Chapter 413: A single battle to win at least ten years of peace on the border!

The candlelight in the tent flickered, kneading the shadows in the corner into a state of dimness and brightness.

Heruo Dun stood in that dimness, the dark patterns on his black armor outlined by the light with fragmented silver edges.

He stepped forward slowly, a faint smile blooming on the corner of his mouth. His gaze swept over his old friends, his tone carrying a gentle, teasing quality: "Gentlemen, have you forgotten me?"

"A Dun?!"

Wang Xiong first subconsciously frowned, but when he saw the face of the person coming, his pupils shrank violently, his voice suddenly rising, filled with incredulous astonishment, his tail-end even trembling slightly.

Whether it was him or the other three, when they entered the tent just now, they were only focused on looking at the Grand General and reporting...

They truly hadn't noticed Heruo Dun, who had been standing in the corner of the tent all along!

Dou Luling had originally been just as surprised as Wang Xiong, but seeing Heruo Dun standing before him, he withdrew the surprise from his face and took two steps forward with steady strides.

He clasped his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping from the collar of Heruo Dun's black armor to the soles of his boots, then falling back to his right hand pressed against the hilt of his sword, his brows raised slightly, as if confirming some thought.

A moment later, he suddenly said "Oh," his tone gaining a bit of understanding: "I remember when you were in Chang'an, you were sent ahead by the Grand General..."

During these days of mobilizing the Tuyuhun, Dou Luling had almost forgotten that the first task Lord Chen Yan gave before leaving Chang'an was to Heruo Dun!

It was even earlier than ordering them to go to Weizhou to mobilize troops...

"Exactly."

Heruo Dun met their gazes, first nodding slightly, the smile on his lips fading a little, becoming more composed.

As he spoke, he raised his hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind his ear and smiled: "I held the Grand General's hand-written order and went straight to Shanzhou!"

After a pause, he teased: "If it weren't for you gentlemen worrying about insufficient troop strength, I'm afraid I would have had to stand in the corner a while longer to see when you would remember this 'missing' person..."

Chen Yan smiled indifferently and stepped forward half a step, his palm landing lightly on Heruo Dun's shoulder armor, saying: "A Dun brought over thirty-five thousand Shanzhou troops, as well as a large amount of military equipment!"

After a pause, he raised his voice and added: "Now, here under Fouhan City, we have gathered my Great Zhou's seventy-thousand-strong army!"

Now, in Chen's hands, the troop strength was extremely sufficient.

It was more than ten times that of the Tuyuhun prey!

The reason Heruo Dun went first and arrived a bit late was that, besides mobilizing the Shanzhou troops, he also had to forge caltrops and other military equipment...

He wanted to wrap up the dumplings thoroughly!

"Subordinate understands!"

Wang Xiong was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up violently, as if a dust-covered lamp had been suddenly lit, and he realized with a start: "Grand General, you intend to trap Xiahou Shun and the Tuyuhun army to death in Fouhan City!"

As he spoke, he took two steps forward and gave Chen Yan a thumbs-up, his knuckles turning white from the force, his tone filled with genuine admiration: "Brilliant!"

The six thousand-plus elite Tuyuhun cavalrymen came and went like the wind; if it were a field battle on the plains, let alone annihilating them, even winning would be difficult.

Moreover, if they saw the situation was unfavorable, they could retreat rapidly...

By using a stratagem to lure them into Fouhan, the warhorses couldn't run at all, completely eliminating the cavalry's high mobility.

The key was that under Lord Chen Yan's far-sighted deployment, there was sufficient troop strength to completely block them to death!

Yuwen Ze stepped forward half a step with a smile, his tone light as he added: "A Dun also brought Shanzhou's grain and fodder!"

At this point, he paused deliberately, looking at the suddenly relaxed brows of the few, the smile in his eyes deepening: "Combined with what Hezhou already had, we have enough grain and fodder to keep Fouhan surrounded until the Tuyuhun army collapses!"

Now that grain, fodder, and troops were all ready, the advantage was with their Great Zhou; there was no need to take the initiative to attack...

They could drag the Tuyuhun army to death and achieve the greatest battle results!

Moreover, this method could also greatly reduce casualties!

"Indeed!"

Chen Yan smiled indifferently and took the lead in walking toward the desk in the tent covered with the map.

Standing by the desk, he raised his hand to brush away the rolled-up paper at the corner of the map, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the tent, his tone carrying a gentle urging: "Gentlemen, look at the map!"

The five generals and Yuwen Ze heard this and immediately gathered around.

Their shadows fell on the map, tightly surrounding the location marked "Fouhan City," the candlelight dancing on the paper, making the lines of mountains and rivers appear dim and bright.

Chen Yan's fingertip pointed to the river valley thoroughfare on the map. Just as he was about to speak, as if thinking of something, he turned his head to look at Zhu Yi, who was guarding the tent: "Go and bring the meat porridge in!"

They had been rushing about for so long without stopping; he couldn't let them go hungry, could he?

It was just right to discuss tactical deployment while eating.

"Yes."

Zhu Yi replied in a deep voice.

Before the words had faded, he stood up and lifted the curtain. When his black cloak swept across the tent door, it brought up a gust of wind. His footsteps were light but not messy, and in the blink of an eye, he disappeared outside the tent.

Not long after, the tent curtain was lifted again, and he walked in quickly, carrying a black lacquer tray.

Seven bowls of ginger meat porridge were neatly arranged on the tray, fine white steam condensing on the edges of the porcelain bowls, the rich ginger fragrance mixed with the meat aroma instantly filling the tent.

Chen Yan's bowl of ginger meat porridge was placed at the corner of the map, white steam curling around his drooping sleeves.

He didn't bother to touch it, his fingertip pointing straight at the map, at the location marked "Fouhan City," and gently drew three lines along the markings of the East, West, and North city gates.

"After the Tongtian Society retreated and the siege of Fouhan was lifted, I ordered Prefect Liu, who was left in the city, to dig trenches and caltrop pits at the East, West, and North city gates!" His fingertip paused at a dashed line next to a city gate, his tone steady.

After a pause, he continued: "The trenches are over a zhang deep, with sharp wood buried inside; the caltrop pits are five paces outside the trenches, with sharpened wooden pillars slanted and inserted, and thorns wrapped around them—if the Tuyuhun cavalry try to break out from these three places, their warhorses will either step into the trenches or be pierced by the caltrop pits, making it impossible for them to break through our defensive line!"

Before going to pacify the Tongtian Society and riding to Fenglin City, Chen Yan's task for Prefect Liu Zhuang was not just to relocate the commoners...

There was also this major project!

Moreover, Prefect Liu completed it extremely well; he was a rare talent...

What truly amazing strategic vision... Wang Xiong couldn't help but exclaim in his heart, his gaze solemn, his fist clenched and knocking on the desk, saying in a deep voice: "With trenches and caltrop pits, it will be difficult to break out!"

"It can also greatly reduce the deployment of troops..."

Wang Xiong was immensely admiring of Chen Yan's attainments in using troops.

As long as one understood some military affairs and connected it with the previous arrangements and deployments, one would know how terrifying these far-sighted predictions were...

It was simply leading the opponent by the nose!

However, what Wang Xiong didn't know was that Chen had once truly studied the existence of that god of warfare...

"Correct!"

Chen Yan's fingertip didn't leave the map, pointing sequentially along the markings of the East, West, and North city gates, and said loudly: "At the East, West, and North city gates, I have allocated fifteen thousand troops each!"

After saying this, his fingertip slid gently and finally landed on the map, at the location of the South City Gate of Fouhan City, his finger pad rubbing repeatedly over that spot, his voice rising a bit: "And at the South Gate where you entered the city, I have deployed over twenty-five thousand..."

Because he had to leave the South City Gate open to let the Tuyuhun enter the city, there was no geographical advantage of traps, so he could only surround them with a greater advantage in troop strength.

The two hundred and forty riders out of the remaining three hundred cavalry in his hands were also all here!

Helian Shi had been leaning over, staring at the map, his gaze following Chen Yan's fingertip as it flowed between the city gates and the river valley.

He picked up the porridge bowl and brought it to his lips, the boiling hot porridge sliding down his throat, but he only tasted a hint of excitement. He casually set the bowl back on the desk, his voice filled with agitation: "In this way, these six thousand-plus elite Tuyuhun cavalrymen will have wings and still find it hard to escape!"

"Even that brat Xiahou Shun is a piece of fat meat by our army's mouth!"

Yuwen Ze held the porridge bowl, his fingertip gently scraping the edge of the bowl. After hearing Helian Shi finish speaking, he slowly raised his eyes, a playful arc on his lips.

His gaze fell on the three characters "Fouhan City" on the map, his tone carrying a hint of nonchalance, yet hiding absolute certainty: "Eating them up is only a matter of time..."

The grain in the city had almost been completely moved out...

The six thousand-plus Tuyuhun army could only kill horses to satisfy their hunger and barely hold on for a few days.

But that couldn't change the final outcome!

The ending was already destined!

Dou Luling's hand pressed on the edge of the map, his knuckles exerting slight force, his gaze locked onto the symbol marked Tuyuhun, his eyes burning like two clusters of light, even his voice adding a hint of interest: "Without these six thousand-plus elite cavalrymen, the Tuyuhun will definitely suffer a major blow to their vitality!"

This wasn't a brainless female-oriented TV drama where there were hundreds of thousands of iron cavalry just like that...

One had to know that raising cavalry, especially elite ones, was very costly to national power; calling them gold-swallowing beasts was not an exaggeration!

And this was almost more than half of the Tuyuhun's family fortune...

Dou Luling knew very clearly that they would follow Lord Chen Yan to win at least ten years of peace on the border in one battle!

"Indeed!"

Chen Yan nodded slightly, expressing agreement, but his gaze was not on Fouhan...

Instead, it fell on the edge of the map, on the border line bordering the Tuyuhun.

There, a winding dashed line was drawn with light ink...

His eyes were filled with depth.

Just at this moment, the tent curtain was suddenly lifted, and the evening wind wrapped in sand and dust rolled in, blowing the candlelight to sway violently.

You Xian walked quickly to the desk with some hurried panting and said: "Lord, the Tuyuhun are charging the formation from the South City Gate!"

——

PS: During the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, the cavalry combat force was 50,000 to 80,000.

And during the Kaiyuan and Tianbao periods, when national power was at its most prosperous and peak, it was 120,000 to 180,000. ===== CHAPTER 414 =====