Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

Chapter 184 Why rush? Wait one night

Lu Xiulin couldn't help but rub his hands together, a mixture of nervousness and excitement. He was Bai Liu's second-in-command, and he had always kept Xu Zheng in his sights, but Xu Zheng never saw him. He had followed Bai Liu for years, never dreaming he would one day become a legendary general like Bai Liu. What he wanted most was to achieve a great feat against Bai Liu and defeat Xu Zheng!

Unlike Bai Xiqiao, Lu Xiulin wanted to win a battle, a beautiful victory, a fair victory! A victory over Xu Zheng!

This idea was not even for military merit and fame, but more like the nature of a beast. When facing other wolf packs, when the fight began, he wanted to attack and bite the opponent's leader to death.

Qi Xiao had actually asked Lu Xiulin the same question a long time ago, but Lu Xiulin had never been able to give an answer. The days they spent hiding in the mountains to avoid the wind and snow were mostly boring, so they would gather together and do deductions over and over again.

Tang Ling listed several generals of Qi State and even drew their portraits. She analyzed their habits and personalities, and speculated on their reactions when facing Qi Xiao's surprise attack. Would they act impulsively or defend themselves to the death? Without a doubt, Xu Zheng was the most difficult one to figure out. He was cunning and cautious.

Tang Ling looked at Qi Xiao. He had never told Qi Xiao that the best way to deal with Xu Zheng wasn't a direct confrontation, but a circuitous approach, a strategy of besieging Wei to save Zhao. His method wasn't the stratagem of a leading general, but the scheme of a manipulator.

Long before he went into the mountains, in the last letter he sent back to Zhou State, he had told his father, Xun Anhou, that he would find a way to frame Xu Zheng, make the Emperor of Qi suspicious of Xu Zheng, and keep Xu Zheng in Shuoliang.

Like Bai Liu back then, he was impeached and recalled to Beijing.

Xu Zheng was a renowned general, a first-rank military marquis. Tang Ling didn't expect a few memorials to his name would do anything to him. At most, he'd be reprimanded. The Emperor of Qi depended on him to protect the country, so he couldn't be punished. But as long as Xu Zheng wasn't at Jialin Pass or Xingtian Pass, once they reached Bashan, the tide of attack and defense would turn. Qi Xiao's six thousand men could use Bashan's terrain to hold off Xu Zheng's army!

What Tang Ling wants is time!

As dusk approached, Qi Xiao's Swift Eagle finally returned!

Bai Xiqiao couldn't even stand at this moment, and kept circling around Qi Xiao: "How is it? Is Xu Zheng here?"

"Brother, stop turning around!" Qi Xiao reached out and grabbed Bai Xiqiao, lifted his arm, and placed the eagle on his forearm. He opened the mailbox and took a look at Chi Yue's letter. He smiled and said, "Xu Zheng is not here."

Bai Xiqiao laughed heartily: "Let's break camp now!"

"Why rush? Wait till one night and break camp at midnight."

The hour of Chou is when the night is deepest, the weather is coldest, people are most sleepy, and Jialing Pass is the quietest.

The wind and snow stopped in the middle of the night, as if God was helping Qi Xiao. However, the weather became even colder after the wind and snow passed. It was impossible for them to light torches during the night raid on Jialin Pass, which made it feel even colder. There was not a single bit of warmth to be found between heaven and earth.

Tang Lingzhui was the last one to fall. In addition to Ye Huai and Qinglan, Qi Xiao assigned a team of people to protect him. When they arrived at Jialin Pass, the dust had already settled. Jialin Pass stood in the night, as if nothing had happened. Only the strong smell of blood in the air indicated the fierce battle that had just taken place here.

In fact, it is not accurate to call it a battle. It was a one-sided massacre that happened silently. When the soldiers in Jialin Pass heard the noise and woke up from their dreams, the swords were already in front of them. Most of them did not even have the chance to scream.

Tang Ling walked into Jialin Pass. This ancient pass was hidden at the foot of Fenglin Mountain and had been exposed to wind, frost, rain and snow. It looked even more dilapidated in the strong smell of blood.

The ground under Tang Ling's feet was pitch black, sticky, and soft, and still stained with warm blood.

Qi Xiao's six thousand men entered Jialin Pass and cleaned up the battlefield in an orderly manner. Scattered fires were lit inside the pass, dyeing the cold night a little orange-red.

After winning the first battle after joining Qi, Tang Ling originally thought that the whole army would be excited and noisy for a while, but she didn't expect that Jialin Pass was very calm, without any passionate noise. Upon asking, she found out that Qi Xiao had a military order that no noise or slackness was allowed. Half of the soldiers were resting and the other half were on duty, and no one was allowed to take off their armor.

Tang Ling was brought to see Qi Xiao. The hall was brightly lit. As he entered, he saw a row of corpses on the ground. Some wore armor, while others wore only cotton-padded jackets. Judging by their armor, they were likely generals from Jialin Pass. Chi Yue was crouching beside one of the corpses, carefully examining the general's face.

"Are you cold? Have some hot tea to warm yourself up first." When Qi Xiao saw Tang Ling coming in, he poured him a cup of hot tea and brought it to him.

Tang Ling couldn't help but smile softly. She took the teacup and took a sip. "I'm fine. How about you? Are you hurt?"

"These people can't hurt me." Qi Xiao shook his head and asked, "Are you tired? I asked someone to prepare a room for you. Go get some sleep first."

"No need. What were you discussing just now?" Before Tang Ling walked in, except for Chi Yue, everyone else was gathered around the table, looking at the sheepskin map. There were four other people in the lobby whom Tang Ling had never seen before.

Before Tang Ling could step forward, two unfamiliar faces approached him first and knelt on one knee. "Greetings, sir."

Tang Ling immediately understood their identities and turned her head slightly to look at Ye Huai behind her.

Ye Huai had already spotted the two and nodded to Tang Ling. Tang Ling might not recognize the Xingluo Guard, but he knew both of the two people Xun Anhou had sent to meet him at Jialin Pass, so there would be no further complications or misunderstandings.

Tang Ling raised her hand to let them stand, then looked at the two strangers standing behind Qi Xiao. Since the Xingluo Guards were at Jialin Pass, the Xuanji Camp would naturally be there too.

Qi Xiao took Tang Ling's hand and led her to the table. He said to one of them, "Yu Ran, say what you just said again."

The two Xingluo guards watched as the Prince of Chen was holding their Xun'an Marquis's son Tang Ling's hand. The intimacy between the two could be seen from the moment Tang Ling entered the door. The Prince of Chen personally poured tea for the young master. Both of them could not help but be stunned. After a moment of stunned, they immediately looked at Ye Huai. Ye Huai ignored them, as if he didn't care at all, and looked as if it was a normal thing. This made the two of them even more uneasy.

The two people from Xuanjiying were also stunned for a moment, but they quickly recovered.

Yu Ran took a breath and said, "Xu Zheng was recalled to Shuoliang a month ago and is not at Xingtian Pass at the moment. The commander guarding Xingtian Pass is called Chen He, a man Xu Zheng brought up. He is both brave and resourceful, and Xu Zheng has great trust in him. Chen He just sent someone to inspect the camp five days ago and will not be back for ten days. When he comes back, he should bring a rotation order. We still have time to rest."

Tang Ling nodded and looked at Qi Xiao: "It's good that Xu Zheng is not here."

Qi Xiao then asked Yu Ran, "How many people are there at Xingtian Pass now?"

"There are 30,000 troops stationed there, and about 60,000 to 70,000 civilians."

Xingtian Pass is different from Jialin Pass. Although it is called a pass, it is actually a big city. It is the second largest city in the northern border of Qi State. It is heavily guarded by troops all year round. It is a real pass between Chen and Qi. Jialin Pass is more like a sentry post.

With a garrison of 30,000 soldiers, plus the civilian population, the city was home to nearly 100,000 people, yet Qi Xiao only had 6,000 men. Even with battering rams, ladders, heavy crossbows, and other powerful siege weapons, a forced assault would be impossible, and a surprise attack would be no easy feat. Xingtian Pass was ten feet high and its walls three feet thick. Even if Chi Yue had exceptional martial arts skills, scaling that wall without being spotted was practically impossible.

There is only one way to seize Xingtian Pass, and that is to cooperate internally and externally.