Kill the enemy and get a wife? I'll single-handedly slaughter my way through the Northern Barba

King Qin Li Yan's words were resolute, leaving no room for negotiation.

Seeing this, Su Mo had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward to dissuade him.

"Your Highness, please reconsider!"

"The Northern Barbarian general Boyan Mengke is a seasoned and shrewd strategist, and not someone to be trifled with."

"His challenge the other day was clearly a deliberate attempt to provoke His Highness and lure our army out of the city for a field battle!"

"I implore Your Highness not to act rashly and fall into Bayan Mengke's treacherous scheme."

Lin Feng sat upright among the generals, shaking his head inwardly.

At this moment, he knew perfectly well that even if Su Mo was eloquent, she could not stop this Prince Qin who was eager to make a name for himself.

The King of Qin had a rare opportunity to personally go to the front lines and fight against the northern barbarians with Zhang Liao, and he was eager to achieve great feats.

Moreover, he was of noble birth and his status was far above Zhang Liao's.

Now that Zhang Liao is injured and unable to go to the battlefield, the military power of Zhenyuan City has fallen entirely into his hands.

With such a firm resolve to fight, who can stop them?

"Lord Su!"

Li Yan's tiger-like eyes narrowed slightly, a sharp glint flashing within them. He said coldly, "Didn't you hear what I said? I'm going to fight the Northern Barbarians to the death! If you dare to obstruct me again, don't blame me for punishing you for 'disrupting morale'!"

Prince Li Zhen, who had remained silent all along, quickly stepped forward to help Su Mo out of the predicament: "Your Majesty, please calm down. Mr. Su was only thinking of the Great Qian Dynasty and did not intend to disobey Your Majesty. Please do not be angry."

Su Mo swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

He opened his mouth, but in the end, it only turned into a helpless sigh, and he retreated to the side in dejection.

Seeing that Su Mo was backing down, Li Yan waved his hand and said loudly, "Bring the map up!"

Clearly, the King of Qin had already made up his mind, and immediately ordered men to bring out a map of the entire territory of Youzhou.

"Since we are going to have a decisive battle with the Northern Barbarians, we need to choose an excellent battlefield."

Where near Zhenyuan City is a suitable place for a large-scale military confrontation?

"General Zhang, please tell us."

Zhang Liao was in a state of utter confusion, his mind preoccupied with how to stop the King of Qin from going to war.

He couldn't persuade him himself, and Su Mo couldn't stop him either. After much thought, he realized that only His Majesty, who was far away in the capital, might be able to restrain this Prince Qin.

"General Zhang? General Zhang?"

Fang Hui, with his hands clasped behind his back, called out to Zhang Liao twice, "His Highness the Prince of Qin is asking you a question. Why are you so lost in thought and silent, General?"

Zhang Liao suddenly awoke with a start and hurriedly bowed, apologizing, "Your Majesty, I deserve to die! I was so preoccupied with the war that I lost focus."

As he spoke, he pointed to the northeast direction of Zhenyuan City on the map.

"Near Zhenyuan City, the best place for a decisive battle is here—Niujiaoyuan!"

Niujiaoyuan, also known as Niubeiyuan, is located two miles northeast of Zhenyuan City.

It gets its name from two strangely shaped rocks facing each other on the east side, which resemble ox horns.

The terrain here is flat and open, and in the past, the land was lush with water and grass. People from Youzhou who herded cattle often came here to graze their old cattle.

Over time, the name Niujiaoyuan (Ox Horn Plain) spread.

Large-scale military battles are best fought in flat terrain without the obstruction of mountains and forests, and Niujiaoyuan fits the bill perfectly.

A hint of a smile flashed in Li Yan's and Fang Hui's eyes almost simultaneously.

They had already calculated that Zhang Liao would definitely choose this place.

This place was the perfect battlefield that the two of them had privately discussed and decided upon.

Li Yan nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the generals: "General Zhang is a seasoned warrior; his chosen location is undoubtedly appropriate. Does anyone have any objections?"

What can you do if you have objections?

Who dares to speak frankly to the enraged King of Qin?

Su Mo, Li Ping'an, Lü Zheng, and the others all remained silent.

Although they were opposed to fighting outside the city from the bottom of their hearts, the King of Qin had already made the decision and was forcing them to send troops.

The generals of the Liaodong Army and Zhenyuan Army remained silent, but the officers under Li Yan were all in high spirits and eagerly requested to fight.

"Your Highness, we have no objections!"

"What are Bayan Mengke compared to His Highness? He'll make sure Bayan never returns!"

"I am willing to follow Your Highness into battle, to fight the northern barbarians to the death, and to serve you with the utmost loyalty!"

"Our army will surely win! The Great Qian Dynasty will surely win!"

Amid cheers, Li Yan, full of vigor, raised his hand to quiet the crowd: "Very well! Since everyone has no objections, I will now devise the strategy for the day of the decisive battle."

The flat terrain of Niujiaoyuan is advantageous for the formation of legions.

However, there was still a mile to go from Zhenyuan City to Niujiaoyuan, so the army's march was quite particular.

For the Qian army, if it were to go into battle with all its might, it would need to mobilize 70,000 to 80,000 troops that day.

Such a large army would take at least two hours to be mobilized from Zhenyuan City and deployed to the battlefield.

During this period, scouts must be sent out continuously to investigate the movements of the Northern Barbarian army.

Therefore, it is crucial to arrange the order of the troops leaving the city and the positions of each army in advance.

Nearly an hour had passed by the time Li Yan finalized the plan and finished the discussion.

Seeing the generals' weary faces, Li Yan waved his hand again: "You have all worked hard tonight. There is one last matter to discuss, and then you may all return to your camps to rest."

After saying that, he gave Fang Hui a wink.

Fang Hui understood immediately and called out loudly towards the outside of the council hall, "Summon Xue Yishi into the hall!"

Xue Yishi?

All eyes turned to the doorway, where a guard led Xue Nan in.

"This humble subject, Xue Nan, greets Your Highness Prince Qin and all the esteemed officials!"

Xue Nan was a bit plumper than when she first arrived in Zhenyuan City, and her expression was more energetic.

Upon seeing the King of Qin again, he still couldn't hide his excitement.

After respectfully completing the formalities, Li Yan raised her hand and waved to him.

"Xue Nan, I have summoned you here today because I have an important matter to entrust to you and the righteous army."

"If this succeeds, you and the righteous army will both have rendered a great service, and the expulsion of the northern barbarians will be just around the corner!"

Xue Nan suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with a sharp light. He immediately cupped his hands and said, "Please give your orders, Your Highness! As long as we can drive out the northern barbarians and restore peace to the border, this humble subject and my righteous brothers will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

Li Yan smiled slightly: "You previously said that the rebel army has grown to six thousand men and is now hiding on the border between Fengzhou and Youzhou. I want you to lead the rebel army to launch a surprise attack on Jiming City, to tie down the northern barbarian forces, and to create an opportunity for our army to defeat Bayan Mengke head-on!"

Chicken Cry City?

The location of that city instantly appeared in Xue Nan's mind.

That was the supply depot for Bayan Mengke's army, located north of Elephant Trunk Mountain, and guarded by a large number of elite northern barbarians.

He pondered for a moment, then reported truthfully: "Your Highness, I would gladly die to serve the court and drive out the Tartars. However, Zheng Yan, a general under Bayan Mengke, is stationed in Jiming City, and the defenses are very tight."

"Although my righteous army has six thousand men, its composition is extremely complex, including defeated soldiers, civilians, and some righteous men who resisted the northern barbarians. Its fighting strength is far inferior to that of the regular army of the imperial court."

"This humble citizen worries... that it will be difficult to breach the city walls."

However, Li Yan seemed to have anticipated his concerns, saying, "Your righteous army has a heart to serve your country; how could I let you fight alone?"

"I will select three thousand elite soldiers from the army to secretly cross Elephant Trunk Mountain and assist you in capturing Jiming City!"

During tonight's meeting, Li Yan controlled the pace of the entire discussion, leaving no room for anyone to refuse.

Even the role of the rebel army had long been incorporated into his plans.

It is clear that he had been preparing for this decisive battle for a long time.

Upon hearing this, Xue Nan was overjoyed and immediately knelt down to express his gratitude: "On behalf of the six thousand brothers of the righteous army, this humble subject thanks Your Highness for your great kindness!"

"No need for formalities, please rise!"

Li Yan waved his hand and turned his gaze to the generals.

"Let's discuss this further. Who is willing to take command of three thousand elite soldiers, leading them through Elephant Trunk Mountain to join forces with the rebel army and capture Jiming City?"

The council chamber fell into a deathly silence.

Jiming City was a vital grain and supplies hub for the Northern Barbarians, and its defenses were so formidable that it goes without saying.

More importantly, Jiming City is isolated in the heart of the northern barbarian lands.

Even if they manage to break through, it will be difficult to hold the position.

Moreover, the route to launch a surprise attack through Elephant Trunk Mountain is fraught with danger.

The slightest mistake could lead to total annihilation.

No one wanted to volunteer for such a dangerous task.

Seeing that no one responded, Fang Hui coughed twice and loudly urged, "Generals, capturing Jiming City is a remarkable achievement!"

"Taking this city would cut off Bayan Mengke's supply lines, a feat of great merit to the nation. Who is willing to shoulder this heavy responsibility?"

However, no one spoke to him.

Seeing this, Fang Hui slowly turned his gaze to Zhang Liao: "General Zhang, I've heard that someone in your army once ventured deep into Elephant Trunk Mountain, cutting off the Northern Barbarians' supplies and achieving a great feat?"

Zhang Liao frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then reported: "Your Excellency, both Vice General Lü Zheng and Commander Lin Feng participated in that grain interception battle. However, the grain interception at Elephant Trunk Hill was a surprise attack by a small team, which is completely different from this time when we led 3,000 troops to launch a strong attack on Jiming City. They are not comparable..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Yan interrupted him sharply: "Enough! What I need is someone familiar with the terrain of Elephant Trunk Hill and experienced in surprise attacks! Lin Feng!"

Lin Feng looked up and saw Li Yan staring intently at him, saying loudly, "I command you to lead three thousand elite soldiers to cooperate with the righteous army and take Jiming City at all costs!"