PDLP Chapter 1374 The Empress Leads the Army
Chapter 1374 The Empress Leads the Army
In the third year of the Holy Emblem Era, in early spring.
Murong Yan stood before the Hall of Supreme Harmony, gazing at the Imperial Guards standing ready outside. Today, she wore no elaborate wedding robes, only her black and gold phoenix-embroidered gown. The five-foot-long train stretched across the steps, the golden phoenixes on the hem gleaming coldly in the morning light.
"Your Majesty, the army has been assembled," Zhang Jianshang reported.
"Understood." Murong Yan turned to look at Lin Zhen. "Let's go."
Lin Zhen nodded, and the two walked down the steps side by side.
All the officials knelt down.
"Your Majesty, the journey to the border is long and arduous. Please take care of your health."
“I am not a man, so how could I have a dragon body?” Murong Yan interrupted him. “I am the Empress, I have a phoenix body.”
The official immediately kowtowed.
"Your Majesty, I have misspoke. Please forgive me."
Murong Yan ignored him and boarded the phoenix carriage.
Lin Zhen followed and sat down, then lifted the curtain to look outside.
"Where do you think Yue Fei is now?"
"We should be nearing Yumen Pass soon." Murong Yan leaned back on the cushion. "His marching speed has always been very fast."
“Then we need to speed things up.” Lin Zhen lowered the curtain. “Otherwise, by the time we arrive, the battle will be over.”
Murong Yan smiled.
"You really want war that badly?"
"I don't want to fight, I just want to see what those so-called monsters are all about," Lin Zhen said. "Even someone as powerful as Li Jing is dead, I want to see just how strong the other side is."
The imperial carriage slowly started moving, with the imperial guards following on both sides.
The large procession left the capital and headed northwest.
……
Three hundred li outside Yumen Pass.
Yue Fei stood on the hillside, holding up his binoculars and looking at the camp in the distance.
"General, our scouts report that the enemy has 100,000 troops," the lieutenant said as he approached.
"One hundred thousand?" Yue Fei put down his binoculars. "It seems they came prepared."
"Should we wait until His Majesty arrives before making a move?"
"No need." Yue Fei turned around. "Pass down the order to launch the attack at midnight tonight."
The lieutenant was taken aback.
"But General, we only have 50,000 men."
“Fifty thousand is enough.” Yue Fei looked at the camp in the distance. “Although they have a lot of people, their camp location is problematic. With their backs to the cliff and open ground in front, they are courting death.”
The lieutenant looked at it carefully and confirmed it was true.
"Then from which side should we attack?"
"A feint attack from the front, a flanking maneuver." Yue Fei drew a simple diagram on the ground. "Have Zhang Xian lead 10,000 men to bypass them from the left and cut off their retreat. I will lead the main force to press forward from the front and force them to the edge of the cliff."
The lieutenant understood.
"This subordinate will make the arrangements immediately."
Yue Fei looked at the sky; there were still a few hours until midnight.
He turned and went back to his tent, picked up his horse-slaying sword and began to clean it.
"General, someone requests an audience."
"Who?"
"They said they came from the capital."
Yue Fei frowned, put down his sword, and walked out of the tent.
A young man in plain clothes stood outside and immediately bowed when he saw Yue Fei.
"This humble general pays his respects to the Great General."
"you are?"
"This humble servant is His Majesty's secret guard, sent to deliver a message." The young man took out a token from his pocket.
Yue Fei took the token, confirmed its authenticity, and asked, "What are your orders, Your Majesty?"
"His Majesty said that the General should not rush to attack, but wait until she arrives."
Yue Fei remained silent for a moment.
"Okay, you can go and rest now."
After the young man stepped down, the lieutenant came over.
"General, His Majesty's meaning is..."
"His Majesty wishes to personally command this battle," Yue Fei said. "Send down the order to cancel tonight's attack plan."
The lieutenant was somewhat puzzled.
"But General, the opportunity to fight is fleeting. If we wait until His Majesty arrives, the enemy may already be on guard."
“I know,” Yue Fei said, looking at the camp in the distance, “but since Her Majesty has said so, she must have her reasons.”
……
Three days later.
Murong Yan's imperial carriage finally arrived at Yumen Pass.
Yue Fei and his generals greeted them outside the pass.
"Your subject Yue Fei greets Your Majesty."
"Get up." Murong Yan stepped down from the phoenix carriage, the five-zhang-long train of her black and gold phoenix descending to earth dress spreading out on the ground, and several palace maids hurriedly stepped forward to lift her up.
Lin Zhen followed behind her, his gaze sweeping over the generals.
What is the current situation with the enemy?
"Your Highness, the enemy's 100,000 troops are stationed 300 li away, and there has been no movement from them for the past few days," Yue Fei said.
"No movement?" Lin Zhen frowned. "What are they waiting for?"
"I don't know." Yue Fei shook his head. "The scouts reported that they just set up camp and train every day, and there is no sign of them attacking."
Murong Yan walked to the wall and looked at the desert in the distance.
"Take me to see it."
"Your Majesty, it's too dangerous over there," Yue Fei said hurriedly.
"Now that I'm here, I'm not here to hide in the back." Murong Yan turned to look at him. "Let's go."
Yue Fei had no choice but to lead his men to escort Murong Yan forward.
The group rode for two hours before finally reaching a high ground.
Murong Yan dismounted and stood on the high ground, raising her binoculars.
The campsite was clearly visible in the distance, a dense mass of tents stretching as far as the eye could see.
"Is this the army of 100,000?"
“Yes,” Yue Fei said. “Their camp is very well set up, and it is clear that they are a well-trained army.”
Murong Yan put down her binoculars and looked at Lin Zhen.
"What do you think?"
Lin Zhen took the binoculars and observed carefully for a while.
"has a problem."
"what is the problem?"
“Their camp is too orderly,” Lin Zhen said. “Normal army camps wouldn’t be this uniform. And look at their tents, they’re all the same size, which is illogical.”
Murong Yan raised the binoculars again and looked.
"what do you mean?"
“This could be a trap.” Lin Zhen put down his binoculars. “They deliberately set up camp here to lure us over.”
Upon hearing this, Yue Fei's expression changed.
"Your Highness is right. I had suspected their positions were problematic before, but I didn't expect this."
"What do we do now?" Murong Yan asked.
Lin Zhen looked at the camp in the distance and suddenly smiled.
"Since they want to play, then we'll play along with them."
He turned to look at Yue Fei and Zhang Xian.
"Yue Fei will lead 10,000 men in a feint attack from the front. Remember, it's just a feint; don't actually charge in. Zhang Xian will lead 5,000 men to flank from the left and ambush them in the valley behind their camp. 10,000 men will follow me, and we will encircle them from the right."
Yue Fei and Zhang Xian answered simultaneously, "Yes."
After Lin Zhen finished speaking, he looked at Murong Yan and said, "You stay here and take command."
Murong Yan glared at him.
"I am here to fight a war, not to watch a play."
"What do you want?"
"I will go with you," Murong Yan said matter-of-factly.
Lin Zhen was helpless.
"Okay, but you have to listen to me."
"Understood." Murong Yan turned and mounted her horse, the five-zhang-long train of her black and gold phoenix-draped dress billowing behind her.
Yue Fei watched this scene and secretly admired it.
This empress really dares to do anything.
……
At midnight.
Yue Fei led 10,000 men and quietly approached the enemy camp.
"Let's begin the attack."
At Yue Fei's command, ten thousand men suddenly charged out and headed straight for the enemy camp.
The camp was thrown into chaos as countless soldiers rushed out of their tents.
However, Yue Fei's men did not actually charge in; instead, they fired a few volleys of arrows around the camp before retreating.
The enemy troops gave chase, only to find that the enemy had already run far away.
"What's going on?" A general stepped forward, looking into the darkness in the distance.
"General, they seem to be just here to cause trouble."
"Harassment?" the general sneered. "Send the order down to the entire army to be on high alert. Don't fall into their trap."
Just then, shouts of battle suddenly came from the rear of the camp.
"No, someone attacked!"
The general's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly led his men to run away.
But when he arrived at the rear camp, he found it deserted.
"what happened?"
"General, someone did shout 'Kill!' just now, but we can't find them now."
The general frowned, about to speak, when suddenly the sound of horses' hooves came from his right.
"Not good, enemy troops on the right flank!"
He hurriedly led his men to the right, but when he got there, it was deserted.
"Damn it, they're playing us!"
The general was so angry he gritted his teeth, but there was nothing he could do.
The soldiers in the enemy camp were exhausted after a whole night of fighting, but they didn't even see a shadow of the enemy.
At daybreak, Yue Fei led his troops back to the high ground.
Murong Yan sat in the makeshift tent, looking at the map.
"How about it?"
"It went very smoothly," Yue Fei said. "They should be in disarray by now."
"That's good." Murong Yan put down the map. "Now we just have to wait for news from Lin Zhen."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a soldier ran in.
"Your Majesty, the Prince has sent word that he wants you to lead your men to attack from the front."
Murong Yan stood up, and the five-zhang-long train of her black and gold phoenix descending to earth dress unfurled with her movement.
"Pass down the order: the entire army is to attack."