Chapter 5 of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Ambush in the Cloud Mountains

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On January 5th, 540 of the Fast calendar, three days after Ye Tianlong ordered the Phoenix Dance Legion, led by Li Die, to retreat to Jizhou City, the Eagle Soaring Legion, which had been confronting the Tianlong Legion in Qingjiang Prefecture in the southwest of the empire, withdrew and joined forces with the Yunaia tribe in Guanqin Prefecture, a major town northwest of the capital. This was both a demonstration of sincerity to Ye Tianlong and a new round of strategic resource integration.

At the same time, the harassment of the Fast border region by the King of Yunyang and the divine army he colluded with became increasingly frequent. Time was of the essence, and Ye Tianlong decisively dispatched half of the Phoenix Dance Legion southward to join the other half of the Tianlong Legion drawn from Qingjiang Prefecture, moving towards the Yunyang border. They assembled approximately 150,000 troops to try to eliminate this huge threat from the east of Fast within a certain period of time!

Li Die was appointed as the commander-in-chief of this expeditionary force, with Generals Chi Xian and Guo Hui serving as the left and right vanguards, respectively. With Li Die leading her troops south, despite having some confidence in Yunaia's ability to fulfill his promises, they still had to be wary of him. Therefore, Zuo Dao, originally in charge of the defense of the capital, Esnia, took command of the remaining Phoenix Dance Legion soldiers from Jeju, and was now responsible for the overall security of Esnia and the surrounding capital region. It was believed that with this great general, known as the "Iron Wall General," in charge of the capital's defense, anyone with other ideas would have to seriously consider the situation.

Since they were fighting almost directly opposite Qingzhou, Ye Tianlong's current crucial logistical support area, no separate logistical arrangements were made; instead, the government officials in charge of Qingzhou affairs were solely

responsible for ensuring logistical support. The Esnia New Year's celebrations were not yet over, but Ye Tianlong and the women around him had no interest in them.

As the State Secretary, Yue Ru had arranged a performance by seven renowned singers and dancers as her final act before officially bidding farewell to the entertainment industry. From the next day onwards, she, Yu Fengwu, and Chen Yue were busy with various imperial affairs.

Although Ye Tianlong was a man who enjoyed leisure and relaxation, his tender heart couldn't help but feel uneasy about Li Die facing the armies of Yunyang and the Divine Race alone...

The Suoyun Mountains, a vast mountain range stretching between the Fast Empire and Yunyang, practically form the border between the two regions.

The Ailaer Pass is the only passage from Qingfeng City, a border town of Yunyang, to Qingzhou in Fast. This was the very place the Yunyang King had passed through when he led his troops to invade Fast. With towering mountains on both sides, controlling this crucial pass would create an impregnable fortress. For many years, neither side had been able to completely control this vital passage. Therefore, both sides built fortifications on their respective sides, each guarding the pass closest to them. This is a major reason why the Fast Empire and Yunyang haven't engaged in large-scale battles for so many years.

On January 10th, after five days of marching, Liddie led the Fast army to their side of the Eral Pass, at a small town called Lingu. Thirty miles further on was the Fast Eral Pass Fortress; crossing the fortress would mean crossing the border and entering Yunyang territory.

Liddie ordered the army to rest briefly in Lingu. Firstly, to scout the enemy's troop deployment; secondly, to replenish supplies, as they were now on their own territory, and logistics would be much more difficult once they penetrated deeper into Yunyang; and thirdly, to boost morale before the upcoming cross-border campaign. She wanted every soldier to know that defeating the Yunyang Zhennan King and the Divine Clan's army would be the best reward for the Fast Empire and His Majesty the Heavenly Dragon, and that they themselves would receive countless treasures and riches in Yunyang!

This single decision, made with such intent, earned the respect of Chi Xian and Guo Hui, the two vanguard generals, for this successor of the Phoenix Dance Legion. In military campaigns, besides strategy, which determines a commander's worth, it's extremely difficult to ensure that every soldier is fully committed to the upcoming battle from a strategic perspective, especially in cross-border operations!

Inside the main tent, a group of generals stood on either side. Beneath the flying phoenix banner, Li Die, clad in military attire, stood tall and imposing. The four Golden Phoenix Guards on either side, like their commander, stood with piercing eyes and swords drawn. Having followed Li Die since then, they were already iconic figures in her command and selection of troops.

Glancing at the assembled generals, Li Die said in a deep voice, "Generals, we are about to engage the Yunyang army in battle. I would like to hear your thoughts on this."

"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, we are very clear about our opponents: the King of Yunyang and the divine army supporting them. We can say we know them quite well. This humble general believes that our primary objective should be to break through their fortress at the Ailaer Pass!" Right Vanguard Guo Hui stepped forward and clasped his hands in response before anyone else could speak.

"Hmm, General Guo has fought against them before, and I trust your judgment regarding their understanding." Li Die nodded slightly, then her gaze sharpened as she turned to the others, asking, "And the others?"

"General Guo is absolutely right; this humble general agrees." At this moment, the somewhat "slow" Chi Xian finally chimed in.

Seeing that Li Die remained silent and looked at everyone, the other soldiers echoed and repeated what Chi Xian had just said.

Although Li Die was somewhat dissatisfied with the performance of Chi Xian and the other soldiers, she didn't know these former Tianlong Legion soldiers very well and couldn't judge their merits based on a single moment's impression. Especially Chi Xian, who seemed like he hadn't woken up properly. However, considering his position as a key member of the Tianlong Legion, if he were truly useless, he wouldn't have been valued by Ye Tianlong and Yu Fengwu. She decided to observe him further.

"Alright," Li Die said, "according to scouts, the famous Chifeng Legion under the Yunyang Zhennan King is stationed at the Ailaer Pass fortress. They've already heard of our army's arrival, and according to their commander Yu Zhenyang, the Ailaer Pass fortress is impregnable. I'd like to ask if anyone under your command is willing to take the lead and tackle this tough nut to crack?" Li Die didn't mince words, relaying the general intelligence before asking her generals.

It turned out that the Chifeng Legion had been defeated in Qingzhou, and their commander Lin Hong had been killed in battle. The remaining 20,000 troops fled to Qingfeng City in Yunyang. At that time, the King of Yunyang was eliminating the forces of the King of Zhenxi, while the King of Zhennan, stationed in the southwest of Yunyang, took in the remnants of the Chifeng Legion. He ordered his generals to reorganize the Chifeng Legion in Zhenyang under its original name, and the renowned Qin Zhongda, the first tiger general of Yunyang, was among them. In this alliance between the Divine Race and the King of Zhennan, their main fighting force was still the reorganized Chifeng Legion.

"General, this humble general is willing to lead 5,000 elite cavalry to conquer the Ailaer Pass fortress!" a young, handsome general with a square face responded.

"Oh, General Yunfei, very good. I will give you 5,000 light cavalry and 5,000 infantry as the vanguard of this campaign!" Li Die smiled slightly; this general, who had followed her from the Phoenix Dance Legion, was someone she trusted implicitly.

"General, the Ailaer Pass fortress is heavily fortified and difficult to attack. I am willing to lead 10,000 troops to support General Yunfei from the rear." Guo Hui, standing to the side, immediately clasped his hands in a fist and volunteered. He had originally wanted to volunteer as the vanguard, but Yunfei beat him to it. He didn't want the first battle to be won entirely by the soldiers of the original Phoenix Dance Legion. Although everyone was loyal to one person, the prestige of the Heavenly Dragon Legion couldn't be diminished!

A glint flashed in Li Die's eyes as she turned to Tui Xian and asked, "General Chi, are you willing to take on the rear support force for this battle?"

"Reporting to the General, I obey!" Chi Xian turned to look at Guo Hui, clasped his hands in a fist and accepted the order.

"Alright, everyone, go and prepare. Tomorrow at dawn, we will stand on the land of Yunyang!" After giving the instructions, Li Die dismissed everyone.

Finally, Li Die called out to Yun Fei, "General Yun Fei, wait a moment!"

With no other generals present, Yun Fei habitually turned around and asked, "Miss Li Die, what are your orders?"

"Are you confident in this battle?" Li Die's voice softened slightly, less stern than when the generals were present.

"This general will certainly do everything in his power to capture the Aylar Pass Fortress in one fell swoop!" Yun Fei replied without hesitation, bowing deeply.

"Very good, having the belief in victory can overcome anything. However, regarding the upcoming battle, I still want to remind you of something: the battlefield is unpredictable, and the situation changes rapidly. The enemy's Chifeng Legion is led by Qin Zhongda, known as the number one tiger general of Yunyang. You must be careful, and remember not to linger in battle during critical moments. I hope to hold a victory banquet for you on Yunyang soil first thing tomorrow morning." Li Die paced back and forth, looking at the Flying Phoenix Banner that struck fear into the hearts of the enemy.

"This subordinate understands!" Yun Fei replied with slight excitement. Opportunities to be instructed by Li Die in person like this were rare.

"Alright, you can go now! Once you are ready, you don't need to ask for permission, depart immediately!" Li Die waved her hand gently. "

This subordinate takes his leave." Yun Fei looked quite spirited, turned around, and strode out of the tent.

Immediately afterwards, Li Die ordered her attendants to summon General Chi Xian. Clearly, many issues had not been clarified during the earlier meeting, and Li Die had summoned him to carry out an important mission.

After Chi Xian entered the tent, Li Die immediately asked, "General Chi, do you know why I chose you as the rear support commander?"

"The commander-in-chief wants me to ambush them in the canyon between the enemy and our forces, right?" Chi Xian said slowly.

"Oh? Judging from General Chi's intentions, General Yun Fei, the vanguard, will surely be defeated?" Li Die chuckled, subtly asking this question.

"Commander-in-chief, this humble general would never dare to make such a conjecture. However, I presume you understand my combat style. Otherwise, you probably wouldn't have replaced General Guo, who volunteered, with me for the rear support mission!" Chi Xian said unhurriedly, maintaining his leisurely tone.

Li Die secretly admired him. This man was indeed meticulous, just as others had said, a bit slow to warm up. The so-called "Hundred-Defeat General" truly lived up to his name; he could accurately grasp the commander-in-chief's strategic intentions. No wonder he had been able to emerge unscathed from hundreds of battles and easily clean up the mess.

"Indeed, I'm certain General Yunfei is no match for Qin Zhongda, the vanguard of the Chifeng Legion. And he seems to have had direct contact with General Chi, right? He'll probably charge towards us as soon as he sees you, which will be your chance to shine. You'll be the one to deserve the greatest credit for capturing the Ailaer Pass fortress!" Li Die stated her intentions clearly with a smile, her words devoid of any falsehood.

Chi Xian was completely convinced. As the commander of the newly reorganized Tianlong Army, this general from the Fengwu Legion hadn't shown favoritism towards the generals he had brought. Instead, for the sake of victory, he assigned his own men to the task of luring the enemy, while giving the credit for the potential victory to a general from an allied force. This magnanimity alone was no less than that of the beautiful war goddess, and the title of "second beautiful war goddess" was certainly not an exaggeration.

"This humble general will certainly not fail in his mission, please rest assured, Commander!" Chi Xian put some effort into these words, revealing a bit of spirit.

“In that case, General Chi, go and prepare to depart. The approaching night will be our best cover.” Li Die revealed a resolute look and gestured for them to proceed.

“This subordinate takes his leave!” Chi Xian responded, immediately calculating the next move in his mind.

Under the protection of four Golden Phoenix Guards, Li Die returned to her tent, removed her battle robe, and her cascading hair cascaded down. She changed into a thick velvet robe, instantly becoming delicate and charming, but her eyes could not hide a trace of seriousness and worry.

Since the expedition to Yunyang began, she had been very clear about the strength of the opponent she was about to face. If it were merely the power of the Prince of Zhennan, she wouldn't care about his Chifeng Legion, let alone ten Chifeng Legions. But the one who truly instigated this incident was the Divine Clan. They were using the name of the Prince of Zhennan to create chaos in order to achieve their ulterior motives. The intervention of the Divine Clan army—this was what she valued and worried about the most.

During the standoff between Jeju and Yunaya, she had witnessed firsthand the immense role the divine army played on the battlefield. Although Yunaya's forces hadn't succeeded, the entire Phoenix Dance Legion had paid a considerable price. This time, it was less a battle against the Prince of Yunyang and more a rematch against the divine army. Therefore, avoiding the mistakes made in Jeju and achieving victory with minimal losses would be her greatest challenge.

Recalling the words Ye Tianlong and his sisters had spoken while holding her hand before the expedition, she felt a surge of warmth. Ye Tianlong had originally intended to abandon affairs in the capital to accompany her, but as the saying goes, a country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Now that he had ascended the throne, he couldn't easily lead an expedition himself, even though he seemed idle in the capital, with almost all state affairs handled by his beautiful cabinet. In the end, truly worried about her safety, Ye Tianlong insisted that his ever-present goddess warriors accompany her, working alongside her Golden Phoenix Guards to protect her.

January was still quite cold. Most of the peaks of Suoyun Mountain, towering in front of the town of Lin Gu, were still covered in snow. However, in the town and the valley leading to the fortress, a faint hint of spring was already in the air. The meadows revealed a pale green hue, with occasional wildflower buds peeking out, creating a unique scene against the backdrop of the snow-capped mountains.

The valley between the two fortresses stretched for over ten miles, flanked by sheer cliffs thousands of feet high, making climbing and circumventing impossible. The valley itself was a winding corridor, its intricate network of cliffs and boulders providing a natural barrier for hiding troops. General Yunfei, leading ten thousand soldiers, couldn't help but marvel at this place, thinking that if the enemy dared to pursue, an ambush here would surely annihilate them!

"General, the enemy fortress is three miles ahead, but strangely, there isn't a single scout along the way," a scout reported to General Yunfei.

"At this distance, the enemy doesn't need scouts at all. They know our intentions perfectly well, so they're employing a defensive strategy. In that case, issue my order: the entire army will be divided into three echelons and deployed in formation, with the vanguard battalion stationed outside the enemy fortress!" Yun Fei instructed his subordinates with a slight smile.

Since the enemy was on the defensive, they naturally had to adopt an offensive posture. They had initially planned a night raid, but it was clear the enemy wasn't blind or deaf. Their defensive posture clearly indicated they were prepared, rendering the surprise attack tactic ineffective. Therefore, they had to adopt a strong offensive posture, both to overwhelm the enemy with momentum and to pave the way for their next move.

At this moment, inside the enemy fortress, Qin Zhongda was looking down into the valley from a watchtower, a winged man beside him wearing a look of utter disdain.

"What wishful thinking! A mere ten thousand men think they can breach the gates of my Alar Pass fortress? Who do they think I, Qin, am!" Qin Zhongda sneered, turning to the man beside him.

"It's best to be careful. The commander of the Fast army this time is Li Die, whom even Yuna couldn't conquer, and who's known as the second most beautiful war goddess. She's fought our people in Jeju. We absolutely cannot underestimate her!" The Winged Wind Clan man put away his disdain and spoke to Qin Zhongda with a serious expression.

"Hmph, in terms of individual strength, your gods are far superior to us humans, but when it comes to military campaigns, victory isn't simply a matter of superior martial arts. If I hadn't been unaware of their background, would I have allowed them to cross the valley and set up camp right in front of my fortress? Now that your men have figured it out, they've only sent a greenhorn as their vanguard. What's there to be afraid of?" Qin Zhongda said dismissively. He had originally intended to launch a preemptive strike and ambush them in the valley, but firstly, he hadn't ascertained the situation of the Fast army, and secondly, if the ambush failed, retreating to the fortress would be quite passive. To be on the safe side, he adopted a strategy of holding the fortress.

"What does General Qin intend to do?" the Winged Wind Clan man asked.

"Brother Wind, do you think I'll let them camp here and sleep peacefully?" Qin Zhongda coldly glanced at the Fast army, who were setting up camp with great fanfare outside the fortress.

“General Qin, you intend to engage the enemy in the middle of the night, isn’t that the Prince’s intention?” the Winged Wind Clan man said in a cautionary tone.

“Alright, Brother Feng, a general in the field may disobey the Emperor’s orders, and besides, I am confident in this matter. Furthermore, Brother Aotian and Brother Jingtian are here to assist us in the battle. If it were a battle for your divine race, I, Qin, would not utter a single word.” Seeing that Feng Aotian was about to continue, Qin Zhongda simply expressed his unwavering resolve.

A strange light flashed in Feng Aotian’s eyes, but he said nothing more, inwardly sneering: Foolish humans, always so self-righteous and arrogant. Once you become our slaves, you’ll know you were too smug.

In the dead of night, although the stalemate between the armies was imminent, many soldiers on both sides had already taken turns sleeping soundly.

Looking from the fortress tower, the Fast army’s tents were sparsely lit, and apart from the occasional passing sentries and patrols, there were no other unusual sounds. Seeing this, Qin Zhongda's lips curled into a wicked smile. He quietly summoned a messenger and ordered five thousand light cavalry to stand by. He was no slouch when it came to surprise attacks; he, Qin Zhongda, was a master of it!

"Squeak..."

As the fortress gates slowly opened, a troop of fast cavalry, torches in hand, swiftly charged out, their shouts of battle filling the air. In the blink of an eye, they were upon the vanguard of the Fast army, flashing past within a hundred paces. The advantage of light cavalry's surprise attack was immediately apparent.

Leading the charge, Qin Zhongda, spear in hand, glared fiercely. The raging flames seemed to threaten to burn down the Fast army's tents. His dark face, barely visible in the darkness, contrasted sharply with his gleaming black armor. He spurred his horse like a whirlwind into the Fast army's vanguard camp.

"Whoosh!" Several heavy spear thrusts swept through the air, sending the Fast army's tents flying. Soldiers who couldn't dodge in time became the exploding flesh and blood beneath those spears.

After a fierce charge, the enemy camp was in disarray, reduced to ruins. The cavalrymen who followed raised their spears and halberds, cheering as they spurred their horses. The easy annihilation of the enemy's vanguard camp in front of the fortress made their sleepless night worthwhile. In this cold weather, a successful first battle meant they could return and rest and collect their rewards.

"Not good!" Qin Zhongda immediately sensed something was wrong. His charge had destroyed a vanguard camp of three thousand men, but he hadn't even had his fill of killing. How could it be over already?

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Chapter 5 of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Ambush in the Cloud Mountains

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