A family of loyal martyrs, starting with nine wives to continue the family line.

Chapter 20: The Final Test - Transfer of Military Power!

The old lady's gaze passed over the sea of ​​people, fixed on the Northern Rong cavalry who were arrayed in the distance.

"That horn just now was the Northern Rong's 'Wolf Gathering Sound'."

"It means abandoning all peripheral targets, converging all forces on the commander-in-chief, and preparing for a final desperate gamble."

Wei Zhao's heart stirred.

My mother can even understand the bugle calls of the Northern Rong?

But on second thought, the Wei family had dealt with the Northern Rong for half their lives, and it was perfectly normal for an old general like the Dowager Lady, who had crawled out of piles of corpses, to understand the enemy's horns.

Moreover, this whole scheme was actually orchestrated by the old matriarch herself.

The spy who deliberately leaked the news of the food shortage to the Northern Rong must have been arranged by the Old Madam.

Since they can plant spies, what's a few bugle calls?

The old lady turned her head and looked at Wei Zhao.

Those cloudy yet sharp eyes carried a sense of scrutiny.

"Zhao'er".

"Mother."

Wei Zhao bowed slightly from his horse.

"Inuya Shigeru has withdrawn the cavalry."

The old lady's tone was very calm, as if she were chatting about everyday matters:

"Huo Qingluan's heavily armored army can't catch up, nor can they afford to waste time."

"Currently, Shigeru Inuya still has more than 200,000 elite cavalrymen under his command."

She paused, then tapped her cane lightly on the ground.

"He wants to use these 200,000 cavalry to charge our 150,000 infantry in the front."

"What do you think we should do?"

Wei Zhao's eyes narrowed slightly.

Looking at the dark mass of cavalry in the distance, he could feel the overwhelming sense of oppression rapidly taking shape.

Two hundred thousand elite cavalrymen launched a desperate charge in open terrain. The kinetic energy was simply unstoppable by human power.

The 150,000-strong Wei family army infantry are indeed in high spirits, even to the point of being frenzied.

But infantry is infantry. If they try to take on the high-speed charge of warhorses with their flesh and blood, even if they manage to wipe out all 200,000 cavalry in the end, the Wei family army will suffer heavy casualties.

This isn't war; this is risking your life to fill a pit.

The old lady was not one to risk the lives of her soldiers for victory.

Since this was a meticulously planned scheme, it couldn't possibly end in such a tragic way.

understood.

Wei Zhao turned his head and met the gaze of the old lady.

"retreat."

He only said one word.

The old lady remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"Inuya Shigeru withdrew the cavalry to reorganize their formation in order to create distance for the charge and use the horsepower to crush our infantry square in one fell swoop."

Wei Zhao tapped his fingers twice on the saddle, his tone resolute:

"He's a desperate mad dog now, thinking we've run out of supplies and we have no choice but to fight him to the death outside the city."

"But we refuse to kneel."

Wei Zhao raised his hand and pointed to the battlefield ahead.

"Order the entire army to immediately abandon their positions and retreat back to Yanmen Pass."

"The heavily armored troops in the rear formed a defensive line and continued to hold their retreat route like nails."

A glint of light flashed in the old lady's eyes.

"As long as we retreat back into the pass and close the city gates, even if Quan Ya Mao's 200,000 cavalry break their horses' legs, they still won't be able to breach the walls of Yanmen Pass. He would never dare to use his cavalry to launch a strong attack on the city."

Wei Zhao's lips curled into a cold smile:

"He is now convinced that we have no food in the city, and he must think that as long as we besiege it for a few days, we will collapse without a fight."

"But he overlooked one thing."

"Second sister-in-law... Qingyun's grain transport team is already on its way."

"As soon as the grain supplies arrive, the crisis within the pass will be immediately resolved."

"On the contrary, it was Quan Ya Mao who brought out 500,000 men. They ate their own food and their horses, and their retreat was cut off by Qing Luan's heavy armored army."

"The provisions he has are enough to last him at most three days."

"Three days later, it will not be the Wei family army that goes hungry, but the Northern Rong cavalry."

Wei Zhao's eyes turned extremely cold.

"When the time comes, we'll have eaten and drunk our fill, be at ease, and then open the city gates to hunt down the hungry dogs."

"None of these 500,000 people will be able to return to the grasslands alive."

The old lady stared intently at Wei Zhao.

The wind tousled her gray hair, but she suddenly tilted her head back and laughed.

The laughter was muffled, yet it carried a sense of suppressed joy.

"good!"

The old lady slammed her iron cane down heavily, her wrinkled eyes filled with satisfaction.

"Zhao'er, I am completely relieved by your words."

She slowly walked to Wei Zhao's white horse, reached out and patted its neck, lowering her voice.

"This battle, from spreading the news of the food shortage to luring Inugami Shigeru's entire army to attack, was indeed all arranged by Mother."

"Mother is getting old, and someone has to carry the banner of the Wei family."

The old lady raised her head, her gaze intense.

"Mother can't just judge you by whether you dare to kill, she also has to judge you by whether you can keep these 300,000 soldiers alive."

"Today's battle is the final test your mother has prepared for you."

Wei Zhao's heart stirred.

really.

The old lady was paving the way for him, using the 500,000-strong Northern Rong army as a whetstone to help him establish his authority in the army.

"Once the entire 500,000-strong Northern Rong army is wiped out, the crisis at Yanmen Pass will be resolved."

"At that time, I will completely hand over command of the 300,000-strong Wei family army to you."

The old lady's tone turned icy, and her gaze turned south towards the heart of the Central Plains:

"Now that the border is secure, Mother should return to the capital and meet that old scoundrel Lu Song."

"The lives of nine members of the Wei family must be paid for with the lives of their entire clan."

Wei Zhao gripped the reins tightly.

"My son understands."

"Go, give the order."

The old lady took a step back.

Wei Zhao drew his sword from his waist and raised it high.

"Sound the retreat!"

His words thundered, his voice carrying with it the force of his inner energy, resounding throughout the entire army:

"Retreat the entire army! Back to the pass!"

"Clang—clang—clang—"

The piercing sound of gongs exploded in the air above the battlefield.

This is a military order.

The 150,000-strong Wei family army, which was engaged in fierce fighting with the Northern Rong infantry at the front, stopped in unison the moment they heard the gong.

Without hesitation, without lingering in the battle.

The heavy shield bearers in the front row exerted their strength, shoving the enemies in front of them aside and quickly retreating.

The spearmen provided cover in shifts, while the cavalry patrolled the perimeter to cover the rear.

The entire army was like a sophisticated machine, instantly switching gears.

In less than half an hour, 150,000 infantrymen retreated like a tide back into the huge gate of Yanmen Pass.

"Boom—"

The heavy iron city gate slammed shut, completely isolating the bloody battlefield outside.

On the city wall, 50,000 archers reloaded their bows, coldly gazing down below.

In the distance, atop a mound.

Sitting on his horse, Quan Ya Mao stared at the tightly closed gates of Yanmen Pass, lost in thought for a long time.

He had just assembled over 200,000 cavalrymen and was preparing to launch a devastating charge. But the enemy escaped.

They retreated back to the city so decisively.

"Young Prince! They've retreated!"

The lieutenant was so anxious that he kept slapping his thigh, his face covered in blood and sweat streaming down his cheeks.

"What do we do now? Our rear is blocked by those 50,000 heavily armored soldiers, and we can't break through this pass in front of us!"

"If they don't come out, won't we be trapped here and die?"

"What's the panic!"

Dogtooth Shigeru lashed the lieutenant's back with his whip, making him shudder.

Instead of getting angry, Shigeru Inuya grinned.

The scar running across his left cheek looked particularly menacing as he grinned.

"It's good to return it."

"They should just retreat and wait to die!"