"Yes, I'll take care of it right away." Yu Sheng accepted the order and left, but Su Xiang hesitated for a moment and said, "Sir, two thousand men will be enough to cover our retreat."
Feng Jiutian stared intently at him and said, "General Su, do you want to live and die with the city?"
Seeing that his thoughts had been seen through, Su Xiang straightened his chest and said, "That's right. How can we give up the city of the Peace Army to the enemy without shedding blood? There is no precedent for this. Since the commander has entrusted me with the military affairs of Thunder City, how can I easily lose this city?"
"According to you, Mr. Yu, the other ten thousand soldiers of the Peace Army, and I are all cowards who fear death? Should we also die here with you?" Feng Jiutian said aggressively, his eyes flashing with anger.
"I wouldn't dare." For some reason, the anger of this seemingly weak and powerless man still filled Su Xiang with fear. He lowered his head slightly and said, "Sir and Mr. Yu are like the arms of a commander; a commander cannot be without two men. As for me, I am neither wise nor brave, merely a weapon in the commander's hands, easily replaceable. Please don't tell the commander what I've said. After Marshal Lu, he... he..." At this point, Su Xiang suddenly choked up. After a pause, he continued, "The commander is the only person after Marshal Lu whom I can truly respect. But in recent months, I've noticed that the commander has changed. Although he still often inquires about the well-being of the brothers, he's not as warm and caring as he was during the Long March. Zhou Jie and I used to serve him, but now we're retired in Thunder City and Silver Tiger City. I don't want the image of the commander in my heart to change, so it's better to... better to..." At this point, he couldn't continue.
"If that's the case, you should keep your life and see for yourself whether the commander will become someone you don't admire!" Feng Jiutian felt he couldn't persuade him for a moment. He slowly said, "When I first met your commander, he was just a young man who vowed to change the world with his own strength. Now, he has the demeanor of a hero. Hero or villain, it doesn't matter to me. I have a wise ruler who understands and uses me. What more could I ask for? But if you don't want the commander to become a villain who uses power and cunning to dominate the world, and to remain a hero with a pure heart, then you should stay alive. Only a former brother like you can make him remember the days under Commander Lu and the teachings he received from Commander Lu."
Su Xiang was stunned for a moment, then knelt deeply on the ground and kowtowed to Feng Jiutian, saying, "Sir, I have never admired you so much before. So, so you had already discovered it all along..."
"Do as I say. The military situation is urgent, and we can't afford to say any more."
Feng Jiutian turned his back, walked to the window, and looked at the dark sky outside. His heart was filled with emotion and worry, because at this moment, what he saw was far more than what Su Xiang and Yu Sheng could imagine.
"If all of this was orchestrated by Liu Guang, how could he possibly let go of the commander who was left alone in Chen? Commander, for the sake of these brothers who admire you, and for the sake of the governance strategy in my heart, you must come back alive no matter what!"
Unbeknownst to him, the cry he felt at that moment was remarkably similar to the cry of Li Jun calling out to Lu Xiang across the snowy plains years ago.
Chapter Six: Desperate Situation
Section 1
Li Jun, leaning on his halberd, stood on a small hill and looked down. Below the hill, dark and dense, were the camps of the Lianfa Army. The large camp was built against the mountain and beside the water, on a flat and wide terrain. The tents were arranged in an orderly manner, clearly indicating that the person who set up the camp was well-versed in military strategy.
"Looks like there are quite a few people," Meng Yuan said softly. Although the enemy's military strength was formidable, in his eyes, it was merely a matter of "looking like" a large number of people.
"This is rather strange. Where did so many Lianfa troops come from?" Li Jun frowned. Although he didn't care about the enemies in front of him, he couldn't ignore the enemy's tactical intentions after their sudden large-scale reinforcement. After the Battle of Evil Wind Ridge, the main force of the Lianfa army in the eastern part of Chen Kingdom was almost destroyed. The remaining troops abandoned the more than ten cities they had captured and retreated to the military stronghold of Shita City. Until a few days ago, they suddenly launched a large-scale attack from Baita City. After receiving reports from spies, Li Jun felt that something was amiss, so he and Meng Yuan came to observe the enemy's formation.
"Could it be reinforcements from the Lotus Dharma Sect from other parts of Chen Kingdom?" Meng Yuan asked.
"Not necessarily. The main force of the Lotus Dharma Sect is conquering cities and seizing territories in the western part of Chen Kingdom, and another part is engaged in a fierce battle with Commander Liu in the south. Where would they find troops to support this place?"
Li Jun's analysis caused Meng Yuan to pause for a moment, but then he continued, "The last report was received five days ago. Things may have changed in those five days. The Lianfa Army may have known that troops from the western or southern fronts have been withdrawn to support the eastern front."
His account was closer to the truth, but Li Jun was not an all-knowing god. At this moment, he could never have imagined that Liu Guang had already taken drastic measures before any direct conflict had even arisen between the two. Not only had he instigated Gongsun Ming to persuade Peng Yuancheng and Jiang Runqun of Yuzhou to raise an army, but through pressure and clever manipulation, he had also driven Cheng Tian, who was originally fighting against him in southern Chen, to the east, and captured Ningwang City. At this time, the defeated army from Ningwang City was rushing towards Huai'en, and Li Jun, as the commander-in-chief, happened to be on the front lines scouting the situation.
"It's unlikely. Judging from Liu Guang's style of command, he is extremely swift and decisive, never allowing the enemy to escape intact, but rather eliminating them completely. Therefore, if his Lianfa army escapes to our side, Liu Guang will certainly pursue them. As for the Chen soldiers, they are fully engaged in defending the capital Luoying, holding back the main force of the Lianfa army. Neither side can spare any resources. So, could these soldiers be a desperate gamble by the Lianfa army, seeking a decisive battle with us?"
Meng Yuan frowned and pondered for a moment, then shook his head. On the battlefield, things change in an instant. It is good to try to figure out the opponent's tactical intentions, but if the opponent's intentions are very hidden, the only thing you can do is to adapt to the situation.
“To understand the enemy’s situation, we need to capture a few prisoners.” After studying the situation for a long time, Li Jun suddenly smiled, mounted his horse again, pointed his halberd at the enemy camp below the mountain, and said, “Brother Meng, it’s been a long time since we fought side by side. Let’s charge in together and see who captures the enemy general first, shall we?”
"Brother, why do you still want to act so recklessly?" Meng Yuan was taken aback. The Lao Fa army's camp below the mountain was densely packed, with an estimated 100,000 troops. The open ground around the camp's walls had been cleared, leaving them no opportunity to approach the enemy using the terrain for cover. He and Li Jun were only leading a thousand or so cavalrymen; even if they were incredibly brave, they couldn't guarantee a safe retreat from such a large enemy force. Therefore, he said, "Is it necessary to take such a risk to capture an enemy general?"
"Haha, it was just a joke, Brother Meng, why did you take it seriously?" Li Jun laughed and said, "That's right, capturing an enemy general is not something we need to take the risk of. Let him come himself. Raise my Purple Dragon Banner!"
Leading this large contingent of Lianfa troops was Cheng Tian, one of the five leaders of the Lianfa Sect. After receiving advice from his strategists, he divided his forces into two groups: one group of 50,000 men, led by Zheng Dingguo, would raid Ningwang via a side road; the other group of 100,000 men would attack Li Jun's main force from the front at Shita City. The territory Zheng Dingguo traversed was entirely controlled by Liu Guang. Although Li Jun wanted to restrain Liu Guang's power in Chen, he hadn't anticipated that Liu Guang would secretly instigate the Lianfa Sect's army to attack his rear, even "lend" him a passage. Furthermore, Zheng Dingguo's movements were stealthy; even after capturing Ningwang City, Li Jun remained unaware that a contingent of the Lianfa army had circled behind him, cutting off the Heping Army's retreat and also cutting off news of the rebellion from Yuzhou.
He stationed his troops here to await news from Zheng Dingguo. If Ningwang City were captured, he could then launch a major offensive, attacking the main force of the Heping Army at Huai'en from both sides. At the same time, staying here would also draw Li Jun's attention, preventing him from looking back. This arrangement was extremely successful; Li Jun was indeed drawn to the 100,000-strong Lianfa Army and temporarily forgot about his rear.
At this moment, Cheng Tian was sitting with his subordinates in the military tent discussing military affairs when suddenly a ghost soldier came in to report: "A purple dragon flag has been raised on a small hill in the northeast, and there are people peeking at our army's main camp under the flag."
"Oh? How did Ruhe discover that purple flag?" Cheng Tian's strategist, Tang Gan, one of the sixteen masters of the Lotus Dharma Sect, asked.
"The purple dragon flag is raised high, seemingly unconcerned about being discovered by our army," the ghost soldier replied based on his judgment.
"What an arrogant fool! How dare he so disregard my 100,000-strong army!" exclaimed Mu Gui, a high-ranking official. Originally a blacksmith, he was known among the high-ranking officials of the Lotus Dharma Sect for his fiery temper. Hearing that the enemy's spies were so brazen, he was naturally furious. "Please give the order, Master! I am willing to capture this spy and offer him as a sacrifice to the sect leader's banner!"
"What do you all think of Master Mu's intentions?" Cheng Tian glanced at Tang Gan lightly, as if she were asking this strategist, who came from a rural teaching background, rather than asking the other people in the camp.
Tang Gan smiled but remained silent. If he were to reveal his conclusion so quickly, wouldn't it be difficult to show his brilliance? It would be better to wait until others had run out of ideas before speaking up, which would demonstrate his superiority.