Chapter 54

"Unbelievable!" Li Yi returned to the camp, furious, and threw the candlesticks and documents on the table to the side, roaring, "Why does that damn Luo Shixin always have such good luck? Last time, and this time, it’s the same." He had used every method possible to outdo Luo Shixin, even going so far as to rush to the front lines first, at the cost of manpower and resources, to claim credit and try to end the war early, thereby limiting Luo Shixin’s opportunities to earn merit. But contrary to his expectations, the Turks actually delivered themselves to him, earning him a great feat that was hard to match. Thinking of this, he felt both regret and hatred.

"Wan Che, Wan Jun, what should we do next?"

After venting his anger, Li Yi calmed down and, as usual, sought advice from his two trusted lieutenants.

Xue Wan Jun hesitated for a moment and said, "The Turks are known to retreat when faced with strength and attack when faced with weakness. To annihilate this group of invading Turks, our forces are insufficient. However, if we can use the special troops under Vice Commander Luo, I am confident we can cripple the Turks completely."

"Don’t even think about it!" Li Yi glared at Xue Wan Jun, "I, Li Yi, a noble prince of the Tang Dynasty, have already been humiliated by a lucky dog. Am I supposed to help him gain fame? What a ridiculous and foolish idea."

Xue Wan Jun remained silent, feeling dejected. Li Yi was narrow-minded, preferring to let the enemy go rather than cooperate with Luo Shixin, making him a poor leader. However, the Xue family owed Li Yi a great debt and had to serve him.

Xue Wan Che, sharing the same mood as his brother, quickly stepped in to smooth things over when he saw his brother being scolded, "General, don’t forget your duty. The emperor personally appointed Princess Pingyang as the commander-in-chief of the Hebei campaign, with you and General Luo as deputy commanders to assist her in repelling the Turk invasion. General Luo’s victory in Hedong is indeed his skill, but it’s unrelated to this mission. The current situation in Hebei is under your control. As long as you continue to enforce the border blockade, the Turks will have no opportunity and will retreat. The credit for repelling them will be all yours."

Li Yi’s anger subsided slightly, and he frowned, "Is there no way to keep Luo Shixin out and defeat the Turks on our own?"

Xue Wan Che shook his head and smiled bitterly, "You are not the commander-in-chief, and General Luo is a renowned fierce general. Even if my brother and I work together, we might not be his match. The princess won’t leave such a fierce general idle. To prevent him from earning merit, we must deny him the opportunity to act."

Li Yi grunted, displeased with Xue Wan Che’s praise for Luo Shixin, but he couldn’t refute it. He was known for his bravery, but after witnessing the prowess of top generals like Qin Qiong and Luo Shixin on the battlefield, he realized there were always people better than him.

Xue Wan Jun also said, "The Turk chieftain, Dewen Fu, is greedy but cautious. As long as we don’t give him an opportunity, he will retreat. However, I’m worried that Dewen Fu might shift his target from Dingzhou to Yizhou. Yizhou needs to be defended, and I will take charge of it."

Li Yi agreed and assigned him a thousand cavalry, but his expression was still grim. However, his attitude softened. The Xue brothers were rare talents, with Xue Wan Che being more courageous and Xue Wan Jun more strategic. Xue Wan Jun was his top advisor, and he didn’t want to alienate him.

The next day, Princess Pingyang and Luo Shixin learned that Xue Wan Jun was responsible for the Yizhou defense.

Luo Shixin couldn’t help but admire the Xue brothers for their foresight in predicting the Turks’ movements.

However, this didn’t conflict with their plan. With just a thousand cavalry, they couldn’t stop the Turks, but it would be beneficial for the final ambush. Of course, this was on the condition that Xue Wan Jun had a bit of national pride...

As Li Yi had anticipated, he actively mobilized all his cavalry, clearly not giving Luo Shixin another chance to earn merit.

Three days passed, and news came from the rear that heavy rain had delayed the supply of provisions.

Princess Pingyang ordered the surrounding counties to prepare provisions. Since Yizhou had not been invaded by the Turks and the autumn harvest was successful, it was the main source of provisions.

Both major and minor tasks required cavalry. Li Yi, with his accumulated resources in Youzhou, took on all the heavy work, leaving Luo Shixin with no chance to get involved.

With nothing to do, he was assigned by Princess Pingyang to escort the provisions.

Watching Luo Shixin’s desolate back, Li Yi laughed smugly.

**********

In Youzhou, Yuyang.

Gao Kaidao, looking worried, served Dewen Fu, regretting his decision deeply.

As the Turk’s watchdog, Gao Kaidao had been diligent and responsible.

When the Turks invaded, Gao Kaidao entertained them with all kinds of delicacies, hoping to gain some scraps in the end. He planned to use the opportunity of the Turks weakening the Tang border troops to expand his own territory.

However, the unexpected happened. Li Yi, who usually valued caution, suddenly became aggressive and confrontational with the Turks. The seemingly fierce Turks, in turn, retreated shamefully, unwilling to engage in direct conflict. As a result, the gains from the invasion were minimal, and Gao Kaidao received nothing. Instead, he had to bear the cost of feeding and housing over ten thousand Turk cavalry, which was draining his resources.

To prevent Dewen Fu from depleting him, Gao Kaidao spread his spies far and wide, hoping to send Dewen Fu away, no longer expecting any rewards.

Seeing that Dingzhou was impregnable, Gao Kaidao turned his attention to Yizhou. Learning that the Tang were collecting provisions in Yizhou, he saw it as a golden opportunity.

"Lord Sijin, this is a great piece of news. Nothing is more valuable than grain. Seizing these provisions from the Tang will be enough to see your tribe through the winter."

The Turks’ habits differed from those in Central China. The provisions for over twenty thousand troops for ten days could last the Turks for several months. This wasn’t because of their small appetites but their different eating habits.

The Turks were not the meat-eaters they were often imagined to be. They valued their sheep and horses, slaughtering them only when guests arrived or when the animals were old. Otherwise, the reproduction rate of sheep and horses would never keep up with the slaughter rate.

The Turks primarily consumed dairy products, with horse and sheep milk being almost unlimited. These were nutritious and filling, but they couldn’t drink only milk. They usually drank a large bowl of horse or sheep milk with a small amount of barley or millet. This made the grain last longer, and the provisions for over twenty thousand troops for ten days were enough to last the winter.

Dewen Fu’s large black mole twitched, and his interest was clearly piqued.