xymnovel Chapter 976 The Retreat Sounds, On the Eve of the Decisive Battle!
Chapter 976 The Retreat Sounds, On the Eve of the Decisive Battle!
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The setting sun, like blood, dyed Calabash Valley crimson. As Meng Zhang sheathed his sword, the last wisp of smoke in the valley was torn apart by the night wind.
The old general outside the valley looked at the wreckage of banners scattered across the mountains and suddenly remembered that thirty years ago, when he followed the late emperor to conquer the northern frontier, he had also withdrawn from the battle with the enemy in the twilight of such a time.
Back then, he was a valiant cavalry captain charging into battle, but now he has become an elderly minister in his eighties, responsible for safeguarding the fate of the Great Qian Dynasty.
"Sound the retreat."
Gu Changqing's voice was hoarse, like a whetstone scraping against raw iron. He untied the blood-stained gilded bell from his waist, the dragon pattern on the scabbard already blurred by the force of his qi.
Tan Mengjun, who was also injured, was about to step forward to help him up when he saw the old general suddenly straighten his hunched back and mount his warhorse on his own.
Inside the central command tent, the candlelight flickered in the draft, creating a sea of orange light. As Gu Changqing removed his armor, the bloodstains on it seeped into the copper basin, forming wisps of red mist.
"Duke of Su".
"What is the situation on the eastern flank?"
The old general wiped the blood groove on the golden-inlaid sword, the blade reflecting Su Ye's tall figure as he strolled towards him.
"All 20,000 Yellow Turban soldiers were executed."
When Su Ye lifted the curtain and entered, the night wind carrying the stench of blood extinguished the two candles, and the pearl on the tassel of the Chun Jun sword at her waist gleamed faintly in the dim light.
All the generals in the tent were startled. Tan Mengjun's teacup clattered to the ground, and the tea soup pooled into a brown stream at the edge of the sand table.
During the day, this general who had been slamming his fist on the table and berating Su Ye for not taking action was now speechless, his face flushed.
How many soldiers did the Imperial Guards suffer losses?
Gu Changqing's pupils contracted into two cold stars in the shadows.
"More than a thousand people..."
"The Yellow Turban Army seemed to have not anticipated that our army would launch a surprise attack from the east flank, and their vanguard was not adequately prepared."
Su Ye gently stroked the sword tassel, counted the prayer beads, and casually gave a rather exaggerated number.
Tan Mengjun suddenly stood up, his armor slamming against the table and making it shake.
"That scoundrel Meng Zhang must be deliberately feigning weakness!"
She realized her mistake as soon as the words left her mouth, and stole a glance at Gu Changqing. She saw the old general using a gold-inlaid knife to trim the broken candle on the corner of the table. Where the knife passed, the candle's edge was as clean as a mirror.
"General Tan, what makes you say that?"
Su Ye glanced at him with a half-smile, just as an owl cried out outside the tent, adding a touch of eeriness to the atmosphere.
"Meng Zhang's military tactics have always been based on surprise..."
"Are the Duke's White Horse Cavalry any match for him?"
Gu Changqing stuck the golden-inlaid knife into the sand table, then turned his gaze to Su Ye.
"The terrain here is flat, perfect for the cavalry to deploy their forces..."
Looking at the terrain on the sand table, Su Ye suddenly used his sword as a brush to draw an arc on the west side of Calabash Valley.
Tan Mengjun was taken aback. The White Horse Righteous Cavalry, a type of Taoist soldier, should have been fighting against the Yellow Turban Warriors in the Yellow Turban Army. After all, on the battlefield, the only ones who could deal with Taoist soldiers were Taoist soldiers!
Otherwise, if the Yellow Turban Warriors, these Taoist soldiers, were to break into the formation of Wu Xiong and Chong Yan, the damage to the army would be catastrophic!
"A feint to the east while attacking in the west, that's fine too..."
He was about to speak when he saw Gu Changqing look up at Su Ye and nod.
"Grand Tutor! The Yellow Turban Army has retreated eight li to the southeast!"
Suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from outside the tent. The mud splashed up when the messenger fell off his horse left mottled marks on the tent flap.
Gu Changqing suddenly stood up, causing the teacup on the table to overturn, and the tea soup meandered on the sand table in the shape of a gourd valley.
"Southeast...that's the narrowest part of Calabash Valley."
He gazed at the winding water trail and suddenly remembered the tassel on the commander's flag that Meng Zhang had just cut off.
"Is Meng Zhang trying to lure our army into pursuit?"
The veteran's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, as if he were swallowing a piece of bloody charcoal.
"No!"
Su Ye suddenly stood up, his black cloak sweeping over the uncollected map on the ground.
"He wants to give us space to form a battle formation."
"Tomorrow's decisive battle will be a fair fight between him and Wu Xiongwei."
The Duke of Zhenguo traced the valley on the sand table with his finger, drawing a blood-red circle in the southeast.
"A madman! Does he really think the Yellow Turban warriors can defeat heavily armored cavalry?"
The clanging of armor echoed from inside the tent, and Tan Mengjun slammed his fist heavily on the table.
"Order the entire army to retreat three miles and set up camp."
"Let the men have a good hot meal; tonight... there's no need for a camp patrol."
Gu Changqing stared at the blood-red mark on the sand table, his voice suddenly becoming hoarse.
"Grand Tutor, what is this...?"
Tan Mengjun looked up in astonishment.
"Since Meng Zhang wants to fight a decisive battle in the most unfavorable terrain, I will grant his wish."
"Tomorrow, the Wuxiong Guard will form the Xuanxiang Formation, and the Chongyan Guard will guard the Nine Palaces positions to quell the rebellion..."
Gu Changqing unfastened the Qiankun Twin Swords from his waist, the pearls on the tassels gleaming warmly in the candlelight.
"Would the Duke of Zhenguo's Imperial Guards be willing to serve as the mainstay of the central army?"
He suddenly paused, his gaze sweeping over Su Ye's calm face.
"The Hengzhou army is naturally willing to serve as the Grand Tutor's vanguard!"
As Su Ye stood up, his black cloak swept across the map on the ground, and the candlelight cast a flickering shadow between his brows.
As Tan Mengjun gazed at Su Ye's tall back, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Since entering the tent, the Duke of Zhenguo had not removed his armor, and the pearl on the tassel of the Chun Jun sword at his waist was now gleaming with an eerie, dark blue light.
As the third watchman's clapper sounded, Gu Changqing sat alone in his command tent, staring at the blood-stained secret report on his desk.
Gu Changqing looked at the direction of Qiandu on the map and suddenly sighed.
"The Yellow Turban Army has just captured Qiandu and should be marching south with overwhelming force, but instead they are confronting us in Calabash Valley—Grand Tutor, have you considered why?"
Tan Mengjun remained silent for a moment, then suddenly pointed to the center of the map.
"Qiandu?"
Gu Changqing's cloudy pupils suddenly contracted.
"Exactly."
"Since Meng Zhang used the Azure Sky Ancestor as bait, he must have calculated that we cannot sit idly by. What he wants is not the battle of Calabash Valley, but..."
Tan Mengjun sighed and said to Gu Changqing, who was in a daze.
"Instead, it's meant to expose our weaknesses."
"What a clever trap! Unfortunately, he overlooked one crucial element—"
Gu Changqing took over the conversation, the golden-inlaid knife gleaming coldly in the candlelight.
"Order the entire army to prepare food at 3 AM tomorrow, and to launch a full-scale attack at 5 AM!"
The veteran suddenly raised his voice.
"General Tan."
The topographical map of Hulu Valley flickered in the candlelight. The old general's withered fingers traced the defensive markings of Wuxiongwei, and suddenly he slammed his fist on Tan Mengjun's position.
"Your subordinate is here!"
Tan Mengjun stood solemnly and clasped his hands in a fist salute.
"If we see Duke Su retreat tomorrow..."
"You shall lead your troops straight into the enemy's rear, and make sure that the Azure Dragon Legion does not reach the central army."
Gu Changqing's voice suddenly became ethereal.
"Go, we can't afford to lose this battle."
Tan Mengjun was shocked. He was about to speak when he saw the old general close his eyes and wave his hand.
When the clappers of dawn mingled with the sound of horses' hooves, the loyalist army of the Great Qian Dynasty had already begun to break camp.
The silver armor of the Wuxiong Guard gleamed coldly in the morning mist, while the rock-gray battle robes of the Chongyan Guard were covered with night dew. Tan Mengjun looked at the White Horse Cavalry under Su Ye's command, who were fully equipped and ready to go, and suddenly felt that the battle was becoming more and more unpredictable.
"Gu Changqing is getting old."
Meanwhile, on the western cliff of Calabash Valley, Meng Zhang was planting his commander's flag on the highest peak. Gazing at the rising morning mist in the valley, he suddenly turned to Li Cunxiao and said:
"An old general's blade is often sharper than a young one's."
Li Cunxiao wiped the bloodstains off the Yuwang Spear, its tip gleaming coldly in the morning light.
"It's profitable, but... I wonder how long this profit can last?"
"Give the order to the entire army: today we will show Grand Tutor Gu what a battle-hardened Yellow Turban army truly is!"
Meng Zhang suddenly chuckled, looking at the smoke rising into the sky on the other side of Calabash Valley, and suddenly raised his voice.
The mountain wind whipped the battle flags, and the 170,000-strong army stood in formation in the morning mist.