Chapter 235: Trapped Deep in the Hinterland and Falling into a Trap

The generals looked at each other, all stunned by the Prince of Zhenbei's desperate plan.

This was a complete gamble! Especially the Prince of Zhenbei leading 20,000 troops to face the Xiongnu directly—it was either you die or I die!

But the Prince of Zhenbei had long held great prestige, and the aura of dying with the enemy that he exuded at this moment shocked everyone even more.

"I... obey the order!"

The Vice General was the first to kneel on one knee to accept the order, his voice choked with sobs.

Colonel Zhao looked at the Prince of Zhenbei's determined gaze, vaguely guessed something, and cupped his fists heavily: "I... accept the order! Please take care, General!"

"General, you cannot!" A general was very worried about the Prince of Zhenbei's injury, "You are wounded! You should sit in command in the city!"

"My injury is not in the way." The Prince of Zhenbei waved his arm violently, which affected the wound, and a piercing pain made his vision go black, but he forced himself to stabilize, "This battle concerns the survival of the northern frontier, how can I sit in the rear? No need to say more!"

Seeing that his mind was made up, none of the generals dared to object! Military orders were like mountains, and one order after another was quickly conveyed.

At the hour of the Rat, the side gate of the city opened quietly.

The Vice General led 3,000 cavalry and disappeared into the darkness without a sound.

The Prince of Zhenbei, wearing heavy armor, mounted his warhorse with the help of his personal guards.

The wound hurt to the bone under the pressure of the armor, and the high fever made him dizzy; he relied entirely on the increased dosage of potent medicine and his tenacious will to support himself.

He glanced at the 20,000 soldiers gathered behind him, said nothing more, drew his large blade, and shouted!

"Set off!"

On the city wall, Wei Xikang watched the Prince of Zhenbei's departing back, feeling extreme unease in his heart.

This battle was indeed a battle concerning the survival of the northern frontier. Although 72,000 of the 100,000 Zhenbei Army remained, Wei Xikang knew his own weight; he was not suitable for the battlefield.

Moreover, these 72,000 troops were guarding three cities separately, and these three cities were indispensable; if any one of them was broken, it would allow the Xiongnu to point directly at the hinterland of the northern frontier.

Therefore, the person defending the city could not be missing, but Wei Xikang was not a qualified general.

He gripped the tiger tally tightly, expecting a miracle to happen.

The team quietly left the pass and galloped toward the valley.

The Prince of Zhenbei lay on the horse's back, the cold wind scraping his cheeks, but it could not reduce the burning dryness in his body.

He could feel the strength of his life flowing away from the wound bit by bit with the jolting, but a more powerful will supported him—before he fell, he had to burn out a path of survival for the people of the northern frontier and Wei Xikang.

In the darkest moment before dawn, the valley was in sight.

Faint clamor of the Xiongnu and the light of campfires came from the valley, and the aroma of roasted meat and the sour smell of mare's milk wine drifted in the air.

It seemed that the scout's report was correct; the Xiongnu were indeed completely unprepared.

The Prince of Zhenbei took a deep breath, suppressed the fishy sweetness in his throat, raised his horizontal blade, and with all his strength, let out a hoarse but thunderous roar:

"Da Qian soldiers, follow me to kill the enemy! Light the fire!"

He took the lead and charged down decisively, and the 20,000 soldiers behind him also launched a charge without fear of death.

His time was running out, but it was enough to ignite this raging fire that would burn the enemy chieftain to ashes.

At the other end of the valley, the Vice General was leading the cavalry to guard the pass. They had sneaked all the way here without causing any commotion.

At this moment, seeing the torches lit in the valley, he knew that the Prince of Zhenbei had launched the charge.

Before the Vice General could think too much, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from behind him, the sound going from light to heavy, from far to near.

It was as if...

It was coming for them!

The Prince of Zhenbei took the lead, the 20,000 soldiers changed formation and plunged into the dim darkness of the valley.

There were indeed unburned campfires scattered in the valley, the air was filled with the strong smell of roasted meat and mare's milk wine, and one could even see some crooked empty skins and leftover bones.

A few drunken Xiongnu leaned against the tents, seemingly unaware of this suddenly appearing Zhenbei Army.

"Set fire!" The Prince of Zhenbei shook off the dizziness in his head and roared hoarsely, his voice sounding exceptionally harsh in the empty valley.

The soldiers quickly smashed the fire oil jars they were carrying toward the nearest tents, and torches were thrown onto them.

With a "boom," several fires flared up, illuminating the messy scene around them.

However, the moment the fire flared up, the Prince of Zhenbei's heart sank.

They had fallen into a trap!

Except for the noise they made, the valley was strangely quiet; there was no sign of a Xiongnu main camp at all.

You know, the enemy's troops were at least tens of thousands; how could they be in such a state?

Those camps were all empty; obviously, the purpose was to lure the Zhenbei Army here.

"Retreat!!! Quickly!"

The moment this thought appeared, the Prince of Zhenbei roared with all his strength, his body feeling as if it had fallen into an ice cellar in an instant, instantly suppressing the burning temperature in his body.

Almost at the same time, countless figures emerged on the previously silent hillsides on both sides of the valley!

And at the other end of the valley, the Vice General was fighting with his cavalry; they had already fallen into the Xiongnu's encirclement.

"Quick! Light a fire to inform the General that there is an ambush here!"

The Vice General sat on the horse's back, his expression very flustered.

On the hillsides on both sides of the valley, countless Xiongnu drew their bows and nocked arrows; at this moment, the fire was soaring to the sky, illuminating the terrified faces of the Zhenbei Army.

"Release arrows!"

Adunla stood behind the crowd and gave the order coldly, but there was a trace of regret in his eyes as he looked at the Prince of Zhenbei.

After so many years of outwitting each other, the curtain finally fell today; in the end, he had received the protection of the Wolf King and won this most critical battle.

Dense arrows poured down from the high ground, heading straight for the heads of the Zhenbei Army!

"Ambush! Raise shields! Form a circular formation!"

The Prince of Zhenbei widened his eyes, but his voice sounded somewhat broken due to weakness and urgent anger.

He was very clear about the current situation; everything was too late. Since he entered the valley, there was no path of survival.

If he hadn't been poisoned, and if the Imperial Court's military pay and grain had continued to be supplied, then he, not being so impatient, would certainly have discovered the wrongness of this matter.

But at this moment, there was no way back...

The rain of arrows had already swooped down, its power even greater than usual; many soldiers, along with their warhorses, were instantly shot into hedgehogs, falling to the ground with screams.

The Zhenbei Army hurriedly raised their shields, but the cross-arrows from the high ground on both sides made them unable to defend against everything; people kept being hit by arrows and falling, and the team instantly fell into chaos.

"Stop!" Adunla raised his hand, watching his old opponent of many years sitting on the horse's back, panting.

"When you die, I will cut off your head and make it my most precious collection!"

The Prince of Zhenbei's eyes were a bit blurry, and he responded in the direction of Adunla's voice: "This Prince is one move short, but even if I lose, I will break your Xiongnu's fangs."

"Hahaha! You really think too highly of yourself!" Adunla laughed triumphantly and wildly, his face wearing a playful expression like a cat catching a mouse.

For an old opponent of so many years, Adunla knew deep down that the other party was at their wit's end, so he didn't waste any more time.

"Send him on his way!" ===== CHAPTER 236 =====