The morning light pierced through the mist of the Longyou wilderness and sprinkled on the Shuozhou army who had just experienced a life-and-death breakout.
Beside the campfire in Shi Yong's camp, the remnant soldiers from Shuozhou under the command of Pei Lun and Guo Xiaoti were greedily swallowing the hard-earned clean water and hot food.
Many people fell into a deep sleep while eating, with fatigue and relaxation on their faces after surviving a disaster.
However, the head coach Pei Lun, Guo Xiaoti and Shi Yong who came to support the team had no time to rest.
The three of them gathered around a simple map of Longyou, and the atmosphere was solemn.
Shi Yong spoke first, his tone filled with apology and solemnity:
"Master Pei, General Guo, I'm not going to hide anything from you."
"I am not leading the main force this time. I am only leading a detachment under the Grand Commander's command. The full strength is 3,000. We previously made a feint to divert the enemy, resulting in some casualties. Currently, there are only about 2,700 men left."
"The main task is to contain Wumuchi, preventing him from attacking the mountain with all his strength, and to wait for an opportunity to support the two of you in breaking out."
Pei Lun and Guo Xiaoti looked at each other, their hearts understood, but they also felt a little depressed.
They had already guessed that the scale of the "reinforcements" at the foot of the mountain would not be too large, but after confirming it with their own ears, they still felt a sense of pressure.
Even though they broke through, their exhausted army of less than 800 men plus Shi Yong's 2,000 men only had a total force of 3,500.
Facing the Northern Di army, which had suffered heavy losses but whose foundation was intact and still had at least nearly 5,000 soldiers and horses, Wumuchi was still at an absolute disadvantage.
"Don't worry, Little Stone!" Pei Lun said calmly, "If you hadn't been holding us back outside, we would have been trapped in Heidu Mountain. We're lucky to have made it out alive. Our immediate plan is to reunite with the Grand Commander's main force as soon as possible."
Shi Yong nodded and pointed at a spot on the map. "The Grand Commander's main force should be southwest of Liang Province at this moment, engaged in a fierce battle with the Feng Dynasty's army and the Qiang and Rong troops. Their exact location is unclear, making communication difficult."
"We are currently here!"
He pointed to an area south of Heidu Mountain. "The most urgent thing is to leave here as soon as possible. The Tartars have just been beaten by you, Lord Pei, and they dare not move rashly for now, but they will soon react and will never give up."
"Once he finds out that you, Lord Pei, have broken through the mountain and found out our army's strength, he will definitely attack us."
Guo Xiaoti licked his still chapped lips and said hoarsely, "Our soldiers are exhausted and in urgent need of rest, especially water supplies."
"The nearest water source, Wild Wolf Stream, is still thirty miles away. We must get there as soon as possible."
"Wild Wolf Gorge..." Pei Lun pondered, "What's the terrain like?"
"There's a ravine between two mountains, and the source of water is at the bottom of the ravine."
Shi Yong had obviously done his homework. "It's easy to defend and hard to attack, but it's also easy to blockade. If Wumuchi gets there first or follows us, and we're trapped in the stream, the situation won't be much better than at Heidu Mountain."
Risks and opportunities coexist.
Without water, this exhausted army that had just reunited could not hold out for long.
"We must go to Wild Wolf Gorge, but we must be fully prepared."
Pei Lun made a decisive decision, "Immediately send out scouts to investigate the situation in Wild Wolf Gorge and the surrounding enemy forces. The army will rest briefly and then march out in an hour! Focus on caring for the wounded, and those who can walk should try to keep up. We can't afford to delay!"
The order was given and the camp took immediate action.
Scouts and light cavalry were sent out in all directions, and the remaining soldiers took the time to rest, eat, and organize their equipment.
Although the Shuozhou veterans were exhausted, they had escaped from desperate situations, replenished their water, and their eyes were filled with renewed vigor.
Looking at each other with the relatively high-spirited Hedong soldiers under Shi Yong's command, an atmosphere of solidarity spread silently.
An hour later, the coalition forces set out.
A team of more than 3,000 people, forming a long queue, marched towards the Wild Wolf Gorge.
Pei Lun and Shi Yong placed the cavalry on the wings and rearguard, the infantry in the center, and scouts spread out far away, alert to any signs of trouble.
The atmosphere in the team is still tense.
Everyone knew that the threat posed by Wumuchi had not been eliminated. They were just racing against time and the reaction speed of the Northern Di people.
During the march, Pei Lun and Shi Yong rode side by side, exchanging the information they had.
"Xiao Shitou, did the Grand Commander-in-Chief give any instructions before he left? What is your assessment of the situation in Longyou?" Pei Lun asked.
Shi Yong's face was serious: "The Grand Commander intends to stabilize Longyou and repel the Northern Di. But you, Lord Pei, know Yang Yan well. He is extremely troublesome."
He sighed, "We don't have enough troops, so we can only act as a diversionary force. What to do next is up to Lord Pei to decide."
Pei Lun's eyes were deep: "A single fire at Heidu Mountain could burn out two thousand elite soldiers of Wumuchi. This should cause him a lot of pain for a long time."
"Now that we have broken out and joined you, although we are not outnumbered, we are still a capable force. The key lies in how to act next to provide the greatest support to the Grand Commander."
"What do you think, Master Pei?"
"Finding the main force and joining forces is the first priority."
Pei Lun said, "But before that, our 'detachment' might become a nail stuck in the enemy's flank, preventing them from dealing with the Grand Commander with peace of mind."
Shi Yong's eyes flashed: "Your Excellency means... to take the initiative to attack?"
"It doesn't necessarily have to be a head-on confrontation," Pei Lun shook his head. "We can follow the Grand Commander's previous methods and conduct guerrilla warfare, harassment, cut off their food supply, and attack their camps to keep Wumuchi in suspense."
"If he divides his forces to suppress us, we can create an opportunity for battle; if he ignores us, we can slowly erode his strength."
As the two men were discussing, a scout from the front came flying back in, "Report! Generals, a small group of Tatar cavalry has been spotted in the direction of Wild Wolf Stream. They've been dispersed by our outposts. No large enemy forces are currently visible in the Stream, and there's plenty of water!"
Good news!
Everyone was cheered up.
"Speed up the march! We must reach Wild Wolf Gorge before sunset and set up defenses!" Pei Lun ordered.
At the same time, at the foot of Heidu Mountain, the Beidi camp.
Wumuchi's face turned pale as he sat in the big tent. The atmosphere inside the tent was so oppressive that it was suffocating.
The fire yesterday not only burned more than 2,000 of his elite warriors, but also burned his face and morale.
The soldiers who escaped back were all still frightened, and their faces were still pale when they talked about the hellish flames and the horror that could not be extinguished.
"Have you found out? How did those dogs on the mountain do it?" Wumuchi's voice was cold and filled with suppressed anger.
A captain bravely replied, "General, according to the descriptions of the soldiers who escaped and the subsequent investigation, the Yin army must have dumped a large amount of... some kind of black oil, similar to flaming oil, into that ravine in advance."
"They feigned a retreat to lure our troops in, and then set them on fire with rockets..."
"Fiery oil..." Wumuchi chewed on the word, a cold light flashing in his eyes, "How could there be such a thing on Heidu Mountain?"
"According to the accounts of a few seriously injured captured Yin soldiers, they accidentally dug it up while digging a well for water..."
"Dig out water and find flaming oil?"
Wumuchi was stunned at first, then he flew into a rage and slammed his fist on the table, "Asshole! God won't help me!"
The generals in the tent were silent.
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