The Black Ice Guard quickly gathered intelligence and found that there were no soldiers guarding the rebels' supply routes.

However, Wu Guang was a man of some intelligence; the troops escorting the grain transport consisted of as many as 20,000 men.

"Sir, may I depart now?" Zhang Han asked impatiently.

These past few months have been incredibly frustrating for him; he's itching to get going.

After pondering for a moment, Lu Li smiled and said, "Go ahead, but General, you must remember that if you are unable to transport the grain back, just burn it."

As long as Wu Guang runs out of food supplies, he will definitely withdraw from Xingtai, because these people joined the rebel army for food.

The same applies to the Qin soldiers who were forced to surrender; without food, they were bound to turn on each other.

This situation is undoubtedly the best option for them.

Therefore, what Lu Li and the others need to do now is to stall Wu Guang, put him in a difficult situation, and eventually force him to leave Xingyang City with no way out.

Zhang Han led 30,000 troops and set off towards the place where the rebel army was transporting grain, intending to seize the grain.

Zhang Han returned in less than half a day.

Thanks to intelligence from the Black Ice Guard, Zhang Han managed to seize all of Wu Guang's grain supplies with almost no effort.

Lu Li smiled when he saw so much grain.

"Sir, what should we do next?" Zhang Han asked.

Lu Li smiled slightly and said, "What we need to do next is wait, wait for Wu Guang to withdraw his troops!"

Zhang Han immediately asked, "But what if Wu Guang doesn't withdraw?"

A ruthless glint appeared on Lu Li's face: "Then we will surround this place, turn Xingtai into an isolated city, and completely cut off Wu Guang's chances of survival."

"Sir, you are indeed ruthless. I admire you," Zhang Han flattered.

Having spent time with Lu Li, he now fully understands Lu Li's personality; he is very decisive and efficient in his actions.

...

Inside Xingtai City

Inside the rebel camp, Wu Guangzheng was discussing with his men how to deal with the situation.

"My lord, our army is running low on supplies. If we continue the attack, we risk suffering heavy casualties," the lieutenant said in a deep voice.

Wu Guang frowned. He naturally understood this principle, but if they withdrew from Xingtai now, they would suffer heavy losses if pursued by the Qin army.

However, the food supplies were running out, and Wu Guang was extremely conflicted.

"Order all troops to rest tonight and continue the withdrawal from Xingtai early tomorrow morning!" After a long silence, Wu Guang gritted his teeth and made the decision.

"promise!"

In the end, Wu Guang chose to retreat because supplies were running low, and if a mutiny broke out, they would surely be defeated.

The following morning, the rebels began an orderly retreat.

"General, the enemy has retreated," Black Ice Guard, who was in charge of monitoring the enemy, reported excitedly.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Han was overjoyed and hurriedly stood up to go outside to check the situation.

"Sir, the rebels are indeed retreating. Let me lead the troops to attack!" Zhang Han said happily.

"Wait!" Lu Li reached out to stop him, shaking his head: "Think about it, if the enemy deliberately lures us into an attack, wouldn't that give them the advantage?"

Zhang Han immediately realized his mistake and nodded, saying, "Sir, you are right. I was rash."

Lu Li said calmly, "This battle is not just about winning, but also about utterly destroying Wu Guang here!"

"Pass down the order: command everyone to proceed according to the original plan, and make sure the enemy does not escape!"

"Yes!" Zhang Han said, clasping his hands in greeting.

He then led his army in pursuit of the retreating rebels.

The rebels were fast, but the Qin cavalry were equally formidable, and in just three days, they gradually closed the distance between them.

"General, the Qin army is catching up!"

"There's a valley ahead. Let's go into the valley and avoid their advance!" The rebel scouts spotted Zhang Han's trail and quickly warned him.

"Hmm!" Wu Guang nodded slightly and ordered everyone to quickly enter the valley to set up an ambush.

But when they entered the valley, they found that the Qin army had stopped pursuing them.

Wu Guang immediately frowned, feeling uneasy.

Entering this valley would have both advantages and disadvantages for Wu Guang's army.

If used properly, it can be used to ambush the Qin army and turn defeat into victory.

However, if not used properly, it could become their burial ground.

Wu Guang had a vague feeling that something was wrong, as if he had overlooked something.

"General, what should we do now?" a general asked.

"Let's wait and see!" Wu Guang said in a low voice.

In any case, if the Qin army wants to destroy them, they must enter the valley. Therefore, they should wait patiently.

They waited for the Qin army to enter the encirclement they had set up.

Time passed slowly, and four days had gone by in the blink of an eye, but the Qin army was still lingering near the valley and showed no intention of moving closer to it.

Wu Guang felt increasingly uneasy.

Suddenly, Wu Guang raised his head sharply and roared, "Damn it, we've fallen into a trap! Retreat!"

Unfortunately, it was too late. Tens of thousands of Qin soldiers suddenly appeared at the other end of the valley, quickly blocking Wu Guang and his men's path, and a dense swarm of arrows was aimed at them.

Zhang Han spurred his horse forward and coldly snorted, "You traitors, why don't you dismount and surrender?"

"Release the arrows!"

At Zhang Han's command, thousands of arrows were instantly fired at the rebel army.

Faced with the Qin army's overwhelming rain of arrows, the rebel army was unable to withstand it, and many soldiers fell in an instant.

Upon seeing this, Wu Guang's expression changed drastically, and he shouted angrily, "Quickly, retreat to the mountain!"

After saying this, he led his men and rushed up the mountain. However, the valley was not wide enough to accommodate many people, so Wu Guang's army could not escape completely, leaving many corpses in the valley.

Upon seeing the enemy soldiers fleeing, Zhang Han's lips curled into a slight smile.

Everything turned out exactly as Lu Li had predicted, and Zhang Han's admiration for Lu Li grew even stronger.

As expected of Guiguzi, the leader of the Black Ice Platform, he was truly a visionary.

"Pass down the order: immediately seal off the valley, and do not let a single rebel escape. Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

"promise!"

Following Zhang Han's orders, the Qin army completely sealed off the entire valley, preventing even a bird from flying out.

Just as Wu Guang and his men reached the summit, the Qin army had already surrounded the entire mountain.

"My lord, the Qin army has sealed off the valley; we have no way to escape." The rebel deputy general's face was full of bitterness.

Wu Guang's expression changed drastically. He now fully understood that he had been tricked. The Qin army had deliberately lured them into the valley with the aim of annihilating them there.

Wu Guang took a deep breath, gazed at the distant mountain peaks, and murmured, "Zhang Han...when did he come up with such a scheme?"

He had been fighting Zhang Han for several months, and Wu Guang highly regarded Zhang Han's ability to command troops. However, this meticulous plan was beyond his expectations.

"Could it be that he has a powerful backer?" A thought flashed through Wu Guang's mind.

"My lord, what do we do now?" the lieutenant asked anxiously.

Wu Guang closed his eyes, remained silent for a moment, sighed, and said, "So be it, so be it. The Qin army has now surrounded us. If we want to survive, we have no choice but to fight."