Chapter 1 When Everyone Was Preparing

While everyone was making preparations, several light cavalry were rapidly approaching from the distance.

After a long journey, they finally arrived at the place Jiang Chen had designated. However, at this very moment, a mishap occurred. A large river, for some unknown reason, suddenly experienced an ice jam, directly blocking their route across.

The reinforcements that were originally supposed to arrive in time now seemed impossibly distant due to this sudden flood.

When this news reached Jiang Chen's ears, he sighed helplessly. Now, even if everyone possessed great abilities, it seemed impossible to turn the tide.

While Jiang Chen was racking his brains for a solution, many of his advisors had already lost hope. The main reason they had continued to harbor hope was the impending arrival of reinforcements, but now that these reinforcements were nowhere in sight, reality began to sink in.

"Your Majesty, you should leave quickly! Let us hold them off here. These Xiongnu won't be able to launch another attack on us in a short time."

"As long as we can protect your life, we can avenge ourselves in the future."

Despite these words, Jiang Chen saw a glimmer of opportunity in this situation. Although the current situation was fraught with problems, Jiang Chen sensed the possibility of counterattacking the Xiongnu.

"Arrange for some of the bolder men to take the reserve flags and wait ten *li* (approximately 3 miles) behind the camp. When they see my signal, they should immediately move towards the camp, making as much noise as possible."

"Also, arrange for another group to pretend to be sneaking into Shimen Pass, making them suspicious."

Perhaps because the difficulties were now completely apparent, Jiang Chen no longer had the previous hesitations. He began planning each step of his next course of action.

Before long, thick smoke billowed from behind Jiang Chen. Sensing the momentum of thousands of horses, the Zhenbei Wang (Prince Who Pacifies the North), who had previously been confident in defeating Jiang Chen the next day, suddenly lost his determination.

Just as the Zhenbei Wang was worrying about these nonexistent reinforcements, he saw another group of men rapidly approaching Shimen Pass. Recalling some of the things the Zhennan Wang (Prince Who Pacifies the South) had said, the Zhenbei Wang felt a sudden panic in his heart.

If he wasn't mistaken, these guys were probably trying to encircle them here.

Realizing something was wrong, he no longer hesitated and immediately gathered almost all of his men.

"Their reinforcements have arrived. If we can't fight our way out now, we will definitely be trapped. I believe you all understand how they will treat us prisoners. In that case, let's fight our way out and show them what true warriors are!"

Hearing this news, many Xiongnu cavalrymen were stunned. They had never imagined that they, who had just held a great advantage, would suddenly find themselves in a disadvantageous position. However, after an intense mental struggle, they all began to prepare.

Seeing the opposing cavalry preparing, Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes, wondering what he was thinking.

"Once they launch an attack, arrange the feigned troops as I said before. I want to see how brave they really are and if they dare to gamble with me, risking complete annihilation."

Hearing Jiang Chen's instructions, everyone acknowledged the order. A small team of only a hundred men quickly gathered at the forefront of the formation. Looking at the menacing Xiongnu cavalry, they did not retreat at all. Instead, they seemed confident of victory, showing no fear whatsoever.

Seeing these confident men, the Zhenbei Wang, who had previously thought that capturing Jiang Chen was easy, suddenly began to worry.

He didn't know why, but he felt uneasy about this situation. He couldn't say where this feeling came from, but he was certain that he was now in a desperate situation.

"Send a group to ensure that the route to Shimen Pass is clear. The rest of you, follow me and charge!"

After saying that, he took the lead. But just when he thought the men behind him would follow closely, he was stunned by the scene before him. Before he could charge a few steps, he noticed that the cavalry behind him had all turned their horses in the same direction and were heading towards Shimen Pass.

"Wangye! This is obviously a trap they set! How can we go up and die for nothing?"

As they shouted, more and more people began to retreat rapidly. Seeing his men retreating like this, the Zhenbei Wang cursed and had to quickly follow. Charging into the enemy formation alone would not be like splitting bamboo; it would be like handing someone merits.

Seeing the enemy retreating so rashly, Jiang Chen did not relax at all. The current scene was not as simple as it seemed on the surface.

Although he had successfully forced the Zhenbei Wang to retreat and delayed him for a while, the Zhenbei Wang's strength had not been greatly diminished, especially those cavalrymen who were skilled in hunting on the fringes, who were completely unscathed.

"Your Majesty, why don't we use the spies in the city now to launch a pincer attack and give them no chance to recover?"

Hearing this request, Jiang Chen rejected it without thinking.

There were five Xiongnu Wangye in total, and only two had appeared so far. If he used his long-hidden trump card now, then all the previous sacrifices would have been in vain.

What he needed to do now was to delay time here until all the reinforcements behind him arrived, thereby seizing the opportunity to defeat them completely.

Just when everyone thought they had nothing to do and could go back to rest, Jiang Chen ordered someone to arrest the closest advisor.

"I haven't treated you badly all these years, have I? I have also let you be involved in all the important matters of the army. For a poor scholar like you to receive such appreciation is already a favor that others cannot imagine."

Jiang Chen's inexplicable words confused many of the advisors standing nearby.

"I have treated you so well, but why did you report my every move to those Mei family members? You don't think that no one can detect your every move in this military camp, do you?"

After understanding Jiang Chen's meaning, everyone looked at this person in disbelief. Jiang Chen had set aside his previous grudges and withstood the pressure from everyone to successfully appoint him, but now he had betrayed Jiang Chen.