Delong

Chapter 572 Sending Wu Xing (22)

The battle began earlier than expected.

This is due to the legacy of the Great Wei Dynasty... When Cao Lin personally set up the three-pass defense line, there were three supply lines along the Poison Desert and the Great River, divided into four sections inside and outside the river, to serve as support. Previously, Dou Shang was able to quickly provide support from Longshang because of this, and now, Yu Jieluo is able to return to defend in time, which also has the role of the supply lines along the way.

Therefore, the battle suddenly broke out in the morning, just when the sun was directly southeast.

The first to engage in battle was a contingent of soldiers from Lingwu... Don't underestimate the reinforcements from Longshang brought by Dou Shang, especially since Lingwu, as the Dou family's stronghold, had been carefully cultivated by the Dou family since the establishment of the Eight Pillars system. Therefore, they have generations of combat experience, high loyalty, and decent weapons and equipment. Moreover, although Lingwu is known as the Jiangdong region beyond the Great Wall, it is still surrounded by mountains, deserts, and rivers, and its people are known for their fierce and valiant nature.

This army, on its westward journey, had been promised by Yu Jieluo that if they could break through the enemy lines, return to Yulin, and rescue Dou Shang and Dou Ru, they would be allowed to return to Lingwu... Naturally, their morale was quite high.

In stark contrast was the expeditionary force led by Lü Daobin and his military law battalion.

This was a military law battalion attached to the Ministry of Justice, but it was actually a temporary formation for the expeditionary force. Most of its core members were former civil and legal officials from the Great Wei dynasty who had surrendered in the Hebei region. Its original purpose was not to fight, and even when it was tasked with supervising battles, it required the cooperation of other units.

However, on the battlefield, there's no such thing as your original intentions.

It was this military camp that, because it was the first to cross the Jinshui River to prepare for battle, encountered a fierce attack from a rapidly approaching Lingwu Prefecture army! If it weren't for the fact that Su Mu's battalion had followed closely behind to cross the river and form a battle line to help Lü Daobin hold them off, this camp would have collapsed on the spot, giving everyone a huge surprise.

The situation has stabilized, battle has begun, and next comes the arrival of reinforcements and the expansion of the battle lines.

Soon, as the five trusted commanders of Li Ding established their positions on the north bank of the Jin River, effectively demarcating the battlefield, countless Wu tribe cavalrymen finally began to cross the river under the morning spring sun. Some wore leather armor, some wore iron tunics, some were clearly wearing standard armor seized from Guanzhong, and some even wore full sets of bright armor. But everyone had basic armor and weapons; they were all cavalrymen. They raised their bows and arrows high and easily crossed the Jin River, which only reached the ribs of their horses, gathering together according to their tribes... After a while, as a tattered dragon banner appeared in the Jin River, all the Wu tribe cavalrymen present, whether from various tribes that had already crossed the river or the royal court elites who had been directly absorbed by the Chulong Army and were now based on the west bank of the Jin River, cheered.

Then, almost instinctively, the tribes that had already crossed the river began to take the initiative to attack, harassing the enemy with arrows and using cavalry groups to feign charges and intimidate them, trying to prevent the Lingwu Prefecture troops who were also gathering in front of them from regrouping.

Li Ding remained standing on the high ground inside the river mouth, gazing at the scene from afar. Then, he suddenly turned to look at Zhang Shizhao, who was already donning his armor, and said, "Lord Zhang, you have a long way to go and a heavy responsibility to bear!"

Zhang Shizhao sneered: "It doesn't matter, the rotten dragon flag is on our side now!"

After saying this, he took his warhorse and headed upstream to the marked shallows, ready to carry out the military order from the previous evening: "Those who support the fight to the death should go and fight to the death."

Li Ding watched the other person leave and no longer cared about the matter.

What he didn't know was that dozens of miles away, within the poisonous desert that mortals considered a forbidden zone, there were also "people" discussing what they had just discussed, moved by what they had just witnessed.

"Don't you find it strange? The banners you protect are clearly on the same side as our Demon-Slaying Guards, yet we are facing off here. Isn't that ridiculous?" Yin Tianqi floated high above the Poison Desert, still wearing his black cloak.

Below him sat three withered old men, their upper bodies covered in strange tattoos and their bodies bare. When the Grandmaster and Demon-Slaying Guardian spoke, two of the three remained motionless, while the younger one merely raised his eyelids slightly.

"Oh, I think I've guessed what you're thinking..." Yin Tianqi said, seemingly enlightened, gazing at the sky amidst the poisonous sand. "You're guarding against the Demon-Slaying Guard, not the Dragon-Slaying Gang. The Demon-Slaying Guard has been your adversary for thousands of years, from the Daoist tradition to geography; but the Dragon-Slaying Gang was established by countless heroes who have wanted to unify the world over the past few thousand years. You know you can't stop them, you can't stop them, and if you try to stop them, you'll be backfired. Besides, these people come and go, and very few of them actually succeed... Even if we talk about the Dragon-Slaying Gang, the Sinful Dragon is no ordinary creature. If the Dragon-Slaying Gang really has the ability to slay it, you can't stop them... So just ignore them."

"You even saw us Demon-Slaying Guards fighting alongside the Witch Clan under the Dragon-Slaying Gang, and instead of being angry, you probably even felt a bit gloating. Aren't we all the same? Isn't that right?"

The three people below remained silent.

Yin Tianqi continued with a laugh: "That must be it. You always think we're the same! But how can we be the same? We have the Supreme Being behind us, while you have the Sinful Dragon behind you. That Sinful Dragon hasn't manifested its power for thousands of years. Isn't it because it knows in its heart that it has committed a grave sin, so that even the magnanimous will of Heaven must punish it? And you know it's the Sinful Dragon, yet you still follow its sins, going against its will, and thus you've become neither sorcerer nor human..."

As he spoke, a swirl of yellow sand rose up from below, shooting straight upwards, only to inexplicably dissipate at Yin Tianqi's feet. The Grand Master of Fate and the Great Dragon Head didn't even stop: "It even caused internal strife, resulting in two of the nine Poison Desert Walkers being missing, and only three coming to look after me... Is this showing respect for me, or disrespect?"

No one answered, but the three tattooed old men were clearly tense.

"Compared to you, we Demon Slayers have always understood what we need to do and what we can do..." After a moment of silence, perhaps out of sheer boredom, Yin Tianqi continued talking to himself. "We have never been afraid of these current events. As long as it's not something that can't be accomplished at first glance, we are willing to get involved and integrate. Whether it succeeds or not, we'll try it first. If it doesn't work out, we'll step back and take care of the situation in the North."

"I won't hide it from you all. I've accomplished quite a few things during my term, especially the matter of the Wind-Swallowing Lord. I've done my job well enough to live up to the expectations of the Supreme Lord and everyone above and below. So I've thought it all through. If the Dragon-Slaying Gang can truly unify the world, or even if the situation just becomes stable, I'll resign from this position as the Grand Fate Master, do nothing, and just travel around, seeing all the different places. Spending most of my life in this stone house in the North is really stifling."

"You don't know, among the Demon-Slaying Guards lined up over there right now, some people have been thinking that I had some ulterior motive for not recommending any of them as the leader. Actually, I'm even planning to remove the Grand Commander and give up the leader position to see if I can give the Demon-Slaying Guards a different leader position."

"Fortunately, it doesn't interfere with their important work. Unlike you, you not only live a miserable life, but more importantly, it's hard to say whether the current Wu tribe are still human or Wu. You don't even know if the Sin Dragon's actions and thoughts conflict with yourselves... In the end, you yourselves don't even know if what you're doing is right or wrong, or whether you should do it at all! Isn't this a joke?"

As soon as he finished speaking, three streams of yellow sand rolled down and flew towards Yin Tianqi's feet.

Yin Tianqi laughed loudly as he soared into the air, continuing his sarcasm: "So that's how it is. I had forgotten that all of you Poison Desert Walkers have had your tongues cut out, so you can't talk to me."

About fifteen minutes after the common sandstorm rolled up in the Poison Desert, Yu Jieluo arrived at the battlefield. He stopped his horse on a high platform by the river and first couldn't help but look at the poisonous sand rolling out of the Poison Desert before looking at the battlefield. However, he couldn't help but frown... because this situation was too strange!

"Why are they using surrendered soldiers as the main force in their vanguard when they're arrayed with their backs to the river?" Yu Jieluo watched for a moment, then turned to ask the generals beside him. "And why are only a small fraction of their troops here? Arraying with their backs to the river isn't inherently bad, but firstly, the entire army should be arrayed, and secondly, the most morale-boosting units should be positioned at the front and flanks..."

The generals looked at each other, but no one answered.

Yu Jielu hesitated for a moment before issuing a military order: "The central army shall stand still from now on and not make contact with the vanguard. After the reinforcements arrive, they shall also remain still and rest on the spot. All officers of the rank of Lieutenant General and above shall send their personal guards as patrol riders to observe the flanks, try to fight in the formation, and spy on the enemy's rear guard at Jinhe. Find out which unit started the battle first and ask their direct subordinate Lieutenant General to come to me!"

Upon hearing this, the generals immediately felt reassured and busied themselves with tasks. Some generals even led their personal guards into the enemy lines to engage the witch tribe in order to conduct tactical reconnaissance on the battlefield.

At the river mouth, Li Ding watched this scene from afar, then turned and issued a new military order: "Have all units along the river prepare to cross... Use sheepskin rafts, cross carefully, and within half an hour, ensure that each battalion has a complete unit of soldiers on the other side, along with corresponding supplies, equipment, and warhorses... Assign them all to Fan Lihua, let her cross the river first, and once she has finished preparing on the other side, immediately go and knock on the gate!"

The generals of the Chulong Army could understand this military order. It was about luring the enemy, pretending to cross the river. Not many people could cross anyway. Moreover, doing so would allow them to gather their troops on the flanks and leave the middle open as an ambush zone. It was perfectly understandable.

It was merely to lure the enemy by actually throwing entire units across the river, and the troop deployment was so bizarre that it couldn't help but make one's heart skip a beat.

About half an hour later, the sun was setting further south. By this time, the numerous sheepskin rafts on the river were becoming increasingly visible, their unarmored soldiers, armored weapons, and warhorses clearly discernible. Behind Yu Jieluo, who was observing all this, more and more troops were gathering from the rear. At this point, Yu Jieluo's forces numbered nearly 40,000 and were still increasing, though most were not engaged in combat. The opposing Chulong Army, however, remained too large to count due to the presence of numerous auxiliary troops, able-bodied men, and herds of livestock. It could only be roughly estimated that, using the Jinshui River as a boundary and considering only combat troops, the east bank had 30,000 to 40,000, while the opposite bank likely had 50,000 to 60,000.

Of course, there were now several thousand troops on the opposite bank of the river, while the number of soldiers on the west bank was steadily decreasing.

"Marshal!" Just then, someone suddenly reminded them from behind. "General Dou Ya has arrived. He led an army of soldiers from Lingwu and was the first to arrive and engage in battle."

Yu Jieluo quickly turned around and asked earnestly, "General Dou, please recount the entire battle to me from beginning to end."

Dou Ya dared not be negligent, bowed and knelt down, and carefully reviewed the battle... Of course, he inevitably exaggerated his own strength and achievements a little, but he did not exaggerate to the point of distortion.

After this person finished speaking, the generals around him who had received the intelligence from the reconnaissance all echoed him, as it was basically the same as the results of their armed reconnaissance.

Moreover, everyone quickly came to the conclusion that it wasn't that Li Ding didn't want to deploy his entire army with their backs to the river, nor that he didn't want to use his main force as the vanguard and flanks, but rather that Dou Ya and the subsequent main force of the Great Britain arrived too quickly. Dou Ya's arrival directly disrupted the order of their deployment with their backs to the river, while the arrival of Yu Jieluo's central army directly forced them to change their strategy, from deploying their entire army with their backs to the river to meet the enemy, to using the main force of the Wu tribe to delay Yu Jieluo's main force, and then quickly advance across the river to try to seize the pass.

"What are the results of the military reconnaissance?" Yu Jieluo listened attentively to the discussion, and after seeing that several key generals had finished making their statements, he immediately changed the subject.

"We can fight!" someone exclaimed eagerly. "Several battalions are indeed strong, but the main force is the Wu tribe..."

“There are some from the central and eastern regions, and I’ve seen several flags. It’s obvious that when Li Ding swept through the two tribes before, he did some rewards and punishments. Their combat strength is different from before; some are stronger and some are weaker.” Someone remained patient.

"I tested that tattered dragon banner, and it is indeed the dragon banner of Tuli and Zhen!"

"Who's on the side closest to the river? I didn't see the dragon flag, but it's obvious someone is in command..."

"It's Tok-5. I grabbed a guy with a tongue and asked him."

"It's him! No wonder!"

"After all, Du Su Wu is just Du Lan's younger brother... This is an opportunity!"

Yu Jieluo listened attentively, then glanced around before his gaze settled on one person. He then asked seriously, "General Chen, you were the only one who remained silent throughout... Did you go to investigate?"

"How dare I disobey the Marshal's orders?" Chen Ling quickly bowed. "However, what the generals have said is already excellent..."

“I’d like to hear your opinion,” Yu Jieluo interrupted.

"This humble general believes that the enemy's forces are stronger, and a slight misstep could result in the complete annihilation of our army on the banks of this great river," Chen Ling replied earnestly, helplessly. "However, the current situation is indeed an excellent opportunity. If we can defeat the main force of the Wu tribe on the east bank of the Jin River, then even if the situation cannot be reversed, the balance of power will be brought to a safe level. Not to mention, once the Wu tribe suffers heavy losses, they will soon cause trouble in their rear, prompting them to retreat... It's just that the opportunity is so obvious, it really seems like bait, but no matter how I look at it or how I actually probe it, I can't find any flaws."

Yu Jieluo nodded: "I think the same way... so let's wait a little longer, until our forces are stronger, and then I will make a decision."

The surrounding generals reacted differently, but they all respected Yu Jieluo's identity, experience, and cultivation. Only Dou Ya, before turning back to the battlefield, turned back on his horse and shouted, "Marshal, don't forget that you promised us a return to Lingwu!"

Yu Jielu could only nod haphazardly, then he immediately shifted his attention, because just as he was speaking, some fast-moving sheepskin rafts on the river began to turn back... At the river mouth, Li Ding almost without hesitation ordered additional troops to cross the river, still assigning them to Fan Lihua for unified command.

Up to this point, Li Si still hadn't revealed the slightest flaw.

However, Yu Jieluo still did not move... There was no way around it; the pressure on him was much greater than that on the generals below him. He knew very well that if this battle went wrong, it wouldn't just be this place that would be damaged; the entire Great Britain might break apart from here.

Frankly, he regretted accepting the title of marshal.

If he hadn't become marshal and hadn't come here, what would the fate of Great Britain have to do with him? It would just be a matter of surrendering. But now that the situation is truly pressing on him, he can no longer deal with it so easily.

In fact, it wasn't just Yu Jieluo; over the past five or six days, almost everyone who had access to certain information sensed the impending upheaval... On the opposite bank of the river, at Yuguan Pass, Dou Ru, fully armored, stood atop the pass, observing the situation across the river, feeling equally tormented.

If Li Ding had sent men across the river last night, he would have had no choice but to surrender as originally planned.

But what's going on now? Especially since his own uncle is right behind him, and at least half of the troops fighting in front are soldiers that his uncle brought from Longshang, which could have been considered his capital, including more than 10,000 soldiers from Lingwu Prefecture.

Should I open the city gates to a mere battalion of soldiers under these circumstances?
But if he doesn't surrender, the Chulong Gang will still win as he expected, and he, this half-hearted bastard, will probably be warned by that Dou Longtou (who shares the same surname) to be chopped up and thrown into the river.

As the sun continued to move south, suddenly, the deputy general Chang Fu came up to the city wall with a bitter face and whispered some news to Dou Ru.

Helpless, Dou Ru could only force himself to wait. A moment later, his uncle, who had been the Imperial Censor during the Great Wei Dynasty and was now the Imperial Censor of Jing'an Terrace and the Inspector General of Longshang in the Great Ying Dynasty, walked onto the pass under the protection of a team of highly skilled cultivators who were all proficient in the Extraordinary Scriptures.

Dou Ru and Chang Fu were about to salute when the reviewing ambassador stopped them. He then handed Dou Ru a slip of paper before asking, "How is the battle going?"

Dou Ru glanced at the contents of the note and was startled, but could only pretend to be calm and reply: "The battle has not yet fully begun... Marshal Yu is probably worried about a trap and dares not easily engage in combat!"

"Is it a scam?" Dou Shang asked seriously.

“Nobody knows,” Dou Ru replied helplessly. “Anyway, it’s impossible to tell… but Li Ding’s forces have an absolute advantage, so it’s understandable that Yu Gong would be cautious… However, the Chulong Army is indeed seriously crossing the river. If this continues, a considerable army will be knocking on the gate by the afternoon.”

“Master Yu is a grandmaster…” Dou Shang hesitated for a moment.

"Not to mention that the Chulong Army is full of experts, with at least a dozen Core Formation cultivators and four or five Core Formation cultivators. If the intelligence is correct, the Grandmaster Cui Tang of the Qinghe Cui Clan should be in Li Ding's army... There are also some rumors about Li Ding himself." Dou Ru explained briefly.

Dou Shang could only nod, then, ignoring Chang Fu standing beside him, suddenly asked, "Do you think we can win this battle?"

Dou Ru glanced at Chang Fu, who was bowing his head and remaining silent, and replied helplessly, "Master Yu is a skilled strategist. We have the strategic pass in our hands, so we should have a 40% chance of winning no matter what... But if we take into account the intelligence sent by my uncle, to be honest, we only have a 20% chance of winning."

Dou Shang nodded: "What about the overall situation? What do you think?"

Dou Ru shook his head, speaking with difficulty: "There are flaws elsewhere as well. This time, Great Britain is probably facing a life-or-death situation."

Dou Shang nodded repeatedly, carefully looking at the opposite bank. Half of the people there were the young men from Longshang that he had brought with him. After looking for a while, he felt helpless and turned around to pat the shoulder of the person beside him: "No matter what, you must be a loyal minister and a filial son!"

After saying that, he took his people away.

Dou Ru waited for a moment, estimating that the other party had gone far away, then opened the paper in his hand, which was already soaked with sweat, and showed it to Chang Fu, who had been keeping his head down beside him... The latter looked up and saw clearly that it was intelligence that Xu Shiying's flag had appeared in the Lian Gu area of ​​Yulin County.

After Dou Ru made sure the other party had seen it clearly, he handed the note to him: "General Chang, thank you for delivering this to Marshal Yu on the other side."

Chang Fu nodded, took the note, and hurried downstairs.

Of course, what these two, including Dou Shang who had just lost his composure, did not know was that Xu Dalang had no intention of coming this way. Instead, he launched a counterattack to the south according to his own plan—his target was Wang Chenkuo, who had just crossed the Sheyan River.

However, even Xu Shiying, who considered himself one of the top military strategists in the entire gang, was somewhat uneasy at this moment. He had received intelligence that after Wang Chenguo crossed the river, he did not hesitate or wait for the rear guard. Instead, he sped north along the northern passage, seemingly intending to provide support to Yuguan as soon as possible.

But why not wait for the rear guard? Could this be a trap?
Continuing south along this line, we arrived at the Wuguan battlefield, where Zhang Xing was putting on his armor... He was in high spirits, showing no signs of fatigue, as if the upcoming battle that afternoon was a decisive one and that the Chulong Army had the upper hand... Of course, it couldn't be said that he had no expectations at all, after all, Mang Jingang had just brought a new reinforcement.

It was at this moment that Zhang Jinshu barged into Chief Zhang's main tent.

"Who?" Zhang Xing didn't react immediately. "Did I write a letter to this person urging him to surrender? Or am I just too old to remember people?"

“If the chief remembers correctly, we haven’t written any letters of persuasion to this person, because Zhang Qianda is currently in the Eastern Capital… specifically, in the Taolin area of ​​Hongnong.” Zhang Jinshu replied with his head bowed. “He probably came to the Eastern Capital and was disliked by Sima Jinda and his nephew, so he has been following Duan Wei ever since. Duan Wei has high prestige and is very strict with him, so he has always been quite obedient. But Duan Wei has been traveling to the Eastern Capital more often recently, which has given him some leeway.”

"Peach Blossom Grove is a good place." Zhang Xing didn't pay attention to the details, only momentarily stunned by the words "Peach Blossom Grove." "He's going to surrender?"

"Yes," Zhang Jinshu said, bowing his head.

Zhang Xing hesitated for a moment.

Zhang Jinshu immediately realized something and asked in a low voice, "Zhang Qianda is a bad person... If we take him in, not to mention Niu Gong and Cao Ming, even Zhao Xingmi and Yu Changnan, these Jiangdu surrenderers, will probably be dissatisfied... Should we just forget about it?"

“No need for that. How can we put on airs now?” Zhang Xing waved his hand. “Tell him that if he wants to surrender, he must offer a pledge of loyalty… Tongguan is undefended. Tell him to knock on the gate immediately! If he can successfully launch a surprise attack, I will use him!”

"Yes." Zhang Jinshu realized what was happening and immediately left.

After Zhang Jinshu left, Zhang Xing also stood up, walked to the tent entrance, and saw that the sun was almost directly south, but he turned around and sat back down, waiting quietly... He knew that at this moment, what he needed most was patience.

As long as you can stay calm, victory is highly likely to be yours.

However, a thousand miles to the north, between the poisonous desert and the great river, Marshal Yu Jieluo, gazing at the sun overhead, knew that he could no longer afford to be patient:
Behind him, the number of troops had reached 40,000, and in front of him, nearly 10,000 men had already been thrown into battle... There might be more troops behind, but it was too late and insignificant. Moreover, all the generals were already in position, and even several Lingwu Prefecture soldiers, including Dou Ya, had urged him to hurry up.

The Wu tribe troops in front of them, whether spontaneously or under pressure, had just launched a charge, only to be barely stopped by the well-formed vanguard.

On the river, the Chulong Army continued to ferry people across in an orderly manner using sheepskin rafts, and had already begun to assemble on the opposite bank.

At this moment, Yu Jieluo turned his gaze away from the fortress on the opposite bank and looked at the piece of paper in his hand, which had turned into a clump of fluff. He felt increasingly tormented... Before, he thought that everything was fine, but this was the biggest problem. Now, the other side had given him the answer to his question, but he was still uneasy.

"Marshal." Just as the sun was about to reach its zenith, Chen Ling, who had already left, returned and respectfully cupped his hands. "There's something I've been thinking about, and I still feel I should say it..."

"Speak quickly," Yu Jieluo urged impatiently.

“Dou Ru is a suspicious person,” Chen Ling said earnestly. “The Marshal should know that he fled from the Eastern Witch Clan Royal Court, and first came to Baidao Pass, where I was stationed at the time… In fact, he arrived very late. Judging by the timeline, he probably didn’t set off south until Li Ding went to attack the central region. Moreover, after arriving at Baidao Pass, he even wanted to use his status as an ambassador to directly obtain military power…”

"Why didn't you say so before?" Yu Jieluo, clutching the note, grew increasingly impatient.

“Because he is the most outstanding member of the Dou family in this generation, and I once surrendered to the Wu tribe, I don’t have the courage to identify him. After Dou Zhongcheng came, I dared not do it even more.” Chen Ling said through gritted teeth.

"Then why are you daring to do it again now?" Yu Jieluo squinted in the midday sun.

"Because I can't bear it any longer," Chen Ling knelt on the ground, struggling to answer. "This battle concerns the life and death of the entire northern front, and the Marshal is hesitating. I really can't bear it anymore... I'm afraid that if I don't inform them of the situation and it causes a blunder, I won't be able to bear it... Marshal, this matter can be verified and investigated; it is exactly as it is... So regardless of whether this battle is won or lost, I will only tell the truth, and my conscience will be clear!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Jieluo fell silent. After a few breaths, he waved his hand and said, "Well said. Return to your unit and await orders."

Chen Ling dared not delay and hurriedly left.

But once the person left, Yu Jieluo calmed down:

Chen Ling's words seemed to negate the intelligence from the other side of the river, giving him the confidence to stall again. But that wasn't actually the case. In reality, Yu Jieluo finally realized that he wasn't the White Emperor and didn't need to be responsible for the survival of Great Britain. He was now the marshal, the commander on this battlefield, and he only needed to be responsible for the situation on the battlefield. This was the most correct and honest strategy.

How exactly will the responsibilities be handled?

If we have the opportunity and the confidence, we should take it first, and then consider other things!
"Issue the order: the entire army advances, annihilates the enemy in front of us, and then confronts them across the river!" Soon, Yu Jieluo personally issued the military order.

At noon, the main force of the British northern front, having received military orders, surged forward and charged straight at the mixed formation of the Wu tribe and the Chulong army.

Li Ding squinted as he watched this scene from afar. Once the front lines on the opposite bank were fully engaged in battle, the Wu tribes, who had initially stirred up the enemy's vanguard, instinctively scattered and turned back, allowing the main British army to infiltrate. He then issued three more military orders for the day: "Order all troops along the river to stop crossing and rest on the spot, allowing only small amounts of food; send that Cui Gong to my position as a precaution; and order Tuli and Dusu Wu to advance and fight with all their might!"

After saying that, he dismounted, sat on the ground, and began to lead the way in eating fried noodles and dried meat.

PS: Good night.