Tuoba Shuyi's gaze was profound as he stared at the nearest stronghold outside the Western Gate on the sand table.
That was one of the points in his layout.
If the Lu Family Army attempted a surprise attack there, he would remain utterly unruffled.
Ambushers had long been lying in wait on both sides. That seemingly weak flaw was, in truth, bait he had deliberately set.
A cold smile surfaced at the corner of his mouth.
After repeatedly testing Lu Jiaxuan before, he knew the man was a cautious commander, more than capable of holding ground but never one to rashly launch a surprise attack.
This opening!
It had been prepared precisely to move the main army at a critical moment and employ a scheme to pull the firewood from beneath the cauldron—feigning an attack on the North Gate before smashing through the weakest South Gate in one stroke.
However!
This was merely a casual move on the chessboard, one that might never be used in the end.
Yet the affairs of the world were impossible to predict. An unexpected turn had occurred today.
Lu Jiaxuan, that cautious commander, had actually made a mistake and launched a surprise attack here.
Tuoba Shuyi could not help feeling a trace of surprise.
He had long laid his trap, waiting only for the enemy to walk into the net themselves.
However!
The city gates stood wide open, yet not a single general guarded outside them. The sight was exceedingly suspicious.
A deputy general in the tent had already advised, "Sixth Prince, this is an opportunity bestowed by Heaven. Hulao Pass is difficult to take, yet now it has delivered itself to our doorstep."
"The Great Qing dogs have been driven to leap over the wall. Our army should seize the momentum and advance."
Everyone had already burst into loud laughter. For all these years, the Great Qing army had either abandoned its cities and fled or proved utterly unable to withstand a single blow.
Northern Xuan Kingdom had long grown accustomed to these strange and bizarre maneuvers.
Tuoba Shuyi laughed heartily.
Everyone in the tent was his trusted confidant, so naturally he was at ease.
Yet doubts still lingered in his heart.
What twists and turns were hidden behind this seemingly Heaven-sent opportunity?
Something was wrong.
With Lu Jiaxuan's caution, it was impossible.
"Do not rush into pursuit. Encircle them from both sides first."
Tuoba Shuyi gave the order in a deep voice, carrying an authority that permitted no doubt.
"A'etu, lead three thousand light cavalry and sweep in from the flank. You must be careful."
"Do not attack without my command."
"Yes, Your Highness!" A burly man respectfully accepted the order.
No one questioned Tuoba Shuyi's command. Over the years, relying on his extraordinary wisdom and skill in commanding troops in battle,
he had already earned everyone's admiration and trust.
He had extinguished the three northern kingdoms in several months and breached nine cities in a hundred days.
His name had long shaken the world.
In military talent, he was no inferior to the founding ancestor of the North Wind Profound Kingdom.
None dared refuse to submit.
Not far outside the city gates, Lu Jiaxuan was still uneasy at heart.
He appeared calm on the surface, but fine beads of sweat seeped into the palm gripping his reins.
As an old hand of the army who had weathered countless battles, he knew full well that this risky plan was like walking on a knife's edge. One careless step, and they would be doomed beyond redemption.
Then he looked at Lu Chen.
When Lu Family Pavilion turned his gaze toward Lu Chen, who stood beside him,
he saw an entirely different sight.
Lu Chen sat steadily atop his horse, slightly raising his head as he gazed at the sky that had yet to fully brighten.
Above the morning mist, several stars still hung in the heavens.
The plains stretched vast and wide, making the sky seem high and the clouds pale.
Lu Chen was slightly lost in thought, appearing calm and unhurried.
As though the battle before him had nothing to do with him, as though he were merely taking a leisurely stroll between Heaven and Earth.
The young man was composed!
Seeing this, Lu Jiaxuan could not help laughing at himself.
He had fought through a hundred battles, yet he was not as calm and composed as a child barely twenty.
In truth!
Yet he did not know that Lu Chen was thinking of something else at that very moment.
He looked at the sky, but in his heart he was pondering the reality of this Kun Void World.
Was this so-called Kun Void World real or false?
He raised his head toward the heavens, trying to peer through that endless void and discover how high the sky was, whether another world existed beyond it.
For a moment, he became somewhat distracted.
From several li away, Lu Jiaxuan faintly sensed the cries of men and neighing of horses from the clash of the two armies, while firelight blazed brightly.
It jolted awake the guards at Hulao Pass's city gates.
Within a camp by the South Gate, lamplight flickered, illuminating the outlines of the tents.
"Report!"
An urgent, excited cry shattered the stillness before dawn.
South Gate.
This was an important position jointly held by the three rebel forces and Wang Yang's garrison. The four factions were intertwined, each harboring its own thoughts.
A guard rushed into the tent, his face filled with anxiety.
Deep within the Zhao Family Army's camp, a dark-faced burly man snored like thunder atop a spacious bed.
Fat-headed and big-eared, with a round belly, he sprawled across the bed like a small mountain.
"What is all this clamor!"
He abruptly sat up like a startled beast. The force of his movement knocked over a wine jar beside the table, splashing wine everywhere as shards scattered across the ground with crisp cracking sounds.
Bang!
"Heavenly King, there is an urgent matter to report."
Hearing this, the dark-faced man's tone carried a trace of panic, his voice booming like a bell.
"Have those horse-hoof bastards charged into the city?"
A beauty in red on the bed was also awakened. Lazily, she rose from the burly man's embrace.
Her figure was graceful, revealing broad swathes of snowy-white skin that made the guard's eyes burn.
"Reporting to Heavenly King Zhao, it is not the Northern Xuan Kingdom attacking the city."
The guard hurriedly replied.
"It is Lu Jiaxuan of the Western Gate. He led his son in a surprise attack on North Wind's forward military formation."
At those words, the dark-faced man let out a breath. His great fan-like hand lightly stroked the sparse hair atop his head.
"Lu Jiaxuan, that old bastard truly does not value his life." He sneered, disdain flashing through his eyes.
"He even dares take the initiative to attack. So long as he does not drag us down, it is fine."
He waved his hand and impatiently ordered the guard to leave.
"Forget it, forget it. Leave him alone. So long as he does not affect our grand scheme, it is fine."
"Our Zhao Clan does not want to accompany Wang Yang to his death. But Lu Jiaxuan must not die either; he still has his uses."
Having said that, he wrapped his arms around the seductive woman beside him once more.
"Beauty, let us continue what we were doing last night. Heh heh."
"Heavenly King, you are awful. This time, you must be gentler with me."
The guard had not yet gone far when that soft, coy voice reached his ears. His belly stirred with desire, but he did not dare look again.
The remaining rebel camps had also noticed the changes at the Western Gate, each harboring its own designs.
Among them, Wang Yang was the most frantic. He hurried to the Western Gate and searched everywhere for Lu Jiaxuan.
The Lu Family Army was Hulao Pass's elite force. Although it numbered only four thousand, its combat strength far exceeded that of the other rebel armies.
Lu Jiaxuan had served in the border army and was also a jinshi scholar. In Wang Yang's eyes, he was far more reliable than the other rebel forces.
He was the product of Great Qing Kingdom's four hundred years of nurturing scholars.
That was why Wang Yang had confidently entrusted the Western Gate to the Lu Family Army, without even sending a single man to supervise them.
At this critical juncture, he absolutely did not wish to lose such a rare general.
"Report!"
A scout rushed into the main tent.
"It has been confirmed that Lu Jiaxuan's second son, Lu Yu, led two thousand elite warriors in a surprise attack on our forward positions."
As reports from scout after scout arrived,
Tuoba Shuyi sat in the commander's seat within the main tent.
"Sixth Prince, shall we have A'etu encircle and annihilate them?"
Tuoba Shuyi shook his head and smiled confidently.
"The morning mist has not yet dispersed, and the city gates stand open. This is clearly Lu Jiaxuan's scheme, meant to lure our army out of the camp and then gather us together and wipe us out."
The other generals nodded as well.
"Then what should we do?"
Tuoba Shuyi thought for a moment.
"Our army may fight while retreating, changing the original encirclement into a reception."
"So long as they dare pursue us, we can seize the chance to mobilize ten thousand elite troops, cut off their retreat, and directly attack the city through the Western Gate ahead of schedule, throwing their formation into disarray."
The generals nodded, accepted their orders, and departed.
Such an arrangement was indeed exceedingly prudent.
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