Chapter 288 This Situation Has No Solution
Thousands of miles away, at Yumen.
The north wind was like a knife, whipping up the remaining snow and slamming it hard onto the tents of the commander's camp.
A pot of burning charcoal.
The flickering flames projected a tall, imposing figure onto the huge leather map behind him.
Meng Yushan was wearing a heavy cotton armor, and his white beard seemed to still have lingering frost.
He held in his hand a scroll of secret orders that had just been delivered by express courier, the wax seal already broken.
Under the dim light, his weathered face showed no expression.
There was neither joy nor surprise.
There is only a kind of calm and collected composure that comes from years of experience.
After he finished reading it, he handed the thin silk scroll to the person opposite him.
“Congxian, take a look.”
His voice was old, yet full of energy, like the biting cold wind outside the camp.
As he finished speaking, a young figure, also dressed in military uniform, slowly emerged from behind a screen next to the desk.
Zhou Congxian took off his helmet, revealing a face that had become increasingly angular from the wind and sand.
The arrogance of a noble young master from the capital had faded from his eyes, leaving only a sharpness like that of a hawk.
There is no heir apparent from the British royal family here.
For the past few months, he has remained hidden behind Meng Yushan, learning true military strategy in the most direct and brutal way.
Now that there is no one else in the commander's camp, he no longer needs to hide.
He took the secret order and skimmed through it quickly.
Immediately, a strange look appeared in those deep eyes.
The black powder was buried underground, and when the enemy troops stepped in, the fuse was lit, annihilating them in one fell swoop.
This method is simple and brutal.
Even... some of it was child's play.
"Does His Majesty mean to adopt the Seventh Prince's idea?"
Zhou Congxian looked at Xian Mengyushan with some uncertainty.
Only that fearless little prince could come up with such an unconventional method.
Meng Yushan hummed in response, his rough fingers tapping lightly on the cold table.
"His Majesty has given his permission. Now ask me if this is feasible."
Zhou Congxian remained silent for a moment before placing the secret order back on the table.
The wind outside the tent seemed to be blowing harder.
"This tug-of-war has gone on long enough."
His voice was deep, with a hint of the anxiety typical of young people.
"In the last battle, although we severely damaged the Ule army, it was only a minor injury to Chirong."
"That wooden tower is a hundred times more cunning than Bucha. He and Wule worked together to pull off a major battle, but once they sensed something was wrong, they turned tail and ran faster than a rabbit."
Zhou Congxian's gaze fell on the huge map, his eyes seemingly piercing through the thick leather to see the frozen battlefield stretching for miles.
They are trapped here.
Like a ferocious beast, possessing immense strength, yet bound tightly by an invisible net.
deadlock.
He raised his head and looked at Meng Yushan, a flame flickering in his eyes.
“Lord Meng, what the Seventh Prince said may sound like a child’s words, but it is not without reason.”
"We're all stuck here now, and nobody can do anything to anyone else."
"To break this deadlock, it's time to... throw in something juicy."
"Breaking news?"
Meng Yushan's cloudy eyes flickered, and finally a hint of a smile appeared.
But the smile didn't reach his eyes.
He picked up a leather water bag from the table and took a sip of the strong, spicy liquor.
"Military campaigns are not child's play."
"You've been following me for the past few months, and you've been through more than a dozen battles, big and small. You should know that things can change in an instant on the battlefield."
His gaze deepened, as if he were looking at Zhou Congxian, or perhaps at himself decades ago, a young and impetuous man.
"Seventh Prince's method makes some sense."
"But a general must carefully weigh the remaining seven parts in everything he does."
Zhou Congxian's brows furrowed unconsciously.
Meng Yushan raised his hand, his withered fingers pointing to a treacherous spot on the map.
"Although this move is fierce, looking at the entire area outside Yumen, this is the only place where the enemy can gather and where we can set up an ambush."
Eagle Beak Cliff.
It was a natural pass, with a valley between two mountains, a strategically important location that was easy to defend and difficult to attack.
This is precisely where the wooden pagoda suffered a loss last time.
Meng Yushan tapped heavily on the place name with his finger.
"Muta isn't stupid; he already learned his lesson here last time."
"Now, you want to use the same method to lure him to the same place again..."
Meng Yushan shook his head, his tone tinged with mockery.
"Do you think his wooden tower is like those brainless gazelles on the grasslands?"
"I'm afraid he'll be even more wary than a fox, and would rather take a detour of a hundred miles than ever set foot on Eagle's Beak Cliff again."
Zhou Congxian's heart sank.
Indeed, to lure the enemy deep into your territory, the enemy must first be willing to "go deep."
Meng Yushan put down the water bag, his voice growing even colder.
"Besides, black medicine has no eyes."
"Once ignited, the earth will shake and everything will be destroyed."
"How can you guarantee that the towering flames won't accidentally injure our own brothers?"
"And how can you guarantee that the buried fuse won't be discovered by enemy spies beforehand, turning into a death knell that takes our own lives?"
Every word was like a heavy hammer, striking Zhou Congxian's heart hard.
He pursed his lips tightly.
In the capital, the wars he heard about were cold numbers on memorials to the emperor and heroic legends told by storytellers.
But when he arrived at Yumen, he truly understood what war was.
It was on a freezing night, when I huddled together with my brothers, gnawing on dry, frozen biscuits that were so hard they could break your teeth.
You witness a man who was joking and laughing with you one moment, and the next moment, his throat is slit by the enemy's curved blade, and warm blood splatters all over your face.
Amidst the bugle call to charge, they disregarded life and death, their minds filled with only one thought: to kill the enemy before them and survive.
During the three months he spent there, although he held the title of Duke Meng, he went in and out with the soldiers.
He witnessed the most real and cruel side of war.
A general's order, even with just a tiny deviation, could cost the lives of thousands, or even tens of thousands.
That's not a number.
Those were vibrant lives, capable of crying and laughing, with parents, wives, and children waiting for them at home.
The Seventh Prince's method sounds quite drastic.
One explosion covers a large area; how delightful!
However, upon closer examination, it is actually quite easy to crack.
The terrain outside Yumen is mostly open, flat, and boundless.
An ambush means certain death.
But people are alive.
Once the enemy discovers the deception and takes a detour, the black medicine that cost so much manpower and resources to plant will become a joke.
The damage that a fixed amount of gunpowder can cause is ultimately limited.
Zhou Congxian's knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists.
The newly lit flame seemed to have been doused with a bucket of ice water.
He looked at Meng Yushan, his eyes filled with a hint of resentment.
"Lord Meng, is it really... that there is no solution to this situation?"
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