"Royal Guard? The Eagle of the Steppe, Vulture?"
Inside the main tent, Meng Wu's brows locked tightly together, his fingers tapping heavily upon the sand table at the spot representing Eagle Beak Cliff.
"General, this Vulture is the adopted son of the Xiongnu Chanyu, known for his cruelty and cunning. The three thousand Royal Guards under his command are elites chosen one amongst ten thousand among the Xiongnu; every single one of them possesses superb horsemanship and mastery of archery, and their combat strength far surpasses that of ordinary tribes. Their coming this time clearly aims at revenge, and their morale is soaring. We cannot afford not to guard against them!"
On Shi Meng's face, an unprecedented solemnity also appeared.
"What I am worried about is not this." Meng Wu shook his head, his gaze turning to Wei Zhe. "Vulture has named you directly for your head; he will inevitably use every means possible to lure you out of the city for a decisive battle. If you avoid fighting, our army's morale will inevitably suffer; if you go out to fight, you will be using your own weaknesses to strike the enemy's strengths. Wei Zhe, what are your views?"
Everyone's gaze once again fell upon Wei Zhe.
"General." Wei Zhe stepped forward, his voice steady. "The Art of War states: if the enemy wishes to fight, I shall fight. Avoiding battle will only fuel the enemy's arrogant momentum. If Vulture wants my head, it depends on whether he has the ability to come and take it."
"This subordinate requests permission to lead the Tiger and Wolf Army out of the city to meet Vulture in battle!"
As soon as these words left his mouth, the entire tent was startled.
"Nonsense!" Shi Meng was the first to object. "Wei Zhe, I know you are fierce, but the opponent is three thousand elite cavalry! Although your Tiger and Wolf Army is well-equipped, you are infantry after all. To duel with cavalry on the open steppe is no different than striking a stone with an egg!"
"General Shi's words are right." Wei Zhe, however, was unhurried. "Hard-on-hard is indeed an inferior strategy. But who said we were going to clash hard against them?"
The corners of his lips curved into a confident arc.
"General, General Shi, please look at the sand table." Wei Zhe walked to the sand table, pointing to a rolling, undulating hilly area north of Eagle Beak Cliff.
"This place is called Hundred Beast Slope. The terrain is complex, with many gullies and dense forests, which is unfavorable for cavalry to launch large-scale charges. If Vulture wants to press upon our walls, this place is his inevitable route. We can set an ambush right here!"
"An ambush?" an officer questioned. "Scouts report that Vulture's marching is extremely cautious, and he has sent out a large number of roving scouts for reconnaissance. Our main force simply cannot enter Hundred Beast Slope without alerting him."
"We do not need a main force." A brilliant light flashed in Wei Zhe's eyes. "One hundred men from my Tiger and Wolf Army will be enough."
He detailed his plan thoroughly.
After listening, the entire main tent once again plunged into a death-like silence...
A plan bold to the point of near madness, yet tightly interlocking and highly feasible, took shape within their hearts.
For a long time, Meng Wu slowly spoke.
"What degree of certainty do you have?"
"If Vulture takes the bait, I have ten-tenths certainty of making sure he cannot return!" Wei Zhe's voice was filled with formidable confidence.
Meng Wu gazed at him, and finally, nodded heavily.
"Good! This general will trust you one more time! For this battle, all the troops of Eagle Beak Cliff shall be at your disposal! Execute any cooperation needed immediately!"
"This subordinate obeys!"
The next day, early morning.
The gates of Eagle Beak Cliff swung wide open, and a "decoy" force composed of five hundred Qin Army soldiers, led by a Tunchang, patrolled in grandiose fashion toward the direction of Hundred Beast Slope.
And one hour after their departure, Wei Zhe led the Tiger and Wolf Army, slipping silently from the other side of the fortress. Utilizing the cover of the terrain, they vanished into the boundless steppe like ghosts.
Hundred Beast Slope.
Qian Hu was leading his fifty brothers in frantically digging traps along a narrow, mandatory route. Sharpened deer antlers and barbed stakes were buried beneath the loose soil, waiting only for the prey to arrive.
And in the dense forest on the opposite hillside, Hu Lei led the remaining forty-nine men, quietly and properly arranging huge nets woven from ox sinew and bundles of fire arrows soaked in tung oil.
Wei Zhe stood alone upon the highest hill, overlooking the entire battlefield like a patient hunter.
He had already laid out his plan into a giant spiderweb.
Now, he simply waited for the prey named Vulture to blunder right into it.
At noon, the silhouettes of Xiongnu scouts finally appeared on the distant horizon.
They quickly discovered the five hundred Qin Army soldiers who were "patrolling."
Word was swiftly transmitted back to Vulture's ears.
"Five hundred foot soldiers? Does the Qin Army have no one left? They send such a tiny number of people out to throw away their lives?"
Vulture rode upon a spirited black steed. He was tall and thin, with a hooked nose, and a pair of eyes as sharp and vicious as a real vulture.
"It seems that brat called Wei Zhe was frightened so badly by me that he doesn't dare leave the city." He let out a cold laugh. "Pass down the order: all forces assault! Eat these five hundred appetizers, then go to the city walls and issue a challenge!"
"Understood!"
Three thousand Xiongnu cavalry rushed forward toward those five hundred Qin Army soldiers like floodwaters released from a breached dam.
The moment that Qin Army "decoy" force saw the Xiongnu grand army slaughtering its way over, they turned tail and fled in "panic," deliberately abandoning several flags and pieces of equipment as they ran to make the scene look thoroughly wretched.
The direction they fled was precisely that narrow passage of Hundred Beast Slope.
"A bunch of waste! Pursue! Don't let a single one escape!"
Vulture urged his warhorse forward, taking the lead and closely pursuing at the head of his Royal Guards.
Very soon, they charged into that seemingly flat passage.
"Right now!"
Following Qian Hu's shout, the traps prepared long in advance were triggered!
"Boom!"
The ground suddenly collapsed, revealing pit after pit with no visible bottom, their interiors bristling with sharp deer antlers.
The hundred-odd Xiongnu cavalry charging at the very forefront plunged in along with their horses, instantly pierced into blood-drenched hedgehogs as miserable screams echoed through the valley.
The cavalry behind were greatly alarmed, hastily reining in their horses as the entire vanguard's charging formation plunged into instant chaos.
"Release arrows!"
Right amid their confusion, Hu Lei's force unleashed a torrent of ten thousand arrows from the dense forests on both sides!
Arrow after arrow soaked in tung oil fell like a rain of fire, instantly igniting the dry grass and shrubs while also setting ablaze those clustered Xiongnu cavalry.
Fire soared to the heavens and thick smoke rolled; the dying wails of warhorses mixed with the screams of soldiers as the entire channel transformed into a fiery purgatory of flames.
"We've fallen for a trap! Retreat quickly!"
Vulture was both shocked and enraged. He finally realized that he had stumbled into a meticulously designed trap.
Yet, just as they prepared to turn around and retreat, their path of retreat had already been completely blocked off by massive boulders rolling down from the mountains!
"Hahaha! Vulture, didn't you want my, Wei Zhe's, head? I am right here!"
Atop the hill, Wei Zhe's silhouette finally appeared.
He gripped a long halberd, clad in black armor, with the fierce and murderous Tiger and Wolf Army right behind him!
Occupying the high ground overlooking the low, awaiting the exhausted enemy with ease.
A meticulously planned hunt officially commenced.
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