AWB Chapter 420 A Difficult Situation!
Chapter 420 A Difficult Situation!
The Chanyu's eyes flashed with a fierce glint of retaliation. "Tell Yun, she now commands 30,000 men. I don't demand that she cut off Meng Tian's head. As long as she can completely sever the Qin army's supply lines in this icy wilderness and wear down their morale, she will be the greatest hero of my Great Xiongnu!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" the messenger replied loudly, then turned and ran quickly out of the royal tent.
After watching the messenger leave, Xiang Liang sat back down in his seat.
He glanced at Ji Dan, who was sitting there, and was secretly delighted.
The Immortal Master is still the most reliable!
With Touman Chanyu in a better mood, he had roasted meat and strong liquor served again.
"Immortal Master, General Xiang."
The Chanyu raised his wine bowl and said, "With the Immortal Master's battle tactics, we will use these 30,000 light cavalry to slowly wear down the Qin army."
As long as we stall them until the royal court has properly settled the elderly and weak and stabilized the morale of the various tribes, then the Qin people's death is imminent!
Ji Dan picked up the wine in front of her and took a small sip.
Beneath the mask, the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned.
Zhang Fan, since you've used a calculated strategy to coerce the Chanyu, I'll use the tactics you once proposed to deal with you.
He wanted to see what kind of miraculous methods Zhang Fan could come up with this time to break his own theory.
Outside the tent, the wind and snow showed no signs of stopping.
……
On the training ground of the royal court.
The cold wind, mixed with snowflakes, lashed against people's faces.
Luan Diyun rode a black horse, looking at the ten thousand light cavalry gathered in front of him.
These soldiers wore light leather armor, and carried bows and arrows and scimitars on their horses, ready to set off at any time.
Just then, the Chanyu's messenger arrived on horseback.
The messenger dismounted, raised his wolf-headed golden sword high with both hands, and loudly conveyed Touman Chanyu's supreme military order.
"The Great Chanyu has decreed! 20,000 troops are to be assigned to Princess Guiyun's command! 30,000 light cavalry will immediately set off south to intercept the Qin army!"
When Luan Diyun heard that the troop strength had increased to 30,000, a look of joy flashed in his eyes.
With these 30,000 men, she had more leeway in deploying troops on the snowy plains.
However, the messenger's next words stunned her on horseback.
"The Great Chanyu instructed the princess that this campaign must absolutely avoid a direct confrontation with the main Qin army. She must firmly remember the sixteen-character military order: 'When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy camps, we harass; when the enemy tires, we attack; when the enemy retreats, we pursue!' Cutting off the Qin army's supplies will be the greatest achievement!"
A sixteen-character military order.
Luan Diyun silently recited these sixteen characters on horseback.
She grew up on horseback, following the warriors of her tribe in battles, and possessed an exceptional talent for cavalry warfare.
On the grasslands, the advantage of light cavalry lies in their speed.
However, in the past, the Xiongnu people fought mostly based on instinct and the habit of plundering, and no one ever refined this way of fighting into a systematic tactic.
At that moment, these sixteen words entered her ears, instantly connecting the scattered practical experience in her mind.
Retreat, harass, attack, pursue.
Every word and phrase points directly to the core of light cavalry warfare.
Luan Diyun was deeply shocked.
This is not just a few rhyming phrases; it's a complete set of guidelines.
If the Qin army, with its cumbersome equipment and long supply lines, were to fight according to this general plan, it would be forced into a passive and defensive position on the snowy grasslands.
She gripped the riding crop tightly, her eyes filled with disbelief and admiration.
"Who came up with these sixteen characters?" Luan Diyun asked the messenger urgently.
The messenger shook his head: "I don't know, the Great Chanyu only instructed me to convey this military order to the princess."
Luan Di Yun took a deep breath.
She dismounted and tossed the reins to her adjutant beside her.
"Reorganize the troops and await further orders!"
Luan Diyun uttered a single sentence, then turned and strode back towards the direction of the Chanyu's tent without pausing for a moment.
She had to find out who came up with this tactic.
She wanted to ask this person for advice in person.
Inside the royal tent.
Touman Chanyu, Xiang Liang, and Ji Dan were raising their cups to drink and discuss the upcoming situation.
The felt curtain was suddenly thrown open, and Luan Diyun, carrying a chilling aura, returned.
Touman Chanyu put down his wine bowl, looking puzzled: "Yun, didn't you go to muster the troops? Why have you returned? Is there a shortage of soldiers and weapons?"
Luan Diyun walked to the center of the tent and glanced at the three people inside.
"Father, the troops have been assembled."
Luan Diyun spoke, his voice brimming with barely concealed excitement, "I returned to ask which general issued the sixteen-character military order brought by the messenger?"
Upon hearing his daughter's question, Touman Chanyu was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter.
He knows this daughter too well.
Luan Diyun was arrogant and disdainful of ordinary Xiongnu generals.
The fact that she came back specifically to inquire, and that she looked so excited, is enough to prove the power of this sixteen-character military order.
The Chanyu was delighted, which further proved that the Immortal Master's strategy was truly an effective way to defeat the enemy.
"Yun, this sixteen-character battle strategy is not something our grassland generals could come up with."
Touman Chanyu stretched out his large hand and pointed to Ji Dan sitting to the side, his tone full of admiration, "This is a strategy for defending against the enemy specially devised for you by the Immortal Master based on the characteristics of our light cavalry. The Immortal Master's expertise in military affairs is truly extremely high."
Following the Chanyu's finger, Luan Diyun turned his gaze to Ji Dan.
Her previous disdain and indifference disappeared.
Instead, we are looking at the truly strong with a different perspective.
Luan Diyun stepped forward, crossed his hands in front of his chest, and gave Ji Dan a solemn military salute, typical of the grasslands, from a junior to a senior, or from the weak to the strong.
"By the Celestial Master."
Luan Diyun spoke with utmost respect, saying, "I have studied military affairs since childhood, but I have never heard of such exquisite cavalry tactics. These sixteen characters clearly demonstrate our army's advantages and the Qin army's disadvantages."
Yun felt admiration.
Ji Dan sat there, merely nodding slightly in response to Luan Di Yun's bow, maintaining an inscrutable demeanor.
But in reality, he was already sweating under the mask.
He simply quoted Zhang Fan verbatim from the intelligence report; he had no knowledge of any sophisticated cavalry tactics.
Before Ji Dan could even offer a polite greeting, Luan Di Yun stepped forward and continued, "Immortal Master, Yun is going into battle this time, and the safety of the royal court rests on my shoulders."
While these sixteen characters are exquisite, there are still a few points that I don't understand in actual combat, and I would like to ask the Immortal Master for clarification in person.
Ji Dan clenched her fists inside her sleeves.
Touman Chanyu smiled and said, "Since Yun has doubts, why don't you give her some pointers, Immortal Master? That way, she'll have a better chance of success on the battlefield."
Xiang Liang also looked at Ji Dan, waiting for the immortal master's profound insights.
We're in a bind!
Ji Dan knew that if she refused to answer at this moment, the prestige she had worked so hard to build would be greatly diminished.
He straightened his back, slowed his speech, and said in a deep voice, "Princess, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask."