The battlefield had just been cleared when the White Tiger General, Tu Fu, hurried over, cupped his hands, and asked for instructions, "My Lord, the Aslianze City has almost no defending forces left. The city is empty, making it an excellent opportunity to take it down. May I ask if we should launch an immediate attack?"
Frankly speaking, it was indeed a good opportunity, but Xiao Yunlong was not thinking about immediate gains. As the supreme commander, he coordinated the overall strategy.
"No rush. Order the army to halt and rest in place. Do not move without my command!" Xiao Yunlong said.
"Such a good opportunity, are we really going to..."
"Go and relay my order immediately!" Xiao Yunlong said sternly.
"Yes!" Tu Fu immediately stopped talking and turned to leave.
Liu Ruyan, who was standing nearby, asked, "Yunlong, Tu Fu is right. Why don't we seize this excellent opportunity to take the Aslianze City ahead?"
Xiao Yunlong smiled slightly and said, "Aslian City is within our grasp now, so there's no need to rush. The most pressing matter is the enemy's deputy commander Brownie's remaining hundred thousand troops, as well as the two hundred and fifty thousand troops attacking Wancheng on the eastern front!"
"So you're worried about the enemy's deputy commander Brownie's hundred thousand troops returning to attack," Liu Ruyan said.
"We have just gone through two major battles, and the soldiers are quite exhausted. We must be cautious!"
Xiao Yunlong changed the subject and continued, "However, I will not easily allow Brownie's hundred thousand troops to return, at least not for now!"
After speaking, the two quickly descended the mountain and simultaneously summoned generals like Li Jiuxiao to rush to the command tent to assign military tasks.
"My Lord, have you decided to attack As City?" Tu Fu clearly still had this on his mind.
Xiao Yunlong gave him a sideways glance, then said seriously, "Li Jiuxiao, Zhuge Wushuang, listen to my orders. I command you two to each lead seventy thousand troops to Tianzang Mountain for another ambush!"
Zhuge Wushuang immediately asked, "Another ambush at Tianzang Mountain, why is that, My Lord?"
Xiao Yunlong did not answer or explain immediately but habitually looked at Li Jiuxiao and the other generals.
Tang Bowen stepped forward and said, "I know the reason. Currently, the enemy's deputy commander Brownie's hundred thousand troops are stationed at Jiacity Pass, hesitating. They want to rush back, but they are also worried about an ambush at Tianzang Mountain. So, if my guess is correct, My Lord intends to feign an attack, deliberately setting up an ambush at Tianzang Mountain to block Brownie's hundred thousand troops. The best outcome would be to force Brownie's hundred thousand troops towards the eastern front!"
"Exactly. This is called the 'drive the wolf to swallow the tiger' strategy!"
Xiao Yunlong smiled faintly and continued, "The situation at Wancheng on the eastern front is that the Northeast Tiger is quite capable, holding his own against the enemy's two hundred and fifty thousand troops on the eastern front. Moreover, if this trend continues, Zhang Qingyun will likely win. However, if Brownie's hundred thousand troops suddenly join, the outcome is hard to say. The sudden addition of a hundred thousand troops will definitely give Zhang Qingyun a hard time!"
"So that's how it is. I didn't expect there to be so many twists and turns. My Lord, you are truly insidious and cunning, no, you are full of stratagems!" Tu Fu chuckled.
Zhuge Wushuang gave him a glare and said, "You fellow, you can't say anything good. What do you mean by full of stratagems? In warfare, all's fair in love and war. My Lord is merely strategizing from multiple perspectives. That Northeast Tiger was so arrogant before, and My Lord just wants him to suffer a little!"
"Yes, yes, that's exactly what I meant. Damn it, I've been unhappy with that Northeast Tiger for a long time. What right does he have to be compared to My Lord!" Tu Fu said.
At this moment, Li Jiuxiao pondered and said, "My Lord, I have a concern. If Brownie's hundred thousand troops do not go to the eastern front as we planned, but instead turn west to attack Pingcheng, what then?"
Xiao Yunlong nodded slightly and said, "I have considered this concern of yours. This is why I brought two thousand soldiers to Yumu City to lay a trap earlier?"
"Why?" Liu Ruyan asked, as she truly didn't understand the intricacies of military strategy.
"It seems you don't know yet. When the enemy's eastern front had three hundred and fifty thousand troops, and their commander Bruzager returned to reinforce, he also dispatched a vanguard of fifty thousand troops to attack Pingcheng!"
Before Xiao Yunlong could finish, Li Jiuxiao said, "A mere vanguard of fifty thousand enemy troops wants to attack our Pingcheng? You must know that Pingcheng has seventy thousand troops, including twenty thousand elite Dragon Blood Guards!"
Tang Bowen interjected, "I understand now. So the two thousand soldiers My Lord had lay a trap in Yumu City were indeed for strategic purposes, precisely to prevent the enemy from dividing their forces to attack our Pingcheng!"
Xiao Yunlong smiled slightly and said, "Just now, when I returned to the camp, I received news from Vermilion Bird. Those fifty thousand enemy vanguard troops, with the support and cooperation of the twenty thousand soldiers in Yumu City, have been completely annihilated!"
"Now the twenty thousand troops from Yumu City have returned to Pingcheng. Coupled with the seventy thousand troops of Vermilion Bird and Chu Tiange, a total of over ninety thousand soldiers. Pingcheng has just achieved a great victory and their morale is high. At this moment, Brownie's hundred thousand troops absolutely dare not attack!"
"Damn it, so that's how it is. It turns out that every step of My Lord's plan was meticulously thought out. Back then, the generals of the Northeast Tiger on the eastern front were all cursing My Lord as naive and ignorant. Now it seems they are the ignorant ones!" Tu Fu said excitedly.
Zhuge Wushuang also shook his head and said with a wry smile, "My Lord is indeed My Lord. It turns out that back in Pingcheng, My Lord had already planned the overall strategy. No wonder the Old North King insisted on appointing you as the New North King against the objections of the flag leaders and old generals. The Old North King truly had foresight!"
Li Jiuxiao also sighed, "I really didn't think of this. I am indeed far inferior to My Lord!"
Even Tang Bowen, who was always proud of his knowledge of military strategy, now looked at Xiao Yunlong with deep admiration.
Xiao Yunlong waved his hand, "This battle is not over yet, and it's not time to be happy. Azure Dragon, Black Tortoise, you two set off immediately. Remember to subtly spread the news of the ambush at Tianzang Mountain on your way!"
"Yes, My Lord, rest assured, we know what to do!" Li Jiuxiao and Zhuge Wushuang cupped their hands, then walked out of the tent and each led seventy thousand troops to Tianzang Mountain at full speed.
Since this ambush was deliberately staged for the enemy's deputy commander, as per Xiao Yunlong's orders, Li Jiuxiao and the other two cleverly spread the news on their way.
Soon, the enemy's deputy commander Brownie, stationed at Jiacity Pass, received the news, which made him furious again.
"Damn it, they just ambushed us once at Tianzang Mountain, killing our twenty thousand allied forces from three countries, and now they want to do it again? Do they really think I'm an idiot?" Deputy Commander Brownie roared through gritted teeth.
A general then stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Commander, since the enemy has sent troops to set up an ambush at Tianzang Mountain, we absolutely cannot take the opportunity to rush back."
"That's natural. I originally wanted to take advantage of the enemy's fatigue after the battle to launch a sneak attack, but now it seems that this King of Northern Dragon Country, Xiao, is truly insidious and cunning. Fortunately, I, this commander, did not act rashly before, otherwise, I would have followed Bruzager's mistakes!" Brownie said with a sense of relief and schadenfreude.
Another general said, "Commander, since we cannot pass through Tianzang Mountain to go back, we now have only two options: one is to attack the enemy's Pingcheng to the west, and the other is to advance east and cooperate in taking Wancheng!"
The first general immediately said, "We just received news that the original western front vanguard of fifty thousand troops attempted to attack Pingcheng. However, they were all wiped out by the two thousand soldiers in Yumu City cooperating with the main force of Pingcheng. Currently, Pingcheng is defended by a total of ninety thousand enemy troops, including twenty thousand of King Xiao's Dragon Blood Guards, who are the elite of the elite. Moreover, they have just achieved a great victory and their morale is high. We must not confront their sharp edge!"
"But Wancheng on the eastern front is different. The Northeast Tiger of Dragon Country is fighting fiercely with our twenty-five thousand troops on the eastern front. Although we are at a disadvantage, as long as our ten thousand troops suddenly charge over, we will definitely be able to defeat the Northeast Tiger's forces and thus capture Wancheng in one fell swoop!"
"Excellent! You are worthy of being my commander's talent. Your analysis is very accurate and thorough. In that case, all troops, listen to my orders! Immediately advance east at full speed and march towards Wancheng!" Deputy Commander Brownie immediately issued his orders loudly, and soon the ten thousand troops moved swiftly.
In fact, all of this was completely within Xiao Yunlong's expectations.
At this very moment, on the eastern front at Wancheng, the Northeast Tiger, Zhang Qingyun, had adopted a strategy of proactive offense and concentrated force to defeat the enemy piecemeal, which had just achieved initial success. After several sorties and engagements, three enemy corps had been eliminated, with over fifty thousand casualties. Originally, Zhang Qingyun was about to gather all his forces to completely annihilate the enemy's main force!
But at this critical juncture, Wancheng on the eastern front suddenly received news that Deputy Commander Brownie was leading a hundred thousand troops to attack at full speed. This infuriated Zhang Qingyun.
"Damn it, I was just about to complete the encirclement and annihilate the enemy forces on the eastern front, but now Brownie's hundred thousand troops have arrived. I know it must be King Xiao of Northern! This is clearly a 'drive the wolf to swallow the tiger' strategy. It's detestable!" Zhang Qingyun, standing on the mountaintop and about to command, was so angry that his face turned green.
The bearded general beside him shouted, "This Xiao Beiwang is too despicable! He actually deliberately drove Brownie's hundred thousand troops over. What a scoundrel!"
Zhang Qingyun waved his hand and said, "You can't say that. In warfare, all's fair in love and war. What he did is understandable. It's just that I can't accept it!"
The bearded general quickly said, "Tiger King, we still have two hundred thousand troops. We can't just admit defeat so easily!"
"Of course. I won't admit defeat until the last moment. After all, the situation on the battlefield changes rapidly. We don't know who will laugh last!" Zhang Qingyun said with a slight smile, though his smile carried a hint of bitterness.
Another general said, "Tiger King, Brownie's hundred thousand troops are charging fiercely. Should we still proceed according to the operational plan?"
"Naturally, we cannot. The enemy's morale is high, and our troops are already showing signs of fatigue after several battles. We can only temporarily avoid their sharp edge!" Zhang Qingyun said, then spoke loudly, "Immediately issue orders for all troops to retreat rapidly to Wancheng and defend the city. I believe we can hold it!"
"Yes!" The two generals cupped their hands and quickly departed.
Zhang Qingyun stood on the rock with his hands behind his back, gazing north, and murmured, "Frankly speaking, this series of plans and arrangements is astonishing. At least I could never have thought of it. King Xiao Beiwang, King Xiao Beiwang, you truly live up to the title of Dragon Country's God of War!"