The Demonic Crown Prince

"Tell me why," Li Yuan said, looking at him with an encouraging smile.

"I think that if they act prematurely, it will cause too much of a commotion on the official road."

Moreover, the plains may not be able to completely encircle and annihilate us.

If it were Eagle Falling Mountain, the terrain would be extremely advantageous for them. It's a long canyon, and once our entire army advances, they could block both ends, making it impossible for us to escape.

"By then, even if we're exhausted, we'll be trapped to death; none of us will be able to escape."

Yan broke through the mountain road.

"That's right. So what are your plans?"

Li Yuan asked.

"We don't know how they deploy their troops, but in any case, there are only a few possible tactics. Either they've all laid an ambush at Eagle Falling Mountain, waiting for us to enter, then blocking us from both ends and attacking us."

"Or they'll launch a surprise attack, forcing us into the canyon before making their move!"

Yan broke through the mountain road.

"What should we do?" Li Yuan admired Yan Poshan even more.

"This is the only passage out of the capital region and into Yanbei. All the other routes are mountains, and large troops simply cannot bypass them. We have no choice but to fight our way through."

Therefore, the best approach is to first sneak in, seize the high ground on both sides, eliminate the ambushers, and then guard both sides to cover the passage of our cavalry and supply train.

Finally, a rearguard was left to block the mouth of the canyon, preventing their pursuit.

Yan Poshan said.

"What about you guys? What are you thinking?" Li Yuan turned to look at Wang Wanquan and the others.

All three nodded in unison, and Wang Wanquan said, "General Yan's suggestion is the best solution."

"But right now we have no idea how many enemies there are. If we rush up the mountain, will we be ambushed?"

We are unaware of these circumstances and need to conduct more thorough planning.

Xu Lei, who had a somewhat scholarly air about him, thought for a moment and added a sentence.

Li Yuan shook his head, smiled slightly, and asked, "What if we don't fight?"

"Not fighting?" Everyone was taken aback.

"General, we have no choice but to fight this battle, don't we?"

They were guarding that spot; we couldn't get through at all.

Wang Wanquan hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice.

"Then let's not go there right now. Who says we have to go immediately?"

Li Yuan stretched lazily and said.

"This..." Wang Wanquan and the others still didn't quite understand.

But Yan Poshan seemed lost in thought. "Your Highness, do you mean...wait?"

"Of course we have to wait. They've already laid an ambush, why should we just walk right into it?"

"Can't we just wait for them to come out and fight?"

Li Yuan laughed heartily.

"I see. So Your Highness intends to wait until they are exhausted and agitated before making your move?"

Yan Poshan's eyes lit up.

"Yes, but not entirely!"

Li Yuan smiled slightly!

The others were completely baffled, not knowing what he was up to, but Yan Poshan seemed to have a vague idea of ​​what he was up to.

Just then, Xiao Guizi rushed over, "Your Highness, the Princess Consort is looking for you; she says she has important matters to discuss!"

"Something important to discuss?" Li Yuan raised an eyebrow, then suddenly remembered that the day they had agreed upon had arrived.

This is indeed an important matter!

He returned to the central camp, where the artisan camp, the supply camp, and his family were located.

This time when he left Beijing, Li Yuan bought many large carts and hired a lot of laborers. After all, if the logistics couldn't keep up, everything else would be in vain.

The hired laborers numbered nearly a thousand, and there were more than four hundred carts, which marched forward in a grand procession.

However, the presence of the supply battalion slowed down the overall marching speed. At the current pace, even on the official roads, they would be lucky to cover fifty li a day.

However, Li Yuan was not in a hurry.

Upon reaching Xu Shuying's carriage, he knocked on the side of the carriage. "What is it?"

The sedan curtain was lifted, revealing Xu Shuying's stunningly beautiful face. Her cheeks were slightly flushed as she softly said, "Come into the carriage, I have something to tell you."

"Women are such a hassle!" Li Yuan snorted and got into the car.

Once in the car, Li Yuan sat opposite her. "What's up?"

"Do you... still remember our promise?" Xu Shuying asked in a low voice.

"There are too many things to remember," Li Yuan said deliberately.

"You..." Xu Shuying glared at him, both embarrassed and angry, knowing that he must have done it on purpose.

Taking a deep breath, she calmed her expression and looked at Li Yuan. "On our wedding night at the Eastern Palace, we made a promise that as long as you take me out of the capital, I... I will..."

At this point, she simply couldn't continue.

Li Yuan chuckled. "So you're trading your body for your freedom, right?"

"Say what you will about me, think what you will about me, I don't care. Tonight is your chance. After tonight, I will leave tomorrow."

I just hope you can keep your promise!

Xu Shuying looked at Li Yuandao calmly on the surface, but her heart was in turmoil as she awaited his answer.

"Oh, I see. Okay, there's a county called Guangyuan County about forty miles ahead. We'll stay there tonight."

"I'll arrange accommodations for you then; just wait for me."

Li Yuan laughed heartily.

"Whatever!" Xu Shuying said, as if she had already seen through everything.

But seeing him walk out so nonchalantly, she almost bit her red lips raw.

That scoundrel, does he really care so little about himself?

For a moment, she felt incredibly resentful!

……

The troops continued to advance, but they did not forget to train along the way. Some scout units conducted reconnaissance in front and behind, while the cavalry in the middle were divided into multiple groups to carry out back-and-forth encirclement drills. At the same time, everyone was fully armored and carrying heavy loads to train their strength and endurance.

Although the soldiers were equipped with ordinary lamellar armor, it was still quite remarkable.

Previously, the entire Thirteen Divisions only had a little over two hundred sets of armor, but now, with Jiang Zhanyue's "selfless" help, they have managed to get one set for each person.

Putting aside everything else, the sheer number of these armored soldiers already represents the absolute elite of the Imperial Guards.

It should be noted that ordinary Imperial Guard troops consisted of officers of the rank of Junior Banner Commander and above, as well as some elite daredevils, who were equipped with armor. The rest of the soldiers were mostly in leather armor.

The local militia were in an even worse situation, as they were mostly equipped with rattan armor, bamboo armor, and the like.

Although the border troops were stronger than the local troops, they were at most only about the same size as the regular imperial guards, far from being fully armored.

Therefore, judging solely from the quality and quantity of armor, Li Yuan's army has already crossed the threshold of being an absolutely elite force.

The army trained as they marched, and after traveling forty li, they finally arrived at a county town called Guangyuan.

Yan Poshan had already led his men to the county town to make contact.

Guangyuan County is quite large. Because it is located in the heart of the capital region, it has a dense population of over 100,000 people, and the county seat itself has 10,000 people, making it a medium-sized county.

The magistrate of Guangyuan County was named Pan Ming, who was thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old. He had set up a banquet table in the county government office and was sitting at the table, raising his cup with trepidation.

"Your humble servant, Pan Ming, respectfully welcomes Your Highness's arrival. Your Highness is leading your army on a campaign to Yanbei. I have prepared a simple feast to reward your troops. I hope Your Highness will forgive any shortcomings!"

Pan Ming spoke with utmost respect and a hint of awe.