Niu Desheng patted his chest and said, "Give me 10,000 elite soldiers, and I guarantee that their granaries will be burned to the ground!"
Yang Yan shook his head. "Too many people would only expose us. I suggest we use our 3,000 elite troops to fight a quick battle under cover of darkness."
Li Jingang pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up: "The scout who brought the news said that Xiazhou might be attacked. What do you think about this?"
The topic suddenly turned back to the initial crisis, and the atmosphere in the tent became tense.
Niu Desheng waved his hand carelessly: "Xiazhou has Brother Hou here, what are you afraid of? Even if Zhao Muyun is powerful, can he fly over Luzi Pass?"
Yang Yan's expression was serious. "General, we must be on guard against this. Zhao Muyun is a master of military strategy. If he truly captures Xiazhou, it will cut off our retreat..."
"Report!"
At this moment, with one loud and urgent shout after another, a dozen scouts came galloping from all directions.
The horse's hooves hit the yellow earth ground, stirring up strings of yellow dust.
They rushed into the camp and ran to report to their superiors.
Then, another general wearing armor came out of his own camp and gathered towards Li Jingang's camp.
They must report the latest intelligence sent by the scouts to Li Jingang as soon as possible.
A dusty scout rushed into the tent, interrupted Yang Yan, and knelt on one knee: "General, the imperial army has been dispatched in full force! Fifty thousand men are charging towards us!"
Li Jingang stood up suddenly: "When did it happen?"
"Just an hour ago! I rode back at top speed and saw enemy scouts spying on our camp."
Yang Yan quickly walked to the sand table and moved a few blue flags:
"The imperial army is led by Yang Dingguo, the man who repelled the Japanese pirates who appeared in Jiangnan Road. He is now the Minister of War. He is quite capable and may have discovered our weakness."
Niu Desheng sneered: "You came just in time! It saves us from having to go look for them!"
Li Jingang, however, appeared remarkably calm: "Instruct all battalions to step up their guard. No one is allowed to attack without my order."
He turned to Yang Yan, "Brother Yang, what do you think?"
Yang Yan traced an arc on the map with his finger. "This move by the imperial army may be a feint, intended to tie down our main force and cover the real operation."
He pointed to the other side of the map. "I suspect their real target is our forage camp."
A gleam flashed in Li Jingang's eyes: "A feint to the east and attack in the west?"
"Exactly."
Yang Yan nodded, "Yang Dingguo was good at using this strategy in battle."
Niu Desheng listened impatiently and said, "No matter what his plan is, let's strike first!"
Li Jingang did not respond immediately, but walked to the door of the tent, lifted the curtain and looked into the distance.
As the sun sets, the endless military camp on Bailuyuan is shrouded in golden morning light.
Smoke from cooking fires rose, war horses neighed, and the fate of 300,000 people now depended on his decision.
After a long while, he turned back into the tent, his eyes determined:
"Brother Yang's plan is feasible. Desheng, you will lead 3,000 elite troops and set out now. Detour to the northern foothills and raid the granary at Yukou."
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