Chapter 012: Countermeasures
When Du Fan heard about this situation, he immediately began giving orders. At each meal, he would throw a lean leg with an extremely delicious roasted flavor—or even an entire magical beast—into this barrier. But how could such a large amount be shared among thousands of soldiers? Over the days, whenever magical beasts were thrown in, the soldiers would scramble over them, while those with weaker constitutions fainted one after another.
Watching soldiers faint from hunger after another, even Ivanlu was powerless. After all, he too was at a loss. Half a month later, all the soldiers lay unconscious in the open field, completely unable to fight. It was then that Du Fan arrived late, along with a few powerful figures, smiling as he looked at the people of Odinburg.
“Well, what should I say?” Du Fan paused for a moment before teasing Ivanlu, who was gritting his teeth not far away. “Lord, it’s only been a few days since we last met, yet your face looks so pale. Are you hungry now? Really?”
“Du Fan, you bastard! Why don’t you give us food instead of sending your men to tempt us? Killing deserves punishment—why do you have to insult my soldiers like this?” Ivanlu shouted at Du Fan in the sky.
Hearing Ivanlu’s words, Du Fan sighed helplessly and said, “Lord, you must understand that you’re on my territory now. When we first met, you said you wanted to capture rebels. How could I, as a rebel, possibly provide food for you officials? Besides, my subordinates like to have picnics here—it’s their freedom.”
“Hmph!” Ivanlu knew he couldn’t outdebate Du Fan, so he simply shut up and turned his head aside, staring coldly into the distance.
“If possible, it would be best if you handed over the location of the Bluebloods,” Du Fan tried to reason with him. “Look at your soldiers on the ground—each one is emaciated. Don’t think you can hold on forever. But your men have fought alongside you through thick and thin. How about this: if you tell me where the Bluebloods are, I won’t just let you go—I’ll even give you ten… fully cooked large magical beasts. Is that acceptable?”
“Ten fully cooked large magical beasts?” Hearing Du Fan’s words, the soldiers lying on the ground seemed to regain their energy instantly, their eyes beginning to gleam as they looked at Ivanlu.
One large magical beast is enough for nearly a hundred people to use, but ten large magical beasts are sufficient for nearly a thousand people, and that’s for two meals—enough to fill them to the brim. Ivanru never expected Du Fan to have such tangible rewards to tempt his subordinates at this moment, and even he began to hesitate.
If he agreed, he would not only face punishment from Count Wadeber but also be brought to the lowest depths. But if he refused, those soldiers before him were like hungry wolves; there was no doubt they might even tear him apart. Between these two options, Ivanru grew hesitant. Watching his hesitation, Du Fan remained completely unfazed and simply waited quietly.
“Never mind. It’s a bone even the count can’t crack. Let’s see if you can bite through it,” Ivanru cursed inwardly before shouting at Du Fan in the sky, “I’ll tell you, but first I need to see ten cooked large magical beasts. Otherwise, I won’t say anything.”
“I knew you’d say that,” Du Fan smirked inwardly. At that moment, he gently clapped his hands. Soon, hundreds of elf archers entered the barrier carrying basin after basin of food enough to emit an aroma hundreds of meters away. After placing them gently on the ground, they left in an orderly manner.
Faced with the delicious food, all the soldiers instantly lost their senses. Like vicious dogs fighting over food, they showed no dignity at all. They lay on the ground, grabbed the basins, and started eating. At the same time, three or four soldiers fought over such a small amount of food.
Ivanru watched the scene with some pity. After cursing inwardly, he turned to Du Fan in the sky and shouted, “The Bluebloods’ stronghold is actually in the mountains not far from Odinburg. If you have enough courage, you can give it a try. But don’t say I didn’t warn you—those Bluebloods are madmen.”
“Thanks,” Du Fan said with a slight smile after hearing Ivanru’s words. He exchanged a look with the person beside him, then withdrew the energy he had used to maintain the barrier. Instantly, the barrier disappeared, and the extremely powerful man happily headed back.
……
“Haha, Du Fan, that was really clever of you,” Robb exclaimed excitedly. “Look how hungry you made them—they even started fighting over food. Now I understand why you didn’t give them chopsticks. I doubt they would even know how to use them if you did.”
As soon as Rob spoke, everyone started laughing at that moment. Du Fan and his group had defeated Count Wade’s army without using a single soldier. If Count Wade found out that he had been betrayed just because of those ten massive magical beasts, Ivanlu, he would surely be so enraged he’d spit blood.
In Du Fan’s mind, the Bluebloods were far more important than those ten massive magical beasts. After all, even the lowest-ranked Bluebloods were at level seven, and some might reach level nine after transformation. It wasn’t even impossible for them to level up or possess domains. They were a race born purely for war, yet they remained extremely hidden.
“Du Fan, when do you plan to head to the Bluebloods’ stronghold? Should we unite our forces? Otherwise, it might not be safe,” Bashah asked, worried, to Du Fan who was nearby.
Hearing Bashah’s words, Du Fan smiled and said, “Second brother, do you really think I’d be foolish enough to lead my men into war against the Bluebloods? They are beings at level seven, or even level nine, and there are thousands of them. If we really fought, we wouldn’t know how many soldiers we’d need to capture them. Whether they’re humans, elves, or dwarves, they’re all our hard-earned assets. How can we just start fighting?”
Hearing Du Fan’s words, the powerful ones present were deeply moved. It seemed that once a person reached a higher position, they began to have concerns, just like Du Fan now. But his concerns weren’t about himself—they were about his subordinates. That was what moved everyone the most.
“Hehe, Third Brother, I didn’t expect you to have become so powerful. So, tell me, how do you plan to deal with the Bluebloods? I think the method we used against the people of Odinburg works well—it’s simple and effective,” Bashah suggested, recalling the mad-like soldiers of Odinburg and sneering to himself.
Hearing Bashah’s words, Du Fan shook his head slightly and said, “Using the same method twice will surely not have the same effect as before. So we need to think of another approach.” After a moment of thought, he asked doubtfully, “What do you think is the most important thing for a person?”
“Power!”
“Money!”
“Food!”
Basha, Moses, and Rob immediately responded upon hearing Du Fan’s words. Seeing the varied expressions on the others’ faces, the three lowered their heads in embarrassment, ready to listen to Du Fan’s reply.
“You go ahead and speak,” Du Fan said, turning affectionately toward his wife, Nai Xiu. It was also time to hear Nai Xiu’s thoughts, as that would help make a decision.
“I think it’s rest,” Nai Xiu said surprisingly. Noting the varied looks on the three men’s faces, she continued, “Whether they’re strong warriors or ordinary people, rest is the most important thing for them every day. If the Bluebloods do have a weakness, it’s probably their rest time.”
“Clap, clap, clap!”
Clear applause rang out in the conference room as everyone present started clapping enthusiastically in support of Nai Xiu.
At that moment, Du Fan was extremely happy as he looked at Nai Xiu not far away. It seemed he hadn’t made a wrong choice in marriage—she was probably the only one who truly understood him.
After the applause stopped, Du Fan cleared his throat and said mysteriously, “The Bluebloods usually wake up at sunrise, while they sleep soundly during the early hours of darkness. If we can…”
“Disturb them?” Basha was surprised that Du Fan would use such a tactic. He said helplessly, “I’m not familiar with the Bluebloods’ schedule, but for us dwarves, rest is also extremely important. So if we really try to disturb them, I doubt many of us dwarves will be able to participate.”
Hearing Basha’s words, Du Fan nodded understandingly and said calmly, “Don’t worry, second brother. Different troop types should take on different roles. Moses, take the griffins to Odinburg tomorrow and find out where the Bluebloods’ granaries are. It’s time for us to take action.”
“Granaries?” Moses looked at Du Fan in surprise. “You’re not planning for us elves to set fire to their granaries, are you?”
“That’s right,” Du Fan said, a hint of triumph in his voice as he looked at the others. “If that’s the case, it’s better if our griffin squad splits into three groups at night—one group burns their granaries openly, while the other two hide and harass them. I don’t believe the Bluebloods will have a better temper than ours.”
Hearing Du Fan’s words, many of the powerful beings present subconsciously pulled in their necks. They hadn’t expected Du Fan’s tactics to be even more sophisticated than those of others. Fortunately, their relationship with Du Fan was good; if they were enemies, Du Fan would surely be an extremely formidable opponent.
As night fell, the griffin elves led by Moses were quietly lurking in the sky. After three days of observation, they had largely figured out the Bluebloods’ daily routines, and even the locations of their granaries had been easily identified.
In Moses’s hand was a small blue ball. It wasn’t a weapon but rather a sensing ball that Du Fan had rushed to create overnight. With this sensing ball, Moses could know when Du Fan wanted him to launch an attack.
The principle behind this sensing ball was quite simple. Whenever Du Fan wanted Moses to attack, he only needed to inject a slight amount of domain power into the ball, causing it to vibrate at a certain frequency. Upon sensing this vibration, Moses would immediately order the elf archers to start harassing the Bluebloods on the ground.