In the Death Camp, only a little over three hundred soldiers were ready to march.
After a few days of rest and Ye Chen’s training, these three hundred soldiers were completely different from their previous selves.
Gone were the former lethargy and despair of the Death Camp; what remained was a steadfastness and sharpness comparable to any elite unit of the Great Chu.
The three hundred soldiers stood tall, awaiting orders, having seemingly evolved into the most elite soldiers of the Great Chu!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sound of marching footsteps came from outside the camp, indicating a force of no less than five hundred.
Old Huang immediately went outside to check and saw Ye Chen, dressed in the Radiant Armor and holding a battlefield sword, approaching slowly.
Behind Ye Chen, five hundred soldiers marched with great prowess, their movements synchronized, and their gazes unwavering.
“Your Highness, what is this?”
Old Huang was somewhat at a loss; the quality of these five hundred guards was perfect, even someone from the Duke’s manor like Old Huang was surprised.
Ye Chen turned to look at these five hundred personal guards and couldn’t help but marvel: “An Lushui really is an excellent trainer; they follow orders perfectly. What a pity.”
Ye Chen then shook his head and immediately gave the order: “Send my command, everyone will split into smaller units. The Death Camp soldiers and the personal guards will form teams of three and five, and I want to see one hundred teams from the Death Camp within half a pillar of incense!”
“Yes!”
Under Ye Chen’s command, both the five hundred personal guards and the Death Camp soldiers responded uniformly and immediately set off to find their teammates.
After a brief period of confusion, a team was already assembled and standing in front of Ye Chen.
Soon, the second team, the third team…
Before half a pillar of incense had passed, all one hundred teams had been formed, each team consisting of eight members arranged in a three Death Camp soldiers to five personal guards configuration.
After everyone was assembled, Ye Chen ascended the training platform. The Radiant Armor shone brightly, and he exuded an aura of authority that commanded respect.
“Brothers, we wiped out the vanguard troops of the Tu Man tribe a few days ago, but they are not satisfied!”
“Today, the Tu Man tribe’s main force of ten thousand is approaching our Great Chu. Can we accept that?”
“Cannot accept!”
The unified response from the eight hundred soldiers was enough to intimidate anyone, and the rallying cry echoed in all directions.
“Exactly! That’s why we have a difficult task. Our eight hundred elite soldiers are to become a sharp blade piercing into the Tu Man tribe’s interior, striking from behind and leaving them with no chance to escape!”
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
With just a few words, Ye Chen ignited the fighting spirit of the entire army. Everyone was eager to set out and eliminate the enemy without leaving a trace.
Ye Chen nodded in satisfaction and then ordered: “Now, Zhao Yun, Xu Da, Old Huang, Zhang Zhi, and I will each lead twenty teams, departing from the west gate of Yunzhou and flanking to the north side of Black Wind Mountain.”
“Yes!”
With that, the one hundred teams were divided into five groups and exited the city through different safe routes to flank Black Wind Mountain.
Inside the main general’s tent, the sergeant came to report on the Death Camp’s situation.
“General, Ye Chen has taken the Death Camp soldiers out through the west gate. It seems he is not planning a direct assault on the Tu Man tribe.”
An Lushui, who was planning strategies, frowned upon hearing this: “What is Ye Chen up to?”
Guo Chengyun looked at the map and analyzed: “If they leave from the west gate and bypass Black Wind Mountain, they can launch a surprise attack from the rear of the Tu Man tribe’s main force.”
After examining the map, An Lushui gradually calmed down, and a new plan began to form in his mind.
“Order the entire army to defend the city. We must hold Yunzhou until Ye Chen arrives!”
An Lushui’s command seemed like the best support for Ye Chen, but was it really so?
The Tu Man tribe’s ten thousand main force was attacking the city, while there were only five thousand defenders in Yunzhou. If the defense failed, they could abandon the city, and with Minister Liu’s protection, there would be no problem.
However, once the Tu Man tribe occupied Yunzhou, Ye Chen’s force would be isolated. The Tu Man tribe would not let Ye Chen escape.
With An Lushui’s arrangement, the Yunzhou defenders immediately began their preparations.
From the Yunzhou city walls, one could see a massive black army advancing slowly in the distance.
At this moment, the Tu Man tribe’s main force was three hours away from Yunzhou. The main general, Aye Lin, was leisurely riding a sweat-blooded horse.
Beside Aye Lin were the two great generals of the Tu Man tribe, Aghusa and Batu Er.
Aghusa and Batu Er were the previous generation’s war gods of the Tu Man tribe, who once drove the Great Chu’s borders back to Youzhou and were the left and right arms of the Tu Man Khan. Their presence alongside Aye Lin showed his importance.
“Aghusa, now that the troops are rested, how long until we capture Yunzhou?”
Aghusa, with his bronze-colored skin and towering build like an unmoving iron tower, turned to look at the troops and confidently replied:
“Fourth Prince, our men are well-rested. When we reach Yunzhou, we can take the city in no more than three days.”
Aye Lin nodded slightly, accepting that taking three days was still acceptable.
On the other hand, Batu Er said disdainfully: “Aghusa, you must be scared by Hadogul’s death. To deal with the mere Great Chu army, we don’t need three days!”
He then turned to Aye Lin and assured: “Fourth Prince, if I lead the charge, we will capture Yunzhou in less than two days!”
Aghusa pondered for a moment and then said: “Batu Er, do not underestimate the enemy. Hadogul was also a warrior of our Tu Man tribe. His death should make us all cautious.”
Batu Er, hearing this, became even more dismissive: “Hadogul was just an inexperienced youth who failed due to lack of experience. If I lead the charge with full force, Yunzhou will not last two days!”
Aye Lin, not wishing to see his two main generals quarreling, intervened to mediate: “Aghusa is correct; we must not underestimate the enemy. Batu Er is also right; we don’t need to be overly cautious.”
With that, Aye Lin’s expression became serious as he gave the order: “In three hours, we will launch the attack. Aghusa will lead the left army, Batu Er the right army, and I will see which of you enters Yunzhou first.”
Batu Er laughed heartily: “Haha, Fourth Prince, don’t worry. I, Batu Er, will definitely be the first to enter Yunzhou!”
Aghusa wanted to say more, but the surrounding soldiers were already fired up. He could only nod and accept the command.
The main force of the Tu Man tribe crossed Black Wind Mountain, avoiding the Yunzhou scouts. Similarly, Ye Chen’s force also crossed Black Wind Mountain.
Due to their smaller size, Ye Chen’s troops moved at a speed several times faster than the main force.
Before long, Ye Chen reached the north side of Black Wind Mountain, and soon after, Zhao Yun, Xu Da, Old Huang, and Zhang Zhi also arrived at their destination.
Ye Chen climbed the hillside and looked south, seeing the vast Tu Man tribe’s main force gradually closing in on Yunzhou.
Zhang Zhi remarked: “Your Highness, if we want to catch up with the Tu Man main force, we only need half an hour.”
Ye Chen nodded. Since small units marched much faster than large ones, Ye Chen had ample time to wait for the right moment.
“All troops rest here. Once the Tu Man main force engages with Yunzhou, we will move out immediately!”
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