Hot flashes

In the dead of winter, the wind howled like a knife. The news of the sudden death of the young emperor of Nandu, the secret affair between the young ruler and the Prince of Qi, and the impending invasion of 100,000 Qi troops poured down on the Northern Liang army camp like ice water in the coldest days of winter, leaving it in a deathly silence.

Inside the main tent, no matter how brightly the charcoal fire burned, it couldn't dispel the heavy, oppressive atmosphere.

On the map, the red markers representing the Qi army are as dense as ants, slowly creeping towards the eastern border of Northern Liang along several predicted routes.

Forty thousand versus one hundred thousand—the stark contrast of these numbers weighs like a boulder on everyone's heart.

Xiao Jue stood before the map, his back ramrod straight, like an iron spear stuck in frozen soil.

His fingers moved back and forth on the rough sheepskin, from his own defensive line to several pre-arranged locations where the King of Qi might set up his central army camp. Finally, his fingers lingered on the Yinma River, a frozen tributary of the Canglan River that stretched across the flank of the battlefield.

"King Qi, relying on the name of the new emperor, came arrogantly. Although his army is large, it is a long winter expedition with long supply lines, and coordination between various units will inevitably be slow."

Xiao Jue's voice was not loud, but it had a metallic quality that cut through the silence in the tent. "Their strategy is nothing more than to use their power to intimidate us, forcing our army to divide its forces to defend various passes, and then use their superior forces to defeat them one by one, or to seek out our main force for a decisive battle."

He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the generals like a cold lightning bolt: "Therefore, our army must not let them have their way and get bogged down in a quagmire of passive defense."

Mr. Du frowned: "Does Your Excellency intend to launch a preemptive strike? But we are outnumbered and outgunned; a head-on confrontation would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock."

"Who said we should confront them head-on?" Xiao Jue's lips curled into a cold, stern smile as he slammed his finger into the frozen surface of the Yinma River. "A hundred thousand troops, deployed too widely—where is their Achilles' heel? Not in the vanguard, not on the flanks, but in their center, beneath their commander's banner!"

He drew a sharp, straight line along the ice with his fingertip, aiming directly at the leeward slope where the King of Qi's central army was most likely to be stationed on the map: "Abandon all thoughts of holding the passes. Feign an attack! Make a big show of things on the eastern defense line, raise many flags, and deploy a wide array of decoy troops to convince the King of Qi's spies that our army intends to hold out to the death."

A series of suppressed gasps filled the tent.

"Then," Xiao Jue's voice suddenly turned sharp, carrying a do-or-die determination, "gather all cavalry, the elite 'Raiders' soldiers, and the 'Rapid-Fire Crossbow' units, lightly armed, carrying only five days' worth of dry rations. We won't travel by land—we'll travel on the ice!"

They advanced stealthily and swiftly along the frozen Yinma River, traveling day and night, bypassing all of the Qi army's forward intelligence and defenses, and directly attacked their heartland, launching a fierce assault on their central camp!

"Smash his command center! Cut down his banner! A hundred thousand soldiers, without their minds, are nothing but a hundred thousand pigs and sheep waiting to be slaughtered!"

This plan is too audacious, too crazy; it's practically gambling the entire fate of Beiliang!

General Zhao's Adam's apple bobbed, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit, yet tinged with hesitation: "Your Excellency is brilliant! However... marching on ice, while daring, is also extremely risky. If the weather turns against us, and we encounter a sudden blizzard, our men and horses will be unable to move, trapped on the frozen river, unable to advance or retreat, and we risk capsizing!"

This is the most crucial, and also the most uncontrollable, aspect. In the winter in the border regions, the weather is unpredictable; a blizzard could bury an entire army.

Xiao Jue's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

He was certainly aware of the weather threat, which was almost the only, and also the biggest, variable in his nearly perfect surprise attack plan.

He needs cover, but even more so, he needs a window of opportunity to act. How can he pinpoint this opportunity accurately?

A silence fell over the tent, broken only by the crackling of the charcoal fire. All eyes were on Xiao Jue, awaiting their commander's decision, or rather, a solution to this fatal problem.

Just then, from the corner, a voice, tinged with obvious hesitation and tension, buzzed like a mosquito's hum:

"Um... Your Excellency... This humble general... This humble general might... know a little..."

All eyes immediately turned to the source of the sound—Zhou Heng.

He huddled there, his face flushed, his fingers unconsciously tugging at the hem of his robe, like a student suddenly called on by the teacher to answer a difficult question in class.

Xiao Jue's gaze also turned towards him, deep and unfathomable: "Speak."

Zhou Heng swallowed hard, forced himself to stand up, moved to the edge of the map, and dared not look Xiao Jue in the eye. He stared at the area around the Yinma River, and his voice was slightly louder but still dry: "This humble general does not understand warfare, but the Marquis's strategy is... it sounds excellent to me."

He started with a clumsy attempt at flattery before getting to the point, "It's just this weather... When I was a wanderer before, I overheard some old merchants and hunters talking, and... I also flipped through some miscellaneous books."

In this winter, if, like these past few days, the north wind has been howling for days, then suddenly weakens, and the clouds are low and thick, heavy as if about to press down, and carrying a bit... um... dampness...

He tried hard to recall those vague fragments of modern meteorological knowledge, combining them with his observations, and tried to make it sound plausible:

"In this situation, if a wind that is not so cold but carries a bit of moisture blows from the southeast, the two winds collide in places like river valleys... and it is particularly easy to create a big disturbance."

He looked up, glanced quickly at Xiao Jue, then quickly looked down again, pointing with his finger to a spot in the middle and lower reaches of the Yinma River:

"According to those old sayings, and the vague mentions in books... it is probably in this area that the 'white-haired wind' that comes on strong and goes away quickly is... a blizzard."

He paused, took a deep breath, and as if using all his strength, said the following words: "These past few days, I have been secretly observing the sky and I feel... I feel that in two days, there is a very likely event like this!"

If... if the army moves quickly enough, just in time for the blizzard to lash out at the face of King Qi's central army...

He didn't say anything more, but the meaning was clear. The blizzard was certainly an obstacle, but it was also the best cover and the clarion call for an attack!

Silence fell again in the tent, even more eerily than before. Everyone stared at Zhou Heng, their expressions complex. Predicting a blizzard? He joined the army this week… how does he know this? Is he reliable?

Xiao Jue's gaze was fixed on Zhou Heng's face, his eyes so sharp it seemed to peel away his skin and see into every thought in his mind. The silence was tangible, making it almost impossible for Zhou Heng to breathe.

"How confident are you?" After a long silence, Xiao Jue finally spoke, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger.

Zhou Heng's palms were drenched in cold sweat. He had absolutely no confidence; his knowledge was so limited it was barely passable. But now, he could only grit his teeth and bear it. "Over 60%!"

He gritted his teeth and said, his voice trembling with tension, "My lord, the timing is unpredictable, but this sign is quite obvious! If it is true, then Heaven is helping Beiliang!"

Once the blizzard begins, the world will be in chaos, and the Qi army will inevitably retreat to their camps, rendering their scouts ineffective. This will be the perfect opportunity for our army to launch a swift and decisive attack!

Even if... even if it's not that accurate, our troops can move quickly along the ice. As long as we act fast enough, we can launch an attack before the weather completely turns bad!

His words were half speculation and half encouragement, staking all his meager knowledge and his will to survive.

Xiao Jue stopped looking at him and turned his gaze back to the map, his finger unconsciously tracing lines between the frozen river and the Qi army's central camp. Only heavy breathing and the faint crackling of the charcoal fire remained inside the tent.

Time passed slowly, each second feeling like an eternity.

Finally, Xiao Jue raised his head, the last trace of hesitation in his eyes replaced by a cold determination.

"Young Master Li!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"How many of the rapid-fire crossbowmen are capable of fighting?"

"Fifty crossbows and a hundred crossbowmen, though still flawed, are enough to tear apart any army formation with short-range volleys!"

"General Zhao!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"How many of the most formidable warriors from the roaming team can be selected?"

"Eight hundred! All of them are elite warriors, each capable of taking on ten men!"

"Good!" Xiao Jue slammed his hand on the table, making the pen holder tremble. "It's settled then! All departments shall prepare accordingly. Starting tomorrow, the eastern defense line will feign movement, making sure it's convincing! The day after tomorrow at dawn, I will personally lead 15,000 elite troops to launch a surprise attack on the Qi King's central army along the frozen Yinma River!"