Chapter 384: Cunning Strategies Abound, Offense and Defense Swap Roles

The situation in the Western Regions is turbulent and ever-changing.

The various states have united solely to punish one man; Xiao Wuliang has marched his army forward, intending to rescue the Old Wolf King at once—yet unfortunately, He Ruo Qinhu has firmly locked the central city, holding Xiao Wuliang in place.

Yet Xiao Wuliang has brought ten thousand troops, with endless reinforcements and logistical support pouring in from behind.

Even though He Ruo Qinhu is a top-tier divine general, he cannot hold out long against double the enemy force, so he continuously writes letters, urging Lu Youxian and Anxi City to complete the encirclement.

Qin Yulong, meanwhile, advances methodically and steadily.

In his army, there is also Crown Prince Jiang Gao, serving as imperial inspector on the front lines.

Yuwen Tianxian and Yuwen Hua, transferred from General Yuwen Lie's forces.

Yuwen Tianxian remains at the peak of the Sixth Heaven, but the Seventh Heaven Master realm is not easily attained; Yuwen Hua has reached the peak of the Fifth Heaven, young and vigorous, battle-hardened, and may break through into the Sixth Heaven at any moment.

At this moment, Qin Yulong hands a secret letter to Crown Prince Jiang Gao; Jiang Gao thanks him, then flips through the Juan Sect records. Since losing power last year, this Crown Prince has endured much—most of his former guests and ministers have abandoned him, seeking fortune under the Second Prince Jiang Yuan.

An ordinary person would have been utterly crushed by such a fate.

Yet Jiang Gao's words and conduct remain unchanged—gentle, courteous, his spirit and vigor growing ever more resilient, as if this ordeal had refined him further: "It seems General He Ruo Qinhu is growing impatient."

Qin Yulong replies: "Xiao Wuliang is also a famed general of Chen. His Wu Gong is exceptional, his talent peerless; he is merely in his thirties, far younger than General He, and with his endless army, General He Ruo Qinhu cannot hold him back indefinitely."

Jiang Gao asks: "In your opinion, General, where will the Wolf King go?"

Qin Yulong answers: "Within Anxi City, there is Tian Ge'er—his Wu Gong is unfathomably profound, and he holds the city. The Wolf King will not wish to fight a desperate siege. On the western side, there is Chen's old turtle—Wolf King once attacked Lu Youxian's city and failed to take it in over a month."

"After careful thought, the most suitable target is also the one bearing the greatest pressure."

"It is General He Ruo Qinhu's position. If the Wolf King breaks through there and links up with Xiao Wuliang and his vast army, it will be like a coiled dragon ascending to heaven. Strategically, this will allow the Wolf King to regain his breath—next time you try to catch him, the opportunity will be gone."

Jiang Gao falls silent. As Crown Prince, he suspects Tian Ge'er is almost certainly Li Guanyi, but this intelligence has not been made public. Yet he does not know why his father sent him to the Western Regions, bringing with him Yuwen Tianxian and Yuwen Hua, both tied to the Tiance Prefecture.

Jiang Gao says: "You, follow the plan."

Qin Yulong nods.

He sighs inwardly—indeed, still the same Crown Prince.

After all, Yuwen Lie is the Crown Prince's confidant; He Ruo Qinhu belongs to the faction of the Second Prince Jiang Yuan. Even now, a pure brute like Qin Yulong can sense the winds of change swirling.

If He Ruo Qinhu defeats the Wolf King in this battle, the Second Prince Jiang Yuan's prestige in court will surge even higher.

Could it be that, at this moment, the succession of Great Ying is about to change?

The Crown Prince is already middle-aged—yet they still consider replacing the heir to the Eastern Palace.

This is a sign of great chaos.

Qin Yulong cannot help but sigh deeply, feeling that with wars raging across the land and the imperial succession in flux, this is truly an age of turmoil. Yuwen Tianxian manages the army; Yuwen Hua grips his spear, gazing at the vast sky of the Western Regions.

When he and his uncle Yuwen Tianxian were returned to Ying,

Yuwen Tianxian swore he would never meet Li Guanyi on the battlefield in this lifetime.

So at first, he and his uncle Yuwen Tianxian fought only between Chen and Ying—once confronting the Khagan's iron cavalry, and once fighting alongside Yuwen Lie against Chen's Night Gallop cavalry.

Now they have again been dispatched by Your Majesty to fight in the Western Regions.

Through campaigns across south and north, through endless battles, the youthful arrogance and impatience once on Yuwen Hua's body have long since transformed—he now possesses only quiet, fierce valor. He is a mature general.

He rides battlefields across the land, commanding elite professional soldiers.

Every action he takes shapes the fate of the world.

Yet despite being such a general, whenever Yuwen Hua awakens in the dead of night, he still returns to Jiangnan, to Zhenbei City, to the Fire Qilin Army, to those days of quarreling and leading troops with Fan Qing, the peasant-born commoner.

Yuwen Hua holds his spear, sitting before the camp, reaching out to catch a snowflake.

"Heh… Fan Qing, Fan Qing."

"I am about to campaign against the Wolf King, a famed general of the world. If you knew, you'd envy me, wouldn't you?"

"Now I command six thousand troops, fighting across the land, at the peak of the Fifth Heaven. You, in Jiangnan, live your peaceful life—ha, sometimes I truly wonder when we might meet again."

"Yet then I remember our natures, our positions."

"If we meet again, we will surely be sword to sword."

Yuwen Hua grips the snowflake and says:

"Then let us not meet."

He gazes at the boundless sky, closes his eyes, and remembers the early spring of Jiangnan.

On the Chen front, Lu Youxian presses down the secret letter, meticulously replies to He Ruo Qinhu, agreeing to join forces against the Wolf King, swearing solemnly to exterminate the traitor of Chen—the Wolf King, Chen Fubì!

Yet on the very day this letter is sent back, he writes a second secret letter.

He sends it via his trusted courier to the Wolf King!

Forming alliances and breaking them.

All know Lu Youxian is a general like an old turtle, famed for his defensive prowess—but for a world-renowned general to be so rigidly stereotyped, one cannot help but suspect he deliberately adopted this as camouflage.

A defender can be cunning.

In the letter, he openly reveals Chen Dingye's scheme.

He urges the Wolf King: even if you bear a grudge against the Chen Emperor, you must protect Chen Wenmian—you may come this way. Lu Youxian writes plainly:

"The world believes I am a defender—that is already the first deception. Your Majesty may feign an attack on me; they will assume I am skilled in defense and can hold out for a long time, and thus slow their advance."

"At that moment, I will feign defeat and open a path."

"Your Majesty may escape through it."

"Then enter the Xiyu Alliance—this siege will be broken."

"Though He Ruo Qinhu is a world-renowned general, he will never anticipate this. Then Your Majesty may join forces with General Xiao Wuliang and cut down the Ying general, He Ruo Qinhu—whether you kill him or not, you will severely damage Ying's prestige."

"You will remove one great opponent."

The Wolf King reads the secret letter, squints his eyes: "Lu Youxian…"

Neither He Ruo Qinhu nor Qin Yulong anticipated that Lu Youxian, the Chen general famed for invincible defense, would be the greatest vulnerability of all.

The reputation of defense, the glory of the guardian, can also serve as a single thread in a grand stratagem.

The Wolf King looked at the letter and sighed deeply. "The greatest defender of this generation."

"Others worry about your defense, but I think when this old turtle decides to strike, that's when he catches everyone off guard."

"Though you excel at defense."

"But can you protect your own life?"

He dismissed the envoy.

He gave the letter to Chen Wenmian, who fell silent for a long while, then said directly:

"I will never stand with Chen Dingye!"

The Wolf King looked at him and said: "If that's the case, wouldn't the greatest revenge against Chen Dingye be to take the one thing he's spent his whole life chasing—and then guide him toward an entirely different path?"

Chen Wenmian pressed his lips shut and said: "I only wish to use this sword to cut off Chen Dingye's head!"

"To avenge my mother!"

The Wolf King, Chen Fubì, said with righteous fervor: "How could someone like him—or even Dan Tai Xianming—have raised someone as upright as you?"

Chen Wenmian said: "A gentleman must walk with integrity even in chaotic times."

"Even if he dies, his name may be inscribed on bamboo and silk."

The Wolf King sighed: "A gentleman…."

He stared at Chen Wenmian, then suddenly smiled: "If that's the case, I'll find you a sworn older brother. If one day you don't know what to do, go find him."

A flicker of panic crossed Chen Wenmian's eyes. He looked at the Wolf King. At fifty-some years old, the Wolf King's martial power should never have aged so terribly. Chen Wenmian had always forced himself to ignore it—but now, hearing these words, how could he not notice?

The Wolf King's spirit surged: "Don't worry—I'm not that easy to kill."

"As for your older brother…"

"You're probably one or two years older than him, but as they say, the one who masters the Dao comes first—you don't need to argue. He's your older brother. Later, I'll introduce you to him."

Chen Wenmian said: "Yes."

The Wolf King said: "There's only one thing." Chen Wenmian looked up at the old Wolf King. Though the Wolf King's aura burned like fire, there was an odd dissonance to him. He reached out, hesitated, then pulled his hand back.

This bold, cruel warlord now seemed, for the first time, to feel his own hand was dirty—stained with blood, betrayal, and slaughter. It was unfit to touch the hair of this child before him.

He awkwardly withdrew it, wiped it on his battle robe, then pressed it against Chen Wenmian's head and rubbed gently.

Chen Wenmian felt warmth.

He heard the Wolf King speak gently: "No matter what happens."

"Don't hate your older brother."

"Understand?"

"In chaotic times, none of us are free."

Chen Wenmian trembled slightly, fell silent. He was clever—but as the Wolf King saw, he was also a gentle, upright gentleman. So he bowed his head and said: "Yes, Father."

The Wolf King smiled, returned the Wang Yin to the Lu Youxian envoy, then flipped through the letter several times before burning it in the brazier. Though surrounded, he remained calm, daily striking his sword and singing aloud, keeping his troops' morale high.

The Wolf King gripped his blade. Even in such dire straits, his spirit remained bold:

"Though a true man should rise in chaos and die with a final, glorious roar, if I haven't finished what I must do, how can I die so easily?"

"Hahahaha! Ambushed from all sides?!"

"Let this old man tear apart this so-called four-sided ambush for you!"

……………

In Anxi City.

As Li Guanyi read the letter from He Ruo Qinhu, a knock came at the door. He lifted his eyes slightly, and a young man with a gentle expression stepped in, bowed, and said: "Lord."

Li Guanyi casually set the secret letter on the table and gestured:

"Mr. Chen is here. Sit."

"Where's Breaker General?"

Wen He answered without changing expression: "Breaker General is sleeping soundly."

Li Guanyi was startled, then sighed. He motioned for Wen He to sit, then poured tea himself. Wen He habitually launched into lavish praise, then said: "Breaker General has worked tirelessly for a long time. I've come here with only one question."

"Lord, are you truly going to ally with He Ruo Qinhu now?"

"To strike down the Wolf King?"

Li Guanyi said: "What's your advice, Mr. Chen?"

Wen He shook his head and replied:

"Advice? Not quite. Just my usual instinct to preserve myself."

"The Wolf King has only fifty thousand troops here, while dozens of millions stand behind him. If He Ruo Qinhu captures and kills the Wolf King, the army's morale will collapse, and the Western Regions will immediately descend into chaos."

"Those scattered troops mean nothing."

"Once the Wolf King vanishes, Chen and Ying will see us as their thorn."

"Though I set fire to him."

"Still, I feel the sorrow of the rabbit's death and the fox's fear, the chill of the lips gone and teeth exposed."

Li Guanyi poured tea: "... I've thought of that, Mr. Chen."

"I didn't expect you to have sympathy."

Mr. Chen frowned: "Sympathy?"

"No, no, Lord—have you misunderstood? I only fear that without the Wolf King, Chen and Ying will turn on us. It's not reflection or pity. After all, both Chen and Ying border the Western Regions."

"They have sufficient strategic depth and strong rear supply lines."

"Our strategy isn't complete yet—we lack both. If we fight Chen and Ying here to the death, I always feel it's too unstable. I fear we'll lose."

Mr. Chen spoke plainly:

"I'm not regretting or feeling pity—I'm just afraid of dying."

A clean, refreshing stench of scum.

Li Guanyi twitched his lips; though it was improper, he somehow felt that any normal person who conversed with Mr. Wenhao would develop the illusion that their moral baseline had been significantly elevated.

Li Guanyi thought for a moment and replied: "Then, Mr. Wenhao, do you think Yu Langwang is easier to deal with, or He Ruo Qinhu?"

Mr. Wenhao pondered and said: "It seems the Lord has already formed an opinion."

Mr. Wenhao paused, then inquired about the situation in the Western Regions; Li Guanyi told him everything—in the time before Li Guanyi cast the Ding, the title Tian Kehan had already spread rapidly among the city-states, and naturally reached the frontline Western Region troops.

When the Nine-Colored Divine Deer brought Li Guanyi and Yao Guang back.

He also brought Fan Qing, along with General Wang Shunchen and a portion of Tian Kehan's forces, to the rear of the Western Region army; now, command there has changed, and Fan Qing and the Divine Archer General are in charge.

Mr. Wenhao then synthesized the intelligence he had gathered and said:

"Thus, it appears Lu Youxian's side may be Yu Langwang's point of breakthrough—this old rascal will likely feign defeat and let Yu Langwang escape; Yu Langwang and Chen Dingye seem to have reached some arrangement."

"If Fan Qing is there, we can turn his own plan against him."

Li Guanyi exclaimed: "How did you know this?"

Mr. Wenhao replied: "It was from my own blood brother, dear friend, and Lu Youxian's deputy, Lan Wendu."

"I paid him a great deal of silver to obtain this intelligence."

Li Guanyi asked: "Did he betray him?"

Mr. Wenhao said: "No—just like leaving footprints in snow, I deliberately left behind some trivial bits of information; the enemy acted based on what I gave them, and we can reverse-engineer their intentions and strategy from their reactions."

"This is the most basic quality of a strategist, my Lord."

Li Guanyi's focus was not on this basic quality; he only asked: "How much did you spend… how much?"

Mr. Wenhao extended one finger.

Li Guanyi ventured: "A thousand taels?"

Mr. Wenhao gently shook his head.

Li Guanyi's lip twitched: "Ten thousand taels? That… might be reasonable…"

Mr. Wenhao shook his head again: "Ten thousand taels."

"Ten thousand taels was the old price; it's gone up now."

Ten thousand?!!

Li Guanyi clutched his chest, feeling as though he had suffered a crushing blow—far more severe than Yu Langwang's might. After a long silence, he suddenly raised his hand and pressed it hard onto Mr. Wenhao's shoulder, grinding his teeth for a long while.

Then he exhaled, and said seriously:

"Well done!"

"This intelligence is worth far more than ten thousand taels."

Mr. Wenhao's expression remained calm: "My Lord…"

Then he felt the hand on his shoulder tremble, then grip tighter: "But… can we get it back?!"

Mr. Wenhao: "My Lord?"

Li Guanyi's eyes blazed; he stepped forward:

"Get it back!"

Mr. Wenhao sighed helplessly and laughed: "Yes, yes, yes, my Lord—rest assured, I will recover it for you, principal and interest included."

Mr. Wenhao and Li Guanyi spoke in detail for a full hour before leaving.

All sides were vying, each with their own plans; the situation grew increasingly tense. With Yu Langwang's supply lines cut, he could not afford prolonged entanglement—so on the third day, Yu Langwang suddenly mobilized his troops.

Leading them personally, fifty thousand soldiers surged forward in overwhelming force, heading toward the state of Ying. Qin Yulong struggled to match Yu Langwang's advance but was defeated and promptly withdrew, fortifying his position and refusing to engage, hoping to lure Yu Langwang inside and buy time.

Yu Langwang halted, set up camp, banners flapping fiercely, smoke from cooking fires visible.

Dust from troops moving back and forth could be seen.

Thus, Qin Yulong and Jiang Gao relaxed, planning to stall until Anxi's Li Guanyi and He Ruo Qinhu could encircle and strike—but Mingwang Zun's great general, General Yuwen, suddenly sensed something was wrong—

The camp showed only flapping banners and thick smoke.

Yet there was little noise, no signs of men or horses moving; General Yuwen was stunned. Without hesitation, he abandoned his usual tactics and, alongside Qin Yulong, personally led troops to investigate—only to find Yu Langwang's camp in utter chaos.

Everywhere lay abandoned supplies; even the large cooking cauldrons had been drilled through and smashed. Wagons and spare horses were discarded. The flapping banners and moving figures were merely ropes tied to horses, forcing them to gallop continuously to create the illusion.

Qin Yulong's face turned pale: "Damn! We've been tricked!"

"Yu Langwang used these broken pots to tie down our thirty thousand troops!"

"He left this place long ago!"

Jiang Gao and Qin Yulong, still young, were fooled by the old, cunning Yu Langwang's feint. They immediately rallied their troops and chased the trail—but grew increasingly distant from Yu Langwang.

Yu Langwang's army feinted, distracting Qin Yulong.

Then, as all assumed the aged general intended to advance northward and join Xiao Wuliang to pierce He Ruo Qinhu's lines, the old wolf king instead took a detour, burned his bridges, and headed straight for Lu Youxian.

This four-sided ambush was torn wide open by Yu Langwang's feint and counter-maneuver—his vision, tactics, and command were among the finest in the world.

As Yu Langwang's army surged toward Lu Youxian's region, they discovered Li Guanyi's Anxi forces approaching from behind.

Though imposing in scale, they were not pressing forward aggressively.

Two thousand troops remained in Anxi City.

Li Guanyi's force numbered only thirty thousand—this formation clearly intended to encircle the allied forces ahead. Yu Langwang had no interest in confronting Li Guanyi; he pressed his army forward at top speed, reaching Lu Youxian's location.

Lu Youxian ordered young generals Gong Zhenyong, Ye Buyi, and Zhou Liuying to engage with limited troops, while the main force held back to cover them—but they were ordered to lose, not win.

Zhou Liuying was confused; Ye Buyi frowned for a long time, but still accepted the order.

Zhou Liuying was deeply resentful.

Only Zhou Pinglu, Zhou Liuying's younger brother, frowned slightly, as if sensing something, sighed, and held back his indignant brother, explaining: "This is the bigger picture—if we try to block Yu Langwang directly, we'll ruin everything."

He revealed his suspicion: Yu Langwang had allied with Chen.

Zhou Liuying stared, dumbfounded.

Zhou Ping said: "When it comes to royal affairs, we'd better not pry too much."

Though he said so, his demeanor still carried a trace of dejection.

The Yu Langwang's army had arrived; Zhou Liu's camp and Ye Buyi led their forces out to battle Chen Wenmian, clad in armor and a white battle robe. Yu Langwang had been holding the rear, but upon hearing his rear forces closing in, he unhesitatingly led his troops into the charge.

Lu Youxian's army seemed unable to resist, crushed by Yu Langwang's assault.

As Yu Langwang broke free from the town, he burst into loud laughter: "Nephew, this truly is an excellent opportunity—what a pity, what a pity! With your abilities, you still can't hold me!"

Thus, Yu Langwang broke through Lu Youxian's lines and led his entire force out; Lu Youxian appeared unable to stand against him.

Ye Buyi, Zhou Liu's camp, and others retreated to their main formation, knowing their role in this great battle had merely been to feign defeat—like actors playing a part. The young commanders, naturally resentful, fell silent.

But Zhou Liu suddenly felt puzzled:

"Still, who is this 'nephew' Yu Langwang spoke of?"

"Could it be a royal scion of the Chen state? But the army chasing him now is clearly from Anxi City—Anxi City, isn't that ruled by a Central Plains merchant named Tian Ge'er?"

As they pondered, they suddenly saw a massive army galloping toward them; at its head, the commanding general rode a thundering warhorse, banners snapping behind him, clad in armor and a crimson battle robe with civil-military sleeves, one hand gripping a battle halberd, brows raised in fierce determination.

Even with disguise techniques,

Zhou Liu and Ye Buyi were unsettled, inexplicably feeling the man was familiar yet unrecognizable. Lu Youxian gathered his remnants and made no move to intercept Li Guanyi. Yu Langwang's forces raced dozens of li outward, reaching the vicinity of the Western Regions Alliance, finally reaching safety.

The Western Regions Alliance, as if expecting his arrival, had already formed ranks and advanced.

Yu Langwang exhaled in relief, his white hair fluttering as he turned, gripping his weapon and laughing:

"Nephew, it seems your encirclement plan has failed."

"As a general, you've grown reckless in your pursuit of glory."

Li Guanyi's forces passed through Lu Youxian's ranks and replied:

"Is that so?"

Yu Langwang sensed something amiss—then saw Li Guanyi raise his weapon. Suddenly, a chorus of mechanical clicks rang out. Yu Langwang's pupils contracted; he tugged the reins and turned his head to look back.

Along the frontline, the Western Alliance troops raised their bows and crossbows, arrows gleaming with lethal intent.

These countless arrows had originally targeted Li Guanyi and his men—but now, the arrowheads dipped two fingers lower, each one aimed squarely at Yu Langwang Chen Fubì. Li Guanyi raised his weapon, pointing at the now-silent Yu Langwang and his fifty thousand panicked elite Canglang Cavalry.

"Now, this is the true strategy of the alliance's encirclement."

Li Guanyi said: "Yu Langwang, we—"

"Have switched roles!"

Li Guanyi stared at Yu Langwang; Yu Langwang stared back. Around them, the encirclement tightened—feint east, strike west, exploit the opening, then unleash hidden moves.

Warfare is deception—this ebb and flow of offense and defense had been laid bare in full.

Li Guanyi lowered his arm, moving like a famed general.

"Fire!"

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