Chapter 1279 – Taking Down Huang Song, Unifying Dongqing (Part 21)
Sure enough, after taking a detour on the march for a day, they encountered an ambush once again.
Yang Si’s eyes widened in shock, suddenly realizing.
“Lord, Yuan Xin is trying to drag us to death—”
The longer they marched, the more rations they consumed. If they couldn’t reunite with Feng Jin and the others before running out of food—
Fifty thousand troops might actually be ambushed to death here.
Just thinking about that possibility made Yang Si feel both relieved and fearful.
“It’s not just about dragging out time. Haven’t you noticed how quickly the soldiers are losing energy?” Jiang Pengji said. “Due to the ambush, the troops must stay alert. It’s manageable for a moment, but if this continues for several days, their energy will dwindle, and their combat effectiveness will undoubtedly drop.”
With low morale, empty stomachs, how much battle power could they muster?
Yang Si asked, “What should we do now, Lord?”
Jiang Pengji retorted, “What do you think?”
Yang Si replied, “Rather than hesitating like this, we should just risk it and break through; we can’t suffer a major loss over minor fears.”
If they worried about losing a few thousand troops while sacrificing fifty thousand and a leader, Yang Si would truly spit blood.
Jiang Pengji smiled coldly as she unsheathed her God-slaying Blade, the shining blade reflecting blinding white light under the sun.
“Funny, I was thinking the same thing.”
Jiang Pengji was never one to shy away from battle; her cautious nature didn’t mean she would shrink back or lose big over small matters.
If someone had orchestrated such a targeted scheme against her, failing to retaliate fiercely would mean she was underestimated.
“Advance the troops!”
If they continued to linger, their morale, combat power, and the soldiers’ energy would drop significantly, and they would lack the strength to fight when the time came.
“It’s a bit like boiling a frog in warm water,” Jiang Pengji observed. “The enemy leverages my unwillingness to incur unnecessary losses, designing this so-called ‘ambush’ to lead us into taking detours and doing pointless work unwittingly. If I chose to evade conflict due to this more than once, it would fall right into the enemy’s trap. Bit by bit, slowly consuming our combat strength—this tactic isn’t bad. Moreover, the food along the way has already been cleared out by the enemy. Without supplies and in dire straits, we’d be left just staring and waiting for death—”
“I’d like to see that strategist behind this plan,” Yang Si shook his head. “From the setups, he understands the situation in Chenzhou and knows our marching speed so well, it’s as if he knows it by heart. If he’s not careful and something goes wrong, it’s all wasted effort—”
If Jiang Pengji marched faster than expected, they’d bump right into her army while setting up the ambush, effectively signing their own death warrant.
If she marched slower than expected, it wouldn’t achieve the desired effect.
Only by perfectly calculating everything could they press tightly on the enemy, forcing them into frantic measures.
Jiang Pengji scoffed, “The best idea is worthless once it’s seen through.”
Is she afraid of ambushes?
Of course not!
What are ambushes worth?
Let’s say a thousand ambushers—no, even fifty thousand—wouldn’t think they could keep all her troops back.
Once the target gets alert, the effectiveness of the ambush is significantly reduced.
Yang Si smirked; he loved seeing their lord radiate confidence as if ready to take on the world.
No one wants to follow a timid and incompetent lord; it’s such a drag to be a subordinate.
According to Hua Yuan’s calculations, Jiang Pengji would hold back just one more time before erupting, stepping right into the carefully laid trap that was perfect for an ambush.
Unexpectedly, her temper was even more volatile than Hua Yuan anticipated, and she couldn’t hold back any longer.
No more patience, no need for more!
The first to be taken by surprise by Jiang Pengji’s unconventional military action was Yuan Xin.
After Hua Yuan missed twice, Yuan Xin wasn’t so concerned about this ambush.
Casually waving a hand, would Jiang Pengji really be lured away? However perfect the ambush, it would be wasted!
To his surprise, Jiang Pengji was charging right at them now, throwing Yuan Xin into a state of chaos.
Jiang Pengji had always been decisive; she acted swiftly without delay.
Having made up her mind to crash through, she made sure her enemies had no time for psychological preparation.
Yuan Xin’s anger boiled over, veins popping on his forehead as he grit his jaw—
“These scholars are truly not to be trusted—”
Hua Yuan’s plan went awry, leaving Yuan Xin on the defensive—he was on the ambushing side, yet he felt like he was the one ambushed by Jiang Pengji.
Yuan Xin, being arrogant and self-important, would never seek out faults within himself; he immediately turned to blame Hua Yuan.
After all, Hua Yuan was just a temporary worker without any backing; to Yuan Xin, his life equated to that of an ant.
Would he admit that the failure wasn’t the temporary worker’s fault, but his own?
Seeing the enemy army drawing closer, Yuan Xin had no choice but to prepare for battle in haste.
Thanks to Jiang Pengji’s early discovery and Yuan Xin’s inadequate preparation, the so-called ambush wouldn’t achieve the expected result.
Even so, Yuan Xin’s side caused some casualties on Jiang Pengji’s troops.
Compared to the losses in a proper ambush, this level of casualties was still within acceptable limits.
Watching the scales of battle tip in Jiang Pengji’s favor, Yuan Xin could only retreat in anger, leaving behind three to four thousand corpses.
This battle turned out to be unexpectedly easy—
Jiang Pengji shook her head. “Running into a military general like Yuan Xin is truly infuriating.”
According to footage from the livestream, the first two ambushes required serious effort, and if Jiang Pengji forcibly charged in, she would’ve lost at least five thousand troops. Yet this time, with Yuan Xin slacking off and trying to throw a casual fire drill—
But Jiang Pengji didn’t play by the rules! Instead of choosing to detour, she charged right in!
What flimsy setup could withstand the violent assault of Jiang Pengji?
Yang Si wiped the blood from his face with a napkin, tidying himself as he said, “I feel for Nie Xun.”
Jiang Pengji said, “Yuan Xin has indeed reminded me; military reforms should be initiated earlier.”
If a general alters military orders and strategies for personal gain, or is negligent in his duties, Yuan Xin serves as a prime example.
Once the commander’s authority is absolute, encountering a reliable one is a blessing, but if it’s an unreliable one—
Jiang Pengji couldn’t help but frown.
Her generals weren’t many; aside from a few she trusted, the new recruits raised recently were too inexperienced to stand on their own.
Inexperience meant a lack of experience, making them easy targets for manipulation.
Of course, generals like Yuan Xin, who were arrogant and overconfident, needed to be kept at arm’s length.
Yang Si knew very well about military reforms—his lord had brought it up several times before, but it had never come to fruition due to timing issues.
“Military reforms? Should the lord start immediately when we return?”
Jiang Pengji shook her head. “We’ll implement reforms after defeating Bergao. Making changes mid-battle would have too great an impact.”
She wanted to restrict the commander’s military and leadership powers!
She certainly didn’t want to see another Yuan Xin emerge from her ranks!
If Huang Song could tolerate Yuan Xin, she couldn’t!
