Chapter 619

The night was as dark as ink.

At the southern foothills of Lu Shan, the False Song Army's main camp.

Campfires stretched continuously, like a giant fire centipede crawling in the darkness.

But looking closely, in the shadows between the firelight, the sentries' steps were lax, and faint yawns could be heard.

Inside the central commander's tent, however, lights blazed brightly.

Wang Jun had taken off his armor, wearing only a brocade robe, sitting beside the charcoal brazier.

He held a delicate silver wine cup, his face showing a wavering expression in the flickering firelight.

Seated below him were several trusted generals, and two Jin envoys in Jin attire, their expressions arrogant.

The atmosphere was somewhat delicate.

"General Wang."

A Jin envoy, speaking stiff Chinese, said:

"My marshal (Wanyan Zongbi) has ordered me to ask again."

"When can your army march north to join us in attacking Luoyang?"

"Our army is at Yanshi, yet we have been eagerly awaiting day and night."

Wang Jun took a sip of wine, then spoke slowly and deliberately:

"You envoys can see that our troops have just arrived, the soldiers are exhausted, and transporting supplies also takes time."

"Yue Fei is rebellious, holding a strong city, and has newly taken Luoyang; his morale is high."

"Rashly advancing would give him an opportunity."

"It is better to steady our positions and plan slowly."

Another Jin envoy snorted coldly.

"'Plan slowly'? General Wang, are you perhaps intending to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, waiting for our army and that Yue barbarian to exhaust each other before swooping in for the spoils?"

"My marshal said that if your army continues to hesitate, the previous agreement to 'divide the river and jointly destroy the rebels' may…"

He did not finish his sentence, but the threat was evident.

A flicker of anger passed through Wang Jun's eyes, but his expression remained unchanged.

"You overstate it. I, Wang, am wholly devoted to suppressing rebellion for the Imperial Court; how could I have divided loyalties? It's merely that in warfare, steadiness is key. Thus, allow me three days to rest, then three more days to prepare; three days hence I will lead my troops north to meet your army for a hunt beneath Luoyang's walls. How does that sound?"

The two Jin envoys exchanged a glance and nodded reluctantly.

"Then we will wait three more days. I hope General Wang keeps his word."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the two Jin envoys finally left, disgruntled.

Only Wang Jun and his trusted aides remained in the tent.

"General, are we really marching north in three days?" a deputy general asked in a low voice, "Yue Fei's troops are no easy foe. Yancheng……"

"Shut up!" Wang Jun interrupted irritably, "I, the commander, have my own discretion!"

He certainly knew how formidable Yue Fei was.

He also knew that the several ministers in Lin'an, as well as the Jin people to the north, were all using him as a tool.

But he had no choice.

Qin Hui's secret letter made it clear: if he won this battle, he would become a renowned general of the restoration, ennobled and made a minister.

If he lost, or hesitated and did not advance… the old and new scores would be settled together.

"Pass the order down."

Wang Jun set down his wine cup, his eyes turning sinister and fierce.

"Tomorrow we will break camp, advance twenty li forward, and set up camp at Shahe Dian."

"Send out more scouts to ascertain the true and false dispositions of Yue Fei's army at the northern foothills of Lushan."

"And furthermore…"

He lowered his voice.

"Keep a tight watch on those few 'treasure' wagons. Without my order, no one may approach them, let alone move them without permission!"

"Yes!"

……

Under the same night sky.

In a concealed valley on the northern foothills of Lushan.

The allied forces' temporary camp was utterly silent.

No campfires.

No clamor.

Even the warhorses had been fitted with bits and their hooves wrapped.

Zhang Jian, hand on his sword, stood on a large rock at the valley mouth, gazing south at the continuous stretch of campfires.

Behind him, five thousand elite troops stood motionless in the darkness.

Like a crouching pack of leopards.

These were all tough soldiers he had carefully selected from the old units of the Yue Family Army and the Northward Aspiration Army.

They were well-equipped and high in morale.

More importantly, each of them carried in his bosom a faintly warm "Northward Aspiration Order" secondary subordinate token.

Before departure, Wang Ru, following the method left by Chen Wen, had already given this core group a basic "endowment imprint."

Although the effect fell far short of Chen Wen's personal application, it also noticeably enhanced their night vision, endurance, strength, and so on.

At this moment, everyone was waiting for the order.

Footsteps sounded softly.

Wu Yong and Wang Ru walked over together.

"General Zhang," Wu Yong said softly, "I just received a secret report from the southern spy."

"Wang Jun has already held a secret talk with the Jin envoy; under pressure, he promised to march north in three days."

"He plans to break camp tomorrow and march to Shahe Dian."

"Shahe Dian..." Zhang Xian immediately visualized the terrain of that area in his mind.

Both sides are gentle slopes, the middle is the official road, near the Sha River, the terrain is relatively open, good for encampment, but also... good for ambush.

"It's a good spot," a flash of cold light crossed Zhang Xian's eyes.

"Wang Jun is a man of grand ambition but little talent, and he loves to bluster," Wu Yong said, lightly shaking his feather fan, "He surely thinks our main force is hunkered down in Luoyang, the southern line is just a flanking detachment to block, and he dare not take the initiative."

"Moreover, his army is a mix of factions; his direct troops and the auxiliary forces transferred from Huainan and Jinghu have considerable contradictions."

"With Jin troops mixed in, the chaos is even greater."

"At this moment, they have just arrived, their footing is unsteady, the troops are arrogant and lax..."

Wang Ru's face, her voice icy cold: "This is exactly a good opportunity to raid the camp."

Zhang Xian nodded slowly.

The order from Marshal Yue to him was "Hold firm for half a month, delay the enemy army."

But it didn't say he couldn't take the initiative to attack.

Passive defense is an inferior strategy.

Seizing the enemy's unprepared moment, fiercely biting off a chunk of flesh, hurting him and disrupting his deployment, that is the true meaning of "delay."

"Mr. Wu, Lady Wang, what do you think—how should we fight?"

Wu Yong already had a plan in mind.

"We must not launch a strong assault on their main camp."

"Even if Wang Jun is utterly incompetent, a camp of tens of thousands cannot be chewed through by just five thousand."

"We should avoid the strong and strike the weak."

"From my observation of the terrain at Shahe Dian, their grain and supply wagons must be stationed at the rear flank of the camp, near the water source and on higher ground."

"And those few mysterious 'ox carts' of Wang Jun's are surely also nearby."

"Our forces can be divided into three routes."

"One route, about a thousand men, led by a bold general, carrying fire oil, 'buzzing thunder' and the like, will silently approach from the western gentle slope at midnight, specifically to raid their supply camp and those few ox carts."

"Arson, to create chaos as the main goal."

"The second route, two thousand men, personally commanded by General Zhang, will lie in ambush in the woods three li north of Shahe Dian. When their supply camp catches fire and the camp falls into great chaos, they will surely send troops to rescue. At that time, General Zhang can lead his forces to sally out, intercept midway, and strike hard at their reinforcements."

"The third route, the remaining two thousand men, will serve as a reserve, hidden farther north; first, to guard against Wang Jun becoming enraged and throwing his whole army into the fray; second, to be ready to support the withdrawal of the first two routes at any moment."

"The key to this battle lies in being swift, fierce, and ruthless!"

"Strike and withdraw immediately, never linger in battle!"

"Objective: burn their grain and grass, destroy their 'strange carts,' kill their reinforcements, and throw their morale into chaos!"

Zhang Xian listened, then pondered for a moment.

"Feasible."

"However, the thousand-strong raiding squad carries the greatest risk; it needs a commander who is bold, meticulous, and fearless of death."

His gaze swept over the officers standing solemnly in the darkness behind him.

"Niu Gao!"

A figure as tall as an iron tower stepped out from the crowd.

"The subordinate is here!"

"I appoint you to lead the thousand-man raiding squad; are you capable?"

Niu Gao grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, which looked somewhat grim in the darkness.

"General, rest assured! I'll definitely burn the nest of those soft-legged shrimps upside down! Those few broken carts, I'll smash them to pieces!"

"Good!" Zhang Xian patted Niu Gao on the shoulder, then looked at another steady officer: "General Wang Gui, though ordered to the western front, his deputy Fu Qing is brave and skilled in battle, capable of leading two thousand ambush troops."

"As for the reserve..." Zhang Xian fell into brief contemplation.

Wu Yong said: "It can be led by General Zhang's deputy. General Zhang, you need to personally go to the front lines, command the interception, and seize the battle opportunity."

"That's settled then." Zhang Xian declared decisively.

He looked toward Wang Ru.

"Lady Wang, liaison and rear affairs..."

"Leave it to me." Wang Ru said briefly: "I will ensure the retreat route remains clear, and monitor the movements of the Jin troops and the northern bank. If any abnormality occurs, I will give warning immediately."

"Thank you for your effort."

The plan has been decided.

Everyone fell silent, saying no more.

Each quietly returned to their respective units to make final preparations and mobilize.

In the darkness, only the faint sounds of swords being drawn, crossbows inspected, and oil barrels bound could be heard.

And there was that suppressed, heavy, excited breathing.

The zi hour (midnight) was approaching.

Dark clouds covered the moon.

The cold wind howled, masking the slightest movements.

Niu Gao led a thousand elite death warriors, like specters melting into the night, along the rugged mountain path, silently sneaking toward the southern camp where lights flickered sparsely, a vast encampment.

Zhang Xian and Fu Qing also each led their troops into the preset ambush positions.

The valley returned to silence.

It was as if nothing had ever happened.

But the air was already filled with a chilling, imminent killing intent.

Wu Yong and Wang Ru stood at the valley entrance.

Gazing southward.

"If this battle succeeds," Wu Yong whispered, "it can at least buy Luoyang another ten days."

Wang Ru nodded silently.

Her hand unconsciously pressed against her chest.

There, besides her usual dagger and hidden weapons,

there was also that cold, unresponsive mother talisman.

My lord…

She gazed at the pitch-black night sky to the east.

On your side, has the time to draw swords also come…?