Those five hundred elite troops were his most capable force.
The mission sent to raid the rear of Jianmen Pass has vanished without a trace, like a stone sinking into the sea.
A soldier covered in blood stumbled into the tent.
He fell to his knees with a thud, crying out in terror:
"Report...Reporting to the general, five hundred elite troops...the entire army has been wiped out!"
"What?"
Mu Qing roared, grabbed the soldier by the collar, and lifted him up like a chick.
"What did you say? Say it again!"
The soldier, struggling to breathe and his face flushed, spoke haltingly:
"I...we are...we are...the...team...of...five hundred..."
"Five hundred elite troops... fell into an ambush... none... survived..."
Mu Qing suddenly threw the soldier to the ground.
The soldier rolled to the side like a rag doll, clutching his throat and coughing violently.
The tent was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop.
Mu Qing's face was ashen, veins bulged on his forehead, and his fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"Lu Yan! That damned Lu Yan!"
He gritted his teeth and growled, slamming his fist on the table with a loud thud.
The wine pot and dishes on the table were shaken and jumped up, splashing wine everywhere.
"General, please calm down!"
Upon seeing this, the generals inside the tent immediately knelt down, trembling with fear.
Mu Qing took a deep breath, trying to suppress the anger in his heart, and asked in a cold voice:
"Have the casualty statistics been released yet?"
A short, stout general with a fierce-looking face answered tremblingly:
"Reporting to the general, in the first siege, our army suffered over 10,000 casualties..."
"Today...today we lost another five hundred...five hundred elite troops..."
With each word he spoke, his body trembled involuntarily, for fear of angering Mu Qing in his rage.
Mu Qing waved his hand weakly, slumped into a chair, and let out a long sigh.
He thought that with his military talent, taking the small Jianmen Pass would be a piece of cake.
Unexpectedly, they suffered repeated setbacks and heavy losses.
This Lu Yan is indeed not to be underestimated.
"Get up, everyone," Mu Qing said wearily.
"Tell me your thoughts, how should we take Jianmen Pass now?"
The generals looked at each other, none of them daring to speak for a moment.
They were all very confident of taking Jianmen Pass.
But now, after a series of defeats, morale is low, so who would dare to easily express their opinions?
"What? Have you all become mute?"
Seeing that no one spoke, Mu Qing's tone carried a hint of anger.
The short, stout general spoke cautiously:
"General, in my humble opinion, Lu Yan is cunning and treacherous; a direct assault would likely be ineffective. Perhaps..."
"Not as good as what?"
Mu Qing interrupted him somewhat impatiently.
"It would be better to... better to surround but not attack."
“Send 50,000 troops to Shannan Prefecture to cut off their food and supplies.”
"Wait until they run out of ammunition and food, then we'll break through in one fell swoop!"
The short, stout general mustered his courage and spoke.
"fart!"
Another tall, thin general with a mustache snorted disdainfully.
"Do you think Lu Yan is stupid? That he wouldn't think of this?"
“He has made thorough preparations long ago; you can surround him for ten days to half a month.”
"Maybe they've already brought in supplies from other places!"
"Then what do you suggest we do?"
The short, stout general retorted defiantly.
In my opinion,
The general with the mustache stroked his beard and said in a pretentious manner.
"Why not send someone to infiltrate Jianmen Pass, coordinate an attack from within and without, and catch them off guard!"
"Infiltrate? How? Do you think Jianmen Pass is a vegetable market?"
"You can come in whenever you want, and leave whenever you want?"
The short, stout general sneered.
"You..." The mustachioed general was speechless, glaring at him angrily.
"Enough!" Mu Qing shouted angrily, interrupting their argument.
"What's all this noise about! None of you have any skills, all you do is shirk responsibility!"
The tent fell silent once again.
Mu Qing rolled up the map on the table in frustration.
The map was crumpled and creased in his hands, much like his anxious state of mind at that moment.
He paced back and forth in the tent, his boots making a dull thud on the carpet.
Like the beating of a drum, each beat struck the hearts of the generals.
Several generals stood respectfully to one side, not daring to utter a sound.
The atmosphere inside the tent was oppressive and suffocating.
Only the candlelight flickered, making a soft "crackling" sound.
Seeing that Mu Qing's expression had softened slightly, the short, stout general spoke cautiously, like a mouse before a cat:
"General, I have a plan that may solve our current predicament."
Mu Qing glanced at him sideways and gave a noncommittal snort.
The short, stout general quickly mustered his courage and said:
"Lu Yan is a cunning fellow. A direct attack would result in heavy losses. It would be better to divide our forces and attack other cities in Shannan Prefecture."
"If Lu Yan remains holed up and refuses to come out, our army can gradually encroach on his territory and cut off his supply lines."
"If he sends troops back to reinforce, Jianmen Pass will be left undefended, and our army can take advantage of the situation to break through."
"snort!"
Upon hearing this, the general with the mustache snorted disdainfully.
He glanced sideways at the short, stout general and said in a sarcastic tone:
"You call yourself a commander? What an idiot!"
"Wouldn't dividing our forces play right into Lu Yan's trap?"
"He'd love for us to split up so he can defeat them one by one!"
"In my opinion, we should concentrate our forces, fight to the death at Jianmen Pass, find its weaknesses, and break through in one fell swoop!"
As he spoke, he habitually stroked his mustache, his eyes filled with contempt.
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