Chen Qiao’er beamed after seeing Fang Jun off.
“Brother, brother,” she said, pulling Chen Xiaobei’s hand and giggling, “the teacher is gone, so I don’t have to go to school tomorrow!”
Chen Xiaobei exchanged a look with Cui Hongyu, and they both chuckled helplessly. For a child, what could be happier than not going to school?
Chen Xiaobei laughed and playfully flicked Chen Qiao’er’s nose. “You little rascal, were you slacking off at school? Why are you so eager for the teacher to leave?”
Hearing this, the smile on Chen Qiao’er’s face faltered slightly, but she quickly recovered.
“Brother, what are you saying? I finished all my homework early every day. Oh, and the teacher even praised me.”
Chen Xiaobei was actually just joking with Chen Qiao’er.
“Alright, go on back and rest. It’s snowing, so if there’s nothing else, go to bed early.”
Chen Qiao’er agreed and tugged Cui Hongyu’s hand as they left. This left Chen Xiaobei feeling a bit helpless.
It seemed he was destined for a lonely night.
Heavy snow began to fall on Qingniu Mountain. A thousand miles away, in Wannian City, the sky was also overcast. Though it hadn’t snowed yet, the wind was bone-chillingly cold.
Colder still was the heart of Crown Prince Qiao Na.
Qiao Na had been sending scouts to probe for days, but all attempts had ended in failure. In just a few days, he had lost five or six of his finest generals. Du Bai’s martial prowess remained daunting, leaving the Great Tu Kingdom’s morale considerably low.
Today, he had lost two more officers. As night descended, Qiao Na sat alone, drowning his sorrows in wine.
Seeing Qiao Na’s dejected state, Ba Zhahan couldn't hold back any longer. “Your Highness, why don’t we stop this endless back-and-forth of soldier against soldier and general against general? Let’s launch a full-scale assault, attacking from all sides. Who cares about main or secondary targets? They have a little over a hundred thousand men, and we have over four hundred thousand. What are we afraid of?”
Ba Zhahan’s words clearly echoed the sentiments of many, and upon hearing them, the generals immediately voiced their agreement.
However, Qiao Na remained cautious, gently shaking his head. “That’s not wise, not wise. In any battle, there’s a main objective and a secondary one. How can we attack from all sides? It’s better to break one finger than to injure ten.”
Ba Zhahan cupped his hands again. “Your Highness, we’ve been fighting soldier against soldier and general against general for three days, but that Du Bai is simply too brave and skilled. We’ve been on the losing end every time. I say, let’s abandon all tactics.”
A red-faced man standing nearby also stepped forward and bowed to Qiao Na. “Indeed, Your Highness the Crown Prince. They say even a master can be overwhelmed by a barrage of random punches. Let’s not bother with tactics. In this cold weather, if we can’t win, perhaps we should retreat to the Great Tu Kingdom and return when spring arrives.”
“Yes, yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince. It looks like it’s about to snow. They are warm and cozy inside the city, while we freeze outside. This is detrimental to our morale.”
Listening to the cacophony of voices, Crown Prince Qiao Na was swayed. Although tactically, attacking from all sides was unheard of, he felt he had no other choice now.
Seeing his hesitation, Ba Zhahan pressed on. “Your Highness, why don’t we try to sneak into their main camp tonight and see how they react?”
This suggestion appealed to Qiao Na.
A night raid would require fewer troops, a more prudent approach than risking everything.
With that thought, he nodded slightly. “Very well. Prepare yourselves. After the third watch, we attack from all sides. Let’s sow chaos and panic first.”
After everyone had left, Qiao Na turned to Zi Yan, who stood beside him. “These past few days, why has there been no news from the city? What’s going on?”
Zi Yan hurried forward and bowed to Qiao Na. “Your Highness, the messages from the city say that Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun has tightened security. They can’t get close, and we have no intelligence whatsoever.”
Upon hearing this, Qiao Na slowly stood up and walked back and forth, hands clasped behind his back.
“Take a few men dressed as enemy soldiers and infiltrate their camp tonight. Find a way into the city. It would be best if you could find an opportunity to assassinate Xiao Jingyun directly.” Su Dan Fiction Network.
Zi Yan acknowledged the order and turned to make preparations.
As the bell for the third watch struck, the Great Cang Kingdom’s military camp was eerily silent.
Most of the soldiers were asleep.
It was extremely cold outside, but the tents were relatively warm. Moreover, they had just won a victory today, so the soldiers certainly didn’t expect the Great Tu Kingdom to attempt a surprise attack.
This time, Ba Zhahan personally led the assault on the east gate. With a loud shout, ambushing forces emerged from all directions, charging towards the Great Cang Kingdom’s camp.
By the time the Great Cang soldiers reacted, it was too late. The camp quickly descended into chaos.
Du Bai had just fallen asleep when he received the report of an enemy attack. At first, he dismissed it as a mere harassment. But upon coming out to assess the situation, he realized it was dire. The enemy’s numbers far exceeded his expectations.
“Quick, blow the horns, prepare to form ranks, and surround these attackers!”
The sound of the horns carried far in the darkness, echoing outwards.
Du Bai personally entered the fray, engaging Ba Zhahan. They fought back and forth for a long time. As they fought, Du Bai began to sense something was wrong. Logically, the surrounding troops should have arrived to support him by now, and they should have already surrounded these attackers. But why was there no movement?
Crown Prince Qiao Na, watching from afar, also noticed the anomaly. It was clear that his forces had the numerical advantage, and the Great Cang soldiers were being pushed back.
Such a golden opportunity could not be missed. Crown Prince Qiao Na immediately ordered reinforcements.
Just then, his subordinate Du Kang rushed over and shouted to Du Bai, “General, we are being attacked from all sides. Reinforcements cannot get through.”
Upon hearing this, Du Bai inwardly cursed. He hadn’t expected Qiao Na to go all-in and attack from all four gates.
With his few tens of thousands of men, he couldn’t possibly surround an enemy force several times his size.
Du Bai knew he couldn’t hold outside the city. They had him cornered. He had no choice but to retreat.
With that decision, he unleashed a few swift moves to force Ba Zhahan back and said to Du Kang beside him, “Go relay my order: retreat into the city immediately, retreat into the city!”
The urgent sound of the horns rang out again, but this time it was not low and mournful, but high-pitched and clear.
The soldiers on the city walls immediately lowered the drawbridge and opened the city gates.
The troops outside the city began to retreat into the city like a tide. Zi Yan seized the opportunity to blend in with them and successfully entered Wannian City.
Seeing the enemy retreat, Ba Zhahan pursued them relentlessly, only stopping at the drawbridge, where they were repelled by a volley of arrows.
Although they failed to enter the city, this battle had been a great triumph for Ba Zhahan. A tally of the battlefield showed that over twenty thousand Great Cang soldiers had been killed or captured in this engagement.
Returning to their camp, Ba Zhahan and his men were jubilant. “Your Highness, why didn’t you let us enter the city? We could have taken it in one decisive blow.”
Qiao Na smiled and shook his head. “I have my own plans. Go back and rest.”