On the border, Slavic flags fluttered in the wind. Elena stood on the high ground, looking down at her vast army, which moved slowly toward Kurokawa like a giant dragon.
Under the sunlight, the armor and weapons reflected a dazzling light, but her heart was shrouded in a shadow of unease.
"General, our army is ready, so why do you seem pessimistic?" The lieutenant stood beside Elena, his voice tinged with doubt.
Elena gazed into the distance, her eyes flashing with complex emotions.
"After the feint attack last night to cover Sergei's departure, the main force only had a brief encounter with Ai Zijun's Northeast Army before we withdrew."
The lieutenant nodded slightly, then asked somewhat blankly, "Yes, but what does your concern have to do with what happened last night?"
She turned to look at her adjutant, her unease becoming even more pronounced.
"But now, I want to approach slowly and attract Ai Zijun's attention, but he's gone! Think about it, where did Ai Zijun go?"
The adjutant smiled and said nonchalantly, "General, aren't you being too suspicious? Kurokawa is so big, Ai Zijun might be hiding somewhere. As long as we continue to advance slowly, finding Ai Zijun is only a matter of time."
Elena's gaze swept across the army, watching the slowly advancing troops, but she felt no joy of victory. On the contrary, her heart was filled with doubt and unease.
“This is not normal. Ai Zijun cannot give up like this.”
Elena has been fighting with Ai Zijun for so long, and he has never backed down. No matter how many people there are, Ai Zijun would never just disappear.
Elena pondered for a moment, then suddenly turned around, her gaze sharp, and ordered her deputy, "Immediately send 10,000 men to seal off the border, 10,000 men to search for Ai Zijun's movements, and another 10,000 men to penetrate deep into Heichuan and take control of all the towns. Remember, absolutely no harm must be done to the people of Heichuan!"
Upon hearing this, the deputy general looked troubled and hesitated before saying, "General, your orders are to seal off the border and search for enemy troops, but you said not to harm the civilians. I'm worried that the people here might collude with the Northeast Army and cause us trouble."
Elena clicked her tongue, a hint of impatience flashing in her eyes. Her voice rose a few decibels: "I'll say it again, the order is that civilians must not be harmed. Anyone who disobeys will be executed without mercy!"
The adjutant gave a heavy "hmm" and then turned and went inside.
“I’m not worried that the people of Kurokawa will cause trouble. What I’m worried about is that if I mess with the people here, that madman Ai Zijun will fight me to the death, and then the situation will get out of control.”
After muttering a few words to herself, Elena slowly turned around and led the remaining soldiers towards Kurokawa.
After about an hour, they finally found Ai Zijun's camp.
Elena strode into Ai Zijun's tent, only to find it orderly and without any signs of panic or defeat, indicating no intention of preparing for battle.
"General, this looks like an orderly retreat, not a defeat." The lieutenant looked around, his brow furrowed, his tone puzzled.
Elena nodded, searching for clues left by Ai Zijun.
"Indeed, every tent here is clean and tidy, and every item is neatly arranged. This is not the work of a defeated general."
Just as Elena was racking her brains, her brows furrowed like a sky filled with dark clouds, a messenger suddenly ran in, panting, breaking the silence in the tent.
"Reporting to the general, Ai Zijun has led several thousand cavalrymen into the rear border and is charging this way!" The messenger's voice was urgent, tinged with panic.
Upon hearing this, Elena wondered if she had misheard. She asked the messenger, "What did you say? Ai Zijun is within our duchy's territory?"
Her voice held a hint of disbelief, as if she were hearing a fairy tale.
The messenger nodded firmly and hurriedly added, "It's true, absolutely true. Ai Zijun is indeed within the territory of the Slavic Principality. And he's surrounded by cavalry, but there aren't many of them, only about five thousand."
Five thousand?
Upon hearing this, Elena's curiosity was fully piqued, and her facial features scrunched up as if she were pondering a profound mystery.
"I really don't understand what Ai Zijun is up to. She ran into the territory of the Slavic Principality. Is it just for a sneak attack?"
However, Elena was certain that Ai Zijun did not intend to surround her; no one in history had ever accomplished such a feat as using 100,000 people to surround 250,000.
Shaking her head, Elena didn't have time to think any further and hurriedly turned and left the tent.
"Move out all reserve soldiers immediately to intercept Ai Zijun and his cavalry!"
Following Elena's command, the last 50,000-plus men who had entered Kurokawa began to turn around and return along the original route like a tide, preparing to intercept Ai Zijun's cavalry.
On the other side of the border, Ai Zijun moved with incredible speed, leading his cavalry like a storm rushing straight towards the border.
His cavalrymen swept across the land like streaks of black lightning, their thunderous hooves shaking the earth.
Ai Zijun originally did not want to return to the border, as the distance to Elena's army was too close and the danger was too great.
However, there was no other way. When Ai Zijun arrived at Elena's camp, she found that there was no one there. She could only lead the cavalry to the border to get close to Elena.
Elena's 10,000 men were very scattered, and they offered almost no resistance to Ai Zijun's attack, which tore a huge hole in them.
This scene was like a sharp blade slicing through thin paper; Ai Zijun's cavalry easily broke through the defense line.
Moreover, the Slavs did not expect that Ai Zijun would actually cross their border.
This move was unexpected and caught Elena's army off guard.
After crossing the border, Ai Zijun charged straight back to her military camp, where she ran into the 50,000-strong army that Elena had mobilized.
This scene is like two torrents meeting in a canyon, about to erupt into an earth-shattering conflict.
Sitting on her horse, Ai Zijun shouted, "No one is allowed to linger in battle. Focus on harassment, make brief contact, then disengage and move to the sides to draw Elena into committing more troops!"
Having said that, Ai Zijun drew her sword from her waist and led five thousand cavalrymen into Elena's army.
For infantry, cavalry is practically a god-like existence, and Ai Zijun's cavalry is extremely fierce in combat, instantly carving out an opening.
From a distance, Elena saw everything clearly and shouted loudly at Ai Zijun, "Surrender now, and I'll marry you!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
