097 Gao Ting is Burning!

Sunset and dusk heralded the end of the fourth day's battle. After the human forces invaded Gaoting City, they faced a crushing counterattack from the rat people, an ambush that Xue Hui had never anticipated. The rat people's tenacity far surpassed their imagination. In just four days, more than three thousand had fallen. Particularly Liu Wei's faction, who had been the first to enter Gaoting City, had suffered near annihilation; only about three hundred warriors remained combat-ready.

Xue Hui took every precaution. To hedge his bets, he secretly informed his most loyal supporter, Feng Wanying, to delay her troops' entry into the city. With Liu Wei leading the charge and Feng Wanying following, the overall casualties appeared significantly lower than those of Liu Wei's group.

Currently, approximately one thousand soldiers were still able to fight, two hundred lightly wounded, three hundred severely wounded, and the remaining five hundred all dead.

Wu Fan needed no further mention; his 1,500-man force had nearly been wiped out entirely, and though it was not his troops, he felt no pity.

It seemed that Xue Hui's forces had suffered the least damage, with the most severe blow being the death of Butcher Gao Kuike.

The human camp.

Crash!

Wu Fan slammed his fist onto the table and cursed the rat people profusely.

This battle was so utterly frustrating. From an initial force of 1,500, only 33 remained, leaving him essentially a lone commander.

"These rat people came prepared. I suspect something is amiss!" Xue Hui's gaze was like a torch, breaking the silence.

"Where is Chen Nuo now? Should we summon him to assist?"

Feng Wanying inquired.

"Probably too late!"

"His arrival is still a week away; we can't wait."

Xue Hui explained.

"Boss, what's our next move?"

Liu Wei asked. His former arrogance had vanished; his troops had suffered the heaviest losses after Wu Fan's. His words lacked conviction.

"Let's burn them out tonight!"

"Fire attack?"

"I've already arranged it. The northwest wind is blowing, so we'll ignite from the west. In less than a week, a massive fire will consume Gaoting City completely."

"Great, Boss is wise! No matter what, the rat people can't hold still!" Feng Wanying praised from the heart.

"Rest early tonight; we'll launch the general assault at dawn tomorrow!"

Xue Hui set the strategy.

"Boss, the rat people might launch a sneak attack tonight. Should we withdraw our troops outside the city?"

Wu Fan questioned. He hated these rat people and had been frightened by them.

<|eos|>