Method to Break the Iron Pagoda Cavalry, the Plan Begins

Yu Ke was not idle either.

While there was still time, he found some paper and wrote down a few of his ideas.

He wrote on the page:

Iron Pagoda Cavalry.

He was not versed in military strategy or battle formations, but in his previous life, he had been a history enthusiast.

He had studied these pinnacle cold weapons of the ancient age.

Those knights clad in heavy armor, along with the Linked Horse Cavalry spreading out on both flanks like a torrent of steel, were unstoppable.

They were all heavy cavalry armored to the teeth.

This kind of heavy cavalry possessed supreme defense. Every three horses were linked by iron chains, making them invincible when charging into battle.

However!

Their weakness was equally obvious. The horses bore a tremendous burden, and once a rider was unhorsed, he was like a bird stripped of its wings, unable to move any longer.

Yu Ke drew upon the knowledge from his previous life.

Break their horses' legs!

That was an excellent method. After all, horse legs could not be covered in iron armor, or the horses would be unable to run.

The generals in this simulated world were not fools, and Yu Ke could also sense how real this world was.

The materials before him recorded several battles, including stratagems such as surprise schemes and poisoning.

The method of breaking horses' legs had long since been devised by others.

Some used heavy axes, horse-chopping sabers, and the like.

The results were quite good, all relying on terrain.

It could work once, but after being used too many times, it would no longer work.

Now, outside Hulao Pass lay a vast plain.

The two armies faced each other in formation, open and aboveboard.

With black ink on white paper, three words sprang vividly onto Yu Ke's page.

Three Lives Formation!

As its name implied, this formation was one where "a circular encirclement formation must be deployed at the vanguard, then the two wings spread out to attack from both sides," hence the name Three Lives Formation.

The tactics were exquisite. First, the Linked Horse Cavalry on both flanks launched a pincer attack to probe the enemy's weak points. Then they "spread the two wings" for a fierce strike, and finally, the Iron Pagoda Cavalry's hard, sharp force drove straight at the Yellow Dragon, forcing the enemy army into collapse.

This tactic appeared simple, yet it was in truth deeply versed in the ways of war.

When great armies faced off and deployed their troops, the ability to employ such marvelous tactics demonstrated just how formidable it was.

The reason the North Wind Profound Kingdom had always been victorious in battle and unstoppable in attack—

Was precisely because they had brought the "Three Lives Formation" to perfection, leaving no flaw to exploit.

In many great battles, soldiers did not all die beneath enemy blades. More often, formations fell into chaos, and men trampled one another like lambs awaiting slaughter, left to be butchered at will.

Yu Ke pondered briefly, drawing upon old memories.

He swept his brush across the paper and slowly wrote: "Scatter the soldiers for field combat; divide them into tens and fives, arrayed like rows of stars."

Those words were not his own, but belonged to a great military strategist from his previous life.

On the battlefield, heavy cavalry crashed into infantry formations like floods and savage beasts, intending to scatter their ranks.

Once the infantry formation was broken apart, the battle was effectively over.

Since they could not repel the Iron Pagoda Cavalry with an intact formation, why not break the whole into parts and strike them in dispersed units?

Only by fostering strengths and avoiding weaknesses could they have a chance at victory.

Ancient records spoke of armies that "gathered at the sound of drums and scattered at the sound of gongs," sometimes coordinating in small groups and sometimes fighting as a large force, ever flexible and changing.

When the Iron Pagoda Cavalry charged into the battlefield, they would fall into the encirclement of scattered infantry.

Break their horses' legs, then wipe out the riders!

He wrote it on the paper again, each stroke firm as a nail driven into wood.

"Fight to the death!"

Breaking horses' legs was the beginning of a fight to the death.

To claim victory against the Northern Xuan Kingdom's astonishing combat strength and formidable endurance—

They could only embrace the resolve to die!

This was a battle of morale, a crucial moment that tested both an army's will and a commander's ability.

In ancient times, there had been the feat of eight hundred brave men defeating ten thousand enemies, achieved through unwavering conviction and soaring morale.

Only when the commander-in-chief held the center and directed the whole army, while the generals personally entered the battlefield without fear of life or death, could morale be roused and the soldiers' potential awakened.

Just as Yu Ke finished writing those lines, his father, Lu Jiaxuan, silently watched from the side, his eyes filled with seriousness and contemplation.

His gaze grew brighter and brighter, as if those words had stirred him. A thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

At this moment!

Lu Yu had finished his preparations and stepped into the tent to report to his father. "Father, everything has been arranged."

At that moment, Lu Jiaxuan's gaze lingered on Lu Chen's paper, where the ink had yet to dry.

"'Scatter the soldiers for field combat; divide them into tens and fives, arrayed like rows of stars.'"

"Fight to the death."

He recited softly, a flicker of shock passing through his eyes.

Lu Jiaxuan, a general skilled in military strategy and long tempered by battle, understood well the vast gulf between armchair tactics and actual warfare.

Yet as he carefully read Lu Chen's strategy, he was deeply shaken.

Though some ideas seemed immature, the overall policy was highly practical and feasible.

Excitedly, he picked up the paper, gently blew the ink dry, and carefully put it away.

The more he looked, the more he felt that this was absolutely not something a young boy could have written so easily.

This was clearly the work of a great general who had fought countless battles and warred against the North Wind Profound Kingdom for many years.

Only when Lu Yu urged him did he come back to his senses.

Under the flickering candlelight, Lu Jiaxuan gazed at the composed youth who had rolled up his sleeves and set down his brush, an indescribable pride swelling in his heart.

He threw back his head and laughed, his voice loud and carefree.

"Indeed, worthy of being a son of my Lu Clan!"

Following the plan decided earlier, on a fog-shrouded morning—

Two thousand Lu Family Army soldiers quietly left the city under Lu Yu's lead.

Lu Chen and Lu Jiaxuan remained behind to prepare for support.

The city gates slowly swung open and the river bridge was lowered, presenting the air of "inviting the gentleman into the jar."

Yu Ke thought that if someone could sit atop the city gate and play the qin—

Then this plan would truly come alive.

Yu Ke stood on horseback, his gaze fixed upon the clusters of tents forming a camp far beyond the west gate. Then he turned to look at the white-haired Lu Jiaxuan beside him and silently prayed:

May everything go smoothly.

Inside the military camp of the North Wind Profound Kingdom.

Tuoba Shuyi sat alone, having dismissed everyone around him, quietly reading the military text in his hands.

Unlike his other royal brothers, he had not brought beautiful wives and concubines along on his southern campaign to drink and make merry, sightsee, and travel all the way.

After entering the military camp, he had held himself to strict discipline. He kept away from women and did not even touch a drop of wine, always maintaining a clear and keen mind.

The bed he slept on was no different from those of ordinary soldiers.

He ate and lived alongside them, without the slightest special treatment.

The military text in his hands was an extremely famous work on warfare from the history of the Great Qing Kingdom. Although the Great Qing Kingdom no longer possessed its former glory and was like fish on a chopping board—

Tuoba Shuyi knew full well that there was much to learn and draw upon from it.

"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle."

At that moment, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the tent, followed by a loud report.

"Report! Military news has arrived from west of Hulao Pass!"

Tuoba Shuyi slowly raised his head, his gaze sharp as an eagle's as he asked in a deep voice, "They dared leave the city?"

Tuoba Shuyi could not help but wonder. Had the defenders or rebel forces within Hulao Pass dared to leave the city?

He quickly dismissed the possibility. In his eyes, both the defenders and the rebel forces in Hulao Pass had already been beaten terrified by them. They could not possibly have the courage to take the initiative and attack.

The Lu Family Army west of the city?

Tuoba Shuyi knew of the Lu Family Army. Though there were only four thousand of them, their combat strength was not to be underestimated.

However, he did not regard Lu Jiaxuan, their general, as a threat.

A mediocre talent.

Lu Jiaxuan was only capable of preserving what he had; he lacked the drive to advance and was unlikely to become a true threat.

"The Lu Family Army..."

Tuoba Shuyi muttered, a trace of disdain flashing through his eyes.

Such a Lu Family Army was nothing to worry about.

"Report!"

"Hulao Pass's west gate is wide open."

Tuoba Shuyi rose to his feet.

"What? The city gate is wide open!"