ahead, this fight results in whoever holds out the longest. If we can withstand for three days, we'll have the chance to defeat the enemy. The coalition is unstable internally, none dares to fight hard. If they deplete their men, they lose the basis for cooperation and will be squeezed out by others, so they don't dare engage in a hard fight, but we dare. The fiercer we fight, the more the enemy will fear and dread, and the siege will be broken," Luo Zheng said with gratitude.

"I understand, don't worry, I'll explain this well to everyone," Hook said, agreeing and leaving.

Luo Zheng gave instructions to Zhou Gang and others, letting them leave as well, leaving only Luo Zheng, Lan Xue, Ghost Hand, and Mountain Eagle on site. They all looked at Luo Zheng, with Lan Xue curiously whispering, "Do you have more to say?"

"Yes, don't you find it strange? The coalition suddenly switched to a siege tactic, seemingly to leverage their strong combat prowess and avoid the disadvantage of insufficient troops. It even makes our fortification useless, but on careful thought, it's a lousy move. Once we clarify their deployment, we can choose any point to launch an attack, breaking through the encirclement," Luo Zheng analyzed with suspicion.

"Perhaps they want us to break out, then hunt us down like Wild Wolves, constantly nibbling away at our strength, even ambushing to seize the activation device. You know, by holding the mountain, we have the geographical advantage and can maximize our troop strength. They don't have many chances, but forcing us out gives them more opportunities," Lan Xue reminded.

"That's possible, but our fighting while retreating is a war of attrition too. Though we lose our geographical advantage, ambush and encircling tactics can still work in motion. They can't afford those losses either. It looks like the coalition is more unstable internally than we thought, and there's no absolute unified command. Everyone is playing their own game. If that's the case, this seems like something we can exploit," Luo Zheng analyzed with suspicion.

"What do you have in mind?" Lan Xue asked in surprise.

"It's hard to say without sufficient evidence. Xue Er, you stay and command the team, ready for departures anytime. Ghost Hand, Mountain Eagle, and I will go conduct reconnaissance, check their deployment, see if there's any vulnerability. Then you can lead the assault." Luo Zheng firmly stated, jumping off the rock, his gaze sharp as he looked towards the foot of the mountain, a sneer on his face.

"Okay, you all be careful," Lan Xue knew Luo Zheng's character; once he decided on something, it wouldn't change. So, she agreed, and hurriedly went to find Hook for coordination.

"Guys, grab your weapons, let's go," Luo Zheng said confidently, heading towards the cave. Weapons and equipment were stored inside. Ghost Hand and Mountain Eagle exchanged a look, following closely with determined steps, their eyes sharp, brimming with fighting spirit.