Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Hongyun flew into a rage: "Old Zhou, have you gone mad for the sake of merit? Do you think fighting a hundred against a thousand is just empty talk? With such a disparity in troop strength, your stubbornness will kill us all!"

Ye Tingxiu said, "Old Zhou, think it over."

Jin Wei knelt on one knee, clasped his hands, and looked up: "Commander-in-Chief, Jin Wei is not afraid of death. It would be Jin Wei's honor to die for you. However, Jin Wei cannot let you take risks. Please retreat. Jin Wei will lead the troops to stay and suppress the bandits."

"Shut up!" Zhou Qingfeng stood with his hands on his waist, his aura as imposing as a dragon. His sharp eyes swept over the three of them, and the innate majesty emanating from him made them tremble involuntarily, subconsciously avoiding his gaze.

"Anyone who dares to disrupt morale again will be executed without mercy!"

Zhou Qingfeng drew his sword directly, demonstrating his determination.

Silence, stillness.

Ye Tingxiu remained expressionless and raised his hand first: "Brothers are in our hearts. If we die, I'll die with you."

Zhou Qingfeng looked at Ye Tingxiu and nodded slightly.

Xiao Hongyun sighed silently, but still chose to support him: "Alas, Lao Zhou, Lao Zhou, who told me to get on your pirate ship? I can only go with you through thick and thin. I hope you won't take me down with you to my death."

Jin Wei remained kneeling on one knee, clasped his hands, and said, "Before Jin Wei dies, no one can harm the Assistant Commander."

Zhou Qingfeng smiled and helped Jin Wei up: "Don't talk about dying. You want to die, but I don't want you to die."

Upon hearing this, Jin Wei grinned.

Xiao Hongyun said, "Old Zhou, since you insist on fighting, what strategy do you have?"

Zhou Qingfeng spread out the map, pointed at it and said, "If we fight a hundred against a thousand in a head-on battle, then we will lose without any doubt. But war is all about flexibility and adaptability; it's not about who has more people to win."

"The enemy forces are now too strong. Even if we launch a surprise attack at night, it will be difficult to win. The original plan is no longer viable."

"I came up with a three-pronged plan on the spot."

"One plan is to feign surrender and arrange a meeting with the bandit leader under the guise of surrender. If the other side is truly willing to abandon the darkness and embrace the light, then this feigned surrender can become a genuine surrender."

"Second plan: capture, kill, and behead the bandits. Under the pretext of pacification, gather the bandit leaders in one place. During the negotiations, the bandit leaders will inevitably divide their troops and deploy them around the area to prevent us from playing tricks. However, in this way, the bandit leaders' thousand-strong army will be scattered."

"We will secretly gather our forces. As soon as the negotiations break down, at a single command, a raiding squad composed of cultivators at the Disaster Relief Realm will lead the bandit-suppression army straight into the heart of the bandits, capture and kill the bandit leader, and the remaining bandits will collapse without a fight."

"The third strategy is to use the tiger to devour the wolf. If the first two strategies fail, then at the same time, send people deep into Tiger Might Ridge to lure the great demon mountain lord to the bandit's den and slaughter all the bandits!"

"With three strategies employed simultaneously, speed is of the essence in warfare. This mere bandit army will be reduced to ashes in an instant." As he finished speaking, Zhou Qingfeng pressed his palm onto the map, his eyes filled with ruthlessness and killing intent.

"Hiss!" Upon hearing the bandit suppression strategy, Xiao Hongyun, Ye Tingxiu, and Jin Wei gasped in shock, feeling as if they had fallen into an ice cave, their bodies chilled to the bone. They stared in horror at Zhou Qingfeng's cold and stern expression.

If the bandits refuse to negotiate, then skip the first two strategies and use the third strategy to annihilate them.

If the rebel army is willing to negotiate, then it's best to surrender in one go; otherwise, you'll still face certain death.

But is it possible to reach an agreement in one go? Absolutely not.

Because negotiations inevitably involve a lot of back and forth and take a long time.

Therefore, Zhou Qingfeng never intended to give the bandits a way out from the beginning.

With these three strategies employed simultaneously, the annihilation of Zhuxian Village was a foregone conclusion.

At this moment, Zhou Qingfeng exuded an aura of evil and murderous intent, like a cold-blooded, ruthless, and decisive great demon.

It instilled fear in the three men.

Zhou Qingfeng called out, "Jin Wei."

"Commander-in-Chief, I am here." Jin Wei immediately clasped his hands in greeting.

Zhou Qingfeng said indifferently, "You personally select a few assassins who are skilled in escape techniques. Once you've confirmed that the bandit leader is at the negotiating table, send them into Tiger Might Ridge to lure the Great Demon Mountain Lord to the bandit's den."

"Tell them it's time for them to die for me."

"If they return alive, I will personally take them under my wing and bestow upon them a bright future and wealth. If they die, I will petition the city lord for a generous pension for them."

"I've given them the opportunity; whether they can seize it or not is up to their own fate."

Jin Wei bowed his head and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Yes, your subordinate will take care of it immediately."

The next day, before dawn.

Zuo Tang sneaked back to the mine, intending to continue his undercover work as an informant. However, Zhou Qingfeng had already given instructions. When Zuo Tang returned, Zhou Qingfeng pretended to accidentally stumble upon his trail, captured him, and brought him before Zhou Qingfeng.

"Commander Qiu, I just went out for a stroll. What did I do wrong that you want to arrest me?" Zuo Tang was pinned to the ground by the soldiers, unable to move, and struggled desperately to feign innocence.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng casually beckoned, and his men quickly brought over tables and chairs. He then lifted his robe, crossed his legs, and sat down, casually dusting off his clothes: "Stop pretending, you're the bandits' informant, aren't you?"

Zuo Tang pretended to be stupid and acted as if he didn't understand. He desperately cried out that he was wronged and even shouted to Steward Lian to save him: "Steward Lian, we are sworn brothers. Please explain this to me."

"What's there to explain? I have nothing to do with you." Manager Lian looked annoyed, wishing he could kick this idiot to death. He never thinks of me when things are going well, but tries to drag me down with him when things go wrong.

Zhou Qingfeng picked at his ear and said casually, "What's your name? Never mind, it doesn't matter. Since you're not a thief's informant, there's no use keeping you around. Drag you away and behead you."

Two bandit-suppression soldiers from the Food Disaster Zone dragged Zuo Tang away into the distance, as if they were about to execute him.

Zuo Tang dared not resist. Even though he was a cultivator in the Food Disaster Realm, there were over a hundred cultivators in the Food Turbidity Realm around him, and several more were watching him. If he dared to make any move, he would be instantly reduced to ashes.

I really dare not pretend anymore; if I keep pretending, I'll end up in my coffin.

So Zuo Tang quickly raised his hands and shouted, "Commander Qiu, please have mercy! My name is Zuo Tang. I am indeed an informant for Zhuxian Village. I am the third leader of Zhuxian Village."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng beckoned with his hand: "Oh? A leader, too. Come on, drag him back."

The two soldiers from the disaster-stricken area immediately dragged Zuotang back along the same route.

Zuo Tang got up and said with a smile, "Commander Qiu, as long as you don't kill me, everything is negotiable. Just name your ransom. I can't afford it, but Zhuxian Village can."

Zuo Tang was a little flustered, but not too flustered, because he knew that Qiu Qianchi, the CEO in front of him, was a greedy person. It was just money; he could just feed him. It was better than losing his life.

Zhou Qingfeng smiled faintly: "I have no intention of killing you or asking for a ransom. I just want you to go back and pass on a message that I want to win over your Zhuxian Village. As long as you are willing to abandon the darkness and embrace the light, everything is negotiable."

"However, if you refuse to surrender to me, then I, the centurion, would not mind wiping out your gang of bandits."

Zuo Tang was a little confused, not knowing what General Qiu was up to. However, in order to save his life, passing on a message was no problem, so he readily agreed.

Seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng reached out and said, "The gate is over there. You can leave now. I'll wait for Zhuxian Village's reply."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Tang tried taking a few steps, and sure enough, no one stopped him.

So he ran out of the mine in a flash.

It ran for more than ten miles, circling back and forth in the same spot several times.

Once they were sure no one was following them, they turned around and ran towards Zhuxian Village.