The Tyrant of the Great Qian Dynasty: Not only will I refuse to arrange a marriage alliance, but I w

The night was as dark as ink, staining the entire sky.

Thick, dark clouds obscured the moon and stars; the air was hot and humid, making it hard to breathe.

An eerie silence fell over both inside and outside the city walls of the capital.

In the Northern Barbarian camp, after the commotion caused by the duel during the day and Huyan Ba's subsequent strong suppression, most of the exhausted soldiers had fallen into a deep sleep.

In their view, since the Great Chanyu had already ordered a siege without attack, and the garrison inside the city was about to run out of food, victory was only a matter of time. Their nerves, which had been taut for days, finally relaxed for a moment.

In stark contrast to the relaxed atmosphere outside the city, the atmosphere inside the Shenji Battalion's command post was extremely tense.

More than a dozen high-ranking generals of the Great Qian Dynasty gathered around a large sand table, their faces filled with solemnity.

Chen Baipao stood at the very front of the sand table, his usually calm eyes now showing a furrowed brow.

Just now, Su Zhe issued them a battle plan that was almost absurd.

— Send three thousand Snow Dragon Riders, without any follow-up support, under the cover of night, to venture deep into enemy territory, make a long march of thirty miles, and circle around to the rear of the Northern Barbarian camp to launch a surprise attack on their most heavily defended grain and fodder camp!

This plan is too risky and too audacious.

Everyone knows that the Great Snow Dragon Riders are currently the sharpest and most powerful trump card in the hands of the Great Qian garrison.

These three thousand iron cavalrymen were Su Zhe's strongest mobile force.

But once they penetrate deep behind enemy lines, it's as if they've placed themselves in a vast ocean of 400,000 troops.

If any link in the chain goes wrong and is discovered by the enemy in advance, then what awaits them is an endless encirclement and annihilation by hundreds of thousands of troops.

At that time, even a powerful force like the Great Snow Dragon Riders would only face total annihilation.

It's impossible to escape once you have wings.

"Your Highness, this plan... is far too risky."

Finally, a deputy general of the Shenji Battalion couldn't hold back any longer and stepped forward, expressing the sentiments of most of the generals present.

"The Great Snow Dragon Riders are the iron fist upon which our army relies for victory, and our last trump card. If there is any mishap, the consequences will be unimaginable."

He paused for a moment, then tentatively suggested, "Could we...could we wait a couple more days? Until the enemy's vigilance is lowered? Until we have a more comprehensive plan?"

His words sounded like a questioning of Su Zhe's orders, but in reality, they stemmed from his appreciation for this elite force and a rational assessment of the battle situation.

Su Zhe turned his gaze away from the dark night sky outside the window. He didn't look at the deputy general, but instead focused his attention on the sand table.

He reached out and picked up a small flag representing the Great Snow Dragon Riders.

He looked at the flag and asked calmly, "Wait? We can afford to wait, but can those 400,000 hungry mouths outside the city afford to wait?"

"Huyan Ba ​​chose to believe that our food supplies would only last for five days, so we must make him truly run out of food before he realizes he has been deceived, before he loses patience and launches a desperate all-out attack."

His words, though not loud, carried an undeniable decisiveness, leaving the lieutenant speechless.

Everyone understood this principle, but despite their understanding, their worries remained undiminished.

Su Zhe ignored everyone's expressions. He held the flag representing the Great Snow Dragon Riders and, contrary to everyone's expectations, did not plant it in the "Supply Camp" position on the sand table.

With a flick of his wrist, he planted the flag firmly in another spot on the sand table—an open area to the west of the Northern Barbarian camp.

On the sand table, there are two words marked: Horse Farm.

"Chen Baipao," Su Zhe called his name.

"Your subordinate is here." Chen Baipao stepped forward in response.

"Tonight at midnight, you will lead three thousand Great Snow Dragon Riders into battle. However, your first target is not the granary." Su Zhe's finger pointed heavily at the flag. "It's here."

Chen Baipao and all the generals present were stunned. They couldn't understand Su Zhe's order at all.

Attacking the grain supply camp was already extremely dangerous, so why create unnecessary trouble by attacking an insignificant horse farm?

While the warhorses there were certainly an integral part of the Northern Barbarian army, their importance was incomparable to the provisions that determined the army's survival.

"Your Highness, why... is it a horse farm?" Chen Baipao asked, voicing everyone's question.

"Feint to the east while attacking in the west."

Su Zhe uttered four words.

He explained, “The Northern Barbarian camp stretches for several miles from east to west. The supply camp is located on the easternmost side, while the horse ranch is on the westernmost side, and the two are quite far apart. Tonight, you must first create the greatest chaos for me at the horse ranch on the western side.”

"The firelight and the neighing of warhorses will be the best signals. They will make Huyan Ba ​​and his main force mistakenly believe that our main force is about to launch a general offensive from the west, intending to break through their encirclement."

"In this way, the attention and even the strength of their main force will be firmly drawn and mobilized to the west. At that time, the supply camp on the east side will become the weakest link in their defense system."

"By the time Huyan Ba ​​realized he had been tricked, you had already succeeded and fled far away."

This explanation enlightened the generals present.

Their gazes toward Su Zhe had shifted from initial worry to awe.

It turns out that from the very beginning, His Highness had already laid out a path of deception and misdirection for the Great Snow Dragon Riders' actions.

But Su Zhe's next words shocked them even more.

"And..." Su Zhe looked at Chen Baipao with a cold gaze, "I want you to burn more than just their grain and fodder."

He took out a small, tightly sewn cloth bag, about the size of a palm, from his bosom and handed it to Chen Baipao.

Chen Baipao took it with a puzzled look. It felt heavy in his hand, and it seemed to contain some kind of powdery substance.

"This contains specially processed croton powder, mixed with some other fodder," Su Zhe said, lowering his voice even further.

"Before you burn down the horse farm, you need to find a way to secretly mix the stuff inside into their water troughs or horse feed."

"These substances won't take effect immediately. After the warhorses consume them, they won't show any abnormalities for a while. However, once they start running and sprinting intensely, the effects will be triggered. At best, their stamina will be rapidly depleted, and their limbs will become weak; at worst, they will experience severe internal pain and die on the spot."

"I want to turn Huyan Ba's proud 400,000 iron cavalry into infantrymen who can only crawl on the ground overnight!"

This treacherous plan, which undermines the very foundation of the army, sent chills down the spines of all the generals present.

They originally thought this was a bold enough military raid plan.

Unexpectedly, behind this plan, there was such a ruthless and vicious scheme.

This is no longer just about burning grain and fodder; it's about completely crippling the Northern Barbarian army's mobility, which is their very lifeline!

Boom!

A streak of lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the faces of everyone in the command post with a deathly pale light.

Immediately following was a muffled rumble of thunder, rolling in from the distant horizon.

Outside the window, the wind was picking up.

Large raindrops began to pelt down from the sky.

Su Zhe looked at Chen Baipao, and the corners of his mouth finally turned up.

"The rain is coming; it's the best cover God has given us."

"Let's go."

He patted Chen Baipao on the shoulder.

"Remember, your mission tonight is to create maximum chaos and destruction, not to engage in prolonged combat with the enemy. Once you succeed, break out north along the route I've laid out. There, your men will be there to meet you."