Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 264 Many choices in war are inhumane.

For some reason, many things are clear to outsiders, who can even offer the most suitable solutions. However, the person involved can't see them clearly. They walk into the fire pit right under the watchful eyes of others, only realizing they've gone down the wrong path after being burned.

Cao Zheng and Cao Ying's two armies launched a fierce attack on Lingzhou City for three days until the troops were exhausted. Only then did they stop the attack and prepare to recuperate before making a comeback.

Upon hearing that Cao Zheng and Cao Ying had stopped their attack on the city, Cao Kun couldn't help but ask Zheng Tianshou, "Since they have already been attacking for three days, why don't they continue their attack?"
Now, with this pause, all the blood shed in the past three days has been for nothing, and it's given He Tian a chance to catch his breath. Haven't the two of them considered this?

Zheng Tianshou shook his head and said, "It's normal that three axe blows can't split a big tree. Our army has the advantage in numbers, so we'll keep going until we split it. How would you, young master, handle this situation?"

Cao Kun said, "If we cannot break through after three days of strong attacks, on the fourth day we will surely send out our elite troops, with a thousand men as the spearhead and a hundred men as the flanks. I will personally don armor and attack again!"

Zheng Tianshou nodded in satisfaction and said, "What if we can't take it?"

Cao Kun said, "Quickly take turns providing cover and leave Lingzhou City, then wait for the next time."

Zheng Tianshou laughed loudly: "As long as the eldest young master doesn't associate the matter of conquering Lingzhou City with his own reputation, Lingzhou City is nothing."

Third Young Master, Ninth Young Master feels ashamed, unable to sheath his sword, unable to break through, unable to escape; defeat is inevitable. Eldest Young Master, rest early and conserve your energy; tonight will surely be a fierce battle.

Cao Kun turned to Cao Ling and said, "Go tell the third and ninth brothers to be on guard against enemy attacks tonight."

Zheng Tianshou said, "It would have been better if you hadn't said anything. Now that you have, they will definitely be furious."

Cao Kun looked up at the Lingzhou city on the horizon where the flames of war had just been extinguished, and said to Zheng Tianshou, "They must die, but they cannot die by my hand."

Zheng Tianshou pretended not to hear and just sighed.

Even the full moon in the dead of winter illuminated the earth in a snowy white. Cao Kun did not rest in the evening, but instead sat on the back of the Thunder Smoke Beast and dozed off for a while. Although he was not sure if He Tian would launch a surprise attack tonight, he still gave it his all.

Cao's army has been besieging Lingzhou City for over a month, and He Tian has never launched a surprise attack outside the city. This has led many to believe that He Tian's strength has been weakened to the extreme, leaving him only capable of defending the city and no longer able to break out.

Cao Zheng and Cao Ying did not heed Cao Kun's words. They retreated their general camp and set up camp. However, when Cao Ling relayed the message, they used catapults to throw the bodies of the fallen Lingzhou city defenders into the city. They also sent troops to capture the Lingzhou civilians scattered outside the city, preparing to have these civilians carry bags of soil and attack the city starting tomorrow.

For the first time, Cao Kun began to resent his father, who treated having children like planting trees, for his two younger brothers' actions of losing the hearts of the people of Lingzhou and making the city's garrison even more determined to defend the city.

Cao Kun waited all night on the back of the Thunder Smoke Beast. Even though his armor was frozen, he did not dismount to rest. As dawn broke, he exhaled a breath of cold air, finally dismounted, and prepared to return to his tent for a good night's sleep.

Just then, Cao Ling ran over quickly and said, "The scouts heard some noise in the pit."

Cao Kun's eyes narrowed, and he said in a cold voice, "So you've finally arrived?"

As he spoke, he took out a handful of beans from his bag and fed them to the Thunder Smoke Beast that had kept him company all night. Seeing that the young master was feeding the horse, Cao Ling quickly asked, "Should we sound the alarm?"

Cao Kun said indifferently, "Once it's confirmed, then sound the retreat."

Cao Ling asked, "What should we do?"

Cao Kun said, "My younger brothers are too young. They will eventually need me, their older brother, to protect them from the wind and rain. Listen, if He Tian's men appear, let them attack. We will take the city gate directly."

Cao Ling looked at Cao Kun in horror, only to find that he had already put on a mask and lightly leaped onto his warhorse.

At the same time, six thousand-man generals and fifty-seven hundred-man generals, all belonging to the eldest son's faction, also stepped out of the ranks, riding Thunder Smoke Beasts and surrounding the eldest son.

Behind this force of fewer than a hundred men were thousands of wagons loaded with sand, each pulled by three horses and driven by their charioteers, puffing out white steam and appearing restless.

Cao Ling glanced at the motionless Cao clan camp and also lowered his mask, concealing his complex expression behind it.

The city gates of Lingzhou quietly opened, and a torrent of black iron poured out of the city.

"The Tiger Warriors of Lingzhou," Cao Ling sighed inwardly.

"Sound the retreat!" Two cold words came from behind Cao Kun's black iron mask.

"Bang bang bang..." Just as Cao Kun's army began to sound the gong, the gongs of Cao Zheng's army, which was at the forefront, were also struck with deafening force.

"Enemy attack—" The soldiers on the watchtower had just struck the gong and shouted that the enemy was attacking when the entire watchtower was smashed down by the charging Tiger Army with iron hammers.

Seeing the black iron torrent of the Tiger Warriors already charging into Cao Zheng's army, Cao Kun remained unmoved, offering neither explanation nor action. Only after the entire Tiger Warriors had left Lingzhou City did Cao Kun silently lower his forearm, and his chestnut horse galloped off towards Lingzhou City. Twenty miles away in the Ling Mountains, a group of people were moving through the woods. These people were all very agile, except for the one surrounded by a group of young men who seemed to be struggling.

"Manager Liang, you said they would fight tonight, but they didn't. Did you miscalculate?"

Liang Kun looked back at Lei Ming and said, "Nothing is certain on the battlefield. When we calculate, we can only calculate a lead time. He Tian is a shrewd and calculating man. This time, he must have more than a 60% chance of winning. Even if he doesn't launch a surprise attack outside the city today, it's inevitable that he will launch a surprise attack outside the city once an opportunity arises."

Lei Ming, supporting Liang Kun with one hand, laughed and said, "What if He Tian doesn't have the guts to attack?"

Liang Kun shook his head and said, "For a cunning old man like He Tian, ​​he will not let go of any opportunity to severely damage the Cao family. You must remember that the battlefield is never a place to reason. If you want to win, you have to use any means necessary."

Lei Ming adjusted the red scarf around his neck and said, "I want to go back and take a look."

Liang Kun laughed and said, "It's not safe to go now. After the fighting stops, I will take you to the battlefield to see how the two armies clashed."

"The Lord has sent you here this time so that you can experience the battlefield firsthand. Once you are familiar with it, it will be time for you to go to war."

Lei Ming carried Liang Kun across a not-so-wide ditch. Seeing that the trees were sparse and the terrain was flat, he ordered them to rest. Immediately, three boys went forward, and four boys hopped around like bullets to the left and right.

After a burst of birdsong was heard, Lei Ming waved his hand and ordered a rest.

The boys were very familiar with camping. In no time, the smokeless stove was dug and the tent was erected. When Liang Kun sat down on a futon, rubbing his sore and numb legs, Lei Ming had already brought him a small cup of warm water.

Liang Kun's mouth was parched, so he gulped down the warm water. Seeing Lei Ming take the cup away and bring him a cup of even hotter water, he asked in confusion, "Why go through all this trouble?"

Lei Ming said, "When conditions permit, we must take good care of our bodies and let them gradually adapt to drastic changes. This is what the Lord taught us. Being too cold or too hot is harmful to the body."

By the time Liang Kun finally got to drink the hot tea, he was no longer thirsty.

Seeing the children sipping their tea in small sips, he asked, "Does it have to be like this?"

Lei Ming said, "Our lord said that before our bodies are officially allowed to enter the country, they should be treated like a fine porcelain blank, and we are not allowed to suffer any damage."

Looking at the staggering guards he had brought from Xiangcheng, Liang Kun couldn't help but shake his head. In the Yun family, perhaps these children were the ones who were carefully protected, while the rest were growing up wildly.

The food the teenagers ate was different from what the adults ate; much of it was powder. The yellow stuff was egg powder, the pale yellow stuff was fried noodles with something like pork powder, salt, and sugar, the thin stuff was yogurt, the thick stuff was cheese, and a handful of dark brown stuff thrown into a pot for a moment made a vegetable soup.

After the boys mixed the vegetable soup with the fried noodles, they each took a bowl of the porridge and started eating.

Liang Kun took a bite and found that it didn't taste good.

He handed Lei Ming a crispy baked flatbread, which Lei Ming immediately tore into pieces and threw into his younger siblings' bowls, while he continued to eat the unappetizing fried noodles with his spoon.

A man quickly approached Liang Kun, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Lord of the city, He Tian launched a surprise attack on Cao's camp at dawn. They are currently engaged in fierce fighting. When the scouts returned, they learned that the 6,000 elite troops of Lingzhou had already breached Cao Zheng's camp and were on the verge of defeat."

Liang Kun took a bite of the pancake and asked, "Where's Cao Kun?"

The scout took a deep breath and said with some admiration, "He led his troops to charge into the city. Now, the vanguard has already entered Lingzhou City, and the rear wagons loaded with mud and sand have blocked the city gate. The two armies are currently fighting on the city walls."

Upon hearing this, Lei Ming's eyes widened. "He didn't go to save his brother?"

The scout said, "Not only did he not save his two younger brothers, but he also demanded that they hold off the six thousand elite troops of Lingzhou on the plains."

Everyone knows that the Tiger Legion is an army built by Lingzhou with the full strength of the entire prefecture. Each of them is a burly, armored man over nine feet tall, riding heavily armored beasts. Such heavy cavalry can only be fought by a hundred-man commander; ordinary soldiers would likely be no match for them.

Liang Kun chuckled and said, "Look, this is war. Lei Ming, if you were in Cao Kun's position, would you go to save your brother or take the opportunity to seize the city?"

Lei Ming glanced at his younger siblings who were eating and laughed, "I will go and capture the city, and my younger siblings can hold off those six thousand Tiger Warriors."

Liang Kun laughed loudly, "What do you mean?"

Lei Ming sneered, "The Lingzhou Tiger Legion only has three thousand men, where did the six thousand come from? This number is problematic. Three thousand Tiger Legion soldiers might be invincible, but six thousand... I don't believe it."

(End of this chapter)