Chapter 103: The Wolf is Coming

Kutu glanced at the vast mountain range behind him.

Turning back, before him lay the flat, open land of Yan Commandery.

The Cavalry behind him continuously emerged from the mountain range, gathering before him.

Here, they would split their forces and head toward their respective hunting grounds.

"Tamu, you lead your troops east. Remember, take everything you can carry, and burn everything you cannot." Kutu pointed his horse whip toward the east.

That was where Ping County, home to Yanguan, and Liaojun were located.

The Great Song Imperial Guards in these two commanderies were a constant threat to the Jinning Regional Military Commission.

In every Autumn Hunt, they would severely devastate those areas to cause trouble for the Great Song Imperial Guards.

"Charha, you lead your troops west. Seize everything that can be looted, especially the people; we need slaves and craftsmen." Kutu pointed toward the west.

According to news brought by the scout teams, due to the war between Xiliang and Great Song, many commoners from Jinzhou had fled to the three counties west of Yanzhou.

Now was the perfect opportunity to abduct these commoners.

"If you encounter Xiliang soldiers, do not get entangled; there is no need to add another enemy right now." Kutu deepened his tone, reminding Charha.

He was well aware of this capable subordinate's irritable temperament.

Currently in the North Territory, Xiliang, Great Song, and the Northern Di were all wary of one another, and none trusted the others.

Therefore, they had always avoided worsening their relationship with Xiliang.

Otherwise, it would be quite troublesome if Great Song and Xiliang joined forces against them.

Of course, they did not fear a coalition between Xiliang and Great Song; they simply did not want to expend the extra effort.

However, he was also very clear that there would eventually be a war between the Northern Di and Xiliang.

Because they were both filled with desire for the land of Great Song.

It was just that there was no need for conflict right now.

"Yes, Great King." Charha and Tamu acknowledged the order and returned to their respective troops.

With a blast of ox-horn horns, a wooing sound rose up.

The Northern Di Cavalry let out howls, whipping their horses into a frenzy and kicking up clouds of dust as they galloped toward their respective hunting grounds.

"Muto, let's move out." Kutu looked ahead.

There were still over forty li of road left before they would reach the first county seat in the north of Yan Commandery: Wuan County.

Another blast of ox-horn horns sounded, and the massive Cavalry force slowly moved forward.

At the same time, groups of Cavalry detached from the main force and galloped in all directions.

These Cavalry units were in groups of two hundred to three hundred men.

Their objective was to head into the countryside to plunder the supplies and population of Yan Commandery.

"Hurry, hurry..."

The North Gate of Yancheng.

Past noon, the city gate commander urged the commoners to enter the city as quickly as possible.

According to the notice they had posted, they had one quarter of an hour left before they would seal the city.

By then, apart from those holding a personal decree from Yan Wang, no one else would be allowed to enter.

Under the commander's urging, pedestrians and carriages quickened their pace.

When there was no one left on the official road, the commander gave a shout, and with a "Boom—", the city gates were tightly shut.

At the same time, the city gates in the other three directions were all closed.

Yancheng was officially sealed.

"Your Highness, our Lv Family disciples have all arrived. If there is anything you need, just say the word, whether it is helping to defend the city or transporting supplies."

The Council Hall of the Prince's Mansion was currently filled with the Heads of the Family of the Rich Clans of Yan Commandery.

Perhaps they could no longer be called Rich Clans now.

Because they had lost their land and no longer had private soldiers; they were now merely a community of interests attached to the Prince's Mansion.

Therefore, in the face of this Autumn Hunt, they and the Prince's Mansion were unprecedentedly united.

This situation was unprecedented in Yan Commandery.

The commoners in the city felt it was like a dream to see these former Rich Clans gnashing their teeth at the Northern Di one by one.

"That's right, Your Highness, do not underestimate us family disciples; we are absolutely not afraid of fighting the Northern Di." Yang Cheng patted his chest.

Dong Yuan nodded in agreement, "Combined, our families can also scrape together over two thousand men."

"

Ever since his son became an official in the Chamber of Commerce, he had always been very proactive in responding to the calls of the Prince's Mansion.

Zhao Xu shook his head, "No need. You just keep your own clansmen in check. Do not cause trouble for this Prince in Yancheng during this period, otherwise, all punishments will be carried out according to wartime regulations."

Hearing this, the Rich Clans were somewhat disappointed, but within that disappointment, they also felt a sense of relief.

This showed that Yan Wang was very confident, and that was more important than anything else.

"Since that is the case, we shall return. If Your Highness has any orders, just send someone to inform us." Dong Yuan cupped his hands.

The other Rich Clans also stood up at this time, bowed, and exited the Council Hall one after another.

"These Rich Clans must be feeling very uneasy right now." Liu Fu said indifferently.

After the city gates were sealed, he suddenly became idle.

"You are no different." Zhao Xu glanced at him with disdain.

These Rich Clans had staked their entire fortunes on him.

If he were killed by the Northern Di this time, they would face the most insane retaliation from the Yuan Family and the Zhang Family afterward.

To say they were not nervous would be impossible.

After being mocked by Zhao Xu, Liu Fu immediately wished he could find a crack to crawl into.

He argued, "This subordinate thinks differently from them; in any case, if Your Highness dies, this subordinate will not live either, and will absolutely not survive by dishonorable means."

"Shut your crow's mouth; this Prince intends to live for another five hundred years," Zhao Xu glared at him.

"Yes, yes, yes, Your Highness is eternal, eternal, eternally eternal," Liu Fu immediately channeled his inner sycophant, his face full of a fawning grin.

Zhao Xu couldn't be bothered with him, had a horse prepared, and went to the city wall to inspect, with Liu Fu trotting along behind him.

They arrived at the North Gate.

Zhao Xu climbed onto the city wall.

Because Yan Commandery is located in the North Territory and faces the Grassland directly, the city walls here are built very thick.

During construction, the two sides of the wall were faced with blue bricks, and the middle section was rammed with earth.

This is also the common construction method for ancient city walls.

Therefore, the top of the Yancheng city wall is very wide, a full five meters, enough even to gallop a horse, and the height is also about fifteen meters.

At this moment, the soldiers of the Prince's Personal Army were stationed on the city wall at one-meter intervals.

Everyone was wearing heavy Plate Armor and holding fine swords, sabers, and shields; the sight was very reassuring.

And this was the source of his confidence in facing the Northern Di people this time—a military upgrade brought about by a technological leap.

Seeing him arrive, Chang Wei, who was commanding on the city wall, walked over.

"Your Highness, this general has moved all the Crossbowmen up; once the Northern Di people arrive, we will let them have a taste of our Arrow fire first," said Chang Wei.

Zhao Xu nodded; given the current military strength of Yancheng.

Even if the Northern Di people came with an army of one hundred thousand, they would likely be unable to take it by force.

For him, the most dangerous situation remained the city gate being breached from the inside.

If that happened, the Northern Di Cavalry would swarm into the city, which would certainly cause Yancheng massive losses.

Therefore, to achieve a great victory, he still had to rely on the trap he had set for the Northern Di people.

"Mm, putting on a show and fighting a battle is still necessary," Zhao Xu whispered, "Also, do not forget to prepare five thousand soldiers tonight."

Chang Wei understood.

This was a plan he and the Yan Wang had discussed long ago.

After closing the city gates, they would clear out the hidden dangers within the city that very night.

Afterward, they could lure the Northern Di people into the trap they had laid.