12dz Chapter 1971: Feigning a Dilemma, They're Going to Fight for Their Lives!
Chapter 1971: Feigning a Dilemma, They're Going to Fight for Their Lives!
With his extensive experience, Wang Laowu scrambled and crawled, narrowly escaping the second volley of arrows and the pursuit of cavalry, before reuniting with Zhao Ming and the others.
They dared not linger in battle, and relying on their familiarity with the terrain and the desperate attempt to hold off their comrades at the cost of several lives, they fled towards Zhennanguan.
In the end, of the team of more than ten people who set out, only Wang Laowu, Zhao Ming, and another Jinyiwei escaped back to the pass, all wounded and in a sorry state.
After listening to Wang Laowu and Zhao Ming's breathless and still shaken report, Chu Ning's brows furrowed tightly.
The camp was heavily guarded, with the sounds of horses neighing and people coming from inside, and elite sentries stationed outside.
All these signs seem to indicate that Helian Wujiu's main cavalry force is still stationed in the camp and is on high alert.
But if the cavalry were still there, why didn't Li Jing use them at the crucial moment?
Is he really just trying to conserve his strength?
Or perhaps these appearances are themselves a more sophisticated form of disguise?
Chu Ning paced back and forth on the city wall, his hands behind his back. He turned his gaze back to the battlefield where the sounds of battle were deafening, and then looked at the scorpion clan camp in the distance, which seemed calm but was actually hiding deadly danger.
Li Jing's intentions, like the fog shrouding the battlefield, became even more elusive.
"Issue my order,"
Chu Ning stopped, his voice steady yet carrying a barely perceptible hint of gravity: "All units at the front, strengthen your defenses, especially on the flanks, and be on high alert against enemy cavalry attacks!"
"Furthermore, double the number of scouts and Imperial Guards, keeping a constant watch on the Scorpion Clan camp for twelve hours straight!"
"Any unusual activity, even just a change in the amount of smoke from the chimneys, must be reported immediately by carrier pigeon!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Feng Anguo solemnly accepted the order.
Chu Ning turned his gaze back to the pass. The scout's report did not dispel his doubts; on the contrary, they deepened.
Li Jing, where exactly did you hide Helian Wujiu's knife?
And when and how will they deliver this fatal blow?
The true danger of this seemingly fierce siege lies hidden beneath the surface, making it all the more unpredictable and treacherous.
In stark contrast to Chu Ning's solemnity and doubt on the Zhennanguan city wall, the atmosphere inside the Tang army's command tent was one of composure and control after a successful scheme.
Li Jing sat upright in the main seat, with the huge map of the eastern front still spread out on the wooden table in front of him.
But his gaze did not fall on it. Instead, through the open tent flap, he looked towards the distant battlefield where the sounds of battle were deafening and dust was flying, his fingers rhythmically tapping the armrest.
The sounds of war drums, shouts of battle, and clashing weapons coming from outside the tent did not move him in the slightest, as if it were just a noisy drama that had nothing to do with him.
At this moment, a captain dressed in light armor, moving nimbly, strode into the tent, knelt on one knee, and said in a clear and crisp voice: "Reporting to the commander! Everything is proceeding according to plan!"
Li Jing withdrew his gaze and looked at the captain, his eyes calm and unwavering: "Speak."
"As per the Commander-in-Chief's secret order,"
The captain reported: "Our sentries stationed outside the Scorpion Clan camp deliberately feigned weakness when they made contact with the Chu scouts, allowing three of them to escape back to Zhennan Pass to report the news."
"During the process, we also demonstrated the appropriate level of vigilance and activity within the camp."
He paused, his tone carrying a hint of certainty: "Presumably, those scouts who escaped back have already reported to Chu Ning what they saw with their own eyes—the heavily fortified camp, with the sounds of horses neighing and people inside."
"At this moment, the Emperor of Chu must surely believe that Chief Helian's 30,000 iron cavalry are still in our camp, ready for battle!"
Upon hearing this, Li Jing's refined face subtly twitched upwards at the corners of his mouth, revealing a deep and playful smile.
This smile contained a precise grasp of the enemy's psychology and absolute confidence in one's own plans.
"very good."
He uttered two words softly, his tone conveying a sense of complete control.
The captain continued his report: "In addition, General Zhang Xun sent word that his 10,000 elite infantrymen have successfully broken away from the main battlefield while the fighting was raging and their vision and sound were perfectly concealed, and have joined up with Helian's Golden Scorpion Cavalry."
"At this moment, the 40,000-strong army is marching day and night, heading straight for Luoxia Mountain! It is expected to reach the designated attack position within a few days!"
Upon hearing this news, the last trace of caution in Li Jing's eyes turned into a sharp edge.
He slowly stood up, walked to the tent entrance, stood with his hands behind his back, and gazed in the direction of Zhennanguan.
"Everything is going according to my plan!"
His voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable power: "Chu Ning, Chu Ning, although you are a man of great talent and ambition, having destroyed six kingdoms, you are ultimately young and impetuous, and too confident."
"You may have seen through my provocation, but you may not have expected that the rivers of blood flowing beneath Zhennan Pass are all just to cover up the truly fatal blow!"
He could almost see the scene of the Chu army at Luoxia Mountain being utterly crushed by Helian Wujiu's iron cavalry and Zhang Xun's elite troops, completely unprepared.
As long as Luoxia Mountain is captured, the Chu army will be cut off, and the strategic initiative on the eastern front will change hands!
"Send the order!"
Li Jing turned around abruptly, his voice suddenly becoming firm and resolute:
"The frontline offensive must not stop! On the contrary, it must be intensified! Show that we will spare no effort to severely damage the Chu army that has left the city!"
His gaze swept over the generals standing in the tent, and he said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, it is rare for the Chu army to take the initiative to leave the pass and fight us in the open field. This is a golden opportunity!"
"Even if we cannot defeat them in one fell swoop, we must exhaust their manpower and blunt their morale to the greatest extent possible!"
"At the same time, this is also to buy more time for Chief Helian and General Zhang to ensure that the attack on Luoxia Mountain is successful!"
"Yes, Commander!" the generals responded in unison, their fighting spirit soaring.
As Li Jing's orders were quickly relayed, the battle situation outside the Great Wall suddenly became even more intense and brutal!
The Tang army, which was already on a fierce offensive, seemed to be injected with new strength, and the waves of attacks rose higher and higher.
Archers rained down arrows, while heavy infantry formed even denser formations and advanced fearlessly, engaging the Chu army in a fierce and relentless battle.
Even more alarming, new troops could be seen rapidly assembling in the direction of the Tang army's main camp.
Smoke billowed and banners fluttered, making it seem as if they were about to continue to pour in a large number of troops, determined to swallow up all the Chu army that had come out of the city!
"Your Majesty! The Tang army's offensive has intensified! It seems that reinforcements are constantly gathering in the rear!" Urgent reports from the frontline generals were repeatedly transmitted to the walls of the pass.
Looking at the increasingly tense battle below, Feng Anguo's expression turned grave: "Your Majesty, Li Jing is going all out!"
"He must have thought that a cavalry raid would not work, so he wanted to use his numerical superiority to inflict heavy damage on our army in open battle!"