Taipingli 380. Father's Design

In the Mo family army camp, Mo Xiaobao sat obediently in a corner of the big tent and wrote big characters, but he did not forget to eavesdrop on the conversation between Mo Xiuyao, Ye Li and the generals beside him. Mo Xiuyao sent generals who were capable of taking charge, such as Lu Jinxian, to the southern front, so the northern front led by Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li was left with only young generals such as Yun Ting and Chen Yun. However, there is a saying that a newborn is not afraid of a tiger. These young generals were entrusted with so many people for the first time, so they were naturally full of confidence and ambition. After several victories, they threw aside the little worries they had, and their morale was high every day.

Mo Xiuyao looked at the young generals below calmly, and said with a faint smile: "What do you feel these days? Why don't you tell me?" The generals looked at each other in confusion, and then looked at Princess Ding who was sitting on the side with a faint smile and no words. Yun Ting said: "We have won consecutive battles in the past few days. Your Highness, do you think... there is something wrong?" Mo Xiuyao smiled and said: "Nothing is wrong. I just want to ask what you think?"

Everyone was silent for a while, and Chen Yun said: "Although we have won consecutive battles in the past few days, that is probably because the Northern Rong people are not good at defending the city. If the Northern Rong people give up defending the city and instead confront our army head-on, I am afraid... we will not win so easily."

After Chen Yun finished speaking, everyone fell silent. Indeed, it was not that they had not fought against the Northern Rong people before. If they could really win so easily, they would not have to fight for so long. The Northern Rong people were tough and good at fighting, but they were not as easily broken as they thought. It was just that the consecutive victories in the past few days gave them an invisible feeling that the Northern Rong people were just like that. It is naturally a good thing not to be afraid of the enemy, but it is not a good thing to underestimate your enemy too much. Therefore, facing the eyes of the people asking for help, Ye Li turned a blind eye, which was unusual. Generals like Chen Yun and Yun Ting have actually gone through many years of learning and tempering, and they know no worse than veterans in marching and fighting. What they lack is the experience of gambling and the mentality of being indifferent to victory or defeat. However, such a mentality can only be honed through countless victories and defeats. This also leads to the fact that when they win a battle, they are more likely to be carried away by success than veterans, and when they lose a battle, they are more likely to collapse than veterans.

There was silence in the big tent for a long time, and then Mo Xiuyao nodded and said, "It's good that you can figure it out." The people who felt ashamed for their complacency in the past few days were relieved to see that the prince was not angry. Yun Ting hesitated for a moment and asked, "Does the prince mean that the Northern Rong will soon change their tactics?"

Mo Xiuyao said: "If they still won't change their tactics after losing battle after battle, the Northern Rong people are really hopelessly stupid. Do you know what to do?" Everyone said in unison: "We understand!"

Mo Xiuyao nodded, without asking them what they understood, and said, "If you understand, go down and prepare."

Everyone took their leave and left the big tent. Mo Xiuyao turned his head and saw Mo Xiaobao lying on the table, listening to everyone's conversation with great interest. When he saw the generals leave, there was still a trace of regret on his face that he didn't have time to retract. Mo Xiuyao narrowed his eyes and glanced at him. Mo Xiaobao's head shrank and he lowered his head to pretend to write seriously. Mo Xiuyao looked at him leisurely and asked, "Did you understand what I just said?" Mo Xiaobao raised his head and glanced to both sides with his clever big eyes. He found that Mo Xiuyao was not talking to others, so he quickly gave a flattering smile, "Replying to father, I understand." Mo Xiuyao asked, "What did you understand?"

Mo Xiaobao answered obediently: "Father reminded those generals not to be complacent because of a temporary victory and underestimate their enemies. The reason why our army was able to win so easily in the past few days is because the Northern Rong army is not good at defending the city, and our army used our strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses. The Northern Rong people have changed their tactics for a while, and our army is likely to be in a mess because of carelessness." Mo Xiuyao nodded, reluctantly agreeing with Mo Xiaobao's words, raised an eyebrow and looked at him and said: "Then, what do you think we should do if the Northern Rong army confronts us head-on?"

"Uh... this..." Mo Xiaobao frowned and thought for a long time, then his eyes lit up, and he looked at Mo Xiuyao expectantly and said, "The Northern Rong cavalry are good at fighting in the wilderness, and their speed is extremely fast. We can lure them into the mountains. The Northern Rong people are not familiar with the terrain, and the cavalry are not good at mountain warfare, so we can win!" After saying that, Mo Xiaobao blinked proudly, and his big eyes were full of: Praise me, praise me.

Mo Xiuyao smiled calmly, raised his hand and flicked his forehead, then said with a faint smile: "At your age, it's not bad to be able to think of so much."

Mo Xiaobao was stunned, staring at his father with dissatisfaction: Is this a compliment? Is this a compliment? My uncle and grandfather never compliment people like this. Grandfather said Chen'er is so smart!

Feeling looked down upon by his father, Mo Xiaobao threw himself into Ye Li's arms proudly, "Mother, my father bullied me!" Ye Li patted his head amusedly and said with a smile, "Your father was obviously praising you, how could that be considered bullying you?" Mo Xiaobao pouted and said, "Xiaobao is not young, it's good that you think so much. Xiaobao's idea is obviously very good. Grandfather and uncle both praised Xiaobao for being smart."

Ye Li sighed helplessly, smiled at Mo Xiaobao and said: "But everyone can think of what you think of, there is nothing special. Otherwise... you can go out and ask Chen Yun and others to see if they can think of it too?" In fact, it is very common for adults to praise children for being smart, and Mo Xiaobao really deserves the compliment of being smart. But unfortunately, the people who complimented him were not ordinary people, so Mo Xiaobao inevitably had a little bit of arrogance and thought that he was smart and invincible. Now that he was slightly hit by Mo Xiuyao, he was a little unhappy.

"Hmm..." Lying on Ye Li's knees, Mo Xiaobao looked at Ye Li pitifully.

Ye Liqian smiled and touched her son's head, saying, "And your father is right. You are still young and have not read as many books as adults. Naturally, there are many things you can't think of. This doesn't mean that our Xiaobao is not smart." Mo Xiuyao beside him raised his eyebrows, took out two books and put them in front of Mo Xiaobao, saying, "Finish reading these two books, and then write down how you think this battle should be fought and show it to me. If you write well, this king will admit that you are smart."

Mo Xiaobao's eyes lit up. To get his father's approval and praise was something every child wanted. But the relationship between Mo Xiaobao and Mo Xiuyao was born out of one blow after another. Although Mo Xiaobao usually looked like he hated his father, he was even more persistent in his praise of Mo Xiuyao. Sure enough, as soon as Mo Xiuyao finished speaking, Mo Xiaobao grabbed the book and hugged it in his arms, saying, "It's a deal! If I come up with a good idea, father must use my idea to fight the enemy!"

Mo Xiuyao nodded without hesitation and smiled, "No problem. You should stay in the tent and study these two books for a few days. Father will also have someone bring some files from the Northern Rong to you for reference. As long as the method you propose can stand up to scrutiny and testing, not only can I use your method, but I can also announce to the world that this battle was fought by you, Mo Xiaobao."

"It's Mo Yichen!" Mo Xiaobao said with dissatisfaction and pride. Xiaobao was too plain. He couldn't imagine what it would feel like if he did something famous and heard people talking about "Mo Xiaobao from Prince Ding's Mansion is really xxx..."

"Okay." Mo Xiuyao nodded and said, "As long as you can do it, I will never call you Mo Xiaobao again. But on the contrary... you have to shout three times in front of everyone in the camp, 'This prince is Mo Xiaobao.'"

"Okay, it's a deal, a gentleman's word is his..."

Mo Xiuyao glanced at Mo Xiaobao's short stature with disdain and added lazily, "A whip for a quick horse."

So, Mo Xiaobao, who suddenly had a goal, picked up two thick books and ran out of the tent quickly, turning back to wave at Ye Li and said, "Mother, wait for your child to bring you honor." Ye Li helplessly raised her hands to cover her face and laughed. Son, although mother is used to calling you Mo Xiaobao, mother still doesn't want everyone in the world to know that you are Xiaobao.

"Your Highness, you really have the time to plot against a child of a few years old..." Ye Li looked at Mo Xiu Yao with a half-smile and said indifferently.

Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and smiled, "I clearly made an agreement with him openly, how can it be called a plot?" Ye Li said, "Really? After Xiaobao finishes reading the two books you gave him, and the files you sent him, and comes up with a solution, it should take a month or two, right?" By then, let alone how to deal with the Northern Rong cavalry, the overall situation of the war between the Mo family army and the Northern Rong would have been decided. No matter how smart Mo Xiaobao is, he is still a child. Children of ordinary families are only enlightened when they are seven or eight years old. The two books given by Mo Xiuyao are not only thick, but also very difficult to understand. Even Yun Ting took two or three months to finish reading the book, not to mention Mo Xiaobao, who has not even learned all the characters yet.

Therefore, this gamble was designed by Mo Xiuyao from the very beginning to attack Mo Xiaobao.

"Since Ah Li knew, why didn't she tell you?" Mo Xiuyao said with a smile, "It seems that Ah Li also thinks that what I did was right, right?"

Ye Li was speechless. Mo Xiaobao was indeed a bit arrogant. Otherwise, he wouldn't have reacted so strongly to Mo Xiuyao's words, which were actually compliments. There was nothing wrong with being hit a little bit. After all, there were still many people who satisfied his confidence.

Ye Li looked helplessly at Mo Xiuyao's handsome face with a dangerous smile and said, "Be careful, he will mess with you later." Mo Xiuyao laughed softly and said, "That kid is best at avoiding danger and taking advantage of the situation. He will only mess with you." Mo Xiaobao understood his father's iron heart very early, so he usually wouldn't mess with Mo Xiuyao. Moreover, his goal is to surpass Mo Xiuyao and then step hard on his father's head. If he messes with his father now, and waits until he defeats his father in the future and his father uses this matter to publicize it, wouldn't it make his dignity as the prince of Dingwang disappear?

Hearing this, Ye Li couldn't help but frown.

As Mo Xiuyao expected, the Northern Rong army changed its tactics the next day. They no longer waited for the Mohist army to attack the city as usual. Instead, they led their cavalry out of the city first and fought a decisive battle with the Mohist army several miles outside the city. Although the Mohist army was well prepared, they were still in a lot of trouble because of the Northern Rong cavalry's rampage. Not only did the number of casualties increase, but they couldn't even touch the edge of the city wall, let alone attack the city. Although the Northern Rong also suffered losses, at most they were equal, and both sides suffered losses. It was a far cry from the previous easy victory.

As soon as they returned to the camp, all the generals gathered together to discuss how to deal with the Northern Rong cavalry. In fact, the Mohist Army was already quite experienced in dealing with the Northern Rong cavalry, after all, the Mohist Army and the Northern Rong had fought many times. The reason why the Black Cloud Cavalry of the Mohist Army was so powerful was largely due to the existence of the Northern Rong cavalry. However, such a large-scale battle was rare in the history of the two countries. Even though the Mohist Army suffered heavy losses that year, it was because those soldiers died in vain rather than in battle. If they died in battle, I am afraid that there were not as many as this time. Therefore, it is not appropriate to use cavalry against cavalry now. Due to the development in recent years, the number of Black Cloud Cavalry is only about 150,000, but the Northern Rong is basically all cavalry.

"What do you think? Does anyone have any good ideas?" Chen Yun asked.

Next to him, Sun Yaowu chuckled and said, "The horses of the Northern Rong are indeed powerful, but if their horses can't run anymore..." Sun Yaowu was a military commander who came from a wild background, and he was always a bit clumsy in fighting. Yun Ting was a little puzzled, and frowned and said, "Did they drug their war horses? But war horses are the foundation of the Northern Rong army, and they must have sent people to strictly guard them. If they want to drug them... even with the help of Qilin, it would be difficult." Besides, how much medicine would it take to drug all the war horses? Moreover, all of them must be implemented at the same time to succeed, but hundreds of thousands of war horses... how many people would be needed to drug them?

Sun Yaowu rolled his eyes at him and said, "Of course I didn't send someone to poison him. I'm afraid it's more reliable to send someone to assassinate Yelu Yedu than to drug the warhorse." They had been together for quite some time and knew each other's tempers. Yun Ting didn't get angry when he heard this. He looked at Sun Yaowu and said, "Then what do you think? You can't just say this for nothing, right?"

Sun Yaowu smiled and said, "How can I say such nonsense? We can do this..." Leaning over, Sun Yaowu whispered a few words in Yun Ting's ear. Hearing this, Yun Ting's eyes lit up, and Chen Yun, who was lying next to him, whispered something in his ear again. Everyone gathered around the fire, and the atmosphere suddenly became lively. Sun Yaowu's method seemed to have opened their minds all of a sudden, and everyone was talking enthusiastically.

"I think this is possible..." Yun Ting said.

"I think this is better..." Zhou Min said proudly.

"Actually, I think this is better..." Chen Yun added.

In a hidden place not far away, Ye Li stood beside Mo Xiuyao and smiled as she looked at the generals who were discussing fiercely around a fire in the camp. She said with a smile: "It seems that the previous reminder is still useful. Today's battle did not lower their morale at all. Instead, they are more motivated to fight." Mo Xiuyao nodded and said: "If they can't even overcome this little trouble, they are not qualified to stay in the Mo family army."

"Does Xiu Yao think their method will work?"

"We'll know tomorrow if it works."

On the second day of the battle, the Mohist army came up with all kinds of strange methods as soon as the battle started. The Mohist army tied bags of hay and the horses' favorite food to their horses' backs. The bags were filled with horse feed. The Beirong had been running short of food this month, and the horses got angry when they smelled the hay. As soon as they lowered their heads to eat the grass, they were chopped to death by the Mohist soldiers who rushed over. Even those who were not chopped to death were knocked down by the medicine in the hay in a short while.

There were also all kinds of strange traps, ropes, long spears, long crossbows, etc. There was nothing that could not be done. These things were obviously made overnight. Although they were not very convenient, they still caused a lot of damage to the Beirong army. This day, Beirong once again ended with his defeat and retreat back to the city.

In the Beirong camp, Yelu Ye was once again furious. In fact, he knew that the defeat today was not to blame on Helian Peng, but after losing battle after battle, he really didn't know how to vent his anger without scolding Helian Peng severely.

Helian Peng did not argue, but knelt in the middle of the tent and waited for Yelu Ye to finish his rage.

After venting his anger, Yelu Ye felt a little guilty looking at Helian Peng kneeling in the big tent. He frowned and waved his hand, saying, "General Helian, please stand up." Helian Peng said in a deep voice, "It's all my fault for leading the troops poorly. Please punish me, Seventh Prince." Yelu Ye sighed and said, "It's not your fault. The people in Prince Ding's Mansion have always been cunning. Who knew they would come up with such a sinister idea." And the Mohist Army came up with such an idea probably because they understood the weakness of the Northern Rong, that is, the shortage of food and grass.

Helian Peng said: "Your Highness, don't worry. Today's method is a one-time thing and will never happen again. After today, our precautions will no longer be of any use. But I'm afraid they will come up with another method."

Yeluye frowned and asked, "What can General Helian do?"

Helian Peng said: "Our previous thoughts were not wrong. The Northern Rong cavalry did cause a lot of trouble to the Mohist army. Otherwise, they would not be willing to consume their own food and grass to deal with our cavalry. What I mean is that we should speed up and attack the Mohist army more fiercely to overwhelm them."

Yeluye hesitated for a moment and said, "Well, let's do as you say."

"Your Highness, there is an envoy from the royal court asking to see you." The guard outside the tent reported. Yelu Ye and Helian Peng looked at each other, and Yelu Ye frowned and said, "An envoy from the royal court, at this time...why would my father send someone..."

Helian Peng said in a deep voice: "Your Highness, if the king sent an envoy here at this time, if it is not to reward Your Highness, then I am afraid... something bad is going to happen." But everyone knows that the war in the Northern Rong is not going well now. The Northern Rong army has been defeated in succession. It is hard to believe that it is a reward. Yelu Ye also knew what was going on. He nodded and ordered: "Go and ask my uncle to come together." Helian Peng replied in a deep voice: "Yes."

After a while, Helian Zhen and Helian Peng entered the big tent, and the envoy from the royal court also arrived. The man stood in the tent and looked at Yelu Ye respectfully, but Helian Zhen and Helian Peng felt depressed. This man was Yelu Hong's man, but the envoy sent by the King of Beirong at this time was from the prince's family. This was self-evident.

The messenger glanced at Helian Zhen and Helian Peng and said with a smile, "Seventh Prince, may I read the king's edict now?"

Yeluye nodded solemnly and said, "Please come in, envoy."

The messenger did not care about his indifference. He took out a roll of bright yellow cloth and unfolded it, reading in a long voice: "The King's edict: Since the Seventh Prince led the army, he has suffered a series of defeats and lost many soldiers and generals..." The messenger read the long edict in a rustling voice. In fact, it was just a sentence. He rebuked Yelu Ye for leading the army to failure, causing the Northern Rong to lose soldiers and generals, which seriously damaged the Northern Rong's vitality. He even wrote to the emperor repeatedly to request reinforcements. The King of Northern Rong ordered Yelu Ye to defeat Mo Xiuyao and the Mo family army within two months. Otherwise, he would hand over the military power to someone else. Although he did not specify who that someone else was, Yelu Ye guessed that if he failed, the one who would benefit in the end would naturally be the crown prince Yelu Hong.

"Seventh Prince, I wonder if you understand the king's meaning?" After reading the imperial edict, the messenger asked with a smile, "The king is anxious about the war in Da Chu and is worried. I hope your seventh prince will understand."

Yeluye snorted and said coldly: "Thank you for your reminder, envoy. I understand."

The messenger smiled and said, "I understand. In that case, I will serve in your army for the next few days. I will also be able to report the victory to the king as soon as possible."

This is going to be a military prison!

Yeluye narrowed his eyes. Beirong had never had a supervisory army. They obeyed whoever led the army, but this envoy came under the order of the Beirong King, so he naturally had the power to control the Beirong army. In this way, Yeluye, the prince and chief commander, was restricted everywhere, and could be reported to the Beirong King at any time. Yeluye knew that the current situation was extremely unfavorable to him, and he was afraid that his father was also very dissatisfied with him in the royal court. The best choice was naturally to hand over the military power to Helian Zhen and rush back to the royal court to explain to his father. After all, as a prince, nothing was more important than the trust of the Beirong King. But Yeluye also understood that once he left, Helian Zhen, who had not led troops for more than ten years, might not be able to control these hundreds of thousands of troops. When the troops fell into the hands of Yeluhong, he would really have nothing.

Yeluye looked at the messenger below with an indifferent expression, a trace of cold murderous intent flashed across his eyes. He nodded lightly and said, "In that case... I'll have to trouble you, sir."

Since he has already fallen behind, I am afraid that the crown prince in the royal court has already prepared. If that is the case... why should he retreat again? He must hold on to his father's trust and military power.

The messenger seemed not to have heard the cold tone in his words. He nodded and said with a smile, "Thank you, Your Highness."