The Prodigal Son

Qixia Pass.

"What? Qin Yu has come all the way from Miaozhou?"

Upon receiving the message brought back by the scout, Sheng Qiao suddenly let out a cry of alarm.

Sheng Qiao was a big, burly man with a naturally loud voice. When he spoke, his voice made the ears of the spies hurt.

"Um."

The scout looked somewhat flustered. "After they met up near Shigong Mountain, they headed south!"

South!

Fog Island!

Almost instantly, Sheng Qiao figured out Qin Yu's purpose.

Qin Yu must also know that they have entered Qixia Pass!

Qin Yu dared not attack Qixia Pass rashly, so he led his troops to attack Wuzhou and Xingzhou, hoping to turn Wuzhou and Xingzhou upside down!

It might even be possible...

Yuwang Pass!

Three words suddenly flashed into Sheng Qiao's mind, and a smile immediately appeared on his face: "Do you think Qin Yu believes that Yuwang Pass is undefended and wants to launch a surprise attack?"

The deputy paused for a moment, then clapped his hands and laughed, "You know what, it's actually possible! It seems Yu Wu has gotten it right by accident!"

Sheng Qiao laughed heartily and nodded in deep agreement.

Originally, the State of Chu only agreed to provide Yu Wu with an additional 20,000 troops.

However, because Yan Mu's troops were almost completely wiped out, Yu Wu borrowed another 20,000 men at the cost of a medium-sized iron mine in Wuzhou.

Currently, Deng Pu's 20,000 elite troops are on their way to Yuyang.

The other 20,000 elite Chu troops should arrive at Yuwang Pass soon!

Qin Yu's attempt to launch a surprise attack on Yuwang Pass will only lead him into a trap!

The deputy thought for a moment, then asked excitedly, "General, if Qin Yu invades Wuzhou, should we...?"

"Have you forgotten the Marquis's orders?"

Sheng Qiao interrupted his deputy.

"As the saying goes, 'A general in the field may disobey some of the emperor's orders!'"

The deputy chuckled and said, "Wuzhou and Xingzhou are only so big. As long as we attack in time, with the forces we have, we can completely encircle Qin Yu's troops!"

"When the time comes, we'll capture Qin Yu and show the Marquis what a load of rubbish he is—he's nothing special!"

"The general can use this opportunity to prove his abilities to the marquis, and prevent those bastards from saying that he only got this position because of his relationship with the marquis..."

Hearing his deputy's words, Sheng Qiao couldn't help but be secretly tempted.

Although he had been leading troops for two or three years, this was the first time he had led his troops onto the battlefield.

Previously, when Liang Jingzhe entrusted him with the command of 10,000 cavalry, many generals in the army were dissatisfied and wentssiped about it behind his back.

He was indeed eager to prove his abilities!

The problem is that he is still very afraid of his uncle Liang Jingzhe, and he dares not disobey military orders rashly.

Sheng Qiao pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "What you said is true, but don't treat Qin Yu like a fool!"

"How so?"

The deputy was puzzled. "Does the general think Qin Yu is trying to lure us away from Qixia Pass so he can launch a surprise attack?"

"That's one thing!"

Sheng Qiao nodded slightly. "Besides, with that small force at Sanliqiao, they definitely can't hold it! By the time we get there, Qin Yu will most likely have already led his troops into Wuzhou and destroyed Sanliqiao! So what's the point of us risking disobeying orders to chase after them?"

Sanliqiao!

This is their lifeline!

Sanli Bridge is about three li long and about two zhang wide.

It took Min Kingdom nearly ten years to build this bridge.

This is also the only bridge connecting the north and south of the Min Kingdom.

By the time they arrived, Qin Yu would have already led his troops across the Sanli Bridge into Wuzhou.

Unless Qin Yu is stupid, once the army crosses the Qujiang River, he will surely destroy the Sanli Bridge to block their pursuit.

At that time, even if they possess extraordinary abilities, they will only be able to watch helplessly.

Could it be that their warhorses could grow wings and carry them across the Qujiang River?

Upon hearing Sheng Qiao's words, the deputy suddenly realized what he meant and exclaimed admiringly, "General, you are wise! This humble general is no match for you!"

Yes!

Once Sanliqiao is destroyed, nothing they do will make a difference.

Moreover, they had heard that Qin Yu was cunning and treacherous, and if they rashly went out of the pass to pursue Qin Yu's troops, they might be ambushed.

At that time, not only will we suffer heavy losses, but we will also be disobeying the Marquis's orders, which will cost us our heads!

Sheng Qiao pondered for a moment, then ordered in a deep voice, "Report the news to the Marquis! Send more spies to closely monitor the movements of Qin Yu's troops! Also, find out about the situation in Miaozhou!"

At the same time, Qin Yu also sent out a large number of scouts to keep an eye on the movements behind them.

Qin Yu still maintained a degree of respect for Sheng Qiao's troops at Qixia Pass.

Sheng Qiao also had 10,000 elite Chu cavalry under his command.

If they were to confront Sheng Qiao head-on, even if they managed to defeat his troops, their losses would certainly be substantial.

Therefore, Qin Yu prefers an ambush!

Just like the ambush on Shen Tu Hong's troops before!

However, a long time had passed, and there was still no sound from behind.

"What happened?"

Qin Yu was somewhat bewildered and muttered to himself, "Sheng Qiao wouldn't be so cowardly as to just stand by and watch us storm into Wuzhou, would he?"

"Perhaps they're intimidated by your reputation?"

Nan Que'er looked over with a smile, a hint of pride on her face.

"Don't flatter me, or I'll become arrogant!"

Qin Yu, unusually humble, said, "I'm more inclined to believe that something is amiss when things seem unusual!"

Could it be that Liang Jingzhe foresaw his own prediction and prepared some kind of trap for himself in Wuzhou?

Is it really that incredible?

"What a load of bull! Do you think everyone else is stupid?"

Ning Huang's soft hum came from behind.

"Um?"

Qin Yu looked at Ning Huang, puzzled. "What insightful opinion do you have, senior?"

Ning Huang slightly raised his eyelids and snorted, "As soon as the army crosses the river, you order your men to destroy the Sanli Bridge. What good will it do if Sheng Qiao catches up?"

"Ah...this..."

Qin Yu was stunned by Ning Huang's words for three seconds. When he came to his senses, he said with a wry smile, "But I never even thought of destroying Sanli Bridge!"

"Aren't you going to destroy Sanliqiao?"

Ning Huang, rarely losing his composure, looked at Qin Yu in surprise.

"Why destroy it?"

Qin Yu grinned, "Such a big bridge is easy to destroy, but it will take a lot of manpower and resources to rebuild it."

Although Sanliqiao is only three li long, it was an extremely difficult infrastructure project in this era.

This is a proper stone bridge, not one of those boat bridges.

Looking across the entire world, the Sanliqiao Stone Bridge can be considered one of the best bridges.

It is said that this bridge was designed by a skilled craftsman from Daning with the help of the Min Kingdom.

The Min Kingdom spent countless manpower and resources to build this bridge.

He has already regarded Min Kingdom as part of Da Ning's territory.

It's easy to cause damage, but it's not so easy to repair these infrastructure facilities.

"Have you thought this through?"

Ning Huang, unusually, reminded Qin Yu: "If you fail to capture Yuwang Pass, and the enemy's main force enters Wuzhou via Sanli Bridge, they could very well completely trap us in Wuzhou and Xingzhou!"

Qin Yu's lips curled into a smile. "But if we burn down Sanli Bridge, wouldn't we be trapping ourselves?"

Ning Huang remained silent.

That statement doesn't seem to make any mistake!

"But at least this way we won't be attacked from both sides!"

Nan Que'er looked at Qin Yu with some worry.

"Then let's see if the enemy has the capability!"

Qin Yu didn't take it to heart, and a strange fervor appeared on his face.

Nan Que'er looked at Qin Yu, who had suddenly become fanatical, with confusion. Just as she was about to ask, a messenger rushed over with a message: "Reporting to General Qin, General Yuan has led his troops to occupy Sanliqiao! General Qin, please lead your troops across the river immediately!"