Free Web NovelChapter 1406: Chapter 807: On the Brink of War (4)
The Tatars at the rear.
The Marshal personally led the Think Tank and the troops on campaign, shifting away almost two-thirds of the military strength in the Oasis region. This was because he considered that, as the most ferocious unit of the Daxuan Army, the Iron Cavalry Army possessed astonishing combat power; even with two or three times their number, they still feared they might not be able to annihilate them in one stroke. For absolute certainty, the Marshal dispatched a force of one hundred thousand, solely to encircle and wipe out those 5,000 Iron Cavalry!
In this way they had pursued for several days.
The Marshal had just ordered the army to rest when he received word from the couriers that the main forces of the Daxuan Kingdom had already approached the Oasis and would arrive there at the latest by tomorrow. Now the military strength at the Oasis was weak; once the Daxuan Army launched an attack, they would surely be routed and shattered.
"Son of a bitch!" the Marshal could not help but curse in rage.
Clearly, they now realized they had been outmaneuvered by the Daxuan Army.
The Daxuan Army’s aim was precisely to draw their military strength away from the Oasis region, so they could seize the Oasis directly. After taking the Oasis, they could then push straight toward the south of Hebei and, riding their momentum, strike at their base.
"Marshal, what do we do now? Should we turn back to reinforce? If we don’t, the Oasis will surely fall. Once the Oasis is lost, we’ll have no hope of taking Hebei’s territory!" the Deputy General said, somewhat nervously.
"What does the Think Tank think we should do?" the Marshal asked harshly.
The Think Tank also wore a deeply worried expression; every time they fought the Daxuan Army, they ended up being thoroughly outplayed.
He said, "For those 5,000 Iron Cavalry, we actually don’t need 100,000 troops to encircle and annihilate them. No matter how formidable they are, fifty thousand troops will suffice. This subordinate suggests sending the other fifty thousand back to reinforce the Oasis. At the Oasis we are on the defensive; it will not be easy for the Daxuan Army to take it. As long as we maintain a solid defense, the Daxuan Army will have no supply resources in the desert. If it drags on, they will be forced to withdraw."
"If we turn back now, will we still make it in time? It will take at least four or five days to return; can the Oasis hold out that long?"
"Even if they can’t, this is the only way. Otherwise, once the Oasis falls, we can only withdraw from Hebei. And once the Daxuan Army occupies the strategic passes south of Hebei, if we want to invade Hebei’s territory again, it will be hopeless for at least a hundred years!"
"So in other words, one way or another we can only gamble once!" The Marshal was burning with fury.
The Think Tank nodded, then said, "Previously the original plan was to wait for the Iron Cavalry Army to reach our base, and then join forces with the troops at the base for an inside-outside pincer attack on the Iron Cavalry. But now this subordinate feels that delay is ill-advised. What we must do now is to bring down the Iron Cavalry Army as soon as possible, then rush back to reinforce the Oasis. Better yet, if we can capture the Emperor Daxuan alive, we can intimidate the Daxuan Army!"
"Very well. Dispatch fifty thousand troops to hurry back and reinforce the Oasis. The remaining fifty thousand will follow me to encircle and annihilate the Daxuan Iron Cavalry Army. Move out at once!" the Marshal ordered.
"Yes!"
The order was received.
The Tatars began marching day and night.
The Iron Cavalry Army, on the contrary, were now waiting for the Tatars to arrive.
They would certainly go no farther; if they advanced, the closer they drew to the Tatars’ base, the easier it would be for the base’s troops to sally forth. If they stayed some distance away, the base’s troops would not dare to act rashly, fearing that once they left and were ambushed, they would be unable to return to reinforce.
Since they could not move forward, they would have all the troops conserve their strength and face the battle in their best condition.
It was deep into the night.
The world was utterly still.
Perhaps tomorrow, perhaps the day after, this place would become a battlefield, strewn with corpses everywhere.
Xie Qianyun returned to Xiao Luming’s tent.
Starting two days ago, no one took off their armor when they slept.
So naturally it was not so convenient to move around.
Xie Qianyun accidentally kicked Xiao Luming’s leg.
Xiao Luming’s body jolted with pain.
He grabbed his leg and glared fiercely at Xie Qianyun.
"I didn’t do it on purpose," Xie Qianyun said quickly.
Enduring the pain, Xiao Luming clenched his teeth and lay back down again.
"Your Majesty, the battle will begin very soon," Xie Qianyun suddenly said.
Her voice was somewhat dim.
"I know," Xiao Luming responded.
"War is even more cruel than Your Majesty imagines. In the Imperial Palace Your Majesty has only seen beautiful things. Your Majesty must be mentally prepared."
"Don’t worry, I am strong inside," Xiao Luming dismissed it entirely.
Xie Qianyun said no more.
She only remembered that the first time she witnessed real war, she had been so terrified by the unbearably tragic scenes before her eyes that she couldn’t even lift her weapon.
If her mother hadn’t desperately shielded her, she would have died long ago.
Only after countless drills and engagements was she able to face war calmly.
"Your Majesty should rest early. Preserving your strength is most important," Xie Qianyun said.
Xiao Luming gave a response.
The two had just settled into silence when, outside, urgent drumming suddenly sounded.
Clearly, there was an enemy incursion.
They had expected war to come quickly, but not this quickly.
Xie Qianyun immediately sprang up from the tent, her speed astonishing.
Even the heavy armor on her body seemed to become light.
Xiao Luming had not yet risen when he saw Xie Qianyun already off the bed.
She tossed back a sentence: "Your Majesty, don’t move around. I’ll go check the situation and be right back!"
After rushing out of the tent, she instructed Wu Shen, "Protect His Majesty well. There must be no mistakes!"
"Rest assured, Your Highness!"
Wu Shen was now also fully alert, utterly focused.
