How can you rule the world if I'm just a substitute for you?

Chapter 88 Alliance

At that moment, Lin Xuan's scout rushed back to the camp, knelt on one knee, and reported the news: "Your Highness, the notice board outside the mountain has been updated. The Third Prince Lin Fu has suffered a great defeat and now only has twenty-seven men left."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the camp erupted in uproar.

Lin Xuan was looking down at the list of military equipment losses when he heard this and suddenly looked up, his face showing obvious astonishment and disbelief.

Zhang Shitou stood to the side, the short knife in his hand clattering to the ground. His eyes were filled with shock as he exclaimed, "How is this possible? Lin Fu had over two hundred men, all elite troops directly under the Great Qian Dynasty. How could they have suffered such a crushing defeat?"

Su Ling Shuang and Lin Mo's subordinates whispered among themselves, all looking shocked. No one had expected that the Third Prince, who held such a large army, would end up in such a predicament.

Upon hearing this, Tuoba Yu'er frowned and said urgently, "It's the Wei Kingdom. It must be the Wei Kingdom that attacked Lin Fu."

Lin Xuan composed himself, slowly shook his head, and his expression became solemn: "With just one Wei army, it is impossible to defeat Lin Fu to the point of near annihilation. Lin Fu's soldiers are quite capable. Even if they are outmatched, they can break through the mountain pass and will not lose 90% of their troops."

Tuoba Yu'er frowned and pondered along his train of thought: "In that case, Wei must have secretly allied with others, and only by attacking from two directions could Lin Fu be forced to leave."

"They must have formed an alliance beforehand." Lin Xuan pointed to the unfolded terrain map and calmly deduced, "Yan has always been neutral and will not get involved in this deadly battle. The Southern Barbarians were severely damaged by us in the Battle of Yingchoujian last night, with only a hundred or so remaining soldiers. They do not have the strength to surround Lin Fu. After all, the only one capable of cooperating with Wei is Nangong Cang of Western Shu."

His gaze fell on the three grain warehouses marked in the middle circle on the map: No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3.

"Lin Fu is at granary number three, and we are at granary number one. Wei and Shu have joined forces to defeat Lin Fu, and their next target must be Yan State at granary number two. There is no time to lose. We must immediately assemble our troops and rush to granary number two to support Yan State."

At his command, ninety-four of the Crown Prince's followers and eighty-one of Tuoba Yu'er's Northern Di soldiers quickly assembled and sped toward the No. 2 granary.

When the group arrived at the perimeter of Grain Warehouse No. 2, the battle situation was already extremely dangerous.

The armies of Wei and Western Shu encircled the granary position from two sides, and the Yan soldiers suffered continuous casualties, causing the defense line to collapse step by step.

Murong Jin, clad in blood-stained armor, found his personal guards dwindling. Gazing at the ever-growing enemy forces, despair filled his heart. He knew that the Yan Kingdom was doomed to total annihilation.

Just as the Wei-Shu allied forces were preparing to launch a general offensive, Lin Xuan gave an order, and his troops fired a volley of crossbow bolts, raining arrows down on the Wei army's flank.

Tuoba Yu'er led the Northern Di troops out of the mountains and forests and suddenly charged into the battlefield. The unexpected reinforcements completely disrupted the offensive of Wei and Shu.

Murong Jin was surprised that Lin Xuan would come to his rescue, and immediately ordered a breakout towards the gap opened by Lin Xuan.

Upon seeing this, Wei Yan's expression turned slightly amused. He raised his hand to signal the entire army to stop, but did not order a pursuit.

The general beside him stepped forward in confusion to ask, and Wei Yan said calmly: "This morning we launched a fierce attack on Lin Fu and then besieged Yan State. Our soldiers have been fighting for half a day and are exhausted. It is not advisable to continue fighting to the death. Let's stop and rest for now. There will be plenty of opportunities to encircle and annihilate them in the future."

The Wei and Western Shu troops ceased their pursuit and slowly retreated to Granary No. 3 to rest and regroup.

Inside the No. 3 granary camp, Nangong Cang, the leader of Western Shu, walked to Wei Yan's side and whispered, "Second Prince, I see that Crown Prince Lin Xuan of Daqian, the Northern Di, and the Yan Kingdom have already joined forces and clearly formed an alliance. Why don't we send someone to contact the Southern Barbarians and have the three parties join forces against the enemy? With more manpower, our chances of winning the final battle will be much greater."

Wei Yan nodded slightly, agreeing with the plan: "You are right. Immediately send an envoy to find Batu Lie, and after the matter is accomplished, give him the third place among the Southern Barbarians."

In the mountain hollow, Murong Jin, covered in blood, quickly walked to Lin Xuan and Tuoba Yu'er. The three of them found a flat high ground to sit down, and the three core groups sat together to discuss their current desperate situation.

Murong Jin sighed deeply, his voice filled with lingering fear: "If you had arrived even a moment later, my Yan Kingdom would have been wiped out here. The situation is clear now. Wei and Western Shu have already joined forces. Their goal is clear: first, to eliminate the Third Prince Lin Fu, and then to encircle and annihilate the three weak forces of us. If we fight separately, we will be defeated one by one sooner or later, and in the end, we will only end up being completely eliminated. Sticking together is the only way to survive."

Tuoba Yu'er nodded slightly and looked at Murong Jin, asking:

"How many people are left in your Yan state?"

Murong Jin sighed, "After this battle, our Yan Kingdom lost more than two hundred men, and now only ninety-one remain. However, Wei Kingdom and Western Shu have formed an alliance. Even if the three of us combine our forces, we still don't have as many men as they do."

Upon hearing this, the generals from Yan and the Northern Di all looked grave.

Lin Xuan tapped the ground lightly with his fingertips, his expression calm, and slowly spoke to calm everyone's minds: "Now, there is indeed only one way to go: forming an alliance. The outcome of the battle is never just about the number of people. Military strength is only one aspect. Tactical planning, terrain utilization, and the superiority of weapons can also turn the tide of battle."

Tuoba Yu'er looked up at Lin Xuan. She had witnessed the entire battle at Eagle Sorrow Gorge last night.

With only a hundred men, Lin Xuan cleverly devised a plan to incite the three princes to kill each other, severely damaging the Southern Barbarians at minimal cost. His series of schemes and military deployments far surpassed those of all other generals.

She knew in her heart that the person in front of her was not just relying on luck. With him leading the planning and the three parties working together, there was still a sliver of a chance to win.

Tuoba Yu'er stood up and said, "I'm afraid the entire Northern Di army is willing to advance and retreat with the Crown Prince."

After a moment's thought, Murong Jin made up his mind, stood up, and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect: "Very well, my Yan Kingdom is willing to form an alliance with Daqian and Beidi, and will follow the Crown Prince's orders throughout the entire process to jointly resist the Wei-Shu allied forces."

The three parties immediately signed an alliance agreement, and the Three Kingdoms Alliance of Daqian, Beidi, and Yan was officially formed.

With the alliance established, the morale of the three armies was temporarily stabilized.

Tuoba Yu'er looked at Lin Xuan with a serious expression and said in a deep voice, "Lin Xuan, what should we do next?"

Lin Xuan stood up, his gaze fixed on the innermost part of the Qilian Mountains, his expression calm and resolute.

"There's no need to waste time here."

"Wei and Shu could launch a counterattack at any time. The most important thing right now is not to rest and recuperate, but to seize the core strategic location in the inner circle."

He glanced at Murong Jin and Tuoba Yu'er, and made arrangements in a deep voice:

"There is only one granary in the inner circle. We will immediately break camp and move into the granary to consolidate our defenses and occupy advantageous terrain."

Tuoba Yu'er and Murong Jin both nodded.

Having just survived a life-or-death ordeal, the two were completely convinced of Lin Xuan's judgment.

The numerical disadvantage is irreversible; the only way to turn the tide is through initiative, terrain, and strategy.

"Okay, I'll follow your instructions!"

"The entire army shall set off immediately!"

Gave an order,

Ninety-four from the Great Qian Dynasty, eighty-one from the Northern Di, and ninety-one from the Yan State.

The allied forces of the three countries, totaling 266 men, marched in neat formation at full speed toward the granary in the inner circle.

The mountain road was rugged, and the wind whistled through the forest.

Everyone knows that.

The overall situation on the outer edge is now settled.

Lin Fu was completely out of the game, and there was no way to turn the tide.