Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

Langshan is not an isolated peak, but a spur of the northern foothills of Yinshan Mountain, with gentle slopes on three sides and a steep cliff on one side.

From the foot of the mountain to the mountainside, scattered campfires formed several streaks of light, marking the location of the Northern Yuan royal court's defensive soldiers.

Because it was wartime, unlike usual, the Northern Yuan Privy Councilor Toghtoa Bukha and Crown Prince Bayar took away half of the royal court's elite troops.

This has left Langshan somewhat undefended, so even at night these days, the Beiyuan guards dare not relax their vigilance.

Fortunately, news of victory came from the front lines this morning from Prince Bayar, who said that the battle was going well and that Yulin would be captured soon.

After learning of the victory at the front, the guard on Langshan Mountain was relaxed a bit today, and the tension in the soldiers' hearts eased. Laughter and conversation could be heard from time to time on the mountain road at night.

It was almost midnight.

The laughter and conversation had ceased, the clouds remained thick, and the world was shrouded in an impenetrable darkness.

Jia Jing's 6,000 elite Han cavalry had reached a point not far from the foot of Langshan Mountain.

Since Jia Jing issued the order a few days ago,

The Han army's six thousand cavalrymen rested and regrouped within seven hours, and everything proceeded according to Jia Jing's plan.

Jia Jing led his six thousand elite Han cavalry, each riding two horses, and galloped swiftly all the way.

With the cover of the Northern Yuan prince Bayar and the guidance of the Han army's carefully selected guides, they arrived at the foot of Langshan Mountain in just four days.

The group then rested under Jia Jing's orders, quietly waiting for the start of an operation that would be recorded in history that evening.

According to Jia Jing's plan for this operation, the most important aspect of this mission was its element of surprise.

Taking advantage of the fact that the Northern Yuan royal court had not received news of the defeat at the front and the presence of their inside man, Bayar, they swiftly captured the core of the Northern Yuan.

They employed a combination of decapitation strikes and night raids to catch the Northern Yuan army completely off guard.

Although Jia Jing possessed the martial prowess to lead his 6,000 Han cavalry in a night raid on the Northern Yuan court, he would certainly have been victorious.

But Jia Jing did not intend to do that.

Firstly, the Northern Yuan royal court still has tens of thousands of garrison troops, several times the number of the Han army.

If they were to launch a strong attack from the foot of the mountain, even a night raid, the Han army would inevitably suffer significant losses.

Secondly, a direct assault would take a lot of time, and the Northern Yuan Khan and his ministers might escape if they saw the situation was not good.

Even if they eventually breached the Northern Yuan royal court, but failed to capture the Northern Yuan Khan, their military achievements would be far inferior.

This is not the outcome Jia Jing wanted.

Jia Jing's goal of pacifying the grasslands in the short term is to destroy the Northern Yuan royal court and capture the Northern Yuan Khan, thus eradicating the Northern Yuan dynasty from its roots.

This will reduce the resistance to sweeping away other tribes later, and make it easier to eliminate the leaderless grassland tribes one by one.

Therefore, capturing the Northern Yuan Khan and his key ministers is crucial; this is the strategic objective of this battle.

Whether the strategic goals can be achieved depends on tonight's actions.

As night fell and the time drew near to midnight, the clamor of the Northern Yuan army on Wolf Mountain in the distance gradually faded into the distance.

In the cold wind,

Jia Jing's cold face exuded determination as he gazed at Wolf Mountain, his eyes filled with a deathly calm.

"My lord, the Northern Yuan scouts near Wolf Mountain have all been dealt with," Zhuque reported calmly as she stepped forward.

At this moment, Feng Tang, Niu Jizong, Han Wu, Ma Guocheng, Zhou Yingyuan, You Shiyong, and others gathered around Jia Jing with eager eyes, awaiting his orders.

"Yes! Order the soldiers to prepare. Tonight we will conquer the grasslands in one battle."

Jia Jing's expression remained indifferent.

"Yes, sir!" Niu Jizong and the others bowed in agreement.

"Ma Guocheng, Zhuque, and You Shiyong led three hundred elite cavalrymen to accompany Bayar and me up the mountain first, bringing with them the things we had prepared before coming."

"Niu Jizong, Feng Tang, Han Wu, Zhou Yingyuan, you lead the remaining soldiers and wait for the opportunity, until you see chaos and fire on the mountain."

"If you seize the opportunity to attack, rush straight to the mountainside and launch a pincer attack from both inside and outside, today we will make the Northern Yuan a thing of the past."

Jia Jing had already obtained the specific situation of Langshan and the details of its military deployment from Bayar.

It must be said that the Northern Yuan Dynasty was very concerned about the safety of its own royal court.

Today, the Langshan Royal Court still has nearly 30,000 Northern Yuan troops, who are deployed in layers along the foot of the mountain to the mountainside.

The outermost perimeter, within five miles of the foot of the mountain, is patrolled day and night by Northern Yuan scouts and sentries. This is the first line of defense for the Northern Yuan royal court.

Of course, it has now been completely eliminated by Suzaku.

Beyond that were the valleys on the east and west sides, scattered with the tents of the families of the various Northern Yuan garrisons, with herds of cattle and sheep each occupying a section.

There was a defensive line at the foot of the mountain and another on the mountainside, with two thousand men stationed at each line.

Unlike the thick city walls of the Han Dynasty, each defensive line consisted of outposts, barricades, and tent camps set up according to the terrain.

There was a beacon tower every mile, which echoed each other.

The core area on the mountainside was where the Golden Tent of the Northern Yuan Royal Court was located.

Within a five-mile radius of the golden tent, 20,000 of the most elite Kheshig guards of the Northern Yuan were stationed.

This army is a military force directly under the Northern Yuan Khan. Every soldier is a steppe warrior capable of taking on five men at once, and they obey only the Khan's orders.

Beyond the Kheshig army were the camps of various Northern Yuan officials, including commanders of ten thousand households, commanders of a thousand households, heirs, and prime ministers, forming layers of protection around the core of the Great Khan's Golden Tent.

Jia Jing's strategy for this battle was to first use the Northern Yuan heir, Bayar, to deceive the two lines of defense at the foot and middle of the mountain, and then lead three hundred elite Han soldiers straight into the core area of ​​the Northern Yuan royal court halfway up the mountain.

Then, look for an opportunity to capture the Northern Yuan Khan and his key officials, strike directly from the center, seize the enemy leader, and deprive the Northern Yuan army of its command system and organizational capabilities.

Then, let the three hundred men on the mountain take advantage of the situation to set fire, causing chaos among the Northern Yuan army.

Finally, taking advantage of the chaos in the Northern Yuan army, Niu Jizong and others launched a surprise attack from the foot of the mountain, working together from within and without to defeat the Northern Yuan royal court's garrison at minimal cost.

This plan fully utilized Jia Jing's personal martial prowess and the role of the Crown Prince Bayar as an inside agent.

They launched their attack while the Northern Yuan army was fast asleep in the middle of the night, taking them by surprise.

"Yes!" Niu Jizong and the others bowed and then went to carry out their orders.

When the world was plunged into endless darkness, the wilderness at the foot of Wolf Mountain became as silent as hell.

Five thousand seven hundred elite Han cavalrymen assembled in a tight formation, like ghostly riders from hell.

His eyes gleamed with a dark flame as he gripped a cold battle blade.

Led by Niu Jizong and others, they dispersed to several gullies not far from the foot of the mountain, their horses gagged and their hooves wrapped in cloth, holding their breath and waiting.

Meanwhile, at the foot of Wolf Mountain, a cavalry force of three hundred men appeared.

More than three hundred riders, all dressed as Northern Yuan soldiers and carrying the white wolf-head banner of Prince Bayar, slowly moved toward the foot of Wolf Mountain.

Prince Bayar of the Northern Yuan rode at the front, his originally fair face now even paler, his gaze shifting and uncertain, indicating that he was deep in thought.