Chapter 349 Clearing the Way
Li Mingde knew the situation was somewhat critical, so he glanced at Lin Changning and nodded.
"I'll go and take some people to rectify the situation right away."
After saying this, he left with his personal guards. It was a hot time of day, but Lin Changning really had no better options. He only brought a thousand men, and if he were to confront the imperial court head-on with these 10,000 troops, he knew he would not be able to win.
Presumably, the city's food supplies are running low. If they cannot break out in the next day or two, they will be trapped like turtles in a jar.
Once the rest of the imperial army arrived, it was almost certain that they would all perish.
After sorting out his thoughts, Lin Changning quickly returned to his tent. After putting on his armor and sword, he happened to run into Old Ma, who had just returned.
Old Ma's expression wasn't good either; he clearly already knew about their current situation.
Seeing Lin Changning immediately start packing, he asked, "Changning, what should we do with this?"
Lin Changning fastened his helmet without looking up and said, "I sent Wan Jin and the others to check the surrounding troops. They should be back tonight. In this weather, it's impossible to launch an attack, fight, or attack a city during the day. So if we launch a surprise attack, it will definitely be tonight or tomorrow night. As long as Wan Jin and the others return before nightfall, we will have a chance to break out."
Old Ma nodded: "I understand. I'll go and reorganize the team now."
Lin Changning responded, put on his clothes, and went straight into the tent.
Li Mingde went down to reorganize the troops and will probably be back in a while. She had already looked at the surrounding terrain map when she came.
However, it would be best to take a look at the sand table. Lin Changning went directly into the tent, looked at the terrain on the sand table, and began to lay out the layout.
If there are people in front, behind, left, and right, then all the troops can only be united as one and rush out. But if there is an opening, then the troops can be divided into two groups, one group for breaking out and the other group to cover the rear.
When he arrived, his orders were to bring the people back. If they were truly trapped in an encirclement, then he would have no choice but to sacrifice a small number of people to save the main force.
Standing in front of the sand table, Lin Changning looked at the terrain and began to mentally arrange his troops.
After mentally considering various options, Lin Changning finally came to his senses. He saw that Li Mingde had entered the room at some point and seemed to have called him over. He was now standing quietly beside him, waiting for him.
Lin Changning turned to Li Mingde and cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Highness."
Li Mingde waved his hand casually, then looked at Lin Changning with a serious expression: "The troops are being reorganized and should be ready before nightfall. The scouts I sent out said there are quite a few imperial troops around us. I roughly checked their distribution, and the largest number are in the north. Other places have at most one or two thousand people stationed there, but I haven't seen any large army. If we want to break out, tonight is the best time."
Lin Changning nodded and pointed to the sand table, saying, "I think we can split the people into two teams. One team can lead the way and clear the path on the side with the fewest people. Look here, there is a valley over here, which is a good place to ambush."
Li Mingde looked at Lin Changning with some surprise and said, "You mean...?"
Lin Changning nodded: "There are about 10,000 troops left in the city. I brought a thousand of them, all of whom are brave and skilled light cavalry. If we fight on the plains outside the city, we don't have much of a chance of winning. But look here, we can take advantage of the gap when they regroup, and use the terrain of the valley to launch a flanking attack, breaking their largest force into smaller pieces and annihilating them. That way, they won't be a threat, and we won't be chased from behind."
The worst-case scenario now is that they are surrounded by people from the imperial court.
Lin Changning thought for a moment, and realized that even if they escaped, at such a close distance, the enemy's scouts would definitely be able to track them down.
Instead of fleeing in fear all the way, it would be better to take advantage of the terrain of the valley and the local troops to turn the tide and directly divide the people here into small groups and wipe them out in batches.
This will also save them from having any worries.
What's uncertain now is the combat strength of the people under King Sheng's command. If they fail to wipe them out and are instead surrounded and annihilated, they might perish here.
Thinking of this, Lin Changning looked at Li Mingde seriously and asked, "How is the combat strength of your soldiers?"
Li Mingde was silent for a while: "They are all heroes from the frontier, but they are the last troops of our Prince's Palace. They have been suffering defeats in recent days, and their morale is a little unstable. However, they should be able to fight normally, but they are probably not good at charging."
Lin Changning naturally understood the principle that one should press on with one's strength, but the second time will be weaker and the third time will be exhausted. Li Mingde's soldiers had suffered repeated defeats, and their morale was already low. It would indeed be difficult to send them to charge and ambush.
However, Lin Changning was reluctant to lead his own troops into battle, so he remained silent for a moment, and the two fell into silence.
After a long pause, Li Mingde sighed and said, "I can lead my personal guards in a charge."
Lin Changning thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I'll lead the charge, and you follow behind with your troops, acting according to the situation. You must annihilate this group of people, otherwise we'll likely be chased all the way back to Taiyuan."
Li Mingde hesitated for a moment: "In addition to your own cavalry, I will give you another five hundred guards from the Prince's Palace."
Lin Changning didn't stand on ceremony: "Then thank you very much, Your Highness."
His mission was to bring back the best possible troops to Taiyuan. This prince was now the backbone of these people, so Li Mingde absolutely could not be allowed to be harmed.
If something happens, even if the prince wanted to use these people, he probably wouldn't be able to.
Having figured things out, Lin Changning continued, "It's hot during the day, so if we're going to launch a surprise attack, it'll most likely be at night. Have everyone prepare tonight, and be on high alert as soon as night falls. Also, have people set up various traps in the city, just in case."
Li Mingde nodded, listening to Lin Changning's methodical instructions. After careful consideration, he realized that every strategy Lin Changning mentioned was very practical.
"I understand. I'll have someone go and prepare."
The two discussed their strategy in the tent until the sun was about to set in the west, and the clouds on the horizon were dyed golden red.
Lin Changning looked up at the beautiful scenery outside the tent, sighed, and said, "It's almost nightfall, Your Highness, I'll go and make preparations now."
Li Mingde nodded to Lin Changning, cupped his hands in a bow, and said, "Thank you for today's matter, Vice Commissioner."
Lin Changning returned the bow: "Your Highness, there's no need to be so polite. It's all just my duty."
After saying that, he left the tent and went to find Lu Shan. The cavalry he brought had already been organized and were lined up neatly at the city gate.
The city gate opened slightly, and Wan Jin and a dozen scouts rushed in from outside.
Upon seeing Lin Changning sitting on a horse, he stared intently at Lin Changning and ran over.
"Report!! Vice Commissioner! The new city is now surrounded by the imperial forces, numbering approximately eight thousand!!!"
Lin Changning waved to the man from his horse: "I understand, return to the team."
After saying that, she looked at the sky gradually darkening, and a warm breeze ruffled Lin Changning's hair.
"Everyone, prepare for battle! Breakout under the cover of night!!!"
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