The imperial court is ceding territory from our northern border? Then we'll rebel!

Late at night.

Inside the central command tent, it was warm as spring, with braziers of glowing red-hot charcoal completely shutting out the biting cold.

Xiao Jingchen was dressed in ordinary black casual clothes, without any armor. He sat cross-legged in front of a low table, with a chessboard in front of him. On the chessboard, the black and white pieces were locked in a fierce battle.

He held a white piece in his hand, not placing it for a long time, as if he was pondering the direction of the game, or as if he was looking beyond the game to a more distant place.

Outside the tent, the cold wind howled, whipping up the remaining snow on the ground and making a sound like ghosts wailing and wolves howling.

Lei Lie and Chen Jing lifted the curtain and strode in, bringing with them a gust of cold wind. They still carried a faint smell of blood, the lingering scent of someone who had just returned from the "One Line Sky" battlefield.

"Your Highness!" Lei Lie's booming voice shattered the tranquility of the tent. His face was contorted with barely suppressed excitement as he burst in, shouting, "You didn't see it! The scene! The Yuanrong crossbows! My goodness, those things are simply not weapons of this world! Those bastards from the grasslands, usually so arrogant on horseback, today they were falling like dumplings being dropped into a pot, row after row! It was so exhilarating! I've never fought such a satisfying battle in my entire life!"

Chen Jing nodded in agreement. Although he wasn't as boisterous as Lei Lie, he couldn't hide the excitement in his eyes.

"Your Highness, the power of the Yuanrong crossbow far exceeded our expectations. In this battle, our army suffered fewer than a hundred casualties, yet we annihilated three thousand elite enemy cavalry. Such a feat is unprecedented. Those steppe cavalrymen were utterly powerless against the Yuanrong crossbow."

He paused, a hint of worry in his voice: "But... Your Highness, aren't we... moving a little too slowly?"

This was a question they both had in common.

The army had been in the grasslands for several days. Logically, given the marching speed of the Great Yan army, they should have already advanced hundreds of miles. However, Xiao Jingchen ordered the entire army to slow down, only advancing thirty miles a day, and even set up camp, making it seem like they were sightseeing.

This is very abnormal.

"Yes, Your Highness!" Lei Lie couldn't hold back any longer and asked directly, "If we keep moving at this slow pace, when will we be able to reach Ashina Sun's royal court? What if that old bastard hears the news and runs away with his men? Besides... our central command tent is just sitting here so openly. Although there are scouts around, it's still quite dangerous if Ashina Sun sends a small group of elite troops to launch a sneak attack."

In Lei Lie's view, speed is of the essence in war. Now that they have won such a great victory, they should strike while the iron is hot, advance swiftly, and utterly crush their enemies. Dragging things out like this is simply not in line with his impatient nature.

Xiao Jingchen did not answer them immediately.

His gaze remained fixed on the chessboard.

After a long while, he gently placed the white piece in his hand in an unexpected position on the chessboard.

"Smack."

The crisp sound of the pieces being placed was exceptionally clear in the quiet tent.

With this move, the seemingly deadlocked game suddenly became much clearer. That white piece, like a sharp knife, precisely pierced the heart of the large black group, cutting off all its escape routes.

The entire black dragon was wiped out in an instant.

"Sometimes, the game of chess is not about how many pieces you capture, but about whether you can force your opponent into the dead end you have prepared for them."

Xiao Jingchen raised his head and looked at Lei Lie and Chen Jing. His voice was calm, yet it carried a sense of all-knowing composure.

"Ashina Sun is a hungry wolf, a hungry wolf driven to the brink of despair. The crushing defeat at 'One Line Sky' was not just about losing three thousand men; it showed him a weapon he could not defeat, and that terrified him."

"The rebellion of the tribes behind him is not just a fire in his own backyard, but a severing of his roots. This will drive him to despair."

What will a wolf do when it is filled with fear and despair?

Lei Lie and Chen Jingika listened, stunned. They were excellent generals, skilled in charging into battle and adept at troop deployment, but their analysis of human nature and human character was far less insightful than Xiao Jingchen's.

"Will he... fight desperately?" Lei Lie asked tentatively.

"That's right, he'll fight desperately." Xiao Jingchen nodded. "He'll abandon all burdens, gamble everything, and use his sharpest teeth to bite the hunter's throat. Because this is his only chance to turn the tide."

A thought flashed through Chen Jing's mind, and he looked at Xiao Jingchen in disbelief: "Your Highness, do you mean... Ashina Sun will abandon his main force and personally lead men to launch a surprise attack on our central command tent?"

That's a very bold guess.

A commander abandoning his own army to personally carry out a decapitation strike? This is unimaginable in normal military thinking.

"He will," Xiao Jingchen said with certainty. "Because he has no choice. If he fights methodically, he will surely die. He is a ruthless and ambitious man, and when a ruthless and ambitious man is at his wit's end, he will choose the most reckless gamble."

"We are moving slowly to give him enough time to receive news of the disastrous defeat at 'One Line Sky' and the tribe's rebellion."

"Our central command tent is placed so prominently to set him up as a sufficiently enticing target."

He thought he was the hunting eagle. But he didn't realize that what he saw was just bait at the hunter's feet.

Upon hearing this, both Lei Lie and Chen Jing broke out in a cold sweat.

Only then did they realize that from the very first step they took into the grasslands, the prince had already laid out a grand scheme.

Their so-called victories and achievements were merely a part of a scheme to lure Ashina Sun.

"Then... Your Highness, what should we do? Should we strengthen the defenses of the central army?" Chen Jing asked nervously.

If Ashina Sun really did bring his most elite guards in person, it would be a force not to be underestimated.

"No." Xiao Jingchen shook his head. He stood up, walked to the map, picked up a vermilion pen, and drew several circles on the map.

"Pass on my orders."

His voice turned cold and menacing.

"Lei Lie, immediately muster all your Northern Frontier cavalry, leave the main camp, retreat thirty miles, and hide in this area. Remember, without my signal, do not make any noise."

"Chen Jing, divide all the Yuanrong crossbowmen into ten teams. Don't concentrate them around the camp, but disperse them like nails in several places within five miles of the camp. Dig trenches and camouflage them. Also, do not fire without a signal."

"In addition, inform the logistics battalion to arrange the wagons loaded with provisions in a hollow square formation on the west side of the camp. Connect the wagons with iron chains."

One command after another came from Xiao Jingchen's mouth.

Lei Lie and Chen Jing were stunned.

These commands are so strange.

Transferring away our most elite cavalry? Wouldn't that be like cutting off our own arm?

If the crossbowmen are dispersed, how can effective fire coverage be achieved?

Using grain carts to form a battle array? Aren't those for transportation?

Every single order contradicted the military strategies they had learned.

"Your Highness, this..." Lei Lie couldn't help but ask.

"Execute the order." Xiao Jingchen didn't explain, but just looked at him with an unquestionable gaze.

"Yes, Your subordinate obeys!"

Lei Lie and Chen Jing, though full of doubts, immediately bowed and accepted the order.

They knew that the prince must have his reasons for doing this.

Watching the two figures leave, Xiao Jingchen walked back to the chessboard. He looked at the game that had ended, picked up the white piece that had secured the victory, and gently stroked it in his hand.

Ashina Sun, the stage I've prepared for you is ready.

How will you, the last hungry wolf on the grassland, perform the final dance of your life?

I'm waiting to see.