Chapter 209: Dawn Breaks
Assistant General Ren, spotting enemy scouts, hurried to inform Chu Tiankuo.
“Your Highness, the enemy has sent scouts. Should this subordinate eliminate him?”
They were unsure when their formation would be modified.
Chu Tiankuo, upon hearing this, calmly stated, “No need. It will be finished in half an hour. Take a few men and put on a show for him. Tell him we are about to find a way to break the formation and it will take less than an hour.”
As for how to act, it was simple enough. Ren Yong would know what to do, so Chu Tiankuo didn’t give detailed instructions.
“Yes!” Assistant General Ren responded excitedly.
The formation was being modified so quickly!
His Highness, Old Master Tang, and His Highness’s Junior Brother were truly amazing!
Thrilled, Assistant General Ren immediately took a few soldiers and appeared not far from the scout, ensuring he could hear them.
Assistant General Ren announced loudly, “Quickly mark everything. We’re down to the last spot! Once we understand the terrain here and present the map to His Highness, he says he can break the formation within an hour! Then we’ll attack the enemy camp under the cover of night and catch the Zhao army off guard! We’ll finally have something to eat!”
A soldier questioned, “General Ren, can His Highness truly break the formation? We’ve already lost many men trying to probe it! Can it really be broken?”
Assistant General Ren retorted, “Of course! His Highness was praised by Old Master Shen of Jin Kingdom as a genius formation master with exceptional talent. All these years, His Highness has been dedicated to studying formations. How can this formation possibly hold him back!”
“Alright, enough talk. Everyone knows we’ve lost many brothers trying to break this formation. You need to be even more careful, work quickly, and strive for accuracy. Only then can we leave the Snow Mountain as soon as possible and avenge our fallen brothers! Otherwise, if we stay in the Snow Mountain any longer, forget about revenge, we’ll either starve or freeze to death tonight!”
The soldiers, upon hearing this, immediately echoed, “General Ren is right! Brothers, let’s hurry! Break the formation!”
“Break the formation! I’m starving! We must break out before we starve to death!”
The Zhao scout, hiding nearby, heard these words. Not daring to approach any further, he quickly retreated.
~
Zhao Kingdom Military Camp
Prince Xiang, after hearing the scout’s report, quickly went to Xu Yan’s tent.
“Old Master Xu, the scout reports that the Crown Prince of Chu has divided his soldiers into small teams to probe the terrain and layout of the Snow Mountain, attempting to draw a complete map and break the formation. They’ve reached the last location! They’re about to break the formation!”
Xu Yan shook his head. “Rest assured, Your Highness. Even if they explore all the terrain and draw a complete map, breaking my formation is not that easy. Without…”
He wanted to say it was absolutely impossible without a day’s time!
However, he recalled the sudden appearance of two incredibly skilled young formation masters in Chu, and Chu Tiankuo’s own formation talent, which was astonishing back then!
Perhaps he truly had been studying in secret all these years.
Xu Yan paused for a moment, then continued, “No matter how skilled the Crown Prince of Chu is, can he compare to Old Master Shen of Jin Kingdom? Even if Old Master Shen came personally, he wouldn’t be able to break the formation without half a day! Rest assured, Your Highness! If you’re still worried, the Chu army has been trapped in the Snow Mountain for most of the day. They haven’t eaten for a day and a night, and they’ve spent so much energy exploring the terrain. They must be tired and hungry. It’s not a bad idea to send troops into the Snow Mountain to surround them now!”
The Heir Apparent of Zhao Kingdom felt that with the formation in place, their soldiers, having rested for most of the day, were full of energy and well-fed. They could easily crush the Chu army, trapped in the Snow Mountain for a day and a night without food, especially with the formation’s support.
This was an opportunity not to be missed. If Chu Tiankuo truly broke the formation, it would be even more troublesome. They had to seize this chance to keep Chu Tiankuo trapped in the Snow Mountain forever and deal a heavy blow to Chu!
He said, “Father, instead of waiting for Wen Yuanqian, why not attack early?”
Prince Xiang thought about how Xu Yan had taken his daughter to Zhao, only to lose again and again, to the point where his daughter was now imprisoned by the Crown Prince of Chu!
Wasn’t it because they had underestimated the strength of Chu’s formation masters?
Now, Prince Xiang remembered how Xu Yan had initially been certain that the Chu army wouldn’t be able to escape the Snow Mountain without three days.
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He had thought that after three days in the Snow Mountain, they would either starve or freeze to death, allowing Zhao to win without a fight. That’s why he had stationed his troops here, waiting.
Now, hearing the scout’s report and Xu Yan’s words, he feared the worst. If Chu Tiankuo truly broke the formation, it would be disastrous! Prince Xiang immediately declared, “Attack!”
Two quarters of an hour later, Zhao’s thirty thousand troops assembled, marching towards the Snow Mountain under the cover of night, illuminated by the white glow of the snow.
~
Snow Mountain
Shen Xingnong, Chu Tiankuo, and Old Master Tang, commanding a group of soldiers, had modified the original formation. While the outer perimeter of the Snow Mountain remained unchanged, the interior had undergone a complete transformation.
Once the formation was complete, Shen Xingnong and Old Master Tang found a place away from the soldiers and entered the Creation Space, returning to the mountain.
Under the cover of night, two groups of soldiers, led by Prince Xiang and the Heir Apparent of Zhao Kingdom, entered the Snow Mountain from two different directions.
Chu Tiankuo left Ren Yong behind with a team of five hundred soldiers to lure the enemy deeper into the formation, while he led the main army out of the Snow Mountain from another direction, attacking Zhao’s cities under the cover of night!
He first led three thousand elite soldiers, disguised as Zhao soldiers, and, disguised as the Heir Apparent of Zhao Kingdom, arrived outside Hanyang City.
Chu Tiankuo presented his token. “Open the city gates! Prince Xiang is leading troops to the Snow Mountain to eliminate the Chu army. This Heir Apparent is acting on Prince Xiang’s orders, leading three thousand soldiers to guard Hanyang City and prevent the enemy from breaking out of the Snow Mountain and attacking Hanyang!”
The soldiers guarding the city glanced at the token. Recognizing the voice and appearance as the Heir Apparent of Zhao Kingdom, and knowing that the Chu army was trapped in the Snow Mountain, they recalled that Prince Xiang had indeed sent a message saying he would lead troops into the Snow Mountain to kill the enemy and had ordered them to be on high alert all night to prevent the enemy from breaking through the formation and launching a sneak attack.
Now, it seemed Prince Xiang was still worried and had specifically sent the Heir Apparent back to guard the city!
The deputy general guarding the city couldn’t recognize the faces of the soldiers under Prince Xiang’s command, but he could distinguish the Heir Apparent’s token and appearance.
After confirming the token, he signaled the soldiers to open the city gates wide and welcome Chu Tiankuo’s three thousand elite soldiers into the city!
Less than a quarter of an hour later, Chu’s fifty thousand troops arrived at the city gates!
The deputy general, panicking, shouted, “Enemy attack! Defend the city! Archers prepare, boulders…”
Standing at the forefront on the city wall, Chu Tiankuo, with a swing of his sword, eliminated the deputy general and issued a command, “Attack!”
The Chu soldiers on the city wall swiftly killed the soldiers preparing to fire arrows, while simultaneously throwing boulders and burning oil down before the enemy troops arrived!
At the same time, the city gates opened!
Like a raging flood breaking through a dam, fifty thousand Chu soldiers roared and charged through the city gates, advancing relentlessly!
Dawn broke!
In one night, Hanyang City had changed hands!
This city, occupied by Zhao for seven years, was once again in the hands of the Chu army.
Assistant General Ren, after luring the Zhao soldiers into the deepest part of the formation, quickly arrived.
After a day’s rest, Chu Tiankuo left ten thousand soldiers with Assistant General Ren to guard the city, and then he led forty thousand soldiers on the road again, heading towards the next city!
As long as they captured one more city, they would be able to dictate terms to Zhao!
Seven years had passed. It was time to give them a taste of their own medicine.
Eldest Sister, wait for me to bring you home!
