After more than half a day of slaughter, the Shenzhou Army wiped out the second force of Desert Star Cavalry through superior numbers and surprise. If Great Desert City had truly intended to fight the Shenzhou Army, news that it had dispatched three thousand cavalry in one go would surely have reached Ouyang Mingyue long before.
Ouyang Mingyue could then have sent a cavalry force to attack the Shenzhou cavalry from behind.
But she did not. After drinking in her command tent, she fell fast asleep. In her dreams, the Holy Son of Heaven praised her and even took her hand, saying, "You are a pillar of the kingdom!"
And while she slept, the commander of Great Desert City misjudged the situation, and the Desert Star Cavalry failed to withdraw flexibly in time, resulting in the loss of nearly three thousand cavalry.
The news did not reach Great Desert City until the fourteenth. Situ Long was still eagerly waiting for Ouyang Mingyue to finish resting and immediately besiege Weizhou City. As long as she tied down the Self-Defense Army there, he could divide his forces into several columns and simultaneously cripple the fortified villages supplying military provisions on this side.
Reality proved, however, that some people would forever covet only the petty gains before their eyes. When news that both cavalry columns had been routed came back, Situ Long sprang from his chair, his face contorted. "What did you say?"
"M-Marshal Long, the Shenzhou Army ambushed both our cavalry columns. Our army suffered heavy losses."
"Impossible, absolutely impossible! The Shenzhou Army isn't the Self-Defense Army. They would need at least three thousand men to ambush our cavalry. A force of over three thousand couldn't possibly escape Ouyang Mingyue's scouts. The enemy wouldn't dare take that risk!"
The scout had no