The Seventeenth Prince arrived in a panic with his army, but the Xiongnu surrounded his 20,000 troops. The Seventeenth Prince could not find any trace of General Shen.
"Soldiers, charge!" At the Seventeenth Prince's command, the soldiers charged forward like eagles circling in the air. They charged straight toward a single point, and the encirclement gradually loosened, until soon it was completely broken.
The trapped army inside was overjoyed to see reinforcements arrive, and they brandished their swords even more fiercely. The Seventeenth Prince, with ten thousand troops, held back a portion of the enemy forces, allowing Shen Hebi to escape with the remaining ten thousand soldiers.
The scene was incredibly grand, with swirling yellow sand flying across the blood-smeared faces of the soldiers as they swung their swords at the enemy. The Xiongnu, born on the grasslands, were strong and robust, and the Qing army was naturally at a disadvantage in the battle. After seeing that the army had escaped safely, the Seventeenth Prince began to withdraw his troops.
Seeing that the Seventeenth Prince had withdrawn his troops, the Xiongnu followed, while a large portion of their forces remained entangled with Shen Hebi. The Seventeenth Prince, leading ten thousand troops, drew a portion of the Xiongnu towards him.
A dozen miles away from the main force of the Xiongnu, the Seventeenth Prince gave the order, and his soldiers formed the Eight Banners formation and marched towards the main force. The Xiongnu quickly broke through the Seventeenth Prince's formation, and he immediately changed tactics, switching from offense to defense. After a fierce battle, the Qing army successfully repelled the Xiongnu.
The Qing army returned. Shen Hebi's troops arrived at the camp first, followed by the Seventeenth Prince's troops. The Emperor hurriedly summoned the two of them.
"Your Majesty, I have failed in my duty and have fallen into the enemy's trap!" Shen Hebi, seriously injured, knelt before the Fourth Prince to beg for forgiveness. The Fourth Prince said, "This matter is not your fault. It is good that you have returned safely. You should go and rest now!" Shen Hebi was then helped away by the soldiers to have his medicine applied.
Fourth Master called Seventeenth Master aside, "Seventeenth, did you discover any weaknesses in the enemy's forces on your trip?" Fourth Master hadn't expected that Seventeenth Master was such a skilled fighter. The Xiongnu hadn't gained any advantage this time; instead, they had returned severely wounded.
Seventeen recalled that during the initial battle, his Eight Banners formation was quickly broken, and someone must have given him guidance. "Your Majesty," he said, "there must be someone in the enemy army giving guidance, otherwise, given the Huns' past record, they wouldn't have broken through the formation so quickly!"
The Xiongnu people always emphasized close combat and never paid attention to strategy and tactics. It was really strange that they had made the Qing army helpless in these battles.
The Fourth Prince nodded, and at that moment, the guards he had sent returned. "Your Majesty, after our investigation, we discovered a man in black in the Xiongnu camp. Judging from his build, he should be a Han Chinese."
Upon hearing the guard's words, the Fourth Prince and the Seventeenth Prince exchanged a knowing smile. Sure enough, there was a Han Chinese among them. "Do you know who that Han Chinese is?" the Fourth Prince asked, puzzled. Such knowledge of the Eight Banners' formations meant he must be a member of the Eight Banners, but who could he be?
"Your Majesty, this man has been wearing a mask, so we have not been able to see his face. However, based on our observations, he must hold a very high position in the enemy camp, as he frequently enters and exits the tents of various leaders!" After reporting the important information, the guard withdrew from the tent.
"Seventeenth Brother, we now know that there are Eight Banners soldiers in the enemy camp. We must find out who this person is as soon as possible! Also, it seems that the Eight Banners formation needs to be changed!" After learning about the enemy's situation, Fourth Master felt as if the fog in front of him had been dispelled, and he had a direction for how to proceed.
"Yes, we can take advantage of the enemy's perceived strengths and catch them off guard!" The Seventeenth Prince agreed with the Emperor's idea, but the Eight Banners formation couldn't be changed so easily. It seemed that it would take some time and effort.
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