Your Majesty, Please Stop!

Chapter 249: The County Prince's Plan to Use Himself as Bait

The Iron Floating Guards rested in place.

Han Jiulang and Bai Jianxi set up a pile of torches, and the group sat in a circle, roasting jerky and eating dry rations.

Xin Zhuo took out the topographic map again and found that his ability to predict danger was very accurate. It seemed to be an instinct that had existed since the beginning of their journey in the Fulong Mountains.

He felt that there was some strange danger or trap waiting for them nearby, causing his right eyelid to twitch inexplicably.

His finger slid along the map, pointing to a spot, and he suddenly stood up and said, "Send someone to inform the Western Qin soldiers who are coming to meet us. They don't need to go to Baiwu Mountain. Instead, send a group to sneak into the White Goujian on both sides, while the rest go openly along the road to meet me. Then, follow the route we came from. Also, send someone to notify Xingling Prefecture that regardless of whether I live or die, they are not allowed to come to rescue me!"

Sheng Lingge, the only one who understood military affairs, looked at the map with a puzzled expression. "White Goujian leads to Xingling Prefecture. There shouldn't be any ambushes there. Why go there? We might as well go north from Baiwu Mountain and join the main army directly to Xingling Prefecture!"

"I suspect that the Western Region soldiers won't let me pass easily!"

Xin Zhuo looked into the distance and suddenly his pupils contracted. He saw birds flying and dust rising in the distance, not knowing if they were friend or foe. He immediately said, "Mount up, let's go!"

The group hadn't even eaten yet when they immediately mounted their horses and headed straight for Baiwu Mountain.

Just as they were about to set off, tens of thousands of strange armored Western Region soldiers had already rushed out from both sides. Their spears and white blades filled the sky with their eerie cries.

Finally, they saw the Western Region soldiers with their own eyes. The horses were iron-blooded warhorses, and the soldiers were tall and sturdy, with big noses and blue eyes, looking quite intimidating.

Huang Dagui, Bai Jianxi, and Murong Xiu, who had never experienced war before, turned pale with fear and desperately urged their horses forward.

"Run, run, run..."

The one thousand Iron Floating Guards ran madly, while tens of thousands of Western Region soldiers chased after them, shooting arrows like rain.

Fortunately, the Iron Floating Guards were experienced and well-trained, shooting back while riding and retreating.

They covered each other, killing and retreating.

In just a few dozen miles, they arrived in an instant. Ahead was Baiwu Mountain. After bypassing Baiwu Mountain, it would be fifteen more miles to reach Baigou Gorge, and after crossing Baigou Gorge, they would be in control of the eight prefectures held by the Western Qin soldiers, where over ten thousand troops were stationed.

Just as Xin Zhuo and his group climbed up the hill of Baiwu Mountain, their hearts sank once again.

They saw a well-organized formation of two to three thousand elite Western Region cavalry on the open field ahead, led by a dozen young men and women wearing golden helmets and iron armor, leisurely waiting.

"This path is blocked!"

A valiant Western Region female general in the middle waved her long spear and laughed heartily.

"What do we do? What do we do?" Bai Jianxi looked around anxiously. "There are fifty to sixty thousand people in front and behind us, and we only have one thousand!"

"One thousand against fifty thousand, the advantage is on our side!"

Huang Dagui raised his wooden knife fiercely. "Kill!"

"No! The County Prince is the backbone of the Western Qin soldiers. If he is lost, the over ten thousand Western Qin soldiers will be finished!"

Sheng Lingge grabbed Xin Zhuo's arm forcefully. "County Prince, don't act recklessly. Let's hide on Baiwu Mountain. San Ye knows about this and will definitely send a large army to rescue us!"

Xin Zhuo slapped his hand away, stretched lazily, and said calmly, tightening the reins of his warhorse. "Then let's go up the mountain!"

The one thousand Iron Floating Guards changed their course and charged towards the top of Baiwu Mountain.

"Gurgle!"

Tens of thousands of Western Region soldiers advanced in an orderly manner.

"Gurgle!"

Tens of thousands of Western Region pursuers had also pressed closer to the foot of the mountain.

Tens of thousands of people chanting in unison, their voices shaking the heavens, making one's scalp tingle.

Xin Zhuo and his group had already followed the winding mountain path to the halfway point. Looking back from a high vantage point, they could clearly see the overwhelming scene of tens of thousands of troops pressing forward, creating a chilling sense of intimidation.

"What does 'gulu' mean?"

Muran Xiu approached Sheng Lingge and asked in a low voice.

"It doesn't have a specific meaning!"

Sheng Lingge looked worriedly at Xin Zhuo and said, "It's a dialect from the Western Regions, also known as 'gulu' or 'gulu', similar to the meaning of 'long live' or 'invincible'! It's a bit like the mighty aura of the Western Qin soldiers!"

"It's just a chant! Used to show off!" Huang Dagui summarized.

As they were speaking, they had already reached the mountaintop. Xin Zhuo scanned the surroundings and felt a bit disappointed. The White Mist Mountain seemed large on the map, similar to Fulong Mountain, but when they climbed up, they realized it was just a small hill. Fortunately, there were only a thousand people, otherwise it might have been too crowded.

After pondering for a moment, he calmly sat down and gestured for Hongshu to open the roasted dry rations, continuing to eat.

As a result, everyone else was burdened with worries and remained silent, while only he enjoyed the delicious food.

After eating three pieces of dried meat, Xin Zhuo looked curiously at the others. "Aren't you hungry?"

Sheng Lingge smiled bitterly and said, "This subordinate can't eat. There are fifty to sixty thousand elite enemy troops below the mountain. It seems they are coming for the Prince of the County. They will launch a strong attack later. How long can we hold on?"

"Who said we have to hold on?" Xin Zhuo smiled and said, "We're going to fight later, charge out!"

Everyone looked at each other, their faces turning pale.

Ying Jianying, who seemed to understand military matters, cupped her fists and said, "This servant doesn't understand the intentions of the Prince of the County. If we are going to charge out and fight, why didn't we do it earlier when we were at the foot of the mountain? Why did we have to climb up the mountain first? The enemy is already prepared. Charging down would be like throwing ourselves into a trap, wouldn't it?"

This was what everyone was thinking. The Prince of the County's thoughts were truly unfathomable, making it difficult for people to understand.

Xin Zhuo pointed to the Western Region soldiers getting closer at the foot of the mountain. "Charging earlier or charging now would have the same outcome. Moreover, the main force of the Western Qin soldiers who are here to welcome me hasn't arrived yet. Naturally, we need to rest on the mountain for a while.

And these people below the mountain are indeed coming for me. It's still unknown if there are other Western Region soldiers in the distance. If I hold my ground here, the Western Qin soldiers from Xingling Prefecture will definitely come to rescue me. When the main force of the Western Region soldiers discovers this, they will make corresponding arrangements.

By then, if the Western Qin soldiers are trapped because of us and are too afraid to act, and the Western Region soldiers plan to besiege the city and seek reinforcements, no! We need to make the worst assumption! They are indeed planning to besiege the city and seek reinforcements!

This place may very well become the final battleground between the Western Qin soldiers and the Western Region soldiers. Tens of thousands of Western Qin soldiers against hundreds of thousands or even millions of Western Region soldiers, engaging in a decisive battle. How confident do you think we are? Once the battle is over, we will also meet our end!

Of course, I don't understand military matters, but we need to consider the worst-case scenario!"

"And then?" Sheng Lingge caught a glimpse of the situation. With his understanding of the Western Region soldiers, what the Prince of the County said made a lot of sense, and it was very likely that this worst-case scenario would occur.

"Except for the soldiers who are here to welcome me, none of the remaining Western Qin soldiers can move. Let them hold back the main force of the Western Region soldiers in Xingling Prefecture...," Xin Zhuo stood up and pointed below, "I will use myself as bait and see if I can kill this group of Western Region barbarians below the mountain!"

"?"

Sheng Lingge looked confused. "How do we do that?"

Xin Zhuo glanced at the sun. "Are there 15,000 elite soldiers coming to pick me up?"

"Yes!"

Sheng Lingge nodded. "According to the Prince's orders, 5,000 of them are to ambush in Baigou Gully, while the remaining 10,000 will head east and come around following the route we took!"

Xin Zhuo smiled. "Can 1,000 Iron Floating Guards fight ten to one?"

Sheng Lingge hesitated for a moment. "That's right!"

"I've seen it. The enemy doesn't have any experts at the Venerable realm!"

Xin Zhuo stretched lazily. "With my ten or so subordinates, we can hold off 10,000. Three, four, five against fifty to sixty thousand. The advantage is on our side! Charge out and counter-surround them! Everyone, change into armor!"

(End of this chapter)