Chapter 1074

The Eldest Prince was not reassured by Xu Dingguo's tactics; he studied the map repeatedly, over and over, but could find no flaw, and unable to devise a better tactic himself, he could only give his approval.

"When does the General plan to use troops?" the Eldest Prince asked.

Xu Dingguo's expression turned solemn, and he said in a low voice: "Tonight, the army will march under the cover of snow for eighty miles to launch a surprise attack; at dawn tomorrow, the ambush forces will also be in position."

"General Xu, have you already surveyed the terrain in advance?"

"The terrain around Modu Mountain hardly needs scouting; my men could find it with their eyes closed, Your Highness, you can rest assured." Xu Dingguo said confidently.

The Eldest Prince pondered, nodded, then suddenly asked: "In that case, does Modu Mountain have only a small garrison?"

"Only eight thousand troops can be left behind." Xu Dingguo said.

"The reinforcements you requested are still en route, and our current forces are limited, so we have no choice but to do this. Therefore, I can only lie low by day and move at night, attacking at dawn."

"That bastard Chen Wuji is truly vicious! I have no idea how much confidence he has in his own troops—he initially split his forces into three routes, then arrogantly divided them into seven, which really disgusts me."

"I now have to attack Chen Wuji's forces west of Modu Mountain, while also guarding against enemy harassment from the east; worse still, I don't know where his scouts keep popping up from, appearing and disappearing like ghosts!"

The Eldest Prince didn't say it aloud, but muttered to himself in vexation: "They couldn't win when they split into three routes, and still couldn't win when they split into seven; I'm damn disgusted too—how did I end up choosing such a blockhead as you?"

Seeing the Eldest Prince silent, Xu Dingguo assumed he was worried about Modu Mountain's defenses and immediately reassured him: "Your Highness, there's no need to worry; although eight thousand troops are few, Modu Mountain is easy to defend and hard to attack, and Chen Wuji won't be able to take it so easily."

"I have scattered the eight thousand troops across the strategic passes; even if Chen Wuji learns of our movements and tries to divert us, we can hold out until this battle ends."

When Xu Dingguo didn't say "don't worry," the Eldest Prince actually wasn't that worried.

But his confident remark made the Eldest Prince suddenly feel uneasy.

"Can't you reallocate some troops, General Xu? Eight thousand seems too few!" the Eldest Prince said. "And with those eight thousand scattered among the passes, each gate has only a few hundred men."

Xu Dingguo clapped his hands and shouted: "My great Highness, as Deputy General I'm also like a clever wife unable to cook without rice—our forces are just this many; we can't cover both fronts. If we take the offensive, we'll have to burden the defending brothers; otherwise, this battle simply can't be fought."

"If I send out troops in four routes and our numbers are too low, we'll just be handing military merit to Chen Wuji's subordinates."

Upon hearing that, the Eldest Prince asked: "I just looked at the map and saw that the enemy's Northern First Camp isn't far from our border army's Shenggong River garrison; why not divert this force to be the main attack, while you send only a small contingent forward?"

The so-called Northern First Camp is merely a label they devised for convenience, applied to several troops of Nan Jun.

"These good-for-nothings, Your Highness, you'd better spare them—just let them guard the garrisons!" Xu Dingguo said with utter disdain. "Of the three major garrisons totaling 200,000 troops, only mine under my command still looks like a force; the other two garrisons are now almost empty shells."

"I, too, am frustrated—with such a formidable force, I never even asked them to take the offensive; the main force has always been my subordinates, while they merely defended and provided support to nearby cities. Yet the result is that, in just two months, Chen Wuji has slipped past them and left them with less than half their original strength."

"If it weren't for your protection, Your Highness, given my temper, I'd have beheaded those frontier army commanders! They can't get the job done—replace them with someone who can!"

The Eldest Prince was left speechless by the retort, feeling a bit embarrassed.

This matter, indeed, was his doing.

The person was also kept by him specifically to restrain Xu Dingguo.

After he realized that Xu Dingguo might not be so easy to control, he sent people to have a deeper exchange with several frontier army commanders; they got along well, each having their own thoughts.

He despised Xu Dingguo's poor battlefield performance, but this Left General's ability is neither outstanding nor inadequate—it's middling.

Compared to the enemy, Xu Dingguo looks like a waste, but when measured against those several frontier armies, he can be considered skilled at using troops; although he has suffered successive defeats, his reduction in forces is indeed the smallest so far.

"General Xu, first calm yourself; mistakes on the Battle Formation are inevitable, but at such a critical juncture, I believe we should still employ them." the Eldest Prince advised.

Xu Dingguo waved his hand dismissively: "Your Highness, no need to keep urging me—I despise that bunch of good-for-nothings! If you could get the heavy-armored cavalry from the Third Prince's command, I'd be glad to use them; but as for the frontier troops, forget it—I'd rather suffer myself."

"……"

The Eldest Prince looked speechless.

Lao San's heavy-armored cavalry also caught his eye, but ever since Lao San was captured by Chen Wuji, even the imperial court can't order that cavalry to move, let alone him.

No one knows where that force is now.

……

"Report!"

"Report to the lord, the Uyghur forces at Modu Mountain have moved!"

In the deep night, within the brightly moonlit camp, the scout's call suddenly rang out clear and sharp.

Soon, lights lit up in Chen Wuji's Zhongjun Camp.

Chen Wuji, still half-asleep, practically shot up from bed in a spring-like motion, eyes still closed, already beginning to put on his clothes: "Summon them in, quick!"

"Yes!"

Chen Wushuang quickly summoned the scout inside.

"Report to the lord, the enemy has moved; this is an urgent dispatch sent from Modu Mountain half an hour ago!"

The scout produced a short, lacquer-sealed bamboo tube, held it with both hands, and handed it to Chen Wuji.

Chen Wuji took it, tore it open quickly, glanced briefly at the slip's content, and said to Chen Wushuang: "Wushuang, summon the generals for a council; the entire army must prepare for battle at once!"

"Yes!"

After a cup of tea, Xu Zengyi and Guo Shuhan entered first.

"My lord, has the enemy moved?" Xu Zengyi asked anxiously.

He had been feeling a bit anxious these past two days.

Since following Chen Wuji, this is the first time he has issued a Military Order to him.

He had planned it very thoroughly, believing nothing should go wrong.

But five days passed in a flash, and the enemy at Modu Mountain didn't even show a ghostly trace, which made him suddenly unable to sit still.

"They've moved!" Chen Wuji said in a deep voice.

"At the hour of Xu, the Modu Mountain enemy poured out of their nests, split into two routes, then each split again into two; the scouts of the northern two routes' reconnaissance camp, judging by the paths, believe they are heading for the garrisons of Chen Baoja and Feng Linchuan."

"The southern two routes' movements are currently unclear, making it hard to judge their purpose."