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墨書 Inktalez
After inspecting the surrounding terrain, there were no significant discoveries, at least according to Lian Dashuang.
Upon returning to the base, Lu Chen assigned Lian Dashuang a task that he needed to carry out immediately. Although this task might be futile since it was unlikely to be of any use, it depended on the attitude of Equal Baron Luo Yi.
Lian Dashuang did not quite understand why Lu Chen wanted to do this, but he never questioned Lu Chen's orders. Without hesitation, he took a few people and set out.
A few hours later, Lian Dashuang returned. Not long after his return, he received another order from Lu Chen, instructing him to destroy the traces of cooking and to do it immediately.
One stove could cook for ten people, so for five thousand people, about two hundred and fifty stoves were needed. After destroying half of them, only a little over one hundred stoves remained. Moreover, Lu Chen specifically instructed Lian Dashuang to reduce the remaining stoves and disguise them as stoves meant for cooking for five people. This indicated that they were preparing to retreat.
Sure enough, just after finishing with the stoves, Lu Chen issued a retreat order for the entire army to leave, leaving behind a scene of chaos.
Lian Dashuang was puzzled by this. If Lu Chen had set up more stoves and the enemy discovered them, they might think there were many soldiers here and be intimidated. However, Lu Chen deliberately reduced the number of stoves; wasn't that showing weakness to the enemy?
Not only did Lian Dashuang not understand, but most soldiers were also confused and even somewhat angry. They didn't know what kind of battle Lu Chen was fighting; instead of confronting the enemy head-on, they were hiding in the deep mountains, which felt very frustrating.
Regarding their confusion, Lu Chen was too lazy to explain. The more he explained, the less effective it would be; sometimes it was better not to say anything.
After reducing the number of stoves, Lu Chen and his group began to withdraw. However, they did not retreat back to Qinghe Province but continued to maneuver in the deep mountains, wandering back and forth like guerrillas without ever encountering Luo Yi's Left Wing Legion.
In this situation, no matter how hard the Left Wing Legion tried, they could not catch Luan Chen and his group. The scouts they sent out were always eliminated without any news returning, which drove Luo Yi's Left Wing Legion leader nearly mad.
They could never confront Lu Chen's army directly; their scouts were constantly killed while being led in circles in the mountains. The troops were exhausted and in terrible condition.
At this time, Lu Chen received news from a scout that Luo Yi's main force had not come to support but was heading straight for Qinghe Province with great momentum. At this rate, Qinghe Province was in danger.
After receiving the news, Lu Chen remained calm and did not panic excessively. He said: "Immediately send me a secret order to General Lei Kai informing him that once Luo Yi arrives at Qinghe Province, he must hold his ground and under no circumstances open the city gates. Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"
Lu Chen issued a strict order that once Luo Yi's main force arrived at Qinghe Province, they must not easily open the city gates; otherwise, Lei Kai would be executed as an example. This was Lu Chen's absolute command.
The messenger was startled by this order and nearly wet himself before hurriedly running out without daring to delay.
"Luo Yi's next move is grand and unstoppable. Our army only needs to close the city gates and refuse to engage, gradually wearing down the enemy's momentum. This is the second strategy: avoiding their sharpness."
After the messenger left, Lu Chen sat at the table, his body straightened, murmuring to himself.
Since Luo Yi would not support his Left Wing Legion, it was time to crush the opposing forces decisively.
Lu Chen stood up and issued orders. Lian Dashuang and several junior officers gathered together to prepare for departure.
Lu Chen instructed everyone to finish the remaining rations, insisting that they eat even if they were not hungry. This was crucial as everyone needed to be in top condition for what lay ahead.
Afterward, Lu Chen went out to inspect the troops. He saw that the soldiers were all full of energy, their faces shining with health. Clearly, their morale was high; such soldiers were the best and resembled an ironclad army.
"Alright, Big Shuang, you will lead the Cavalry immediately. Use scouts to pave the way and locate the Left Wing Legion. Engage them directly but do not fight; just create a disturbance. Once you achieve your objective, retreat immediately. Remember, it’s a disturbance without engagement."
Lu Chen emphasized "disturbance without engagement," indicating that this was the key to victory. They absolutely could not engage in battle; if they did, Lian Dashuang would face punishment.
Receiving this strict order, Lian Dashuang did not dare to be negligent. He immediately adopted a serious expression, showing no signs of joking around.
Soon after, Lian Dashuang took command and led a thousand Cavalry into action. Seeing their readiness, Lu Chen nodded, feeling confident that everything would go smoothly; it all depended on Lian Dashuang now.
Next, Lu Chen arranged for five hundred archers to ambush near a grassy area under the guidance of scouts.
After organizing everything, Lu Chen personally led the remaining infantry to hide on one side of the grassy area. Entering the field, Lu Chen looked up at the area above where he had discovered a dam. The grassy area below was essentially a dry riverbed; since the water had dried up, green grass had grown abundantly, resembling a pasture.
The water stored in the dam above was meant for nearby villagers to irrigate their crops in the coming year.
Afterward, Lu Chen followed his soldiers to this side of the grassy area, concealing their movements among the bushes in the forest.
From time to time, Lu Chen looked up at the sky and calculated the time. According to their agreement, Lian Dashuang should be appearing around now.
Sure enough, just a few breaths later, Lian Dashuang led the Cavalry into view.
Thousand Cavalry charged forward with fierce momentum. The essence of Cavalry warfare lies in speed, rendering scouts ineffective.
Behind Lian Dashuang was a large contingent of Left Wing Legion's Cavalry, their Black Iron Armor unmistakable. The situation was clear: the Left Wing Legion's Cavalry was engaging Lu Chen's side, with a troop strength disparity of about five to one.
Lu Chen had only one thousand Cavalry, while the Left Wing Legion boasted over five thousand, nearly all of Luo Yi's Cavalry.
The Right Wing Legion, utilizing waterways, consisted mainly of infantry and archers, focusing on attrition warfare with logistical support. In contrast, the Left Wing Legion clearly represented Luo Yi's main force, with all their Cavalry present.
Moreover, since the Left Wing Legion had often been provoked by Lu Chen, their morale was high. Upon discovering Lu Chen's Cavalry, they seized the opportunity to attack fiercely and relentlessly pursued.
As Lian Dashuang led his Cavalry into the grassland, they immediately dismounted and ran alongside their horses. This action puzzled the opposing Left Wing Legion's Cavalry, only fueling their battle spirit as they charged recklessly forward.
Lian Dashuang’s one thousand Cavalry quickly crossed the river; however, as the Left Wing Legion’s Cavalry entered the grassland on horseback, they realized the danger.
While a few horses managed fine, as numbers increased, the dry riverbed could not withstand the weight and collapsed, trapping their slender horse legs.
In an instant, cries of horses and shouts from soldiers echoed from the opposing Cavalry, whose mounts were now stuck in the riverbed.
The surface of the riverbed was merely a layer of silt; beneath it lay damp mud. When four to five thousand Cavalry stepped onto it, it immediately gave way, leading to disastrous consequences.
At that moment, Lu Chen shouted loudly and leaped from the bushes. Five hundred pre-ambushed Machete Guard, wielding long machetes, surged into the riverbed to begin slaughtering the Left Wing Legion’s Cavalry.
Each machete weighed sixty pounds, manageable only by robust men. With long handles and sharp blades, they could deliver at least two hundred pounds of force with a single swing—enough to sever a head.
The five hundred Machete Guard, at this moment, were like tigers among sheep. Their weapon length was optimal for combat against the predominantly spear-wielding Cavalry, who struggled to engage closely and suffered significant losses.
For a time, the sounds of neighing horses and human cries filled the entire grassland, creating a scene of utter devastation with countless casualties.
This situation persisted for over half an hour until reinforcements from the Left Wing Legion arrived—around four to five thousand infantry rushed into the grassland to support their Cavalry.
However, just as their infantry entered the grassland, Lu Chen issued another order for the remaining Three Thousand Infantry to ambush from within the bushes.
The Three Thousand Infantry was the last resort, fully prepared and in optimal mental state. Once they charged in, they immediately began to wreak havoc and engage in fierce combat.
At this moment, the conditions of the soldiers on both sides were completely opposite. The Left Wing Legion's Cavalry had fallen into an ambush and were already panicking. Moreover, the Cavalry had essentially lost their advantage, with all their horses trapped in the riverbed.
The four to five thousand infantry who rushed to support them were also exhausted from continuous running and were at the end of their strength.
On Lu Chen's side, everyone had long been lying in wait. The Cavalry was used to lure the enemy's Cavalry into a trap.
After the Cavalry fell for the trap, five hundred Machete Guards took the field, overwhelming the enemy. Although they did not have an absolute advantage, it was no problem to hold them back.
Seeing this situation, the leader of the Left Wing Legion could no longer sit still and immediately dispatched infantry for support. However, they did not anticipate that Lu Chen still had a trump card: the Three Thousand Infantry.
Even though the enemy now had nearly ten thousand troops, they were bogged down and unable to advance or retreat in the grassland. The situation was dire, driving the leader of the Left Wing Legion to the brink of fury.
This was the first time he encountered such a bizarre enemy; he never expected that there would be such capable individuals in Qinghe Province.
However, he had already reported the situation to Luo Yi. Luo Yi instructed him to engage with this army because he suspected that this army was the main force of Qinghe Province. After eliminating them, Qinghe Province would be within easy reach.
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