(All rights reserved. Reproduction is prohibited!) First published in Adventurer's Paradise.ezla.com.tw)
The Black Forest was a natural forest at the intersection of Bing Province, Ji Province, Yan Province, and Si Province. The ancient trees in the forest were so dense that it was impossible to tell the difference between day and night.
After running for about an entire day, the Han army finally arrived at the black forest. At this moment, Hua Juan once again ordered the cavalry on both sides to merge into one. However, the difference was that the merged cavalry did not bring up the rear but led the way.
The trails in the Black Forest were difficult to traverse on horseback, and there were countless strange birds and fierce beasts. However, in recent years, the imperial court and the local government began to pay attention to the wood resources here. After several years of development and renovation, the only official road in the Black Forest was now wide enough for about eight horses to walk side by side.
The original tranquility in the forest might have become lively because of the sudden arrival of a large number of humans, but many strange birds perched on the trees were shocked and flapped their wings high into the sky.
Although the hooves of the Yellow Turban army were still not approaching, there were no signs of them getting further away. The Han army had long shown signs of fatigue due to the long journey. Some of the soldiers in the carriages were so tired that they sat on the wooden boards and refused to move. There were also many cavalrymen who simply stuck their bodies to the backs of their horses and let them follow the troops.
Hua Juan's current appearance was already somewhat disheveled, and her unkempt hair and dirty face made people laugh. However, she was still on horseback and constantly directing the follow-up work to face the Yellow Turban Army. Her expression was very focused and serious.
Because the cavalry was united and the carriage group's load was reduced, all the troops were almost tightly packed together. The relevant generals in charge gathered to discuss the next step while they were still at a distance from the Yellow Turban army.
"Although Miss Juan's plan is eye-catching, the Yellow Turban bandits are still in hot pursuit. Although the Han army has not suffered too many casualties, if the main force of the Yellow Turban bandits follows us, we are finished!”
"But... Didn't Miss Juan already have an ambush army here, so this plan should have succeeded. Once the Yellow Turban bandits entered the depths of the black forest, they could be surrounded and captured in one fell swoop!”
Another general who had listened for a long time before speaking snorted coldly and said,"Surround them and capture them all! Everyone is too naive. What if the plan fails and the ambush doesn't work? Instead, we might be wiped out by the Yellow Turban bandits and allowed them to smoothly pass through the black forest and approach Luoyang!”
Seeing that the generals were speechless, the general continued,"" Ambushing in the Black Forest was a wrong plan. Moreover, how would the little girl know that the loss of food would have an indelible impact on the morale of the army…This ambush plan might have been seen through by the Yellow Turban thieves long ago. Now, they are reorganizing their troops and preparing to capture us in one fell swoop with a special cracking method!”
"Why is it that our army has such a powerful talent who can strategize and decide victory from a thousand miles away, but this old man doesn't know about it at all? If there really is such a general, I must properly promote him. Because there is such a person in the Han Dynasty, why worry about the Yellow Turban thieves not exterminated! I, Lu Zhi, can wait for the Yellow Turban bandits to be defeated.”
This person did not expect that the conversation between the generals would be heard by Lu Zhi, who trusted Hua Juan the most. What was even more awkward was that Hua Juan and Bai Qing were riding beside him.
The general laughed dryly and said," I wouldn't dare to. I'm only chatting with the other generals because the situation is urgent and the Han army has retreated repeatedly in the battle just now. That's why I took the opportunity when the Yellow Turban bandits haven't caught up with us! Miss Silk…If I have offended you, please don't blame me!”
Hua Juan didn't answer, but Fan Yifu, who had come from nowhere, said,""It's precisely because the war is in an emergency that every word is enough to affect the morale of the soldiers. Moreover, you just said that our ambush plan might have been seen through by the Yellow Turban thieves…The plan had always been very secretive, so who among the Yellow Turban thieves could guess it? Humph! If he had the time to talk, he might as well reserve more strength to prepare for a life-and-death battle with the Yellow Turban bandits!”
When Lu Zhi saw Fan Yifu arrive, he asked,""Yifu, what about the soldiers who were lying in ambush in the black forest?”
Fan Yifu looked at Hua Juan with a face full of joy and said to Lu Zhi,""The soldiers are all in high spirits and ready to fight the Yellow Turban thief. When the soldiers heard that Miss Juan had tricked the Yellow Turban thief, they were all satisfied! Miss Juan, you are now a legendary figure that all the Han soldiers dream of meeting. After this battle is over, we must hold a celebratory feast for you and let all the soldiers see your elegance!”
The generals knew that if this battle was successful, Hua Juan would definitely become the most influential figure in the Han army. They did not forget to flatter her, which made Hua Juan, who was sandwiched in a group of men, feel awkward.
Just as everyone was feeling more relaxed, the sound of horse hooves gradually came from the distance. For a moment, the slightly relaxed atmosphere became tense again. Seeing this, Hua Juan raised the whip in his hand and shouted,"Whether or not we succeed in this battle will depend on today. Don't let the thieves think that our Great Han Imperial Army is easy to bully!”
Hearing a young girl say such ambitious words, it would have caused everyone to laugh out loud under normal circumstances. But at this time, the Han army seemed to feel the conviction that they had to win. The whole army shouted in unison and no longer retreated as they formally confronted the menacing Yellow Turban bandits.
"What?!" He was defeated! You're saying that the 200,000 troops led by Yuan Yi and Yuan Zhi were defeated by Lu Zhi, this... How is this possible?"
The man who exuded the aura of a king but did not have the slightest bit of dominance slowly spoke.
The man looked at the burly, dark-skinned man who was wearing the battle robe of the Yellow Turban Army's deputy general. The Yellow Turban deputy general's armor, which was originally made of calf leather, was already in tatters. It could be said that it was barely sticking to the man's body and could fall off at any time. Moreover, the parts of his body that were not covered were covered with dried and black blood stains, and there was also mud that had condensed into sweat and stuck to his body.
The man could feel the loyalty of the deputy general and the intensity of the battle. He pondered for a moment and said,“... How did you lose?"
The Yellow Turban Deputy General licked his dry lips and said,"" Our army was able to defeat the Han army with unstoppable momentum. Moreover, in order to hasten the destruction of the Han army, the two generals sent General Cheng and several experts to infiltrate the Han camp in an attempt to assassinate Lu Zhi. However, this did not succeed. Instead, they injured several of our experts and returned with their feathers…"
The man frowned and said,"..." Refine the feathers and return! But I remember that Lu Zhi's martial arts aren't top-notch, and he has very few skilled subordinates. With Yuan Zhi as the leader, our army's strength shouldn't be inferior to him, so how could we fail?”
"It is said that everything went very smoothly as the great teacher said. Unexpectedly, a white-robed youth suddenly appeared halfway. His martial arts were superb, and a sharp blade could actually fly in the air. After fighting with him, no one was his match…"
"White-robed youth…A flying sword technique? I have never heard of such a person…"
" Not only did such a mysterious young expert appear in the Han army camp," the Yellow Turban Deputy General said." There was also a young girl about eighteen years old named Hua Juan." I heard that the plan to defeat our army this time came from her.”
The man cried out in shock,"You said…" Are you saying that the person who broke through our 200,000 strong army is a young girl who is only 18 years old?”
The Yellow Turban Deputy General saw the man's loss of composure and nodded worriedly.""Yes, this woman used a trick to lure General Ma and his cavalry into the black forest, then sent an ambush to block the northern exit. She first used rockets to weaken them, then surrounded them and annihilated them all!”
"Heavens! This woman was so young and was already deeply immersed in the art of war, but Yuan Zhi was so meticulous, how could she fall for it?”
" That's right. General Cheng had long felt that there was something fishy about this matter, but he had repeatedly advised General Ma to no avail. Therefore, when General Ma decided to lead the cavalry to pursue the Han army that seemed to have no fighting ability, he sighed helplessly and instructed me to catch up with the hundred thousand infantrymen as much as possible. Then, he followed General Ma into the black forest.”
Hearing this, the man who slammed his fist on the table sighed,""I thought that handing over to Yuan Yi and Yuan Zhi was the right decision, but it resulted in an unavoidable failure. No matter how I calculated, I didn't consider the result of the ambiguous leadership position of the two of them in the military…I was wrong!"
As he sighed, the man suddenly thought of something and said," The three Yellow Turban armies are advancing southward from different directions. Yuanyi and Yuanzhi's central troops have been defeated and their two generals have died on the spot. They are no longer a threat to Lu Zhi. Lu Zhi will definitely help either Zhu Juan or Huangfu Song who are in a difficult battle. This will definitely affect the development of the other two armies.”
After a few seconds of silence, the man continued," Once the central army is lost, the three armies 'power will be destroyed. Now, Lu Zhi, who is holding the power of victory, will look for another army to attack…" Looking at the situation, I have to make a trip!"
"Where is the great teacher going?"
The man called her to stand up." This woman is not simple. She is so young and has already studied the art of war. I want to learn it."”
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。