TEFSCBSS Chapter 115

Chapter 115: A Trap Within a Trap?

The second to take action was Wan Niang. She moved cautiously and steadily, imitating Wu Fei’s steps. She also formed 1-on-1 pairings, occupying four tiles and keeping the rest stationed at the main base, focusing entirely on production.

She had made up her mind: in the early stages, she would do whatever Wu Fei did.

She didn’t know much about governing a nation or military affairs, but she knew enough to learn from someone strong.

Zhao Wen had the same idea. He followed Wu Fei’s moves closely.

But he had an additional reason.

In the early phase of the game, claiming territory was essential. Without land, you had no population, no food, and no wealth.

A tiny country could never match the strength of a vast one. Even with a powerful army, the turn-based nature of the game meant it couldn’t quickly conquer a major power.

Unless, of course, the small nations formed alliances and attacked a larger country together, gradually building themselves up.

Divide and conquer. History still had its lessons to offer.

Besides, it was still early in the game. He wasn’t ready to settle for being a minor power just yet. If there was a chance to fight, he would fight.

When it was Wang Bokao’s turn, he went even further. He sent out all five of his initial special units and five infantry units, occupying ten tiles in total.

He looked up proudly at everyone else.

Hmph, a bunch of cowards. The bigger the territory, the greater the chance of winning. Just watch—he was going to claim the entire map!

Then, his Divine Nation would be the largest on the map, and the other players would all have to bow to him!

The onlookers saw what Wang Bokao was doing and immediately started chattering:

“Yo, this Young Master Wang still hasn’t learned his lesson, huh? Not leaving any troops to guard the base?”

“Tsk tsk, just wait—he’ll be crying again when someone sneaks into his base!”

Wang Bokao slammed the table in anger. “Nonsense!”

“Open your eyes and look closely! This time I chose a main base location that backs up against the edge of the map—there’s no opening for anyone to sneak in!”

“Hmph! I’m not surrounded like last time!”

“As Su Li said, ever heard of ‘the countryside surrounding the city’? I’ll develop from the edge, keep my main base safe, and no one will be able to wipe me out in one go!”

Hearing him rant like that, everyone put on a look that said, “Wow, you’re amazing,” or “You sure know what you’re doing,” which only made Wang Bokao even more annoyed—they still didn’t believe in him!

Was he that bad?

As things got rowdy on his side, Changting followed the crowd and adopted the same strategy as Wu Fei and the others.

Before long, ten turns had passed using the same method.

Wu Fei and the other three players were all developing steadily, while Wang Bokao was going all out to expand his territory.

Each turn, the main base could only produce a fixed number of units. But Wang Bokao didn’t leave a single one behind—he sent them all out to claim more land.

At this point, his Divine Nation covered a land area only slightly smaller than the combined territories of three other nations.

Wang Bokao had successfully made himself the largest country on the map.

Some spectators noticed the situation and began murmuring to each other:

“Could it be that with the current peace treaty in effect, Wang Bokao’s method is working? Look how fast he’s developing!”

“Exactly! He’s unlocked several achievement points already and even upgraded his ghost soldiers—they can now assimilate two civilians per turn.”

“Yeah! At first, those ghost soldiers didn’t seem too threatening, but now that his territory is full of them, and regular troops can’t hurt them, what choice do people have but to be assimilated?”

“Whoa—those ghost soldiers will just keep multiplying… Soon enough, it’ll be a ghost soldier empire!”

Everyone looked on with stunned expressions. Could Wang Bokao be that terrifying?

Wang Bokao heard the chatter and looked even more smug.

Heh, this is just the beginning. Wait till I conquer the whole map—then their jaws will drop.

But just then, Zhao Wen fully embraced his role as the villain.

“Wang Bokao, you had your ghost soldiers march into the territory I was planning to develop! Are you trying to break the peace treaty?!”

Wan Niang, standing nearby, also looked heartbroken. “I didn’t think you were that kind of person, Young Master Wang.”

“Look at the land you’ve taken—there’s a vital cotton resource I desperately need! How am I supposed to develop peacefully now?”

Wu Fei let out a sigh and chimed in, “Sigh, Young Master Wang, that wasn’t cool.”

“We agreed to develop peacefully, but you’re being greedy and grabbing other people’s resources. Are you looking down on us?”

Zhao Wen said furiously, “If you won’t act with justice, why should we honor any alliance with you?”

Wan Niang agreed, “That’s right—this isn’t on us anymore.”

Then Wu Fei, the unofficial leader among them, declared, “Everyone, let’s unite and take down this greedy and unprincipled nation.”

With that, all three turned to look at Changting, waiting for her response.

Changting hesitated for a moment. “Uh… You’re right. Someone so dishonorable must be destroyed!”

The three looked pleased and immediately signaled her to attack.

Sure enough, it was Changting’s turn right after Wang Bokao ended his.

And conveniently, she was the closest to Wang Bokao’s territory. Her cavalry could reach and attack his troops.

Changting hesitated—was she being forced into this?

But Wang Bokao’s nation was now the largest and posed the biggest threat. A rising power like his couldn’t be allowed to grow unchecked.

Steeling herself, Changting launched her assault.

Five of her cavalry units were in range, and she sent them in at once.

Knowing that once a war started there would be no turning back, she moved in her other cavalry and infantry as well, preparing for an all-out attack to crush Wang Bokao.

Wang Bokao was furious. What had he even done wrong? Why were they all targeting him?

After losing five tiles’ worth of troops, he was livid. He glared at the others with defiance.

“Go ahead! Keep attacking! I’ve got plenty of land, and even more ghost soldiers!”

“You take my territory now, but next turn, your soldiers will be mine!”

“Don’t forget—I can assimilate two infantry units or one special unit per turn!”

“I’d like to see how smug you are once your precious special units all become part of my underworld army!”

Wu Fei wore a look of sorrow. “Amitabha… Such stubborn delusion, my friend.”

Then he turned to Changting.

“Dear lady, we’re still a bit of a distance from the Divine Nation. Hold out for a turn or two—we’ll be there soon to help.”

With that, Wu Fei decisively mobilized his troops.

Wan Niang and Zhao Wen both made their stances clear and followed suit.

Seeing the three of them genuinely pushing forward, Changting relaxed a bit. Alright, just one or two turns—she could wait. It wouldn’t cost her too many soldiers.

She and Wang Bokao were evenly matched for now, but once reinforcements arrived, it would be an overwhelming victory.

The current losses were acceptable.

Seeing how “understanding” (and gullible) Changting was, the three exchanged another satisfied look. The plan could proceed.

Soon, three turns had passed. Both Changting and Wang Bokao had lost a fair number of units, and the battlefront kept expanding.

Finally, reinforcements arrived.

The special units of Wu Fei and the others lined up behind Changting’s forces.

Looking at the layout on the map, it did seem like a grand moment of four armies joining forces.

Once again, Changting wiped out seven or eight of Wang Bokao’s units. She looked proud and gestured for the others to take their turn.

Wu Fei nodded knowingly… but first, he softly chanted a Buddhist verse.

Then…

He deployed ten Enlightenment Monks…

To “convert” Changting’s soldiers.

Changting: ????