Chapter 412: This empty-city stratagem is actually an empty city?!

Zhong Lifang widened his eyes, staring fixedly at that endless ocean of torches, his Adam's apple bobbing violently.

He reached out to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, his voice filled with incredulous astonishment: "With these continuous, unbroken lights, there must be at least tens of thousands of them, right!?"

Subconsciously, he leaned forward half a step, wanting to see the end of the formation...

But everywhere his gaze reached, there were only dancing flames and moving figures; he couldn't even find the edge of the flanks.

"No!"

Suhe Gui's face turned deathly pale in an instant. He swallowed hard, cold sweat seeping from his temples, his voice tight as he asked in confusion: "That dog-begotten Hezhou, where did they get such a massive army!?"

As he spoke, he subconsciously tightened his grip on the reins.

Even the warhorse beneath him seemed to sense its master's tension, pawing at the ground uneasily.

Niluozhou narrowed his eyes, his gaze locked onto the Zhou army's vanguard in front of the formation, his withered finger pointing at the very front row: "Look at those Zhou soldiers in the lead, holding powerful bows with strings pulled like a full moon..."

Everyone followed the direction he pointed and indeed saw the Zhou soldiers' bow limbs taut.

The arrowheads glinted coldly in the torchlight, densely aimed at the city gate.

Niluozhou swallowed, his tone growing increasingly grave: "If we charge over there, I'm afraid we'll be shot into sieves immediately!"

As he spoke, he closed his eyes, as if he had already seen the tragic scene of men and horses being struck by arrows, their bodies bristling with shafts.

It wouldn't just be like a hedgehog; it would be worse than a hedgehog!

In such a situation, whoever charges dies...

"Go!"

Xiahou Shun suppressed the panic in his heart, took a deep breath, and shouted sternly: "Quickly go to the other city gate!"

Before the words had even faded, he kicked his horse's belly hard. The warhorse let out a long neigh, turned its head, and galloped back into the city, racing toward the other gate.

The dust kicked up by the hooves blinded the soldiers behind him.

Su, Zhong, and the others dared not hesitate, hurriedly urging their horses to follow, with over six thousand cavalrymen trailing behind, racing wildly toward the East City Gate.

Upon arriving at the East City Gate, the scene before them once again made everyone's heart sink to the bottom:

On the plain outside, it was densely covered with caltrops and deer-fences.

The barbed logs were stacked in crosses, their sharp wooden spikes flashing with cold light under the torchlight.

Between the caltrops, crisscrossing trenches had been dug.

Near the trenches, one could vaguely see covered turf; they were clearly meticulously laid-out horse-trapping pits.

Further away, countless Zhou infantry were arranged in dense formations.

The long spears in their hands pointed diagonally at the sky, forming an indestructible "spear wall," firmly blocking the way out.

"Damn it!"

Zhong Lifang was so angry he hammered his horse's back, his voice filled with despair and rage: "That plain outside the gate is actually full of traps!"

The situation at the East City Gate was far worse than at the South City Gate...

With those things set up, the warhorses couldn't run at all!

Even if one could leap over one, it would be difficult to leap over a second...

Not to mention those Zhou soldiers guarding the outside.

"What a grand scheme!" Suhe Gui pulled on his reins, his brows knitted into a tight knot, his voice heavy, his tone filled with shock.

To be able to set up such a formation, it must have been meticulously prepared...

Xiahou Shun stared fixedly at the layout outside the city, his chest heaving violently; the panic he had previously suppressed completely turned into fury.

Then, he suddenly raised his horsewhip and lashed it hard against the stone slabs on the ground.

With a crisp "crack," the tip of the whip sent stone fragments flying.

He gritted his teeth and cursed, his voice hoarse with rage: "That insidious, cunning, and shameless scoundrel Chen Yan, he actually didn't hesitate to empty Fouhan City to use as bait?!"

His horsewhip was gripped until it deformed, his shoulders beneath his armor trembled violently, and his eyes were filled with monstrous rage and unwillingness.

He had thought victory was within his grasp, but he never expected that from the moment he stepped into Fouhan...

he had fallen into a trap meticulously woven by the other side.

This empty-city stratagem is actually an empty city?!

At that moment, Xiahou Shun felt some regret that he hadn't sent scouts to investigate first before rashly leading the entire army into the city...

He had vastly underestimated Chen Yan's level of despicability!

Niluozhou stepped forward half a step, placing his hand on Xiahou Shun's reins. The wrinkles on his face were bunched together due to his gravity, his voice overriding the surrounding panic: "Crown Prince, now is not the time to talk about these things..."

He raised his eyes to scan the Zhou army waiting in full battle array outside the city, then looked at the restless Tuyuhun cavalry behind him, his tone urgent: "The most pressing matter right now is how to escape!"

Cavalry defending a city?

Heh!

Trapped in a lonely city, with no grain or fodder inside and no reinforcements outside, the worst-case scenario Niluozhou had previously anticipated had finally appeared...

The night was deep.

In the camp outside Fouhan City.

The oil candles in the central command tent were burning brightly, the orange light casting fragmented shadows on the ground through the gaps in the tent curtains.

"Subordinate Generals Wang Xiong (Dou Luling) (Helian Shi) (He Ba Le), return to report!"

"Fortunately, we did not fail the Grand General!"

Their armor was still stained with night dew and dust; as soon as they stepped into the tent entrance, they stopped in unison.

Their right legs stepped forward half a step and bent at the knee, their left hands pressed against the hilts of their swords at their waists, their right hands clenched into fists above their foreheads—their movements were neat and uniform.

Although everyone's chins were covered in messy, drooping beards and their eyes were bloodshot, they were still sharp and bright.

In front of the main seat in the tent, Chen Yan was leaning over, looking at the city map on the desk. He straightened up after hearing the sound.

Seeing the four of them salute, he hurriedly stepped forward two steps, his hands supporting them in the air: "My Great Zhou's meritorious officials, you have all worked hard these past days!"

His eyes were filled with appreciation.

These four had not only successfully completed the mobilization of the Tuyuhun army...

but had also wiped out over eight hundred cavalrymen in mobile warfare at the cost of losing only fifty-odd riders.

With an astonishing disadvantage and casualty ratio, they had over-fulfilled their mission!

"Serving Great Zhou, we dare not speak of hardship!" The four stood up and said in unison.

Hearing this, Chen Yan's mouth curled into a gentle smile. His gaze swept over their dust-covered faces, his tone filled with concern: "I presume you gentlemen haven't had a proper meal in a long time, have you?"

"I have already prepared hot soup and food for you gentlemen!"

As he spoke, he raised his hand to signal outside the tent.

Chen had prepared freshly cooked meat porridge and flatbreads long ago, wanting these meritorious generals to have a good meal to soothe their exhaustion.

After a pause, he solemnly added: "We shall honor your achievements after the battle!"

Hearing this, the fatigue on the four men's faces seemed to be dispelled by the warmth, and their eyes were filled with emotion.

Helian Shi was the first to cup his hands: "Thank you, Grand General!"

"Thank you, Grand General!"

The other three also bowed, cupping their hands in unison.

Just as the four generals were about to turn and go outside the tent to eat, Wang Xiong suddenly stopped. As if he had suddenly remembered something, he turned his steps back to the desk, cupped his hands, and asked: "Forgive my loose tongue, but I wonder how the Grand General intends to deal with this Tuyuhun army?"

Dou Luling turned around, his expression appearing even graver under the candlelight, and echoed: "Although Xiahou Shun's talent in using troops is mediocre, he holds over six thousand elite cavalrymen, which is not easy to deal with!"

Between the lines, there was nothing but worry.

It wasn't that they were arrogant or underestimated the enemy, or looked down on the Tuyuhun Crown Prince...

To be mobilized like that with an absolute advantage in troops and still suffer significant losses—his ability was evident.

It was just that while the main general might be incompetent, the combat power of those six thousand-plus elite Tuyuhun cavalrymen could not be underestimated...

After all, their side didn't have an equal number of cavalry; they didn't even have a tenth of that number now!

The disparity in strength was undeniable!

"Indeed!"

Helian Shi nodded heavily, his sturdy figure moving forward half a step, his voice carrying a hint of gloom: "The Tuyuhun are coming aggressively and will not retreat easily..."

He raised his hand to touch the scars on his black armor, his tone filled with concern: "If we hold Fouhan, the surrounding commoners will surely suffer!"

Helian Shi could foresee how much destruction the six thousand Tuyuhun cavalrymen, unable to break through Fouhan City, could cause to the surrounding commoners...

It would definitely be burning, killing, and looting—a scene of utter devastation!

"Rest assured!"

Chen Yan smiled indifferently, unperturbed: "Our army will neither fight the Tuyuhun head-on, nor will we let them harm the commoners!"

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pressed down lightly, signaling them to be at ease.

Hearing this, Wang Xiong's face showed some confusion. Not understanding, he asked: "Grand General, forgive my dullness, but what do you mean by this?"

The candlelight in the tent flickered gently. Yuwen Ze, who had been standing quietly in the corner, suddenly spoke, his voice clear but carrying a hint of certainty: "Xiahou Shun has already led the Tuyuhun cavalry into Fouhan without hesitation!"

"They can no longer fight our army in the field, let alone harm the commoners!"

As he spoke, the corner of his mouth curled into an arc, full of deep meaning.

"The Grand General has let the Tuyuhun into Fouhan?!"

Hearing this, Dou Luling was stunned, extremely surprised, and raised a new question: "Then what about the commoners in the city?!"

"General Dou, stay calm!"

Yuwen Ze smiled enigmatically, his tone playful: "On the way out through the city, did you notice anything unusual?"

Helian Shi was thoughtful, almost blurting out: "It seems they weren't commoners!"

Wang Xiong seemed to realize something and raised his eyes: "Could it be...?!"

"Exactly."

Yuwen Ze nodded and smiled: "A Xiong has already moved all the commoners of Fouhan out!"

"The Grand General intends to trap Xiahou Shun to death in Fouhan?!"

Wang Xiong and the four looked at each other, suddenly grasping Chen Yan's intention, and then immediately connected it to a crucial problem: "But our troop strength isn't enough!"

To surround Fouhan City, wouldn't you need at least seventy or eighty thousand troops?

But the Weizhou troops previously mobilized were only five thousand, the main force of cavalry combined was only seven hundred-odd, and the remaining Hezhou troops, let's count them as thirty thousand...

That still left a gap of thirty or forty thousand!

Hearing this, Chen Yan blinked, his mouth curling into a meaningful arc as he playfully countered: "Who said it wasn't enough?"

After saying this, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers crisply. ===== CHAPTER 413 =====