Rebirth of the Prime Dragon Master
Chapter 231 Extraordinary Trick

"Commander Zhao, it's been a while since we last met. I hope that you are well," Rocky smiled while looking at Flank.

"You bastard! How dare you show your face? It seems like you fancy meeting death right now since you've willingly brought yourself to me," Flank replied with malice. He wanted Rocky to pay, and he had planned many schemes to take revenge on Rocky.

"I know there are some misunderstandings between you and I. But I am more than willing to offer my friendship if you, Commander Zhao, choose to forgive me for my mistakes in the past. I can hand over the army flag of my troop as a sign of honor,” Rocky said with utmost sincerity. His genuine expression seemed to show how much he admitted his mistakes. Flank however, was unmoved by Rocky's expression.

But the offer of the army flag did not pass him, and his greed immediately overtook his pride. Flank did not want to seem so eager, so he maintained his attitude as he asked, "You bastard, why are you suddenly so generous? Is this part of you secret plans? Do you think I will easily fall into your trap?” "Commander Zhao, I am but a mere breeder. How could I possibly be able to lead a troop to fight?" Rocky explained with a helpless tone. He had expected Flank to doubt his offer, but he was determined to act as innocent as possible to hide his motive.

Flank was baffled with Rocky's response. He couldn't detect any loopholes in what Rocky had said. It was true that not everyone could lead a troop in battle, let alone an ordinary breeder with no military experience. If even Rocky could master the tactics, Commanders like him would retire. With these in mind, he became more convinced.

Flank didn't want to let Rocky off that easily. However, someone else could capture the army flag before he could, so he planned to be the first to get it. Besides, after taking the flag, he could concentrate on having his vengeance on Rocky. After formulating this plan, Flank's attitude took a quick turn as he replied, "Since you seem to be sincere, I will forgive you. We can write off all our old scores if you hand over the army flag to me.”

"Excellent. Please follow me, Commander Zhao, and I will lead you to the flag. I was afraid that you wouldn't agree to my proposal, so I hid it in a safe place,” Rocky said wearing an appreciative smile to show his gratitude for Flank's forgiveness. Then he turned and led the way.

"Follow him," Flank ordered his soldiers. He didn't want the opportunity to slip, especially since it was in such a short reach.

Almost immediately, scores of soldiers caught up with Rocky and circled around him. Flank followed suit with more soldiers accompanying him.

'Did he set any ambushes?' Flank speculated as they walked on. Being a veteran in battle made him suspicious of situations like this. He wasn't silly enough to put his trust on Rocky that quickly, so he kept a distance from him.

Rocky took quick glances through his peripheral vision at Flank who was far behind him. He knew Flank was on high alert to anything that might happen. But even so, his lips formed a sinister grin as he continued to stride forward.

Before long, Flank and his troop stopped at the site where Rocky led them. They remained unaware of the ambush Rocky had set.

"There's the army flag, Commander Zhao. I have been true to my word,” Rocky said, pointing at the flag that stood on a small hill at a short distance.

"Where is your troop?" Flank asked while he looked around. His mind started to fill with doubt as he assessed the area.

"I have already dismissed it," Rocky replied.

"Is that so?" Flank questioned, remaining unconvinced.

"Commander Zhao, if you do not trust me, you can take the flag till after I leave. After this, I trust that we are reconciled,” Rocky said as he motioned to leave.

"I didn't mean to question you," Flank quickly replied. He had planned not to let Rocky off, so he signaled his men to surround the breeder. Then he ordered one of his soldiers to take the army flag. It took no time for the soldier to bring the flag to Flank, and nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"Ha-ha... Ha-ha-ha!" Flank burst into laughter as he confidently took the flag with a firm grasp. He had never thought Rocky would be truly foolish enough to surrender the flag to him.

Having achieved his goal, Flank dropped his kind act. His laughing face turned to a malicious scowl "Catch him! Let's take him captive. Do what you wish, tie him up or beat him, I wouldn't care less.” "Commander Zhao, how could you violate our agreement?" Rocky exclaimed with fake shock and dismay.

"Lad, you are too naive. How could I let you off with just an army flag?" Flank retorted spitefully. Suddenly, before Flank could register what was happening, Rocky broke through the soldiers surrounding him and ran. He seemed to purposefully sprint toward a certain direction, but it was unnoticed by the stunned soldiers.

"Catch him!" Flank shouted, and two hundred of his soldiers ran in pursuit of Rocky. The rest soldiers stayed where they were, guarding him, as they waited for the others to bring Rocky back. But little did Flank know that he had fallen into Rocky's elaborate trap.

The two hundred soldiers pursued Rocky all the way till he stopped at a concave escarpment. The soft elevated slopes were easy enough for a man to climb, but Rocky remained where he was. Quickly, the soldiers surrounded him, ready to capture and drag him back to their Commander.

To their confusion, Rocky did not seem intimidated and he simply made a gesture in the air.

In the blink of an eye, about three hundred figures emerged from one side of the slope. As fast as the wind, they surrounded Flank's troop.

The two hundred soldiers were completely overwhelmed by the enemy. Without Flank's directions, they could do nothing but surrender.

"I will give you all a chance. If you fight for me and assist me with taking down Flank Zhao, I will grant each of you a hundred gold coins as your subsidies. If you ask me, my offer is much better than follow that low-grade fool to your defeat. Besides, betrayal is a classic strategy and is deemed the best way to overthrow others in the drill, don't you agree?" Rocky called out to Flank's troop as he took out a golden bill worth two thousand gold coins. He waved it in the air, before the soldiers who had yielded to him.

At the sound of the offer, the two hundred soldiers became blinded by the money. They had never expected to be endowed with money at the expense of a loss. Standing there and looking at each other with their eyes full of greed, they began to consider Rocky's offer. After all, if it wasn't for Flank's rapacity, they wouldn't have been trapped there. With this thought floating through their minds, they began to grumble about Flank. Finally, they chose to betray their Commander and be of Rocky's service.

Meanwhile, Flank started to feel skeptical. After waiting for a long time, it was strange that his soldiers still had not returned. Before he set out to find them, Rocky showed up.

With no sign of his soldiers around, Flank's stomach dropped. He knew that things were about to get really bad for him. Rocky proceeded to walk towards him, a small smile playing on his lips. "Now, young man, let's not play any tricks. I have your army flag, so you have already lost," Flank stated with his eyes fixed on Rocky. He started to fret, knowing that Rocky might have something surprising up his sleeve.

"Are you sure about that? As far as I know, my flag is still in my possession. And I have something for you, Commander Zhao. Come on out, brothers!" Rocky sneered. In an instant, about seven hundred soldiers appeared from all directions and besieged Flank and his troop of three hundred. With a wave of Rocky's hand, they attacked before Flank could take in the situation. Flank's troop was unprepared, so they too were stunned by the number of their enemies. Thanks to his well thought-out plan, Rocky's men had emerged in a perfect spot and they had the upper hand. Because of this, they were able to attack Flank's soldiers easily.

In just a few moments, with the element of surprise, Flank lost more than half of his people. He was alarmed. The situation was by no means in favor to him.

Recognizing his two hundred soldiers, Flank realized that his men had betrayed him, and his face turned ghastly pale.

"I only want the fool you call Commander, so I won't give you a hard time. If you all surrender to me, you may leave without suffering further harm. You can't win, so I advice you not to waste your time and energy. If you all do as I say, I will let you off, and we will put this behind us,” Rocky told the soldiers who still stood by Flank’s side.

Finding themselves completely trapped, Flank's soldiers lost their will to fight, and finally accepted their doomed defeat. They would rather leave and rest than suffer a pointless struggle. Surrendering, they dropped their weapons, and turned away from their Commander.

"Y-you..." Flank sputtered and flushed with rage at the sight of the traitors. His own troop had betrayed and deserted him.

In a short while, only Flank was left. His face was red with anger and embarrassment. It was a stinging insult for a renowned Frontline Commander who had made great contributions in battles to be defeated by a lowly breeder.

But Flank was to be blamed for all his misfortunes. He had underestimated Rocky, an outstanding scientist from the modern world who could apply tactics and stratagem from all ages without the slightest hesitation.