Teasing the First Dragon at the Start

"I have already ordered people to cook. Once the soldiers eat some fresh vegetables to replenish their nutrition, it should greatly reduce the problem of their physical weakness."

"Besides that, I also brought a lot of medicinal herbs to cure stomach aches. As long as we avoid drinking unboiled water and boil the water, it should solve the problem in the army..."

Meng Tian looked at Bai Su, who was carefully explaining the situation. She was taken aback for a moment, then solemnly cupped her hands in a salute: "Thank you for saving me, young master. On behalf of the 200,000 soldiers, I thank you."

Bai Su hurriedly reached out to help Meng Tian up, and smiled, "General, there's no need for such formalities. I was just helping out with a small favor. The one who should really thank you is you, General. If it weren't for your many years of guarding the Great Wall area, how could the Central Plains border ever be at peace?"

Meng Tian shook his head earnestly: "No matter what, I, Meng Tian, ​​will remember this kindness. If there is anything I can do to help in the future, I will do my best to assist you in order to thank you for saving my 200,000 soldiers today."

Bai Su looked at her rigid expression and couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

Meng Yi smiled and said, "Young Master Bai, please don't mind. My sister is just stubborn like this. Even His Majesty can't do anything about her. With your help, our army is safe and sound."

“These days, the Xiongnu have been spreading the news of my sister’s death every day, which has disrupted the morale of our army. It has forced my sister, who is clearly weak, to come out every day to stabilize the morale of the army. It is truly hateful. After enduring so many days, it is time to start the counterattack.”

Bai Su stroked her chin and said, "No, don't rush. I suddenly have a bold idea."

Meng Yi was taken aback and asked, "What bold idea?"

Bai Su smiled and said, "Since the Xiongnu are spreading the news of the general's death in an attempt to demoralize our army, why don't we go along with their wishes and stage a fake meeting to deceive them?"

Chapter 89 Young Master's move on the fifth floor

"What does it mean to follow the Xiongnu's wishes?"

Meng Tian frowned, her beautiful eyebrows furrowing, and asked in confusion.

Meng Yi, standing to the side, also looked at Bai Su curiously, unable to figure out what this young master Bai was up to.

Bai Su said with a smile, "Naturally, it's to lure the enemy in deep so that we can maximize our advantages."

"General, think about it. The advantage of our Central Plains troops lies in our troop deployment, our possession of powerful bows and crossbows, our superior weaponry, and the bravery we have developed in the war to unify the six kingdoms. If a real battle were to break out, we would basically win with fewer troops."

"In terms of frontal assault, the Xiongnu army is no match for us."

"But the Xiongnu also have their advantages. These nomadic peoples, who live by following the water and grass, have been on horseback since childhood. In terms of horsemanship, they are far superior to us."

"Their strength lies in long-distance raids and flexible maneuvering. Once they gain the upper hand, they pounce like a pack of wolves, biting your neck before you can even react, and suffocating you."

"But once they fall into a disadvantageous position, they turn around and run away, and you can't catch up even if you want to."

"With our capabilities, defeating them head-on wouldn't be difficult, but annihilating them in one battle would be an extremely difficult task."

Others might not know this, but Bai Su, who was well-versed in history, was all too aware of the Xiongnu's ability to escape, which was even more agile than a rabbit.

Emperor Wu of Han spent a huge amount of money on the Northern Expedition against the Xiongnu, which lasted for 44 years. However, most of the victories involved beheading hundreds or even two thousand people.

Among them, the number of battles in which tens of thousands of heads were beheaded is very small.

After all, the Xiongnu weren't stupid. Once they realized they couldn't win a direct confrontation, they would retreat far away and hide, developing their strength in a sneaky manner. Anyway, you couldn't catch up with them, and there was nothing you could do about them.

It would be extremely difficult to annihilate the Xiongnu army in one battle and break their backbone.

Upon hearing this, Meng Tian carefully considered what had happened, and a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.

It turned out to be exactly as Bai Su had said.

When she first led her army out of the Great Wall, the Xiongnu army was unaware that her rations had been changed. Without the constraints of logistics, the Xiongnu were caught off guard and she launched a surprise attack from afar, beheading more than 8,000 in one battle.

After that, the Xia army continued to win three battles in a row and kept advancing into the depths of the grassland.

However, the number of beheadings was decreasing, indicating that the Xiongnu were becoming increasingly vigilant and that the same methods were no longer very effective.

To achieve the same feat as the first battle, with eight thousand decapitations, is virtually impossible.

"Is a change of mindset needed now?"

After pondering for a moment, Meng Tian looked up at Bai Su beside him and asked, "Then, in your opinion, young master, what should we do?"

Bai Su said seriously, "Hasn't the Xiongnu been spreading rumors that it's a curse from the wolf god and that the general is critically ill?"

"At this moment, they do not know that my army has turned the tide. We might as well take advantage of this opportunity to put on a show that they want to see, and deliberately show weakness."

"To give them the illusion that we are just a dilapidated thatched hut that will collapse with just a light kick."

"In this way, the Xiongnu Chanyu will certainly not let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and will definitely lead his main force to launch a fierce attack."

"We can lure them into a narrow valley and trap them there, swallowing up this main force in one gulp."

After hearing Bai Su's plan, Meng Tian was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up.

Now the Xia army has retreated to Baideng Mountain. The Xiongnu army has only surrounded the surrounding area but has not launched a fierce attack. This is because the Central Plains have the advantage of strong bows and crossbows. A few thousand men can directly force back tens of thousands of Xiongnu cavalry, making it difficult to attack from the front.

Secondly, because of her renowned reputation beyond the Great Wall, she had a natural deterrent effect on the Xiongnu. As long as she stood in the military camp, the Xiongnu army would not dare to advance rashly.

However, once she, the commander-in-chief of the three armies, is "no longer here," the Xia army will be filled with anxiety, and the Xiongnu will surely breathe a sigh of relief. In addition, for more than half a month, some people in the Xia army have been "sick," making their combat strength weaker and weaker, and their morale extremely low.

To the Huns, who were unaware of the true situation, this was indeed a golden opportunity.

Thinking of this, Meng Tian couldn't help but smile on her cold and beautiful face: "It seems that this general needs to 'die of illness' once."

Meng Yi smiled and said, "Sister, this time you faked your death, which gave us a good opportunity to annihilate the main force of the Xiongnu. It was worth it."

Meng Tian looked at Bai Su beside him and said, "All of this is thanks to Young Master Bai. He came all the way from Xianyang and not only saved the lives of my 200,000 soldiers, but also took advantage of the opportunity of contracting the disease to turn our original disadvantage into an advantage. Young Master Bai is a man of great talent, one man is worth a thousand troops."

Bai Su scratched his cheek and laughed, "General, you flatter me. I was just talking. The key to the victory or defeat of this battle still depends on you generals."

"I have a suggestion regarding this fake death plan. There are some cautious people among the Xiongnu. If we release the news of the general's death too directly, it may arouse suspicion."

"It's hard to catch big fish by relying on only the first level of thinking, so we need to think on several levels, not only to calculate the enemy, but also to calculate our own people."

"For example, the general is strict in managing his troops and has a meticulous mind. Even if a major change occurs, he will immediately block the news to prevent the morale of the troops from collapsing."

"The general has been fighting the Xiongnu for more than half a month. Some of the smarter people among the Xiongnu have already understood the general's character. They will not act rashly when they see something that does not conform to common sense. Therefore, we need to pretend to block the news."

"Make it seem like the military camp is in complete chaos, but outside the camp gates, it's as if nothing has happened. Then, have some people 'accidentally' reveal some clues."

"Let the Xiongnu guess that the general has died of illness and that we have lost all fighting spirit and are preparing to retreat to the Central Plains under the cover of night. In this way, the Xiongnu will definitely not let this opportunity pass."

"If you want to outmaneuver the enemy, you must first outmaneuver yourself... Hey, why are you two generals looking at me like that?"

As he was speaking, he suddenly felt a bit quiet. He looked up and saw Meng Tian and Meng Yi staring at him with strange expressions.

Meng Yi coughed lightly and said, "No...it's nothing, it's just that I feel like you're on the fifth level this time, young master."

A smile appeared on Meng Tian's cold and beautiful face: "If you want to scheme against the enemy, you must first scheme against your own people. This idea is indeed interesting. If we win this battle, you will be the one to deserve the greatest credit."

Chapter 90 Public Toilet? You Can Just Leave Whenever You Want

"King Zuoxian..."

Inside the large tent, where a campfire blazed, a scout, covered in sweat and mud, lifted the curtain and entered the tent.

At this moment, the banquet in the tent was in full swing. A woman with a cold appearance and a scar on her face sat on a chair covered with white wolf skin, with a curved knife embroidered with golden wolf patterns, symbolizing her noble status, at her waist.

Several of her Hu (non-Han) subordinates were either roasting mutton or pouring wine for her, clearly indicating their high status.

This man was none other than the Left Wise King of the Xiongnu, and the right-hand man of Chanyu Modu.

She made great contributions in the wars against the Linhu and Donghu in the Xiongnu. The strategy of burying cattle and sheep carcasses under the riverbed and making the Central Plains troops drink the polluted river water was her idea.

When the Left Wise King saw the scouts return, he put down his wine cup and said with a smug smile, "How's the situation lately? Is the Xia army's camp in complete chaos?"

The scout wiped the sweat from his brow, cupped his hands, and said, "Reporting to the Left Wise King, many soldiers in the Xia army have fallen ill and are now rarely taking the initiative to attack. They are simply hiding in their camps around Baideng Mountain, refusing to come out."

"However, I noticed that the number of campfires in the camp is significantly less than it was half a month ago, which clearly indicates that the situation in the camp has reached a rather serious point."

Upon hearing this, the Left Wise King couldn't help but laugh smugly, "Good... If this trend continues, in less than a month, there probably won't be many people left in this camp who can wield a knife."

"By the way, how is Meng Tian doing now?"

As she spoke, her brows furrowed.

This number one warrior of China was much more difficult to deal with than she had imagined. Despite having drunk contaminated water for a long time, he was already sick.

But he still forced himself to stand up every day to stabilize morale.

Under Meng Tian's command, Xia Jun, despite falling ill one after another, still retained a frightening strength and repelled her fierce attacks several times in a row.

The fact that she had lost seven or eight thousand men without making any progress left her gritting her teeth in frustration, but she was completely helpless.

This is because Meng Tian is too tenacious. As long as this woman is alive, the Xia army, under her leadership, is like an impregnable wall of steel.

The scout stroked his chin and said, "Speaking of which, something strange has happened in the Xia army recently."

The Left Wise King looked surprised and asked, "Something strange?"

The scout nodded and said, "No matter how bad the weather was in the past, Meng Tian, ​​as the commander-in-chief of the three armies, would patrol the entire camp to stabilize morale and strengthen vigilance."

"But we haven't seen Meng Tian for quite some time now, and in the past, whenever the Xia army discovered our movements, they would immediately be on alert and ready to fight."

"But when I led my men to scout ahead today, I found that the Xia army's reaction speed was particularly slow, as if their morale was wavering and they had no will to fight."

"Has the Xia army begun to fall ill en masse, and is there chaos within the army?"

The Left Wise King frowned and shook his head: "There is still a short time. It will only cause some people with weaker constitutions to fall ill first. It is not enough to cause all 200,000 troops to fall ill."

"Moreover, with Meng Tian, ​​the commander-in-chief of the three armies, stabilizing morale, even if there is an impact from illness, it is not enough to disrupt morale. If any changes occur, it would be unless something happens in the Xia army's camp that we are unaware of, or something else entirely...!!!"

She seemed to have caught something and hurriedly looked at the scout, asking, "How long has it been since you last saw Meng Tian?"

The scout looked surprised and replied, "It's been about four or five days. Why does the Left Wise King ask this?"

The Left Wise King smirked and said, "I know why the Xia army is behaving so strangely."

The scout asked, "Why?"

"Because that woman, Meng Tian... is dead!"

The Left Wise King's face lit up with excitement as he said, "That's right, it must be so. With that woman's rigid personality, as long as she has a breath left, she will grit her teeth and stand up, like a flag, to stabilize the morale of the army and intimidate us."

"She hasn't shown up for a long time now, which means her body can't take it anymore. She's been drinking polluted river water for so long, and she's still patrolling every day with a weak body."

"Now that it has finally collapsed, it is perfectly normal."

Thinking of this, just in case, she quickly sent her subordinates to check, wanting to see if Meng Tian was really dead. The Xia army was in a state of panic and had no fighting spirit.

About an hour later.

Several guards returned to report that, just as she had guessed, although the camp was under tight security and the campfires were arranged in a rather messy manner.

Clearly, Meng Tian was dead, and the Xia army was in chaos.

The Left Wise King cautiously confirmed the situation again, and while he breathed a sigh of relief, he could no longer hide the ecstasy on his face: "Good, gather all our troops and launch a surprise attack on the Xia army's camp tonight."