newbobooks Chapter 474 The Northern Li army gathers, and the Prince of Langya divides his forces into three rou
Chapter 474 The Northern Li army gathers, and the Prince of Langya divides his forces into three rou
At the border between Ezhou and Shuzhong, in the northern army camp, the central command tent.
The tent was brightly lit by candlelight, casting the shadows of Xiao Ruofeng, Lei Mengsha, and Ye Xiaoying onto the cowhide tent wall, which flickered and changed length with the firelight.
The air was thick with the scent of leather, rust, and a lingering stench of blood—the smell of soldiers rushing through the battlefield for days, their armor still on—a harbinger of an impending great battle.
Lei Mengsha, travel-worn and covered in wisps of mud from his silver armor, plopped down on a stool, grabbed a water pouch from the table, and gulped down several mouthfuls before wiping his mouth.
"Seventh Brother, you summoned us back in a matter of life and death. We just got some information about the Micang Road area... What big thing has happened? Could it be that that old thief Baili is up to something?"
Ye Xiaoying composed himself, removed his twin swords, leaned against the table, and looked intently at Xiao Ruofeng, awaiting a response.
Although he looked tired, his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's; the gloom of the defeat in Chaisang City had not diminished the spirit of this fierce general.
Xiao Ruofeng did not answer immediately. He stood in front of the huge map of the southwest, his back straight but exuding a solemn air.
The candlelight flowed across his dragon-scaled golden armor, highlighting the distinct features of his profile.
He slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping over his two brothers-in-arms and generals, his voice low and clear, each word distinct:
"The plan to launch a surprise attack on the Micang Road is cancelled! We have a more troublesome and imminent enemy!"
Lei Mengsha and Ye Xiaoying exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise and doubt in each other's eyes.
Xiao Ruofeng walked back to the desk and pressed his finger heavily on the location of "Qiandong City" on the map: "The continuous secret reports in the past few days have proven that Wen Yanzhao of the Lingnan Wen family has already refined the 'medicine man' in Qiandong City!"
"A drug user? That kid Wen actually..." Lei Mengsha was stunned, his face turning pale in an instant!
“There’s no mistake,” Xiao Ruofeng nodded, a hint of bitterness in his voice. “According to reports, there are at least three thousand medicine practitioners in the Bo Yue Mountain camp in Qian Dong City!”
"Three thousand medicine men?!" Ye Xiaoying gasped, abruptly standing up, his twin swords clanging as he was pulled.
"Your Highness, is this matter confirmed? The art of using medicine to create human beings is insidious and vicious, and has been lost for decades. How could Wen Yanzhao, a mere youth not yet twenty, possibly..."
“I also hope it’s a false alarm.” Xiao Ruofeng interrupted him, picked up a secret report from the table and handed it over, “But the information from Yingzong and Baixiaotang corroborates each other, Wen Yanzhao secretly returned to Lingnan several months ago!”
Half a month ago, he arrived in Qiandong with the Wen family's poison master. Immediately afterward, unusual activity occurred frequently in the direction of Ironthorn Ridge, and the Breaking Wind Army maintained a tight blockade. All signs indicate... it's all true!
Lei Mengsha snatched the secret report and quickly scanned it, his expression growing increasingly grim. Ye Xiaoying also leaned over, his brows furrowed in worry.
The tent fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the crackling of the torches and the footsteps of the patrolling soldiers outside.
The words "medicine person" weighed heavily on the hearts of the three like a cold boulder.
They were all people who had heard the tragic legends. How mighty was Marquis Baili Luochen of Zhenxi back then! His 100,000-strong Breaking Wind Army swept across the southwest.
However, at the foot of Luosang, the former capital of Western Chu, the Gu brothers held them back with thousands of medicine men, resulting in a bloodbath and the loss of six or seven out of ten elite troops of the Pofeng Army.
That was the most brutal battle of Baili Luochen's life, and also the scar that the Broken Wind Army is most reluctant to mention in its war history.
Now, they may have to face the same nightmare.
"Oh shit!"
Lei Mengsha slammed his fist on the table, making the writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones jump around. "That kid Wen Yanzhao... back in school he was just a master swordsman and good at using poison!"
Although he came from the Wen family and acted cunningly, he was still a figure of some importance. How could he have become so... so unscrupulous! Making medicine men—that's an evil art that defies the laws of nature!
"On the battlefield, only victory or defeat matters, not the means." Xiao Ruofeng's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable determination.
"Now is not the time to investigate why Wen Yanzhao did this. The most urgent task is how we deal with these three thousand drug users."
He walked back to the map and slid his finger along several routes: "The medicine people are in Qiandong City, controlled by Wen Yanzhao and Baili Chengfeng."
Baili Luochen's main force of 150,000 should currently be along the line from Yunzhou to Panzhou.
Our advantage lies in our temporary numerical superiority, and the fact that Baili Luochen has not yet fully ascertained the exact location and intentions of our main force.
Ye Xiaoying calmed down and pondered, "Does Your Highness intend to... divide your forces? To prevent Baili Luochen from being able to defend himself on both ends?"
"Not bad!"
A glint flashed in Xiao Ruofeng's eyes, and he tapped his finger heavily on the Juzhou location.
"Although the medicine-using personnel are strong, their movement and deployment take time, and Wen Yanzhao needs to personally control or closely command them. We need to exploit a time difference!"
He turned around and looked intently at the two men: "My idea is to divide the 200,000 troops into three routes."
"The first force, led by my own elite force of 80,000 men, will advance diagonally from Ezhou, heading straight for the border of Qianzhou Road. Our targets are Juzhou City and Zhenfeng Silver Mine!"
Xiao Ruofeng drew a diagonal line on the map with his finger. "Baili Luochen will never sit idly by and watch Juzhou and the silver mine be lost. They are the bridgehead and money bag that he seized on his way north."
He will inevitably have to send troops to rescue us, and may even personally lead his main force to fight us to the death. As long as we can tie down his main force in northern Guizhou, the medicine-using troops will be difficult to quickly move to other directions!
Lei Mengsha's eyes lit up: "Ambush the enemy's reinforcements? Force the old Marquis to confront us head-on?"
“Exactly.” Xiao Ruofeng nodded. “But one route by myself isn’t enough. The second route—”
He glanced at Xun Yichuan, who should be waiting outside the main tent, but was later summoned in and Lei Mengsha said:
"Yichuan, you lead 20,000 cavalry as the vanguard! Second Senior Brother, you lead 20,000 Silver-Clad Legion soldiers and 20,000 Tianqi Imperial Guard infantry, totaling 40,000 troops, and march ostentatiously along the official road to feign an attack on Hanzhong!"
Ye Xiaoying immediately understood: "The garrison in Hanzhong is only about 10,000 strongholds, and it is also an important stronghold on the northern front of the Pofeng Army."
If this army adopts a strong offensive posture, Baili Luochen will have to consider the risk of losing Hanzhong, and may very well divert troops from his main force to reinforce Hanzhong, further weakening his forces for the decisive battle with His Highness!
"Yes!" Xiao Ruofeng gave Ye Xiaoying an approving look, then his expression turned serious.
"But the second mission is the most arduous and dangerous. The feint attack must be made to look like a real attack, and it must be fierce and ruthless, so that Baili Luochen will believe that we really want to take Hanzhong."
In this way, he will send no shortage of reinforcements to Hanzhong. Second Brother, Yichuan, you two need to work closely together, applying sufficient pressure while avoiding being caught off guard and attacked from a distance.
If the situation becomes untenable, or if the movement of the drug-using personnel is detected, retreat immediately; do not linger in battle!
Lei Mengsha patted his chest and said boldly:
"Don't worry, Seventh Brother! Taunting and challenging is my forte. My mouth has been so dry lately, I guarantee I'll make the Hanzhong garrison too scared to show their faces!"
Even if Sheng Yanwei really comes, I'll show him the power of the Thunder Gate's Divine Finger!
Xiao Ruofeng smiled, then looked at Ye Xiaoying, his expression turning the most serious of all:
"The third route, which is also the most crucial and the most difficult—"
He pointed south from Fuzhou, towards Qiandong City:
"General Ye, you will lead 60,000 men on a rapid march, advancing by both water and land from Jiangnan Road, and heading straight for Qiandong City at top speed!"
……