Southeast of Lantian Pass lies Yingchou Ravine.
The battle ended even faster than expected.
Gao Min and his 500-strong "suicide squad" were like insects caught in a spider's web in the ambush carefully set up by the Yin Army. After struggling for a while, they were all wiped out.
Gao Min himself was captured alive, his face ashen, and all traces of the high spirits he had before the expedition were gone.
Xiao Cheyun received the detailed battle report at the Governor's Office in Guannei and simply nodded slightly.
The confessions of the prisoners and Gao Min were quickly compiled, confirming the intentions of this surprise force and verifying Xiao Cheyun's judgment—Niu Dejin was impatient and wanted to use a risky move.
“General Niu seems to be bored out of his mind,” Xiao Cheyun said to his deputy. “In that case, let’s find him something to do and relieve some of the pressure on Governor Lin of Longmen Pass.”
After a moment's thought, he ordered: "Strip the prisoner Gao Min of his armor, leaving him only in his undergarments, and tie him up in a conspicuous place in front of the pass."
“Select another dozen or so prisoners, treat them the same way, escort them to the front of the pass, and then send someone to shout in front of the Fengtian Army camp.”
"Our soldiers within the pass are grateful for General Niu's gift of elite troops, and we hereby return the gift and request that General Niu personally come to take them away."
The lieutenant was taken aback at first, then realized that this was a blatant insult and provocation, intended to provoke Niu Dejin, and laughed:
"General, your plan is brilliant! Niu Dejin is hot-tempered and will not let this humiliation go unpunished!"
“That’s precisely why we want him to keep going.” Xiao Cheyun’s gaze was calm. “If he gets angry and goes to war, I will have a chance to dampen his spirits; if he holds back, it will damage his morale. In any case, the initiative is in my hands.”
Soon, the gate of Lantian Pass opened a little more than halfway, and dozens of Yin soldiers escorted Gao Min, who was tightly bound and shivering in the cold wind, and a dozen Feng soldiers prisoners to an open space in front of the pass.
A loud-voiced captain of the Yin Army rode forward and, facing the direction of the Feng Army camp, shouted out Xiao Cheyun's instructions. His voice echoed through the valley and clearly reached the Feng Army camp.
Fengjun Camp, Central Command Tent.
Niu Dejin was feeling increasingly agitated by Gao Min's disappearance when he suddenly heard faint shouts and commotion from outside.
He frowned and walked out of the tent, climbed to a high place and looked into the distance. He saw the humiliating scene in front of the pass and heard the provocative shouts.
"Xiao Cheyun! I curse your ancestors for eighteen generations!!!"
Niu Dejin's blood rushed to his head instantly, his eyes turned bloodshot, and the veins on his forehead bulged, making him look like a mad lion!
Since Niu Dejin joined Li Jingang in raising an army, when had he ever suffered such a humiliation?
Even when he was defeated by Wuzhu in Xiangzhou.
A failed sneak attack resulting in the loss of troops and generals is already embarrassing enough, but to have captured generals stripped and humiliated is simply an insult delivered right to one's face.
"Beat the drums! Gather the troops! I'm going to personally kill that scoundrel Xiao Cheyun!" Niu Dejin roared, almost ready to immediately muster his troops and charge through the pass.
Upon hearing the news, Zhang Tao rushed over and was shocked to see the scene. He desperately tried to stop him, saying, "General, please calm down! You mustn't! This is Xiao Cheyun's ploy to provoke us into fighting. He's relying on the advantageous terrain of the pass, and our army will surely suffer losses!"
"Get out of my way!" Niu Dejin shoved Zhang Tao aside and roared, "I've put up with this coward for too long! Now that he dares to insult me like this, if I don't fight, what will the soldiers think of me? What will the world think of me, Old Niu?"
"We will not return to camp until we have beheaded Xiao Cheyun!"
He wouldn't listen to any advice and insisted on fighting.
Zhang Tao was inwardly groaning, but powerless to stop his enraged boss.
Soon, the war drums thundered in the Fengtian Army camp, and the camp gates were opened wide.
Niu Dejin personally donned his armor and led his 5,000 elite troops into battle formation before the pass.
He rode a magnificent black horse, wielding a thick, iron spear, and roared angrily at the city wall:
"Xiao Cheyun! You cowardly rat! You only dare to resort to such despicable tricks! Do you dare to come out of seclusion and fight your grandpa Niu in a fair fight?!"
Standing on the gate, Xiao Cheyun calmly watched Niu Dejin, who was furious, and the murderous Fengtian Army behind him, his face showing neither joy nor anger.
His generals all volunteered to fight.
"Commander, Niu Dejin has been provoked, and his formation is becoming somewhat impatient. This humble general is willing to go out of the pass to meet him in battle and blunt his momentum!"
Xiao Cheyun shook his head slightly: "Niu Dejin is brave and cannot be defeated by force. But now that he has left the camp, this is an opportunity."
He appointed one of his captains, known for his composure: "You will lead two thousand archers and one thousand spearmen out of the pass, form ranks along the pass, and guard the gates carefully."
"If Niu Dejin charges, we will repel him with bows and crossbows, and hold our ground with spears. We must not allow him to advance recklessly. What I want is to wear him down, to suffocate him at the gate!"
"Understood!"
The gates of Lantian were opened again, and the Yin army marched out in formation, adopting a completely defensive posture. No matter how Niu Dejin shouted and provoked them, they simply held their line and retaliated with bows and crossbows.
Enraged, Niu Dejin attempted to charge into the enemy lines several times, but was forced back by the dense rain of arrows and the well-organized spear formation, only increasing his casualties.
He possessed immense strength, yet it was as if he were punching cotton, unable to vent his anger. He roared and shouted angrily as he rode back and forth in front of the pass, but he could not get the main force of the Yin army to fight him.
Zhang Tao, observing from within the camp, sighed inwardly: Xiao Cheyun's military tactics were indeed as steadfast as a rock, deeply grasping the essence of "using one's own invincibility to await the enemy's vulnerability."
Niu Dejin's volatile temper was completely under Xiao Cheyun's control today.
It was tough on these soldiers, who had to stand in the cold wind with their commander as he vented his useless anger.
At Lantian Pass, a fierce verbal battle and sporadic crossbow exchanges lasted for an entire afternoon. It wasn't until dusk, when everyone was exhausted, that Niu Dejin had no choice but to angrily withdraw his troops and return to camp.
This incident dampened the morale of the Fengtian Army, and Niu Dejin himself was filled with resentment with nowhere to vent it.
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