"I didn’t expect this Zheng Lang to actually have some real ability." Ye Shikai finally understood why Zheng Lang had lined the Qin Army up in a single row along the Zhao He. So that was how he intended to delay the rebel army’s advance and hold out until reinforcements arrived.

"Old Ye, what do you mean by that?"

"Zheng Lang wants to stall us. Since that’s the case, we absolutely must not fall into their trap. I have to report this to the lord." Looking at the map in front of him, Ye Shikai felt a faint pressure. If there were no time limit, the rebel army only needed to surround them and cut off their supply lines. In that case, with fifty thousand Qin troops having nothing to eat or drink, they would have no choice but to surrender. But right now, time was not on their side; they did not have the time to wear down the Qin Army.

"All right, I’ll send for a messenger at once." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"No need. If General Ye has anything to say, I can convey it myself." Suddenly, a man’s voice came from the entrance of the command tent.

"Well now, General Huo, coming from so far away, forgive me for not welcoming you sooner." Ye Shikai stepped forward and bowed.

"General Ye, there’s no need for courtesy. I heard you took Deng County without losing a single man. I’d long wanted to come and have a look, but never had the chance. Now that I’m here, we should have a good talk." Huo Ziqing laughed loudly, and Ye Shikai had the guards bring out good wine to entertain him.

"Deng County was a soft persimmon. Whoever went would’ve gotten the same result. I just happened to have slightly better luck and got to seize this opportunity."

"Yes, General Ye is absolutely right. Look at me, leading ten thousand iron cavalry, sitting on the left flank of the Qin Army—every day I’m fighting yet not fighting, advancing yet not advancing, just stuck there. I don’t even know what the lord intends." Huo Ziqing couldn’t help but complain. For one who commands troops, the biggest taboo was indecision and hesitation. But Ye Shikai knew very well this wasn’t Mi Wen’s fault. Fifty thousand Qin troops were enough to form a full corps; even the finest commander could not just deal with them lightly. Mi Wen’s hesitation was entirely reasonable.

"If it were you in command, General Huo, what would you do?" After several rounds of wine, tongues loosened. Ye Shikai seized the chance to ask.

"Fifty thousand Qin troops concentrated together are indeed troublesome, but Zheng Lang’s fifty thousand are stretched in a straight line along the Zhao He, like a long snake. If we can cut them off in the middle so that head and tail can’t support each other, then annihilate them in segments, we’ll win a decisive victory."

"Old Ye, what General Huo says makes perfect sense." Shangguan Jian voiced his agreement as well.

"I’m afraid it won’t be that easy. Fifty thousand Qin troops don’t fall into chaos so easily. If we misplay this and fail, we might end up setting ourselves on fire." Ye Shikai eyed the map on the table with a doubtful look. When he had last met with Mi Wen to talk about Zheng Lang, Mi Wen had summed him up in four words: a spoiled rich kid. But now, Ye Shikai felt Mi Wen had underestimated the man.

"There’s no ’if’ about it. General Ye, don’t overthink this. Let me let you two in on something: in fact, the lord already tacitly approved this strategy long ago. We’re just waiting on a formal military order."

"What?" Ye Shikai sounded a bit agitated. No wonder Mi Wen had sought him out to discuss strategy. It wasn’t that she had no ideas, but that she wanted to ask for his opinion. Compared to his proposal of using the waterways for a surprise raid on Wan City—cutting the Qin Army in the middle and then encircling and annihilating them—this plan seemed much more conservative.

"Didn’t the lord mention it to you? I thought she had already informed you."

"How could this be... No, I have to go find her." Ye Shikai, anxious, rushed out at once, taking his guards and galloping toward Mi Wen’s main camp.

"Mi Wen, how could you—"

"Halt! This is the lord’s main camp. Do not be insolent."

Ye Shikai was so worked up he even forgot to send word ahead and directly barged in with his men. If the general in charge of the stockade hadn’t recognized him, they probably would’ve loosed arrows on the spot.

"Lay down your weapons. All of you, stand down." Mi Wen’s face showed a trace of displeasure as she said coldly.

"Yes."

"Yes."

"What brings you here?"

"Mi—Lord, since you’d already decided on a strategy, why didn’t you tell me?" Ye Shikai asked bluntly in a loud voice.

"I’m the one who makes the decisions. You only need to obey orders." Mi Wen’s tone was icy. She clearly didn’t seem very welcoming toward Ye Shikai, and he knew why.

"I am a military general. It’s true I’m supposed to follow orders. But if your decision has problems, of course I should stop you." Ye Shikai retorted.

"Insolence."

"Mi Wen, you really think Huo Ziqing’s plan is feasible?" Realizing he’d lost his composure, Ye Shikai moderated his tone. He had just scolded Mi Wen in front of everyone, which naturally cost her face. As the lord, how could she allow a subject to lecture her so casually?

"Of course. Not just I, but the Think Tank and all the generals as well—they all strongly support it. As long as General Huo succeeds in his strike, our hundred thousand troops will move in to encircle and wipe them out. Those fifty thousand Qin troops will surely collapse at the first blow and meekly surrender."

"Superficial. Zheng Lang set up that long snake formation precisely to lure our army into cutting them in the middle. When he orders his entire force to fall back and contract, General Huo and the one or two ten-thousand-strong iron cavalry under him will be wiped out." Ye Shikai shouted.

"General Ye, we’ve considered that too. Zheng Lang’s formation is laid out in a single line along the river, with more than fifty camps. If they fall back and contract, our army will immediately press forward. At that point the Qin troops will surely have no heart to defend the camps, and we can pursue and slaughter them on a grand scale."

"Foolish." Ye Shikai cursed. "This is Zheng Lang’s scheme—can’t you see it? He’s put the old, weak, sick, and crippled at the two ends, and concentrated all his elites in the five central camps. As long as those five central camps don’t fall, we couldn’t break through even with two hundred thousand men." Ye Shikai had been puzzled before, but the moment he heard this plan he understood. To put it plainly, those dozens of camps at both ends weren’t meant to resist the rebel army at all, but were deliberately left for them to ’take.’ In this way, every time the rebels ’picked up’ a camp, they’d have to station troops to hold it. How would they still have the strength to break through his carefully defended central camps? And Huo Ziqing’s iron-cavalry raid would be nine deaths out of ten at best.

"General Ye, don’t think that a bit of military merit gives you license to disregard the lord. This is the lord’s decision; there’s no room for you to bellow here. Guards, drag him out!" A general drew his sword and pointed it at Ye Shikai, berating him harshly.

"I’d like to see who dares touch him." Seeing this, Man Cang immediately stepped forward. The two sides faced off, but Ye Shikai signaled him to sheathe his weapon and not lose his temper.

"I’ll be frank with you: General Huo has already received my military order. He moves tonight." Mi Wen snapped coldly and turned to leave.

"You—" Ye Shikai was utterly helpless, but he could not overturn Mi Wen’s command.

"General, what do we do now?"

"Back to camp."