Li Yan was sitting in the big tent in a black armor. Several thick butter candles as thick as children's arms were emitting flames in the tent, illuminating the whole tent. Occasionally, there was a "crackling" sound as the flames jumped.
There was a map on the table. Several deputy generals and a man dressed as a military advisor were pointing at the map. They would whisper to Li Yan from time to time. However, when they looked at Li Yan, their eyes showed respect and fanaticism.
"Sir, it is not wise for the Meng army to march to Luoxianpo with such fanfare. I believe they will divide their forces into multiple routes and carry out the 'stealing the sun and changing the moon' strategy.
They might launch a surprise attack here... well, here, or even here..."
The military advisor, dressed in a black shirt, frowned in thought, pointed at several places on the map with his feather fan, and spoke slowly.
Li Yan listened, looked at the directions of the mountains on the map, and nodded slightly, thinking in his heart that the Meng Kingdom's dispatch of troops this time was very strange...
Yesterday evening, in the Marshal's Mansion in Qingshanai, Li Yan accompanied his wife in the back garden, chatting and laughing among the flowers. Occasionally, he looked at his son and daughter playing in the spacious pavilion in the distance. Li Yan's heart was filled with warmth.
In the pavilion, a pair of children who looked like jade sculptures were being watched over by several servants and were hitting each other with two wooden swords.
The boy was about seven or eight weeks old, but the girl was smaller and naturally much less strong. With just a few hits, the boy knocked the wooden sword in her hand to the ground.
But the girl did not cry immediately. Instead, she tried hard to purse her lips to prevent the tears from falling. She picked up the wooden sword on the ground again without saying a word.
"Little sister, you are no match for me. I will definitely inherit daddy's position as the marshal in the future!"
After the boy knocked down his sister's wooden sword, he did not continue to attack with the sword. Instead, he curled his lips and said with a little pride.
"Who said you won? I'm just young and not as strong as you. Daddy said that as long as you master martial arts, you can become a female hero or a female general in this world. Come, let's do it again!
This time, the old rules apply. As long as my sword hits your clothes, I win. After all, I am not as strong as you now."
The girl swung the wooden sword in her hand, wiped her eyes hard with her other hand, and then stabbed out with another sword.
"It happens again, it happens again. We fight every day, but how many times have you won, sister?"
The little boy tucked the slightly long hem back into his waist and turned his body to avoid the incoming sword.
Although the two men are young, their steps are well-controlled and they look like martial arts masters.
The maids and servants standing by seemed not to be afraid that the two young masters would upset or hurt each other, and all of them had warm smiles in their eyes.
They have long since come out of the initial fear and panic of previous years.
Li Yan and his wife were watching what was happening in the pavilion, each with a different expression.
Madam Li Yan was extremely beautiful, with healthy wheat-colored skin. However, she did not have long curly hair like the women of the imperial dynasty. Instead, she had short hair, which was extremely rare in the imperial dynasty.
The originally loose palace dress was now extremely tight on her, and her figure could only be described as that of a devil descended upon the earth.
The woman frowned and said, "Husband, you can't indulge them like this.
Xiao Gong was better off, as he was a boy after all, and he could grow up to be either a scholar or a warrior. But how could Xiao Meng be so doted on and let her do whatever she wanted
A girl who fights and kills all day long, is she really going to become a so-called female martial artist in the future?"
Looking at the lady who was already a married woman but still as energetic as a young girl, Li Yan did not answer her at the first time, but the strange thought in his mind flashed again.
He had an absurd thought more than once, and it arose from the bottom of his heart for no reason. The lady in front of him who looked like a young girl should be a person with more outstanding martial arts skills than himself.
But he knew the woman in front of him very well. She was the daughter of the prime minister in the court. She was very good at poetry and songs, but as for martial arts, she was definitely not good at it. Although she did not look like a lady from a noble family, she was really a woman of many talents.
But every time he saw his wife, he couldn't help but have this absurd thought, and he couldn't figure out where this thought came from.
Li Yan glanced at the children in the pavilion in the distance again. The older boy was named Li Jiagong and the younger girl was named Li Youmeng.
"Hehehe, Ah Ying, if Xiao Meng likes martial arts, just let her learn it. Besides, she is not bad at girls' skills. She has learned poetry, calligraphy, and embroidery very well.
It is good to learn some martial arts to strengthen the body. Besides, my daughter, Li, will not be able to bear the slightest humiliation even if she marries any family in the court in the future. " Li Yan said to the eldest lady with a chuckle.
"Are you going to let Xiao Meng beat people up with her fists, kicks and legs? You, as a father, are really reckless." As soon as Li Yan finished speaking, the woman named "Aying" said dissatisfiedly.
Li Yan smiled when he heard this and said, "Aying, Xiao Meng has a stubborn and obstinate personality similar to yours. How can I convince her? Do you want me to discipline her and force her to give in?"
Li Yan knew that this lady was usually taciturn, but didn't she know the temper of the maid she gave birth to
Looking at the lady's pretty face, the strange idea of "having powerful martial arts" came to her mind again, and Li Yan even thought that she had gone crazy. But apart from the woman in front of her, she would never have such a ridiculous idea when she saw any other woman. It was really weird and boring.
"Even if you don't want to say it, you can't always be so protective when I'm disciplining you." Ah Ying glared at him in reproach.
Whenever she disciplined her children, as long as her husband was around, he would find an opportunity to make some excuses to make jokes, making her originally dignified preaching seem unnecessary.
Inside the big tent, Li Yan looked at the map and shook his head gently, as if trying to shake off the image in his mind.
Whenever he faced a powerful enemy, he would occasionally think of things at home. Far from being distracted, it made him determined to defend his country to the death and protect the people and his homeland.
Li Yan gently ran his finger across the map, and then fell into deep thought.
Seeing that the commander was lost in thought, the generals in the tent stopped whispering, knowing that at such times, the commander always racked his brains, and although others gave him advice, he would always combine all kinds of information before making a final decision.
After a long time, Li Yan finally moved his body, and then he said with some doubt, "Whether it is the result of your analysis or the news from the scouts ahead, there are only two places in those directions where there are signs of the Meng army's mobilization.
The rest of the country is normal, but even if Mengguo has some means to launch a surprise attack a hundred miles away, our army is stationed there all year round and is vigilant every day, so what is the point of their surprise attack? "
Li Yan was puzzled. The purpose of the opponent's attack was very vague, and the results that could be achieved were minimal, but they just deployed troops in this way.
At this moment, there was a sudden sound of armor locks coming from far away, and it reached the front of the tent in just a moment, followed by a hurried sound.
"Report, Marshal, the Meng Kingdom has already raised five armies half an hour ago, with a total force of about 100,000, and attacked three of our key passes and a large food and fodder camp.
The two key passes, 'Wangyue Ridge' and 'Qingfenglin', are defended by natural barriers. According to previous reports, there is no need to worry for the time being.
"Luoxianpo" was attacked from both the east and west sides. The enemy had about 30,000 troops. General Cui was holding back. General Ma of the grain and grass camp also kept the enemy three miles away. The enemy had about 10,000 troops and was engaged in a fierce battle."
Although the army led by Li Yan was at the front line, it was only more than 200 miles away from Qingshan Pass and was not at the real front line of the battlefield.
"They raised their troops half an hour ago, which means that they should have come into contact with us sooner or later. 'Wangyue Ridge' and 'Qingfeng Forest' have their own natural defenses, but why are there enemy troops on the west side of 'Luoxian Slope'..."
"Are there enemy forces attacking the west side of 'Luoxianpo'?" Li Yan asked with a frown. There shouldn't be any enemy forces there.
"Reporting to the Marshal, there are enemy troops appearing on the west side, but there are only three or four hundred of them, but their attack is extremely fierce!" The scout outside the tent replied immediately.
This time, Meng State's attack was somewhat unexpected to Li Yan. First, the news blockade was not strict before the troops were dispatched, and second, Meng State had lost its previous indecisiveness.
While Li Yan and his men were still analyzing their opponents' tactics in the past, the other side actually attacked in such a short time. This had never happened in decades of fighting with the State of Meng.
The military situation was urgent. Li Yan ordered in a deep voice, "General Zhang and General Guan, each of you will lead a group of troops to "Wangyue Ridge" and "Qingfeng Forest" for support. You must help the defenders defeat the enemy as quickly as possible.
Then we will attack the enemy camp separately, and pin them down for a day, and then wait for my order;
General Lin, you lead a group to support General Ma's food and fodder camp and kill all the enemies that come.
Military Advisor Wen, you and General Luo will stay behind in the central army tent. You will command the rest of the troops and generals. I will lead a group to Luoxianpo in person. It is a place that leads directly to the rear and must not be lost. The enemy is attacking with two armies this time, which means they are determined to take it down."
"Marshal, why not let other generals lead the troops? You..." Military Advisor Wen heard what Li Yan said and spoke quickly with concern.
"That's it..." Li Yan interrupted Military Advisor Wen directly, and several command arrows were thrown out from the commander's table.
Military orders are as heavy as a mountain, and everyone is well aware of the bravery of their commander-in-chief.
At the same time, this is also a common problem of several marshals on various borders of the dynasty. They are all extremely brave and often lead the way in killing the enemy. The troops they lead are all fierce and powerful, making the dynasty the most powerful country among all these countries.
"Luoxianpo" is surrounded by mountains on the west and south. Meng State came from the south. As long as they crossed "Luoxianpo", the road to the north would be flat and they would reach Qingshanai directly, which is the most important place.
In order to support various places, the army led by Li Yan was stationed at the center point of each direction, and was not close to "Luoxianpo".
When Li Yan led his troops to the scene, the two sides were fighting fiercely. This time, the Meng Kingdom even went so far as to borrow a route of 600 miles from the west, crossing the mountains and launching a surprise attack on "Luoxianpo".
Although there is a road to the west of "Luoxianpo", it is a mountain road. The mountain is high and the road is dangerous. As the saying goes, "Even the yellow crane cannot fly over it, and the monkeys are sad to climb over it." Even the local hunters are unwilling to walk on it.
Therefore, "Luoxianpo" has always been focusing on defending the east side, but this time it is necessary to divide the troops at the same time to repel the enemy.