Chapter 379: The Twenty-second Day in the Struggle for Supremacy World

Chapter 379: The Twenty-Second Day of Transmigrating into a Hegemony-Building Novel

Eight thousand core troops with relatively better equipment were personally led by Ke Quan, departing from the rock-solid camp at Shanweijian, racing along the fastest route back to Pianguan—the direction of Hefeng Valley.

Bai Ji's scheme had largely succeeded.

Ke Quan's main force had been successfully drawn out, leaving behind their formidable defensive fortifications.

But then, an unforeseen complication arose.

Ke Quan wasn't a complete hothead. During the march, he remained highly cautious, sending out more scouts to check the valleys up ahead.

On the other hand, the deputy general left to hold Shanweijian was no slouch either.

Seeing that the Tongzhou army hadn't pulled back far after their retreat, but instead regrouped and showed signs of forming an encirclement, he sensed trouble, so he shored up the defenses and kept dispatching messengers to catch up with Ke Quan and warn him.

In the dense woods on the outskirts of Hefeng Valley, An Yi's main force, lying in wait, quickly picked up on the hesitation and heightened vigilance of Ke Quan's troops.

"Lord, Ke Quan seems suspicious—his pace has slowed, and he's sending out more scouts," Mao Hua whispered, crouching beside An Yi.

Their position gave them a view of most of the valley entrance.

An Yi lowered the telescope in his hand and exhaled softly.

Mao Hua glanced at the telescope in An Yi's hand, then touched the one tucked in his own robes, silently marveling at how handy that thing Mr. Bai had gifted was.

Though... he couldn't help but notice it looked somewhat similar to what the Lord had been working on before.

Hearing An Yi speak, he quickly refocused.

"In the end, it was a risky play—hard to pull off perfectly," An Yi said, his voice calm and unreadable. "Ke Quan has run roughshod over Zhaozhou for years; he's not completely stupid."

Beside him, Bai Ji's face looked even paler beneath the dappled shadows of the trees.

His lips were pressed tightly together, and he unconsciously picked at the bark beside him, his fingertips going white.

The plan had hit a snag, failing to achieve the ideal effect of "luring the enemy deep and catching them flat-footed."

Though Ke Quan's army had taken the bait, they remained alert, like a beast that's caught the scent of a trap, ready to turn back or force a breakthrough at any moment—either of which would turn the ambush into a bloodier slog.

He couldn't help thinking back to what An Yi had told him the night before—"Clever tricks can work, but don't lean on them... If you stake everything on risky gambits, one wrong move and it all comes crashing down."

The words still echoed in his ears, now seeming to carry a mocking edge.

He'd fancied himself a master of predicting people... If this battle ended in heavy losses because of his flawed plan... Bai Ji's heart plummeted, gripped by a tangle of guilt, regret, and creeping fear.

"Lord, do we attack as planned? Though Ke Quan's army is wary, most of them have already entered the valley—the window is still open," Mao Hua reported.

An Yi raised the telescope again, scanning the formation, speed, and surrounding terrain of Ke Quan's troops in the valley.

Sunlight filtered through the branches above the valley, casting dappled light on the winding column of soldiers.

After a moment, he lowered the telescope and turned to Bai Ji, his voice still calm: "Ruzhi, what do you think Ke Quan's mindset is right now?"

Bai Ji forced himself to focus and analyze quickly: "He's stuck between a rock and a hard place—worried about Pianguan's safety, yet fearing an ambush. His troops' morale is bound to be shaky. But a cornered beast fights desperately; if we strike hard now, they'll resist using the valley's terrain or fight to break out—we'll take heavy losses."

"Mm, no need to rush." An Yi nodded, his gaze returning to the valley.

He beckoned, and commanders including Mao Hua and An Shu immediately gathered around.

"Give the orders," An Yi's voice rang out. "First, the hidden troops hold position—stay hidden, but get ready to strike hard. Second, Mao Hua, take three thousand light cavalry, circle around the flank, and feint at cutting off their retreat to Shanweijian—but don't commit to a hard fight; focus on intimidation and disruption. Third, An Shu, take two thousand archers and secure that high ground east of Hefeng Valley..."

"From up there, you'll rain down on their front and middle ranks. Fourth, Mr. Dou, have the logistics auxiliaries plant decoy banners beyond the western mouth of Hefeng Valley, kick up lots of dust, and create the appearance of a full encirclement."

The orders came down one after another, smoothly shifting the plan to match the new situation.

The goal was still to wipe out Ke Quan's main force.

"As for Ke Quan himself and the possible routes his fleeing troops might take..." An Yi paused, looking at Dou Chuang: "Dou Chuang?"

Dou Chuang stroked his beard with a chuckle: "Already taken care of."

"Local warlords and hill people in Zhaozhou who've been oppressed by Ke Quan have secretly contacted us. Their clan soldiers are already in position to seal off the back trails."

"Good." A cold glint flashed in An Yi's eyes. "This time, we'll wipe out the bandit problem in Zhaozhou for good and leave Ke Quan with nowhere to run."

"Yes!"

Bai Ji listened quietly on the sidelines, watching An Yi calmly direct his forces.

The weight in his heart from the imperfect scheme gradually melted into a more complex emotion.

He was nowhere near his lord's level.

His lord... truly sees further and thinks more clearly.

He talked about the big picture, but he was really just focused on winning one battle, while his lord was planning for the peace of a whole region—even the fate of the world.

He thought of the foolish ambition in his heart—was he even worthy?

It was nothing but a delusion after all.

The new orders were passed down fast.

Ke Quan soon spotted the light cavalry of the An Family Army appearing on his flank, as well as the glint of archer crossbows on the eastern high ground.

His heart raced with alarm, and he finally confirmed he had fallen into a trap.

The crisis at Pianguan was likely a ruse—An Yi's true target was to lure him out and annihilate him!

"Ambushed!" Ke Quan roared in fury and shock. "Signal! Signal! Rear guard becomes vanguard—charge out of the valley! Back to Shanweijian!"

But by now, leaving was already too late.

The crossbowmen on the eastern high ground struck first, a dense rain of arrows screaming through the air, blanketing Ke Quan's vanguard and middle sections. Men and horses tumbled, screams erupting from all sides.

The valley's narrow terrain stretched the column thin, plunging it into chaos.

Ke Quan's eyes bulged with rage: "What crossbows are these? Why do they have such range?"

Meanwhile, the main force of the Tongzhou army, long hidden in ambush, burst forth from the dense woods on both sides of the valley at the wave of the general assault flag!

Spears and halberds stood like a forest, blades gleamed like snow, crashing into the disordered ranks of Ke Quan's army with disciplined formation.

The battle was one-sided from the very start.

The Tongzhou army was well-equipped, well-trained, and fighting at full strength after waiting at ease, while Ke Quan's troops, exhausted from the long march, were riddled with doubt and disorganized.

Compounded by harassment from light cavalry on the flanks, arrow cover from above, and the threat of a severed retreat, their morale shattered instantly.

Ke Quan, though fierce and brave, fought his way left and right, personally cutting down several soldiers of the An Family Army, yet against the absolute disparity in strength and the carefully laid killing trap, his individual valor counted for nothing.

His personal guards thinned out with every clash, their ranks torn apart.

The fierce battle lasted about two hours.

In Hefeng Valley, corpses lay strewn across the ground, and blood stained the mountain stream red.

Of Ke Quan's eight thousand elite troops, the majority were annihilated, while the rest either surrendered or scattered.

Ke Quan himself, under the desperate protection of dozens of loyal guards, carved out a bloody path and fled desperately into the dense mountain forests southwest of Zhaozhou.

He knew that the main camp at Shanweijian was in grave peril, and only by escaping into the familiar wilderness could there be a glimmer of hope.

However, he would never get that chance.