On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

The next morning.

Murong Yan sat up from the couch, wearing a black and gold phoenix descending to earth dress. The five-zhang-long train stretched from the couch to the ground, and the golden phoenix patterns on the hem gleamed coldly in the morning light.

"Your Majesty, General Yue and the Prince are waiting outside."

"Let them in."

Yue Fei and Lin Zhen entered the tent, both of them looking rather unwell.

"What's wrong?" Murong Yan asked.

"Our scouts report that the King of Mobei's 200,000-strong army has crossed the Blackwater River and will arrive here in three days at most," Yue Fei said.

Murong Yan stood up, walked to the map, and looked at the locations marked on it.

How many people do we have now?

“Fifty thousand,” Lin Zhen said. “Although we won yesterday’s battle, there were casualties. Only forty-five thousand of us are truly capable of fighting.”

Murong Yan stared at the map, her finger pausing at the location of the Blackwater River.

"45,000 against 200,000, this battle is unwinnable."

Yue Fei lowered his head. "Your Majesty, why don't we retreat to Yumen Pass first and wait for the imperial reinforcements to arrive?"

"Withdraw?" Murong Yan turned to look at him. "If we withdraw, they will advance unimpeded, and then even Yumen Pass will be lost."

The tent fell silent.

Lin Zhen walked up to the map and studied it carefully for a while.

"If we can't fight head-on, then we'll fight a guerrilla war."

"Guerrilla warfare?" Yue Fei was taken aback.

“Yes.” Lin Zhen pointed to the northern desert region on the map. “The northern desert is a tribal alliance. The various tribes are scattered across the grasslands. Although their army of 200,000 is large, their supply lines are very long. We can avoid the main force and specifically attack their smaller tribes.”

Murong Yan's eyes lit up.

"You mean, cut off their supplies?"

“It’s not just about supplies,” Lin Zhen said. “Our scouts have reported that many tribes in the northern desert are enslaving the people of our Great Qian. We can attack the tribes while rescuing the people. This way, we can weaken their strength and win over the hearts of the people.”

Yue Fei thought for a moment, "But Your Highness, guerrilla warfare requires familiarity with the terrain, and we don't know much about the situation in the northern desert."

“Then let the prisoners lead the way,” Murong Yan said. “Among the prisoners we captured yesterday, there must be some who are familiar with the terrain of the northern desert.”

Lin Zhen nodded, "Moreover, speed is the most important thing in guerrilla warfare. We split our forces, fight and run, and don't give them time to react."

Murong Yan drew several circles on the map.

"Yue Fei will lead 10,000 men from the east, Zhang Xian will lead 10,000 men from the west, and Lin Zhen will lead 15,000 men from the center. The rest will follow me as a mobile force."

Yue Fei clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying, "Your Majesty, it is too dangerous for you to personally go into battle."

“I charged into battle yesterday, why can’t I do it today?” Murong Yan glared at him. “Besides, I have a mobile force with me, so I can support whichever side is in trouble. That’s the most flexible way.”

Yue Fei wanted to say something, but Lin Zhen stopped him.

"As Your Majesty wishes."

Murong Yan nodded in satisfaction, "Also, when conducting guerrilla warfare, be careful. If any tribes are enslaving the people of Daqian, kill all the able-bodied men and liberate the people. If they haven't enslaved our people, just harass their livestock, confiscate their weapons, and don't kill indiscriminately."

"Why?" Yue Fei asked, puzzled.

"Because we want the people of the northern deserts to know that the Great Qian is not an invader," Murong Yan said. "As long as they don't enslave our people, we won't exterminate them. Only in this way can we break up their alliance."

Lin Zhen looked at her, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

“Your Majesty is right. There are already conflicts among the tribes in the northern desert. By doing this, we can keep those tribes that have not enslaved the people of Daqian neutral, or even side with us.”

Yue Fei understood, "This subordinate will make the arrangements immediately."

"Wait," Murong Yan called out to him. "Have a few prisoners who are familiar with the terrain selected, and two for each team. If they try anything funny, behead them on the spot."

"Yes."

Yue Fei withdrew from the tent.

Murong Yan turned to look at Lin Zhen, "Do you think this plan will work?"

“It can be done,” Lin Zhen said. “The biggest fear in guerrilla warfare is that the enemy will divide their forces to encircle and annihilate them, but the 200,000 troops of the Northern Desert King have just been assembled and cannot be dispersed immediately. By the time they realize what’s happening, we will have already wiped out several of their tribes.”

Murong Yan leaned against the table, the trailing train of her black and gold phoenix-themed dress spreading out on the ground.

"Then it's settled."

……

Half an hour later.

The four teams set off separately.

Yue Fei led 10,000 men eastward, Zhang Xian led 10,000 men westward, and Lin Zhen led 15,000 men along the central route. Murong Yan and the rest remained in place, ready to provide support at any time.

"Your Majesty, where is our first target?" the lieutenant asked.

Murong Yan looked at the map and pointed to a mark.

"This is the Black Stone Tribe. Scouts report that this tribe has three thousand people, of whom five hundred are Daqian people who are enslaved."

"Then when do we set off?"

"Now."

Murong Yan stepped out of the tent, mounted her horse, and...

"The entire army is to proceed."

Fourteen thousand seven hundred men marched north in a grand procession.

The Blackstone tribe is less than 50 miles from the camp, a two-hour ride on horseback.

Murong Yan sat on her horse, the five-zhang trailing train of her black and gold phoenix-themed dress billowing behind her. She looked at the grassland ahead, pondering the battle to come.

"Your Majesty, the Blackstone Tribe is just ahead," the scout reported back.

Murong Yan raised her binoculars and saw a cluster of tents in the distance.

"how many people?"

"About three thousand, of which less than a thousand are capable fighters."

"Surround them, don't let a single one escape."

The soldiers quickly dispersed and surrounded the Blackrock tribe.

Before the people in the tribe could react, they saw the Great Qian soldiers surging in from all directions.

"Enemy attack!"

A tribal chief rushed out of his tent, a scimitar in his hand.

"kill!"

At Murong Yan's command, the soldiers charged into the tribe.

The soldiers from the northern desert wanted to resist, but the disparity in numbers was too great, and they couldn't stop them at all.

Murong Yan rode her horse into the tribe and saw a group of Daqian people tied to wooden stakes.

"Let them go."

The soldiers went forward and cut the ropes, and the civilians knelt on the ground and kowtowed.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Murong Yan didn't speak, but turned to look at the tribal chief.

"How long have you been enslaving the people of the Great Qian Dynasty?"

The leader gritted his teeth and remained silent.

"Not going to talk?" Murong Yan sneered. "Then kill them all."

The soldiers rushed forward and dragged out all the able-bodied men from the tribe.

"Your Majesty, spare your life! Your Majesty, spare your life!"

Those people knelt on the ground begging for mercy, but Murong Yan showed no mercy whatsoever.

"kill."

With a flash of light, dozens of young men fell into pools of blood.

The elderly and children in the tribe were trembling with fear.

Murong Yan looked at them and said, "I will not kill the old, weak, women and children, but remember this: if you dare to enslave the people of Daqian again, this will be your fate."

She turned and mounted her horse, saying, "Clean up the battlefield and take all the livestock with you."

The soldiers began looting the tribe's supplies, driving away all the cattle, sheep, and horses.

The rescued people of Daqian followed behind the procession, their eyes filled with gratitude.

Murong Yan rode at the very front, the trailing train of her black and gold phoenix-themed dress dragging on the ground, covered in dust.

"Your Majesty, General Yue Fei and Zhang Xian have sent word that Yue Fei has conquered two tribes and rescued more than 800 people. General Zhang Xian has also conquered one tribe and rescued more than 300 people."

Murong Yan nodded, "Let's move forward. Our next target is the White Wolf Tribe."

……

three days later.

Inside the king's tent in the northern desert.

A general knelt on the ground, covered in blood.

"Your Highness, something terrible has happened! In the past three days, we have lost more than a dozen tribes, and more than five thousand people have been killed or wounded!"

The King of the Northern Desert sat in the main seat, his face grim.

"Where is the army of the Great Qian Dynasty?"

“They’re everywhere!” the general said. “They’re divided into several teams that specifically attack our small tribes. They shoot and run, and we can’t catch them at all.”

"Useless!" The King of Mobei slammed his fist on the table. "Two hundred thousand troops, and you can't even capture tens of thousands?"

"Your Highness, they are too cunning! Moreover, they only attack those tribes that have enslaved the people of Daqian, and they don't touch the other tribes. Now many tribes are watching and waiting, unwilling to send troops to help us."

The King of the Northern Desert remained silent for a moment.

"Pass down the order: divide your forces and encircle them. Each unit will have ten thousand men. Capture them all."

"Yes."

After the general withdrew, the King of Mobei looked at the map, a ruthless glint in his eyes.

"Murong Yan, you think you can win like this? Wait until I catch you, and see how I deal with you."