Night Raid

  Night Raid 91

  Back in Yonglin City, Xia Shu had indeed followed several leaders of the Black Cloud Riders to reinforce the city's defenses. Yun Tian couldn't help but feel anxious and rushed off as soon as he entered the city, telling Ye Li a word before leaving without even greeting her, the queen. Murong Ting had no interest in the stacks of scrolls and maps that Ye Li was studying in the study room, so she turned around and went to find some young and strong youths and agile women in the city, planning to organize them together. When the battle came, although they couldn't follow them onto the battlefield, they could still help take care of the wounded and handle logistics. Ye Li also agreed with her idea, and Murong Ting, who had been restrained by Murong Shen for a long time, was overjoyed and left with a smile on her face.

  Ye Li sat in the specially cleared study, frowning at the map spread out before her. She was clearly not a genius, at least when it came to commanding large-scale battles. As a former special forces soldier, she was more skilled at small-unit tactics and striking at the enemy's weak points. Now, facing an attack by tens of thousands of soldiers without even having the advantage of terrain, just holding out until reinforcements arrived would be something to smile about. The fact that Shui Xue Guan had never been breached by foreign forces in hundreds of years had given Yong Lin City a false sense of security, and its city walls were not equipped to withstand an attack from within. Who could have predicted that the soldiers stationed at Shui Xue Guan would one day face an attack from within Da Chu's borders?

  "They've seen the princess." Xia Shu Yun and others came together, standing at the door to pay their respects to Ye Li. Ye Li waved his hand casually without even looking up, saying: "Come in, how's it going?" The most straightforward of them all, Yun, smiled and said: "Thanks to the help from the Black Cloud Riders, we've managed to reinforce the city defenses a bit more." The leader of the Black Cloud Riders shook his head, saying: "The foundation of Yonglin City is too weak. Even if we add more reinforcements, I'm afraid it won't last much longer." Yesterday's attack was just a probe, and when the next attack begins, it might not be so easy to stop.

  Ye Li raised her head, her eyebrows slightly furrowed: "The rebels shouldn't attack in the next two days, but we can't let our guard down. You all need to be extra careful." Yesterday, they had set up a fake formation to deceive Mo Jing Lei, and since Mo Jing Lei hadn't figured out their true numbers, he probably wouldn't launch an easy attack. However, deception couldn't last long, and once Mo Jing Lei discovered the truth, they would only face an even stronger offensive. "Yun Tian Xia Shu, you two are familiar with the surrounding area, come take a look at this map." Yun Tian and Xia Shu walked forward with some curiosity, and Ye Li spread out a large map on the desk in front of her. The top line was written in elegant handwriting: "Eternal Forest Terrain Map". Yun Tian and Xia Shu quickly discovered that this map not only included Eternal City but also covered almost all areas within a hundred miles of Eternal City, including the Broken Snow Pass and parts of the Southern Territory. Most importantly, this map was clearly newly drawn. Yun Tian asked in confusion: "Does the princess need a map? We have several maps stored here, and Shattered Snow Pass has a complete map of Yongzhou."

  Ye Li shook her head, neither she nor the Black Cloud Riders were familiar with Yongzhou. In war, being unfamiliar with the terrain was a taboo. So she had sent a message to the Black Cloud Riders to collect topographic data around Yonglin while she was still in Nanjiang, and only last night did they draw it out according to the original map. However, since most of the areas were not viewed by herself, this map had some uncertainty, so she wanted Yun Tian and Xia Shu, who were familiar with the local area, to take a look.

  Xia Shu gazed intently at the map for a long time, his eyes shining with fervor as he whispered in admiration: "Is this really drawn by the princess herself?" Ye Li rubbed her brow and said: "Although I trust the Black Cloud Riders' soldiers, we still haven't been able to verify it on site. Take a look and see if there's anything off about this map." Xia Shu studied it for a long time before pointing at a spot marked with a river and saying: "Here...if this river were just a bit closer to that mountain, it would probably be fine." Ye Li picked up her pen again and asked: "How far is this river from the mountain?" Xia Shu lowered his head and calculated for a moment before responding: "About three li or so." Ye Li raised an eyebrow; indeed, it was a bit off. Maps were like that - if you were off by even a tiny bit, you could end up being wrong by thousands of miles. She took her pen and began to revise the map, Xia Shu watching in amazement as he felt even more admiration for Princess Ye Li. To say nothing of anything else, maps were something that even people who had personally walked through every place might not be able to draw accurately - so how could Princess Ye Li, who had only heard about it from others, have been able to depict it with almost perfect accuracy? This map was at least ten times clearer and more detailed than the ones they already had. What did warfare rely on? Besides strategy and tactics, wasn't it also about timing and geography? But not every commander had the chance to thoroughly explore the place where they would be fighting. With this map, the area around Yonglin within a hundred miles was basically crystal clear.

  "Your Highness, are we just going to wait for the rebels to attack the city like this?" Yunfeng asked somewhat impatiently.

  Ye Li smiled and said: "So what were you guys thinking originally?"

  Yun Tian felt a bit embarrassed, originally they could only wait for the rebel army to attack the city. It wasn't that they wanted to, but they were limited by their military strength and had no other choice. But now they have 2,000 Black Cloud Riders, don't they? The Black Cloud Riders are good at attacking, not defending, right? Of course, he himself didn't like defending either.

  "Near Yonglin are all mountains and forests, the cavalry's ability is greatly restricted and can't be displayed at all." Xia Shu furrowed his brow, for the first time seeing the dense forests on the map made him feel anxious. If it were a flat plain, the Black Cloud Riders would have been able to do something, but now... However, he also knew that if it really were a flat plain, with tens of thousands of rebel troops besieging the city, there would be no way to defend against them either.

  The Black Cloud Riders' leader sneered, "Although the Black Cloud Riders are known for their cavalry, what they excel in is not just horsemanship and archery." The main purpose of the cavalry was to deal with the Northern Rong, but the horses of Great Chu were no match for those of the Northern Rong. Although the Black Cloud Riders were elite, if they were to clash with the iron cavalry of the Northern Rong, it would be a hard and bitter fight that neither side would benefit from. Xia Shu looked at the proudly expressionless leader of the Black Cloud Riders and the silent Dark Two and Dark Three standing beside him, hesitating as he asked, "Can't we launch a preemptive strike and disrupt their plans?"

  Ye Li raised an eyebrow, "Go on."

  Xia Shu picked up the charcoal pen on the seat, marked on the map while saying: "The rebels are now camping twenty miles away from Yonglin. If we launch a surprise attack with cavalry, we should be able to catch them off guard."

  Hei Er Dao said, "The cavalry is too loud, if we want speed, I'm afraid we'll be discovered before we even get close to the main camp. Moreover... with two thousand horses and men, can we really sneak attack a camp of tens of thousands of soldiers?" Even if they were to infiltrate the enemy's camp, Hei Yun cavalry may not necessarily be able to retreat unscathed. Xia Shu shook his head and said, "We don't need to sneak attack their main camp. The terrain of Yong Lin dictates that they absolutely cannot station all their troops in one place. If the rebel camp is here, then these two places must also have stationed some troops to form a horn-shaped defense, which can also protect the main camp. The number of troops stationed in these two places should not exceed ten thousand. Perhaps... we can create some chaos?"

  "Qin Feng?" Ye Li raised an eyebrow and asked Hei Yun's commander.

  Qin Feng furrowed his brow and said, "If it's really like that, we can cut off the left wing's path to the main camp first. It's entirely possible to annihilate this pair of cavalry. Even if we can't, this mountain road isn't too wide, so the enemy's reinforcements won't arrive too quickly, and we'll have time to retreat completely. However, doing it this way might make the enemy suspect that the Black Cloud Riders' main force is not in Yongzhou." Ye Li blinked and smiled, asking, "What if both wings are annihilated?"

  Everyone in the study room cast their eyes on Ye Li, and it was already very difficult to annihilate one side of people and horses. How could they possibly annihilate both sides at the same time?

  "An Er, An San, gather all intelligence on Mo Jing's military camp as soon as possible." Ye Li ordered.

  He nodded silently and left the study.

  For two consecutive days, Mo Jing Lei could only hold back his troops as he had not received any news from the Black Cloud Riders. Every time he saw the not-so-many Black Cloud Riders on the walls of Yonglin City from afar, Mo Jing Lei would suspect that there were actually not many Black Cloud Riders in Yongzhou and that Mo Xiu Yao was not even in Yongzhou. However, just as he wanted to make up his mind to launch an attack, he felt that this might be one of Mo Xiu Yao's plots to lure him into a trap. Mo Xiu Yao had always been cunning and full of tricks, making it necessary for him to be on guard. Therefore, even though the Southern Yan Kingdom had already sent people to urge him to attack, he could only continue to face off against Yonglin City with his tens of thousands of troops.

  "Your Highness, the Nan Zhao side has urged us multiple times already. Are we going to attack Yong Lin tomorrow?" a middle-aged man with a military appearance asked in the large tent.

  Mo Jingli frowned and said, "What's the hurry? If they're so anxious, why don't they try breaking through Shuixue Pass themselves? After fighting for so many days, they haven't even scratched a bit of skin off Murong Shen!" The military advisor shook his head with a bitter smile and said, "The walls of Shuixue Pass are solid and have been impregnable since ancient times. It's reasonable that they've been unable to break through after such a long time." Mo Jingli hesitated, his sword-like eyebrows furrowed as he asked the military advisor, "Is it really useful to let the Nanzhao people enter the pass?" The military advisor was taken aback and looked at him in confusion, saying, "Your Highness's meaning is...?" Mo Jingli snorted lightly and said, "We swept through Yongzhou without using any of the Nanzhao people's efforts. If we let them into Shuixue Pass, I'm afraid... it's easy to invite the gods but hard to send them away." Although the Nanzhao people were cooperating with him now, he was also aware that they weren't so honest. Once the myth of Shuixue Pass being impenetrable for a hundred years was broken, he feared that these people would be more eager to challenge Shuixue Pass and invade the territory of Da Chu in the future.

  "Your Highness, an arrow shot from a bow has no turning back." The military advisor advised, "Once we break the agreement, Nan Zhao will likely withdraw its troops immediately. By then, Murong Shen will turn around and deal with us. When the imperial court's reinforcements arrive... the consequences are unbearable to think about. Therefore, Your Highness should end this quickly." Mo Jingli nodded, he understood this logic all too well, "You said... why did Hei Yun Qi come so quickly?"

  The military advisor said with some difficulty: "Ding Wang has always been deep in thought and far-sighted. For the past two days, we have not been able to track down the whereabouts of this black cloud cavalry. I'm afraid it's a hidden chess piece that Ding Wang had buried here long ago." Thinking of this, the military advisor couldn't help but clench his fist, if it weren't for this black cloud cavalry being in Yonglin City now, they would have already been captured. Perhaps even Suixue Pass would have been broken through.

  "Are you saying that Mo Xiu Yao had anticipated that a war would break out in the southern border?" Mo Jing Lei asked with an unpleasant expression.

  The military advisor didn't dare to acknowledge, only saying: "Maybe it's just that the King of Ding stayed behind to prevent Nan Zhao from rising again. After all, back then, the King of Ding fought very fiercely in the southern border." If not for the imperial family worrying about the reputation and achievements of the King of Ding's general being too high at the time, ordering him to withdraw his troops, I'm afraid Nan Zhao would have ceased to exist by now. The hatred between Nan Zhao and the King of Ding doesn't need to be mentioned; the King of Ding probably views the revived Nan Zhao as a thorn in his eye. Mo Jing Lei disdainfully curled her lip: "Mo Xiu Yao claims to be a god of war, but after fighting for a year, he still couldn't pacify the southern border. I, on the other hand, swept through Yongzhou in just half a month. At most, it will take another half year, and the entire area south of the Yunlan River will be pacified!"

  "His Highness is wise." The military advisor smiled, wiping away his sweat without leaving any trace. It was absolutely the blessing of heaven that they were able to succeed so smoothly this time. Since Murong Shen took over the defense of Shuixue Pass, the Emperor had been using various methods to reduce the military strength of Yongzhou, and the governor of Yongzhou had been tirelessly causing trouble for Murong Shen. As a result, the defenses of Yongzhou were left empty. And they had taken advantage of this unexpected opportunity to launch a surprise attack, which was why everything had gone so smoothly. However, once the imperial court reacted, it wouldn't be that easy anymore. Nevertheless, His Highness was right; if they could eliminate Murong Shen at Shuixue Pass, the area south of Yunlan River would indeed become their pocket territory.

  "Report to the king! The western army has been ambushed!" A soldier outside the tent hastily reported in a loud voice. Mo Jing Lei was taken aback, and suddenly got up and walked out of the tent to look into the distance, and indeed saw a blaze rising from the west, "Bastard! How could Yonglin City still have the strength to launch a sneak attack?" The military advisor followed him out and also saw the situation in the west, and hastily reminded: "Your Majesty..." Mo Jing Lei coldly said: "Send someone over to reinforce!"

  "Your Highness, look over there!" The hastily arriving generals exclaimed in surprise. At the same time, flames also rose from the large camp to the east. One of them cried out in alarm: "The eastern camp has been attacked too!"

  The military advisor's eyes flashed, and he said in a low voice: "Your Highness! There are actually not many soldiers and horses in Yonglin City. If you want to attack both the east and west wings at the same time, the city must be empty. If we take advantage of this opportunity to attack the city..." Mo Jing Lei suddenly turned around and stared at him, "Do you think those two young men in Yonglin City have the guts to leave Yonglin empty and launch a night raid?" Yun Tian and Xia Shu were not familiar with him, but they were not strangers either. It was said that they were the youngest captains under Murong Shen. Two captains in their early twenties, it was impossible for them to be so reckless as to leave Yonglin unguarded and take risks. Moreover, anyone who wasn't an idiot knew that even if the night raid succeeded, it would be impossible to repel the army of hundreds of thousands, and instead, it would waste the defensive strength of Yonglin City.

  "The prince's intention..." The military advisor frowned and said.

  "Send scouts to investigate! General Zhang, General Li, reinforce the east and west camps!"

  "Yes! Your Highness."

  On a mountain peak not far from the Lei Wang's camp, Ye Li looked down with satisfaction at the smoke and fire below, as well as the sounds of killing. Xia Shu and An Er and An San followed closely behind Ye Li, looking at the scene below, "The reinforcements have arrived!" Xia Shu pointed to a group of people and horses quickly moving towards the west camp on the road below. Ye Li smiled lightly with her eyebrows lowered, "The west camp will be ending soon? Let them lead them around in circles for a while." Xia Shu laughed, "Of course, if we're talking about the terrain, it's still us locals who are more familiar with it. The east wing is probably going to collapse soon." Ye Li said, "Let those people deal with it themselves. Get the dark guards ready, I don't want Mo Jing Lei to send out more reinforcements again." Eating too much will choke you to death. An San smiled, "Don't worry, Your Highness, the dark guards may not be good at fighting, but they're absolutely great at causing trouble!"

  "The rebels would never have thought that their own people would be killed from behind." In the dark of night, being killed from behind, they were ready to fight each other to the death. Thanks to King Lei not having had time to change his appearance, the rebel army's weapons and clothing were almost indistinguishable from those of the Yonglin guards. As for whether or not they could see the emblem of King Lei's territory in that dark valley, it would depend on their luck.

  Ye Li nodded in satisfaction, "Let's go, let's take a look." The four of them mounted the fine horses parked not far away and silently galloped towards another mountain peak in the dark night. It could be foreseen that an even more magnificent battle would unfold there.

  This night, no one could escape, and the battle only gradually subsided as the sky lightened. The result made Mo Jing Lei's already gloomy face even darker. The casualties on both wings, plus the reinforcements sent out, were nearly 30,000, with a mortality rate of almost 70-80%. However, the enemy left behind fewer than 3,000 corpses. As for the mountain valley behind the east camp, it was almost entirely their own people. If he still couldn't guess what had happened, he would be an idiot! Losing more than 20,000 soldiers and generals in one night, including the main generals of the east and west camps, as well as two generals who were sent to reinforce, was a stunning blow to the morale of the Li Wang army. At some point, rumors began circulating within the Li Wang army that Ding Wang and his Black Cloud Riders were in Yonglin City. Almost all the soldiers couldn't help but feel terrified. The Ding Guo Wang Fu and the Black Cloud Riders absolutely had an unshakeable deterrent power in the hearts of every soldier.

  At this time, Yonglin City was indeed filled with joy and laughter. This great victory made Yunfeng feel like he was walking on air.

  "Don't be too happy yet, wait until Mo Jing Lei figures out the truth, I'm afraid no one can stop his army then." Ye Li said helplessly. Yun Feng excitedly said: "Why don't we launch a few more sneak attacks?" Xia Shu glared at him with annoyance, "Do you think the people under King Lei are all idiots? After being ambushed once, do you think they'll let you succeed again? Maybe they're waiting for you to fall into their trap right now." Ye Li nodded in agreement: "Xia Shu is right. This time we really did take a risk. If Mo Jing Lei reacts and directly attacks Yong Lin, even if we can kill another 20,000 or 30,000 rebels, it will be pointless." Yun Feng also gradually came back to his senses, anxiously biting his fingers, "What should we do? When the hell is the imperial court's reinforcements going to arrive?"

  "Princess." An San brought in a letter and Ye Li nodded at the two of them: "You can go ahead and attend to your duties first."

  Yun Tian and Xia Shu bowed and retreated, Ye Li took the envelope from An San's hand, opened it and took a look. At first, she was overjoyed, but soon her face fell. An San looked at Ye Li with some curiosity, wondering what was written in the letter that made the usually calm princess react so abnormally. After a while, Ye Li slapped the letter on the table and said: "Pass down the order, from today on, the whole army will be on high alert!"

  "Your Highness, what's wrong?"

  Ye Li said: "Mo Jingli is likely to launch a strong attack on Yonglin within these two days."

  Dark Three nodded, "According to their plan, the rebels shouldn't be making a move these past few days." Ye Li glanced at the letter on the table and said, "The reinforcements will arrive at Yunlan River within three days. It won't take long for Mo Jingli to receive this news either. If he doesn't launch a strong attack now, once the reinforcements arrive, he'll have even less of a chance." Dark Three nodded, "So... as long as we hold out for these three days..."

  "I'm afraid these three days won't be easy to get through."

  In the midst of the Lei Wang army, Mo Jing Lei stared at the secret letter in his hand as if he wanted to stare a hole through it. After a long while, he finally spoke in anger: "Good...good Black Cloud Riders! This king wants to know which side is superior in Yonglin City!" The letter clearly stated that Mo Xiu Yao had entered the palace to see Mo Jing Qi ten days ago, and even if he had left the capital immediately, it would be impossible for him to arrive in Yongzhou in such a short period of time. Therefore, the ones blocking his path these past few days would not be Mo Xiu Yao, that cripple. And as for the Black Cloud Riders... apart from the two thousand Black Cloud Riders in Yonglin City, almost nowhere else in Yongzhou had any sign of them been seen.

  "Your Highness, now..." The military advisor's face was solemn. "The reinforcements are arriving quickly, and at most in three days they will cross the Yunlan River. Please make a decision as soon as possible." To withdraw the troops to attack eastward or continue westward to break through Shuixue Pass and join forces with the Nanzhao army.

  "Take the city at all costs!"

  The battle raged on again, this time more intense than the offensive a few days ago. Mo Jing Lei reluctantly dispatched his most elite troops to launch a frenzied attack on the city. Although the defensive capabilities of Yonglin City were further enhanced with the assistance of Hei Yun Qi, such relentless and non-stop attacks still left the defending generals exhausted and heavily wounded. After a whole day, it wasn't until nightfall that the rebels gradually retreated, but they still confronted Yonglin City within five miles. And by this time, nearly half of the Yonglin garrison had been killed or injured. Even at night, they couldn't rest easy and had to guard against the rebels' sneak attack under cover of darkness. Ye Li looked at the situation in front of her with a frown, and with a wave of her hand, she ordered Hei Yun Qi to take over the watch on the city walls that night, so that the defending generals could get some rest.

  "A Lian, can we hold on to Yonglin City?" In the dead of night, Mu Rong Ting stood on the city wall looking down, the distant rebel camp was a vast and oppressive sight that made one's mood heavy. Ye Lian turned her head to look at her, smiling and saying: "What are you afraid of?" Mu Rong Ting pouted, discontentedly saying: "Who's afraid? It's just... I've never seen so many dead people before. In the past, Father always said I was naive, now I realize I really am very naive. I thought that after staying with Father at the border for a few years, I would understand more than others. But in fact, I have never seen a battlefield." Ye Lian softly comforted her: "You're doing great." This day Mu Rong Ting was also busy non-stop, leading the city's doctors and strong laborers to help military doctors treat injured soldiers, helping transport food, arrows, etc. The whole person was exhausted, "General Mu Rong will definitely be proud of you."

  Murong Ting smiled somewhat embarrassedly: "I didn't do anything, Ah Lian is the most formidable. If Ah Lian were my dad's daughter, my dad would be so happy that he'd laugh in his sleep."

  Ye Li whispered with a smile: "Otherwise, let's ask General Murong if he is willing to let me swap with you?"

  "No way, Daddy loves me the most."

  Yelü smiled lightly and said in a low voice, "Don't worry, we'll all be fine."

  Murong Ting was taken aback, sighed and said: "I'm not afraid, if the rebels really attack, one will come and this girl will kill one, two will come and this girl will kill a pair!" Looking at Murong Ting's pretended bravery, Ye Li also couldn't help but laugh out loud. She sighed, raised her head to gaze at the crescent moon in the sky, and a strand of worry gradually dyed her beautiful face.

  In the corner of the castle, Xia Shu and Yun Tian stood shoulder to shoulder, but their eyes fell on a slender figure in the distance. Ye Li wore a moon-white men's outfit, with a head of green silk tied up casually with a moon-white silk ribbon. Under the moonlight, her crystal-clear face was sprinkled with a layer of faint silver light, revealing a hint of pure melancholy. Her elegant and refined aura, like a lotus in quiet contemplation, made even the red-clad girl beside her seem dull by comparison.

  "If I can survive this time, I must join the Black Cloud Riders!" Yun Tian said firmly. Joining the Black Cloud Riders had always been his wish, and now he was even more determined than ever.

  "If we really can't hold on tomorrow, you escort the princess and leave first. Head to Jiangbei, after crossing Yunlan River, we should be able to meet up with reinforcements soon." Xia Shu said calmly.

  Yun Tian glared at him and said: "Am I a person who flees in disarray?"

  Xia Shu glanced at him faintly, "Don't you know what kind of relationship the princess and King Lei have? If she falls into King Lei's hands, what do you think will happen?" Yun Tian was taken aback, and couldn't help but glance at the woman standing in the distance, looking a bit worried as he scratched his head, "I don't have the ability to escort the princess out of here, why don't you go instead? You're better at persuading people. The princess doesn't look like she'd abandon Yonglin City on her own. By the way, I've never seen a princess like this before."

  Xia Shu nodded in agreement. Although they had only been together for a few days, the young Ding Wangfei had completely overturned their understanding of the title of Wangfei. She was weak on the outside but stronger than men on the inside. And that astonishing talent, the sharp decisiveness of a general, and the agility that surpassed many people. Many times Xia Shu felt that the woman was not a pampered princess, but a seasoned soldier.

  "You said that if we both survive, I'll ask the princess to take me in as a member of the Black Cloud Riders. Do you think she'll agree?" Unable to solve the problem for now, Yun Tian habitually put it aside and started daydreaming about a beautiful future.

  Xia Shu thought for a moment and smiled faintly: "You might be able to go ask Ding Wangfei if Hei Yun Cavalry is still recruiting."

  Yun Tian's eyes lit up, looking at the moon-white figure chatting with Murong Ting not far away. Xia Shu shook his head helplessly, turned around and walked down the city wall, saying: "Go back and rest, don't forget that there is another fierce battle tomorrow."

  Yun Tian nodded casually, still hesitating about whether to ask Ding Wangfei after all. Not everyone had the opportunity to meet the master of Hei Yun Cavalry. Looking at the soft figure under the moonlight, Yun Tian turned and walked down from the city tower. If he could survive tomorrow, he would even beg Ding Wangfei to take him into Hei Yun Cavalry!

  Digression

  Alright... tomorrow~