On the city wall of Cang County, Bai Qi looked at the army in the distance, his expression changing.
The enemy was advancing very slowly. Every time they moved a certain distance, they would stop and regroup. Because the enemy was made up of dozens of troops, it was inevitable that they would be out of sync.
If they did not stop and regroup from time to time, the entire army would be scattered before they even reached the foot of the city wall.
Bai Qi's observation was very meticulous.
He counted in his heart. The intervals between the enemy's stops and regroups were getting longer and longer. The entire army was getting more and more orderly, adapting to each other's marching rhythm.
The other party was a cautious person.
Bai Qi had a definition of the enemy's commander.
Of the 220,000 allied troops, 40,000 were stationed in Yunan District. The remaining 180,000 were divided into three groups, advancing toward the three cities.
On the official road, flags were everywhere, swords and spears were everywhere, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The army was like three sharp knives, stabbing at the army of Shanhai City at the same time.
An army of 60,000 was not much of a problem for Yaogu District, which was guarded by two divisions. Even Genglou District would not be exposed under Han Xin's command.
The key was Cang County.
There were only 10,000 soldiers defending Cang County, and they were from the Tianshuang District's City Guard Division. Faced with an army six times their size, Bai Qi was not confident.
If they continued to attack, the City Guard Division would definitely reveal a flaw.
What should he do?
Bai Qi knew that he had to take action. Otherwise, the next attack might be 80,000 or even 100,000 soldiers.
Should he mobilize the Dragonxiang Legion's 2nd Division, which was lying in ambush outside Genglou District?
That was the worst option.
Once Luo Shixin's division was mobilized, the enemy would be able to see the actual situation of Shanhai City's army. Not only that, Bai Qi's previous arrangements would be for naught.
Bai Qi did not turn around and asked, "Who is the enemy commander?"
"Northern Song's famous general, Di Qing."
The person who answered Bai Qi was the chief intelligence officer of the Military Intelligence Department.
Whenever there was a war, the Military Intelligence Department would station intelligence officers in the various departments to oversee the military's intelligence matters. Even the reconnaissance squads of the various departments would be under the command of the intelligence officers during wartime.
Thus, through the Military Intelligence Department, the army would be able to build an efficient, unified, and coordinated intelligence network. They would be able to use all kinds of resources to obtain information from the frontline.
"Di Qing?"
Bai Qi frowned. He only knew a little about history.
"Send a letter to the military office immediately. Ask them to send us the most detailed information on Di Qing."
"Yes, sir!"
…
As the sun set in the west, the allied forces left behind thousands of corpses and retreated like a receding tide. They had no intention of stopping them at all.
Under the sunset glow, the soldiers' faces were filled with fatigue, joy, and even fanaticism.
This was war!
Compared to the high morale of the allied forces, the soldiers on the city wall were only left with endless fatigue. Some of the soldiers leaned against the city wall and fell asleep. Only his hands were still tightly hugging onto the halberd.
On the first day alone, the City Guard Division was already in a perilous situation. If not for Bai Qi's strong command, the enemy would have long since seen through the weakness of Cang County.
Even so, there was no trace of joy on Bai Qi's face. They had already reached their limit. At most tomorrow, the weakness of Cang County would be completely exposed to the enemy.
Bai Qi had no choice but to prepare for the worst. He ordered Luo Shixin's division to prepare to reinforce Cangcheng County at any time.
In fact, Luo Shixin was also not feeling well today.
The enemy's scouts were like mad dogs, running around in the wilderness.
Left with no choice, Luo Shixin could only send out scouts of the same level. In the wilderness, the scouts fought with each other to prevent the enemy's detection.
Even though the scouts sent out were intentionally misleading.
But if this continued, the division's hiding place would be exposed. After all, they were an entire cavalry division. It was too difficult to hide.
Night fell.
The bustling Cang County returned to its rare tranquility. On the streets, other than the patrolling soldiers, not a single person could be seen.
After a day of fighting, the soldiers had already entered dreamland. They rested and rested, preparing for the battle the next day.
General Bai Qi's room, however, was still brightly lit.
Inside the room, Bai Qi sat upright, carefully reading through Di Qing's file that had just been sent over by the military office.
The entire file only had four pages and a few thousand words. Not only was there a brief introduction of Di Qing's life, but there was also a personal comment from the Chief of Operations, Zhao Kuo.
Although the Chief of Operations was thousands of miles away, they were able to know about the battle in Zhaoqing at any time.
"Cautious in using troops? As expected. "
Bai Qi muttered to himself.
"If that's the case, then I'll beat them at their own game!"
Bai Qi put down the file and decided to take a gamble.
For Bai Qi, he rarely made risky moves. However, the way the situation developed was not something he could control.
"The only variable now is the Imperial Guard Division led by the Marquis."
Bai Qi raised his head and looked out the window. The bright moon hung high in the sky. The moon was bright and the stars were sparse. Tomorrow would be another good day.
Wulong County, Lord's Mansion.
After receiving the latest battle report from Bai Qi, Ouyang Shuo knew that he could not wait any longer. If they lost the battle, the consequences would be unimaginable.
What would the Chili Strip Prince think when that happened?
Ouyang Shuo could not entrust the fate of his territory to a temporary ally.
The human heart was the most complicated.
If Shanhai City lost and the Chili Strip Prince turned around and sold Shanhai City, it would be troublesome.
Ouyang Shuo had once read a book and liked a famous saying: If you don't want to be betrayed, don't give the other party the chance to betray you.
In his previous life, Ouyang Shuo did not understand, which was why he was betrayed.
In this life, he understood.
Thinking of this, a cold light flashed in Ouyang Shuo's eyes.
"Guards!"
"Here!"
"Lord Du, please come here."
"Yes!"
The guard turned and left.
After a while, Du Sijing hurried over. His eyes were filled with doubt. He did not know why he was summoned.
"Sit!"
Ouyang Shuo's expression did not change.
Hearing this, Du Sijing sat down respectfully. He was feeling more and more uneasy.
"I have something to ask you, Lord."
"At your command, Marquis!"
The more courteous Ouyang Shuo was, the more uneasy Du Sijing became. He had just sat down, but he immediately stood up.
"Lord, you don't have to do this."
Ouyang Shuo raised his hand, indicating for Du Sijing to calm down.
Du Sijing heard this and a trace of sadness flashed across his face. His performance tonight was really unbearable.
"I heard that if the twelve territories in the north are under attack, they can inform the fifty thousand cavalrymen at any time. Is that true?"
"That's right!"
"Is there a standard to judge an attack? Or is it that once the alarm is sounded, reinforcements will arrive? In addition, are there 50,000 reinforcements coming, or only a part of them? "
"I ask the Marquis to know." Du Sijing calmed his mind. "Since the establishment of the Wartime Alliance, there has not been a single territory that has sounded the alarm. It's just that before the battle, the commander of the fifty thousand cavalrymen has already passed down orders to all the territories. If there is an attack, they must report the number of the enemy before they can coordinate. "
Ouyang Shuo heard this and nodded. "If that's the case, then I ask Lord Du to send a message tomorrow. Tell them that Wulong County is under attack and ask for reinforcements."
"This?" Du Sijing was puzzled. "Then wouldn't the Marquis be exposed?"
Ouyang Shuo smiled but did not speak.
Suddenly, a light flashed in Du Sijing's mind. His face instantly paled. He already understood the other party's intentions. The other party wanted to lure the fifty thousand cavalrymen into a trap and then annihilate them.
This plan could be said to be vicious.
The problem was that this plan was not within the scope of their previous discussions.
It was obvious that if Wulong County lied about the military situation and lured the fifty thousand cavalrymen over. Regardless of the fate of the fifty thousand cavalrymen, the identity of their lord, the Chili Strip Young Master, would be exposed and he would be the first to suffer.
At that time, death, to the Chili Strip Young Master, would only be an extravagant hope. The enraged alliance would shudder at the thought of how to treat a traitor.
Thinking of this, how could Du Sijing not be afraid?
Seeing Du Sijing's expression, Ouyang Shuo sighed in his heart. He knew that the other party had seen through his intentions. He also knew that this was unfair to the Chili Strip Young Master.
Unfortunately, Ouyang Shuo could not wait any longer.
He did not know when it started, but Ouyang Shuo's heart was becoming harder and harder.
But to announce the news of the attack, he had to use Du Sijing. Therefore, Ouyang Shuo had to appease this person first. Otherwise, everything would be over.
To Ouyang Shuo, this was also a dangerous move.
The [Southern Alliance] could be considered powerful. It made Ouyang Shuo and Bai Qi take such a dangerous move.
"After this matter, I will give your lord an explanation."
Ouyang Shuo looked at Du Sijing. He did not make any specific promises. He believed that Du Sijing would understand. At this moment, any promise could not be compared to an explanation from Ouyang Shuo.
Although Ouyang Shuo had a cold heart, it did not mean that he would go back on his words. On the contrary, he would never go back on his word.
Otherwise, it would be a fatal blow to his prestige.
Du Sijing's expression changed when he heard this.
Ouyang Shuo was relaxed. He raised his teacup and took a sip.
Since Du Sijing persuaded the Chili Strip Young Master to form an alliance with Shanhai City, Ouyang Shuo knew that Du Sijing knew how to judge the situation and weigh the pros and cons.
To deal with such a person, it was all about benefits.
As long as he saw that temporary losses could be exchanged for greater benefits in the future, he would definitely agree. Unexpectedly, after Du Sijing struggled, he proposed a condition, "Marquis, you must promise to save my lord from the alliance after the battle."
Du Sijing's expression was unusually firm.
If Ouyang Shuo did not agree, he would not compromise. Even if his life was in the hands of the other party, he was not afraid.
It seemed that Du Sijing had already disregarded life and death.
The Chili Strip Young Master had indeed raised a good official.
Ouyang Shuo looked at Du Sijing. He was overjoyed. This could only prove that his judgment was correct. If Du Sijing agreed without hesitation, he would be slightly disappointed.
"I promise you." (To be continued.)
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