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Chapter 375 Falling into the trap
After thoroughly looting the cities he had captured, Gao Kun broke camp and set off again, continuing his grand march towards the capital.

Several days later, the army reached an open plain and was preparing a meal. Suddenly, a scout rushed into the central command tent in a panic, shouting, "Report! General! Something terrible has happened!"

Gao Kun frowned upon hearing this and said unhappily, "What's the panic! Is the sky falling down?"

"Our supply route has been intercepted by a group of cavalry!" the scout panted. "Many of our brothers have been killed or wounded, and several carts of grain have been burned!"

"What?!" Gao Kun jumped to his feet and roared, "Outrageous! Where did this petty thief come from, with the guts of a bear and the gall of a leopard?"

"Judging from the banners, they seem to be imperial troops!"

"The imperial court?" Gao Kun was taken aback at first, then laughed angrily. "Hahaha! Good! Very good! I thought they were going to be cowards forever, but I didn't expect them to dare to show themselves! Where are they? Which way did those cavalrymen go?"

"After they succeeded, they immediately ran east, and our men couldn't catch up!"

Gao Kun grabbed the broadsword beside him and stormed out, yelling, "Damn it, trying to run away? Pass on my order! Gather three thousand men and come after them! I'll twist their heads off and use them as chamber pots today!"

However, Gao Kun was too late. By the time he led his men out in pursuit, Huo Qi's cavalry had already vanished without a trace.

That evening, Gao Kun returned to the camp with a gloomy expression.

He summoned his generals and cursed them in the tent: "A bunch of cowards! All they do is hide in the shadows and shoot arrows! You lot, from today onwards, you better watch out. If they dare to come again, you absolutely cannot let them get away!"

The generals all agreed.

However, Gao Kun's orders had little effect. Huo Qi had sent out elite troops who only harassed without attacking, and their speed far surpassed that of the rough and tumble White Flag Army.

The cavalry were divided into dozens of squads, working day and night in shifts. Today they would rob a water transport team, tomorrow they would burn a fodder stockpile, and the day after tomorrow they would fire several volleys of arrows from afar when the enemy was setting up camp.

They never lingered in battle, striking and retreating without giving anyone a chance. Gao Kun organized several attempts to encircle and annihilate them, but each time he came up empty-handed, only exhausting his own soldiers in the process.

The White Flag Army's already meager supplies began to deplete under the constant harassment. The soldiers were unable to get a proper rest, constantly on guard against cavalry attacks. Even Gao Kun hadn't slept well for several days.

Under such constant harassment, Gao Kun's mental state deteriorated rapidly. His eyes became sunken, his dark circles were so heavy it looked like he had been punched, his beard was unkempt, his eyes were bloodshot, and his temper became increasingly volatile. He would often beat and scold his subordinates, making the entire camp extremely oppressive.

Late that night, Gao Kun had just managed to fall asleep after being startled awake several times when the urgent sound of horns rang out outside his tent once again.

"Report! General! The supply depot fifteen miles to the east has been burned down again!"

Gao Kun suddenly sprang up from his cot, his eyes bloodshot, looking like a madman. He couldn't take it anymore, and he overturned the table in front of him, sweeping the documents, maps, and tea sets to the ground with a loud crash.

"Damn it!" he screamed hysterically, "It's those sons of bitches again! It's those cowards who only know how to hide in the shadows! What the hell can you do besides set fires!? Huh!? If you've got the guts, come out! Come out and fight me one-on-one! Fight my army fair and square! You bunch of spineless trash! All you do is play these low-down tricks! I'll curse your ancestors for eighteen generations! When I catch you, I'll cut you into a thousand pieces, skin you alive and pull out your tendons! Aaaaaaah!"

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Dozens of miles away, in the imperial camp, Huo Qizheng calmly listened to the scouts' report.

The scout gestured wildly, perfectly mimicking Gao Kun's furious cursing, which amused the several lieutenants in the tent.

Upon hearing this, Huo Qi couldn't help but smile. He waved his hand, signaling the scouts to leave.

He said to the generals beside him, "The groundwork has been laid; it's time to close the net and set the trap."

Two days later, Gao Kun, who was exhausted both physically and mentally, suddenly heard some wonderful news.

"Report! General! We've discovered traces of the imperial army!" "What!?" Gao Kun jumped up from his chair, his bloodshot eyes instantly lighting up, his face beaming with ecstasy. "Hahaha! Good! Excellent! We've searched high and low without finding it, and now it's right here! We've finally found these bastards! Issue my order: assemble the entire army, let's give chase!"

The pent-up resentment of the past few days transformed into a surge of fighting spirit. The soldiers of the White Flag Army quickly assembled and pursued the enemy in the direction indicated by their scouts.

After a rapid march, as they rested at dusk, a scout rode up to report: "General! Our army seems to have alerted the enemy; they are hastily breaking camp and fleeing south!"

"Escape?" Gao Kun raised his eyebrows triumphantly upon hearing this, letting out a hearty laugh. "Hahaha! Trying to escape? Too late! What were you doing before? Weren't you so capable before? Now you know how powerful Grandpa is? Got scared? Too late! Keep chasing! Anyone who dares to hold us back, I'll kill them!"

"Yes!" The men responded in unison, their morale soaring to unprecedented heights.

Thus, the White Flag Army pursued relentlessly from behind, while the imperial army in front seemed to be truly terrified, fleeing in disarray and abandoning their armor and weapons.

Several days later, when the White Flag Army caught up with the enemy to the north bank of the Wei River, the scouts brought the latest news again.

"General! The imperial troops have stopped fleeing! They've set up camp on the south bank of the Wei River, seemingly intending to rely on its natural defenses to fight our army to the death!" The scout's face showed a hint of excitement. "However, their camp appears to be poorly constructed, especially the central camp, where the troops are scattered and defenses are lax, making them utterly vulnerable!"

"Great, great, great!" Gao Kun exclaimed excitedly three times. "I was just afraid they'd run away! As long as they don't, everything will be fine!"

The other generals inside the tent were also eager and excited.

"General! We've finally chased these cowards until they have nowhere to run!"

"It's time to get back all the humiliation we've suffered these past few days, with interest!"

Amidst the clamor, only a lean-faced general frowned. After a moment's hesitation, he stepped forward and said with concern, "General, this matter might be a trap. Some time ago, that imperial cavalry advanced and retreated with great skill and command. It was clear that the commander was no fool. If that's the case, how could they have made such a stupid mistake?"

His analysis was actually quite insightful, but the crowd, already consumed by rage, wouldn't listen to a word he said.

They were furious.

"Bullshit! Who do you think you are, thinking you're Zhuge Liang?!"

"I think you're scared out of your wits!"

"Exactly! You're just emboldening others while crushing your own morale! If you're too scared to fight, go home and farm!"

The general was being verbally abused by the crowd, but he was still unwilling to give up and looked at Gao Kun again.

The latter responded with a cold smile: "This is a good opportunity for me to avenge my previous humiliation. If you dare to spout nonsense and undermine morale again, don't blame my sword for not recognizing anyone!"

The general's face flushed red, and he could no longer utter a word. He could only sigh helplessly and silently retreat to the side.

A few days later, Gao Kun led an army of 100,000 men to the north bank of the Wei River.

He stood on the high slope, looking at the seemingly vulnerable camp on the opposite bank, a ferocious yet excited smile on his face.

He drew his sword from his waist, pointed it at the opposite bank, and roared, "The entire army, prepare on the spot! Tomorrow morning, we'll cross the river! Slaughter them all, leaving not a single one alive!"

(End of this chapter)