Chapter 702: Holding the reins, not chasing, letting the tiger return; the Path of Balance tames the Grassland

Two days later.

At the border between Lingzhou and Xiazhou, yellow sand stretched endlessly, and banners blocked the sun.

The Great Zhou Left Martial Guard's main army resembled a winding black dragon, slowly spreading across the earth.

After two days of rest and feasting, tens of thousands of soldiers were invigorated, their armor bright, and the soaring vigor seemed capable of parting even the clouds above.

Chen Yan wore military attire, draped with a Black Qilin Cloak, and his Wuzhui Horse beneath him was extraordinarily swift.

He was surrounded by the generals at the center, his expression calm, his authority unspoken, like a moon embraced by countless stars.

"Report—!"

Just as the army marched, two swift horses thundered forward from ahead.

The mounted rider was not in armor but wore a black brocade embroidered with flying fish, a messenger of the Mingjing Office.

The two messengers dismounted with a swift roll of the saddle, their movements extremely crisp, kneeling on one knee and presenting an urgent sealed report sealed with wax.

"Your Excellency, I report! Latest urgent news from the front!"

"Because the Turkic forces launched a surprise attack on the Rouran Royal Court, the Rouran Khan Nuhe Ti led the entire army to break camp two days ago and rush north to reinforce! The Qi State commander Ku Di Gan, seeing the unfavorable situation, used the three thousand Vanguard Camp as a decoy to assault Licheng, while the main force seized the chance to retreat north in panic, now having withdrawn a hundred li beyond Licheng!"

"The siege of Licheng is lifted!"

The news exploded among the generals like thunder on a plain.

"Good! Very good!"

Lu Ming, whose stature was like an iron tower, was the first to lose restraint; his face flushed with excitement, and the forty‑pound horse‑spear he wielded whistled through the air as he shouted, "Your Excellency! This is a once‑in‑a‑thousand‑years opportunity!"

Lu Ming spurred his horse forward to Chen Yan, pointing north, his eyes filled with blood‑thirsty fervor: "Ku Di Gan is now a drowning dog! The Rouran have fled; he is alone and helpless, the perfect time for us to beat a drowning dog! If you give the Subordinate General two thousand elite cavalry, I guarantee we'll catch up, decapitate Ku Di Gan and that worthless Crown Prince, and use their heads as a ball for you to kick!"

"Even if we can't kill them all, we can trap them in the Guanzhong region so none can return to Qi State!"

"Indeed, Your Excellency, that's a big fish of forty‑to‑fifty thousand men. If we let the tiger return to the mountain and let them recover their strength, what will they do when they later come to attack us?" Peng Chong said, scratching his head in agreement.

The generals all clamored for battle, their morale soaring to the peak.

To them, it was like a hunt; the prey was wounded and fled—there was no reason not to pursue.

Yet Chen Yan sat upright on his horse, his expression unusually calm.

He gently tightened the reins; the Wuzhui Horse snorted and halted.

He was not swayed by the crowd's frenzy; in his deep, abyss‑like eyes flickered a composure and calculation beyond ordinary men.

A moment later, Chen Yan's thin lips barely moved, calmly uttering a command that left everyone speechless.

"Relay the order to the entire army."

"Rest in place, set up camp and cook. Let them go."

"Ah?!"

Lu Ming's copper‑bell eyes widened, nearly falling from his horse: "Brother‑in‑law? You… you aren't feverish, are you? Let them run? This is a duck that's already in the mouth!"

The surrounding commanders looked at each other, utterly unable to grasp what kind of remedy their own Crown Prince was selling in that gourd.

At that moment, the ever‑silent Marching Adjutant Gao Jiong rode forward slowly. He twirled a delicate horse‑whip in his hand, an inscrutable smile on his face, and spoke on Chen Yan's behalf:

"General Lu, generals, remain calm and do not be impatient."

Gao Jiong's voice was clear and orderly: "First, as General Wei considered at Licheng, although the Qi forces withdrew, their formation remains intact, still numbering over forty thousand. Ku Di Gan is also a renowned general of our time; though his retreat now is chaotic, he will certainly set up rear ambushes. If we press too hard, and the Rouran, not yet far, turn back midway, feeling the danger of losing their teeth when the lips are gone, they may strike back, leaving our army on this plain exposed to attacks from both front and rear."

"To annihilate a group of already terrified remnants at the cost of further losses among our elite troops is not a sound strategy."

Lu Ming opened his mouth, seeming to object, but he found some merit in the argument.

"Of course, this is merely a tactical consideration."

At this moment, the veteran General Wang Zheng, who had been following Chen Yan, stroked his beard and smiled, taking over the conversation.

In his murky old eyes flickered a wisdom he called "the big picture."

"A deeper meaning lies in the northern Grassland."

Wang Zheng pointed toward the distant north and said meaningfully, "These days the Grassland sees the rise of the Turkic, and that youngster Moheduo is no pond‑dweller."

"If we truly annihilate the Rouran, or utterly cripple the Qi forces, allowing the Turkic to seize the chance to absorb Rouran and unify the Grassland..."

He paused, his gaze sharpening: "Then, on this northern Grassland will arise a colossal entity stronger, more unified, and more aggressive than Rouran. That would be a true disaster for Great Zhou!"

Chen Yan finally nodded, a hint of approving smile on his face.

"Uncle Shi, you are thorough!"

Chen Yan spoke slowly, his gaze passing over the crowd as if piercing thousands of mountains and rivers, seeing the "brother‑in‑arms" Moheduo setting fire and looting on the Grassland.

"Moheduo is a wolf, and a wolf that cannot be tamed."

Chen Yan's voice grew icy: "I have used his hand to burn the Rouran's old den and lift the siege of Lingzhou; that is exploitation. Yet I must not let him truly rise, truly devour Rouran like a bear to the last bite."

"On this Grassland, there must be at least two, perhaps more, beasts tearing each other apart."

Chen Yan clenched his fist, his tone grim: "Thus, we must let Ku Di Gan go, and also let the Rouran main force return. Let Nuhe Ti carry his fury and hatred, bringing these tens of thousands of troops back to the Grassland."

"Only then will Rouran and the Turkic, fighting for survival and territory, tear at each other like mad dogs, never ceasing. The fiercer they bite, the more blood flows, the greater the consumption, and Great Zhou's Northern Border can finally enjoy peace, allowing Great Zhou to free its hands to deal with the south and east!"

This is the "Path of Balance".

It is not merely a war's outcome; it is a grand game with the world as a board and all beings as pieces.

Of course, Chen has another, more important reason he hasn't mentioned...

He cannot allow the Qi State's main force to be entirely buried in Great Zhou, otherwise it would truly give Hou Wanjing an opening!

After hearing this analysis, Lu Ming and the present generals felt a chill down their spines.

They looked at their own Crown Prince before them, a wave of unprecedented awe rising in their hearts.

Lu Ming patted the back of his head, chuckled, his fervor turning into complete admiration: "Brother‑in‑law... you really have it!"

Chen Yan gave a slight smile, then his expression hardened as he issued the final order.

"We will not pursue, but we must create enough momentum! We cannot let them go too comfortably."

"Lu Ming, acknowledged!"

Subordinate General present!

This Duke gives you a thousand light cavalry; you keep me far away, hanging ten li behind the Qi army.

Remember, only beat drums and gongs, only wave flags and shout, create the illusion of a massive army pressing the border, but do not engage in battle!

Chen Yan's mouth curled into a mocking cold smile: "This Duke will make them, along this road, unable to get even a peaceful sleep, rolling out of the borders of my Great Zhou in terror!"