Chapter 401: Three-Shift Tactics, Dog Walking Across Hezhou

The timeline rewinds to the day the war assignments were distributed.

On the Huangtu plateau.

The sun blazes so fiercely it hurts the eyes; the willow tips outside the camp tents remain motionless, and only the battle flags rustle as the hot wind lifts them.

Light specks leaking through the seams of the tent roof cast flickering bright traces on the ground.

Inside the tent wafts a mixed scent of Horse Sweat, dust, and wheat cakes.

After receiving Chen Yan's orders to mobilize against Tuyu Hun, the four of them entered this tent.

Wang Xiong sat at the innermost main seat, his dark‑colored narrow‑sleeved war robe cinched at the waist, outlining a sharp shoulder‑back line; the soap‑colored edges of the collar and cuffs were stained with unbrushed grass fragments, and he opened, "Before we set out, the four of us still need to meet, discuss how to fight this battle…"

He then swept his gaze over the three opposite, his Adam's apple moving, "How shall we fulfill the Grand General's charge…?"

His face was full of solemnity.

Wang Xiong knew this mission was of great importance, concerning the Hezhou war situation, and could not be taken lightly; it required utmost caution…

Hence he specially called a small meeting to pool ideas and confirm the battle plan!

Dou Luling lifted his head, the eyelids that had been drooping suddenly flung open, a thick, impenetrable solemnity layered over them, with a faint, barely perceptible hoarseness, "Hmm, this is a tough bone to chew…"

He paused, inhaled deeply, and continued, "Tuyu Hun has four thousand cavalry, eight times our strength!"

The embroidered‑clad envoy had already gathered clear intelligence on Tuyu Hun; the cavalry to be fought are four thousand…

Our side's gap with them is a full eightfold!

Helian Shi straightened up; years of gripping reins had left thick old calluses on his thumbs, and as he brushed the coarse hemp map, faint white marks were left, and he added in a deep voice, "Moreover, this time the Crown Prince himself leads the troops!"

Besides the manpower gap, another difficulty was thrown out…

The biggest difference between a Crown Prince leading troops and a regular commander lies in the morale boost he brings!

Adding to that, the Tuyu Hun cavalry, previously the Liuren rebels who had broken into the Tongtian Society, have been burning, killing, and looting heavily in Hezhou; their momentum is at its peak.

Their strength is overwhelming!

Wang Xiong, after listening, slammed his right hand onto his temple, his fingertips kneading his throbbing temples, and let out an involuntary hum.

The shoulder line of his dark war robe relaxed slightly from the movement, adding a few unmistakable hints of difficulty to his earlier composure.

He waved away a dazzling speck of light leaking from the tent top, leaned his body forward a bit, and fixed his gaze on the three faces in turn, "Do any of you have a plan in mind?"

Just as silence was about to settle, He Ba Le suddenly sprang up with a swoosh, his eyes whirling rapidly in their sockets like polished glass, and a teasing smile curled at his mouth, "Subordinate General has an idea…"

Wang Xiong's furrowed brows instantly relaxed; he leaned forward eagerly and waved his hand, "General He Ba Le, speak quickly!"

Dou Luling and Helian Shi simultaneously turned their heads, their gazes snapping toward He Ba Le.

The former wore a hint of surprise on his face, the latter squinted slightly, clearly not expecting this fellow to be the first with an idea.

He Ba Le leaned in, elbows braced on the table, finger pointing at the edge of the map, his voice tinged with slyness, "General Wang, the Grand General's order to us is to mobilize Tuyu Hun's cavalry and keep them away from Fuhan City!"

He paused, deliberately stretching his tone, scanned the three faces, then broke into a grin, "Then we don't need to overthink it; we can use the simplest method…"

It must be understood that the order from Grand General Chen was not meant to send them to certain death…

Nor was it to force them to use five hundred cavalry to annihilate all four thousand Tuyu Hun cavalry…

It was about relocation!

"He Ba, are you saying…"

Wang Xiong's eyes flashed brightly, his hand on his temple dropping, his knuckles tapping lightly on the table, his tone firm, "Provocation?"

"Right!"

He Ba Le blinked, flashing a grin that showed two rows of white teeth, his cunning deepening, "Continuous harassment, stir up their anger!"

Given the disparity in forces, winning a battle is still very hard…

But is fanning the fire hard?

It's downright easy!

Who wouldn't pull a cheap trick?

Dou Luling slapped his hands sharply, his tense face finally breaking into a smile, his fingertips tapping lightly on the table, "Good idea!"

Beside them, Helian Shi did not answer immediately; his brows furrowed slightly, his fingers absentmindedly rubbing the wolf‑head emblem cloth on the table, his eyes scanning the map back and forth.

After a moment, he looked up at the three, his tone cautious, "The idea is good, but how can we make them pursue us in droves?"

"Now that's a big problem!"

Provocation is easy, but even moving a thousand, even two thousand, is only half—still far from fulfilling the order to relocate Tuyu Hun's cavalry…

How can we make the Crown Prince of Tuyu Hun willing to commit all his forces?

Wang Xiong's mouth curled into a playful smile, his previously clenched brows fully relaxed, he curled his fingers, tapped the map lightly, his tone full of confidence, "Not difficult!"

Having said that, he lifted his eyes to the puzzled Helian Shi, a hint of cunning hidden in his gaze, and asked meaningfully, "Helian, what if the one leading the provocation is our Grand General, the world‑shaking Lord Chen Yan?"

Helian Shi heard only clouds and fog, confused, his brows knotting, he leaned forward, his fingers instinctively tugging at the collar of his war robe, "What does that mean?"

The Grand General must go to rescue Fuhan, first crush the Tongtian Society and the Liuren rebels…

He can't possibly be in two places at once, can he?

Dou Luling seemed to realize something; his eyes lit up like a torch, he sprang upright, his finger darting quickly on the table, "Brother Wang, I get it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he snapped his fingers crisply, his gaze burning as he looked at Brother Wang, "You intend to seize a Chen battle flag and then a set of the Grand General's armor, right?"

If that's truly impossible, then we'll make a fake…

And recreate the atmosphere of the Grand General's presence!

The main plan is a ruse, mixing fake with real…

Anyway, Tuyu Hun doesn't recognize the Grand General, especially on the battlefield, it's hard to identify him!

Most people don't they, by flags and armor?

"Indeed!"

Wang Xiong nodded slowly, his smile widening, a hidden calculation surfacing in his eyes, half‑smiling, "With Great Zhou's soldier‑immortal present, how could Tuyu Hun not give chase?"

Great Zhou Poet Immortal, Director of the Bright Mirror Office, Duke of Wei, Grand General of the Rapid Cavalry, undefeated in a hundred battles, the favorite minister of the Grand Chancellor......

And another most crucial one, the legitimate grandson of Chen Hu Lao Zhuguo, who once heavily damaged Tu Gu Hun—does this carry enough weight?

"General Chen" is an excellent bait!

Especially when, outnumbered but striking, risking oneself, Tu Gu Hun feels the victory is assured, the advantage is on my side.....

That Crown Prince cannot help but be swayed!

After all, whether we capture, kill, or win, we not only flaunt our power before the various tribes of Tu Gu Hun, but also prove our ability to the Tu Gu Hun king.

Dou Luling immediately clapped his hands and laughed loudly: "Brilliant plan!"

But as soon as the laughter faded, the smile on his face dimmed, as if he recalled something; his brows furrowed again, his finger sliding back and forth along the long line on the map: "But Tu Gu Hun's cavalry is coming in force, surely they are elite....."

"If you chase and I flee, they will tire, and we will likewise become fatigued....."

Obviously, Dou Luling realized a crucial issue:

Tu Gu Hun's cavalry rides fine horses from Hexi, whose stamina will certainly not be weaker than their warhorses.

"You chase, I flee" tugging, horse and rider dash back and forth; even if Tu Gu Hun cannot catch up, the stamina loss is on both sides....

If close combat truly occurs, lacking stamina and numerical advantage, then.....

Just as the atmosphere inside the tent grew tense, Helian Shi rubbed his jaw and smiled, the old callus on his fingertip brushing his short beard, his eyes suddenly brightening: "This solution is actually simple...."

He paused, then said meaningfully: "We can divide our cavalry into three groups!"

"Continuous harassment and rotation, taking turns to rest!"

All five hundred cavalry charge at once, fatigue will be shared by both sides.....

But a three‑shift rotation can perfectly solve this problem!

Our troops have time to catch their breath between movements, maintaining the harassment momentum without exhausting stamina.

One unit goes to harass, two steps take time to regroup.....

Each retreat darts toward a preset hidden spot, Tu Gu Hun's cavalry simply cannot catch up.

When they turn back, the next unit can slip in to provoke!

Repeating this, we can also wear down their stamina and their surging momentum!

Wang Xiong listened, nodding repeatedly, then smacked the table hard with his right hand, sprang to his feet; the hem of his dark military robe swept the ground with his movement, the sword hilt glinting coldly in the sunlight, and he laughed: "Good, very good!"

His gaze swept the three inside the tent; in his eyes blazed fierce battle intent, with a hint of determination: "Now that the plan is set, let's set out!"

Wang Xiong was already looking forward, to chase that "dog" Tu Gu Hun across all of Hezhou......

Huang River region.

A cold wind rose in the evening.

Sand and gravel whirled, striking the tent of Tu Gu Hun's camp, producing a crackle.

Inside the tent two oil lamps burned, their dim yellow light stretching the shadows of the four men long, the air filled with the scent of ghee and Mamajiu.

Tu Gu Hun Crown Prince Xiahou Shun leaned sideways on the couch, twirling a jade‑inlaid horse whip between his fingers.

Opposite him, the burly Zhong Lifang slammed a bowl onto the table with a heavy thud, splashing a few drops of wine.

The man's face was covered with a wiry beard, a fierce knife scar on his left arm; his voice was as rough as ground stone as he said: "The Tongtian Society is truly useless, after all this time they still haven't taken Fu Han City!"

He grew angrier as he spoke, slapping his thigh: "No wonder they were driven by Zhou State, from Qinzhou to Hezhou....."

"Never mind, we have already surrounded Fu Han City!"

Xiahou Shun merely swung the horse whip leisurely, his eyes untroubled, smiling nonchalantly: "After we finish taking Hezhou, we can still go aid them later......"

This Hezhou expedition was truly a full‑bowl harvest.

Since that old brute Chen Hu severely wounded them years ago, Tu Gu Hun hasn't attacked Zhou State's grass valleys like this for a long time.....

This time, even the stones will have two taels of oil scraped off!

"Exactly!"

Su Hegui ran a hand over his sparse chin beard, his triangular eyes narrowed to slits, his gaze brimming with uncontainable greed, "Once we take Fu Han City, we can loot again....."

He leaned forward, rubbing his hands, his tone growing more excited: "That's the Hezhou administrative seat, it must have plenty of good stuff!"

Having said that, he laughed heartily again, the oil‑lamp light reflecting on his face, clearly revealing his greedy demeanor.

At that moment, a "whoosh" of arrows whistled from outside the tent.

Immediately, with a "pop", a flaming arrow streak pierced the tent roof.

It landed near the Mamajiu bowl on the table, the charred smell rising, the splashed wine instantly ignited by the sparks, a small cluster of flames leaping up.

"What is happening?"

Xiahou Shun sprang up from the couch, the jade‑inlaid horse whip snapping against the table edge, his face turning pale, he shouted sternly: "Where did the arrows come from, where did the fire come from?"

The Personal Guard outside the tent hurried in, sand still clinging to their armor, reporting quickly: "Crown Prince, the Zhou army is attacking!"

"The flags bear the character Chen!"