Rout! Pursuit!

"Urgent report—!" A detachment of Black Qiang scouts galloped into the military camp, escorting several tattered, disheveled riders. "Three days ago, twenty thousand troops of the Zhenxi Army suddenly appeared at the Royal Court! The court has already fallen, and countless elderly and young have been killed or wounded!" "What?!" Yuan Dingle sprang to his feet, his mind reeling. His psychological defense mechanisms instinctively took over, making him assume he had misheard. He pressed for confirmation, "What did you say?" "The Prince of Zhenxi's army appeared out of nowhere, and the Royal Court has fallen!" the rider wailed. "The court was caught defenseless. So many people died—anyone who could hold a blade was slaughtered!" Yuan Dingle's footing faltered, and two nearby guards rushed forward to steady him. "What the hell was Nagulu doing?!" Yuan Dingle demanded in utter shock. "How could he let twenty thousand troops slip past Jinfeng Pass?" Nagulu was the commanding general of the three-thousand-man detachment keeping watch over Jinfeng Pass. "It wasn't Nagulu," the rider wept. "The Central Plains army appeared from the west." "The west?" Yuan Dingle could not believe his ears. "How could they possibly come from the west?" In that brief span, the Black Qiang nobles, generals, Shi Mo and his disciple, Zhaixingzi and Zhuixingzi, and even Yuwen Haojie arrived on the scene. Hearing the rider's wails, all of them were stricken with shock. Someone roared in disbelief, "Impossible! Even if they marched beyond the border through Ding'an Prefecture, there is no way they could bypass Nagulu unnoticed!" "And arrive so quickly?!" "Could they have flown straight over Fengming Prefecture?" "Could these men be Central Plains spies sent intentionally to shatter our morale?" "Exactly! We have the White Qiang encircled and on the brink of collapse. Having no other choice, they must have concocted this vile trick!" The Black Qiang chieftains and officers either refused to believe it or threw out wild guesses, but panic gripped every single one of them. Even those accusing the riders of being spies were only outwardly composed; terror churned inside them, and their hands trembled. "Even if the Central Plains people wanted to shake our morale, how could they have summoned our own men from the Royal Court?" someone pointed out the crux of the matter. Panic among the crowd flared even higher. Yet they could not fathom circumstances that defied all logic. The Zhenxi Army had descended like divine soldiers from the heavens, bypassing every watchtower to materialize in their rear and shatter their headquarters completely. Only Shi Mo harbored a vague inkling, though it remained nebulous in his mind. Yuwen Haojie, possessing the clarity of a bystander, spoke up abruptly. "They skirted around via Yumen Pass and approached from the west. The western border of the Black Qiang meets the vast desert of the Western Regions, where tribes are sparse. It would be nearly impossible to detect them." An elder objected, "Impossible! From the moment they received word, even taking the shortest route through Jinfeng Pass would have been too late. How could they possibly make a detour through Yumen Pass?" Another elder chimed in, "Furthermore, the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor has always been on poor terms with the Central Plains imperial court's Northwestern Army. How could they secure passage through the Northwest to detour around Yumen Pass?" Yuwen Haojie glanced at them askance, his expression deadpan. He had offered the reminder out of courtesy, but these people lacked even the courage to face reality. Seeing how useless they were, he would waste no more breath on them. And yet... Yuwen Haojie turned his head toward the east. Looking past the encampment, he seemed to see a certain figure lurking inside the White Qiang Royal Court. *And yet, with this turn of events, the plan to unite the two Qiang tribes has failed...* *No, the two Qiang might truly unite after all, but not in the manner I envisioned.* Yuwen Haojie shook his head. At that moment, Shi Mo finally grasped the crucial link. "Zhao Yu traveled to the Western Regions last year—he must have mended ties with the Northwestern Army!" "But how could they be so fast?" another person pressed. Qubi Amu felt sheer pity for their stupidity. "Because we fell into a trap!" Now that the Black Qiang Royal Court had fallen, the enemy's strategy was laid bare for all to see. "Zhao Yu venturing beyond the border in person was the bait!" Qubi Amu hissed. "The twenty thousand troops of the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor mobilized long ago. They simply stayed within the passes and marched west to circle around Yumen Pass, which kept us completely in the dark! Zhao Yu brought three thousand Chengyuan Army troops to the White Qiang precisely to bait us into making a move. The White Qiang have nearly ten thousand cavalry of their own, while Jinfeng and Lingwu Passes are guarded by garrison troops. If we wanted to keep Zhao Yu on the grasslands, we had to commit everything we had. As a result, our Royal Court was bound to be left defenseless, allowing twenty thousand men circling past Yumen Pass to sneak into our home without making a sound!" Stunned silence fell over the crowd. "You mean... all our actions were calculated by them from the start?" someone stammered in disbelief. Another man broke down completely. "Were we played like puppets in their hands all along?" A few turned toward Shi Mo with fleeting looks of resentment. And for good reason: this entire campaign had been conceived by Shi Mo, from hiring the Twin Stars of the Xingxiu Sea to assassinate the White Qiang King, to baiting Zhao Yu and then mobilizing their full strength to capture him. Shi Mo's plan might have looked flawless, but they had overlooked the single most decisive factor—the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor could actually borrow passage through Yumen Pass! "What do we do now?" someone asked. "Go back!" another roared. "Our herdsmen, our livestock, our wealth—everything is at the Royal Court! Our army's provisions are shipped from the court, and we have less than ten days' worth left! If the Royal Court is stripped bare by the Central Plains, how much longer can we survive?" Someone retained a shred of reason. "We can't just head back. If we turn around, what if the White Qiang strike us from behind?" Others were gripped by sheer terror. "If we don't go back, the Zhenxi Army will sweep in from the west, catching us in a pincer attack alongside the White Qiang!" Every pair of eyes turned toward Yuan Dingle. Yuan Dingle had lost all composure. He drew deep, ragged breaths, his fists clenching and unclenching as conflicting thoughts tore through his mind, leaving him at a complete loss. "Report—!" Right then, another scout rushed in from outside. "Troops from Jinfeng Pass have mobilized! Nagulu failed to hold them. Struck from the north in a surprise attack by the Zhenxi Army, over half his force was decimated! He is retreating toward the main camp!" "Report—!" Yet another scout arrived with urgent news. "The camp outside Lingwu Pass has mobilized! Five thousand Chengyuan Army soldiers and three thousand Iron Eagle Cavalry are closing in on our positions! General Batur has sent a courier asking how to proceed!" Batur was the commanding general of the five-thousand-strong cavalry detachment blocking the Lingwu Pass defenders to the south. He had not yet learned of the fall of their Royal Court. Yuan Dingle was completely overwhelmed by panic. Every trace of his grand ambition to absorb the White Qiang had evaporated; all he cared about now was rushing back to relieve the Royal Court and driving out the twenty thousand Zhenxi soldiers. If only he could return to how things stood ten days ago, he would ask for nothing more. At the same time, the news of the fall of the Black Qiang Royal Court spread through the camp via the fleeing riders. The entire camp erupted into chaos. The parents, wives, and children of the Black Qiang cavalrymen were all encamped around the Royal Court. With their homeland overrun by the Zhenxi Army, how could they have any will left to fight the White Qiang? "Fall back! Fall back!" The Black Qiang camp plunged into turmoil as tents were struck and wagons loaded. Many warriors refused to even wait for the main force; grabbing whatever rations and bundles they could carry, they broke off into small squads and galloped away. Out of a full fifteen thousand men, nearly half scattered almost instantaneously. "Master Shi!" Yuan Dingle grabbed Shi Mo. "You must help this king reclaim the Royal Court!" Shi Mo's cheek twitched. Never had he imagined that an advantageous position from yesterday could be utterly overturned overnight. "Rest assured!" A fierce glint flashed in Shi Mo's eyes. "Your Majesty need only command the troops. When the two armies clash, I will kill their commanding general. That will throw their ranks into disarray, and we can turn defeat into victory!" Yuan Dingle breathed a sigh of relief. "I leave everything in your hands, Master Shi!" In less than an hour, Yuan Dingle abandoned nearly all heavy baggage. Traveling light with only weapons and rations, his army set out westward. *** Outside Lingwu Pass. Li Yunxiu, riding with the army, watched the hesitant movements of the Black Qiang cavalry ahead and knew they had not yet received word of the fall of their Royal Court. It made sense; they were merely a detached force, and news from the Black Qiang Royal Court would naturally reach the main encampment first. "A prime opportunity!" Li Yunxiu's eyes brightened, and she immediately dispatched orders to Zhao Defang: "Detour west and cut off this detachment's retreat. The moment they flee, sweep in and strike, holding them back as much as possible until the Chengyuan Army catches up." Li Yunxiu had determined that the Black Qiang main force was certain to retreat. If they did not, they would face a four-pronged encirclement by the White Qiang Royal Court, the Lingwu Pass garrison plus the Iron Eagle Cavalry, Feng Jing and Zhao Rong's force of twenty thousand, and finally the detachment from Jinfeng Pass. That was a death trap! To find a path to survival, they had only two choices: either conquer the White Qiang to seize their supplies, or immediately march back to crush Feng Jing and Zhao Rong's force and reclaim the Royal Court's resources. For twenty thousand cavalry lacking logistical support, pushing deeper north into the steppe, turning east to seek refuge with the Xiongnu, or fleeing west were all out of the question. Li Yunxiu judged that Yuan Dingle and Shi Mo lacked the resolve to conquer the White Qiang. Consequently, their only recourse was to retreat, placing their hopes on defeating the twenty thousand infantry under Feng Jing. Even she would have made the same choice! Once the Black Qiang main force fell back, the detachment before them would inevitably crumble and flee as well. Since infantry could not outrun cavalry, intercepting them now—waiting for chaos to take hold once they received the news, and then devouring them whole—was the ideal opportunity. This would both ease the pressure on Feng Jing's forces and secure military honors for the Chengyuan Army and the Iron Eagle Cavalry. The moment Li Yunxiu gave the word, Lu Yunzhou proved even more eager than Zhao Defang. He detached the five hundred cavalry belonging to the Chengyuan Army to join the Iron Eagle Cavalry in barring the path. Sure enough, not long after the Iron Eagle Cavalry departed, word reached Batur. Confusion swept through his ranks, and the men lost all stomach for battle, thinking only of rushing home to protect their wives and children. With a thunderous roar, the Iron Eagle Cavalry swept in from the flank. The Black Qiang cavalry instantly fell into disarray. Aside from a small contingent that managed to flee, the vast majority were cut off by the Iron Eagle Cavalry and steadily pressed into the Chengyuan Army's encirclement. *** At the White Qiang Royal Court. Roving scouts swiftly detected the unusual commotion in the Black Qiang camp. The enemy was in complete disarray, making no attempt to conceal their movements. Scattered soldiers even arrived at the White Qiang lines to surrender, bringing news with them. Only then did Asuli realize that everything had been part of Wang Yu's plan. Now, the plan had succeeded! "What should we do now?" Asuli asked Wang Yu instinctively, itching for action. "Should we pursue and cut them down?" Wang Yu smiled faintly. "The Black Qiang have lost all will to fight. I care not what Your Majesty chooses to do, but I intend to take the Chengyuan Army and give chase." Asuli's eyes lit up. What more needed to be said? He summoned Atuke, Huona, and all the White Qiang generals and warriors, marshaling eight thousand White Qiang cavalry. He even provided mounts for the three thousand men of the Chengyuan Army. Then, galloping out from the White Qiang Royal Court, they charged after the retreating Black Qiang army in relentless pursuit.