Chapter 351

As soon as these words were spoken, the court hall immediately echoed with voices of agreement.

The ministers all expressed their approval, praising nonstop the original decision to marry off the princess.

Si Xiaofei gave a slight smile, secretly feeling relieved in his heart.

Originally, sending the imperial princess to marry was intended to stabilize the two eastern provinces, temporarily preventing them from rebelling.

Who would have thought that today it would become the lifeline of the Da Qian dynasty.

"The Crown Prince of Yun King is loyal and brave; convey my imperial decree: after the war ends, I will surely reward Su Aiqing generously."

He glanced over the ministers in the court hall, then said with relief.

The atmosphere in the court hall became much lighter because of this news.

The ministers all discussed Su Ye's righteous deed and the future direction of the northern border war.

Si Xiaofei turned to a messenger and spoke in a low voice.

The ministers knew that although the northern border war remained severe, at least they now had a glimmer of hope.

"Now, our focus is the northern border. The Ye Sha army must not be underestimated; we must give it our all."

He secretly calculated in his heart that Meng Zhang of Gan Prefecture's southern region in the Da Qian dynasty was now his own man, so the war in Lu Prefecture would not drain him too much.

Gu Changqing surveyed the generals, then spoke firmly.

The struggle between the Da Qian dynasty and the Ye Sha army will inevitably result in mutual loss.

His letter has already been sent, yet the wording in it is not entirely sincere.

He gently set down the jade pendant in his hand, rose, and walked to the window to gaze far into the horizon.

Inside the grand tent, a gentle breeze blew, causing the letter on the table to flutter lightly.

For now, this war is merely a game to him.

Meanwhile, in the Cangzhou great camp of Wu Prefecture, Su Ye sat quietly in the grand tent, playing with an exquisite jade pendant in his hand, his face showing an unfathomable smile.

There, is the north that will soon become a battlefield.

The messenger received the order and departed, while the discussion in the court hall continued.

By then, Su Ye, who commands the Cangzhou great army, and Meng Zhang, who sits in Lu Prefecture with hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turban elite troops, will be able to reap the benefits like a fisherman and become the true victor of this war in one fell swoop.

"Quickly inform the Grand Tutor of this news, so he can set his mind at ease and march north."

In the southern battlefield's encampment, Gu Changqing has already made a decision.

"With General Su Ye's support, we can temporarily set aside the southern front."

He summoned his subordinates, including Jiu Ling and the other generals, and announced his plan to march north to the northern border.

This ploy of borrowing a knife to kill is precisely to have Gu Changqing lead the Da Qian main force north to fight to the death with the Ye Sha army of the Da Qian dynasty's northern region.

And he, his role is to be the behind-the-scenes manipulator of this game.

Outside the window, the wutong leaves swayed in the wind, dappled sunlight fell on the desk, reflecting Su Ye's deep eyes.

Su Ye came back to his senses, turned and walked back to the desk, gently smoothing out that letter.

He sat down again and began to meticulously plan his next move.

Meanwhile, in the wilderness of Heng Prefecture, the autumn wind was bleak, and the battle flags rustled loudly.

At this moment, the 30,000-strong Cangzhou great army has arrived, accompanied by a squad of five Five Elements Armor warriors specially reinforced by Su Ye, each clad in gold, wood, water, fire, and earth colored armor, their presence like a rainbow.

"Gentlemen, you have come from afar; I, Wei Qing, am deeply grateful."

"But the war is urgent; we must plan carefully to achieve success in one battle."

Wei Qing dismounted and paid respects one by one to Li Minnan and the five others, speaking with a solemn expression.

"General Wei, your words are too heavy; the lord has specially instructed us."

"We are willing to follow the general's dispatch and jointly resist the Ye Sha army."

The leader, the Flame Dragon Armor Li Minnan, clasped his fists and said.

"We five have come; we will share weal and woe with General Wei—please give the order."

The Xizhao among the five also expressed his stance.

"Everyone, please stay calm and not be impatient; I have a plan that can break the Ye Sha army."

Wei Qing gave a slight smile and waved his hand.

Upon hearing this, everyone focused their attention and listened carefully.

"The Ye Sha army's attacks have been fierce these past days, but arrogant troops are bound to lose."

"I intend to advance by retreating, showing weakness to the enemy, then strike a fatal blow when they become overconfident."

Wei Qing continued.

"Does General Wei mean that we should temporarily refrain from fighting and conceal our strength?"

Originally, Beimiao, who was displeased about having to obey orders from Wei Qing, a commander who came in through the back door, frowned and said.

"Exactly so. The 30,000-strong army and the five divine generals are our trump card."

"If we fight now, although we could win, it would be hard to annihilate the enemy completely; better to wait for the right moment and settle everything in one stroke."

Wei Qing saw Beimiao's displeasure, but he didn't take it to heart and nodded.

"But if the Ye Sha army fails to make progress after a prolonged attack and then retreats, what then?"

Wu Dongshan beside him said worriedly.

"I have my own clever plan to make the Ye Sha army unable to stop."

A glint of sharpness flashed in Wei Qing's eyes.

Having said that, he then explained his strategic deployment in detail to everyone, including how to show weakness to lure the enemy on the battlefield, how to set traps, and when to launch the general assault, etc.

"General Wei's plan is excellent; we will surely defeat the Ye Sha army soundly."

Li Minnan's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly.

"Exactly so, we are willing to follow the general's orders."

Kunzhong, who had been loafing and silent, also chimed in from the side.

Wei Qing looked at the crowd, feeling greatly relieved.

"This battle concerns the lord's grand plan; I hope you all unite and overcome these difficulties together."

He took a deep breath and spoke solemnly.

The soldiers shouted their assent in unison, their voices shaking the clouds.

Afterward, Wei Qing began his strategic deployment, while the 30,000-strong Cangzhou army and the five Five-Elements Armored warriors secretly stationed themselves in a hidden spot near Hengzhou City, awaiting the opportunity.

At this point, Wei Qing's army and Yan Qifeng's Night Slaughter Army had been facing off for over a month.

Both sides were seeking the other's weakness, hoping to win in one fell swoop.

However, Wei Qing appeared unusually composed at this time; he deeply understood the principle that arrogant troops are bound to lose.

Therefore, even after receiving reinforcements of the 30,000-strong Cangzhou army, he did not reveal it, nor rush to launch a decisive battle.

Instead, he concealed it, planning to reveal this trump card at the most crucial moment!

Under Wei Qing's clever deployment, his army appeared to suffer successive retreats on the surface, but in reality he was luring the Night Slaughter Army deeper, cultivating their arrogance.

Whenever the Night Slaughter Army launched an attack, Wei Qing always ordered the soldiers to offer slight resistance before an orderly retreat, letting the Night Slaughter Army mistakenly think their side was fragile.

This strategy indeed worked, and the Night Slaughter Army's morale rose ever higher.

Especially the Night Slaughter Army's strongest War God, Gongsun Yang, now brimming with fighting spirit and considering himself invincible.

Originally, in the first battle he had been severely wounded by Ran Min of the Feather Forest Army; he ought to have learned his lesson and stayed vigilant.

However, under Ran Min's strategy of repeatedly showing weakness and feigning inability to defeat Gongsun Yang,

Gongsun Yang gradually forgot the painful lesson of the first battle, becoming ever more arrogant.

First time, when the Night Slaughter Army surged like a tide, Wei Qing ordered the frontline soldiers to offer slight resistance before an orderly retreat.

The Night Slaughter Army, seeing this, raised a heaven-shaking cheer, thinking the Wei Qing army cowardly, and thus attacked even more recklessly.

Second time, Wei Qing again ordered the soldiers to retreat at the critical moment, abandoning part of the baggage and provisions.

The Night Slaughter Army soldiers, seeing this, scrambled for the spoils, and their morale rose even higher.

Yan Qifeng, although he sensed something, saw the soldiers' morale like a rainbow and did not intervene.

Third time, Wei Qing repeated the tactic, but this time he secretly set up an ambush.

When the Night Slaughter Army again fell into the chaos of fighting over the spoils, the ambush troops suddenly burst out, inflicting considerable casualties on the Night Slaughter Army.

However, Wei Qing did not pursue the victory, but again ordered the army to retreat.

(End of chapter)