The Prodigal Son

At dusk, Dong Heshang, who had broken through the encirclement, led his troops back to Luzhou Prefecture.

"The Flying Fang Cavalry are indeed quite formidable."

Upon seeing Xue Chengdao and Qin Fumeng, Monk Dong couldn't help but feel a deep sense of emotion.

They had 10,000 men, plus 5,000 men escorting the grain supplies, so a total of less than 12,000 returned.

The Flying Fang Cavalry suffered fewer casualties than them, but probably not by much.

There should be at least two thousand casualties.

"Nonsense, these are the most elite cavalry of the Yan Kingdom!"

Xue Chengdao smiled and comforted him, "You've fought very well! Facing the encirclement and pursuit of the Flying Fang Cavalry, you only lost a little over three thousand men, which can be considered a victory!"

The Flying Fang Cavalry possessed the best warhorses and equipment, the highest military pay, the most elite soldiers, and were Yan Wujiu's direct troops.

If this still doesn't work, all the generals of the Flying Fang Cavalry, big and small, should be beheaded!

"We lost!"

Monk Dong shook his head slightly and said frankly, "Yan Wujiu's troops, who were attacking from our left rear, suddenly changed direction for some reason. Otherwise, our casualties would probably have doubled..."

Moreover, this was with the assistance of Grandmaster Zhao Po.

Without Zhao Po's assistance, their casualties would have been even greater.

In retrospect, they did indeed lose.

If you lose, you lose. There's nothing to be ashamed of.

Qin Fumeng was slightly surprised. "Why did Yan Wujiu's troops suddenly change direction? Tell me about the situation!"

"I don't know the specifics of what happened."

Monk Dong shook his head and recounted the events of that time to them.

At that time, they were facing the interception of the Flying Fang Cavalry head-on, while Yan Wujiu personally led several thousand elite cavalry to attack from the left rear.

He had originally planned to divide his forces to hold off the Flying Fang Cavalry blocking the front, while leading the main force to launch a surprise attack on Yan Wujiu's troops, hoping to break through the encirclement by killing Yan Wujiu.

As a result, Yan Wujiu suddenly withdrew.

At first, he thought Yan Wujiu had seen through his intentions and wanted to lure them deeper before surrounding them.

As things grew increasingly unfavorable, he decided to lead all his troops to attack.

As a result, Yan Wujiu did indeed retreat, opening up a breach on their left rear.

After circling around, they finally found an opportunity to break out.

"It's Qin Yu!"

Xue Chengdao immediately concluded, "Qin Yu most likely led his troops in a counterattack; otherwise, there would be no reason for Yan Wujiu to return to reinforce."

Without a doubt, Yan Wujiu would be furious after Qin Yu and the others rushed over.

He and Qin Fumeng originally intended to stay in Luzhou Prefecture to lure Yan Wujiu into rushing towards Luzhou Prefecture at all costs, but Yan Wujiu did not do so. Instead, he chose to besiege Dong Heshang's troops.

It's obvious that Yan Wujiu at that time was thinking of severely crippling or destroying Dong Heshang's troops at all costs.

The encirclement was almost complete, but Yan Wujiu suddenly withdrew his troops, leaving a breach.

Something must have happened to their rear guard!

Only this reason could force the enraged Yan Wujiu to abandon the encirclement under those circumstances.

The only force on their side that could potentially attack the rear guard of the Yan army was the Wudang Flying Cavalry led by Qin Yu.

Monk Dong thought about it carefully, then nodded and smiled, "So, this kid indirectly helped me out!"

"That's true!"

Xue Chengdao laughed heartily, "If our guess is correct, Yan Wujiu is probably going to vomit blood this time!"

As he spoke, Xue Chengdao immediately ordered his men to investigate in the direction of Yu Chan to find out what had happened behind the Yan army's lines.

Qin Fumeng lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then said with a smile, "Since Yan Wujiu hasn't attacked, he's most likely retreating to Yuchan! We can't let them retreat too comfortably!"

Xue Chengdao nodded: "If it is confirmed that Qin Yu attacked their rear guard, Yan Wujiu will definitely retreat to Yuchan!"

They retreated to Yuchan, blocking their route to join forces with another large army.

If an opportunity arises, they can also attack Qin Yu's troops to vent their anger.

"right!"

A glint flashed in Qin Fumeng's eyes. "Therefore, we absolutely cannot allow them to retreat safely to the Jade Toad!"

You can leave if you want!

But it's absolutely impossible not to leave some bodies behind!

It would be even better if we could burn their supplies!

Without supplies, even if Yan Wujiu retreats to Yuchan, he will only face certain death.

Xue Chengdao's face darkened. "What, you want to bring people to sabotage them again?"

"Anyway, you're here, aren't you?"

Qin Fumeng laughed heartily, "If we retreat towards Yuchan, Yan Wujiu will definitely send Flying Fang Cavalry to cover our retreat. It will be too difficult for us to send any number of troops to attack from the rear! But Yan Wujiu and his men still have many infantrymen. Even if they march at full speed, carrying provisions, it will take them at least five days to retreat to Yuchan..."

They'll have to camp out at night these days!

As long as the Yan army sets up camp, they will have the opportunity to burn the Yan army's supplies.

Of course, Yan Wujiu would never hoard all the grain in one place, and he would definitely send heavy troops and experts to protect the grain.

But everyone has moments of weakness, and Yan Wujiu's defenses could not be flawless either.

Taking a few skilled soldiers to burn the grain supplies is entirely feasible!

Burn as much as you can!

Burning 100 shi of grain and fodder might not be a big deal for Ning's army.

But for Yan Wujiu, every little bit less food was a good thing!

The less food supplies Yan Wujiu had, the less he could hold out!

If we're lucky, we can burn Yan Wujiu's supplies to the ground, which will make things much easier later on.

Xue Chengdao said sternly, "You can try, but you can't go!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Fumeng immediately became displeased, "Hey Lao Xue, what's wrong with you...?"

"There's no room for discussion on this!"

Xue Chengdao said in an unquestionable tone, "You need to understand your responsibilities! Our follow-up troops will be arriving soon! Let's quickly formulate the next battle plan!"

After Yan Wujiu withdrew from Xiaxing, they were about to lead their troops to occupy Xiaxing.

At that point, they will likely need to divide their forces.

Yan Wujiu's troops, who were keeping a close watch on Yu Chan, were also preparing to attack Huzhou when the opportunity arose.

It might even be necessary to send a force to guard Pangzhou Prefecture.

Qin Fumeng, as the second-route marshal, would never have led a few experts to sabotage behind enemy lines.

He is the Second Route Marshal!

He should do what a second-ranking marshal should do!

"Okay!"

Seeing that Xue Chengdao wasn't giving him a chance, Qin Fumeng had no choice but to give up. "Then you can make the arrangements! But I suggest that once Yan Wujiu leaves Xiaxing, send some clever people into Pangzhou Prefecture to stir up public opinion!"

Just as Qin Yu said, we must truly throw the Yan Kingdom into chaos!

Ideally, the people of Yan would rise up in rebellion!

At that time, as long as they don't lose, no one can save the Yan Kingdom!

"That's a good suggestion!"

Xue Chengdao nodded. "In addition, once our supplies arrive, we need to exchange them for snow cotton with the people in the occupied territories. This will not only solve the problem of food shortages for the people, but also provide some military supplies..."

Winters in the Yan Kingdom are very cold.

If you had a cotton coat made of long-staple cotton, this winter would be a little easier.

Of course, it was impossible to make every soldier wear cotton-padded clothes made of snowflake cotton.

But they can reward meritorious soldiers with cotton-padded clothes made of slush!

Qin Fumeng wasn't particularly concerned about the subsequent governance issues.

However, he still offered his advice: "Let Shangguan Xun and the others handle this matter! Just keep the grain as it comes, as long as they don't starve! Most importantly, add a prohibition: anyone who dares to cause trouble after obtaining the grain should have their entire family executed!"

"what?"

Qin Fumeng and Dong Heshang both showed surprised expressions.

Xue Chengdao lowered his eyelids and said in a deep voice, "Apart from the whistleblower, everyone within a ten-mile radius will be implicated!"

Qin Fumeng's face twitched violently, and after a long pause, he exclaimed with deep emotion, "What a beast!"

Xue Chengdao smiled dismissively, "This isn't my suggestion; it's advice someone else gave me."

"Who suggested it?"

"Zhu Songlan!"