Great Wilderness Demon Lord

"As for the Xiao family..." Li Xuan's lips curled into a meaningful smile. "If Xiao Yunlan really rises in the Northern Territory, it may benefit the Xiao family's overall reputation, but when it comes to the internal power distribution, it will probably cause new waves."

Can Liu completely control him? Will the other branches of the family sit idly by and watch Liu use him to grow powerful? There are many possibilities for maneuvering in this situation.

What we need to do is not to throw the baby out with the bathwater and push talented people to aristocratic families, but rather to attract talented people to our side and use them for our own purposes, while simultaneously leveraging their delicate relationships with the aristocratic families to maintain a balance of power.

She finally looked at Gu Yan, her tone softening but leaving no room for doubt: "Mr. Gu, I have taken your concerns to heart. When rewarding merit, the court has its own laws and regulations. The granting of real military power must indeed be done with utmost care, but we must not discourage meritorious officials."

"I am well aware of this matter. The most urgent task at hand is to utilize the intelligence brought by Xiao Yunlan and this surprise force to deliver a fatal blow to Hechi and lift the siege of Zhenhuang Pass!"

Gu Yan met Li Xuan's gaze, his heart filled with trepidation.

He knew that Her Highness the Princess was determined and had thought things through carefully; she was not blindly optimistic.

My advice just now was more about fulfilling my duty as a subject and reminding him of the risks.

Seeing that His Highness had already considered everything thoroughly, he said no more and bowed deeply: "Your Highness is wise beyond measure, and I have been foolish. The current situation is critical, and we should indeed prioritize defeating the enemy."

Li Xuan nodded, no longer dwelling on the matter, and turned to Han Zhong, saying, "Vice Commander Han, what do you think we should do with Xiao Yunlan's suggestions in his letter, and with this surprise force?"

Han Zhong, having already given it much thought, immediately replied, "Your Highness, Commandant Xiao's judgment coincides with ours. The Wolf Rong's morale has been dampened, and their logistics are in dire straits, presenting us with an opportune moment to counterattack. I believe we should adopt a two-pronged approach."

"First, immediately dispatch elite messengers to try to contact Xiao Yunlan and agree on a method of communication and a signal."

Their troops, operating behind enemy lines in a strategically important location, can serve as our eyes and ears, and at crucial moments, harass enemy rear areas, create chaos, or coordinate with our attacks.

"Secondly, starting today, our army will change its strategy. Instead of simply holding the line, we will organize elite squads to launch occasional offensives to harass the Wolf Rong's forward camps, burn their siege equipment, and strike their raiding squads."

In conjunction with Xiao Yunlan's harassment operations behind enemy lines, the enemy forces will be further exhausted and worn down, their morale will be damaged, and their strength and reaction will be tested.

"Thirdly, and most importantly," Han Zhong said with piercing eyes, "we need to secretly prepare a real counterattack force. The number of people doesn't need to be large, but it must be absolutely elite, well-equipped, and well-rested."

When the Wolf Barbarians, weakened by lack of supplies, low morale, and exhausted from constant harassment, reveal obvious weaknesses, or when our army, in coordination with Xiao Yunlan, creates an excellent opportunity, we will use this elite force as our spearhead to break through their camp in one fell swoop, or severely damage a portion of them, forcing them to retreat!

Li Xuan wholeheartedly agreed with Han Zhong's proposed strategy.

However, just as she was about to make a decision, her gaze swept over the thin silk letter on the table again, and a more thorough idea suddenly came to mind.

She raised her hand to signal Han Zhong to wait a moment, her fingertips lightly tracing the line "This humble general has led fifty-four brave cavalrymen under his command" on the letter, and pondered, "Vice Commander Han's plan is very sound."

However, Xiao Yunlan, with only fifty-four riders, was able to disrupt the rear of Wugu's tribe, cut off their supply lines, and annihilate their elite troops.

Such sharpness is truly rare. Now, he has infiltrated behind the Hechi army, occupying a strategic position that allows him to observe the enemy's weaknesses and create trouble, but ultimately, his forces are too weak.

She raised her eyes, her gaze clear and resolute: "The key to using surprise troops lies in their precision, and also in their strength to shake the key points. Fifty-four riders are enough to harass and exhaust the enemy, but if we want to coordinate with our main force at a crucial moment to deliver a fatal blow to Hechi, or to intercept and kill their elites and expand our gains during their retreat, then I'm afraid we are not strong enough."

Upon hearing this, Han Zhong seemed to be deep in thought: "Your Highness means..."

"Increase their troops and strengthen their forces." Li Xuan said decisively, "I intend to select another batch of fierce soldiers from the elite troops within the pass to join Xiao Yunlan. It doesn't need to be many, just add another hundred men, all of whom must be the most skilled in riding and archery, able to endure hunger and cold, and willing to risk their lives."

They carried fine bows and crossbows, sharp blades, kerosene, as well as some cold-weather medicines and dry rations that could be stored for a long time.

Thus, Xiao Yunlan would have over 150 elite cavalrymen at his disposal, whose methods of combat, the damage they could inflict, and the role they could play in crucial moments would far surpass those before!

Gu Yan's eyelids twitched slightly, and he hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Adding a hundred soldiers may not seem like much, but it represents a higher level of trust and commitment from the Eldest Princess to Xiao Yunlan. It also means that the strength of this "surprise force" completely controlled by Xiao Yunlan has greatly increased, making it even more difficult to control in the future.

Han Zhongze considered the matter from a purely military perspective. After a moment's thought, he found the plan to be brilliant: "Your Highness is wise! Commander Xiao is familiar with the northern lands and is adept at adaptability. If we have these hundred elite cavalrymen to supplement the plan, it will be like adding wings to a tiger."

Its operational range, harassment intensity, and sustained combat capability will be greatly enhanced.

Especially during a decisive battle, a hundred or so elite cavalrymen could suddenly charge out from behind enemy lines, directly attacking the enemy's central forces or weak flanks, with an effect far exceeding that of fifty or so men. However…”

He then shifted the focus to a practical question: "How can we safely deliver these hundred elite soldiers to Xiao Yunlan? Although the Hechi army has been harassed, the outer patrols will inevitably be strengthened, and the movement of large forces is very easy to be exposed."

Furthermore, Commander Xiao's current hiding place is well-hidden; although we have a general direction, it's difficult to make precise contact.

Li Xuan had clearly considered this point beforehand, and calmly said, "This matter requires a two-pronged approach, carried out in secrecy. First, the candidates must be absolutely reliable, and they must leave the city in batches in secret."

Under the cover of night or inclement weather, they could break into smaller groups of three to five, posing as scouts or messengers on special missions, and quietly slip out of the pass from different directions and at different times, converging on the rocky hills of the northeast.

"Secondly, we need to establish a more reliable real-time communication with Xiao Yunlan. Relying solely on letters is too slow and easily exposed."

Han Zhong, immediately select two of your most alert and skilled agents, those most adept at infiltration and wilderness tracking, and have them carry my warrant and the agreed-upon code and signal method to find Xiao Yunlan tonight.

Inform him about the troop reinforcements and agree on the meeting place, time, and method.

She paused, then added, "Tell Xiao Yunlan that the newly dispatched hundred men will be under his full command. As for the commander... I remember you have a captain under your command named Lu Zheng?"

This man comes from a family of border soldiers in the north. He grew up on horseback and is brave and skilled in battle. What is even more rare is that he is calm and knows how to assess the situation. He is not a reckless person.

This time, he will serve as Xiao Yunlan's deputy, assisting him, but he must clearly obey Xiao Yunlan's orders. Lu Zheng has long been stationed on the border and is familiar with the Wolf Rong's tactics; he can also fill in any gaps in Xiao Yunlan's knowledge.