Chapter 65: Avoiding a Direct Clash

"How strange. Why would Dayuan keep a force of twenty thousand troops stationed in the rear? Knowing that their main army has already been defeated, logically speaking, they should have dispatched reinforcements immediately."

"Besides! Who is the commander of this army? Why was there no mention of him in the secret intelligence report, yet we were ordered to assassinate him?"

"Could this person's identity be so extraordinarily unique that even the Cloud Ridge Pavilion wants him eliminated?"

The Commander of Annan was no fool. He quickly grasped the crux of the problem. Although this military campaign had received the full backing of the Cloud Ridge Pavilion, they had no desire to be completely controlled by the Pavilion and reduced to mere pawns in their hands. Having won such a resounding victory, he was hardly willing to withdraw his troops immediately just because of a casual word from the Cloud Ridge Pavilion.

Instead, he intended to seize the vast territories in the southeastern part of the Dayuan Dynasty. Only then could the Kingdom of Annan truly grow strong—and perhaps one day, completely defeat the Dayuan Dynasty and replace it altogether. This was the ultimate dream of every neighboring hostile state.

"Then should we still dispatch troops to attack? Is there any possibility that these twenty thousand troops are an enemy trap?" the deputy general inquired.

The Annan Commander pondered for a moment before replying, "The letter states that only ten thousand are elite cavalry, while the rest are old, weak, sickly soldiers unaccustomed to the southern climate and terrain. Eliminating them should not be difficult. Since this intelligence came from the Cloud Ridge Pavilion, it shouldn't be a trap."

"Then what are we waiting for? Just give me twenty thousand elite troops, and I will annihilate this force immediately. Regardless of what ultimate motive the Cloud Ridge Pavilion has, as long as it benefits us, isn't that enough?" Upon hearing this, the deputy general could barely contain his eagerness. Under no circumstances could they allow a Dayuan force to pose a threat to them.

"What you say makes sense! I will give you fifty thousand troops to make a covert flanking maneuver. You must not let a single soldier escape; annihilate them all. The Cloud Ridge Pavilion has rendered us great assistance, so consider this our repayment. However, while we can help them, the notion of us abandoning this golden opportunity to invade the Central Plains is utterly out of the question."

"Hmph, the Cloud Ridge Pavilion is nothing more than a martial sect! We only utilize them because we need their help right now. But when it comes to true interests, we needn't pay them any mind. So what if we go back on our word? The Cloud Ridge Pavilion is no match for our army," the deputy general scoffed dismissively.

"Very well, set out immediately! Make haste and return quickly, without a moment's delay. We must wipe out the enemy troops in the region before the Dayuan Dynasty can send reinforcements."

"Rest assured, General! Fifty thousand against twenty thousand—surely that will be effortless?"

Annan immediately dispatched a massive army to encircle and suppress Li Ye. The moment their troops moved out, they were spotted by scouts, who hurried back to report the news.

Upon learning of the enemy's movements, Li Ye showed not a trace of panic. Instead, he looked deeply perplexed. "How did the enemy discover our location?"

Zhao Wudi also wore a solemn expression. "Indeed. The Annan forces are moving at an astonishing speed, marching straight toward us without the slightest hesitation. They must have a crystal-clear understanding of our encampment and troop strength."

"Could it be that there is a traitor among us?" Princess Ruyue asked, profoundly shocked. This was no trivial matter. If a mole existed, they had to be rooted out as quickly as possible; continuing to leak intelligence to the enemy posed an extreme danger.

"It's hard to say, but I believe that even if there is a traitor, it cannot be anyone within our own army. First of all, every single one of us came from the capital; none of us could be enemy informants. If there is a traitor, I suspect they are inside the besieged city," Li Ye analyzed.

"Quite right. The intelligence leak must have originated from Qin Qingxue's side. However, we have no time to send word now; we must act swiftly to counter this and ensure the news doesn't leak, lest it cause panic among the soldiers," Zhao Wudi said, drawing upon his vast military experience to analyze the situation calmly.

"What countermeasures are needed? Since the army is already assembled, let's move out right away! Once we give the enemy the slip, they won't be able to catch up to us at all." Li Ye did not take the enemy's threat seriously in the slightest, actually managing a smile at this juncture.

"Splendid! We shall catch the enemy off guard so the Kingdom of Annan remains oblivious to our true objective." Princess Ruyue was already eager for action. Accompanying the army to the battlefield had originally been a chance to closely observe Li Ye and truly come to understand him, but she never expected the front lines to be so exhilarating, instantly igniting her fierce battle spirit.

"I order the army to set out immediately! Do not march directly away; instead, circle the surrounding area a few times so the enemy cannot figure out our direction of march."

"Leave that to me. My cavalry is fast! The infantry can move out first," Zhao Wudi volunteered, deciding to stay behind to cover the rear and erase all traces of the army's movements.

"The enemy is advancing swiftly, so do not dally. Once you have concealed our tracks, catch up with us at once," Li Ye instructed carefully.

"Rest assured, Your Highness, Wudi will not be delayed!"

With the arrangements finalized, Li Ye led the army out without delay.

This allowed the soldiers to rest in shifts—marching for a while before boarding the wagons to ride. Consequently, their traveling speed was hardly slower than that of pure cavalry.

Zhao Wudi directed the soldiers to scatter in all directions for a time before turning back to catch up with Li Ye. Before long, the forces reunited and sprinted toward Annan at maximum speed.

By the time the Annan troops arrived, Li Ye's forces had long since vanished without a trace, leaving behind only the remnants of their encampment.

"Did they get wind of our approach and flee, or did we arrive too late?"

"Search everywhere immediately! Find out which direction the Dayuan army retreated."

The Annan general was incandescent with rage. Having anticipated an effortless meritorious service, he had rushed over in hot pursuit only to find not a single shadow. After searching for a long time, they still could not ascertain the direction of the Dayuan army's retreat. Hearing the reports brought back by various scouts, the Annan general's expression grew steadily gloomier, signaling the complete failure of this operation.

"Perhaps the Dayuan army learned that their main force was surrounded and fled in terror."

"Those Dayuan soldiers are truly spineless. Seeing their main army encircled, they didn't even dare to come to the rescue."

"General, shall we widen the search radius and continue the pursuit?"

"No need. Notify the entire army to withdraw at once! As long as we crush Dayuan's main force, the remaining stragglers are utterly insignificant."

Decisive as ever, the Annan general ordered an immediate retreat to prepare for an all-out assault on the city, fearing that any further delay might invite complications.

The news reached the city shortly thereafter, leaving Qin Qingxue utterly furious. "What did you say? Li Ye actually fled with his army? Preposterous! Running for his life the moment danger appears—what a coward, a good-for-nothing!"

"We are truly isolated now; we must prepare for a prolonged defense of the city. I propose that from now on, the daily grain rations for all soldiers be cut in half to drag this out as long as possible!" the deputy general said with a grim expression, hoping to exhaust the Annan army through attrition. After all, an army boasting two hundred thousand men consumed a formidable amount of grain every day; once they had plundered the surrounding populace, they would eventually be forced to retreat due to dwindling supplies.