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Within three days, supplies such as food, clothing, and equipment were continuously transported from Hengshan County. Ye Yang believed that since he had taken Yanmen County, it must be rebuilt. All the hatred was directed solely at Fan Zeng, with no one else involved. Furthermore, Ye Yang felt immense guilt for the hundreds of thousands of innocent lives lost in Yanmen County; this guilt was like a poisonous thorn piercing his heart, tormenting him constantly.
Sitting alone on a section of the ruined city wall, Ye Yang leaned against a pile of rubble, his eyes filled with sorrow as he gazed at the bustling crowd in the distance. The Azure Soul Sword lay at an angle beside him.
Yun Xiaoxi and Yan Yao stood by Ye Yang's side, never leaving him alone. They shared amusing stories to cheer him up, but Ye Yang could not find any joy. The guilt over the victims of Yanmen County cast a shadow over his mind.
...
"Clip-clop..."
The sound of hooves approached from afar. Wang Lie dismounted and quickly climbed up the city wall, cupping his fists and saying, "My lord, we have received a large shipment of supplies from the envoy of the Yan Kingdom coming from Dai County, Shanggu County, and Yuyang County. At the same time, the envoy brought a decree from King Yan, bestowing upon you the title of General of Yan. He wishes for you to lead Qi Land and form an alliance with the Yan Kingdom that will never be broken!"
Ye Yang finally smiled and turned to Yan Yao, saying, "Yan Yao, look! Your father knows that I now command 150,000 elite soldiers and has taken the initiative to reach out..."
Yan Yao pursed her lips and replied, "Brother, since I came to Hengshan County, I am no longer Princess of Yan. My debt to the Yan Kingdom has been repaid. Whatever my father does is none of my concern; I am merely the county princess of Hengshan County now..."
"Yes, it's good that you have this awareness," Ye Yang nodded. His gaze turned cold as he said, "How can I allow others to sleep peacefully beside me? I believe that one day your father will take action against me or I will take action against him to bring all of Yan Kingdom under my control; this is an inevitable outcome."
Yan Yao nodded and said, "Brother, I only wish that you could spare my father and not kill him."
"Yes, naturally!"
...
A large convoy arrived, and King Yan mobilized thousands of craftsmen from three county cities to help the people of Yanmen County rebuild their homes. Nearly 100,000 survivors who escaped the fire began climbing the mountains to cut down trees and transport them into the city to start rebuilding their burned houses.
Wang Lie observed the bustling activity below and said solemnly, "My lord, the Three Armies are ready for battle at any time to attack Liang City. According to scout reports, Xiang Yu is urgently besieging Zhang Han's army and cannot spare troops to deal with us for now. Meanwhile, Fan Zeng only has 5,000 Overlord Cavalry and has recently acquired 15,000 Qin Soldiers along with another 10,000 elite troops stationed in Azure Cloud Mountain Range. The total forces available to Fan Zeng amount to only about 30,000; they cannot possibly compete with our 80,000 elite soldiers."
Ye Yang nodded, "Order the army to rest early tonight. Tomorrow morning, we will advance and crush Fan Zeng's thirty thousand troops. I want Fan Zeng's head hung in Yanmen County City to honor the vengeful spirits of over two hundred thousand fallen."
"Understood!"
...
In the evening, the lights flickered in Yanmen County. Under the care of the soldiers, nearly one hundred thousand civilians set up camp inside and outside the city to rest. Some buildings that had not yet been affected by the fire also became temporary shelters for the people. Meanwhile, the eighty thousand elite soldiers from Hengshan County were stationed outside the city, setting up simple camps away from the civilians, as per Ye Yang's orders. Otherwise, if they were ambushed, it would lead to unexpected losses.
"Not good, not good..."
A piercing scream carried by the night wind approached. A battered Qi Army soldier hurriedly came forward, dragging a half-split Iron Sword and shouted, "General, something terrible has happened!"
Ye Yang, along with Wang Lie, Zhang Tianhe, Yun Xiaoxi, and others stepped out of the Central Army Tent.
Wang Lie rushed forward, "What happened?"
The soldier coughed heavily and suddenly knelt on the ground. "My lord, general, I deserve death. While escorting a batch of weapons here, we were ambushed by Chu Army Overlord Cavalry led by General Ji Bu under Xiang Yu. Five thousand Overlord Cavalry attacked together. Our escort team suffered heavy casualties. I fought my way out, but that batch of supplies is mostly lost..."
"What?!" Wang Lie was furious. "Where did this happen?"
"On the mountain path twenty miles away!"
"Mount up and follow me!"
"Yes!"
Wang Lie quickly assembled the troops, bringing along Zhang Tianhe and Zhao Yun, two Generals, to lead ten thousand Vermilion Bird Iron Cavalry away. Meanwhile, Ye Yang and Yun Xiaoxi stayed behind to guard the Central Army, preventing Fan Zeng's scheme of drawing the tiger from its mountain lair. After all, with Zhang Tianhe and Zhao Yun accompanying them, commanding ten thousand Vermilion Bird Knights was sufficient to defeat Ji Bu's five thousand Overlord Cavalry.
...
Two hours later, Ye Yang stationed at the Central Army received news from Wang Lie. Wang Lie rushed in, his face filled with anger, thrusting his Battle Blade into the ground before sitting down heavily. He said angrily, "Damn it! That scoundrel Ji Bu is so bold as to kill all our guards without leaving a single one alive. All our fine weapons and a batch of supplies have been completely robbed. Hmph! That old thief Fan Zeng actually dared to cut off our Supply Route; it's truly infuriating!"
Zhang Tianhe's gaze turned cold as he said, "Immediately gather our forces and confront them!"
Zhao Yun coughed lightly and said, "Don't be impulsive. Fan Zeng is cunning and resourceful. The Overlord Cavalry moves like the wind; we cannot capture them at all. Once our army attacks Liang City, I fear Fan Zeng will shift his infantry forces to stretch our front lines and then use the Overlord Cavalry to launch a flanking attack on Yanmen County. If that happens, we will be dragged down here. After all, if the Supply Route is cut off, we won't last more than a few days without supplies. Once the supplies are cut off, morale will surely collapse!"
Ye Yang nodded in agreement. "Zhao Yun is right. I can’t lose my composure; Fan Zeng robbed us of our supplies just to provoke us. If we act recklessly, we will fall right into his trap."
Wang Lie clenched his fists and said in a low voice, "My lord, are we just going to sit here and wait for death? We can't advance or retreat; how pathetic!"
Ye Yang pondered for a moment, a clear light shining in his eyes. Suddenly, he smiled and said, "The five thousand Overlord Cavalry are Fan Zeng's reliance; Ji Bu is his right-hand man. Since that's the case, let's devise a plan to encircle and annihilate this group of Overlord Cavalry and even eliminate Ji Bu. Let's see what Fan Zeng can do then!"
Zhao Yun was overjoyed. "Young Master, do you already have a plan?"
Ye Yang nodded and commanded in a deep voice, "Immediately send word to Hengshan County's Governor to prepare two batches of supplies. One batch should travel along the official road to Yanmen County; the other must be loaded into heavy iron boxes disguised with rotten grass and cotton as bags, taking a detour around the Azure Cloud Mountain Range past Guangling City to Yanmen County. Each Supply Convoy should be escorted by 2000 old or weak soldiers. Mobilize thirty thousand Vermilion Bird Iron Cavalry to ambush around the official road and prepare to annihilate those five thousand Overlord Cavalry!"
"Yes!" Wang Lie responded solemnly.
Zhao Yun questioned, "Young Master, one batch of supplies is taking a detour through Azure Cloud Mountain Range past Guangling City? That's such a long way! Fan Zeng will surely know that batch of supplies is extremely important and won't let it go easily. Moreover, another batch is traveling along the official road; since the Overlord Cavalry has already raided our supply route, Fan Zeng knows we are on guard. Why would we send heavy troops to set an ambush? Will that old thief Fan Zeng fall for it?"
Ye Yang couldn't help but laugh lightly. "You don't understand; warfare is about deception. What seems real can be false and vice versa. Fan Zeng is clever but also suspicious; he will likely think we are trying to lure his forces with the supplies on the official road and will act contrary to that expectation. The supplies on the official road are genuine; that old thief Fan Zeng will definitely not let them go easily. Once Ji Bu leads the Overlord Cavalry close enough, we will naturally have our opportunity!"
Zhang Tianhe scratched his head and said, "What are you talking about? I don't understand. According to Zi Yu, you are not sure either; it's completely a gamble, isn't it?"
Ye Yang nodded, "That's right, I'm betting that Fan Zeng will definitely raid our supplies on the official road! Send the orders down. Tomorrow evening, when the convoy reaches the direction of Qingshui Town, we will set an ambush in the valley on the side of Qingshui Town. If the Overlord Cavalry attacks, they will surely have to pass through Qingshui Town!"
"Okay!"
...
After enduring a quiet night, the next day, Hengshan County's Sky Rider reported that the supplies were on their way as promised.
Ye Yang slept for a whole day. He was cultivating fire-related laws, but more importantly, he was calming his mind. This was a contest of wits against a strategist as cunning as Fan Zeng, and Ye Yang knew he wasn't some divine military figure with guaranteed victory. This battle was entirely a gamble.
In the evening, thirty thousand Vermilion Bird Iron Cavalry set out, personally led by Ye Yang, Zhang Tianhe, Wang Lie, Zhao Yun, and Zhang Fei. As for Yun Xiaoxi and Yan Yao, they were left behind to guard the Central Army with Liu Meng. They had to at least hold Yanmen County; this was a foundation. To attack Bright Moon Platform, they absolutely could not lose Yanmen County; otherwise, they would fall into an awkward situation of being unable to advance or retreat.
...
As night fell and flocks of birds flew over the jungle, thirty thousand Vermilion Bird Knights stood quietly in the Gorge while Zhang Tianhe stood majestically in mid-air, observing the situation in the distance.
"Our convoy is coming..." Wang Lie pointed into the distance, holding his breath as he said solemnly, "If Ji Bu's Overlord Cavalry arrives, it should be around this time. They must pass through the Gorge to attack the convoy. What should we do?"
Ye Yang replied calmly, "Let them enter the Gorge first, then surround them completely. Start by shooting them with crossbows; once we've used up our arrows, draw our swords and attack!"
"Understood!"
After waiting for a while longer, Zhao Yun looked puzzled and said, "They... won't just not come, right? That old thief Fan Zeng is not so easily fooled..."
Ye Yang felt a bit anxious, but did not show it. Gripping a piece of rubble in his hand, he said, "Wait a moment, stay calm."
At that moment, a dull sound of hooves suddenly came from the distant jungle. The mountain birds were startled and flew away. Soon after, a general holding a long knife led a group of deep green warhorses known as Iron Cavalry onto the plain. It was Ji Bu commanding the Overlord Cavalry!
Zhao Yun shivered, "They're here..."
Ye Yang raised his arm and said solemnly, "Do not act rashly; let them enter the gorge!"
On the other side, Ji Bu watched the convoy slowly moving ahead and couldn't help but laugh heartily. He raised his Battle Blade and shouted, "Warriors, what Lord Fan Zeng said is true; this is indeed genuine supplies! Charge in and cut off Ye Yang's Supply Route! Let his hundred thousand troops starve to death in Yanmen County and see how he can contend with our Chu Army!"
The Overlord Cavalry laughed loudly and waved their Blades as they rushed into the Gorge.
As five thousand Overlord Cavalry entered the encirclement, Ye Yang raised his hand and suddenly drew the Azure Soul Sword, shouting, "Warriors of Qi Land, kill for the twenty thousand innocent lives lost!"
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