The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

After two days of rest, the Yan family army and the rebels led by Li Bin finally fought on the banks of the Chuling River.

However, at this time, the commander-in-chief of the Yan family army changed from Yan Mingde to his son Yan Yu. This decision was made on the spur of the moment by Yan Mingde. He made this decision because after the previous events, Yan Yu's prestige in the army was on the rise, and he wanted to take this opportunity to pave the way for his son and consolidate his son's position in the army.

Also, he was poisoned before. Although it was not a big problem, he still needed to recuperate and rest well. He could not travel long distances and overwork. Moreover, the death of Yan Jun'an was a huge blow to him. Although he always disliked his son for being incompetent and ruining the family's reputation, he was his own son after all. Now he was killed by a villain and his body was still warm. As a father, his mood would inevitably be affected.

As the highest commander on the battlefield, any emotional fluctuations will affect his judgment and decision-making, and may even affect the outcome of the entire battle. This battle is crucial, and he dare not gamble and cannot afford to lose.

Letting Yan Yu be the commander-in-chief while he himself stayed in the rear was the most reliable solution at the moment. He also believed that his son had the ability to do so, not only because Yan Yu had received guidance from a master, but also because of his own military leadership talent. Yan Mingde saw the future and hope of the Yan family in Yan Yu, and he firmly believed that his son would become a better general than himself.

Yan Yu, who was entrusted with an important task for the first time, was not timid or panicked at all. He was calm and composed as if he was an experienced general who had commanded tens of millions of battles.

Yan Yu's condition infected all the soldiers participating in this battle. The morale that was previously somewhat depressed due to the poisoning incident has now been completely replaced by high enthusiasm. Everyone has a mysterious confidence in Yan Yu, as if as long as he is there, they will definitely win and will never lose.

As the head coach of this match, Yan Yu was standing in front of the sand table and studying the strategy for the next attack.

Li Bin claimed to lead an army of 200,000, but now at least half of them cannot participate in the battle because of the setback of Ainuer Xiong'an. Among these people who participated, at least half of them should be Western Rong soldiers.

The people of Xirong are tough. It is no exaggeration to say that their men are born to ride horses and wield swords. Their physical strength and combat ability are much stronger than Yunli's soldiers.

If they were to confront them head-on on the battlefield, Yan Yu and his soldiers would definitely be the ones who would suffer.

To deal with such a strong person, you cannot rely on brute force but only on wits. This is the experience summed up by Yan Yu in his previous life.

Yan Yu closed his eyes and tapped the table with his fingers. This was the state he was in when he was thinking about a problem and was immersed in his own little world.

The other people in the big tent all remained silent tacitly as they looked at Yan Yu.

After a moment, Yan Yu opened his eyes. He looked at Qin Gang and said, "Go call Zhao Wudi and Zhao Bisheng over. I have something to tell them to do."

"Okay, I'll go right away." Qin Gang has now become the captain of Yan Yu's personal guard. He follows Yan Yu all day long. People who don't know the truth actually think that he is the captain of Yan Yu's personal guard.

Yan Yu then turned to look at the two lieutenants his father had assigned him. Both were veterans who had served under his father for many years. "Uncles, today I'll be working hard to hold the ferry crossing and circle the rear to cut off the enemy's retreat. These two tasks are crucial to the success of this battle. I beg you to persevere and complete your mission."

"Young General, there's no need to be polite. Just call us by our first names." It was wartime, and while Yan Yu hadn't been appointed or personally conferred by the imperial court, he was Yan Mingde's son. In the military camp, it was common for people to recognize the commander's son as his successor. This had nothing to do with whether or not this person held an official position or was recognized by the imperial court.

Yan Yu wasn't one to shy away, so he said immediately, "Okay, then, Lieutenant General Zhang, you will take 3,000 elite troops to guard the Chuling River crossing. Each of them will be equipped with a siege crossbow. As soon as Li Bin's advance troops arrive, ignore everything else and just shoot them with the crossbows. I will send additional troops with gunpowder to support them. We must ensure that the advance troops do not cross the Chuling River crossing."

War is fought with strategy and strength, but momentum is more important. If Li Bin's advance troops are frustrated, it will inevitably affect the morale of the army. Once the momentum is affected, it will be difficult to gather people's hearts. If people are not united and the morale is low, they will most likely suffer defeat. This is the strategy of attacking the hearts of the people.

"Don't worry, Major General. I, Zhang Fujiang, will live up to your expectations and defend the Chuling River ferry to the death. I won't let any enemy cross the Chuling River ferry. If I fail to do so, I will bring my head to you." It was indeed a bit of a stretch to use 3,000 people to guard the ferry, but with the help of siege crossbows and gunpowder, this task would not be impossible to accomplish.

"Okay, thank you, Lieutenant General Zhang. After you complete the mission, I, Yan Yu, will invite you and the brothers to have a drink." In the military camp, there is nothing more enjoyable than everyone getting together to drink and eat meat after returning victorious.

"Deputy General Li, your mission is even more difficult. Take 5,000 soldiers and set out now. Take a shortcut to Juxialing and set up an ambush there. Block Li Bin's retreat and capture him alive."

"Zhou Wang." Yan Yu turned around and motioned Zhou Wang to come over to him. "Go with Lieutenant General Li. Bring all the thunder bombs we've prepared these days. Also, bring those brothers with you. No matter what happens, you must ensure your own safety."

"Yes, Zhou Wang understands." After Yan Yu settled down in the military camp, the guards who were guarding the inn, including Ping An, followed him to the military camp.

"Deputy General Li, this mission is time-sensitive and demanding. Thank you for your hard work. I will wait for your safe return." Yan Yu had just met these two deputy generals, but his intuition told him that both Deputy Generals Zhang and Li were ruthless and didn't talk much, but they were people with whom he could confide.

Yan Yu understood that his father arranged such people for him to be deputy generals in order to cultivate his own power, make these people his confidants, and allow him to dispatch and use them in the future.

He has always been generous and honest to his own people.

"I understand, Major General, don't worry, I will live up to my mission and ensure the completion of the task." Compared with Zhang Fujiang, this deputy general named Li Jie is much more stable.

"Okay, let's go." Trust the people you employ and don't trust the people you don't employ. Since these two deputy generals were personally selected by his father, Yan Yu felt that there was nothing to worry about.

After seeing off the two deputy generals, Qin Gang came with Zhao Wudi and Zhao Bisheng.

Both Zhao Wudi and Zhao Bisheng are masters of using poisons. They have countless strange and bizarre poisons that can kill people without them even realizing it.

Yan Yu called them over at this time in order to take advantage of their strengths and give Li Bin and Ainuer Xiong'an another big gift.

"Have you prepared everything I asked you to prepare?" Yan Yu looked down at Zhao Wudi and Zhao Bisheng who were standing in front of him with their heads lowered. Now he was not afraid that these two people would be disobedient or have any second thoughts.

After all, Yan Yu, who was almost on the verge of collapse in his previous life due to the various poisons inflicted by the Xirong people and other foreigners, has forced himself to become a master among masters who is even more skilled than the masters of poison.

He firmly believed that no one but himself could cure the poison he had placed on Zhao Wudi and Zhao Bisheng. Furthermore, Ainuer Xiong'an had already learned of Zhao Wudi and Zhao Bisheng's betrayal. As a man of great savagery, Ainuer Xiong'an's hunting orders for them had probably spread throughout the world. Who knew how many people were out there waiting to kill them and collect the bounty? Now, they were no longer safe anywhere but by his side.

"Everything is ready." Zhao Wudi took out various bottles from the small backpack he brought with him, placed them in front of Yan Yu, and began to introduce himself.

"This is the Soul-Losing Powder. Just blow it over with the wind and the person will be unconscious in a matter of seconds. It will take at most a day and at least an hour to be unconscious."

"This is cartilage powder. If you add it to your food, within half a cup of tea, your whole body will convulse and become limp and powerless. Without an antidote, it will take at least three days to recover your strength."

"And this is a soul-calling pill. If someone gets even a little bit of it and doesn't take the antidote within half a minute, they'll be dead for sure."

"Alright," Yan Yu interrupted Zhao Wudi's self-introduction. These three things alone were enough to deal with Li Bin's army. "Take these medicines with you and follow Captain Qin on the mission. Remember, you must be obedient and do as Captain Qin says. I will ensure your safety."

"Yes, yes, yes, we understand." Zhao Wudi and Zhao Bisheng are not fools. They know the current situation very well. They will not anger the person who betrayed Yan Yu at this time, otherwise their lives will be over.

"Major General, let Du Xiaohu handle this mission. He's as experienced as I am, and his abilities are no less than mine. He'll definitely do a great job." Qin Gang looked at Yan Yu and said, "And I want to go with you. I can't do anything else, but I can lead the charge for you, Major General. You can't do this kind of thing without your own people by your side."

Yan Yu thought about it and agreed. He would lead people to launch a surprise attack on the rear of the enemy camp later. Although the people he brought were his father's personal guards, Qin Gang was right. It would be more appropriate for Qin Gang to go with him than those personal guards who were not familiar with him and had no tacit understanding with him.

"Then I'll take Meng San and Wang Liu with me. They are both good at martial arts and smart." Qin Gang felt relieved when he saw Yan Yu agreed to let him follow. Otherwise, he would have to take the risk of violating military discipline and being punished with a stick for disobeying orders and secretly follow Yan Yu.

"Okay, you can handle these things as you wish." Yan Yu stood up and said, "We must be very careful in this matter. We can't let the enemy know about it, and we can't let our own people know about it either."

Facing a powerful enemy, the commander-in-chief did not stay in the rear to command, but instead personally led his men to the enemy's rear to launch a surprise attack. If such an outrageous and dangerous thing were leaked in advance, not only would Yan Yu not be able to go, he might not even be able to leave the camp.

"I know. I'll go down and prepare." Qin Gang walked away with big strides. It had been a long time since he had a good fight on the battlefield. Qin Gang was very excited.

Everything is ready, but Yan Yu still has one most important thing to do.

It would take time for him to launch a surprise attack on the enemy camp. During the time he was away from the camp, he needed someone to cover for him so that no one would find out that he was not in the camp.

The only person who could do this for him was Ping An, so before setting off he had to trick Ping An first.

"Ping'an, what are you doing?" Yan Yu returned to his tent and saw Ping'an packing his things.

"I'm sorting out the military books and battle reports that the master sent over. Why are you back at this time, young master?" Ping'an looked at Yan Yu in confusion. The war was imminent and Yan Yu should be discussing things with everyone in the front camp. His sudden return made Ping'an feel a little uneasy. Since his young master's serious illness, he has not only become smarter but also gained many skills that he didn't have before, and he is also more thoughtful than before.

"Hey, hey." Yan Yu looked at Ping An and smiled foolishly, "Young Master, have you thought of something again and want me to take the blame for you?" Ping An felt uneasy when he saw Yan Yu smiling at him.

"Xiao Ping'an, what are you saying? Am I, your son, such an unreliable person?" Yan Yu said this with a guilty conscience. Ping'an refuted him mercilessly, saying, "Yes, very unreliable, extremely unreliable."

"You little brat, you've learned bad things." Yan Yu went up and gave Ping An a big slap. "I want to tell you something serious. I, your master, have something to ask of you."

Ping'an's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately sensed something was wrong. He looked at Yan Yu cautiously and asked, "How can I not listen?"

"No, you must listen and do as I say. This is related to the life and death of all of us here." Yan Yu frowned and began to scare Ping An.

Ping An is good in every way, except that he sometimes likes to get stubborn when encountering problems. If you don't make things serious, he won't listen.

"Huh?" Ping An was completely stunned. What important thing was she going to tell him? Why did she even say such a terrifying word as life and death? "What's going on? Is it that serious?"

"Yes, it's a serious matter, a very serious matter, so Ping'an, you have no reason to refuse, you must agree." Yan Yu stared at Ping'an with a serious expression and an unquestionable command in his tone.

"Well, then tell me." Ping'an trembled and stammered. He always felt that this was a trap, but he didn't dare to say it.