Who Takes the Lead?

"Pfft."

"You… you…"

Zhang Gui desperately tried to cover the wound on his throat, but blood gushed uncontrollably, mixing shock, despair, and rage in his eyes as they gradually dimmed. He struggled, reaching out for Luo Yu's clothing, who merely watched coldly.

"Wang Shuang is willing to stamp on an ally in trouble. Why wouldn't you dismantle the bridge after crossing it? If I don't kill you, the next to die will likely be me, right? Do you think I'm a fool, just as he does?"

"Y-you…"

In despair, Zhang Gui slowly fell to the ground. Throughout the encounter, Luo Yu never displayed an ounce of compassion; his expression remained indifferent.

From the skirmish between Wang Shuang and Zhang Gui, he realized one crucial truth: danger on the battlefield may not always come from the enemy—it can stem from one's own comrades. Sometimes, the knife that strikes from behind is the deadliest one.

From witnessing Wu Mazi's fall to protecting young Wu from Zhang Gui's arbitrary punishment, to Wang Shuang's treachery—all instances of threats from within his own ranks.

Thus, Luo Yu resolved: either he would not fight at all, or he would eradicate those who threatened him completely!

Zhang Gui's body hit the ground, and his remaining trusted aides were still in shock:

"You… you actually dared to kill the Captain!"

Luo Yu pulled out his dagger, wiping the blood off the blade casually:

"Now drop your weapons, and I can still leave you a way out! Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless."

The aides exchanged glances, eyes wide in disbelief before they charged at him:

"Dare to kill the Captain? Let's battle him!"

"Who cares how skilled he is? He's just one person! Let's kill him!"

"Come on!"

"Swish! Swish!"

The very moment they charged forward, curved blades pierced their backs, halting their advance abruptly.

It turned out Meng Hu and a few new recruits had been lurking behind them, waiting to deliver a decisive blow at the right moment. Since Luo Yu had decided to intervene in the chaos, he had surely made preparations.

Looking at the corpses, Luo Yu shook his head lightly:

"I had given you a chance, but you chose not to cherish it."

Jiming Fort was enveloped in silence, flames flickering in the walls, casting eerie shadows and illuminating nearly ten bloody corpses that lay strewn across the floor, a pungent smell of blood in the air.

The remaining twenty or so soldiers stood dumbfounded. In just a matter of moments, both the Company Leader and Deputy Leader, along with their trusted aides, had been wiped out?

"Brothers…"

Luo Yu turned to the remaining soldiers, speaking loudly:

"You must have realized the situation; Company Leader Wang Shuang was in collusion with the Qiang and betrayed his comrades—his crimes warrant death! Similarly, Zhang Gui hoarded military credit and misappropriated wages, both of them deserved to die.

But I killed him not for personal revenge, but for self-preservation. If anyone believes Zhang Gui should not have died, feel free to seek revenge on me or even report me later. I, Luo Yu, will stand by your side in all of it. Killing him, I have no regrets!"

The crowd remained silent. Now that Zhang Gui's loyalists were gone, who would dare to stand up for him? Many of them had suffered at Zhang Gui's hands and had even been beaten by him. Given all that he had done, they would count themselves lucky not to have torn him apart!

"What will happen now?"

One voice murmured softly, breaking the stillness.

"Both the Company Leader and Deputy Leader are dead; who will lead us? With nearly a hundred Qiang cavalry outside, we can't just wait here to die, right?"

"Yeah! Who will command the defense?"

A realization dawned upon them—being trapped in internal strife wasn't their greatest crisis. The real threat was from the Qiang soldiers outside. Their own numbers had dwindled to less than half; the Qiang outnumbered them significantly, and their supplies were nearly exhausted. They were in a dire situation, facing near-certain death.

How would they defend Jiming Fort now? Surely there had to be a leader?

Eyes began wandering; most landed on Luo Yu and the older section leader, Dong Chuan.

Luo Yu's conduct no longer resembled that of a rookie; he had frequently achieved commendable victories, earning him a degree of respect among the troops.

As for Dong Chuan, after the deaths of his comrades, he now held the highest current rank—of the five section leaders in Jiming Fort, one had died in Luo Yu's hands, another in battle, and the other two had perished in the recent infighting. Hence, Dong Chuan stood as the most senior officer.

Meng Hu was the first to step behind Luo Yu, his expression serious:

"I don't trust anyone else; I only trust Brother Yu. He has said he will lead us out of Jiming Fort alive. I believe him!"

Young Wu and the other new recruits quietly moved to stand behind Luo Yu, as did several old soldiers he had first met during their task. Despite Zhang Gui's continuous harassment of Luo Yu, he had never revealed their role in Wu Mazi's death. Just this small matter had earned him their gratitude.

One by one, more soldiers emerged from the crowd, rallying behind Luo Yu, indicating he had certainly built considerable respect within Jiming Fort over the past few days.

After a prolonged silence, Dong Chuan finally spoke:

"You're right; Wang Shuang engaged in treason, and Zhang Gui misappropriated funds. Both of them deserved to die. I can distinguish right from wrong, and I won't take revenge for them.

I lack the capability to command the fort, and I don't wish to dispute power, but I cannot recklessly place the lives of all the brothers in your hands. I just want to question you: can you truly lead us all to survive?"

All eyes were on Luo Yu, who bore the same concern.

Luo Yu took a step forward, his expression grave:

"In such dire circumstances, none can guarantee victory. I can only say this: if we win, we live together. If we lose, I will die alongside you!"

The gathered soldiers were struck by his words, and Dong Chuan felt a tremor in his heart, gritting his teeth:

"Alright! I believe you!"

"From now on, whatever Luo Yu says will be orders! Anyone who dares defy him, I will chop them down first!"

...

Morning sunlight broke over the horizon, and the cold wind from the west pierced like ice.

Luo Yu stood on the tallest part of the fort, gazing far into the distance, where he could make out the outlines of several Qiang tents and thrumming warhorses. The Qiang soldiers resembled wolves and demons lurking beyond the northern frontier, poised to consume Jiming Fort whole at any moment.

He hadn't slept throughout the night, contemplating how to ensure the survival of twenty to thirty brothers.

"Commander, you summoned us?"

Section Leader Dong Chuan arrived with two other squad leaders, the remaining officers in the fort.

Luo Yu calmly stated:

"I found nearly a hundred taels of silver in Wang Shuang and Zhang Gui's quarters. Given their military pay, they shouldn't have had that much; it must have been stolen military funds and compensation.

Let's distribute this silver among the brothers, and hold onto the compensation until after the battle to return it with our comrades."

"Understood."

The three seemed astonished at how casually Luo Yu disbursed such a significant sum, showing no signs of greed.

"With this silver, the brothers' morale will undoubtedly rise," Luo Yu continued, transitioning to the crucial matter:

"I have seen the letter Wang Shuang sent to the Qiang. He arranged to open the gates tonight and assist them in attacking Jiming Fort.

This means the Qiang will launch their assault tonight."

The three leaders exchanged glances, realizing that a life-and-death struggle was imminent that very night.

"Ahem."

Dong Chuan asked cautiously:

"Commander, do you have a plan to counter the enemy?"

Luo Yu did not answer directly; instead, he posed a question:

"Since all three of you are older than I, with more combat experience, would you truly be willing to follow my ideas? In the face of such a formidable enemy, disunity would be tantamount to death."

"Of course we will follow!"

Dong Chuan thumped his chest confidently:

"I, Dong Chuan, will follow whatever Brother Luo commands!"

The other two quickly echoed:

"We will follow your orders!"

"Excellent!"

A glint of madness sparkled in Luo Yu's eyes as his fists clenched tightly:

"Then as agreed, we will open the gates tonight!"

"Surrender!"