"Brothers, snap out of it! We're moving out!" Yan Ning shouted loudly at the assembled soldiers.
After waiting so long, the commissioned adepti had finally arrived. To prevent any unforeseen complications, they couldn't delay any longer—they had to move out immediately.
Yan Ning planned to launch a surprise attack first. He would set up a formation on the perimeter, then sneak in with a few seasoned brothers.
Before the dim-witted monsters could react, they'd destroy some of the Hilichurls' defensive structures. Then he'd order the following crossbowmen to take down a few of the stronger Hilichurls.
After drawing the monsters out, they'd begin the slaughter.
Though such tactics wouldn't make a huge difference, at least they'd ease some pressure for these youngsters.
Once that was done, they'd fall back to their original formation. As long as they held their ground, they'd cut down every Hilichurl that approached.
As for the Abyss Mages, those two adepti would handle them. And if something went wrong with the hundred brothers on the eastern side, given the two adepti's speed, they should be able to rush over, right?
Yan Ning had brought only two hundred men for this operation. Before setting out, he'd sent scouts ahead. The cave where the Hilichurls gathered was surrounded by towering mountains.
There were no climbing points on those peaks—escape was impossible.
The only exits were their current position and the narrow path guarded by the hundred men on the eastern side. Hopefully, everything would go smoothly.
As they marched, Yan Ning kept glancing at Yanfei with apologetic eyes. He wasn't sure how she'd seen through his intentions.
But regardless, he still felt somewhat ashamed.
Yanfei paid little attention to his apologetic looks. Though she was Liyue's walking law, she didn't have jurisdiction that broad. Still, she could always report certain people to the higher-ups if needed.
Squad Leader Yan Ning might be a seasoned military veteran, but in psychological warfare against the well-traveled Yanfei, he was still just a small fry.
Yanfei neither opposed nor supported his actions. She felt that risking freshly trained recruits on such a dangerous mission just to prove one's capability was utterly absurd.
No matter how lazy these recruits might be, they were still living people. In this peaceful era, if Yan Ning's actions caused significant casualties, there would certainly be negative consequences.
People would panic. Families of the fallen would express strong dissatisfaction. That would only lead to more troublesome situations.
On the other hand, she also understood that exposing these recruits to real combat experience could help them grow. Yan Ning probably shared this sentiment.
But rookies were still rookies. No matter their training, they lacked combat experience. She'd carefully observed earlier—among these soldiers, only twenty or thirty had actual battle experience.
If accidents caused them to lose those experienced soldiers, it would be a tremendous loss. This whole approach seemed highly unstable.
Veterans would need to look after the rookies while fighting seriously, which inevitably divided most of their attention.
If she had come alone for this operation, without Sister Bonanus, these troops would have suffered greatly. They were simply lucky.
Though she felt the need to report this to their superiors, given Yan Ning's attitude, she might be willing to let it slide.
Yanfei represented absolute law, but she wasn't unreasonable.
The premise was no excessive casualties. Afterwards, she would educate him properly. She believed Squad Leader Yan Ning wouldn't make such foolish decisions again.
Just as Yanfei was lost in thought, Bonanus waved her large hand before her eyes in confusion.
"Little Yanfei, what are you thinking about?"
"Ah? Nothing, nothing. Just... thinking about some things." Snapping back to reality, Yanfei quickly responded. After speaking, she slowly turned her gaze toward Yan Ning.
Their eyes met. They engaged in silent communication, which to Bonanus looked like two riddlers speaking in code.
Their exchange roughly conveyed Yan Ning apologizing for his foolishness and Yanfei implying that since things had already happened, there was no turning back.
Focus on the upcoming battle first. Everything else could wait until it was over.
Their intense eye contact left Bonanus utterly confused, her imagination running wild.
Could these two be attracted to each other? Probably not. Given Yanfei's personality, she'd likely think this isn't the right age for romance.
Plus, she's far too busy.
With this thought, Bonanus began rubbing her chin, already mentally weaving a tale of half-adeptus and mortal forbidden love. Clearly, she'd been quite the drama enthusiast in her previous life.
Her imagination didn't last long. Just as she was about to dive deeper, Yan Ning's shout interrupted her thoughts.
"You little bastards! I won't repeat myself. Follow what I've taught you. All troops, form ranks!"
The moment Yan Ning finished, soldiers carrying rectangular tower shields and long spears rushed forward. They quickly assumed formation, moving swiftly.
Admittedly, though these men had looked half-dead earlier, they were quite skilled at forming ranks—at least their speed was decent. Everyone knew where to stand. It wasn't as bad as expected.
But Bonanus had doubts about this formation. The shield-bearers stood in perfect lines, shields tightly joined. Aside from small openings for spears, there were no gaps.
Each tower shield also had another shield propped diagonally above it, likely to deflect crossbow bolts. Something about this formation reminded Bonanus of Roman tactics from her previous life...
She vaguely remembered seeing such formations in movies about Roman warfare. The exact name escaped her.
Since she didn't understand such things, she decided to ignore the details. As long as the formation could withstand enemy attacks, why overthink it?
"Not bad—the formation looks quite impressive." Yanfei suddenly commented with a nod. So these recruits aren't entirely useless.
"I don't know much about this stuff. In my day, I just charged straight in. Occasionally, I'd follow some tactical arrangements." Bonanus spread her hands. Though she hadn't experienced the Archon War, that didn't stop her from boasting!
"Sister Bonanus, proper formations and tactics are essential for the Millelith." Yanfei smiled gently. These mortals needed excellent strategies and formations to reduce casualties and increase their chances of victory.
"Fair enough! Looks like I've learned something new today." Bonanus nodded. She wondered if these soldiers could withstand a Hilichurl charge.
"The crossbowmen are ready too." Yanfei pointed toward the rear. Another group of Millelith soldiers had taken their "wives" to higher ground.
The vantage point wasn't great, but sufficient for their crossbow bolts to reach enemies in front of the shield wall. Everything was ready. They were just waiting for the squad leader to act.
Seeing the rookies move so swiftly, Yan Ning nodded approvingly. These little brats finally look like proper soldiers.
With that thought, Yan Ning exhaled slowly. He glanced back, gestured casually, and stepped forward.
The others exchanged looks and followed. Hopefully, nothing goes wrong with this surprise attack—provoking those monsters could be dangerous.
Bonanus and Yanfei stayed put. Since Yan Ning hadn't called them, they'd wait right here.