A lowly soldier becomes king, I slaughter my way through the late Tang Dynasty!

This is north of Yangcheng, where did all these Khitan cavalry come from?!

Moreover, shouldn't the Khitan cavalry attack from north to south?

Going south, going south, isn't that just heading south?

Why are they charging north instead?!

Niu Ben and the others stared at the swirling sandstorm, their ears filled with the heavy sound of horses' hooves coming from the south.

They are now facing this massive cavalry force head-on!

The only thing separating them is a thick layer of sand and dust!

Niu Ben was terrified, his eyes filled with despair.

"Could it be that the Khitan emperor ordered the Khitan army attacking Yangcheng to turn their horses around and kill us?"

Upon hearing this, Jung Yung-guk immediately closed his eyes.

I'm dying!

How the hell are we supposed to fight like this?

The soldiers had just escaped death half a day ago, and they were exhausted, not even having the strength to pick up their swords.

Face-to-face confrontation with the Khitan cavalry?

If you're not waiting to die, what are you waiting for?

However, Li Rui suddenly laughed.

"Don't worry, we're faster than Yelü Deguang's messengers, there's no way they're coming for us."

Niu Ben was completely puzzled.

Li Rui, however, was very pleased.

"It seems that the men of the Central Plains still have some spirit."

Upon hearing this, everyone was even more puzzled.

What riddle is Li Rui playing?

Seeing everyone's puzzled expressions, Li Rui smiled and said...

Do you know where Zhang Yaozu went?

Everyone looked at each other in surprise before they realized what was happening.

When they were in Mancheng, Zhang Yaozu disappeared!

Some people believe that Zhang Yaozu retreated to Dingzhou from the west gate with infantrymen who could not ride horses.

Some people believe that Zhang Yaozu died in the Khitan army.

But Li Rui said...

"Before my feigned surrender, I sent Zhang Yaozu with a letter to Yangcheng as quickly as possible to deliver it to General Fu Yanqing."

As he spoke, Li Rui pointed to the sandstorm in front of him and said confidently.

"I'm sure these are fleeing Khitan soldiers! They're not turning back to attack us; they're running for their lives!"

……

Let's go back to early morning.

After marveling at the strong wind, Zhang Yaozu set off from the South Gate with Li Rui's letter in hand.

One man and four horses galloped wildly towards Yangcheng.

If one horse dies from exhaustion, replace it with another and keep running.

Four fine horses took turns carrying the load, and when they passed through the post stations along the way, Zhang Yaozu spent a lot of money to buy three more fine horses.

It was almost nonstop, and the skin on the inside of my thighs was worn raw!

Despite the excruciating pain, Zhang Yaozu wrapped his thigh with a wet cloth and continued riding wildly!

Until his legs were rubbed raw and bloody, and his bones felt like they were about to fall apart.

He arrived in Yangcheng just as dusk was falling.

After handing the letter to Fu Yanqing, Zhang Yaozu immediately fainted.

While ordering Zhang Yaozu to be well taken care of, Fu Yanqing quickly opened the letter.

He exclaimed in astonishment after only glancing at it twice.

"How daring of Li Rui!"

The document contained Li Rui's plan to feign surrender and kidnap Yelü Balide.

At the same time, it also contained a lot of important information.

After reading it, Fu Yanqing's hands were trembling.

He hurriedly found Deputy Commander Ma Quanjie and Military Supervisor Li Shouzhen and handed them Li Rui's letter.

The two were both stunned and shocked after reading it!

"This Li Rui is incredibly audacious. Not only does he want to capture the Khitan general single-handedly, but he also wants to directly command the army in battle?"

Fu Yanqing hurriedly replied.

"Let's put all that aside for now and just look at Li Rui's plan. Is it feasible?"

Ma Quanjie and Li Shouzhen fell into deep thought.

Soon, Li Shouzhen spoke first.

"The Khitans have just arrived and their foothold is not yet secure. Let's launch a full-scale surprise attack under the cover of sandstorms! I think it's feasible!"

Fu Yanqing was overjoyed.

"I think so too; this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

Ma Quanjie was in a bit of a dilemma.

"The commander-in-chief will certainly not agree to send troops."

Fu Yanqing immediately said.

"No, the commander will agree, as long as we don't say it was Li Rui's plan."

Du Chongwei had previously disagreed with sending troops because Li Rui was too outstanding, making him, the commander-in-chief, seem like a failure.

As long as Li Rui wasn't mentioned, Du Chongwei's resentment lessened considerably.

Li Shouzhen said.

"The commander-in-chief has been suffering defeats and is worried that His Majesty will question him."

This time, as long as we all request to send troops and show the Commander-in-Chief hope of victory, he has no reason to disagree.

Upon hearing this, Ma Quanjie nodded.

"Alright, go and inform all the generals in the army. I'll go and invite the commander-in-chief."

After some time, almost all the high-ranking generals in Yangcheng gathered together.

Even An Shenqi, who was supervising the grain supplies in the rear, was summoned over.

Upon seeing this commotion, Du Chongwei hurriedly asked.

"But have the Khitans attacked the city?"

Yesterday, news came that the Khitan army in Taizhou City had marched south.

This afternoon, the Khitans have already set up camp outside Yangcheng, surrounding it without attacking.

Fu Yanqing said in a deep voice.

"General, although the Khitans have not attacked the city, they have sent men to bypass Yangcheng, cut off our army's food supplies, and try to starve our army to death."

If we stand idly by, the army will be in grave danger!

Du Chongwei panicked and hurriedly said.

"What should we do?"

Li Shouzhen stepped forward and solemnly said.

"The army will launch an attack, taking advantage of the Khitan's recent arrival, their exhaustion, and their unsettled position, catching them completely off guard!"

Du Chongwei was surprised by Li Shouzhen's radicalism and quickly waved his hand.

"No, no! The winds are howling, sand and stones are flying everywhere, and you can't see a single person for miles around. How can we fight a war?"

Unexpectedly, Fu Yanqing continued.

"It is precisely because of the sandstorm that our army has a great opportunity. The Khitans will never expect that our army will launch a surprise attack against the wind!"

Moreover, the sandstorm obscured visibility, and the Khitan scouts could only see a hundred meters, making it difficult for them to detect our army's movements, which was perfect for a surprise attack!

Furthermore, the Khitan have only just set up camp and their position is not yet secure; they will inevitably collapse at the first sign of trouble, and our army will surely achieve a great victory!

Before Du Chongwei could speak, Li Shouzhen said firmly.

"Excellent! Our army's morale is high, and the entire army is constantly volunteering for battle. The morale of the army is high!"

This is truly a golden opportunity, one that comes only once in a lifetime. If we miss it, His Majesty will blame us. I urge the Commander-in-Chief to immediately order a full-scale attack!

Du Chongwei remained silent, his heart churning with turmoil.

He himself was very afraid of fighting, otherwise he would not have retreated again and again.

But his soldiers had already said so much, and Li Shouzhen had even brought up the emperor.

Even though Du Chongwei was unwilling, he could only struggle a little.

"But the risk is just too great."

Li Shouzhen was well aware of Du Chongwei's audacity and immediately said...

"General, you are skilled in defense and can remain firmly in the city. We will lead our troops to attack."

As soon as he finished speaking, generals such as Ma Quanjie, Fu Yanqing, Wang Qing, Huangfu Yu, and Li Yin also requested to go into battle.

Du Chongwei opened his mouth, but could only agree.

Anyway, he doesn't need to go into battle personally; he can defend the city on his own.

Upon receiving the military order, everyone rushed back to their respective camps to mobilize troops!

As the generals dispersed, Wang Qing caught up with Fu Yanqing and asked him a question.

"General Fu, you lead the cavalry to the left and right, and make sure to hold off the Khitan until our infantry launch a full-scale attack."

Fu Yanqing nodded emphatically.

"General Wang, please rest assured. Li Rui also mentioned this matter in his letter to me. Our cavalry is relatively small, so we cannot rush things. We should focus on the infantry."

Wang Qing was taken aback upon hearing this.

"Li Rui? Li Rui of the Righteous Army? His letters?"

Fu Yanqing smiled and took out the letter.

"To be honest, the plan to launch a full-scale attack under cover of night was proposed by Li Rui."

Wang Qing was completely stunned, never expecting that Li Rui would have such keen insight!

Fu Yanqing seemed to have thought of something and hurriedly said.

"General Wang, please keep this a secret. Li Rui mentioned in his letter that 'the tallest tree in the forest will be felled by the wind.'"

He has already accomplished enough; there's no need to attribute this further credit to him.

Wang Qing was taken aback, even more surprised that Li Rui, at such a young age, understood the principle of retiring at the height of his career.

He paused for a moment, then spoke sincerely.

"This child will surely become a powerful military governor in the future!"

Fu Yanqing had a higher standard, and he shook his head with a smile.

"Li Rui is a pillar of the nation."

Half an hour later.

The entire army is ready to go.

Du Chongwei drew his sword and pointed it north.

"send troops!"