r18novel Page 410
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"Li Cunxiao and Gong Pu are fighting a major battle at Rouran Mountain. Dong Zhuo's troops have not yet fully assembled and he plans to launch a preemptive attack on Li Chang'an's camp at Yanjiahu!"
According to the original plan, Dong Zhuo, the Southern King, gathered 300,000 troops and joined forces with 100,000 Rouran cavalry before engaging in a decisive battle with Li Chang'an.
However, Li Chang'an first sent Li Cunxiao to attack the Rouran cavalry, leaving the Yanjiahu camp vulnerable.
Xu Fengnian nodded and said, "This Dong Zhuo is indeed insightful and courageous, daring to defy the Empress's decree and launch a preemptive attack on Li Chang'an's camp."
"However, Li Chang'an's total military strength is no less than ours. Perhaps the Yanjiahu camp is not empty, but rather has another ambush."
Xu Xiao said, "Huo Qubing and the White-Robed Guanyin just defeated Gu Jiantang in the south, and Zhuge Liang and Gu Dazu's 100,000 troops are tied up in Liangzhou."
"This time, Dong Zhuo has invited us to jointly attack the Yanjiahu camp. We will surely be able to capture Li Chang'an alive!"
Based on his years of experience in judging battlefield timing, Xu Xiao pointed to Yanjia Lake on the map and said, "I plan to lead 60,000 elite cavalry to Yanjia Lake overnight to join forces with Dong Zhuo to attack Li Chang'an's camp!"
Yuan Zuozong and Xu Fengnian glanced at the map and realized that Yanjia Lake was not far from Beilao Pass.
Xu Fengnian said with some concern, "Huo Qubing's army marches extremely fast, and Zhuge Liang may also send reinforcements. Dong Zhuo's move is a bit risky."
Xu Xiao nodded in satisfaction. "Feng Nian is right. So, opportunities are fleeting and must not be missed."
“Li Chang’an is too strange. If we don’t seize this opportunity to crush him, even if the Northern Mang’s 300,000-strong army launches a frontal attack, they won’t be able to do anything to him.”
"There's no need to discuss this further. I'll choose the shortest route, march through Shangfang Valley, and head straight for Yanjia Lake!"
Chapter 246 The East Wind Blows in Shangfang Valley, Xu Xiao Dies!
Upon hearing Xu Xiao's idea, Yuan Zuozong still felt it was somewhat risky.
"Your Highness, the road to Shangfang Valley is the shortest, but it is also the easiest place to set an ambush. It would be best to bypass this place."
Xu Xiao pointed to the map and said, "If we want to bypass Shangfang Valley and reach Yanjia Lake, it will take three or four days. Speed is of the essence in war, and we must not delay the battle."
"Besides, Li Chang'an only has a small number of men. Where would he find the strength to ambush me? Even if Zhuge Liang had some infantry, he should have been supporting Yanjiahu immediately. How could he possibly be here to ambush me?"
Xu Fengnian also said, "The 60,000 elite cavalry led by my father are the fastest marching troops in the Northern Liang army. How could Zhuge Liang possibly catch up with them?"
As he spoke, his brow furrowed slightly, a hint of worry creeping into his heart.
"Unless...unless Zhuge Liang had already laid an ambush in Shangfang Valley a month ago."
Xu Xiao and Yuan Zuozong were both taken aback by Xu Fengnian's words. It was a bold guess, but not impossible.
Xu Fengnian has recently been making some surprising remarks, and some of his expressions and words have made Xu Xiao feel unfamiliar with him.
"Hehe! Feng Nian has finally figured it out, but how could Zhuge Liang possibly think that far ahead?"
"He and Gu Dazu have been confronting us for a month now. How can he be so sure that I will not fight him?"
“He doesn’t have many troops to begin with. If he also has his elite troops lying in ambush in Shangfang Valley, how will he resist if we attack Liangzhou?”
Yuan Zuozong shared the same view: "The Crown Prince's idea is very bold, but would Zhuge Liang have such foresight? I think it's unlikely."
"This man is good at governing the people and winning their hearts, but he is not particularly skilled in military strategy. Your Highness, you think too highly of him."
Since both Xu Xiao and Yuan Zuozong thought so, Xu Fengnian stopped insisting, since it was just a guess and there was no basis for it at the moment.
That night.
Xu Fengnian knocked on Xu Xiao's door, and the cripple Xu led his son into the room.
“Feng Nian, you have really grown up in the past six months. Many of your ideas have impressed your father.”
Xu Fengnian remained noncommittal, saying, "Father's troops have marched out of Shangfang Valley. What are their chances of victory?"
Xu Xiao said confidently, "You brat, do you really think your old man can't lift a knife?"
"The reputation of Xu Rentu of the Spring and Autumn Period is not something he made up; it was earned through countless battles. If Dong Zhuo doesn't cause trouble and arrives on time, we have a 90% chance of annihilating Li Chang'an in this battle!"
"Your father has some connections with Empress Murong. She has long coveted Shazhou and Liangzhou. She won't attack Beiliang in her lifetime, but she can attack Li Chang'an!"
Xu Fengnian was silent for a while, then said, "Father, if Heaven doesn't help us and Li Chang'an gains a one in ten chance of winning, what should we do?"
Hearing Xu Fengnian's worries, Xu Xiao's eyes also became deep, and his expression became more serious.
"Tell me what you think."
Xu Fengnian said in a deep voice, "Of course I believe that Father will return in triumph, but Li Chang'an has already gained too much fortune, so we have to make the worst-case scenario plan."
"If Father and Dong Zhuo cannot defeat Li Chang'an, and Huo Qubing and Li Cunxiao return to support them in time, the worst-case scenario is that the Liang-Mang coalition will be completely annihilated, and Li Chang'an's army will advance directly towards Youzhou and Lingzhou."
Xu Xiao nodded silently. He was pleased that Xu Fengnian had lost too many times and was starting to prepare for the worst.
"Go on."
Xu Fengnian said, "The world of Liyang is now in chaos. This time, Gu Jiantang lost his army and territory, and the Liyang court is in grave danger."
Xu Xiao nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. The Li Yang court was all bark and no bite, and Xu Fengnian was absolutely right.
"Father is holding back his troops this time, waiting for the Northern Barbarians to send troops. But the King of Yan in the Southern Frontier is also holding back his troops. What is his 200,000 elite troops planning to do?"
"I am certain that the Prince of Yan will fight Zhao Chun for the throne, and there will be internal strife in the Liyang Dynasty."
"If Dong Zhuo and my father win, we can naturally hold onto Youzhou and Lingzhou, and then take the opportunity to seize Hezhou and Yongzhou, and then plan to conquer Liaodong!"
"If Father and Dong Zhuo cannot defeat Li Chang'an, then abandon Youzhou and let Northern Mang and Li Chang'an fight each other like snipe and clam."
"We should take Hezhou and Yongzhou. The Central Plains will be in chaos; vying for control of the Central Plains is the most urgent task!"
The ambition and brilliance emanating from Xu Fengnian's eyes were somewhat unfamiliar to Xu Xiao; that gaze and ambition were even more intimidating than his own.
"Feng Nian, now that things have come to this, your father isn't afraid to tell you the truth. If I had known a few years earlier that you were such a genius, I would have rebelled against you long ago!"
As Xu Fengnian's cultivation improved and Luoyang intentionally guided him, Xu Fengnian's ambition and vision gradually grew, or rather, recovered.
"Father, the rise of Northern Liang has only just begun. Your son awaits your return to join us in this great undertaking!"
Xu Fengnian was so sensible, unlike his own son. Xu Xiao felt a surge of warmth in his chest and nodded emphatically.
"Good son, wait for your father to come back!"
Late that night, Xu Xiao mustered 60,000 elite cavalry and set off from Beilaoguan in Youzhou under cover of darkness.
Xu Fengnian stood atop the city wall, calculating the odds of victory in this battle. Having lost too many times, he had become extremely cautious.
A moment later, a powerful burst of spiritual energy suddenly erupted in the air.
Yuan Zuozong's expression changed drastically. This was the aura of a terrestrial immortal, which he, a mere Celestial Realm cultivator, could not withstand.
"Your Highness, enemy attack!"
Xu Fengnian immediately stopped Yuan Zuozong from gathering troops, saying, "You step back; it must be an old friend visiting."
Hearing Xu Fengnian's unquestionable tone, Yuan Zuozong had no choice but to obey and retreat.
Xu Fengnian stared at the night sky and saw a tall woman dressed in white walking through the air, her figure light and graceful like a fairy.
Tantai Pingjing landed not far from Xu Fengnian and stared at Xu Fengnian's face in a daze.
"Master..."
Xu Fengnian said calmly, "You've come. It's a pity that your master hasn't regained all his memories."
He has now vaguely recovered some memories from his previous lives, and he also remembers Tantai Pingjing, the disciple of the Nameless Taoist in that life.
Tantai Ping's expression was complicated. It seemed that the message from Luoyang was not false, and the nameless Taoist's memories could indeed be restored.
At this moment, a woman with crimson and purple eyes floated out from the shadows, her expression filled with resentment.
"Hmph, Tantai Ping'an, you certainly know how to preserve your youth; you look exactly the same as you did back then!"
Back when the nameless Taoist sealed the great demon Luoyang, Tantai Pingjing was still a little girl, and her appearance hasn't changed much since.
"Luoyang, what exactly are you planning to do by staying by Master's side!"
Luo Yang sneered, "Your master is my greatest enemy. He killed me in one life and sealed me away in another."
"I'm staying by his side so that I can see him suffer a terrible death in the future."
Tantai calmly sensed Luoyang's cultivation level and discovered that the other party's internal energy was unfathomable, indicating that he was no longer an ordinary terrestrial immortal.
Tantai Ping had no idea what her purpose was, but it certainly wasn't what she said.
At this moment, Xu Fengnian said bluntly, "What Luoyang did was to make me regain my memories of the Qin Emperor's past life, and then kill me to take revenge."
"And I also want to know what I did in that life that made Luoyang remember me for eight hundred years."
"To help me regain my memories, she is currently helping me improve my cultivation. I am now at the Celestial Phenomenon Realm."
Hearing Xu Fengnian's words, Tantai Ping's brows furrowed. Luo Yang simply remained silent with a cold expression, which seemed to confirm the truth of the matter.
Tantai Pingjing had also been thinking about her master, the nameless Taoist, for decades. As soon as she heard the news of her master's reincarnation, she led her disciples north to find him.
"Master, all ninety-eight Qi Refiners of the Guanyin Sect in the South China Sea follow your lead!"
Xu Fengnian looked at the group of white-robed immortals drifting in from the horizon and nodded in satisfaction. The number of these Qi Refiners had already surpassed that of the Qi Refiners in the Liyang Imperial Observatory.
"Calm down. Li Chang'an's luck is so strong right now. Do I have a way to surpass him?"
Tantai replied calmly, "If Master wants to contend with Li Chang'an, this disciple knows a few methods that we can try."
"Firstly, the demon Gao Shulu, who was sealed away by my master four hundred years ago, possesses a celestial body that I can use."
"Secondly, Li Chang'an has collected a massive amount of fortune, and Master can start with the fortune of the three religions in the Central Plains."
"Zhang Fuyao, a Confucian, lived for seven or eight years and possessed the fortune of Confucianism. Li Dangxin, a Buddhist, cultivated into a Vajra, and the two Zen temples possessed the fortune of Buddhism."