Chapter 249

At this moment, the copper basin on the ground was already brimming full of black blood!

As for Li Cunxiao, Facing Ying Su had no idea what method Yao Yue had used, but somehow she had managed to pierce a hole into the iron-bodied, steel-boned Li Cunxiao and then drain his blood!

Likewise, the copper basin on the ground was brimming full, filled entirely with black blood!

"This… what's going on? Why haven't they woken up yet?"

Han Xin asked, looking with extreme anxiety toward Li Yuanba, and Li Cunxiao!

Looking at their condition, Han Xin's heart was simply bleeding.

Facing Ying Su's brows were knotted into a lump.

And fury burned within his chest!

Li Yuanba was the very foundation of his rebellion, but now… he had actually ended up in such a state!

Li Cunxiao—when Li Yuanba was not by his side, it had always been him protecting him!

Because of him, he had suffered far fewer assassinations, and because of him, he had once blocked Wang Jian's attack of a hundred and fifty thousand troops!

But now…

Facing Ying Su clenched his fists tight.

Fury brimmed within his chest!

Yao Yue bowed toward Facing Ying Su and said: "Li Yuanba, Li Cunxiao, and also Fan Kuai and Lu Wan—the poisons they took are all different!"

"Fan Kuai's appearance at first looked frightening, but the poison he and Lu Wan took was the lightest; they only need the corresponding antidote elixir to neutralize it!"

"However… Li Yuanba and Li Cunxiao are a different matter!"

"Although Li Cunxiao inhaled only a small dose, the poison has sunk in very deep!"

"Moreover, it is a strange poison, a deadly poison, extremely rare!"

"Li Yuanba was poisoned even more severely than Li Cunxiao; I have examined him, and his body took at least five or more kinds of poison!"

"Every single one is extremely lethal!"

"But don't worry, I am currently bleeding them!"

"Once the black blood is fully drained, I will then use my Shifted Flower Palace's specially formulated elixir to nurse them back!"

"In about two or three days, they can fully recover!"

"Oh!"

Hearing these words, Facing Ying Su finally breathed a sigh of relief!

If Li Yuanba and Li Cunxiao had truly perished here, then he would have had to unleash his ruthless move!

This one move could directly slaughter every single grassland person, regardless of man, woman, or child!

It could even… wipe them out root and branch!

Of course, he did not care at all whether the Xiongnu lived or died!

The main thing was… this method was far too destructive!

And if one was the least bit careless, it would spread to Great Qin, and even the people and livestock of the entire world would be unable to escape!

Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, he was unwilling to use such an inhumanly cruel and ruthless measure!

However, at this very moment, suddenly, an extremely urgent sound of galloping hooves came from outside the military camp!

A garrison soldier directly stepped forward and reported to Facing Ying Su:

"Your Majesty, the Xiongnu have broken out of the swamp!"

"They are charging toward us!"

"Broken out of the swamp?"

The moment these words left his mouth, everyone was shocked!

Wang Jian then bowed toward Facing Ying Su and said: "Your Majesty, before retreating, I had already instructed Qiao Feng and Lu Da to fight while retreating, to buy us time to withdraw!"

"Your Majesty, this place is dangerous; we should leave at once!"

He cried out!

However… Facing Ying Su did not speak, but instead looked toward Han Xin!

Han Xin, his gaze ice-cold, bowed toward Facing Ying Su and said:

"Your Majesty, I… I want to kill!"

Hearing these words, Facing Ying Su smiled!

No matter how shrewd old Wang Jian was, no matter how lofty his prestige, no matter how rich his battle experience!

In the end, he still did not understand Facing Ying Su's mind as well as Han Xin did!

Just look at how these two reacted differently when facing the very same situation!

One wanted to retreat, to preserve his strength!

While the other simply told him outright, I want to kill!

Of course, neither of these two approaches was wrong!

Moreover, there was absolutely no question of which was superior!

Wang Jian's style was steady and prudent; preserving strength should always be the top priority.

Likewise, this is the foundation for doing anything!

Without strength, everything is empty talk!

And what Han Xin wanted to gain was far more!

Not only must he preserve his strength, but he must also use the enemy's intentions to make them pay a price!

The two months of fighting around the Hulun Grassland were the best example of this!

But as said before, between these two men's methods there was no question of superiority; each simply had his own strengths!

GLOSSARY:

【Li Yuanba, Han Xin, Wang Jian, Li Cunxiao, Lu Wan, Su Xing, Li Yuan, Facing Ying Su, Your Majesty, elixir, Yao Yue, Fan Kuai, Shifted Flower Palace, Xiongnu, Great Qin, Qiao Feng, Lu Da, Hulun Grassland】

However... Facing Ying Su appreciated Han Xin's approach even more!

"Without Li Yuanba and Li Cunxiao, how can we kill them?"

He asked.

Han Xin replied:

"Eighty li from here lies a swamp. This area is far denser and wider than the swamps beyond Hulun Grassland!"

"I want them to taste the swamp as well!"

"In this battle, even if we cannot annihilate them, we must make them pay an incredibly devastating price!"

Facing Ying Su nodded:

"You make the arrangements. The men I brought include the Eighteen Riders of Yan and Yun; each is fierce and skilled in battle, every one possessing the martial might to fight a hundred!"

"Lu Zhishen, this man can uproot a weeping willow by sheer strength; he is an invincible fierce general! He has both courage and strategy, understands some principles of warfare, and can be put to great use!"

"Xu Chu, this man is equally fierce, a tiger general! He too has courage and strategy; give him a thousand men to serve as an ambush force!"

"Lu Bu, like Xu Chu, he is incredibly ferocious and incredibly brave! But his flaw is courage without strategy; he must be used with caution!"

"Cao Zhengchun, this man has profound internal energy cultivation, possesses methods, has a sense of the big picture, and knows when to advance or retreat; he can be put to great use!"

"Qiao Feng, you have seen his abilities; I need not explain further!"

"Now, all these men are under your command. Use them however you see fit!"

He spoke, and instantly, everyone Facing Ying Su had brought, except Lu Zhishen and Qiao Feng, along with all the great generals under Han Xin's command, gathered together!

Han Xin took a deep breath; at that moment, he cast a glance at Facing Ying Su with immense gratitude.

Finally, he spread out the map, first checking the positions of Qiao Feng and Lu Zhishen, then spoke:

"First, send someone to tell Lu Da and Qiao Feng and the others to block them appropriately; they need not block at the cost of their lives. Their target is our main camp, the main army. For this goal, they can spare no cost; preserving their strength is best, but they need not return. Once their entire army has moved far away, two thousand men will lie in ambush around the swamp. When Chanyu Modu Chanyu Chanyu Modu's men return, block them desperately to delay their return!"

He issued the military order, and at that moment, shouted to the messenger: "This must be done quickly; do not delay!"

"Yes!"

The messenger responded and immediately rode off on a swift horse!

Next, Han Xin looked at Fan Kuai, pointed at the map, and said: "You and Lu Wan, each lead a thousand men to lie in ambush twenty li outside the swamp. When Chanyu Modu Chanyu Chanyu Modu's great army charges forward, simply raise the flags and shout from afar to create the impression of ten thousand troops; do not engage in direct combat!"

"If they pursue, you run; simply do not fight them directly!"

"If they do not pursue, you chase after them and slaughter chaotically; the moment they turn back, run immediately!"

"Lu Wan, keep an eye on Fan Kuai. If he dares disobey the military order, kill him immediately!"

"Yes!"

Lu Wan agreed, then slapped Fan Kuai across the face: "Did you hear? If you disobey the military order, I have the authority to kill you!"

"Damn it, if you have the authority, you have it, but why slap me!"

Fan Kuai, furious, wanted to slap back, but Lu Wan kicked him: "Damn it, did you forget when you slapped me in the swamp?"