Chapter 234 Taking Yongzhou
Qi Rong was also puzzled. Although he had written a letter to the imperial army, the imperial army should have only just received his letter.
But now the person has simply left.
Qi Rong pondered for a moment, then ordered the troops to stop and sent out two teams to go directly into the city to take a look.
If it's an empty city ploy, and the Tartars are waiting outside to ambush them, then things aren't looking good. When it comes to war, it's always better to be cautious.
"Old Han, take two teams to scout the city."
Qin Zhong glanced at Qi Rong and immediately understood, saying this.
Upon receiving the order, Lao Han led a group of men and sped towards the city.
Lin Changning and his group waited in place for nearly three incense sticks' time. They watched from afar as Old Han led his men out of the city.
As they drew closer, Lin Changning saw Old Han with a smile on his face, running towards them.
Qi Rong and Qin Zhong exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of joy in each other's eyes.
It seems the people have really left.
As expected, when Old Han returned with his men, he knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Commander, there is no one in the city, not a single Tartar."
Qi Rong was overjoyed. After thinking for a moment, he glanced at Lin Changning and said, "Xiao Liu, take a thousand cavalrymen and go to Yongning to scout. Mingxiao, you also take a thousand personal guards to Daxing. Lao Han will stay in Yongzhou with me and Lao Qin."
Lin Changning clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Yes, Commander!"
After saying that, he took Lu Shan and Wan Jin, and led his thousand cavalrymen to change course and head towards Yongning City.
The commander's meaning was clear: if all the people in Yongzhou City had already retreated, the people in the other two cities would likely withdraw from the territory soon as well.
After all, the leader among them was the third prince of the Tatars, and the people guarding this place were all gone, not to mention the other leaders, big and small.
Therefore, once the third prince leaves, the others will inevitably follow suit, giving them a chance to profit.
Lin Changning led a group of men and rode swiftly towards Yongning City.
As evening approached, Lin Changning ordered the camp to be set up. They would rest for the night and then travel for two more days to reach Yongning City.
Zhang Bo suffered a crushing defeat in Yongning City, but he never imagined that the city would eventually fall into the hands of the Tartars.
If the Tartars retreat, that would be fine.
Before the camp was even set up, a scout rushed back from the side.
Upon seeing Lin Changning, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said, "Commander, there are Tartars five kilometers ahead. It was too dark at night, so I didn't dare to go closer to check and came back to report immediately."
Lin Changning suddenly stood up from the ground, his brows furrowed as he carefully inquired, "Which direction are they in? Can you estimate how many there are?"
The scout thought carefully and replied, "It's to our southeast. It's too dark for a thousand households, but roughly speaking, there are about four or five thousand people. However, their formation is strange. The group following behind looks more like slaves."
Lin Changning pondered. If the group behind them were slaves, then at least half of the people in front must be Tartars.
While a thousand men might have a chance of winning against two thousand, it's not a high probability. However, if they used a sneak attack or ambush, the battle would likely be much easier.
As for where this group of people came from, Lin Changning had a rough idea. Once the troops from Yongzhou City retreated, the people from Yongning City probably wouldn't stay for long either. These several thousand people must be the ones who just came out of Yongning City.
She hadn't counted the Tartar troops in detail, but Yun had given them three cities, and each city could only have three or four thousand people at most. The number of people in Yongzhou City, where the Third Prince was stationed, must be quite large, so the number of people who could be allocated to the other cities would not be many.
They came from the southeast, which is the direction of Yongning City, so this group of people should be those who evacuated from Yongning City. There are about two thousand of them, followed by Han slaves.
After clarifying his thoughts, Lin Changning looked at the scout seriously and said, "Take your men and go scout again. Make sure you are not discovered while trying to find out how many troops they have and roughly how many Han slaves they have."
The scout nodded, clasped his hands in a salute to Lin Changning, then immediately mounted his horse, gathered a few men, and galloped swiftly in the direction they had come from.
Lin Changning quickly thought of a plan and called Wan Jin over, instructing him to lead a team to the southeast to scout the terrain. It was already very late, and the Tartars were likely to set up camp not far ahead tonight.
Therefore, if Wan Jin and his men can choose a good location, rush there first, occupy the advantageous position, and set up an ambush, even if it's a thousand against two thousand, their chances of victory are still very high.
Moreover, the other side also had Han slaves with them, and there was still no news of his own elder brother. These Han people were all subjects of the Great Xuan. The city could be ignored for the time being, but these people were human lives, and they had to be saved.
After Wan Jin arrived, Lin Changning pointed in a direction for him: "Wan Jin, take some men to the front to scout out the terrain and environment, and see if it is suitable to set traps and ambush."
Wan Jin nodded and quickly led a group of people out.
After arranging things properly, Lin Changning sat down to wait for news. He tore off a piece of dry bread and put it in his mouth, while constantly looking in two directions.
After about half an hour, the men who went to scout the enemy's situation finally returned to the camp on horseback.
"Commander, we've found out that there are about 2,200 Tartars. The remaining 2,000 or so are all slaves, being dragged along by ropes."
Lin Changning sighed. Tonight's battle was necessary; otherwise, life would be even more difficult for these slaves on the grasslands.
Her elder brother is still on the grassland, nowhere to be found, neither alive nor dead. One day she will fight her way into the grassland, even if it means turning the earth upside down, to find her brother or his body.
After about half an incense stick's time, Wan Jin returned on horseback with his men.
After dismounting, Wan Jin hurried over: "Commander, there is a mountain forest ahead. The terrain is relatively high. I took a look and it seems quite suitable for an ambush."
Lin Changning nodded, looked at Wan Jin, and then called to Lu Shan: "Wan Jin, Lu Shan, you two start assembling the team now. In half an incense stick's time, we'll head to the mountains and forests to set up an ambush. We're going to have a tough battle tonight."
The two nodded in agreement and quickly ran back to the camp to gather everyone together.
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, everyone was mounted and ready. Lin Changning leaped onto his horse and stood at the forefront, gesturing with one hand: "Let's go! Ahead lies the mountains and forests. Tonight, set up an ambush there and trap these two thousand men here!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
