Little Pine Mountain was the first line of defense for Great Ning, and next to it was Dayu County of Xiliang Commandery. The two sides could be described as mutually supporting each other.
More than 10,000 people from Great Ning are stationed here, making it the only buffer zone.
Therefore, this place must be defended, otherwise the enemy will cross Little Pine Mountain and reach Song Tao River. Once Tuoba Yu crosses Song Tao River, there will be no better defensive position left.
In this way, Ningchuan Commandery would also be in danger.
"Your Highness, how many men will you be bringing this time?" He Zudao frowned slightly; this was a big question.
This time, we can't bring too many people. If we bring too many, Tuoba Yu might hesitate to launch a full-scale attack on Dayu County. If we bring too few, Tuoba Yu decides to attack our side, it would be a greater loss than gain.
That's a bit difficult!
Li Sansi took a deep breath, pondered for a moment, and then said in a deep voice, "This time I will bring 20,000 troops, which, together with the original 10,000 garrison troops, will make 30,000, enough to protect ourselves."
"As for the other 30,000 men, they should stay at White Sand Beach and not reveal their whereabouts."
White Sand Beach is one of the few places on the Song Tao River where cavalry can forcibly cross it. Not only is the current slow, but the water is also relatively shallow, making it a favorite crossing point for the Northern Region Barbarians.
As long as we guard this place, there won't be any major problems.
"Your Highness is wise!"
He Zudao nodded; this was the only option now.
The following day, Prince Li Sansi of Prince of Beining Commandery personally led a large army northward, heading for Little Pine Mountain, the first line of defense!
The news sent shockwaves through the entire Ningchuan Commandery.
As civilians living on the border, they keenly sensed the impending war and became increasingly uneasy. If anything went wrong during the conflict, it would be the ordinary people who would suffer.
"Damn it, with the Prince personally leading the army this time, it seems there's more trouble in the north than we thought!"
"Damn barbarians, can't they just shut up for once and let us celebrate the New Year in peace?"
"This time it's probably a bit better. It's said that the Crown Heir of Northern Liang is personally guarding Xiliang Commandery. The Prince of Northern Liang will naturally not let his son suffer losses, and might even be keeping a large force there!"
"Oh, so this alliance might be able to severely damage that Tuoba Yu guy!"
"Severely damaged my foot! I heard the Heir of Northern Liang only brought a thousand men this time, and the soldiers under his command are just civilians who have defected to him. I'm afraid their fighting strength isn't much."
"Really? This time, the odds are against us!"
The people eagerly anticipated a united front between the two sides, hoping to route Tuoba Yu's forces. Unfortunately, they were unaware that their emperor was solely focused on weakening Xiliang Commandery, a wish destined to fail.
It would be good enough if the two sides didn't start fighting.
The Xiliang Commandery!
On the very day Li Sansi launched his attack, Net received the news and immediately reported it to Lin Yi.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yi couldn't help but burst into laughter, exclaiming, " Li Sansi truly lives up to his title as the Prince of Beining Commandery, personally leading the expedition to support our Xiliang Commandery. It's truly touching!"
Forehead!
Upon hearing this, Wang Yue couldn't help but twitch his lips. If it weren't for his lord ordering Mi Zhu to rob He Zudao, Li Sansi would never have prioritized the greater good.
Previously, the Prince of Beining Commandery hadn't made a single move; apart from 10,000 men guarding Little Pine Mountain, the rest of his troops were just standing around doing nothing.
They're probably forced to come out now because they're worried their lord will give up.
hey-hey!
Jia Xu's eyes were filled with schadenfreude as he said mockingly, "This time, Brother Mi Zhu did a great job, ruining He Zudao. With that in mind, as long as Li Sansi isn't a fool, he'll naturally know our lord's attitude."
This guy wants to be the one to reap the benefits? There's no such thing as All Under Heaven. He'll have to pay the price for this.
"Hmph, Li Sansi is clever enough to stay on Little Pine Mountain with 30,000 men, afraid of scaring Tuoba Yu." Chen Qun said sarcastically, looking indignant.
In his view, the Great Ning Dynasty's behavior was extremely disgraceful!
Even if you want to weaken Northern Liang, you can't cause trouble over something like this; it's utterly despicable.
Foreign tribes are the enemies of the entire nation. How could you, the emperor, condone their incursions and slaughter of your own people? What kind of monster are you?
Hahaha!
Jia Xu couldn't help but burst into laughter, saying irritably, " Northern Liang has already become too powerful to control, and now that you've created Xiliang, the Emperor is naturally uneasy. While this is somewhat despicable, it also shows that your influence is growing!"
Without sufficient strength, even the emperor wouldn't have schemed against you. My lord, you've already succeeded.
"Hehe, if he knew our lord's true strength, he'd probably have even less sleep," Mi Zhu chuckled from the side.
At present, at least 50,000 laborers have been mobilized in the entire Xiliang Commandery. Adding the original Yellow Turban Army and Xiliang Iron Cavalry, the total number is close to 200,000.
Even if their actual combat strength is only around a few hundred thousand, this strength is enough to threaten the Great Ning Dynasty.
Lin Yi looked at Wang Yue and smiled, "Let's not worry about that for now. What is Tuoba Yu doing now? He must be preparing to launch a war, right?"
"Yes, he has already recalled several of his top generals, and they will probably be setting out in the next couple of days," Wang Yue nodded and said in a deep voice.
"Very good!"
Lin Yi rubbed his hands together excitedly and said, "It seems this game of strategy is about to begin. How is the Heavenly Road on our Heavenly Pillar Peak doing now?"
"With the explosives and cement, the construction of Heavenly Pillar Peak is progressing rapidly. However, it will probably take some time before it can be connected to the territory of the Northern Region Barbarians!" Wang Yue said with a wry smile.
"How long exactly?"
"Twelve days!"
"It's been too long. Send more people, suspend construction in White Monkey County and other areas, and make sure to bring the deadline forward."
The purpose of this route is to destroy the enemy's stronghold. If the enemy reacts in time, the damage will be halved, which would be a waste of the opportunity.
When the enemy attacks, their stronghold is at its weakest point, and attacking at that time will inevitably catch them off guard.
The problem now is the front line of battle!
Out of concern that Tuoba Yu might launch a blitzkrieg, Zhang Liao Tiandu. He's currently the main force holding Tuoba Yu back, and he can't afford any problems.
Thinking of this, Lin Yi took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, war is coming, our era is about to begin. This time, Zhang Liao is in Dayu County, but our logistics must keep up to ensure their supplies."
Xiliang Commandery has been preparing for this battle for half a month. Now, more than ten days later, the supplies are ready and they are just waiting for this battle.
"Rest assured, my lord, I will arrange everything!"
Chen Qun nodded and said in a deep voice.
Now that he has Mi Zhu's help, allocating these supplies is much easier, and it's enough to ensure the supply of materials to Dayu County.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside.
"My lord, General Bai requests a meeting at the city gate!"