I summon all the famous generals in history in another world

Chapter 1462 The Ambush Plan Aims at the Ancestral Witches

Several days later, in the Yellow Turban Army camp in the north of Da Xuan, it was a clear and crisp autumn day. Smoke rose from the camp, and the shouts of the soldiers during their drills echoed throughout. At first glance, it still appeared to be a scene of strong and well-equipped troops.

But the atmosphere inside the central command tent was colder than a frozen pond in the dead of winter.

"Thump!" A Taiping Guard scout, covered in wounds, knelt in the tent. His black outfit was soaked with blood, and his left arm was wrapped with a blood-soaked strip of cloth. Clearly, he had gone through great hardships to break through from the front lines in Wuzhou.

He held a sealed copper tube high with both hands. The tube was wrapped in three layers of waterproof tarpaulin and stamped with the seal of "Urgent Secret Report". This was the highest level of intelligence marking in Taiping Guard. According to the camp rules, this level of secret report was never used unless it was a matter of life and death for the entire army.

The tent was completely silent. Zhu Yuanzhang was sitting in the main seat, grinding his pipe, while Empress Ma stood beside him, serving him tea. Zhu Sheng, Chang Yuchun, Tang He, and others sat on either side. They had been discussing the allocation of grain after the autumn harvest, but seeing the scout in such a disheveled state, everyone subconsciously stopped talking.

"My lord, the front lines at Wuzhou... have been defeated!"

The scout's voice was as hoarse as sandpaper.

"Xu Shuai's 100,000-strong army suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Hengzhou army in Qing Shi Valley. The Wuzhou strongmen's allied forces under Jiang Xiaobai retreated in the face of battle, giving up our flank, which led to the collapse of the entire front line. The 3,000 battalion was almost wiped out. General Li Wenzhong... General Li was captured, the Great Protector of Shenni was seriously injured, and several protectors, including Zhu Huai and Fei, died in battle..."

"Bang!"

Zhu Yuanzhang slammed the copper pipe in his hand onto the table, smashing a small dent into the solid pear wood surface.

He suddenly stood up, the coarse cloth covering him fluttering even without wind, and his eyes, which usually held a hint of a smile, were now glaring like copper bells, the anger in them almost bursting forth.

"That son of a bitch Jiang Xiaobai!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's roar shook the reeds on the tent roof, causing them to fall in a rustling sound.

"Old Zhu should have listened to Xu Da back then and twisted that old fox's head off to use as a chamber pot! He promised to be united against a common enemy, but he betrayed us in the face of battle and is now so fickle!"

"We gave him so much food and weapons! We practically gave him our hearts, but this bastard just ran away when things got tough and even stabbed us in the back!"

He grew angrier as he spoke, and kicked the table, scattering teacups and counting rods all over the floor, splashing tea onto the map spread on the ground.

"My lord! This humble general is willing to lead my troops to the state overnight and annihilate Jiang Xiaobai's allied forces!"

Chang Yuchun was furious when he heard this. He stood up abruptly, and the armor plates clattered together.

"My lord, Jiang Xiaobai's allied forces of Wuzhou are currently retreating to the south of Wuzhou, intending to return to the territory of Daxuan."

"They have just suffered a defeat, their morale is low, and their supplies are insufficient. This is the perfect time for an ambush! This humble general is willing to lead the navy down the Xiao River and set up an ambush at the southern border of Wuzhou. We will surely wipe them out in one fell swoop!"

Tang He also stood up and said in a deep voice.

The generals in the tent echoed his sentiments, all eager to teach Jiang Xiaobai a lesson.

After all, this crushing defeat was incredibly frustrating. An army of 100,000 was wiped out in an instant, and a great general like Li Wenzhong and many protectors were also lost. Everyone was seething with anger, and Jiang Xiaobai, the main culprit in the betrayal, naturally became the target of everyone's ire.

"Generals, please calm down. We have suffered a great defeat at the front, and Commander Xu is still retreating with his remaining troops. If we rashly send troops to ambush Jiang Xiaobai, and the Hengzhou army takes the opportunity to move south, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"Moreover, although Jiang Xiaobai is hateful, he has great talents under his command such as Sun Bin, Di Jiang, and Master Zhu Jiuyin. If we rashly launch an ambush, we may push Master Zhu to the opposite side as well."

Empress Ma quickly stepped forward to persuade her.

"That can't be left like this! That old fox Jiang Xiaobai is nothing but an ingrate!"

"We provided him with supplies and weapons because we thought he could hold back the Hengzhou army. But he messed up at the crucial moment and stabbed us in the back. If we don't teach this kind of person a lesson, who will respect us in the future?"

Zhu Yuanzhang, panting heavily, pointed outside the tent and cursed.

"My lord, what General Chang and General Tang said is satisfying, but it is not the best course of action."

Just then, Zhu Sheng, who had been silent all along, slowly spoke up, stroking his goatee as he said.

"Oh? What insightful opinion does Mr. Yunsheng have?"

Zhu Yuanzhang suppressed his anger and looked at Zhu Sheng.

Zhu Sheng always planned carefully before acting, so if he said that, he must already have his own ideas.

"My lord, please take a look. Jiang Xiaobai's allied forces' retreat route will inevitably pass through Xiaoshui Ferry and Eagle Beak Cliff. Xiaoshui Ferry has a rapid current and there is only one ferry. Eagle Beak Cliff is a strategic location that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. These two places are indeed excellent locations for an ambush."

"But the problem is that Jiang Xiaobai is now in a desperate situation. As the saying goes, 'Don't pursue a desperate enemy.' Although his allied forces are demoralized, they will fight to the death in order to survive."

Zhu Sheng stood up, walked to the map, and pointed to the route in southern Wuzhou. "Furthermore, after the Hengzhou army's great victory at Qing Shi Valley, they will surely pursue their advantage. If our allied forces and Jiang Xiaobai's forces are both severely weakened, wouldn't that give the Hengzhou army the opportunity to 'reap the benefits'?"

"At that time, let alone dealing with Jiang Xiaobai, we might even face the threat of the Hengzhou army. Our lord often says, 'We must consider the big picture in everything.' The big picture right now is to preserve our fighting force and at the same time win over Zhu Jiuyin, a top-tier combatant."

He paused and continued.

"Strive for Zhujiuyin?"

"That old fox is hanging out with Jiang Xiaobai, can he come with us?"

Chang Yuchun scratched his head.

"can!"

"Mr. Yunsheng, are you saying that you want to take advantage of our shared village ties with Zhujiuyin?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up, and he instantly understood what Zhu Sheng meant.

“Indeed, my lord and Mr. Zhu are both from Zhu Family Village and had met once before. Moreover, according to a secret report from Taiping Guard, Mr. Zhu is not highly regarded in Jiang Xiaobai's allied forces. Jiang Xiaobai is wary of him because of his past service under Zhu Wen.”

"Mr. Zhu may not have known about Jiang Xiaobai's betrayal of us this time. Even if he did, given his personality, he might not have approved of this approach."

Zhu Sheng nodded and smiled.

"This is a message from a scout from Taiping Guard who infiltrated Jiang Xiaobai's allied forces. It says that during Jiang Xiaobai's retreat, he had his trusted troops monitor Mr. Zhu and even withheld the rations of his soldiers. Mr. Zhu repeatedly tried to dissuade Jiang Xiaobai, urging him to gather his remaining troops, stabilize the situation, and even suggested joining forces with our remaining troops to resist the Hengzhou army. However, Jiang Xiaobai was only focused on retreating to Daxuan and refused to listen. Now, many soldiers in the allied forces are dissatisfied with Jiang Xiaobai, and Mr. Zhu is also very depressed."

He took out a secret report from his pocket and handed it to Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Good! This old fox is indeed unpopular! Then we won't ambush him, we'll intercept him directly at Xiaoshui Ferry. We want to meet Zhu Jiuyin personally and keep this top-tier combatant with us!"

After reading the secret report, Zhu Yuanzhang slapped his thigh in exasperation.

"Chang Yuchun, obey my command!"

With the plan finalized, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately began to mobilize troops.

"The general is here!"

"You will lead five thousand elite cavalrymen to Eagle's Beak Cliff on the west side of Xiaoshui Ferry under cover of darkness, occupy advantageous terrain, and be responsible for blocking the retreat of Jiang Xiaobai's allied forces."

"Order!"

Chang Yuchun eagerly accepted the order and turned to leave. Even if he couldn't take action, he could at least put on a show of force to intimidate Jiang Xiaobai and vent his anger.

"Tang He, listen to my command!"

"The general is here!"

"You will lead three thousand naval troops upstream along the Xiaoshui River, control the ferries at the Xiaoshui ferry crossing, cut off the possibility of Jiang Xiaobai's allied forces retreating by water, and at the same time deploy archers on both banks of the ferry crossing to prevent the allied forces from crossing by force."

"I will obey your orders!"

Tang He calmly accepted the order.

"Zhu Tianpeng, listen to my command!"

"The general is here!"

Zhu Tianpeng, holding a nine-toothed rake, strode forward.

"You will lead 5,000 infantrymen to the plains east of Xiaoshui Ferry, form a defensive formation, and be responsible for intercepting Jiang Xiaobai's allied forces from the front. Once the allied forces arrive, you should adopt an offensive posture, but do not actually attack. Just force them to stop near the ferry."

"Understood! Mission accomplished!"

Zhu Tianpeng patted his chest and agreed.

"Mr. Yunsheng, please come with me to Xiaoshui Ferry and give me some advice on how to persuade Zhujiuyin to stay willingly."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Sheng last.

(End of this chapter)