The Prince of Ruyang was still waiting in the central command tent for Wang Zhitong to send him a batch of grain.
Food supplies are extremely important in war. There's a saying that goes, "An army marches on its stomach." It doesn't mean that the food supplies should be transported ahead of the troops, but rather that a large amount of food supplies should be prepared in advance.
Otherwise, just wait for the soldiers to go into chaos.
In this era, there was no concept of family and country. Soldiers joined the army either to get promoted, since meritorious service in the army could indeed lead to promotion, and even the imperial examinations depended on aristocratic families.
You win battles by virtue of your true abilities.
If you're truly capable, you'll show it off during battles and earn military merits.
Others joined the army to earn a living, because their families were starving, and joining the army meant they could eat and receive a military salary.
Another group was those who were forcibly conscripted into the army. They were killed if they didn't show up when they signed up.
Regardless of the type, ordinary people in this era basically have no concept of protecting their homeland.
Without ample supplies and money, raising an army is simply a pipe dream.
In that time, the soldiers you raised will turn against you, and the commander will be killed by his own men in a rebellion.
Although the Prince of Ruyang had prepared a large amount of grain, the more grain the better, since the war might last for who knows how long.
After dealing with the Eighth Prince and recapturing Yuzhang Prefecture, the next step is to recapture Nanning Prefecture and Yanqi Prefecture.
After all, these spots are easier to sculpt...
Other regions are far away, and they are not easy to conquer.
But he didn't expect that he was the one who drove away the Eighth Prince. Although he didn't drive him away personally, it was because he was about to send troops that the Eighth Prince was thrown into chaos.
He could have directly recaptured Yuzhang Prefecture upon his arrival, but unexpectedly, Mu Fanzheng led his troops to steal the tower.
The Prince of Ruyang was caught in a dilemma. You see, who can tolerate spending so much time preparing and planting trees only to have the fruit picked by onlookers?
Prince Ruyang originally thought Mu Fan was a good match, after all, according to the information he had gathered, Mu Fan was just a boy of about twenty years old.
The Eighth Prince was defeated because he was too incompetent.
But who knew that before the two sides had even truly met and before a major battle had even taken place, he had already found himself in a passive position.
The morale of the troops is wavering.
The Prince of Ruyang thought that he should first obtain some grain and fodder from the various counties.
They happened to run into Huai County.
But to his surprise, the next day, he sent someone to urge him to return, only to learn that the magistrate of Huai County had fled.
Moreover, after fleeing, he sent people to inform the common people. Not only did many common people know this, but those who could also flee did so. The powerful families who heard the news also fled, as they had a keen sense of smell.
As for where he ran off to and whether he ever returned, the Prince of Ruyang had no idea.
But their escape meant that it would be impossible to collect supplies.
I've covered four-fifths of the county; the remaining one-fifth consists of either stubborn individuals or those who have nothing at all...
Enraged, the Prince of Ruyang ordered the remaining one-fifth of his men to be placed in front of the army to clear the mines as well.
These civilians did indeed slow down the army's advance, since most of the civilians who stayed behind were not in good physical condition.
No matter how much the soldiers urged them on, or even when some of them were killed, it was all in vain.
Because at the beginning of killing, you can still move faster for a while, but later you basically have no strength left. Even if you beat them to death, it will be difficult to move fast again.
This time, the journey went smoothly; there were no landmines or cavalry ambushes.
They went straight to the next county town.
Unfortunately, just like in Huai County, no, it was a little different. The magistrate of Huai County had come to welcome him, but the magistrate of this county had run away beforehand.
Those in the county town who knew the news fled, and those who didn't, seeing so many people running away, inquired about the situation and followed suit. By the time the Prince of Ruyang arrived, the city was completely empty.
These county magistrates had previously obeyed Yu Dakai, who had fled with the Eighth Prince.
Yu Dakai had already fled, and the Prince of Ruyang had forced the magistrate of Huai County to flee. The magistrate of this county was probably also very frightened, so he also fled.
The official road leading to the city of Yuzhang Prefecture passes through a long canyon area.
The official road between the two mountains is the easiest place to set up an ambush.
The Prince of Ruyang looked at the map with great worry.
If the locals set up an ambush here, they will be at a disadvantage and vulnerable to attack.
Is it possible that I shouldn't go?
However, going there would mean losing Yuzhang Prefecture and only being able to occupy a few counties.
In the past? The risks were too great.
The Prince of Ruyang summoned three generals, Zhao Gan, Chu Tianlin, and Xiang Jun, to discuss strategies.
Zhao Gan: "Your Highness, send out more spies to investigate. I believe that if they have set up an ambush, the spies will find out."
Chu Tianlin: "In addition, if we cannot find out whether there is an ambush, we should send out a vanguard to escort these civilians over first. If there is an ambush, a battle will inevitably break out."
Xiang Jun: "Your Highness will hold the rear with the main army. If any problems arise, Your Highness can either advance to provide assistance or retreat to defend the rear."
The Prince of Ruyang nodded, meaning that none of the three generals agreed to a direct retreat.
He was also unwilling to retreat directly.
Finally, following their strategy, they sent out a group of scouts, all of whom reported back that they had not discovered any enemy ambush.
During this time, the Prince of Ruyang issued an order for everyone to put on armor and mount their horses, so that if an ambush was set up, it was uncertain who would attack whom.
So the Prince of Ruyang sent his general Qi Fei with a thousand soldiers to urge several hundred civilians to go to the canyon.
Even after Qi Fei and his men had passed through the canyon, they still hadn't encountered an ambush.
Then, General Qi Tianlei was sent with 2,000 troops to advance in front, while General Chu Tianlin led 5,000 central troops to follow behind.
Finally, the Prince of Ruyang led more than 5,000 men to cover the rear.
There was indeed no one lying in ambush above the canyon.
The enemy's spies are no pushovers; they will definitely gather information about the entire canyon before reporting back.
Just because there are no ambushes above the canyon doesn't mean there aren't ambushes elsewhere.
After all the soldiers had crossed the canyon, there was no sign of an ambush.
Actually, the canyon isn't particularly narrow, so even if an ambush was set up, it wouldn't be easy to encircle them. But if they didn't scout ahead and there really was an ambush, Ruyang King's army would still suffer.
After passing through the canyon, Prince Ruyang breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing his unharmed entourage.
Xiang Jun suggested, "Your Highness, this is now a flat plain, it's the perfect place to cook a meal. This is the perfect spot."
The Prince of Ruyang nodded in agreement. When they passed through this canyon, which was only ten miles long, it took them two hours to march. Under such high tension, the soldiers were indeed exhausted and hungry.
The heavily armored soldiers, in particular, were even more exhausted.
The Prince of Ruyang issued an order: men should remove their armor and horses should have their saddles removed so that both men and horses could rest.
More than 10,000 people were divided into several areas, and all except the soldiers on guard duty rested in place.
Then the logistics staff started cooking.
But just then, the scout rushed back in a panic.
"Your Highness, a thousand-strong cavalry force is galloping towards us."
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