The Prodigal Son

The next morning, all units began to advance.

Qin Yu led the Wudang Flying Army as the vanguard, while Dong Heshang led 10,000 troops as their left flank.

There were also 5,000 men escorting the grain supplies.

To deceive Yan Wujiu, we must proceed with the troops normally!

This time, Qin Yu did not bring Qi Dachui, who was still recuperating, with him.

Even though Qi Dachui repeatedly said that he had recovered, Qin Yu did not take him along, letting him rest for a while longer.

As soon as Qin Yu and his group started moving, Yan Wujiu received the news immediately.

"very good!"

A cold glint flashed in Yan Wujiu's eyes, and he abruptly stood up: "Order Brother Chimu to lead the Flying Fang Cavalry to advance with me! Ji Ying, you lead the ten thousand troops inside the city to defend it! If Xiaxing falls, I will take your head!"

"yes!"

Ji Ying accepted the order and then reminded Yan Wujiu, "The Ning people are cunning and treacherous; Your Highness must be cautious!"

"It's alright!"

Yan Wujiu didn't take it seriously, "As long as we don't let them attack the troops heading towards Shimanzi Slope, that's fine!"

As for the Yan army coming from Tiger's Mouth, they were originally bait for the Ning army!

If Ning Jun wanted to launch a feint attack on the other side's troops, then he got what he wanted!

Soon, Yan Wujiu personally led the Flying Fang Cavalry out of the city and headed straight for Shimanzi Slope.

He didn't have to go through all this trouble.

However, because this army was delayed again and again and did not arrive at Shimanzi Slope within the time he planned, he now had no choice but to send out flying cavalry to intercept the Ning army.

Shimanzi Slope is only thirty li away from Xiaxing. Soon, Yan Wujiu led the Flying Liao Cavalry to arrive.

"Pass down the order: rest on the spot!"

After giving the order, Yan Wujiu called Chi Mu Ge and Hu Da Mao to follow him as they climbed up the surrounding high ground.

Upon reaching the nearby mountaintop, Yan Wujiu carefully observed the surrounding terrain.

The surrounding terrain was not open and not suitable for a large-scale charge by the cavalry of both sides.

After observing for a while, Yan Wujiu immediately pointed to the mountain pass to the right and said, "Hu Damou, I order you to personally lead five thousand cavalry to guard that canyon! Do not let a single Ning soldier break through the canyon!"

Hu Damou slightly raised his eyes: "Your Highness, that canyon is long and narrow, with cliffs on both sides. The Ning army shouldn't dare to attack our rear infantry from there, right?"

Qin Fumeng and Xue Chengdao were both famous generals of the Great Ning.

In a place like this, let alone them, even a newly appointed general would probably not dare to leave.

If they rush in and get stuck in the canyon, they'll only face certain death.

"They may be afraid to leave, but we must hold our ground!"

Yan Wujiu glared coldly at Hu Damou, "Aren't you going yet?"

"yes!"

Hu Damou dared not say more and immediately accepted the order and left.

He knew, of course, that the chances of Ning Jun going that way were almost nil.

But on the battlefield, there are never absolutes!

Some people dare to do what ordinary people don't!

If Ning's large cavalry force were to bypass him from that direction and get behind him, Ning's army would only need to divide their forces to block them, and dealing with the exhausted troops behind them would be as easy as cutting melons and vegetables!

He doesn't need to defeat this Ning army now; he only needs to ensure that the infantry behind him can safely reach Shimanzi Slope and garrison there.

If Ning Jun wants to attack, then so be it!

We can only attack towards the tiger's mouth!

Otherwise, we should obediently retreat to Luzhou Prefecture and wait for him to find an opportunity to attack!

Yan Wujiu pondered for a moment, then instructed Chi Mu Ge: "Send two thousand cavalry to harass the Ning army's flank! Note that it's just harassment, no fighting! Just prevent the Ning army from advancing quickly! Send more scouts to closely monitor the Ning army's movements!"

"yes!"

Akagi immediately accepted the order.

After completing the arrangements, Yan Wujiu led his personal guards and several experts down the mountain.

"It's just to intercept the Ning army; Your Highness didn't really need to lead your troops here personally."

As we descended the mountain, the elderly man in white robes beside me said with a smile.

Wei Zhui.

The strongest grandmaster in the Yan Kingdom!

He is also the only grandmaster besides Suhe Baoyin, who is a hidden grandmaster!

Back then, if Ji Kui hadn't followed his Flying Liao Cavalry in pursuit of the Wudang Flying Cavalry, how would Huang Dengxing, this newly promoted master, have had the opportunity to run rampant?

Yan Wujiu forced a smile. "That may be true, but our situation is not optimistic. It's always good to be cautious."

The complete annihilation of Zong Bi's army, coupled with the internal crisis within Yan, brought him immense pressure.

Many people only saw that Beiqi was helping Da Yan, but they didn't see the real crisis.

Last night, he also received news that an official in Yanzhou, despite the severe food shortage in Yan, had blatantly disregarded the imperial edict and colluded with a wealthy landowner to secretly brew wine, which sparked another popular uprising.

Although the popular uprising has been suppressed, this is only the beginning.

As time goes on, there will be more and more popular uprisings.

After a popular uprising, a military mutiny follows.

In fact, he had already vaguely foreseen the fate of the Yan Kingdom.

This is just a last-ditch effort.

In fact, he believed that both the Yan Emperor and Yan Li knew that surrendering and becoming a vassal state of Ning was the best option.

But they all deliberately ignored this choice!

On the one hand, it's because the people of Ning might not give them this opportunity!

On the other hand, it's also because of their resentment and discontent!

He couldn't say these things to Wei Zhui, nor did he dare to say them to disturb the morale of the army; he could only keep them to himself.

Since the complete annihilation of Zong Bi's army, he has hardly had a good night's sleep.

I can't sleep!

Even when asleep, I can be woken up by nightmares.

Lost in thought, Yan Wujiu led his men down the mountain.

What followed was a long wait.

"Report..."

About half an hour later, a scout quickly reported: "Your Highness, the Ning army, after reaching the vicinity of the small river dam, suddenly changed direction and headed northeast!"

"Northeast?"

Yan Wujiu's eyelids twitched suddenly.

Tiger's Mouth?

Ning Jun's real target was the 20,000 troops in the direction of Tiger's Mouth.

If that's the case, that would be wonderful!

Yan Wujiu struggled to suppress his excitement and asked in a deep voice, "Are you sure?"

"Sure!"

The scout answered with certainty.

"very good!"

Yan Wujiu was overjoyed. "Continue to keep an eye on the Ning army and report their movements at any time!"

"yes!"

After the scouts left, Akagi immediately asked, "Your Highness, should we pretend to flank them now?"

Even if it's a feigned defeat, the basic appearance still needs to be maintained!

If there isn't even a simple flanking maneuver, anyone with a basic understanding of military command can see the problem.

"No!"

Yan Wujiu shook his head slightly, "Let's wait and see! Be careful that when we encircle them, the Ning army doesn't suddenly feint! Let's first confirm whether the Ning army's target is indeed the 20,000 troops heading towards Tiger's Mouth!"

"yes!"

Akagi didn't say anything more, but he secretly felt bitter.

Feign defeat and then fight back!

They could have retreated peacefully to Yuchan, but instead they had to pay with human lives!

Those 20,000 troops were overwhelmed. Even if some managed to escape in the chaos, it was probably only a small number.

He'd been fighting for half his life, and this was the first time he'd fought such a pathetic, worthless battle.

Hopefully, the men at Tiger's Mouth can kill a few more Ning soldiers!

Otherwise, they would really be losing out big time.

Time passed little by little.

About half an hour later, the scouts came to report again, confirming that the Ning army had already sent 20,000 troops straight towards Tiger's Mouth!

Moreover, Ning Jun previously had troops protecting the left flank, but now they have switched to protecting the right rear flank.

Right wing!

Very good!

The Ning army on the right wing must be on guard against the Flying Fang Cavalry!

In that case, let's attack the troops escorting their supplies!

We can't let them suffer losses alone; we must also make the Ning army bleed a little!

Yan Wujiu immediately changed his original plan and ordered in a deep voice: "Brother Chimu, you are to lead 10,000 elite cavalry to attack the enemy's supply convoy immediately, burn their provisions, and then retreat immediately!"

"Order Hu Damou to lead 5,000 troops to block the enemy's retreat! Then, join forces with Brother Chimu to feign cutting off the Ning army's retreat!"

"Order the two thousand cavalrymen who harassed the Ning army to immediately withdraw and rejoin me!"