Wang San brandished his long battle sword with unmatched bravery as he charged into the enemy's formation, unleashing a frenzy of slaughter.
The soldiers behind him followed closely, and for a moment, the sounds of killing echoed through the air, scattering the enemy's formation in disarray.
Seeing the unfavorable situation, the barbarians abandoned their comrades and turned to flee.
Wang San's heart filled with joy. He had already prepared himself for a fierce and bloody battle, but he didn't expect a sudden stroke of divine assistance. With the enemy now in chaotic retreat, devoid of any fighting spirit, it was the perfect opportunity for a decisive victory.
"Chase them!"
"What's the point of chasing them?"
Just as Wang San was about to pursue the fleeing enemies, a familiar voice rang out.
"Mother?" Wang San's heart swelled with delight as he pulled his horse's reins and rushed forward. "Is it really you, Mother?"
Li Yao hadn't expected that Wang San would be leading the charge on this side.
Months had passed since they last saw each other, and this young man seemed to have grown taller and stronger. His face was as dark as coal.
Clad in armor stained with blood, he had the air of a seasoned warrior.
Seeing Wang San's unscathed mother assisting everyone by setting the enemy on fire, the soldiers flocked around.
They had heard Wang San boast countless times about how formidable his mother was, and while they were initially skeptical, now they could see that it wasn't just empty words.
Just as laughter began to erupt from the crowd, Li Yao shouted, "Wang San, are you an idiot?"
Wang San: ...
Onlookers: ... What's going on?
"You're tired and your horse is weary, yet you dare to charge headlong against the enemy who's well-rested?" Li Yao's voice turned cold. "Did you throw away everything I taught you? Did you treat your comrades' lives so lightly?"
Wang San didn't dare utter a word of protest.
Indeed, he had committed a grave mistake tonight.
If it weren't for his mother's assistance, many of his comrades might have perished tonight.
"Go back and report to General Xu for your punishment."
"Understood, Mother." Wang San asked with concern, "Are you alright, Mother?"
"What could happen to me?" Li Yao replied. "What are you all doing here?"
"Liu Hu said that you had been in the grasslands for several days, and tonight we discovered signs of the barbarians' movement. I was worried they were trying to encircle you, so I volunteered to come to the camp... to welcome you."
Originally, he had wanted to say "rescue," but the reality made it impossible to utter.
They had just witnessed who had saved whom.
"Let's go. The barbarians are coming again."
After joining forces with Wang San, Li Yao finally felt a sense of relief. At least she didn't have to wander the vast grasslands searching for people anymore.
Even before they reached the central tent, someone had already informed Grand Marshal Xu of the news.
Grand Marshal Xu had imagined many scenes of meeting Li Yao, but he never expected that it would happen in this distant land, under these circumstances.
"Li Ru, are you... well?"
"I'm fine."
"Haha, true to form, Li Ru." Grand Marshal Xu laughed. "Please have a seat in the camp."
The central tent was spacious but devoid of any warmth. It was icy cold, a testament to the dire shortage of supplies in the Daling Army.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Wang San took the initiative to confess his mistake.
Although only a few of his comrades were injured this time, with no fatalities, he had indeed acted impulsively.
"In consideration of your single-minded desire to rescue your mother, I will let it slide this time," Grand Marshal Xu, also being generous, said, "Immediately arrange a tent for Li Ru to rest."
"Not in a hurry."
Li Yao didn't come here to rest.
For the past three days, she had been pondering why a small elite force of the barbarians could be so audacious in the rear of the army, preventing Daling's supplies from being transported.
On this topic, Grand Marshal Xu wore a helpless expression.
"We have always been short of provisions, causing the soldiers and horses to often go hungry," Grand Marshal Xu thought for a moment and continued, "And lately, it has been a long time since any supplies have arrived. At most, the army can hold on... for three days."
Originally, such matters should not be disclosed to Li Yao.
However, for some reason, Grand Marshal Xu felt that if he told her, Li Yao might have a good solution.
"Prince Yizhou sent me some provisions from Yizhou, enough for the army for over twenty days."
"Really?"
"Didn't Liu Hu tell you?"
"Liu Hu? Are you referring to the young general in the Yizhou army?" Grand Marshal Xu asked. "After he arrived, he only had time to mention your matter before he collapsed from exhaustion. He still hasn't woken up."
"But the provisions are stuck at the Yuhan Pass, and the commanding officer there refuses to let them through."
"Is that so?" Grand Marshal Xu couldn't help but feel angry. The soldiers here were starving, and now the delivered provisions were being blocked. "Have these people become so audacious as to openly obstruct us like this?"
"In fact, the provisions have already been transported here. We just need to send someone to fetch them," Li Yao said. "My concern is that they might be ambushed by the barbarians along the way."
"Ah, this has been troubling us for a long time," Grand Marshal Xu asked, "I wonder if Lady Li has any good ideas?"
"I'm just a woman, I don't understand these matters," Li Yao glanced at the people around her—seven or eight generals and a few individuals dressed in long robes, likely civilian personnel in the military. "It's late today, everyone should rest. Let's discuss the matter of the provisions tomorrow."
"Alright, Wang San, take Lady Li to the camp to rest."
...
Although it was a simple tent without even a bed, only some straw and basic bedding, it was relatively comfortable on this bitterly cold night.
After chatting with Wang San for a while, Li Yao entered the tent alone.
But she didn't sleep. Instead, she took out the paper and pen that Wang San had found for her and began to write and draw.
Just now, while observing the reactions of the people in the main tent, she noticed that when they heard that a large amount of provisions was being transported, two individuals' eyes flickered. She strongly suspected that these two were spies.
Otherwise, even if the barbarians were formidable, they couldn't accurately know the route of the provisions every time.
If the spy wasn't exposed in advance, no matter how much food was delivered, it would likely be destroyed by the barbarians halfway.
And what she was writing were some small strategies for Grand Marshal Xu.
After finishing, she would ask Wang San to find an opportunity to give them to Grand Marshal Xu alone.
Early the next morning, as usual, Grand Marshal Xu summoned the generals to the tent. Liu Hu, who had awakened, was also called over, and he explained the situation of the provisions being blocked at the Yuhan Pass.
"Sir Grand Marshal," Liu Hu said, "I suggest sending two thousand soldiers and horses to go and intercept them."
"It's useless," Grand Marshal Xu replied. "You don't understand the situation here. No matter how many people we send to intercept the provisions, they will be attacked by the enemy's cavalry. They won't engage us directly; they just need to shoot their arrows from a distance, and most of the provisions will be burned."
Whether it's carriages, carts, or tricycles, traveling on the grassland without roads is too slow.
As for sending more people to transport provisions, the enemy's main force will be mobilized, leading to a major battle where the outcome is uncertain, and the provisions will undoubtedly be burned completely.
Therefore, the best approach is secrecy, making sure the enemy doesn't know the route of the provisions or when they will be delivered, leaving them helpless.
"I have pondered all night and come up with a plan of deploying decoy convoys," said Grand Marshal Xu. "We will prepare several fake routes, with only two of them being real. What do you all think?"
The generals and officials immediately expressed their opinions, some finding it troublesome while others considering it feasible.
Among the civilian officials, there were both supporters and opponents.
In the end, Grand Marshal Xu grew exasperated and said, "We'll proceed as I suggested! However, we need to carefully consider which route is the real one. Go back and think about it."
This was the strategy devised by Li Yao to assist him.
There were a total of ten people, including the generals and senior officials.
Later, Grand Marshal Xu would call each person one by one and determine the actual delivery route.
Of course, he would tell each of them something different.
In this way, by identifying which route or routes were targeted by the barbarians' attacks, they could expose the traitor.
One critical aspect of this plan required informing Zhang Shun, stationed at Yuhan Pass, and coordinating with him. Wang San volunteered for the task and departed last night.
The messengers sent out today were merely for show.
The net had been cast; now it was a matter of catching which fish.
