Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

Ashina, upon hearing this, shouted sternly, "Continue to use severe torture! You lot are a disgrace to our Turkic people! What medicine did Xiao Ce give you to make you so devoted to him?"

Everyone was stunned; what they were saying was clearly true!

But at this moment, when they tell the truth, no one believes them!

"No...no...give us another chance! Khans, you are wise. You are right! We were instigated by Xiao Ce!"

Upon hearing what one of the Turks said, Ashina's eyes flashed with a ruthless glint.

"Hmph, that's more like it! Now, do I have to ask you one more question before you say another?"

At this moment, the surviving Ashid Turk spoke first: "I said... Xiao Ce sent us to deceive you, saying that our rear was attacked by Xiao Ce. So that you would transfer your troops away! So that he could catch his breath!"

Ashina nodded in satisfaction: "Hmph...that's more like it! Continue."

The Turks, who were being tortured and were desperate for death, thought to themselves when Ashina said this that their leaders did not actually want to know the truth.

Rather, these leaders simply want what they believe to be the truth!

Everyone knew very well that they were not going to live any longer; all they wanted now was a quick death.

They then proceeded to tell the truth as they wanted it to be.

Zhamu Ashide said, “Khans, Xiao Ce bribed me with a huge sum of money, asking me to sow discord among you. If that fails, I will trick you away. But if I succeed, I will be given ten thousand taels of gold.”

"Yes, me too!"

Ashina nodded in satisfaction: "So how did Xiao Ce contact you?"

The group had never met Xiao Ce and didn't know how to answer. Zhamu Ashide had never met Xiao Ce, but he had met Da Lei.

“It was a man named Da Lei who came looking for us! We don’t know how he managed to infiltrate our rear area…” Zhamu Ashide replied.

Ashina nodded in satisfaction: "Then Xiao Ce must be in Yanbei City!"

Zhamu Ashide nodded: "Reporting to the Khan, yes...that's it!"

Next, whatever Ashina asked...

These people echoed each other, completely fabricating a false truth.

To their surprise, these people actually believed it.

After they gave their instructions, the leaders of Ashina's group all stood up.

"Alright, lock these people up for now."

He Lu asked, "These scum of the Turks, let's not keep them alive, let's chop them up and feed them to the dogs!"

Ashina waved his hand and said, "No need, I still have a use for them!"

Ashide said, "Are you planning to use them to deceive Xiao Ce again?"

Ashina nodded: "That's right, you're clever! It would be a waste for these people to die, so let's just turn the tables on them."

Ashide said, "That will work!"

Ashina said to them, "I'm giving you a chance to live. Go and get proper treatment first, and I'll come back for you later!"

After saying that, these people left.

...

At this time, the heads of the families in the four counties of Yanbei.

They were gathered at Cai Yong's residence. Since the last meeting, at Mr. Qianlong's suggestion, they had stayed together for easy communication.

Just then, they heard news coming from outside.

"What? Are you sure? All those refugees from Yanbei City have escaped from Yanbei City?" Kan Shanyue asked Cai Yong.

Cai Yong nodded: "That's right. According to intelligence, Xiao Ce learned that the plague was spreading here and that the supplies could not be transported over, so he ordered all the refugees in that city to go to Lingxiao City! The civilians were the first to be evacuated, and the Northern Desert Army will follow later."

"Hmph, this Xiao Ce really is a 'saint'! Even when he's about to die, he still doesn't forget to take those burdens with him! However, I thought all those grand pronouncements they made, like guarding Yanbei City with four guards, were just empty talk," Liu Qi said.

“That’s right. Xiao Ce is a coward, all talk and no action! He’s not only cowardly, but also incredibly stupid! I thought he would at least send someone over to check on the situation here! But he just sent out a notice of condolence! And he told us to seal off the city and not let anyone infected with the plague leave! Look how scared he is!” Lin Shou chimed in.

Kan Shanyue laughed and said, "That's right. We were all really fooled by him! We thought he was really powerful, but it seems that what Mr. Qianlong said wasn't necessarily accurate. He told us to be careful and be wary of him? With that kind of brain, it's fortunate that we were wise enough not to follow him. Instead, we listened to Mr. Qianlong in time, otherwise, we might really be facing a catastrophic disaster!"

Everyone nodded in agreement: "Should we take action against those refugees?" Cai Yong asked.

The crowd shook their heads and said, "Of course not! Are you all stupid? If Xiao Ce wants to take in these lowly people, let him. If we take action, aren't we just asking for trouble? Is your information accurate?"

Cai Yong nodded: "Of course it's accurate. Han Da personally told the people of the whole city."

The group said, "Let's do what we did before and let the Turks and that good-for-nothing Xiao Ce fight. We won't offend either side. Let's send a letter to the Turks first, telling them they're withdrawing their troops and to prepare for an attack."

Kan Shanyue was somewhat worried: "Won't those Turks come after us?"

Cai Yong waved his hand: "Don't worry! Mr. Qianlong has already made arrangements with us, they won't touch us. As long as they march south and directly attack Lingxiao City, which is unprepared, it will definitely be captured in time. If the Turks succeed in their southward advance, it might not be a bad thing for us!"

The group nodded: "So we're just going to do nothing now?"

“We can also leave some grain along the way! When this news gets out, Xiao Ce will definitely be satisfied with our approach. It will also be a safety net for us, in case the Turks don’t defeat Xiao Ce. We will still have room to maneuver,” Kan Shanyue said.

Everyone nodded in agreement: "That's right! Not too much, just enough for a few meals, and tell them that the food is safe. Otherwise, we might scare Xiao Ce."

Everyone nodded.

...

One day later, at the Turkic camp outside Yanbei City.

Ashina was radiant and walked with a brisk pace.

At this moment, he was in high spirits, as if he had just had a happy occasion!

Since news came back from their Turkic rear, he has received one piece of good news after another.

They had just received news that Yanbei City was withdrawing its troops.

He then summoned all the leaders of Yanbei.

These people looked at Ashina's beaming face and asked, "Ashina, what's wrong? Are all the people in Yanbei City starving to death?"

Ashina shook his head: "Although not! But it's almost there! Are those Mobei troops in Yanbei City about to retreat?"

The group, their faces beaming with anticipation, asked, "Really? Are they withdrawing their troops?"

Ashina nodded excitedly: "Of course, how could that be false! The news from the heads of the four great families of the four prefectures of Mobei is that the refugees they took in in Yanbei City have already fled. They will withdraw their troops in five to seven days at most!"

He Lu listened with excitement and said, "Great! As soon as they leave Yanbei City, we'll launch a full-scale attack! Without the protection of the city walls, even if they are the army of King Xiao Dingshan, they will be slaughtered like lambs!"

Ashide said excitedly, "Great! Now we must monitor their situation carefully."

The group nodded in agreement.

...

At this time, in Yanbei City.

A raven hurriedly found Handa, who was busy at work.

Han Da was very busy at this time.

He was directing the army to dig various tunnels leading out of the city.

Han Da stopped what he was doing when he saw the raven approaching.

"Has a letter arrived?"

His connection as the Raven Messenger was solely with Xiao Ce.

The raven nodded.

At this moment, Sun Qiang and the others gathered around.

Han Da took the letter without checking whether it had been opened.

Because Xiao Ce's letters were written in special code, even if someone saw them, they wouldn't be able to understand them.

After reading it, Han Da's expression became even more interesting.

He kept muttering to himself, "Where did our prince come up with all these ingenious ideas?"

Sun Qiang and the others stood to the side, asking expectantly, "What did Your Highness write?"

Han Da looked around and said, "This isn't the place to talk! Let's go somewhere else."

The group nodded and followed Han Da back to his residence.

Han Da then succinctly explained to Sun Qiang and the others, "Although the prince is behind the Turks, he is still worried about us! He said that since the people of the four northern prefectures are now serving as dogs for the Turks, news of our withdrawal must have reached their ears."

“During this period, both the powerful clans in the four prefectures of northern Mongolia and the Turks will be keeping a close eye on us. If we show any signs of retreating, they will definitely catch up immediately.”

"The Turkic cavalry are no pushovers! Our side consists mostly of new recruits, so we're bound to suffer heavy losses! Therefore, His Highness has ordered us to use the empty city ruse to scare them!"

Sun Qiang and his group listened, their faces full of confusion, and asked, "The Empty City Stratagem? What kind of stratagem is that...?"

Han Da explained, "First, we announced to the outside world that we were going to withdraw our troops, and then we sent some of the wounded and sick to retreat first, so as to stretch the battle lines. Then, our main force set up an ambush in Yanbei City."

"Once they learn of our retreat, they'll definitely want a piece of the pie. They'll surely send light cavalry to pursue us relentlessly! At that time, we can ambush them and fight them in urban warfare. Our weapons are superior! Caught completely off guard, they'll be caught off guard by our attack."

"After they encounter an ambush and are outmatched, they will retreat! Next, we can open the city gates, then leave behind a thousand light cavalry to make a show of force. They have already been ambushed by us once. If the city gates are opened, we can send a few soldiers to sweep the ground at the city gate as a bait, and they will definitely not dare to come in!"

"If we can delay them for a few days, the main force will leave, and they won't be able to catch up!"

Han Da gave a concise explanation, and everyone who listened praised him repeatedly.

"Our prince has never fought a single battle, yet he has come up with such a brilliant idea!"

"Yes... I can't wait."

Han Da said, "Then you all need to prepare and make arrangements, and tell the people who are to retreat to keep their ranks spread out!"

Sun Qiang and his group nodded.

...

Three days later, Han Da began to implement Xiao Ce's plan.

Early in the morning, before dawn, a group of wounded soldiers, stretching their battle line so that it looked very long, left Yanbei City in an orderly manner.

The scouts of the powerful clans in the four northern prefectures who were keeping watch received the news immediately.

The four family heads, including Cai Yong, were afraid of being late in reporting the news, so they each released ravens to go and deliver the message.

Since they were not far apart, they released cawing ravens in the morning.

More than an hour later, Ashina received the news outside Yanbei City.

He wanted to gain the upper hand, so he ordered his troops to set off first with minimal equipment.

Then he went and told the other leaders.

After hearing Ashina's news, the group learned that Ashina had already dispatched a vanguard to pursue them.

"Ashina, that's not fair of you!"

"Yeah, you don't have to be so eager to launch a preemptive attack!"

Seeing this, Ashina said to them, "You've misunderstood. I sent them as the vanguard to check if there were any ambushes or anything."

He Lu's face darkened as he said, "What kind of ambush are those people? Ambush over there is just waiting to die, isn't it? I think you're just trying to steal the credit!"

These leaders originally wanted to say a few words of complaint!

However, thinking that it would be better to lead the troops out immediately rather than waste some time here.

After everyone returned, they sent their light cavalry ahead first.

Other troops followed suit.

At this time, Mos Ashina had already led a light cavalry force to the city gates.

After they arrived at the city walls, they were initially very cautious.

But when they arrived at the city gate, they found that there was no one there.

They initially intended to attack the city gate, but after a few attacks, the concrete gate sustained only minor damage, so they turned their attention to attacking the city wall.

Previously, someone would open the city gates for them, but now there is no one to defend them.

Moreover, they came in a hurry, bringing only some simple tools for breaching the city.

Therefore, breaching the city is extremely difficult.

When Ashina and the other cavalrymen arrived, they saw them dismantling the city walls and their faces turned pale with anger.

He Lu scoffed from the side, "Haha, Ashina, you're right! You really are working for us! But if you're going to attack the city, won't you need some heavy siege weapons?"

Ashide was quite kind: "Alright, everyone, let's all help!"

Immediately, some people carrying simple tools for breaching the city were sent forward to take turns breaching the city walls.

As the group struggled to breach the city walls, Ashina sighed, "We had an inside accomplice before, so we never realized how fortified Yanbei City was. If we were to launch a direct assault, how many lives would we lose!"