Chapter 100 Repeating the Same Mistakes Leads to the Cicada's Song
"Gambling?" Zhong Li'an raised his eyes and stared into his gaze. "I'd like to hear the details."
"What do you mean?" Zhong Li'an asked, taking two steps toward Qi Kun.
"I have compiled all of Qi Lu's previous habits and ideas about using formations. Che Yan and Tong Xi then tried to use this as a breakthrough point to see if there were any similarities with the Chang'an Formation."
Upon hearing this, Cen Xun frowned and stood up. "We really have no clue at the moment. It seems that this is the only way we can try."
“Gu Fan,” Xue Chang stood behind Qi Kun with a worried look in his eyes, raising his hand to pat his shoulder, “Such a slim chance… if this plan works, wouldn’t that prove…”
“No matter how slim the possibility may be, it’s worth a try.” Zhong Li’an stepped forward, looked at Qi Kun seriously, and a layer of concern appeared in his eyes. “I only have one thing to worry about right now.”
Qi Kun nodded and sighed softly, looking up at Zhong Li'an, then patted Xue Chang behind him with the back of his hand. "What my lord says is absolutely right. As for who Lu Qi really is, it's not important right now." He solemnly breathed a sigh of relief. "The most important thing right now is to break through the enemy's formation and attack them. The facts will never change. If it really is him, we'll have to wait until the world is at peace before we can talk about it."
Zhong Li'an looked at his relieved yet determined eyes and was speechless for a moment. He sighed, reached out and pulled Qi Kun into his arms, patted him twice heavily, then put his hand on Qi Kun's shoulder and nodded approvingly at him, "Then, the matter of breaking the formation will depend on the three of you."
-
The atmosphere in the entire Ji Province became tense. The three strategists practiced the formations day and night, while Yang Xiao and Bai Ming both reassured the troops and trained them.
A sign of truce was raised high outside the city, and neither side was willing to give in, resulting in a stalemate in the eastern part of Longcheng.
Looking at the nascent form of the Chang'an Formation, Yang Xiao couldn't help but feel anxious. He felt that his own ideas in the tent were becoming increasingly real. If they continued to be led by the nose by Xiao Yan, they would only face utter defeat.
To turn the tide of the battle, someone must be willing to get involved, use their skills to stir up trouble, uncover the secrets of the Chang'an Formation and cause internal strife, and then break it with external force... They also need to utilize spies hidden in the camp...
Just thinking about it gives me a headache.
She hadn't had a good night's sleep for countless days. Words like "Chang'an Formation" and "spies" clashed in her mind, refusing to dissipate.
The midday sun of winter pierced through the window, illuminating Yang Xiao's sleepy face. She leaned wearily against the table, and just as she let out a long yawn, she heard footsteps outside the door.
"Reporting to the general, General Bai has come to visit and is waiting outside the gate."
She raised her hand to rub her eyes, and mumbled indistinctly, "Please come in quickly."
Bai Ming lifted the curtain and peeked in. He immediately saw Yang Xiao stretching her arms and yawning. He couldn't help but chuckle and reached out to rub Yang Xiao's tilted head. "Didn't you sleep well last night? I was wondering why you were so listless during the drills."
“I can’t sleep at all,” Yang Xiao shook her head helplessly, turned around and went to the table to pour two cups of hot tea. “Every night when I lie in bed and close my eyes, all I can think about is the Chang’an Formation, the long snake turning into two geese, and that Lu Qi.” She sat down at the table and looked up at Bai Ming. “It’s all Xiao Yan’s fault. I really want to drag her out of the formation and beat her up.”
Bai Ming smiled and sat down next to Yang Xiao. He was about to say something, but a sudden yawn stopped him from saying anything.
Yang Xiao looked at him and couldn't help but pat his shoulder with a smile, "You're so sleepy, and you're still criticizing me?"
“Me too,” Bai Ming rubbed his eyes, smiled bitterly, and leaned on the table, looking back at Yang Xiao. “These past two days, apart from military exercises, all I’ve been thinking about is ‘how to use spies to disrupt the internal situation,’ or how to stabilize the morale of the troops.”
"It seems we really are in the same boat." Yang Xiao chuckled and shook her head, taking a sip of her hot tea. "So, after thinking about a strategy to defeat the enemy for so long, have you achieved anything?"
Bai Ming also shook his head while holding his teacup. "Perhaps I don't have Xiao Yun's talent for sowing discord, so I can't think of any countermeasures. As for formations," he put down his teacup and looked at Yang Xiao, "I've studied quite a bit. I learned a lot from my father when I was a child, but my military tactics are too conventional and lack originality, let alone being able to decipher Xiao Yan's Chang'an Formation."
“She used Chang’an as her formation; she’s truly remarkable.” Yang Xiao held her teacup, watching the ripples spread across the tea. “These past two days, Mr. Cheyan and Tongxi have been locking themselves up every day, hanging up a room full of formation diagrams, and even dragging my master along to study them.” Yang Xiao chuckled and shook her head, then looked up at Bai Ming. “Yesterday I wanted to go see them, but as soon as I went in and saw that formation, I turned around and ran out.”
Bai Ming couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this. "Is it really that exaggerated? But you're quick-witted, didn't you go and study it with them?"
"I'll pass," Yang Xiao said, leaning against the table and waving her hand. "In terms of array formations, Tong Xi is far inferior to me, and as for our masters, there's no need to say more..."
"Report! General Lingyu! General Zhang Ping requests an audience!"
Before Yang Xiao could finish speaking, a soldier outside the door called out. She put down her teacup, turned around, and looked towards the door. "Please let him in!"
The next moment, the curtain was lifted, and Zhang Ping, enveloped in a chill, entered the room.
“General Lingyu,” he clasped his hands in a fist salute to Yang Xiaoyi, then looked at Bai Ming beside him and smiled with relief, “General Bai is here too. I knew it was impossible.”
"What? How is that possible? Are you still asleep?" Yang Xiao and Bai Ming exchanged a glance, then looked up at Zhang Ping with puzzled expressions.
Zhang Ping chuckled and scratched his head, explaining, "I don't know why, but the soldiers have been quite gossipy lately. The Eagle Squad members are alright, but the others start talking about all sorts of random things whenever they have a spare moment."
"Get to the point," Yang Xiao said, looking at Zhang Ping with a hint of helplessness. She picked up a new cup and poured hot tea into it. "I'll give you a cup of tea's worth of time to explain yourself, or I'll kick you out."
"Good, good." Zhang Ping bent down to take the cup of tea. "They've been quite divided lately. Some of them have been making a big fuss about how you and General Zhaoqing disagreed on the battlefield and have developed a grudge since returning; and some have even said..."
He held the cup, unsure of what to say for a moment.
Seeing this, Bai Ming frowned. "What else did they say?"
Zhang Ping closed his eyes and sighed deeply, his smile fading. "They also said that you two suffered a defeat, and our lord was extremely dissatisfied. He flew into a rage in the central command tent and almost had you two beaten out with sticks."
"This is outrageous!" Yang Xiao stood up, her anger turning into a mocking laugh as she looked at Zhang Ping. "They actually believed it?"
“How could that be?” Zhang Ping hurriedly shook his head. “Everyone was incredulous when they heard it, and they even teased the person who spread the rumor.”
Bai Ming frowned and stood up as well. "This is no joke; it's clearly a provocation by Xiao Yun's spies."
“Oh, right, General,” Zhang Ping said, bowing to Yang Xiao as if he had suddenly remembered something. “I’m not here today for that matter. A scout just reported that Xiao Yan has already withdrawn from Longcheng, and Longcheng shouldn’t be launching an attack anytime soon.”
"She withdrew from Longcheng?" Yang Xiao looked at Zhang Ping in disbelief, then sneered, "Who would return to the capital after winning three battles in a row..." Before she finished speaking, she clapped her hands as if she had thought of something, and turned to look at Bai Ming, "Do you think it's possible that she rushed back to prevent trouble in Chang'an?"
Before Bai Ming could say anything, Yang Xiao took two steps toward Zhang Ping and said, "Don't stir up any rumors in the army. Keep a close eye on those people who are full of gossip, and don't explain anything to them to avoid leaking military information, understand?"
"General, rest assured," Zhang Ping nodded seriously, glanced at Bai Ming beside him, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Yang Xiao, and said, "Then I shall take my leave."
Yang Xiaogang nodded, but then quickly raised her hand to stop Zhang Ping. "Oh, right, there's one more thing." She pointed at Zhang Ping solemnly. "You absolutely must not mention the matter of the general's order to those people."
"Don't worry, General," Zhang Ping turned to look at Yang Xiao, "General's orders are strictly forbidden to be mentioned in the army; they are military orders."
“Fine,” Yang Xiao said, arms crossed, tossing her head at Zhang Ping. “If I hear any rumors, I’ll hold you responsible.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ping smiled and waved to the two of them, then backed away towards the door, saying, "Alright, then I'll take my leave."
Watching Zhang Ping lift the curtain and leave, Yang Xiao let out a hearty laugh and turned to walk towards Bai Ming.
"Judging from your demeanor, do you perhaps have a plan?" Bai Ming greeted Yang Xiao and pulled her to her seat.
Yang Xiao watched Bai Ming sit down, then sat down next to him, resting her head on Bai Ming's shoulder. "We were arguing, and the lord kicked me out," she scoffed. "It seems Xiao Yun has lost his temper and is planning to break through from within. In the near future, what they do will only become more and more outrageous."
"Is Xiao Yan rushing to Chang'an despite the victory in Longcheng because he fears that Xiao Yun will seize power and sideline her?"
“Imposteral?” Yang Xiao tilted her head back in thought, then gently shook her head. “Although Xiao Yun is ambitious, he probably doesn’t have the ability to completely sideline Xiao Yan. After all, the entire Chang’an Formation was built by Xiao Yan himself… No, wait,” she suddenly sat up and looked back at Bai Ming, “and Lu Qi as well.”
Bai Ming straightened up slightly and nodded, signaling her to continue.
Yang Xiao patted Bai Ming's leg and leaned closer, "Look, now that Xiao Yan is worried about the internal strife in Chang'an and rushed back overnight, it means that her relationship with Xiao Yun is more tense than we thought."
"But it seems that they are still united against us. Whether it is Xiao Yan or Xiao Yun, they are currently focusing their attention and hostility on us."
“But now that Xiao Yan has returned, both of their forces are in Chang’an. If they harbor resentment at this moment, Xiao Yan’s entire power will be centered on Chang’an and will fall apart.” Yang Xiao turned to Bai Ming solemnly, “Do you remember the last time you fought my brother?”
Bai Ming nodded and replied, "Of course I remember. You once said that Xiao Yan treated him well, and he didn't deny it."
“Yes,” Yang Xiao nodded, “Besides, Xiao Yan has Lu Qi by his side. If this person is really my martial uncle, is it possible that the two of them could become our inside agents?” As if she felt that what she said was absurd, she quickly added, “Although it is absurd for them to help us, they do have the opportunity to split these two forces apart.”
Bai Ming pondered for a while, then turned to look at Yang Xiao, "Could it be that you used the spies here to inform Xiao Yan of Xiao Yun's previous actions?"
“That’s true…” Yang Xiaogang straightened up excitedly, then flicked Bai Ming with a wry smile, “This spy was sent by Xiao Yun, so why would he tell Xiao Yan what Xiao Yun did?”
"This..." Bai Ming covered his forehead, shook his head with a wry smile, "It's my fault, it's my fault. If it really doesn't work, we can launch another attack on the city after a while when Xiao Yan is too busy to deal with external matters, and see if we can take it down."
Yang Xiao stood up with a smile and patted Bai Ming's shoulder. "Of course, but you should rest well these next few days. Don't let the spies spread rumors that 'General Bai is exhausting himself trying to defeat the enemy and has made himself stupid'."
“How could that be?” Bai Ming shook his head with a smile. “The spies from Xiao Yun’s faction would certainly not waste their time in such a boring place.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao laughed heartily and sighed, "Back in the day, the rumor in our army was that our lord climbed a tree to pick locust flowers." Her eyes, gazing out the window, shimmered with a mottled smile. "If Mu Fei were still alive, he would probably have a hundred ways to fight poison with poison and deal with that spy."
Bai Ming looked up at Yang Xiao, his heart filled with emotion. "Mu Fei is simple-minded. How could he possibly confront those treacherous and cunning people head-on?"
“That makes sense,” Yang Xiao sighed with relief, then poured herself another cup of tea. “Their divisive rumors have had no effect on our army. Given their motives, they could do anything in the future.” She handed the hot tea to Bai Ming. “We still need to be careful and cautious in everything we do.”
"Don't worry." Bai Ming nodded, drank the hot tea in one gulp, then patted Yang Xiao's shoulder and stood up. "Don't overwork yourself. You didn't sleep well the past two days, so catch up on your sleep."
Yang Xiao stood up, smiled at Bai Ming, and said, "Okay, don't worry."
“Then I won’t bother you anymore,” Bai Ming leaned down and looked tenderly into Yang Xiao’s eyes. “You get some rest, I’ll be going now.”
"Be careful on the road." Yang Xiao took two steps after him, waved to Bai Ming, and watched his figure step out the door and walk into the wind.
She lowered the curtain and sighed deeply, then returned to the table, finished her tea, and took out a stack of diagrams from the side, pondering them with a brush.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
