After Tuoba Wanli was defeated, the Great Ning army drove him into their homeland from the east. He only got his life spared after begging Li Anlan for mercy.
The newly appointed prime minister of the Northern Barbarians was Li Dahai, who admired the Great Ning Dynasty.
This man's original name Yelü Hai. Because he admired the culture of the Great Ning Dynasty, he changed his surname to Li and became Li Dahai. Under his influence, relations between Great Ning and the Northern Barbarians improved considerably.
In order to appease the Northern Barbarians, Li Anlan even bestowed upon Tuoba Wanli the title of King of the Grasslands and gave him a great deal of rewards.
Logically speaking, the Northern Barbarians should feel some kind of gratitude.
However, this was clearly wishful thinking. Although the Northern Barbarians had become much more docile, they would still attack whenever they wanted, and continued to frequently raid the borders of Great Ning.
There's nothing special about it; it's simply a matter of practice makes perfect!
This is a traditional craft passed down from the Northern Barbarians; how can we let it be lost?
Forehead!
Hearing Lin Yi's words, Wang Yue's lips twitched, and he couldn't help but sneer, "No wonder they're called barbarians. They're a bunch of ungrateful savages. The emperor must be furious!"
They provided the person with good food and drink, and even gave them a formal title; this is truly the epitome of benevolence and righteousness.
After they've finished eating and drinking, they turn around and slap you across the face. Wouldn't that be disgusting to anyone?
This is absolutely unreliable.
Lin Yi couldn't help but burst into laughter, and said quietly, "Although they're unreliable, if they really want to attack Little Pine Mountain, I might as well lend them a hand in secret!"
Anyway, he'll just plunder a bit and then run away. I can take advantage of that to seize the entire Dayu Pass. That would be wonderful!
However, this wish is somewhat difficult, after all, Tuoba Yu is not stupid.
If he were to rise to power and join forces with Northern Liang, he would be in serious trouble.
It was the second day Red Eagle Guard returned to camp.
After he relayed Lin Yi's words to Tuoba Yu, the latter couldn't help but chuckle and exclaimed, "This kid is quite cautious; he didn't even reply, just gave a verbal message."
"General, this person is definitely up to no good!" the Evil Bodhisattva warned from the side.
To demand an alliance without any evidence, and to call upon him when to send troops—this is utter nonsense. This guy clearly just wants to know when the general will deploy his troops.
This plan is far too clumsy.
Hahaha!
Tuoba Yu laughed heartily, glanced at him, and said in a deep voice, "If you think he's joking, you're wrong. He really wants to join us in destroying Li Sansi!"
" Lin Yi wants to rebel?"
The Evil Bodhisattva's pupils contracted; this was astonishing news.
Hearing his words, Tuoba Yu wasn't angry. Instead, he asked, "If you were Lin Yi, would you choose to rebel or remain loyal to Li Anlan?"
"Of course we're against them! Li Anlan is racking his brains to destroy Northern Liang!" Evil Bodhisattva blurted out.
These are his honest thoughts; if it were him, he would have rebelled long ago!
How could he not know the current situation in Northern Liang? The emperor wasn't even providing the Northern Liang Army with complete provisions, so how could the Prince of Northern Liang not have any complaints?
Moreover, Li Anlan is sharpening his sword against Northern Liang, and Lin Yi, as the future heir of Northern Liang, has not yet tasted the life of the Prince of Northern Liang, so how could he sit idly by and wait for death? If he could tear open a hole in the Great Ning Dynasty, Lin Yi would have absolutely no objection.
However, this would be more harmful than beneficial to the Northern Barbarians.
If a powerful Xiliang were to rise in Dayu Pass, things would be very difficult for us. Although the Ziwu Road is a natural barrier, no city in this world is impregnable. If this father and son were to join forces, the Northern Barbarians would be under immense pressure!
Tuoba Yu nodded and smiled, "That's exactly why Lin Yi actually wants to join forces with us to take down Li Sansi, but he doesn't want to leave any leverage over us!"
"Damn it, this is like taking off your pants to fart!" a general couldn't help but sneer.
"General, tell us what to do, we'll do whatever you say!"
"Fight now, or you'll miss your chance!"
"Time waits for no one, General!"
The crowd was filled with murderous intent. Since this path was blocked, they would resort to force. The Northern Barbarians had never been afraid of anyone. If they said they would take something, they would take it.
Tuoba Yu took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Let's have a hearty meal today, and the whole army will set off tomorrow. It's time to let the world see the might of our Northern Barbarians cavalry, otherwise everyone will think we're old!"
"Kill!"
The crowd erupted in excitement; everyone's eyes were bloodshot, as if they could see money and beautiful women waiting for them.
If we achieve our goal, then it's all worth it.
Tuoba Yu led his troops, leaving only 20,000 troops to guard the main camp, while the remaining 80,000 troops rushed straight to the Ziwu Road.
Once we cross the Ziwu Road, we can reach the attack location.
"You're here so quickly!"
Such a commotion made Li Sansi, who had just arrived at Little Pine Mountain, forget his fatigue and instantly become alert; a great battle was about to begin.
He Zudao said in a deep voice, "The enemy is all cavalry. After they set off, they will have to cross the Ziwu Road to get here, which will take about half a day. They will arrive here before dark at the latest!"
Although the Ziwu Road was under the control of Tuoba Yu, his main base was not there, but rather on a plain some distance away from the Ziwu Road.
The reason is simple: a strange wind often blows through the Ziwu Road, and the barbarian army is not made of iron, so they naturally have to avoid this through wind.
In this way, it would take at least half a day for the enemy to completely attack, and with the buffer zone in between, it would basically be dark by then.
"Father, our scouts said they spotted Tuoba Yu's men returning from Dayu County. Could it be that Lin Yi is colluding with Tuoba Yu?" Li Yunqing asked, frowning as he stood to the side.
These words made Li Sansi frown, but he remained silent.
Previously, Tuoba Yu had written to him, promising not to attack Little Pine Mountain. The purpose of the Northern Barbarians' expedition this time was to defeat Xiliang Commandery in one fell swoop and relieve the pressure on Northern Liang.
In that case, Tuoba Yu shouldn't be cooperating with Lin Yi.
However, even Li Sansi himself didn't quite believe this, since the credibility of the Northern Region Barbarians was somewhat unreliable.
Although he was certain that Tuoba Yu would attack Lin Yi first, he was in big trouble if Tuoba Yu caught him off guard.
Thinking this through, he said in a deep voice, "There's no evidence to support this, so there's no need to say more. But we can't be careless in the slightest; we must defend Little Pine Mountain with all our might. As long as we hold this place, the enemy can't do anything to us!"
Little Pine Mountain was the first line of defense for Great Ning, and also the only route for the Northern Barbarians to attack. Only by crossing Little Pine Mountain could the enemy cross Golden Sand Shoal; otherwise, crossing the river from other places would be a problem.
Cavalrymen rode warhorses, and warhorses can't swim.
Therefore, as long as this place is well defended, the Northern Barbarians will not be a threat and will not be able to cross over to Ningchuan Commandery.