Chapter 390 Get ready to become this general's possession!

Sheng Sheng pointed to Nanli County on the map and asked Xie Yun, "Crown Prince, do you still remember the eldest son of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion?"

"You mean Qin Zhibin, the eldest son of the Qin family who is the magistrate of Nanli County?"

“That’s right. We were originally supposed to pass through his territory, but we changed our route at the last minute and didn’t get to meet Young Master Qin and Cousin Xie Yubin. Now, it’s time to meet them.”

He spoke of his plans with a cheerful smile.

"Waiting for news from the capital is too slow. Let's go find Qin Zhibin and Xie Yubin and ask them to allocate some grain and fodder to the border. We'll spread the word that the Crown Prince is escorting supplies to comfort the border guards, letting them know that the Crown Prince's original purpose in coming to the border was to 'act as a mascot,' thus lowering their guard for the first time."

Secondly, in the next few small skirmishes that may break out, deliberately lose, but don't lose too directly. Make it look like you've tried your best to resist but had no other choice but to lose. Also, make sure your lieutenants suffer some minor injuries.

Next, and finally, the news that you, my eldest brother, are seriously injured and unconscious has already spread, and Hurte must have heard about it as well. Therefore, the news that you have woken up can only be known to the people of Zhennan Pass. Absolutely no one outside of Zhennan Pass can know this.

The eldest prince was unconscious, and several deputy generals were wounded. The successive defeats of the generals destabilized the army, leaving no choice but to place the crown prince in command to appease the troops. As the heir apparent, the crown prince, despite lacking combat experience, outwardly conveyed the intention of personally leading the army, thus misleading the opposing commander.

Since the barbarians wanted to use a feint to lower their guard, they could use the same method to deceive them.

As long as the barbarians can believe it, they can naturally continue this charade.

"Good!" Xie Yunli only pondered for a moment before approving Sheng Sheng's plan. "The advantage of this method lies in its surprise attack, catching Huert off guard and significantly reducing our casualties. Moreover, the initial phase of the plan doesn't require my involvement, giving me a good opportunity to recuperate. By the time the initial phase is complete, my injuries will be mostly healed. Then, once Huert walks into our trap, I can lead my army to capture him in one fell swoop!"

*

Seven days later.

A few days ago, Xie Yunyang arranged for Ta Ying and Zhui Feng to guard outside the barbarian camp and follow the vanguard team that they sent to the granary. They found that the entire vanguard team was of average strength and there were no more people involved.

Logically speaking, if this action is of great importance, the barbarians would definitely take it seriously.

Needless to say, there is only one possibility: just as the others predicted, the barbarians' harassment of the Yuncheng granary was indeed a feint.

At Xie Yun's instruction, Zhennanguan pretended not to have noticed and sent a large number of troops to guard the granary.

News of the Crown Prince escorting the supplies to Zhennan Pass had already reached the barbarian tribes, and Hurt indeed took the matter seriously.

To dispel Huert's doubts, Sheng Sheng personally took charge, staging a "spoiled princess's mischievous act." She threw a tantrum, insisting on returning to the capital, and quite accidentally fell into the hands of the barbarians while running away from home. This naturally led to the situation where Xie Yun had to personally lead two deputy generals to rescue her.

As a result, both of the deputy generals were seriously injured.

This sudden and brief confrontation allowed Hurt to more clearly define Xie Yunyang's position—a noble prince with a spoiled and arrogant younger sister and little military talent.

In the barbarian camp, Hurte gulped down a cup of wine and slammed it onto the table: "These weak Yu people have caused my barbarian rations to be halved. Originally, the whole country had to gather enough rations for three months for our soldiers, but now it can only last us a little over a month! Fortunately, yesterday we finally found an opportunity to force His Highness the Crown Prince to step forward and seriously injure two of his deputy generals. It was a good way to vent our anger."

The subordinate said, "General, please calm down. Our men have been harassing the granary in Yuncheng every day. Right now, the people of Yu are focusing most of their attention on the granary, on guard against our attack. This is the perfect opportunity for us to launch a surprise attack on them from the front lines!"

Another person said, "No, although the enemy commander is seriously injured and unconscious, those deputy generals have always been under Lu Chaosong's command, and their strength should not be underestimated! The commander is only twenty years old and is a member of the royal family. Although he is temporarily acting as Lu Chaosong's commander, in my opinion, he is far less dangerous than those deputy generals!"

"I share the same view. General, you have fought with Xie Yunli. You should know that although Xie Yunli is capable, he is young, too impetuous, and his overall perspective is far inferior to yours. Otherwise, why would he risk his life for a few ordinary people? If he had any sense, he wouldn't have seriously injured himself to save those insignificant prisoners, and would still be unconscious today."

"Hmph, what do you know? The people of Yu call this righteousness." Hurt sneered and took another swig of wine. "In the eyes of us barbarians, this is a very foolish idea, but the people of Yu see it as the complete opposite. However, it is precisely because the people of Yu are like this that they have given us a great opportunity to take Zhennan Pass in one fell swoop."

The subordinates exchanged glances and said, "Please enlighten us, General!"

Hurte slammed the wine cup in his hand to the ground with a loud bang that echoed throughout the tent.

Hurt stood up and laughed dismissively: "Yesterday we captured the little princess of Yu Kingdom. The crown prince of Yu Kingdom did everything he could to rescue her, which shows three things: First, this little princess must be very favored in the Yu Kingdom royal family. Even the crown prince cherishes her dearly. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sacrificed two generals to get her back at this critical moment."

Second: This crown prince is a paper tiger who only knows how to talk the talk. A qualified general would use a smarter mind to consider problems, but the crown prince appears calm on the surface, but in reality, he is full of flaws. It is obvious that he has never been on the battlefield and is not worth fearing at all.

Thirdly, Xie Yunli is unconscious, and several deputy generals were seriously injured for the sake of a princess. The morale within Zhennan Pass must be low. If they weren't desperately in need of a commander, those deputy generals wouldn't have allowed the crown prince to take the position of commander-in-chief.

"The General is quite right. In your opinion, should we seize this opportunity to win a decisive victory and take Zhennan Pass?"

Hurt narrowed his eyes, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Don't underestimate the enemy. The southwestern border forces are still intact. We can't allow reinforcements from other passes to come to Zhennan Pass. Have you done what I told you to do?"

"General, rest assured, I have ordered four deputy generals to each station 20,000 troops at the other four passes to block their forces and prevent them from sending reinforcements to Zhennan Pass."

"Very good. The purpose of those 80,000 troops is not to attack the other four major passes, but to buy time so that we can concentrate on dealing with the 100,000 troops inside Zhennan Pass. In this way, coupled with our own problems inside Zhennan Pass, I am fully confident that I can take Zhennan Pass in the shortest possible time!"

Hurt laughed heartily, his eyes gleaming with a sense of certainty. "Hahaha, Zhennan Pass, just wait to become my possession! At that time, my barbarian tribe will no longer have to worry about food supplies, and even your entire Yu Kingdom will be in grave danger!"