Summoning from Another World: A Grand Ambition

Huangfu Gong frowned, and couldn't help but step forward, asking:

"Since Your Highness has this concern, you must already have a brilliant plan in mind? We, your humble servants, would like to hear the details!"

Tian Heng's gaze sharpened like lightning, fixed on the Onon River on the map, and he said loudly:

"Gentlemen, please look! The Eastern Barbarian army, which intends to reach our Beique Pass, must pass through the Onon River! This river is deep and has a rapid current, and there are only two crossings, one upstream and one downstream, that can accommodate the passage of large armies, carriages, and supplies."

If our army can plan meticulously and launch a sudden and fierce attack while they are halfway across the river, they will be unable to defend themselves from both ends, and their formation will surely be thrown into chaos! Attacking while they are halfway across the river is an excellent strategy from ancient times!

"Attack while the enemy is crossing the river?!"

"Your Highness, this plan is ingenious, but it is far too risky!" Tian Rangju suddenly stood up.

"Our army is already short of troops defending the city, how can we have the strength to launch an offensive? Although Your Highness's iron cavalry is sharp, it only numbers eight thousand. How can it shake the formation of an army of three hundred thousand crossing the river?"

The slightest misstep would be like throwing an egg against a rock, resulting in the complete annihilation of our elite troops! Your Highness's life is of paramount importance, and the fate of the Northern Frontier rests upon you; how can you lightly risk your life?!

His words were earnest, stemming not only from strategic considerations but also from his deep understanding of Tian Heng's noble status; if anything were to happen to him, no one present could bear such a tremendous responsibility.

The other generals also changed color and tried to dissuade him.

"Yes, Your Highness, the enemy outnumbers us greatly, and even a surprise attack while the enemy is crossing the river would require sufficient troops to divide the battlefield!"

"Although the terrain of the Onon River crossing is advantageous for our ambush, how can the Eastern Barbarians not be wary? If their vanguard has already firmly occupied the opposite bank, our attack will easily lead to our encirclement!"

"Your Highness, please reconsider. Only by defending the city can we ensure complete safety!"

Huangfu Gong's expression was also grave. Although he yearned for revenge, he knew this plan was too radical and fraught with unpredictable risks. He looked at Tian Heng and said in a deep voice:

"Your Highness, I know you often achieve victory through surprise attacks, but this time... perhaps you should reconsider?"

Despite the skepticism and dissuasion from the crowd, Tian Heng remained unmoved. He merely raised his hand in a gesture of restraint, an invisible aura of authority naturally emanating from him, gradually silencing the noise in the hall. The smile on his lips deepened, and his eyes gleamed with an air of smug confidence.

"Please be at ease, everyone." He spoke calmly, as if he had already planned this.

"Since I dare to speak this way, I have my own plans. How could I possibly expect to confront an army of three hundred thousand with only eight thousand iron cavalry?"

His gaze shifted to the tightly closed, ornately carved doors of the council hall, and he called out in a raised voice, "Guards, please summon the envoy from the Wanyan tribe to the hall!"

"Wanyan tribe?!"

These words shocked everyone present! The generals looked at each other, bewildered and uncertain.

The Wanyan tribe was a powerful tribe on the Eastern Yi grasslands. Though not the largest, it was renowned for its bravery and ferocity. Why would its envoy appear at the military council at the Northern Pass of the Great Xia? Could it be…?

A moment later, the hall door was pushed open by two armored soldiers, and a burly man dressed in a traditional Dongyi sable fur hat and lambskin coat strode in, led by his personal guards.

This man had a rugged face, but his gaze was calm and measured. He walked with a firm gait, showing none of the arrogance or cowardice typical of barbarian envoys.

He entered the hall, his gaze quickly sweeping over the generals present, finally settling on Tian Heng, who sat in the main seat. He placed his right hand on his chest, bowed respectfully, and spoke in a loud, fluent Xia language with a slight grassland accent:

"Wanyan Gao, the envoy of the Wanyan tribe, is here on the orders of my tribal chief, Wanyan Aguda, to pay respects to His Highness the Prince of Qin of the Great Xia Dynasty and to all the generals!"

Tian Heng slightly raised his hand, indicating that they should dispense with the formalities, and then addressed the astonished generals in the hall:

"Let me introduce you all. This is Wanyan Gao, the younger brother of Wanyan Aguda, the chieftain of the Wanyan tribe. He has come here on behalf of the entire Wanyan clan to discuss with our Great Xia... the matter of submission."

"To submit?!"

"Clang!" Huangfu Gong was the first to lose his composure. His sword was drawn half a foot from its sheath, flashing with a cold light. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at Wanyan Gao, his killing intent surging like a tidal wave. His voice was forced out from between his teeth:

"Your Highness! The Eastern Barbarians are cunning and fickle! They previously invaded our borders without cause, slaughtering our soldiers and civilians, their blood debts are countless! This barbarian's arrival now must be a feigned surrender, intending to coordinate with us from within and without to destroy our fortress! This humble general requests to execute this traitor immediately to prevent future troubles!"

His elder brother died tragically in a sudden attack by the Eastern Yi. Now that his enemy and fellow clansmen were in front of him, how could he not be filled with hatred and rage?

The sword's edge pointed, exuding a chilling aura. The guards behind Wanyan Gao instinctively gripped their sword hilts, their faces tense. Wanyan Gao himself, however, remained expressionless, simply straightening his posture.

"General Huangfu!" Tian Heng shouted in a deep voice, his voice not loud, but carrying an unyielding authority.

"Put the sword away! Let the messenger finish speaking."

Huangfu Gong shuddered. When his gaze met Tian Heng's calm yet profound eyes, the anger and hatred surging within him were forcibly suppressed.

He gritted his teeth, slowly pushing the sword back into its sheath with a grating scraping sound. He continued to glare at Wanyan Gao, coldly snorting, "How can you believe the words of barbarians? Your Highness, do not be fooled by their clever rhetoric!"

Wanyan Gao then turned to Tian Heng, bowed again, and said neither servilely nor arrogantly, "Your Highness, I understand General Huangfu's grief over the loss of his loved ones. However, the Wanyan tribe's surrender this time is truly sincere, as heaven and earth can bear witness, and is absolutely not a feigned surrender!"

Tian Heng nodded and said calmly, "Envoy Wanyan, will you personally explain the reasons to the generals, or will I do it on your behalf?"

"I dare not trouble Your Highness; I will plead my case myself."

Wanyan Gao took a deep breath, turned around, and faced the Xia army generals who were still filled with hostility and suspicion. He spoke loudly, his voice echoing in the spacious council hall:

"Generals! Do you know that this invasion by the entire Eastern Barbarian tribes is neither the wish of our steppe tribes, nor what our Wanyan tribe desires!"

His tone was filled with grief and indignation, with barely suppressed resentment and anger: "Since the death of my late King of Dongyi, the eldest prince... the current King of Dongyi, has ascended the throne illegitimately and is especially suspicious and cruel!"

To consolidate his power, he did not hesitate to take up the sword and wipe out the tribes on the grasslands that had supported the second prince, sparing neither the old, weak, women and children!

Such atrocities have aroused the wrath of both heaven and man! To silence public opinion and divert attention from other factions, he brazenly tore up the alliance and launched a military invasion of Great Xia, hoping to use the victory in this foreign war to cover up his domestic failures and consolidate his bloody throne!

The generals in the hall were astonished upon hearing this. They had heard of the cruelty of the succession of kings on the grasslands, but they had not expected it to reach such a point.

Wanyan Gao continued, his voice growing increasingly sorrowful:

"Our Wanyan tribe has always been close to the second prince, and has long been a thorn in the side of the eldest prince. After he ascended the throne, he suppressed our tribe in every way."

This time, they forcibly conscripted five thousand of our elite cavalry to join the army, calling it a coalition force, but in reality, they were using our soldiers as cannon fodder, intending to use the Great Xia's sword to deplete the bloodline of the Wanyan clan!

His gaze swept over the generals, and his words were earnest:

"During the previous siege of your country's outlying garrison, my cavalry, though ordered to proceed, lingered behind, both out of reluctance and for self-preservation! Your scouts may have noticed this; I hope Your Highness and your generals will understand!"

He stepped forward, knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Tian Heng, and spoke in a firm voice:

"Given the current situation, for my Wanyan tribe, advancing or retreating means certain death! We have suffered heavy losses on the battlefield, and even if we return, we will not escape the calamity of being wiped out!"

The clan chief and the elders of the tribe decided that since they could not tolerate the tyrant, it would be better for the entire clan to submit to the Great Xia in order to seek a glimmer of hope and justice!

Our Wanyan tribe has five thousand iron cavalrymen who are well-versed in the internal affairs, geography, and tactics of the Eastern Yi. If Your Highness does not despise us and accepts us, we are willing to serve as the vanguard and devote ourselves to the royal army, even if it means facing mountains of knives and seas of fire!

"Your Highness, I beg you to grant my Wanyan tribe a way out, a chance to avenge our grievances!"

After saying this, he touched his forehead to the ground and remained kneeling.

The council chamber was deathly silent. Only the crackling candlelight illuminated the generals' faces, which were filled with surprise, doubt, and complex emotions.

Wanyan Gao's account was both logical and reasonable, and detailed, especially his revelation of the internal conflicts within the Eastern Yi, which vaguely coincided with some of the intelligence held by the Xia army.

However, their years of experience fighting the Eastern Barbarians made them instinctively wary. Was it a genuine surrender? A feigned surrender? A desperate attempt to survive? Or a meticulously designed trap?

All eyes were ultimately focused on King Tian Heng of Qin.

What decision will this young prince make? Could his strategy of attacking while the enemy is crossing the river be related to the sudden surrender of Wanyan?