Demon Lord Tang Dynasty

"Boom, boom, boom!"

The thunderous hoofbeats stirred up endless dust.

The grayish-white dust almost covered half the sky.

Yinshan White Road.

This battle route connecting the north and south once again became the center of the war.

The loss of Baiguan, such an important pass, could not possibly be concealed.

Like Yang Lin in the south, the Sui army in the north also received the news immediately.

Moreover, the Northern Army reacted with even greater urgency.

Baiguan was their escape route.

Once Baiguan Pass falls, the Sui army's supply lines will be completely cut off.

Furthermore, and most seriously, the entire Sui army would become an isolated force.

Even someone with no military knowledge could see the danger in such a situation.

Moreover, the commander of this Sui army was Yang Lin's adopted son, whom he had carefully nurtured, and who had followed Yang Lin in his campaigns over the years.

Therefore, the garrison in Wuchuan City reacted immediately.

Like a tidal wave, the troops filed out and rushed straight towards Yinshan.

Although their supply lines were cut off, the Sui army had already brought provisions with them on their northward march, and their supplies from the rear were not interrupted. In addition, they did not experience any major battles.

Therefore, the Sui army did not lack food at this time.

Moreover, Grand Empress Paul Fang was no ordinary man, and the troops she led were all elites, so there was no chaos whatsoever.

As the saying goes, when a person reaches ten thousand, there is no limit to their potential.

Moreover, they are skilled soldiers with both cavalry and infantry, and fully equipped with armor and weapons.

The overwhelming momentum was beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

"As expected of Yang Lin's elite troops..."

As Gao Yi rode his horse, he watched the surging torrents sweeping towards Yinshan from afar and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Once Baiguan Pass falls, the Sui army will surely go berserk; this is something Gao Yi had long anticipated.

After all, cutting off the enemy's escape route and trapping them in a deadly situation would make anyone fight to the death, let alone these battle-hardened soldiers.

Of course, from beginning to end, Gao Yi never intended to attack this reinforcement force.

The strategy of besieging a city and attacking its reinforcements is indeed a timeless and ingenious tactic.

But he had too few troops at his disposal.

Even with a force of less than two thousand, it would be difficult to swallow up an elite force of over ten thousand, even if they launched a surprise attack and set up an ambush.

It's important to understand that he's different from the other side; his troops are currently facing a lack of replenishment.

In the two battles, five hundred of the two thousand cavalrymen were lost, and if the fighting continued, the number would only decrease.

Another crucial point is that he has no life-or-death feud with the Sui Dynasty or Yang Lin.

He was neither Shi Bi nor Bi Xuan. Although he controlled Turkic tribes and was based in Turkic territory, he had no intention of becoming a Turkic foot soldier.

He only deployed troops for survival.

Yang Lin's swaggering northward journey was intended to intimidate the Turks.

And the Turkic Shibi side could not possibly remain silent.

From a strategic perspective, both the Sui Dynasty and the Turks will exercise restraint and will not start a major war.

However, minor conflicts are absolutely unavoidable.

Yang Lin's actions were intended to create a show of force to restrain the Turks, allowing Yang Guang to launch a campaign against Goguryeo without any scruples.

The Turks were happy to watch the Sui Dynasty and Goguryeo fight to the death.

However, having the same direction does not guarantee a smooth agreement.

The complex web of interests involved cannot be explained in just a few words.

Just like Yang Lin sent his adopted son to the north with the royal flag.

His inaction indicates that he will not engage in a full-scale war, but the northward march of the royal flag demonstrates his stance.

The same applies to the other side; neither side will engage in large-scale combat, but small-scale skirmishes are inevitable.

In this situation, Gao Yi's tribe would undoubtedly be the first to be affected.

Even if they managed to escape the Sui army's advance, there was a high chance they would be used as cannon fodder by the Turks.

This is also why Gao Yi did not suggest to Protector Bai that he should escape.

Because they were situated between two enormous beings, and this place had become a battleground for the two giants, there was no way they could escape.

To survive, one must actively enter the game and carve out a way out from the cracks.

"Judging by the number of troops, there are at least more than 10,000 soldiers. Yang Lin, the Grand Protector, is quite decisive."

Looking from a distance, it is difficult to see the exact number of Sui troops deployed, but by calculation, a rough estimate can be obtained.

Just like Gao Yi said before.

With the loss of Baiguan Pass, Wuchuan City's situation became extremely awkward.

Although they have a large army and are temporarily safe, their retreat has been cut off, so they cannot afford not to go to the rescue.

But once rescue efforts begin, the entire front will be thrown into turmoil.

It's as if the entire army was suddenly divided into three parts.

This is extremely dangerous on the battlefield.

However, Bai Guan obviously cannot be left unrescued, and in this situation, the number of troops sent by Wu Chuan City becomes crucial.

With fewer troops, it's not certain we can capture Baiguan. If the counterattack fails, it will become a piecemeal tactic.

With more troops available, Wuchuan was instantly left vulnerable. Most importantly, the vanguard sent to the front lines became like rootless duckweed.

Judging from the current situation, Luo Fang from Wuchuan has undoubtedly made a choice.

With over 10,000 troops deployed, it's clear that most of Wuchuan's forces have been mobilized.

It seems that in Luo Fang's eyes, reclaiming Baiguan and securing a retreat route are the most important things at present.

"Interesting, very interesting..."

Gao Yi stroked his chin and laughed.

Because he discovered something interesting.

Luo Fang's army marched out of the city and headed straight for Yinshan, clearly determined to capture Baiguan Pass at all costs, a desperate gamble.

But among the surging troops, one important thing was missing.

The banner of the King of Kaoshan still flies over the walls of Wuchuan City.

"Is it fear of being ambushed and losing the battle flag, or is it wishful thinking, hoping to have the best of both worlds?" Gao Yi smiled.

Clearly, Luo Fang made a decisive choice, but her decisiveness was not thorough enough.

If it were Gao Yi or Yang Lin, they probably wouldn't have done that.

Yang Lin's command flag is very important; it can even provide a boost to the troops.

When faced with adversity and desperate situations, all you can do is fight, fight with all your might.

If it were Gao Yi, he would definitely mobilize all the troops from Wuchuan, or rush straight to Baiguan and temporarily abandon the forward force.

They could simply advance, join forces with the vanguard, and send the main army straight into the grasslands to sustain themselves through war, relying on the Turkic tribes for sustenance.

"This makes it a bit difficult for me to decide," Gao Yi said, stroking his chin with a half-smile.

His initial goal was not actually Wuchuan City.

An abandoned city held no value for him.

As for the remaining garrison in the city, there was no benefit to them, and he had no reason to risk his troops.

His target had always been that vanguard force, the one that held a knife to his tribe's throat and posed the greatest threat to him.

If he doesn't find a way to disrupt the Sui army's rear, even if he can defeat the enemy's vanguard, the Sui army can send reinforcements, and he will only get weaker as the battle progresses.

Now, the entire Sui army is in complete disarray, and the vanguard has become an isolated force.

He could easily return, attack from both sides, and eliminate that force.

Then, taking advantage of the chaos in the Sui army, they leaped across the vast sea and soared through the high sky.

However, the changing situation has undoubtedly given him another option, one with greater risks, but also seemingly equal benefits...

It's even more attractive.