"I see, thank you for your information, Master Cheng." Li Jun remained expressionless. The fact that Cheng Tiantian dared to openly tell him about his defeat was not because she was shameless, but because she could view both success and failure with equanimity. Those who know shame and then rise to courage are truly awe-inspiring. Therefore, he simply cupped his hands and said, "I wonder if what you have seen and heard during your trip to the eastern part of Chen Kingdom has satisfied you?"
"Commander Li is so composed," Cheng Tian said, giving him a thumbs up. Li Jun's calmness in the face of the news she brought was unlikely to be because he was prepared, but rather because he didn't want to reveal any weakness to his opponent. The best strategist attacks the mind; those who understand this are undoubtedly masters of warfare. Although young, Li Jun is a shrewd and calculating individual.
After reconsidering his plan, Cheng Tian was certain that it would give him absolute initiative, both psychologically and in terms of the battle situation. Therefore, he said, "I would like to ask Commander Li a question, and I hope Commander Li will speak frankly."
"I will answer any questions I may have."
"I wonder if Ningwang City is still in Commander Li's hands?" Cheng Tian's words were like a sharp arrow, piercing straight to Li Jun's heart. This was precisely what he had been most worried about. After learning that Cheng Tian had entered the eastern part of Chen Kingdom, he suspected that Liu Guang might release a portion of the Lianfa army to attack his rear. Now it seemed that his fears had come true.
Cheng Tian stared intently at Li Jun's face, trying to detect even the slightest change in expression, but to his disappointment, Li Jun remained calm and composed, as if his words had no effect whatsoever.
"Rest assured, Master Cheng, Ningwang City is mine, and no one can take it away. But Master Cheng, where are your soldiers who passed through Liuguang Realm?"
Cheng Tian's heart skipped a beat. Detouring through Liu Guang's territory to attack Li Jun's rear was an extremely bold and risky strategy. Success would bring a great victory, but failure could result in tens of thousands of his elite troops and beloved generals becoming prisoners of the enemy. Therefore, Li Jun's counterattack greatly shocked him, and he hadn't received any news from Zheng Dingguo for several days.
“Commander Li is indeed extraordinary, but it’s a pity he doesn’t know the right time.” Cheng Tian was not completely fooled by Li Jun’s empty words. He laughed and said, “If Commander Li is willing to believe in my Divine Sect, I am willing to elect you as the sect leader in my place.”
Just as Li Jun was about to retort, Cheng Tian suddenly waved his hand and said, "Further words are useless. Commander Li, take care of yourself. Just remember my words: the Divine Sect will always welcome Commander Li. Farewell!"
Thus, Li Jun's meeting with one of the highest leaders of the Lotus Dharma Sect ended hastily. Watching the other party slowly retreat, Li Jun's heart was surging with emotion. He looked around at his subordinates, then at the Lotus Dharma Army soldiers wrapped in pink headscarves. Regardless of whether Cheng Tian's words were true or false, in the battles to come, how many of these vigorous warriors would lie buried on the ground before him, turning into withered bones and dust...
Section 2
Li Jun retreated slowly after Cheng Tian withdrew his troops, at a pace twice as slow as usual. Cheng Tian, who was already prepared to pursue, ordered the Lianfa army to follow closely but not to rush to catch up with Li Jun.
"When Li Jun learned that his rear was in danger and his army was in chaos, a full-speed retreat would inevitably lead to a crushing defeat." Seeing Li Jun's retreat, Cheng Tian said with great emotion, "Therefore, he deliberately retreated slowly. This man's military skills are indeed well-deserved."
"Does the Sect Leader truly intend to have Li Jun join our Divine Sect? This man has slaughtered tens of thousands of Divine Sect disciples; I fear the people will not be convinced," Gan Ping said, frowning. From Cheng Tian's tone, he sensed his appreciation for talent. Cheng Tian's appreciation for talent was renowned among the sect leaders of the Lotus Dharma Sect, which was precisely why he was able to gather so many civil and military subordinates with diverse personalities, and why he could tolerate such an ambitious subordinate as Tang Gan.
"Haha, if we could get Li Jun to serve my Divine Sect, how many disciples of my Divine Sect could be saved from a tragic death?" Cheng Tian casually retorted, but then shook his head. "Unfortunately, judging from Li Jun's military tactics and character, there is no one in my Divine Sect who can truly win his loyalty."
Gan Ping remained silent, a glint in his eyes. He found it somewhat unbelievable that Cheng Tian praised Li Jun so highly. No matter how strong Li Jun was, he was still just one person. If Zheng Dingguo successfully captured Ningwang, he would be caught in a pincer attack, and it would be good enough if he could escape alive.
At this moment, Li Jun was indeed caught in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat. To advance was the formidable force of 100,000 Lianfa soldiers commanded by Cheng Tian, whose military expertise was exceptional. To retreat was Ningwang, which had been captured by Zheng Dingguo's tens of thousands of Lianfa soldiers. Although he was still halfway back to Huai'en, news of Ningwang's fall had already reached his ears.
"Brother, what should we do now?" Meng Yuan couldn't help but ask. Li Junqing, his face pale, rode silently for a long time. The usual laughter and chatter among the Peace Army soldiers were gone; this perilous situation of being attacked from both sides was something the Peace Army hadn't experienced in a long time.
"Please rest assured, Commander. Give me five thousand men, and I will retake Ningwang." Lan Qiao's riding posture was somewhat clumsy, but at least he no longer had to chase after four legs with two. He didn't pay much attention to strategy, so he couldn't deeply understand Li Jun's pressure like Meng Yuan did, which was precisely why he could make such a bold statement.
Li Jun shook his head and remained silent. How could five thousand men possibly recapture Ningwang? Even with the full strength of the Peace Army, there was no absolute certainty of capturing Ningwang. More importantly, the 100,000-strong Lotus Army behind them were neither in a hurry to attack nor willing to let the Peace Army off the hook, clearly intending to gradually increase the pressure until they crushed the Peace Army. He had originally thought the Lotus Army was nothing more than a rabble, but now it seemed there were quite a few capable individuals among them. The leader, Cheng Tian, displayed abilities and demeanor far beyond anything he had ever encountered before.
There's also Liu Guang. Since he allowed the Lianfa army to pass through his territory safely to attack him, how can we be sure he's not colluding with them? If so, this man is on par with Marshal Lu, but I only learned a little bit of his skills while following him. Am I his match?
This question had been swirling in his mind for a long time, but he still had no answer. Winter was almost over, but for the Peace Army, winter seemed to have just begun. If he knew that Liu Guang was still stirring up internal strife for him in Yuzhou, Li Jun would probably be even more uneasy.
"Let's go back to Huai'en first. Although Huai'en is somewhat damaged, it is still strong enough to defend. The city has enough grain to feed our army for a year. As long as we can dampen the morale of the Lianfa army, we don't need to worry." After thinking it over, Li Jun had to admit that he had no initiative in this battle and could only wait passively.
"If the Lotus Army besieges us without attacking, are we going to waste a year with them?" Lanqiao asked, quite dissatisfied with this passive defensive posture.
"Don't worry, the Lianfa army is trying to catch me off guard, so they certainly aren't prepared for a long-term campaign. Moreover, supplying food and provisions for an army of over 100,000 is no easy task. The surrounding cities have no food reserves, so their supplies will inevitably be difficult. At that point, they will collapse without a fight." Li Jun comforted him in this way. From a strategic point of view, his judgment was correct, but he still felt uneasy, as if he had overlooked something.
"Lanqiao, you will stay with me in Huai'en City. Mengyuan, you will go to Baoshan City. I will give you full authority to adapt to changing circumstances. If the enemy attacks you, you will close the city and hold it. If the enemy attacks me, you will cut off their supply lines by taking a side road. Fan Yong, you will go to Yuanding City quickly. I will also give you full authority to adapt to changing circumstances. If necessary, you can abandon Yuanding and rush back to Huai'en."
"Yes!" Meng Yuan responded to the arrangement, but did not move. Although Li Jun's arrangement allowed the Peace Army to support each other and the other two sides to harass and contain whichever side the Lotus Army attacked, it also dispersed the Peace Army's forces.
Li Jun understood his meaning, smiled slightly, and said, "Don't worry, we don't need to hold out for long. We just need to wait for Ningwang City to be recaptured, or for the enemy to run out of food, then our army can launch a counterattack. We'll meet again then."
"Our army is busy with defense, how can we have the spare strength to attack Ningwang?" Meng Yuan asked.
"Ten days ago, I ordered Feng Jiutian to summon Peng Yuancheng to Chen State. Judging by the time, he should have arrived in Huichang City by now. As long as he learns of the changes in Ningwang, with his intelligence, taking Ningwang will be a piece of cake." The reinforcements from Yuzhou were Li Jun's main hope. However, he did not know that those loyal to him in Yuzhou were now eagerly awaiting his return to rescue them.
Fan Yong chuckled and rode off, Meng Yuan following suit. Li Jun glanced at Fan Yong's retreating figure, then at Lan Qiao, who was eager to try his luck beside him. Originally, Lan Qiao was the best candidate to guard the position, but while he was brave, he lacked strategy and adaptability. Although Fan Yong was far inferior to Lan Qiao in martial prowess, he was a good choice for his men in terms of improvisation. However, he deeply felt that his forces lacked capable generals.