With the battle strategy decided, Yue Qiong headed back to Wei County.

The Jinzhou army now occupied Wei County, and Yue Qiong’s command tent was set up on a parade ground south of the county town.

Upon entering the tent, Yue Qiong asked, “Has Minister Ge’s letter arrived?”

At this question, his deputy commander shook his head, “Not yet. Seven days ago, we heard the follow-up provisions were cut off. The main army is now in Yingzhou, and there’s been no news since.”

Hearing this, Yue Qiong’s face darkened.

When he first learned of the two Rong tribes joining forces to invade, Yue Qiong’s heart had been greatly shaken, believing a national crisis had descended. He had immediately sent several military reports to Lin’an, thinking reinforcements would come quickly. However, while the letters promising reinforcements came swiftly, the actual reinforcing troops were nowhere to be seen!

They had first held out bitterly in Fengzhou for half a month, then joined forces with Yan Chi to drive back the Rong barbarians. Now, almost a month had passed, but Ge Yang’s forces had stopped sending news after reaching Yingzhou. The more Yue Qiong thought about it, the more furious he became.

A general in the field may sometimes disregard military orders, but similarly, the people in Lin’an city didn’t understand that the Rong barbarians’ ferocity was lethal. They hadn’t seen their comrades crushed under Rong horseshoes. No matter how much warfare raged in the northern borders, Lin’an city remained prosperous and splendid.

Thinking of these things, Yue Qiong’s heart sank even further.

Although Yan Chi and Zhao Shuhua had temporarily agreed to join forces with Yue Qiong, he understood this was all temporary.

Just as he reached his command tent, he saw Yan Qi waiting at the entrance. Seeing Yue Qiong return, Yan Qi clasped his hands in greeting, “Lord Marquis, has everything been settled?”

Yue Qiong nodded and entered the tent, with Yan Qi following, “How did it go?”

Yue Qiong said, “In three days, we’ll lure the enemy. We’ll see how the Rong barbarians respond. If they send troops in pursuit, we’ll surround and destroy the pursuing force. If their numbers are too great, we’ll launch a surprise attack on their main camp. Today we need to send scouts to investigate Luofeng Slope.”

At this, Yan Qi smiled, “Not bad. Now that we’re no longer at a numerical disadvantage, we can face the Rong barbarians head-on.”

Yue Qiong nodded, “Let’s hope everything goes smoothly. If we can drive the Rong barbarians out of Canglong Mountain this time, not only will the northern border be secure, but Shuoxi will also have peace for many years.”

Hearing this, Yan Qi raised an eyebrow, “Why is the Lord Marquis concerned about Shuoxi?”

Yue Qiong, who had been drinking tea, set down his cup and said, “The people of Shuoxi are also Zhou people. In the face of foreign enemies, the Zhou people are naturally one.”

Yan Qi smiled and shook his head without saying more, “The Lord Marquis makes sense. If so, I hope you achieve victory in the next battle.”

Yue Qiong smiled in acknowledgment without elaborating. As Yan Qi was about to leave, Yue Qiong asked, “Has Your Highness received any letters from Ge Yang’s side?”

Yan Qi paused mid-step and shook his head, “No. Wouldn’t Ge Yang’s letters come to you, Lord Marquis?”

Yue Qiong smiled, “It’s nothing. Just that there’s been no news since they reached Yingzhou, many days now. They previously said they were gathering military provisions in Yingzhou, but many days have passed without further word. I wonder if they’ve encountered some situation.”

Yan Qi’s eyes flickered as he said, “Lord Marquis needn’t worry. Previously, Yingzhou’s military granary provided provisions once. Now they can’t provide more. Minister Ge is probably occupied with these matters. Since our numbers are no longer a concern, we should focus on facing the enemy.”

Yue Qiong was naturally not one to neglect the important for the trivial, so he nodded in agreement.

Yan Qi smiled as he left the tent, his mood even better once outside.

Lu Xiao, seeing his pleased demeanor, asked upon returning to their tent, “What news has made Your Highness so happy?”

Yan Qi smiled, “Ge Yang probably won’t come to reinforce the north.”

Lu Xiao raised an eyebrow, and Yan Qi continued, “Father Emperor deeply hates the Empress and can’t tolerate Yan Chi either. I think he must have learned that Yan Chi came to reinforce the north, so Ge Yang’s forces will likely head west instead.”

Lu Xiao frowned, “Your Highness means…”

At this point, Yan Qi laughed loudly, “While Yan Chi fights here, his rear stronghold will fall. Isn’t that amusing?”

Lu Xiao smiled briefly, not knowing what to say.

Since being surrounded by Fengzhou for many days, Lu Xiao had felt some gratitude toward Yan Chi for coming to their aid, but clearly, his master didn’t share this sentiment.

“Then, Your Highness, we don’t need to do anything?”

Hearing this, Yan Qi’s eyes held deep meaning, “Of course we must act! Though Ge Yang heads west, if Yan Chi realizes and turns back, the outcome becomes uncertain. The best result would be to have Yan Chi and his forces remain in the north forever.”

…

Yan Chi returned to his camp and first explained the battle strategy in detail to his commanders. Then he received a letter from Master Qi, saying all was normal in Shuoxi and telling Yan Chi not to worry, adding that military provisions and supplies would certainly not go wrong. Reading this, Yan Chi felt reassured.

Shuoxi was his second homeland and now his main rear base. If anything happened in Shuoxi, he would certainly be unable to attend to both front and rear, falling into a passive position.

Thinking of this, Yan Chi slightly furrowed his brow. He knew about the court’s plans to send reinforcements, probably even more clearly than Yue Qiong, but until now, Ge Yang, the commander of these forces, had not arrived after such a long time.

Yan Chi called Yu Qi over and asked, “Is there any unusual activity in Wei County?”

Yu Qi hurriedly replied, “No. During today’s alliance meeting, everything was normal in the county town. I specifically sent people into the city to check. The Jinzhou army is well-trained and orderly. Though they’ve been preparing for battle these past few days, they’ve also been drilling. Most of the military commanders in the camp are Lord An Yang’s old subordinates—they seem quite reliable.”

Yan Chi nodded at this. He trusted Yue Qiong but not the northern expedition army he led. Within the balance of interests, even as commander, Yue Qiong couldn’t have full authority. Therefore, he needed to remain vigilant at all times. After a pause, Yan Chi asked, “Any news from Ge Yang’s side?”

Yu Qi shook his head, “They set out half a month ago but encountered problems shortly after departing. The military provisions from Luozhou’s granary were moldy from years of storage—completely inedible. Thus, half of the prepared provisions were lost. So, Ge Yang, had the main force stop in Yingzhou while people continued communicating with the court about requisitioning grain. He remained in Yingzhou mediating the provisions issue. But when Lord An Yang headed north, Yingzhou had already provided military provisions once. Now neither Yingzhou city, the military granaries, nor the surrounding small towns have surplus grain. So Ge Yang’s side has been delayed. Three days ago, news came that they had only gathered twenty thousand shi of grain.”

Yan Chi’s brows immediately furrowed, “With seventy thousand troops but only this much food, Ge Yang naturally dares not rashly march north.”

Yu Qi nodded, “Afterward, the court transferred fifty thousand shi of grain from Yuzhou, which is now being sent to Yingzhou. At the earliest, Ge Yang will set out northward in four or five days.”

Yan Chi narrowed his eyes, “Keep a close watch on Ge Yang’s movements. His constant delays suggest he wants us and the Northern Command Army to be worn down at the front lines. When he comes north in a few days after we’ve depleted most of the Rong barbarians, who knows who Ge Yang’s real target will be.”

Considering the possibility Yan Chi suggested, Yu Qi broke into a cold sweat and immediately nodded, “Yes, I will watch them carefully.”

With this settled, Yan Chi felt somewhat relieved. As long as he knew Ge Yang was still in Yingzhou, he temporarily had no worries about his rear.

Having decided on the battle strategy, Yan Chi’s side naturally wasn’t careless. They drilled troops for two consecutive days, only resting slightly on the third day. On this third day, according to the agreed time, Yan Chi personally led thirty thousand troops north toward Luofeng Slope.

At the same time, Zhao Jing and Cheng Wei also led thirty thousand Northern Command troops northward.

This time, the Jinzhou army would send thirty thousand troops as bait, while Yan Chi and Zhao Shuhua each dispatched thirty thousand troops to attack from the flanks. If successful, they could annihilate the pursuing Rong barbarian forces.

At noon, when the Jinzhou army reached the Rong barbarians’ main camp, a tiger general named Li Changyuan from the Jinzhou army challenged them from the front lines!

This Li Changyuan was a Zhou person who had once sheltered a Rong person by chance and thus knew some Rong language. He shouted insults in both Zhou and Rong languages at the front lines without ceasing. The Rong barbarian leader’s blood rushed to his head, and he immediately sent troops to attack. Thus, the plan to lure the enemy succeeded.

After the bloody massacre of Cangzhou, the Rong army’s morale was high, with a sense of invincibility. However, at Wuzhou, their prize had slipped away, and they had lost over twenty thousand men. Failing at Wuzhou, they returned to Fengzhou, only to find the Shuoxi and Jinzhou armies had joined forces. After losing several tens of thousands more troops, they were now full of pent-up anger waiting to be released. Learning that only thirty thousand Jinzhou troops had come, their commander waved his hand and sent fifty thousand troops out of camp in pursuit!

Li Changyuan first commanded his forces to engage the Rong barbarians, and seeing their momentum, immediately ordered a retreat. Seeing this, the Rong naturally wanted to pursue and avenge their earlier shame. When they chased from Luofeng Slope to a place called Lion Ridge, they encountered the Shuoxi army lying in ambush on the mountain ridge. The Shuoxi army excelled at mountain warfare, and in moments they drove the Rong people toward the east. Just then, the Northern Command Army hiding in the eastern forest charged out, while the Jinzhou army in front turned back to attack. At this moment, less than forty thousand troops were suddenly surrounded by ninety thousand. This battle lasted from noon until nightfall. The three armies working together consumed fully forty thousand Rong barbarian troops. Though over a thousand escaped, the three armies didn’t pursue them obsessively. After clearing the battlefield, they swiftly withdrew to their respective camps.

In this battle, the Jinzhou army led the charge as bait and suffered the most casualties, but as they were the main force, these losses were much better than if they had fought alone. The Shuoxi army, ambushing from the mountain ridge and being extremely combat-effective, suffered the least casualties. The Northern Command Army, being elites trained by Zhao You, also didn’t suffer extremely heavy losses. After one battle, the three armies coordinated perfectly and achieved a great victory. The friction between the various commanders decreased significantly, and all the soldiers showed joyful expressions.

Despite this victory, Yue Qiong didn’t dare be careless. The Rong were all fierce tribes and having suffered this defeat, they would likely counterattack immediately. Yue Qiong let his subordinate commanders handle post-battle matters while he immediately sent messengers to invite Yan Chi and Zhao Shuhua to a second alliance meeting.

During the first alliance meeting, Yan Qi appeared disdainful and didn’t participate. By this second meeting, having seemingly tasted the sweetness of the three armies’ combined strength, he requested to attend. If he had shown such enthusiasm the first time, Yue Qiong would have been suspicious, but this time he had no doubts and naturally agreed.

On the day of the second alliance meeting, Qin Wan didn’t accompany Yan Chi. When they reached the meeting place, Yan Qi greatly praised, “Yan Chi, you truly live up to your reputation. Though the Jinzhou army led the charge this time, your Shuoxi army’s second wave was the most beautiful to behold. I heard you took the Rong barbarian leader’s head with one arrow, throwing their army into chaos, and allowing us to scatter them in one strike. Yan Chi, besides experience, warfare requires natural talent. In this aspect, brother, I truly envy you.”

Yan Chi could only interpret Yan Qi’s warmth as gratitude for the Shuoxi army helping the Jinzhou army out of trouble, sparing him, as a military officer, from suffering defeat.

Yan Chi responded casually, focusing on the next battle strategy. He hadn’t come to help anyone but to annihilate the Rong barbarians. He was quite satisfied with this battle’s outcome. Using only the Shuoxi army would have achieved the same effect, but he also had his private considerations—the same casualties spread among three armies were better than his Shuoxi army bearing them alone.

Having achieved a great victory, Zhao Shuhua felt content, and Zhao You’s condition improved significantly because of this victory.

He had felt guilty about Cangzhou’s fall. Now, with each Rong barbarian the Northern Command Army killed, his guilt lessened a bit.

With improved spirits, naturally, his illness could heal faster.

In the alliance meeting tent, Yue Qiong said, “This time our bait tactic was a strategy the Shuoxi army used in Wuzhou. It works once or twice but not a third time. The Rong barbarians have suffered several losses in succession, so they’ll likely launch an active attack soon, perhaps a fierce assault in the next two days. The target, naturally, will be the Jinzhou army. However… as you know, Wei County has no solid outer walls. If the Rong barbarians break-in, we’ll be at a disadvantage.”

While Yan Chi’s face showed casual indifference, Zhao Shuhua and Cheng Wei frowned. Cheng Wei said, “Lord Marquis, Wei County certainly can’t be defended from within. Do you mean we should fight the Rong barbarians north of Wei County?”

Yue Qiong nodded, and Cheng Wei continued, “But the area north of Wei County is all plains. We can’t set ambushes there. In a head-on charge against the Rong people, we’ll suffer heavy losses.”

Whether in sword fighting or hand-to-hand combat, the Rong people were fierce enough to fight one against two. In a plains charge, the Zhou people were at a disadvantage in terms of physical build and size.

Yue Qiong said, “I’ve thought of this too, but if we set an ambush at Lion Ridge, the Rong barbarians won’t fall for it again.”

From Wei County to Luofeng Slope, only the Lion Ridge area had mountains and valleys suitable for ambush, but the last battle was fought there. Using the same trick now, how could the Rong barbarians easily fall for it?

At this, the atmosphere became tense, and no one spoke for a moment. The lower-ranking military commanders remained especially silent.

Suddenly, Yan Chi smiled, “Though Wei County has no outer walls, its streets, and markets are complex and intertwined. Since we can’t defend it, why don’t we invite the enemy into the pot?”