Chapter 225: The Situation Is Not Good

Before the few could finish speaking, soldiers riding fast horses arrived before Jiang Jiang Mingyu.

The soldier flipped off his horse, knelt on one knee, and said, "My lord, the situation in Yingchang is not good!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu was a bit confused upon hearing this and quickly said, "What's the situation? Tell us."

That soldier spoke seriously, "Reporting to Lord Jiang, Yingchang just fought a major battle a few days ago, and Other Xi Xia sent 50,000 troops to seize Yingchang City in the opportunity. I figure this is not good; Other Xi Xia has looked down on us for a long time. Now that they have seized Yingchang City, they will surely come to attack our Wucheng City for revenge."

Other Xi Xia people? Jiang Jiang Mingyu's face immediately darkened: "I can say my relationship with Other Xi Xia is one of life and death. Since they have declared they will come for revenge, this matter is serious. I have just over 30,000 troops, while they have 50,000 cavalry. How can we fight this battle?"

"Asking for reinforcements is not realistic; gathering 30,000 troops in the few cities of Wucheng Prefecture is already burning high incense, so we simply cannot support them. If we transfer troops, we might even invite trouble upon ourselves. What should be done?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu pondered while asking the soldier, "You say Other Xi Xia will attack our Wucheng?"

The soldier hurriedly replied, "Exactly, Lord Jiang."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu asked again, "When do they plan to attack roughly?"

The soldier said without thinking, "When I secretly ran out of Yingchang City, Other Xi Xia was already preparing for war. I estimate they will come to smash our place within three days. Yingchang is only a five-day journey from our Wucheng; calculated this way, they will arrive very soon."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu heard this, clapped his hands, and laughed, "Great! Since they are coming, let us wait here properly, set an ambush, and give them a loud welcome, how about that?"

Zhang Zhang Jiaqi hurriedly agreed, "Brother Jiang, do you mean setting an ambush? They will surely be caught off guard!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu said proudly, "I just said our Zhang Jiaqi is so smart!"

Tu Tu Kesiluo also interjected, "But Lord Jiang, their 50,000 great army is all cavalry. We must be extremely careful and not repeat past mistakes."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu helplessly shook his head: "Tu Tu Kesiluo, I told you to learn more from Zhang Jiaqi, but you just wouldn't listen. Let me analyze it for you. Hamastren, coming to attack this time, must leave 20,000 to 30,000 people to guard Yingchang City, so the troops he can bring are only 20,000 to 30,000. If we make preparations and wait at our ease for the tired enemy, how could we not win?"

Tu Tu Kesiluo finally understood: "My lord, I understand. I will go prepare the ambush immediately!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu hurriedly said, "Wait, Tu Kesiluo. They still need one or two days to arrive. What's the rush? First, tell the brothers to hide and rest well. We will set the formation tomorrow at noon."

Tu Tu Kesiluo scratched his head awkwardly and said, "My lord, I just wanted to prepare in advance. Better safe than sorry."

After speaking, he led the troops into the mountain ravine.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu saw Tu Tu Kesiluo's confused face and couldn't help but laugh, saying, "Your brother-in-law is sometimes really a fool, like a child."

He shook his head and sighed again, "He has no common sense, messing around blindly all day. When we fight a major battle later, how dare I give him military command?"

Speaking, he turned his gaze to Zhang Zhang Jiaqi, his eyes full of admiration. "If he could learn from you and use his brain more, that would be perfect."

Hearing Jiang Jiang Mingyu's praise, Zhang Zhang Jiaqi felt a wave of sweetness in her heart, but her face turned red like a ripe apple.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu felt strange and quickly asked, "Zhang Jiaqi, what's wrong? Are you uncomfortable somewhere?"

How could he know that this girl, who grew up with Liu Liu Yifei since childhood, had already secretly fallen in love with him.

Zhang Zhang Jiaqi bit her lower lip and shyly said, "Nothing... I am fine. Don't worry."

She thought, This is a heaven-sent opportunity. How can I not take the chance to confess? I am such a cowardly tomboy!

Zhang Zhang Jiaqi cursed herself fiercely in her heart for being useless.

At the same time, she secretly blamed Jiang Jiang Mingyu. Clearly, her feelings for him were obvious, yet he still pretended to be stupid and dense. He was also heartless!

Only after a few days did Zhang Zhang Jiaqi figure it out. The reason she dared not confess back then was still because of Liu Liu Yifei.

The two of them were already betrothed. If she truly spoke her heart to Jiang Jiang Mingyu, would that not be snatching someone else's man?

Although in this world it is normal for one man to marry several wives, given her personality, who would be willing to be someone else's concubine?

But she still could not control herself. She gradually discovered she had feelings for Jiang Jiang Mingyu that transcended friendship. She liked chatting with him, discussing with him, playing with him, and supporting each other. She liked watching him smile, watching him get angry, watching him be serious, watching him be gentle. She liked listening to him speak, listening to him sing, listening to his poetry, listening to his heart.

She knew she had already fallen in love with Jiang Jiang Mingyu, but she dared not say it. She was afraid of hurting Liu Liu Yifei, afraid of disturbing Jiang Jiang Mingyu, and afraid of destroying the friendship between them.

She could only hide this love in her heart, silently caring for Jiang Jiang Mingyu, silently supporting Jiang Jiang Mingyu, and silently accompanying Jiang Jiang Mingyu.

She hoped that one day Jiang Jiang Mingyu would discover her feelings and accept her love. But she also knew this might just be a beautiful dream.

Seeing that Zhang Zhang Jiaqi was not seriously unwell, Jiang Jiang Mingyu finally felt a bit relieved and said, "Go rest for a while. After fighting for so many days, you must be exhausted."

After Zhang Zhang Jiaqi left, Jiang Jiang Mingyu stood at the entrance of the tent, gazing at the dark clouds gathering on the horizon, his heart solemn. He knew this rain was not ordinary rain, but a storm. And this storm also foreshadowed a bloodbath.

He could not help but think of his goal: to unify the nine provinces of Dafeng and bring peace to the people. For this goal, how much hardship and sacrifice had he already paid? How many relatives, friends, and comrades had he already lost? How many enemies and difficulties did he still have to face?

He shook his head, dispelling the worries in his heart. He could not retreat, he could not give up. He must persist to the end until he realized his dream.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu, Tu Tu Kesiluo, and others ambushed in the mountains and forests for one night, waiting for the Other Xi Xia people to arrive. They had received intelligence that the main force of Other Xi Xia was about to pass through this official road to attack Lanzhou. Jiang Jiang Mingyu decided to take the opportunity to strike and give Other Xi Xia a surprise.

That night, heavy rain indeed fell, disrupting the marching plan of Other Xi Xia. Jiang Jiang Mingyu and others were also affected somewhat, but they did not relax their vigilance, still staring intently at the movements on the official road.

By the time the sky cleared, it was already the second morning. The scouts sent by Jiang Jiang Mingyu reported that Other Xi Xia had set out again and were expected to arrive at the ambush site by noon. Jiang Jiang Mingyu felt a joy in his heart, thinking the time had come.

By this noon, the rainwater in the mountains and forests had gradually dried up. Jiang Jiang Mingyu looked at the sky and found no clouds blocking the sun, which shone directly on the official road. He thought this was a good omen and said to Tu Tu Kesiluo, "Buddy, now is just right. Shall we set up a formation?"

Tu Tu Kesiluo was also excited. He knew Other Xi Xia was about to arrive. He hurriedly organized the army and then shouted loudly, "5,000 archers, spread out and hide in the mountains and forests on both sides of the official road. As soon as Other Xi Xia enters our encirclement, fire arrows immediately to shoot them!"

"10,000 cavalry follow behind the archers. I will lead personally. Once the archers suppress the enemy vanguard, we will immediately launch a charge to annihilate them!"

"Another 5,000 spear soldiers will block the retreat of Other Xi Xia. Not one can escape. Anyone showing a moment of slackness will be beheaded!"

"The remaining 10,000 infantry follow behind the cavalry. Once the cavalry charge ends, quickly eliminate the remaining enemies."

"Little sister-in-law, I entrust my safety to you. Absolutely nothing must go wrong!"

Tu Tu Kesiluo, while ordering the troops to set up the formation, looked at Zhang Zhang Jiaqi with concern.

Zhang Zhang Jiaqi smiled slightly, patted Tu Tu Kesiluo's shoulder, and said, "Rest assured, I will take good care of Brother. You must also be careful yourself."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu waved his hand and said, "I have a guard team protecting me, so you don't need to worry. It would be better to let Zhang Jiaqi command the infantry charge."

Zhang Zhang Jiaqi nodded and said, "Okay, Brother Jiang. I will do my best."

He smiled at them and said, "Then I entrust this to you. In this battle, we must fight with momentum and let Other Xi Xia know our power!"

After speaking, he led the guard team to hide on a high ground in the mountains and forests, preparing to observe the battle situation. Tu Tu Kesiluo and Zhang Zhang Jiaqi also led their respective troops to hide in different positions, waiting for the arrival of Other Xi Xia.