Late Tang Dynasty: Descendants of the Imperial Clan

This strategy wasn't something that could be come up with casually.

The principles of feigning weakness, luring the enemy deep into our territory, attacking from both flanks, and cutting off their retreat are progressive, interconnected, and indispensable.

The person who could come up with such a strategy must be a seasoned general who is well-versed in military strategy, has been through many battles, and is good at adapting to local conditions.

But Li Cenji was only a twenty-seven-year-old young man.

Where did he get such insight?

Zheng Tian lowered his eyes, suppressing the surprise and doubt that had crossed his mind. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

That's it.

Regardless of how he came up with it, this strategy is indeed an excellent one.

The fact that he was able to come up with it speaks to his skill.

Zheng Tian raised his eyes again, his gaze falling on Li Cenji's face.

The young man had his head slightly lowered, his brows furrowed, and his eyes fixed on the map on the table. He looked focused and serious, as if he was still pondering whether there were any oversights in his strategy, or perhaps he was so nervous that he dared not look directly at himself.

The candlelight illuminated his profile, clearly outlining his handsome features.

The slight confusion in Zheng Tian's heart was gradually replaced by relief and emotion.

He was nervous.

A student who is nervous in front of teachers is a student who still has ambition.

A student who still has the desire to improve is worth teaching wholeheartedly.

Looking at the young man in front of him, Zheng Tian suddenly felt an indescribable emotion welling up inside him.

Throughout his life, he had disciples and former officials all over the country, but no one ever truly inherited his mantle.

His biological son, Zheng Ningji, was diligent, but he was of average talent and knew nothing about military affairs. Now he could only serve as a courtier by the emperor's side.

The young man before him, who was just an insignificant captain in the Imperial Guard a few months ago, has impressed him time and time again in the short span of time.

That night at the military supervisor's residence, he acted decisively, beheading the traitorous envoy and capturing the rebellious eunuch, demonstrating his courage and decisiveness.

His subsequent military training and sharing of hardships with his soldiers further demonstrated his skill and resilience in leading an army.

Now, on the march, he follows me every day, asking about the weather, the terrain, military strategy, and military affairs, as if he were starving. This is a testament to his diligence and thirst for knowledge.

Upon arriving at Longwei Slope, he was able to succinctly reveal the secret of heaven, which coincided perfectly with the strategy he had been pondering for two months. This was true talent!

Zheng Tian had already stroked his beard several times by this point. He didn't pay any attention to Li Cenji's self-deprecating words at all, and simply turned his gaze back to the map.

He conceived the idea of ​​entrusting his entire legacy to this young man.

The tent remained silent for about ten breaths.

The candlelight flickered, casting the shadows of the group onto the tent wall, swaying gently.

Sun Chu and Wang Chu fell silent, watching Zheng Tian quietly, waiting for him to speak.

Li Cenji stood before the desk, indeed somewhat nervous.

Although he spoke calmly, he was actually quite anxious inside.

He knew that this strategy was the same one Zheng Tian had used at Longwei Slope in history, and it had ultimately led to a great victory.

But that was the historical Zheng Tian, ​​a Zheng Tian who was not affected by the time traveler.

Would Zheng Tian still use this strategy now?

Or will you switch to something else?

Just as he was still pondering, a laugh came from the head of the table.

The laughter wasn't loud, but it was extremely cheerful, as if something that had been bottled up in his chest for a long time had finally found an outlet, turning into a hearty laugh that echoed throughout the tent.

"Hahaha--"

Zheng Tian threw his head back and laughed, stroking his beard with one hand and placing the teacup on the table with the other, his eyes reddening from laughing.

He laughed for a while before gradually stopping, raising his hand to wipe the corner of his eye, looking at Li Cenji with eyes full of kindness and relief.

"Jingzhi."

He spoke, his voice a few decibels higher than usual, filled with undisguised praise.

"Those who truly understand me are those who remain calm!"

These six words resonated deeply.

His laughter and praise completely dispelled all the speculations in Sun Chu and Wang Chu's minds.

What double act, what pre-arranged plan? It's clearly a case of great minds thinking alike.

Li Cenji finally breathed a sigh of relief, but his expression remained unchanged. He simply clasped his hands and bowed, saying:

"You flatter me, General. I am unworthy of such praise."

Zheng Tian's laughter gradually subsided, but he still couldn't stop smiling.

The old man picked up the half-cooled teacup on the table, took a sip to moisten his throat, and then slowly spoke:

"Since Jingzhi has thought of this, I will not hide it from you. The strategy that I and the other commanders decided on during the discussion just now is indeed very similar to what you said, so I will not go into details."

Zheng Tian paused, tapped the map lightly twice with his finger, and said:

"Now everything has been assigned. The northern route will be mainly composed of Cheng Zongchu's Jingyuan troops, supplemented by Qiu Gongyu's Qinzhou troops, hidden in the hills at the northern end of Longwei Slope. The southern route will be composed of Li Xiaochang's Fuyan troops and Tuoba Sigong's Dangxiang infantry, ambushed between poplar groves and shallow ditches. Tang Hongfu's Shuofang troops and Li Changyan and Wang Lu's Fengxiang garrison troops will remain as backup, ready to support the two flanks at any time."

After explaining his arrangements, he sighed softly and said:

"But right now we lack a reliable infantry force that can be arrayed on the high ground to lure the rebels. This force must be able to withstand the first few waves of fierce attacks from the rebels and hold out until the two flanks encircle them. If the troops on the high ground collapse at the first contact or cannot withstand the rebels' fierce attacks and the rebels seize the high ground first, then the ambush will fail, and the rebels will instead take the initiative and turn the tables on us."

As he spoke, his gaze remained fixed on Li Cenji, and the meaning in his eyes was crystal clear.

How could Li Cenji not understand?

Zheng Tian was eyeing his thousand infantrymen.

His mind raced, but he didn't immediately reply.

He knew his own situation better than anyone else; he knew exactly what kind of soldiers those thousand infantrymen were.

Just over two months ago, these men were defeated soldiers who had been wandering the countryside of Guanzhong for more than half a month, going hungry and full intermittently, their morale completely shattered and their courage utterly gone.

Although Chen An had been training hard every day for the past two months, and he ate and trained with his soldiers every day, adding meat to their meals, their morale had recovered considerably, and their formations were taking shape. But in the end, the army had only been in existence for a little over two months.

Two months ago, the defeated soldiers were being chased and chased. Now they were going to face off against Shang Rang's veteran soldiers who had fought alongside Huang Chao for ten years.

What kind of battles haven't those veteran rebel soldiers seen?

The first wave of attacks was the fiercest offensive. If the thousand infantrymen couldn't hold on and their formation fell apart, the entire ambush at Longwei Slope would be a complete failure.

With that thought in mind, Li Cenji no longer hesitated.

He stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said frankly:

"How could I not know that the commander-in-chief has his eye on my thousand infantrymen? But there is one thing I dare not conceal."

Zheng Tian looked at him and said:

"you say."

"These thousand infantrymen under my command have only been formed for a little over two months."

Li Cenji told the truth:

"These are all defeated soldiers who were recently gathered from various parts of Guanzhong. They suffered a defeat at Tongguan and their morale was completely broken. Although they have been well fed and trained for the past two months thanks to the care of the commander-in-chief and the efforts of Wang Sima, and have already shown some promise, they are still a newly reorganized force and have never fought a real battle. Their first time on the battlefield is to directly confront the fierce attack of the rebels. I dare not guarantee that they can hold their ground."

He paused, met Zheng Tian's gaze, and said frankly:

"This humble general is not afraid. If the commander-in-chief gives the order, this humble general will personally stand at the front of the battle line with his sword and will not retreat even a single step. It is only this humble general who is worried that if the infantry fails to stop the rebels and the rebels break through the ambush, it will ruin the commander-in-chief's grand plan. This humble general's life and death are of little importance, but the safety of the entire city of Fengxiang is of great importance."

Zheng Tian did not speak immediately after hearing this.

He stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded and said:

"Your concerns are not without merit. It is indeed a bit much for two-month-old recruits to confront Shang Rang's elite troops head-on."

He paused, then said:

"In that case, I will transfer another thousand men from the main force of Fengxiang to supplement your infantry. The garrison troops of Fengxiang are mostly veterans who have been through many battles. With a thousand veterans in the ranks, the new recruits will not collapse at the first encounter."

Li Cenji listened, feeling somewhat relieved.

With the veterans of Fengxiang in command, they were indeed able to stabilize the situation.

But Zheng Tian's next words made his heart jump again.

"in addition,"

Zheng Tian said slowly,

"Those five hundred 'Swift Thunder Generals' have also been incorporated into the formation on the high ground."

Li Cenji was taken aback and quickly said:

"General, 'Swift Thunder General' is your personal guard, a newly recruited soldier from a respectable family. If the losses are too great, I fear it will damage the morale of 'Swift Thunder General'..."

Zheng Tian waved his hand, interrupting him.

"Jingzhi, you've misunderstood what you're saying."

The old man's voice was not loud:

"Since I, the commander-in-chief, am going to personally lead the charge, are my elite troops supposed to cower in the rear? This time, my banner will stand on this high ground. I will personally guard this high ground with the 'Swift Thunder Generals.' If this still doesn't make those good men fight to the death, then this elite force is useless. They might as well just disperse on the spot to avoid dragging down the whole army in the future."

Li Cenji's heart skipped a beat.

Is Zheng Tian going to personally go to Gaogang?

He immediately advised again:

"Commander-in-Chief, you are the commander of the three armies. How can you stand under a dangerous wall? There are no mercy from the swords and spears on this high ground. What if something happens..."

Zheng Tian laughed and said:

"Precisely because I am the commander-in-chief of the three armies, the presence of my banner is the source of the entire army's courage. Who do you think Shang Rang is? If he didn't see my banner, would he easily fall for the trap and launch a fierce attack on the high ground? If he sees my banner standing on the hill, he will think that I have hastily led the troops to block him, and his mind will be in disarray, his defenses completely off. Naturally, he will despise me even more and be even more eager to attack. Only when my banner is firmly in place will the rebels attack desperately, and only then can the ambushers on the north and south flanks calmly encircle them. Only when the banner is firmly in place will the soldiers on the high ground know that their commander is with them, and only then will they fight to the death to defend it."

As he said this, he looked intently at Li Cenji and said:

"A merciful general cannot command an army. You must have thought of this when you were surveying the terrain at Longwei Slope. You just didn't want to say it, so I'll say it for you."

Li Cen remained silent.

He had indeed thought about it, because Zheng Tian in history had done just that.

Shang Rang was no fool. No matter how arrogant he was, when faced with an unknown detached force, he would at most send three to five thousand men to test the waters.

If he doesn't fall for the trap and doesn't launch a full-scale attack, the ambushes on both flanks will be rendered useless.

Only when the commander-in-chief's banner stands atop a high hill will Shang Rang be truly moved and rush forward without regard for anything else.

He understood this meaning on the ridge.

Li Cenji was merely a cavalry commander; his banner was not powerful enough to lure Shang Rang, a big fish.

But how could he bring himself to say these words?

"General..."

Li Cenji wanted to persuade him again.

Zheng Tian waved his hand, showing no hesitation whatsoever, and simply said:

"There's no need to say any more. My mind is made up."

Upon hearing this, Li Cenji knew that further persuasion would be futile.

He knew Zheng Tian's temperament.

Now that he has said "this decision is made," he truly will not change his mind.

Li Cenji took a step back, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said:

"This humble general understands. This humble general is willing to defend this high ground with the commander-in-chief and live or die with the front line."

Zheng Tian waved his hand, his expression softening slightly, and a faint smile returned to his lips:

"Don't leave your thousand cavalrymen to gather dust behind the high ground. Join forces with the cavalry from Fengxiang, and when the ambushers on both flanks attack and the enemy's formation falters, charge down from the high ground. Charge the infantry on horseback, taking advantage of the high ground, and your momentum will be unstoppable. If this charge can strike straight into the enemy's center, kill their generals and seize their flags, you can rout the enemy in one fell swoop, leaving them unable to defend both ends."

Upon hearing this, Li Cenji was deeply moved, but his expression remained calm.

He clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, replying in a deep voice:

"This subordinate obeys."

Zheng Tian looked at his calm and composed demeanor, his eyes showing even greater satisfaction, and waved his hand, saying:

"It's getting late. We need to set up an ambush first thing tomorrow morning, so you should go back and prepare. I will have someone deliver the command token to your camp for all the necessary arrangements."

Li Cenji responded, then bowed to Sun Chu and Wang Chu before turning and leaving the central command tent.

By the time they returned to their own camp, it was already late at night.

Most of the campfires in the camp had gone out, with only a few sentries still warming themselves by the fire, their faces illuminated by the flickering flames.

Most of the soldiers had already gone to rest, with only a few tents still emitting scattered lights.

Li Cenji, however, was not sleepy at all.

He ordered his men to invite the two commanders and four captains over.

Before long, the tent flaps were lifted one after another.

Once everyone had arrived, they took their seats in turn on the stools on the left and right sides of the tent.

Without exchanging pleasantries, Li Cenji got straight to the point, recounting the key points of his discussion with Zheng Tian in the central command tent.

Upon hearing that Duke Zheng would take the lead and act as bait alongside them, a commotion immediately arose in the tent.

Everyone chimed in, eager to fight, with no one shirking their duty or showing any fear. Li Cenji's heart was also burning with righteous indignation.

After everyone had left, only Li Cenji remained in the tent.

Instead of resting, he walked to the tent entrance, lifted the curtain, and looked into the camp.

Lights gradually illuminated the tents throughout the camp, and shadowy figures moved about. The sounds of clashing swords and hushed conversations mingled together, carrying far into the night.