Chapter 46: Suicide Scheme

The Young Marshal thus led over 150 people to strike despite the enemy situation not being fully clear; Zou Ying realized there was no way to stop it, hurriedly dispersed the remaining troops, and, without even assigning a mission, rushed back to Sand Spring to find Xu Rong.

The troops below were originally divided according to river basins, not according to the private arrangement made by Wei Zidan and Tan Ping, so the school‑uniform girl, who is the lord of Shalan River South Bank, followed the Young Marshal into battle.

Everyone dispersed, each returning to Sand Spring, leaving Li Bucai and Qian Feng on the empty ground.

"Ah, gold leaf, gold leaf, it looks like the first gold leaf is about to be snatched up by the Tan family brothers. Damn it, the days ahead are only getting tougher," Qian Feng patted Li Bucai's shoulder and sighed.

Li Bucai originally hoped to concentrate forces to protect Sand Spring, and after securing a stable base, then discuss sending troops; otherwise, if defeated, there would be no place to retreat to, and they could be forced out of Luo Ping Hai, leaving even Sand Spring as no foothold, making a counter‑attack impossible. If the commander were Zou Ying, it would be manageable, but the Young Marshal holds a prejudice against him; bringing him out now would be useless. The current Zou Ying only knows the commander's safety and can no longer look after Sand Spring; should the commander fall, the consequences are obvious, so a remedy must be found.

Li Bucai laughed, "Gold leaf! It's not that easy to obtain; you can't expect it without risking death nine times over. Since Lord Qian is so interested in gold leaf, dare you join me for a little fun?"

Qian Feng replied oddly, "Oh? You think... you aren't trying to chase after it just to join the fun!"

"Chase after and follow our wise and great Young Marshal? I'm afraid we might be wrapped up like dumplings before we even know what to do. First, go find General Zou," he said, then turned to Wu Zhuoran: "Zhuoran, you all first prepare more fresh water and food, then wait for me at the tent."

"Hmm," Wu Zhuoran replied lightly, and according to his orders, the five fetched water, while Rushi and Xiaoxiao lit a fire to prepare food.

At Sand Spring, Zou Ying had just rushed back and was preparing to have Xu Rong lead over a hundred soldiers from Sky City to reinforce the Young Marshal.

Upon entering, Li Bucai said, "General Zou, you intend..."

"Ah, the Young Marshal is youthful and hot‑blooded, and overly loyal; I'm afraid the rebels might deliberately lure the enemy and use provocation tactics, which would surely trap the Young Marshal, so I intend to send General Xu forward to lend her a hand," he said, turning to Xu Rong: "Take 100 men and go ahead, staying behind. If the Young Marshal camps at the pass, set up camp five li from her; if you see the Young Marshal rashly advancing, intervene immediately."

Li Bucai said, "General Zou, you intend to sacrifice General Xu's troops entirely."

The two were startled and asked quickly, "Lord Li, why say that?"

"The rebels have gathered troops twenty li away, clearly trying to lure us into battle; if it were General Zou leading the troops, it would be better, not so easily drawn out. Given the Young Marshal's character, not to mention General Xu, even General Zou himself going there might not be able to stop it."

The two nodded.

Li Bucai continued, "If the Young Marshal bursts out of the pass, we still don't know what lies beyond the mountain; advancing recklessly like this, we lack any advantage of weather, terrain, or morale. Should the Young Marshal be surrounded, General Xu would have to come to the rescue. If I were a rebel commander, I would know the Young Marshal wouldn't advance alone with only her own troops; I would set an ambush along the road, so that when the Young Marshal's forces pass, if no reinforcements arrive they would be cut down, and if General Xu's troops arrive, they would be caught off guard; after taking General Xu, I would block the Young Marshal's retreat and then strike from front and rear..."

Zou Ying heard this, paced back and forth for a while, then in a deep voice said, "If so... General Xu, order everyone to assemble."

Li Bucai hurriedly asked, "General Zou, you don't intend to mobilize the whole nest, do you?"

"Given the Young Marshal's nature, she will certainly go in alone; I must find a way to swap defenses with her before she launches her attack."

"If the Young Marshal doesn't comply, would General Zou dare to defy his superior and forcibly pull her back?"

"This..." If the Young Marshal were to unleash her princess temperament, even the Emperor couldn't handle her, and indeed she wouldn't dare. "Then, Lord Li, what can you do?"

Li Bucai said, "Rather than sending troops to reinforce and incur unnecessary losses, it's better to let her go in alone. From yesterday's encounter we can see that the Young Marshal and her guards still have some skill, and with the Tan family brothers and others, they won't be wiped out quickly. I think the rebels' goal is not the Young Marshal nor us; together we are only about 400 people, which poses little threat to the rebels. If I'm not mistaken, they aim for Sand Spring; after seizing Sand Spring, they will use it as a base, gathering troops, and whichever direction they strike—left or right—they will form a pincer on the route. Our numbers aren't much greater than theirs; even if a main force is defeated, the rebels could shift from defensive to offensive, threatening the whole situation. Therefore, in my view, General Zou should focus all effort on protecting Sand Spring; otherwise, even if we temporarily rescue the Young Marshal, once Sand Spring is lost, the Young Marshal will inevitably face capture and death."

Zou Ying, feeling uneasy, said, "But... the Young Marshal is... Ah, in any case we must not let the Young Marshal encounter any mishap; if the Young Marshal is surrounded and we here are entangled by the rebels, unable to split forces, then the Young Marshal would be in danger, right? Ah, Lord Li, why didn't you say so earlier? I could have stopped the Young Marshal from going out."

Damn, I said you could block the Young Marshal? Moreover, I hadn't even finished speaking before the Young Marshal shut me up, calling me a shrinking turtle.

Li Bucai said, "People must be saved, and rather than letting General Xu lead over a hundred to certain death, let Li Bucai take a dozen or so along the narrow path to try; though few, it still forms a two‑pronged attack and might yield greater gains, and we can also scout the enemy's strength."

"Narrow path? Lord Li, are you referring to that ant tunnel?"

Li Bucai nodded, "If we can pass through the ant mountain via the ant tunnel, we could strike from behind unexpectedly. I think the rebels will likely use that ant tunnel to attack Sand Spring; time is tight. If General Zou agrees, after I go in, we should try to seal the ant tunnel."

"Seal the entrance? Whether the enemy comes through there or not, sealing it would leave Lord Qian with no way back?"

"Otherwise what? Chase the Young Marshal, and even General Zou can't stop her; once we go, she'll just absorb us into her ranks and keep fighting—a drop in the bucket, of no use. If the commander falls, how many days can Sand Spring hold? Time is urgent; we must break through before the rebels. If General Zou trusts Li Bucai, then please issue an order: to prevent Sand Spring's loss, Li Bucai only needs to take Lord Qian, his men, and their troops."

After analyzing the whole situation, there was no other choice. Zou Ying gratefully said, "Very well, everything now rests on Lord Li and Lord Qian. Both of you must take care; I will have General Xu escort you to the tunnel entrance." He handed the two command seals to them.

Wu Zhuoran and the others had finished preparations and set off immediately, with Xu Rong leading over fifty people to escort them to Ant Mountain.

Xu Rong walked silently with his head down, and upon reaching the ant tunnel, suddenly said, "Lord Li..."

"Oh? General Xu, what orders?"

Xu Rong apologized, "I dare not give instructions; Lord Li dares to take risks that others wouldn't, truly bold, and I greatly admire you. This journey will be fraught with countless perils; please do not dwell on the previous incident. If it weren't for Lord Li, I would be following General Zou's command to rush to aid the Young Marshal, which would indeed be a difficult matter. So... thank you!"

The Young Marshal's advance to the Ant Mountain pass is inevitable; with only a minor deputy general, she cannot possibly be stopped. Once the Young Marshal moves forward, I will certainly have to disregard everything and follow to assist. I have no capable aide; if I fall into the rebels' ambush, not only could I not rescue the Young Marshal, I might not even survive, so I am deeply grateful to Li Bucai for using this daring, risky method to extricate me, and I greatly admire his courage. I think that if I were only allowed to take about twenty men deep into enemy territory and cut off the retreat, I would never dare propose such a suicidal plan.