noveltune Chapter 91 Desperate Measures
Chapter 91 Desperate Measures
Chapter 91 Desperate Measures
"That Tan Shihuai truly deserves to be called a great ruler of his time; he has quite the courage and vision."
"Just when we all thought that he was holding the Xianbei royal court at Danhan Mountain with his men, he then led his men to..."
The Xianbei cavalry from the western and eastern parts of the region appeared outside the camp without anyone noticing!
"They actually abandoned the Khan's royal court and that tribal settlement!"
"Such a choice is difficult for ordinary people!"
"Furthermore... we discovered that this Tan Shihuai also placed exceptional importance on craftsmen and soldiers. Ordinary soldiers might be slaughtered, but craftsmen would never be!"
"It seems they intend to plunder artisans and steal their craftsmanship in order to secure a future for the Xianbei people."
Inside the large tent.
The majority of the Han army, which was originally heading towards Lü Ping's location where the Xianbei tribe had been discovered, stopped there.
As the big-eared young man spoke fluently, the expressions of the high-ranking military officers in the tent varied, ranging from shock to solemnity.
The commander at the very top, Tian Yan, who was also the main general of this campaign against the Xianbei, looked even more grim. He tightly gripped the bamboo slip that Lü Ping had given him and spoke in a low voice.
"After receiving Zizhi's letter, Yan had already guessed that the situation would be very bad."
"But... I didn't expect it to be this bad!"
"Zang Min's army has been completely wiped out! Xia Yu's army is teetering on the brink of collapse, and most of them are probably dead by now! Could it be that the three armies that once marched out simultaneously have been reduced to just ours in a little over a month?!"
"This expedition...has mobilized three entire armies, totaling hundreds of thousands of men!"
"If...if..."
talking.
Tian Yan was momentarily stunned by the news.
After all, there were countless people in the court who opposed this expedition. It was only by forcibly bribing Wang Fu, one of the Ten Attendants, that he obtained the opportunity to go on the expedition.
If we lose.
He was already a criminal, and might be executed on the spot for causing the loss of his army. Even if he tried to bribe Wang Fu, there would be no second chance.
Because they had previously believed they would win.
These three armies comprised the vast majority of the controllable military forces in the entire You and Bing regions, totaling tens of thousands of people, with almost every household sending their sons to the front lines.
If we are truly defeated, how many people will be able to escape back from this remote desert?! At that time, in the lands of You and Bing, every household will probably have to wear mourning clothes, and very few families will be able to escape!
After returning home, how could I possibly face these villagers of Youzhou again?!
Not to mention.
The Xianbei people of the north, under the leadership of the powerful ruler Tan Shihuai, had grown increasingly powerful and posed a growing threat to the safety of the You and Bing regions.
After plundering a large number of artisans, soldiers, and armorers, their strength will definitely increase dramatically.
At that time, the You and Bing regions will have lost a large number of able-bodied men and a large number of elite Han troops, leaving the border defenses weak, while the Xianbei tribe will have greatly increased in strength. What will we do then?!
Thinking this way.
Tian Yan forced a smile and stopped talking. He took a deep breath and looked at the young man who had traveled hundreds of miles just to deliver the message.
"Oh, right."
"You brave man, risking your life to travel hundreds of miles and deliver confidential information, you have done a great service."
"What's your name?"
Although my mind was in complete turmoil for the time being.
Despite being a renowned general, Tian Yan feigned composure and inquired about the name of the large-eared young man, partly to stabilize morale and partly to win over the hearts of his troops.
Upon hearing this...
Even though the big-eared young man wasn't asking for a reward, he still showed a hint of delight.
The young man straightened his back and spoke loudly.
"Liu Bei, a native of Zhuojun in Youzhou, studied under the great Confucian scholar Lu Zhi, and was a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan!"
"A descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan?!"
This statement came out.
Whether it was Tian Yan or the soldiers present, no matter what they were thinking before, they all tensed up and sat up straight.
Everyone composed themselves and looked at the young man who claimed to be Liu Bei.
"Have they all left?"
"What 'descendants of Prince Jing of Zhongshan'? It turns out they're just a declining branch."
"Liu Bei's statement about being a student of Lu Zhi, coupled with this claim of being a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan, almost fooled you, sir!"
After sending away a large number of mid-level soldiers and Liu Bei, who had given them a big scare, he left only a few trusted generals behind.
Sitting in the main seat, Tian Yan couldn't help but start cursing.
talking.
Looking at the group of generals he had left behind, only Gao Lan, who came from the Gao family of Bohai, had the same expression as him.
The other soldiers either didn't understand why they were cursing Liu Bei, or were still immersed in the fear of the Xianbei's great victory over two routes, their bodies tense.
Tian Yan paused for a moment, then smiled and explained to the generals.
"I'm not trying to criticize Liu Bei, but do you know how many people came after Liu Bei, the Prince of Zhongshan?!"
Apart from Gao Lan, most of the generals were completely bewildered.
"That's at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, it's really worthless!" Tian Yan said with a smile.
"As for Yan saying that he was bluffing me, it's true that Lu Zhi's reputation is too impressive. Lu Zhi is a great Confucian scholar of the ancient literature school, with a large following in Luoyang, and is currently the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat."
"Prince Jing of Zhongshan alone is not worth much, but with Lu Zhi added, Yan has started to pay attention."
"If it weren't for what he said, he would have only enlisted the help of his clan to study under Lu Zhi for a few more years because Lu Zhi was from the same hometown as him."
"Yan might actually think he's some important figure!"
At this point, Tian Yan smiled.
This finally made the soldiers present laugh, and their tense emotions gradually relaxed.
After everyone finished laughing.
The scene remained silent for only a moment.
Then a trusted general stepped forward, his face showing worry, and asked in a low voice.
"General, after all... those two routes have already been defeated. Now, of the three routes heading north, only ours remains."
"What should we do?!"
"What can we do?!" Tian Yan said calmly with a cold laugh.
"Only one word."
"Just kill them!"
"Back then in Liangdi, the situation was far more perilous than it is today, and Yan survived it all. So why should we fear this?!"
"Pass down my order to block the news and keep Liu Bei under guard. Do not let the lower-ranking soldiers know about the other two routes and disturb the morale of the army."
"While these Xianbei people haven't had time to fully digest the spoils of this battle, recall Lü Zizhi's troops."
As he spoke, a ruthless glint flashed in Tian Yan's eyes.
"The entire army marched eastward and utterly defeated the Xianbei!"
"If we win, there's still a chance to turn this battle around!"
This statement came out.
Seeing their commander so calm, the soldiers were immediately invigorated, nodded repeatedly, and headed out to carry out the orders.
Seeing that these trusted generals had also gone out.
Tian Yan then composed himself, sighed softly, and gave a word of advice to Gao Lan beside him.
"Jingzhi, quickly help me up."
Gao Lan, who was listening intently from the side, was startled and rushed forward to help Tian Yan up.
It wasn't until he touched Tian Yan that he realized that this general, who had remained calm and composed and even took the initiative to joke and ease everyone's emotions, was actually quite different.
At this moment, he was covered in sweat, his body was weak, and he couldn't even stand up!