Lu Yan's every word struck everyone's hearts like steel nails.
It was suffocating them.
His eyes, sharp as knives, suddenly shot towards Zhang Xun.
Zhang Xun was intimidated by this imposing aura, his back ramrod straight, waiting for Lu Yan to give orders.
"Zhang Xun, you immediately lead the cavalry regiment to intercept the enemy."
"We must delay them and buy time for Shannan Prefecture!"
Zhang Xun stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and his eyes gleamed with unwavering determination:
"Your subordinate obeys!"
He turned and strode out of the council chamber to summon the cavalry regiment and prepare to depart.
Outside the council chamber, the bugle call of the assembled cavalry resounded through the sky.
Warhorses neighed, and soldiers quickly and orderly assembled, preparing to rush to the battlefield.
Lu Yan walked to the table, picked up a pen and ink, quickly wrote a letter, and sent it to Tu Rong by carrier pigeon.
The letter reads:
"The Northern Xiang Kingdom, cornered as a dog, has divided its forces to attack. You lead your men out of the city to meet them in battle. Remember, leave no one alive!"
As he put pen to paper, a cold glint flashed in Lu Yan's eyes.
"If they dare to set foot in Shannan Prefecture, they will never return!"
Lu Yan looked in the direction the carrier pigeon had gone and muttered to himself:
"Tu Rong, the safety of Shannan Prefecture is entrusted to you."
…
Upon receiving Lu Yan's letter, Tu Rong immediately summoned his generals and deployed defenses in Shannan Prefecture.
His expression was solemn, and his tone was steady:
"Lord Lu has anticipated the enemy's attack and has ordered our army to take the initiative and not allow the enemy to get even a step closer to Shannan Prefecture!"
Meanwhile, Zhang Xun's cavalry regiment was speeding along the official road leading to Shannan Prefecture.
Dust billowed, hooves thundered, and the soldiers were all in high spirits and exuded a murderous aura.
Zhang Xun, mounted on his horse, spear in hand, his eyes blazing, shouted:
"Brothers, speed up! We must intercept the enemy before they reach Shannan Prefecture!"
"kill!"
The soldiers shouted in unison, their morale soaring.
One day later...
Zhang Xun's cavalry regiment encountered the Northern Xiang Kingdom army led by a short, stout general on an open plain.
"Report! General, enemy troops have been spotted ahead!"
A scout rode up on horseback and reported loudly.
How many people?
Zhang Xun reined in the reins, his eyes blazing.
"About thirty thousand, led by a short, stout general from the Northern Xiang Kingdom!"
"Hehe, what a small world."
Zhang Xun sneered.
"Pass down the order: prepare for battle!"
The short, stout general looked at the menacing cavalry opposite him and couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
He thought he could easily take over the cities under the jurisdiction of Shannan Prefecture.
Unexpectedly, they encountered a tough opponent halfway through the journey.
"Brothers, charge!"
The short, stout general reluctantly gave the order, knowing he had no way out now.
The two armies collided violently, like two black torrents.
The shouts of battle were deafening, swords flashed, and blood and flesh flew everywhere.
Zhang Xun used the mobility of his cavalry to launch a flanking maneuver against the Northern Xiang Kingdom's army.
The cavalrymen were as fast as the wind and as fierce as lightning, weaving through the enemy lines.
They continuously divided, surrounded, and annihilated the enemy forces.
The short, stout general commanded his troops in a fierce resistance, but they were unable to break through the cavalry's encirclement.
He sat on his horse, watching the soldiers fall one after another.
He was anxious and restless, and large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Zhang Xun's cavalry kept harassing the army, which was tied down and unable to move an inch.
He anxiously awaited Mu Qing's next instructions.
"General, what is your next plan?"
Zhang Xun charged ahead, his spear flashing like a silver dragon as he swept through the enemy ranks.
He aimed at a soldier from the Northern Xiang Kingdom and thrust his spear forward, striking the soldier squarely in the chest.
The soldier screamed and collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.
Zhang Xun pulled on the reins, and the warhorse reared up.
Its forelegs rose high, trampling another soldier from the Northern Xiang Kingdom under its feet.
The short, stout general brandished his broadsword, slashing left and right, barely managing to hold off Zhang Xun's cavalry's attack.
While he fought fiercely, he anxiously observed the surrounding situation.
He knew in his heart that if he could not break through the encirclement as soon as possible, his entire army would be wiped out.
He wiped the mixture of sweat and blood from his face.
He shouted loudly to the messenger beside him:
"Pass down the order: the entire army is to break out to the east!"
The messenger immediately rode off to deliver the order.
Upon hearing the order, the soldiers of Beixiang immediately assembled and launched a fierce attack towards the east.
Seeing this, Zhang Xun sneered:
"Trying to break through? Not so easy!"
He raised his spear high and shouted:
"Brothers, stop them!"
The cavalrymen immediately adjusted their formation, forming an ironclad defensive line.
This effectively blocked the escape route for the soldiers of Beixiang.
The two sides engaged in fierce fighting once again, with shouts of battle, screams of agony, and the clash of weapons all intertwined.
Zhang Xun rode on his horse, observing the situation on the battlefield.
He discovered that the number of soldiers in the Northern Xiang Kingdom was large, and the cavalrymen were gradually exhausting their strength.
He frowned, thinking to himself:
"This can't go on, we have to think of a solution."
He looked up at the sky and found that the sun was already setting in the west.
A thought suddenly struck him, and an idea came to him.
He instructed his adjutant beside him:
"Take a group of men to the woods to the north and set fire to create thick smoke!"
"yes!"
The lieutenant accepted the order and led a troop of cavalry, quickly disappearing into the woods.
Soon after, a raging fire broke out in the woods to the north, billowing thick smoke that blotted out the sky.
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