The bonfire blazed, the soldiers stood ramrod straight, and beneath the night curtain, mosquitoes no longer harassed them.
Inside the command tent, everyone gathered around the sand table at its center.
Xu Haitao pointed at the Red River on the sand table, gesturing across both banks as though commanding the realm.
"Northern Court has many great battles. One struggle decides the fate of the world in a single stroke. The Southern Border, however, favors gradual encroachment. Whenever we clash with them at any real intensity, they employ interspersed tactics, waging guerrilla warfare around Lao Ai Mountain and the Lu Cang River. Relying on their intelligence advantage to seize the initiative, they conduct small-scale encirclements from every direction, defeating the few with the many. Whoever controls more intelligence can forge the advantage."
"It comes down to scouts." Wei Lin folded his arms.
"Exactly, scouts. Young General Wei has truly inherited the Duke's teachings; you've struck the nail on the head." Xu Haitao's face was full of regret. "Unfortunately... ever since the two great arts, Mayfly Blood Collection and Blood Concealment Gu, emerged out of nowhere, we've been utterly outmatched in reconnaissance. We can only rely on the lingering traces of qi left behind by past conflicts. Coupled with one major strategic mistake..."
"Qin Prefecture?" Ji Yanyu asked.
"Yes! After Qin Prefecture fell, we suffered a crushing defeat. The Southern Border pressed their advantage in one breath, while we retreated again and again. By now, the front line is about to withdraw beyond the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains."
His finger swept across the table.
Everyone could clearly see on the sand table that Ha Long Bay and the Red River lay at the very edge of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. They were practically miniature versions of Lao Ai Mountain and the