A brilliant stratagem

"If you're so capable, you can take him back to the North if you want. But before that, don't interfere with my business," Pei Manxilou said calmly.

"Your important business."

Huang Xian'er played with her nails, her seductive demeanor fading, and clicked her tongue, saying, "I knew it! How could someone as proud and arrogant as you willingly lose to a complete stranger?"

"I've been investigating these past few days. Although Xu Qi'an is a peerless poet, he has never made any achievements in military strategy. I suspect that the military book was written by Wei Yuan. So I want to visit him and test the waters. Of course, if he really is the author of that military book..."

Pei Manxi paused, clenched his fist slightly, and spoke with a mixture of excitement and longing:

"I would like to ask him a few questions, specifically how to break the deadlock in the northern war. Such a master of military strategy often has a single idea or thought that may be the key to the success or failure of a war."

Huang Xian'er pouted. "That's such an exaggeration."

The carriage stopped, and the two lifted the curtain and jumped down.

Led by the gatekeeper, Old Zhang, Huang Xian'er stepped into the Xu Residence, looked around, and said with a smile, "Not bad!"

During this time, she accompanied Pei Manxilou as he traveled and socialized among the officials in the capital, and had seen too many mansions and residences. The scale and architecture of the Xu Residence were generally neither the best nor the worst.

After walking along the bluestone-paved road, ahead stands a grand building with upturned eaves on both sides, which is the outer hall of the Xu Residence's reception area.

Huang Xian'er's eyes suddenly lit up. She saw a man dressed in a black robe embroidered with gold and silver threads and adorned with ornate accessories standing at the entrance of the outer hall.

She was smiling as she looked at them.

This man's features are sharply defined, exuding masculine strength, yet he is not rugged; upon closer inspection, one will find him to be quite handsome.

However, his sharp eyes, strong physique, and wheat-colored skin made him stand out from his handsome cousin.

She didn't disappoint me; her appearance alone is enough for me to cherish. Huang Xian'er's smile unconsciously became charming.

Xu Qi'an had already seen them at the literary gathering, so he only glanced at them and didn't look at them much.

"Hmm, that vixen Huang Xian'er is as seductive as ever!" he muttered to himself, but outwardly remained gentle, smiling as he said, "Please come in, gentlemen!"

He only glanced at me lightly, without showing the lust or amazement that men often display, even though it was our first time meeting.

It's definitely not that I'm not charming enough; it's just that Xu Yinluo either has an extremely strong resistance to beauty, or the rumors circulating in the capital about his romantic affairs with the most beautiful Imperial Academy of Music are actually a deliberate disguise. The clever and cunning Huang Xian'er noticed this detail and silently remembered it.

Regardless of the possibility, it suggests that Xu Yinluo is no ordinary man, and seducing him would be quite difficult.

Wouldn't that be more interesting? If you could just hook your fingers and roll into bed, that would be too unchallenging. I've heard that countless respectable women in the capital admire him.

Hey, Grandma wants to sleep with the most outstanding young man in Great Feng!

He's going to seduce the man that countless women in the capital dream of!

Imagine, the most outstanding young man in Great Feng, the famous Xu Yinluo, the object of countless women's dreams in the capital, was seduced into bed by a foreigner. How satisfying and exhilarating that would be!

It not only crushed the mentality of women in the capital, but also allowed them to boast in front of their sisters in the Hui community, making those little vixens envious.

Xu Qi'an led the two demon envoys into the hall, instructed the servants to serve tea, and then sat in the main seat, jokingly saying:

"Knowing that the emperor and I have a grudge, you still come to visit me; you are trying to kill me!"

Because these two were demons, he had warned the women in his household beforehand not to come to the outer courtyard today.

Out of courtesy, Pei Manxi took a symbolic sip of tea, and jokingly remarked with a smile:

"Your feud with the Emperor of Great Feng is common knowledge. I'm quite curious how Xu Yinluo will handle it."

Xu Qi'an smiled but didn't respond, only saying, "I'm no longer the Silver Gong."

Pei Manxi stopped there, then changed the subject, saying, "At the literary gathering that day, reading Young Master Xu's military treatise was like a revelation. In fact, I have long admired Young Master Xu."

Huang Xian'er smiled and said, "I have long admired Young Master Xu."

Her voice was sweet and coquettish, as if she were pleading.

Xu Qi'an ignored the fox-woman's flirtatious gestures and smiled.

"Young Master Pei Man's talent also astounds me. I never expected that a foreign tribe would have such a brilliant scholar. You have earned the respect of the Great Feng with your talent."

Huang Xian'er pouted and said in a coquettish voice, "Then what about me? Haven't I earned your respect, young master?"

"You? Your fox-clan demonesses have long earned the respect of the lecherous officials, "Xu Qi'an thought to himself, merely smiling slightly at this flirtatious remark.

The fox girl from the fox clan is now highly praised in the officialdom of Great Feng have talked about her a lot in private, and even Xu Erlang has heard about it and mentioned it to his elder brother in casual conversation.

"Even I find the Jing Kingdom's iron cavalry extremely formidable. The ferocity of our divine cavalry is known throughout the Nine Provinces. But mere brute force cannot achieve great things," Pei Manxilou lamented.

"I'm here to seek guidance from Young Master Xu."

Asking me for advice? I'm just a copyist. I didn't write The Art of War; it was written by Sun Tzu. Doesn't the title make that clear? You, a great scholar well-versed in military strategy, are asking me for advice?

Xu Qi'an was internally ranting, but outwardly remained calm, simply smiling faintly, "I wrote in military strategy books, 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle.'"

Upon hearing his answer, Pei Manxilou's smile widened, showing initial approval of Xu Yinluo's skill level. He said slowly:

"I was too anxious. Well, there are two types of cavalry in Yasukuni. One type is called the Fire Armor Army, which is famous for its special armor. Their mounts are unicorn-scaled beasts, a breed of high-quality warhorses bred with a monster called 'Za' from Yasukuni."

"This beast possesses terrifying stamina and astonishing scale defensive capabilities. Its single horn, combined with its charge, makes it virtually invincible. Even the strongest heavy cavalry of the barbarians cannot guarantee victory against them, and the Fire Armor Army numbers a full forty thousand. The other type is ordinary cavalry."

No wonder the heavy cavalry, composed of 40,000 exotic beasts, could sweep away the demons and barbarians. Xu Qi'an was secretly surprised.

Pei Manxilou continued, "Their light cavalry is equally formidable. They move like fire, and after the heavy cavalry charge, the light cavalry are responsible for mopping up the scattered enemy troops. The two work together and are invincible."

"Moreover, the north is mostly plains, unlike the Central Plains, which is crisscrossed by mountains and rivers. Finding good terrain can effectively contain the Jingguo cavalry. Xu Yinluo, how should our Northern Divine Clan deal with this?"

How the hell should I know? If it were me, I'd just go for it, who cares about anything else? Xu Qi'an suddenly remembered Xu Erlang's manuscript and burst out laughing, saying:

"If it were the army of the Great Feng, facing such iron cavalry in the north, they would only need to bombard them with artillery and crossbows in turn."

Pei Manxilou shook his head and said, "Therefore, Jingguo has light cavalry with extremely fast movement speed. As long as they disperse their troops and withstand the first two rounds of bombardment, they can destroy Great Feng's artillery corps."

Xu Qi'an said, "There are two methods: set up barbed iron fortifications a hundred paces away from the artillerymen, or dig horse traps. You only need to use a fist-sized stick to pierce the ground and dig a pit of the appropriate size, which can effectively stop the cavalry charge."

"Light cavalry is not like heavy cavalry; they cannot be ignored. Once their charging speed is hindered, they will suffer several more rounds of artillery fire and crossbow fire. Heh, there are no fixed rules in warfare. If you don't have terrain advantages, you must learn to create them yourself."

I have similar strategies for trapping horses and setting up deer fortifications, and now, I have two more ways to create "advantageous terrain" on the plains. Pei Manxilou's eyes lit up, he silently memorized them, and then a deep smile appeared on his face:

"Young Master Xu, you may not know this, but the Jing Kingdom also possesses cannons and crossbows. As far as I know, these were all supplied to the Witch God Cult by the former Minister of War of your Great Feng. Mere horse pits and deer fortifications are probably insufficient to deal with the Jing Kingdom's cavalry."

Damn it, why didn't you say so earlier? You're not just here to ask for advice, you're here to cause trouble, aren't you? Xu Qi'an couldn't help but glance at him.

Pei Manxilou wasn't just there to seek advice, but also to test his abilities, perhaps because he was Qi Ingestion of being "deadly struck" by him at the literary gathering?

"Luckily, I reviewed some of Erlang's strategies last night," Xu Qi'an chuckled. "Isn't this exactly where the cavalry of the demon and barbarian races will come in handy?"

He cleverly shifted his thinking, bringing the demon and barbarian army into his camp to fill the gaps in his own forces. In Xu Erlang's plan, the demon and barbarian army was already taken into account.

Pei Manxilou seemed to be arguing for the sake of arguing. "In that case, at best it would be a stalemate."

No, it wasn't a close contest.

Xu Qi'an shook his head. "If Great Feng and Yao Man join forces, their chances of winning will absolutely crush the Jing Kingdom's army, even though they also have a certain number of artillery pieces. The more types of troops they have, the more room they can maneuver."

"Heh, let me give you a small example. I've heard that every warrior in the Jinmu tribe of the barbarians keeps a winged spider, a strange beast. They are the only flying beast army among the twelve tribes. In addition, the warriors of the Jinmu tribe are skilled archers."

Pei Manxilou was somewhat disappointed. "Although the Flying Beast Army of the Jinmu Tribe is skilled in archery, their arrows are difficult to penetrate the armor of the Fire Armor Army. Some experts might be able to do so, but on a large battlefield, it's a drop in the ocean."

Xu Qi'an laughed, "Brother Pei Man, your mind is still not quick enough. Why do you insist on relying on arrows to cause damage? Since penetrating damage cannot pose a threat to the Fire Armor Army, why don't we try a different approach? For example, tie fire oil to the arrows."

"Heavy cavalry armor is difficult to remove. Once it gets on oil, the flames will rage and quickly ignite the armor, making it impossible to extinguish or remove. At that point, their prized heavy armor will become their most fatal weakness."

This move also came from Erlang's idea.

Pei Manxilou was slightly moved, and could no longer maintain his composure, muttering to himself:

"Yes, since arrows are ineffective, why not try fire? The heavy cavalry's armor is difficult to remove on their own; once it gets on them with oil, even if they don't die, they'll be severely burned. The Jinmu tribe's flying beast cavalry can shoot arrows from high ground, and the fire-armored cavalry won't be able to dodge them. It's feasible, absolutely feasible."

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became, as if he had been Aperture Opening by a peerless master.

"Young Master Xu truly lives up to his reputation as a master of military strategy, adept at utilizing different types of troops and tools, which perfectly aligns with my principles of warfare. These words are truly a wake-up call. It's a pity that there are too few people among the gods who are proficient in military strategy."

"If someone had discussed this with me earlier, perhaps, perhaps we would have come up with this plan much sooner. Why would my divine race be in such a sorry state?"

Even Huang Xian'er, who was not knowledgeable in military strategy, understood the brilliance of this move.

Her gaze towards Xu Qi'an held a hint of appreciation.

It was no longer purely about hunting for women; she felt a genuine appreciation for this man, the kind of appreciation a female feels for a male.

"That's so embarrassing!"

Pei Manxi took a sip of tea to suppress his excitement, but at the same time, he had an even more "greedy" idea.

While both sides were engrossed in their conversation, and Xu Qi'an had no intention of holding back, why not take this opportunity to extract as many tactics as possible from this master of military strategy?

For example, his ideal tactic is one that can guarantee a victory with a single strike.

Pei Manxilou is now completely convinced that the copy of "The Art of War" was indeed written by Xu Qi'an and is the genuine article.

After a moment's thought, he said:

"This plan is ingenious, but this time the Witch God Cult has come with great force, and it is not just the Jingguo Iron Cavalry. Otherwise, even if the Great Demon Zhujiu was injured, he would not have allowed Xiahou Yushu to be so arrogant."

"Among the Jingguo Legion, there is one third-rank wizard and quite a few fourth-rank wizards. They can manipulate corpse soldiers and stimulate the Qi and Blood of humans and beasts on a large scale, causing their combat power to surge temporarily."

"The reason why the Jingguo Iron Cavalry is so ferocious this time is that Young Master Xu is knowledgeable and should know that the battlefield is the domain of wizards. The role of a third-rank wizard on the battlefield is greater than that of a third-rank immortal body. I dare to ask if there are any tactics that can strike at the vital points and deliver a decisive blow?"

"Immortal Body" is the title of a third-rank martial artist.

That's going too far! You want a decisive tactic?

"You're like a cow parachuting, that's incredibly awesome!" Xu Qi'an thought to himself, glancing at Pei Manxilou and Huang Xian'er. He noticed their serious expressions and focused gazes, as if they genuinely believed he was about to reveal some amazing tactic.

Erlang's "manuscript" didn't contain such tactics. He muttered to himself, thinking he'd just chat for a bit, then give a polite sigh and say he was powerless to help.

The lines were all prepared. "The battlefield is ever-changing; how can mere theoretical discussions solve anything?"

"What is the strength of Jingguo's forces? How many cavalry, how many artillery pieces, and how many infantry do they have?" Xu Qi'an asked.

Pei Manxilou pondered for a moment, then said:

"During the Battle of Shanhai Pass, the number of Fire Armor Army soldiers reached 50,000, but they were all wiped out in that battle. After twenty years of recuperation, I estimate that the number of Fire Armor Army soldiers could not have exceeded 50,000, because the quality of the cavalry and the training of the war beasts are extremely difficult to cultivate, as they are one in a thousand."

"As for light cavalry, their numbers are actually not large. Jingguo has exhausted its resources to support the Fire Armor Army, making it difficult to maintain more light cavalry. In fact, the existence of light cavalry is to compensate for the shortcomings of the Fire Armor Army to a certain extent. Currently, all 80,000 light cavalry are fighting in the north."

"All of Jing Kingdom's resources have been used to raise warhorses." Xu Qi'an took a sip of tea and said, "I understand."

He was about to deliver his prepared lines to send the barbarian away when he suddenly froze, and the conversation he had just heard flashed through his mind like a slideshow.

The Yasukuni Kingdom had a maximum of 40,000 heavy cavalry and light cavalry, who were deployed in full force to fight against the demons and barbarians in the north.

Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, one suddenly came to mind.

He set down his teacup, a calm smile playing on his lips as he glanced at the two men, "Why not try a surprise attack on the capital of Yasukuni?"

Clang!

The teacup beside him was accidentally knocked to the ground, and Pei Manxi's breathing suddenly became rapid, causing his chest to heave violently.

P. S.: I'll be participating in an event these few days and won't have time to write. I'll try to maintain a single update per day. It should end on the 21st, and I'll definitely resume writing on the 22nd.