Elena's voice was very loud, and Ai Zijun heard it clearly. She quickly turned her head to look in the direction of the sound.
Seeing Elena standing on the hillside, Ai Zijun hurriedly shouted back, "Elena, if you surrender now, I can guarantee that your more than 200,000 troops will return intact!"
Upon hearing Ai Zijun's words, Elena couldn't help but laugh.
Several thousand cavalrymen threatening her 250,000-strong army—Ai had never heard of such a joke before.
"The armies on both sides, surround his cavalry and capture Ai Zijun alive!"
Elena shouted loudly, and the armies on both sides quickly began to move, flanking Ai Zijun from both sides.
Ai Zijun gripped her longsword and slashed down more than ten people in succession. After checking her position, she quickly reined in her sword.
"Charge back! Break through the encirclement!"
Ai Zijun shouted, pulled on the reins, turned the horse around, and charged back the way it came.
Ai Zijun's warhorse was the best in the entire Northeast Army; its speed and strength were unmatched by anyone else.
With such a fine steed, Ai Zijun naturally wouldn't hide behind his brothers. In every battle, he would charge into battle, always at the forefront of the entire team.
His cavalrymen responded enthusiastically, turning around and charging back towards the border.
Seeing that Ai Zijun was about to run away, Elena hurriedly shouted, "Quick, stop him!"
Although her army immediately carried out Elena's orders, tens of thousands of them chased after Ai Zijun.
But how can two legs outrun four? The speed of infantry and cavalry is simply incomparable.
Ai Zijun charged forward with incredible speed. Wherever he went, the Slavic soldiers retreated in all directions, none of them wanting to be killed by Ai Zijun there.
The sound of horses' hooves thundered, like rolling thunder in spring, instilling fear in people's hearts.
Ai Zijun charged ahead, covered in blood, and finally fought her way back to the border before Elena's army could complete its encirclement.
The infantry behind them were still chasing frantically, while the Slavic garrison on the border was slowly closing in.
Ai Zijun took a deep breath, pulled on the reins, and turned to look behind her.
Elena's army was still in pursuit, but it appeared to number less than 30,000, which was far too few.
"Give the order to split the troops into two groups, attack back to Kurokawa, and then disperse to harass the enemy forces until Elena's army retreats!"
At his command, the five thousand cavalrymen instantly split into two, with Ai Zijun leading half of them galloping northwards.
Elena could see everything clearly from the hillside, but she had no idea what Ai Zijun was trying to do.
"What exactly is he trying to do? Why is he heading towards our country? Could it be...?"
Suddenly, Elena realized something was wrong. How could she have forgotten so quickly that Ai Zijun had attacked from behind her?
"Something's wrong! Someone! Order the army to retreat! Ai Zijun's army may have already entered our country!"
Elena reacted very quickly, but by this time, Chen Zhennan had already covered most of the distance.
In Novgorod, at the Marshal's residence, Ivanov was drinking and eating meat.
With 250,000 troops at the front and only 100,000 under Ai Zijun's command, victory seemed inevitable.
"Marshal, according to Elena's plan, we should begin the full-scale advance today. Sergei will personally lead the cavalry attack, and the men I have prepared will move in soon to ensure that Sergei never returns."
Beside Ivanov stood a man who was about thirty years old and of thin build, but he was wearing a general's uniform and was not of low status.
Ivanov narrowed his eyes, a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth, and a sinister glint in his eyes.
“He’s trying to steal my woman. Doesn’t he even know who he is? A cavalry general. I’ve already shown him a huge favor by letting him live this long.”
Ivanov raised his glass and handed it to the general beside him.
"Petrov, after this victory, you will be the cavalry commander of our empire. I, the marshal, have already planned to expand the cavalry force. You'd better work hard then."
Petrov took the glass, nodded solemnly, as if he had taken on some kind of mission.
"Marshal, rest assured, I will definitely develop and strengthen the Empire's cavalry."
After saying that, Petrov drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.
Ivanov laughed heartily upon seeing this and pulled Petrov to sit down.
"Good, good! Come, let's drink and wait for Elena's good news. After this war ends, I will marry Elena and make her my wife. You'll have to ask me for a lot of money for our wedding preparations."
Petrov nodded quickly: "Marshal, rest assured, the Emperor is my uncle, I should be able to make the decision on such a small matter."
"Good, if you accomplish this for me, then the position of marshal at the front will be yours! Let's drink!"
The two chatted and laughed, drinking and toasting each other until evening.
In the woods outside Novgorod, Chen Zhennan stood on a tree branch, watching the flickering lights on the city walls.
"Time is of the essence. We must find the granary as soon as we enter the city, lest the Slavs burn it down."
Yan Shiyu stood under the tree and nodded emphatically, pondering, "General, if their Ivanov holds out to the bitter end, can we kill him?"
Chen Zhennan smiled upon hearing this and jumped down from the tree branch.
"Killing is easy, but it doesn't solve anything. I'm here to seek peace talks. If Ivanov is killed, will we still have peace?"
Seeing Yan Shiyu still in a daze, Chen Zhennan couldn't help but smile.
"Alright, don't overthink things. You take charge of execution, and I'll handle the overall situation. That should make things simpler."
Yan Shiyu nodded slightly. Since the establishment of the special forces team, Chen Zhennan has been in charge of the planning every time, and there has never been any mistake.
"Well then, Commander, we should get moving."
Chen Zhennan grunted in agreement, reached into his pocket and took out a pistol, then led his team quietly toward Novgorod.
The night was as dark as ink. Chen Zhennan led his men to the foot of the city wall and reached behind his back to take out a grappling hook.
"Shiyu, remember to take the granary as soon as possible. I'll take my men directly to the Marshal's Mansion."
Yan Shiyu nodded slightly, then gave a signal to his brothers beside him. More than ten men took out their grappling hooks and swung them towards the city wall.
"superior!"
Chen Zhennan gave a low shout, and dozens of team members grabbed the ropes and quickly climbed up the city wall.
Before long, Chen Zhennan heard bursts of gunfire coming from the city wall.
"What happened? Why was there a gunshot?"
Chen Zhennan frowned suddenly and looked up.
"What are these guys doing? Commander, wait a minute, I'll go up and take a look."
Yan Shiyu also frowned, grabbed the rope, and quickly climbed up the city wall.
Chen Zhennan straightened up and listened to the gunfire from the city wall, his heart beginning to grow anxious.
"Men! Blow open the city gates and launch a full-scale attack on Novgorod!"
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