"Disguise as a scattered small unit, lure their patrol camp to strike, and draw them into a pre-set ambush circle... I want to make the garrisons of Dingzhou, Zhending, and Hejian restless day and night, their spirits stretched to the limit."
Unlike last time.
It seemed that because he was already aware of Gu Yan’s capabilities, Genghis Khan was much more detailed this time.
Indeed, he still did not intend to retreat.
As long as he did not retreat, this battle had not yet been lost.
Moreover, in Genghis Khan’s view, this battle may not necessarily be a loss.
Even though he had lost the initiative, so what?
He did not believe that the vast Southern Dynasty would be as united as the prairie, which in Genghis Khan’s eyes was a huge flaw.
However, it would take some time before that.
"Thirdly," he looked at Mukulai and Subutai, "the two of you, select thirty thousand of the most elite and battle-hardened warriors, each with three horses, carrying twenty days’ worth of dry rations, only bringing bows, short blades, and kindling."
"Depart at the third watch tomorrow."
"Divide into units."
"Scatter in groups of one hundred."
"No need to engage the enemy forces in battle, nor to delve too deeply."
"Just block their trade routes and burn their transport ships, that’s enough!"
"Lastly," Genghis Khan turned to the still silent but most adept in siege Subutai, "when the Dingzhou garrison is exhausted by Borchu’s harassment, the rear is thrown into chaos by Mukulai, Gu Yan has to divide his forces to fight the fire everywhere, and the defensive line truly becomes vulnerable..."
"Gather all your heavy forces and keep your focus on Dingzhou’s defenses."
"Not a feigned attack, but all-out effort, break through with a single strike!"
Inside the grand tent with a golden top, there was silence.
Although the generals believed in Genghis Khan, they could not see into his mind, and hearing this series of arrangements brought a sense of unease.
Even though unlike his previous arrangements, Genghis Khan did not deliberately ask for anything specific this time.
Yet, this strategy of completely scattering forces was eerily similar.
Was this not what Jebe had arranged?
But what was his outcome?
A total of fifteen thousand elite troops completely annihilated, and even he himself did not return.
Upon hearing this, how could they not overthink?
But Genghis Khan had no intention of explaining, simply using his fearsome reputation to quell everything.
Since embarking on the expedition, he had never tasted defeat!
Such achievements were what granted Genghis Khan such high prestige.
The orders were quickly issued.
On that very night, at midnight.
Under Borchu’s command, ten thousand cavalry quietly dispersed like mercury.
Without the blaring horns, without the pounding hooves, twenty five-hundred-men teams infiltrated the northern and southern sides of Dingzhou’s defenses along their routes.
Others were also included.
Genghis Khan’s orders were swiftly executed, and almost the entire Mongolian Army mobilized in an instant, without any hesitation.
...
Dingzhou City.
-- Unlike the last time.
The last time was mostly due to Gu Yan’s foresight, which disrupted Genghis Khan’s tactics.
But this time, Genghis Khan was even more dispersed.
And not insisting on engaging!
This alone destined the Mongolian Army to be far more concealed than last time.
But seeing the Mongolian Army still not retreating, and yet always not attacking, Gu Yan still perceived something was amiss.
Winter was approaching—
What exactly was the Mongolian Army aiming for?
Inside the command tent, the charcoal fire crackled.
Generals Yue Lei, Zhang Jue, Liu Qi, each sat on either side, the atmosphere compared to the day when Jebe was beheaded, had lost some of its elation, replaced by doubt and oppressive irritation.
"General," Zhang Jue was the first to lose patience, pointing to several latest scout reports on the table, "For the past ten days, the cavalry has been like mad locusts, striking here and there."
"Yesterday harassing the Zhending western outpost, today appearing in the northeast valley of Hejian."
"Though not causing major damage, the soldiers in various camps have been restless day and night, and surveillance pressure has doubled."
"Several camp commanders under my command have repeatedly requested to engage, eager to strike these pesky flies hard!"
Yue Lei also spoke in a deep voice: "Indeed so."
"Genghis Khan suffered a major loss with Jebe, and dare not recklessly invade, thus resorting to such rogue tactics."
"Now with each day growing colder, if he truly means to retreat or has other intentions, there should be signs of some big move."
"Now this piecemeal approach makes it hard to fathom."
"I also believe we cannot allow him to lead us by the nose."
"We should dispatch elite troops out of the city, sweep one of their units, firstly to boost our army’s morale, secondly to force him to reveal his true intentions!"
The generals echoed his sentiments, their desire for battle was quite urgent.
Consecutive small victories and tight defenses had given them confidence, while the enemy’s sticky tactics left them feeling pent-up with nowhere to exert their strength.
Gu Yan at this time was also frowning tightly, speaking only after a long silence: "What everyone says makes sense."
"Genghis Khan is absolutely not one to act aimlessly."
"His actions here are likely due to several possibilities."
"Either he is afraid of sieging and yet will not retreat easily for fear of losing his edge, using this tactic to delay and wear down our forces, while watching our defensive adjustments, seeking an opportunity to strike."
"Or he is concealing the true direction or...real purpose of his offensive."
Actually, Gu Yan leaned more toward the second possibility.
For a man like Genghis Khan, reaching the point where he is now means he can hold on and let go, and is unlikely to be like that possibility.
But it cannot be entirely ruled out.
Gu Yan intensely furrowed his brow, scanning the generals present and cautiously said: "Jebe led a raid on the salt workshop, the goal was clear, disrupting our foundation and unsettling our rear."
"This was indeed a wise move."
"And now these seemingly chaotic harassments, could it be they are covering another, or even several teams, executing a similar or entirely new disruptive task in an even more concealed manner?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Qi furrowed his brow: "General suspects, Genghis Khan is using Borchu’s cavalry to draw our attention, while secretly deploying other forces?"
"Only a suspicion." Gu Yan admitted, "Our dispatched scouts and reconnaissance have focused mainly on these frequent harassments, over time, leaks are inevitable."
"I have understood this man carefully."
"Genghis Khan’s military tactics always blend reality and deception."
"Jebe was reality, and has already been thwarted, but is there another hidden real threat amidst this vast deception, remains unknown."
Gu Yan seriously expressed his analysis.
Upon hearing it, Yue Lei eagerly said: "That is all the more reason to take the initiative!"
Gu Yan looked at Yue Lei, nodding slightly: "General Yue’s words are not wrong, purely defensive posture indeed risks falling into passivity."
"An appropriate probing counterattack is necessary."
Ultimately, he could not decipher all of Genghis Khan’s intentions; instead, he based tactical predictions on all manner of anomalies.
And this was sufficient.
Gu Yan did not hesitate, once the strategy was clear, he directly took out an order arrow: "Yue Lei, heed the command!"
"Your subordinate is here!" Yue Lei brightened, stepping forward.
"You are to lead two thousand elite cavalry from your division, also assigned five hundred crossbowmen, carrying three days’ worth of dry rations, and tomorrow night at the second watch, sneak out from Dingzhou’s northwest corner to attack the enemy camp!"
—This is reconnaissance!
He did not intend to forcefully attack Genghis Khan.
Still, as the saying goes, comparing Kyushu and the prairie’s strength, every depletion was a loss for Kyushu.
"Understood!" Yue Lei did not hesitate, promptly bowing and left.
Meanwhile, Gu Yan didn’t halt, turning again to the troops: "Order scouts along all routes to expand their reconnaissance range, especially for long-distance reconnaissance in the northwest and northeast directions, watch for any signs of large force movements."
His expression was exceedingly stern.
Though he had already devised comprehensive responses, he continued to feel a trace of unease about Genghis Khan’s various maneuvers over these days.
He could sense that Genghis Khan seemed to be plotting a deadly strike!.....
...
(PS: It’s the end of the month, kneeling for votes, hoping for more support from brothers, Fish is infinitely grateful.)