Taking Shanhe City Without Shedding a Drop of Blood

The morale of the soldiers was exceptionally high.

This meant that the battle was already half won.

Ren Tianye couldn't pin all his hopes entirely on the loyalty of these newly recruited soldiers; naturally, he still had to make specific tactical arrangements.

Right now, he had an army of a hundred thousand at his disposal.

They needed to be divided into two forces: one to attack Shanhe City, and the other to set up defenses and traps at the Left and Right Peaks.

He made his decision immediately.

He would take ten thousand of his original soldiers and ten thousand of the new recruits, forming a vanguard army to ride swiftly toward Shanhe City!

This way, even if some of the newly integrated troops harbored traitorous intent, having ten thousand of his own men to suppress them would serve as a failsafe.

As for the rest...

He would personally command them, setting up defenses at the Left and Right Peaks first, and then decide how many more troops to deploy based on the situation at Shanhe City.

In any case, there was only one guiding principle: force the barbarians to pull back from Yunji City to defend their rear.

With the strategy set in his mind, Ren Tianye immediately convened his officers in the commander's tent.

He ordered, Zhang Shi!

Here, sir!

I order you to lead twenty thousand elite troops straight to Shanhe City. You will be my vanguard.

General... Surprisingly, Zhang Shi did not accept immediately as he usually did, but instead said, General, this subordinate wishes to stay behind and fight the barbarians!

The barbarian army of eighty thousand attacking our Yunji City fills me with unbearable hatred. This time, since we are drawing them back, I want to fight them to the death at the Left and Right Peaks!

Ren Tianye gave him a meaningful look.

He saw through Zhang Shi's intentions at a glance.

The man had gone out on an expedition and gained zero merit, so he was getting anxious!

He wanted to violently wipe out the barbarians' effective forces at the Left and Right Peaks to secure a major achievement.

Ren Tianye did not force him, instead calling out, Wang Ming!

Here, sir!

I order you to lead twenty thousand men and strike directly at Shanhe City.

Yes, sir!

Wang Ming didn't waste words. He never had as many calculating thoughts as these guerrilla generals; he simply did whatever the General ordered.

He only felt that his abilities were limited and always worried about failing his tasks. But now, with the General backing him up and ready to reinforce him at any time, he felt no fear whatsoever.

After the troops were assigned and Wang Ming led his men out first, Ren Tianye took Zhang Shi and the remaining army of over eighty thousand to the Left and Right Peaks.

The terrain of these two peaks was treacherous, and the paths were rugged and uneven, making it an absolutely perfect spot for an ambush.

Ren Tianye led everyone up the mountain. After scouting the situation, he immediately began setting up defenses.

It was grueling physical labor.

After all, they had to prepare a large number of lethal traps like rolling logs and boulders. However, knowing they were about to fight the barbarians, the men worked with great passion.

They remained busy with the preparations.

Time flew by. Before they had even finished all their deployments here, a messenger rode up on a fast horse, rushed up the mountain, and headed straight for Ren Tianye.

G-General...

What is the situation at Shanhe City?

Ren Tianye frowned. Seeing the messenger's expression, he knew something major must have happened, which made him feel a bit uneasy.

Yes, General Wang Ming has reclaimed Shanhe City.

What? Before Ren Tianye could speak, Zhang Shi jumped out from the side, almost unable to believe his own ears, and asked again, What did you say?

Wang Ming has already reclaimed Shanhe City?

Are you kidding me!

That's Shanhe City, the greatest fortress in the Northern Frontier! Even if a hundred thousand elite troops laid siege to it, and even if there were only a few thousand defenders inside, it would be impossible to take it without several months of fighting.

Did Wang Ming suddenly grow three heads and six arms?

How could he possibly reclaim Shanhe City?

Zhang Shi was clearly losing his composure. Ren Tianye was also astonished and asked, Are the Zhou and Wu families' influences in Shanhe City truly that massive?

Enough to let Wang Ming reclaim it so easily?

The messenger hurriedly replied, General, the noble families in Shanhe City did contribute, but mainly...

When General Wang Ming led his men to the outskirts of Shanhe City, he found that it was already an empty city.

According to the people from those noble families, there had been some unusual barbarian movements in Shanhe City over the past few days. However, they had been bullied by the barbarians so much that they were too scared to get close and investigate.

But General Wang Ming analyzed the situation and concluded that the barbarians must have left Shanhe City over the last few days under the leadership of the barbarian Third Prince, Tuoba Xiangtai.

Thus, leaving Shanhe City entirely empty.

General Wang Ming occupied it without breaking a sweat.

Furthermore, General Wang Ming has already sent troops to search the surrounding areas. They found no trace of the barbarians, nor were there any incendiary materials buried in the city. It seems to have been a normal withdrawal by the barbarians.

Before the messenger could even finish speaking, Zhang Shi's face had already turned green.

Damn it, damn it all to hell!

He had followed the General out of the Northern Frontier, but in the battle of Sifang City, he hadn't earned a single ounce of merit. Wang Ming had reaped all the benefits.

This time, he thought he could achieve something greater than Wang Ming, but as a result... Wang Ming just effortlessly occupied Shanhe City?

That was Shanhe City!

Regardless of how it was occupied, it was the number one city in the Northern Frontier. The sheer magnitude of this merit made him drool with envy!

It's over, it's over. From now on, when I see Wang Ming, I won't just be respectfully calling him General. I might even have to drop to one knee.

Ren Tianye also wore a look of astonishment.

He suddenly wondered, could this Wang Ming be his lucky star?

In his memory, as long as he brought Wang Ming along, everything went smoothly.

Whether it was Yunji City, Sifang City, or now Shanhe City.

As long as Wang Ming was with him, or Wang Ming was sent out, it always resulted in effortless victories.

It seems that keeping such a good man by my side was a very correct choice.

Ren Tianye was very happy, but soon, this happiness turned into confusion.

The barbarians had dispatched an army of eighty thousand to attack Shanhe City.

They had left the Third Prince, Tuoba Xiangtai, in command of twenty thousand troops to guard Shanhe City. But now, Tuoba Xiangtai had abandoned Shanhe City and fled!

What was Tuoba Xiangtai trying to do?

Could there be some sort of insidious plot or scheme hidden in this?

Or was it merely a strategic adjustment by the barbarians?

Relying on his sharp intuition, he felt there had to be something fishy going on, but for the moment, he couldn't figure out exactly what it was.

Moreover, taking Shanhe City so easily would also bring about a shift in the overall situation.

If this was done intentionally by the barbarians.

Then, would they still abandon their assault on Yunji City and turn back to rescue Shanhe City?

Ren Tianye furrowed his brows.

He pondered deeply.

A moment later, his gaze turned resolute. Continue setting up the defenses and wait for the barbarians.

In any case, the defenses at the Left and Right Peaks were almost complete. He would take a gamble. Besides... by invading the Northern Frontier, the barbarians had lost the base camp they relied on for survival. For them, there was only moving forward, no stepping back.

Therefore, Shanhe City was absolutely something they could not afford to lose. Thus, it was highly likely that the barbarians hadn't abandoned it on their own accord; something must have changed internally.

A change that he was currently unaware of!

However, considering the importance of Shanhe City to the barbarians, they definitely wouldn't just discard it and continue attacking Yunji City.

Therefore, they must hold the Left and Right Peaks.

Ren Tianye made up his mind, yet the name Tuoba Xiangtai couldn't help but surface in his mind. He had a strong feeling that this Tuoba Xiangtai was plotting something!

...