Chapter 010: Master Zhu's "Clever Scheme"

At this moment, there were still about 200 soldiers from the Later Jin besieging Wu Sangui, and around 20 cavalry from Guanning quickly gathered around Wu Sangui, forming a small defensive circle. The solemn expressions on their faces spoke volumes.

Wu Sangui did not understand why the Jurchens made such troop movements when they were in a position of advantage. He glanced at the remaining twenty or so Qanning cavalry beside him, gritted his teeth, and asked, "Is there anyone who wishes to withdraw?"

"My lord, now is the perfect time to strike the enemy. I, though lacking in talent, am willing to lead my brothers into battle!" Liu Feng said loudly upon seeing Zhu Bin frowning and remaining silent.

The commanding "Lord Zhu," upon hearing that so many Jurchens had actually arrived, realized that he had indeed played his part convincingly, managing to attract the entire main force of the Later Jin. Zhu Bin was greatly troubled; had he known it would turn out this way, he wouldn't have pushed his subordinates to work so hard.

... ...

Liu Feng felt utterly humiliated. The Guanning Iron Cavalry had always charged to the front, treating the heads of the Jurchen dogs as if they were plucking them from a bag. However, with a general like Zhu Bin, not only did the invincible Guanning Iron Cavalry suffer setbacks, but their repeated running around was nothing short of a farce.

On the left flank of the Later Jin army were the fifty cavalry commanded by Zhu Bin. The swift horses dragged branches behind them, while the mounted soldiers ran back and forth, continuously shouting loudly, creating a formidable spectacle. From a distance, it appeared that several hundred soldiers were concealed within the dust.

Zhu Bin's attitude left Liu Feng momentarily stunned. Zhu Bin, with a face full of sorrow, said: "Yuan Dushi is no longer here. The Guanning Iron Cavalry he left behind has either died or scattered. Now we are left with only this little bit of resources. For every one that dies, we lose one... If you do not consider yourself, you cannot squander the lifelong efforts of Yuan Dushi..."

"Brothers, dying is not that difficult; just charge forward. " Zhu Bin, seeing Liu Feng fall into the trap, felt a surge of joy in his heart, but the pained expression on his face grew increasingly grave: "But what are we? We are the Guanning Iron Cavalry. You are not just fifty men; as long as we can survive, these fifty can become five hundred, or even five thousand... Sometimes, living can be more painful than dying... The spark left by Commander Yuan cannot be extinguished in our hands..."

Yishiha is undoubtedly a decisive general. As he watched Wu Sangui's forces about to be completely overwhelmed, he forcefully suppressed his desire to annihilate all these Southern Dynasty people and resolutely issued the order to primarily defend the left flank. Consequently, under the concentrated assault of the Later Jin troops, Wu Sangui experienced a significant reduction in pressure and gained a moment to catch his breath

Yishiha, who personally led the team to confront the Ming army on the left flank, was taken aback to see that there was still a considerable distance between them and the Ming forces. To his astonishment, the Ming army unexpectedly turned and fled. In a moment of surprise, he joyfully shouted, "The Southern dogs are running away, the Southern dogs are running away, charge!"

This is truly a good son of Commander Yuan. Wu Sangui laughed heartily: "Today, if anyone does not kill at least ten Jurchen dogs, no one is allowed to die first"

Liu Feng gritted his teeth and glanced back, thinking to himself, enjoy your triumph now, revel in your happiness, but once Lord Zhu's brilliant plan comes to fruition, I will kill you all one by one. With this thought, Liu Feng's mood calmed down slightly, and he urged his warhorse to gallop forward with all his might

The sudden outburst startled Zhu Bin. Looking at Liu Feng's face, which was filled with murderous intent, he feared that this man had truly been provoked. Considering how unreasonable these Liao soldiers could be, it was entirely possible that he could end up dead. Zhu Bin's eyes darted around, and he suddenly let out a long sigh: "General Liu, how well do you understand my thoughts?"

He turned to glance at Zhu Bin, who, as the "Lord Zhu," appeared quite pleased with himself, loudly shouting, "Make the momentum even greater for me!" and "Haven't you eaten enough, you bastard? The voices of the women are louder than yours..." Zhu Bin let out a heavy sigh; if this were to get out, he and his subordinates would never be able to hold their heads high in front of their colleagues.

Unfortunately, Liu Feng was unaware of Zhu Bin's true thoughts. His so-called "brilliant plans," while containing some of his own intentions, were mostly fabricated out of desperation to save his life. If the brothers of the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry were to learn of his and Tu Shu's true thoughts, Zhu Bin would likely be torn to pieces on the spot

Under his leadership, this small unit launched a suicidal charge against an enemy ten times their number. In fact, their mission was essentially complete, and it was the best time to withdraw from the battlefield, yet none among them showed any signs of retreat or fear

He repeatedly referred to "Commander Yuan" with an immense weight in his tone, causing Liu Feng, a brave man who had never feared death, to feel his eyes welling up with tears.

Liu Feng now truly admires this "Lord Zhu". It seems he has indeed misunderstood him. "Lord Zhu" is not fleeing; this is clearly a clever scheme to deliberately lure the Jurchen dogs into a trap.

"Nonsense!" Zhu Bin exclaimed, "Fifty people fighting against a thousand? You must be crazy; I am not. Order all the brothers to retreat!"

Liu Feng angrily struck his thigh with his fist and said, "My lord, please give your orders!"

It seems these people are indeed quite naive. Zhu Bin once again displayed his "Zhuge Kongming" demeanor, shaking his head and saying: "When retreating, do not use conventional methods. Remember, always maintain a distance from the Later Jin troops, allowing them to see that they can catch up, yet just when they think they can, they find themselves unable to do so. They are all cavalry, and their formation cannot remain consistent. We are fewer in number and more mobile, so gradually we can disrupt their formation, and then we can seize the opportunity to ambush them..." They are all cavalry, and their formation cannot remain consistent. We are fewer in number and more mobile, so gradually we can disrupt their formation, and then we can seize the opportunity to ambush them...

The left wing is indeed the main focus of the Southern Dynasties' forces! Furthermore, Ha quickly made a judgment: "The right wing is trying to attract our attention. I wondered why there were so few people, and immediately ordered the main forces to be mobilized to defend our left wing!"

At that moment, countless cavalry from the Later Jin surged in from the distance. Liu Feng had no time to think carefully and rode swiftly to Zhu Bin's side: "My lord, the Jurchen dogs are coming. I took a quick look, and there are no less than a thousand of them. What shall we do now?"

No! Liu Feng could no longer contain himself and shouted, "The Guanning Iron Cavalry advances without retreat. Zhu Bin, if you want to run, go ahead. We have never engaged in such disgraceful acts. Brothers, follow me!"

"The southern dog has run away, the southern dog has run away, charge!" A wave of cheers erupted among the troops of the Later Jin. The Jurchen cavalry rushed forward, fearing that the fat meat they had almost caught would escape.