Flames soared into the sky from the distant mountains.
He Yunxiao immediately sensed the wind direction. Fortunately, the wind wasn't blowing this way; otherwise, the new Chu army would have had to evacuate overnight to avoid being affected by the wildfire.
Do you know what that place is?
Soldier: "I don't know."
He Yunxiao nodded.
Winter is dry, and mountain fires are common; it's not an uncommon occurrence. Ruobao had just fallen asleep, and He Yunxiao didn't want to wake her at this time.
However, the more He Yunxiao looked at the fire, the more he felt something was wrong.
That mountain looks familiar.
Holy crap! Isn't that the mountain behind the Yan army camp?
No one will...
He Yunxiao recalled Ruobao's prediction: once the forests of the Yan army camp were burned down, they would be unable to build siege chariots and would turn their attention to the reinforcements from various regions supporting Yin Jing...
He Yunxiao and Ruobao's original plan was to wait until the number of Qi reinforcements was equal to that of the Yan army, and then, together with the Qi army in Yinjingcheng, they would form an overall advantage over Yan and achieve a balance of power in certain areas before launching an attack on the Yan army. Moreover, they planned to pick on the weakest link first, attacking the Yan army's supply trains, and then find an opportunity to engage the Yan army in a decisive battle.
Now that the Yan army's forest has been burned ahead of schedule, the number of Qi troops supporting Yin Jing is insufficient, and the areas outside Yin Jing will change from relatively safe to extremely dangerous.
Damn it! Which brilliant strategist burned down the forest?!
He Yunxiao was furious.
The new Chu army now numbers only a little over a thousand, and the short-sword soldiers don't even have protective armor. How the hell are they going to fight against the well-equipped Yan army? Are they just going to throw their lives away?
Now that things have come to this, He Yunxiao can't care about anything else. He has no choice but to wake Ruobao up and hear her ideas first.
"Zi Ruo? Zi Ruo? Ruo Bao? Wake up! Something terrible has happened!"
Fan Ziruo was shaken up by He Yunxiao, her brain slowly starting to function, and she rubbed her eyes groggily.
Mimihuhu Xiaoziruo: "Who are you?"
"I am your husband! He Yunxiao!"
Mimi Lake Xiao Ziruo: "Husband? Oh, Ziruo remembers you."
He Yunxiao asked anxiously, "Has Ruobao woken up yet?"
Mimi Lake Xiao Ziruo: "You're awake! Hug me." Xiao Ziruo childishly stretched out her hands to He Yunxiao.
He Yunxiao looked at the bewildered Ruobao with a helpless expression.
Mimihuhu Xiaoziruo: "I want a hug, I want a hug."
"Okay, okay," He Yunxiao knew that Ruobao was slow to start up, and there was no use in urging him.
He had no choice but to follow Xiao Ziruo's wishes and reach out to hug her.
Mimi Huhu Xiao Ziruo: "My husband is so good."
He Yunxiao carefully felt the evil in his chest, "Ziruo is so soft."
Fan Ziruo: "What did you say?"
"Cough cough cough!" He Yunxiao hurriedly said, "Ruobao, something's happened! Someone burned down the forest behind the Yan army camp!"
Upon hearing this, Fan Ziruo was instantly wide awake.
"Do you know who did it?" she asked He Yunxiao as she put on her clothes.
He Yunxiao was naturally unaware of this, and Fan Ziruo didn't say much either. Instead, she quickly dressed and picked up the intelligence that the scouts had copied for her.
One intelligence report clearly stated, "Many hoofprints have been found at the foot of Black Tiger Stronghold Mountain, indicating the movement of several hundred to a thousand people."
Black Tiger Stronghold!
Even after learning the result, Fan Ziruo remained calm. She unfolded the map, pointed to the location of the new Chu army, and said in a deep voice, "Husband, we can't stay here any longer. We must move immediately. Head south."
He Yunxiao completely trusted Ruobao and said without hesitation, "Okay!"
Fan Ziruo continued, "Husband, go to Black Tiger Stronghold yourself and tell them to leave quickly! They have a lot of people, so send them there to mingle with the Nanyang County reinforcements and the Flying Tiger Army. These three armies together number 100,000, and the Yan army won't be able to do anything to them for a while."
"Okay." Without saying a word, He Yunxiao called Chu Fan and set off together.
After He Yunxiao left, Fan Ziruo immediately summoned Wu Jian and Pang Jian. Pang Jian was in charge of the Short Swords Army, while Wu Jian was a centurion, in charge of the remaining thousand men of the New Chu Army.
Normally, these two people didn't take Ruobao seriously because she was gentle and kind. It wasn't until this life-or-death situation that they truly witnessed Ruobao's aura.
Fan Ziruo sat upright at the table, his face cold as he said to Wu and Pang, "You shall order your troops to break camp and set off immediately! Head south at once! Those on foot shall travel 120 li per day, and those on horseback shall travel 220 li per day! Any heavy objects that may hinder the march shall be discarded on the spot."
Pang Jian said nothing, but Wu Jian objected, "Sir, isn't this too hasty? This is mountainous terrain, and it's still dark..."
Before Wu Jian could finish speaking, Fan Ziruo turned to the bedside to retrieve her sword. Showing no mercy, she drew the sword and pointed it at Wu Jian, saying, "When Emperor Taizu fought against Yan, his army marched two hundred li a day without the soldiers complaining. You've only marched one hundred and twenty li and you say you can't do it, intending to disobey orders. According to the military law of the Great Qi, anyone who deliberately disobeys orders in battle shall be executed!"
Wu Jian cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and said defiantly, "I understand."
Fan Ziruo raised her sword and demanded, "You're not convinced?"
"Sir, you only talk about marching, but you don't explain why. How can we be convinced?"
"Disobeying orders deserves execution once, and questioning military orders deserves execution again!"
Wu Jian remained unconvinced: "Please kill me twice, sir."
Fan Ziruo lowered her sword and said coldly, "If you deserve to die once, I will kill you. But if you want to die twice, then I will not kill you. Live well and repay my debt of life by killing the Yan army. Pang Jian, issue the military order: Wu Jian is dismissed from his position as commander of a thousand and demoted to a common soldier. Yang Sheng, a centurion, is promoted to commander of a thousand and ordered to immediately organize the southward march! Anyone who disobeys will be executed on the spot!"
...
He Yunxiao wasn't stupid. Although he didn't know the Yan army's movements, he could read Ruobao's expression.
Ruobao's deep doubts indicated that the trip to Black Tiger Stronghold was somewhat dangerous. If Ruobao refused to let him go, it meant that Black Tiger Stronghold was likely in grave danger.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
