Becoming a god by following the natural order and seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune.

Chapter 51 Luring the wolf into the house
The fleet sailed down the river, and Chu Yueshan commanded the fleet with composure, eliminating seven or eight hidden sentry posts along the river.

However, most of these sentries did not belong to Black Snake Water Stronghold, but were spies for other smaller river bandit forces. This was part of the deal between Black Snake Water Stronghold and Chu Yueshan—to use the power of government troops to eliminate dissidents and consolidate their own strength in the Changshan River basin of Qinglinjiang.

To ensure the plan was flawless and to further lull Chen Sheng into a false sense of security, Chu Yueshan arranged an operation led by Chen Sheng's confidants when eliminating these hidden sentries.

On the surface, it was to "accumulate military merits" for Chen Sheng, but in reality, it was intended to completely eliminate any remaining doubts in his mind.

In Chu Yueshan's view, Chen Sheng was always shrewd and intelligent, decisive in his actions, and not someone to be trifled with, and not someone who could be easily deceived.

But as long as he is successfully lured into the core area of ​​the Black Serpent Water Village, no matter how many schemes or abilities he may have, with his meager Bone Forging cultivation, he will never be able to escape this inescapable net.

Chu Yueshan was quite satisfied with the result.

Chen Sheng was indeed quite cautious throughout the journey, but he did not notice anything truly unusual.

Because this was a scheme that was half real and half fake; behind all the normalcy lay a deadly trap.

As darkness fell, the fleet quietly departed the main channel of the Qinglin River and turned into a lake with a wider expanse of water—Qingze Lake.

This place, crisscrossed by waterways and covered with dense reeds, is the true hiding place of Black Snake Water Village.

Under the cover of night, dozens of boats of various sizes floated silently on the lake like ghosts.

Most of them are light boats, which are convenient for transporting troops and boarding operations.

To conceal their movements, before even approaching the core area of ​​the Black Serpent Water Fortress, Chu Yueshan ordered the entire army to extinguish their torches, relying solely on the clear light of the moon to guide their course.

Fortunately, the moon is bright and the stars are few tonight, so visibility is still acceptable.

Inside the main cabin, all officers of the rank of deputy commander and above who were on this expedition gathered together, the atmosphere heavy with tension.

Chu Yueshan's gaze slowly swept over the crowd, his voice low and powerful:
"Gentlemen, this bandit suppression is crucial to the peace of Changshan and is also a great opportunity for us to make contributions. I hope you will all work together with one heart and one mind and not slack off in the slightest. Next, I will make the following arrangements, which you must keep in mind and not make any mistakes."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the cabin tensed up and held their breath.

"At 11:15 PM, Commander Wang Yue and Deputy Commander Li will lead two hundred soldiers to launch a feint attack from the front of Black Snake Water Village. We must create a huge momentum to attract and contain the main force of the bandits in the village."

Chu Yueshan traced his finger across the rudimentary map of the lake area. "Meanwhile, Commander Chen Sheng and I will personally select the remaining hundred elite troops to circle around to the rear of the water fortress and launch a surprise attack..."

Upon hearing this, the generals below exchanged bewildered glances. A feigned attack from the front would be incredibly risky and yield little reward; a surprise attack from the flank or rear, while seemingly high-risk, would actually bring the greatest credit should it succeed.

This arrangement clearly shows favoritism.

Before anyone could raise an objection, Chen Sheng suddenly spoke up, adding calmly:

"My fellow colleagues need not worry too much. The commander-in-chief has long planned this operation. Several months ago, he had already turned a leader in Black Serpent Village to defect. Once the main battle begins, he will open the side gate of the village from the inside."

At that time, the Grand Commander and I will lead our elite troops to seize the opportunity and launch a surprise attack. Together with our brothers who are feigning an attack from the front, we will surely wipe out Black Serpent Water Fortress in one fell swoop.

Chu Yueshan's gaze suddenly sharpened, his heart filled with surprise and uncertainty.

He never expected that Chen Sheng would so readily reveal this core secret in public. What exactly was this man's intention? Did he really have no interest in this great achievement and was willing to share it with others?
However, a deeper worry instantly gripped Chu Yueshan—if this battle was ultimately lost, Chen Sheng would perish, and Wu Kuang would investigate and find out that all the plans were orchestrated and driven by Chu Yueshan himself. Wouldn't he then have to bear all the blame?
Thinking of this, Chu Yueshan's heart sank. Little did he know that Chen Sheng's actions were foreshadowing potential changes to come.

In Chen Sheng's plan, Chu Yueshan was destined not to return to Changshan alive.

He needed to make a plausible excuse public in advance—that all the plans came from Chu Yueshan. At that time, even if the bandit suppression ultimately failed, Chen Sheng could shirk most of the responsibility.

After all, this was all thanks to Commander Chu's brilliant plan.

The other generals in the cabin naturally did not understand the deeper meaning. They thought that Chu Yueshan was deliberately showing favoritism and trying to give Chen Sheng this great credit. They were immediately filled with resentment.

If it weren't for Chu Yueshan's usual prestige, someone would probably have already voiced their opposition.

Although Chu Yueshan couldn't immediately fathom Chen Sheng's thoughts, the die was cast, and no further complications could be tolerated. He could only suppress his doubts and, following the established tone, said in a deep voice:

"Commander Chen is right. We are well prepared for this battle and have a very high chance of winning. Everyone must seize the opportunity, fight bravely, and not miss this good chance to make a name for ourselves and be rewarded."

He surveyed the crowd, his voice suddenly turning stern, carrying an undeniable air of authority:
"Did you all hear the instructions just now?!"

The generals exchanged bewildered glances, but ultimately, under Chu Yueshan's imposing presence, they all clasped their hands in a fist salute, bowed deeply, and resolutely agreed:
"I obey my orders!"

.........

The moonlight was dim and desolate in the back village of Black Snake Water Village.

The low stockade walls were sparsely populated, seemingly indicating lax defenses. However, in reality, countless eyes were fixed on the lake from the shadows, bowstrings were half-drawn, and blades were slightly exposed.

In an open space within the village, a campfire crackled and popped.

A burly, bald man with a towering physique was devouring a roasted lamb leg. His face was covered in scars, which looked even more ferocious in the flickering firelight. He exuded a fierce and savage aura that suggested he had been through many battles.

This man was Xu Meng, the leader of Black Serpent Water Village, also known as "Ink Dragon." His name was so famous in this area that it could stop children from crying at night. In particular, his swordsmanship was fierce and domineering, and extremely menacing.

"Chief, news has come from over there that everything is proceeding according to plan and they will take action on time."

A lean, middle-aged man strode closer and reported in a low voice.

"Ah."

Xu Meng didn't even look up, and gave a vague reply, "Tell the brothers to hide well, and we'll close the net once all the fish are inside."

"Yes."

The man acknowledged and withdrew, but soon returned with a hint of hesitation on his face: "Chief, I feel there's something strange about this... Why would the soldiers be so ruthless towards their own people?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Meng finally raised his eyelids, chuckled, and his shiny, oily face was full of disdain:
"Isn't this just like those officials? Cowards when dealing with outsiders, but ruthless when fighting amongst themselves. If they could really unite as one, these riverside villages would have been wiped out eight times over by now. Would we still be allowed to roam freely here? Besides, how many of these despicable things have they done?"

"Your subordinate is worried... what if we let a wolf into the house..."

(End of this chapter)