Chapter 980: The sound of the gong, the eve of the decisive battle!
The setting sun was as red as blood, dyeing Hulu Valley scarlet. When Meng Zhang sheathed his sword, the last wisp of wolf smoke in the valley was being torn apart by the night wind.

The old general outside the valley looked at the broken flags scattered all over the mountains, and suddenly remembered that thirty years ago, when he followed the late emperor to conquer the northern border, he had also withdrawn his troops and stopped fighting with the enemy in such twilight.

At that time, he was still a brave cavalry captain who charged into battle, but now he has become an octogenarian old minister who has to support the Daqian regime.

"Ming Jin retreats the troops."

Gu Changqing's voice was as hoarse as a whetstone rubbing against raw iron. He took off the blood-stained gilt bell from his waist. The coiled dragon pattern on the scabbard had been blurred by the strong energy.

Tan Mengjun, who was also injured, was about to step forward to help, but he saw the old general suddenly straighten his hunched back and actually turned over and mounted his horse.

Inside the central army tent, the candlelight swayed in the draft into an orange sea. When Gu Changqing took off his armor, the bloodstains on his armor formed a red mist in the copper basin.

"Duke Su."

"How is the battle on the east wing?"

The veteran wiped the blood grooves on the golden sword, and the blade reflected Su Ye's tall figure walking towards him.

"All 20,000 Yellow Turban troops were killed."

When Su Ye lifted the curtain and entered, the night wind, carrying the smell of blood, extinguished the two candles, and the Dongzhu on the tassel of the Chunjun sword at his waist glowed faintly in the darkness.

All the generals in the tent were shocked. The teacup in Tan Mengjun's hand fell to the ground with a clang, and the tea soup formed a brown stream on the edge of the sand table.

During the day, this general who was suppressing the rebellion had slammed the table and scolded Su Ye for not taking any action, but now his face flushed and he was speechless.

"How many casualties did the Yulin Army suffer?"

Gu Changqing's pupils shrank into two cold stars in the shadow.

"More than a thousand people"

"The Yellow Turban Army seemed to have not expected our army to advance from the east, and their vanguard was not well prepared."

Su Ye gently stroked the sword tassel, counted the beads, and casually reported a rather exaggerated number.

Tan Mengjun stood up suddenly, and the iron armor hit the table, causing it to shake.

"That fellow Meng Zhang must be showing weakness on purpose!"

As soon as he finished speaking he realized he had said something wrong, and stole a glance at Gu Changqing, only to see the old general using a golden knife to cut the remaining candle on the corner of the table. Where the blade passed, the candle broke neatly, like a mirror.

"Why does General Tan say that?"

Su Ye glanced over with a smile, and just then, a night owl was heard crying outside the tent, which made the situation even more eerie.

"Meng Zhang always uses his military tactics to catch the enemy by surprise"

"Can the Duke's White Horse Volunteers stand up to the challenge?"

Gu Changqing inserted the golden knife into the sand table, then turned his gaze to Su Ye.

"The terrain here is flat, perfect for cavalry formations."

Su Ye looked at the terrain on the sand table, and suddenly used his sword as a pen to draw an arc on the west side of Hulu Valley.

Tan Mengjun was stunned. The Taoist soldiers like the White Horse Volunteers should have fought against the Yellow Turban Warriors among the Yellow Turban Army. After all, on the battlefield, only Taoist soldiers could deal with them!

Otherwise, if Taoist soldiers like the Yellow Turban Warriors rushed into the formation of Takeo and Chongyan Guards, the damage caused to the army would be catastrophic!

"It's also good to make a feint to the east and attack in the west"

He was about to speak, but saw Gu Changqing looked up at Su Ye and nodded.

"Grandmaster! The Yellow Turban Army has retreated eight miles to the southeast!"

Suddenly, there was the sound of hurried horse hooves outside the tent. The mud splashed when the messenger fell off his horse left mottled marks on the tent curtain.

Gu Changqing stood up suddenly, the teacup on the table fell over, and the tea soup curved into the shape of a gourd valley on the sand table.

"Southeast... that's the narrowest part of Hulu Valley."

He looked at the winding water trail and suddenly remembered the tassel of the general's flag that Meng Zhang had just cut off.

"Is Meng Zhang trying to... lure our troops into pursuit?"

The veteran's Adam's apple rolled up and down, as if he had swallowed a piece of bloody charcoal.

"No!"

Su Ye suddenly stood up, and his black cloak swept across the uncollected map on the ground.

"He wants to leave space for us to line up."

"Tomorrow is the final battle. He wants to fight Takeo Wei in a fair fight."

The Duke of Zhenguo's finger slid across the valley on the sand table, drawing a blood-red circle in the southeast.

"Crazy! Does he really think that the Yellow Turban warriors can defeat the heavily armored cavalry?"

The clanging sound of iron armor was heard in the tent, and Tan Mengjun slammed his fist on the table.

"Order the entire army to retreat three miles and set up camp." "Let the men have a full meal, and tonight... there is no need to patrol the camp."

Gu Changqing looked at the blood-red mark on the sand table, and his voice suddenly became hoarse.

"Grandmaster, this is..."

Tan Mengjun looked up in surprise.

"Since Meng Zhang wants to fight in the most unfavorable terrain, I will fulfill his wish."

"Tomorrow, the Wuxiong Guard will form the Xuanxiang formation, and the Chongyan Guard will guard the Jiugong positions to suppress the rebellion army..."

Gu Changqing took off the two swords from his waist. The pearls on the sword tassels shone with a warm luster under the candlelight.

"Would the Yulin Army of the Duke of Zhenguo be willing to serve as the backbone of the central army?"

He suddenly paused and looked across Su Ye's calm face.

"The Hengzhou Army is naturally willing to serve as the Grand Tutor's vanguard!"

When Su Ye stood up, his black cloak swept across the map on the ground, and the candlelight cast a flickering shadow between his brows.

Tan Mengjun looked at Su Ye's tall back and suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck. This Duke of Zhenguo had never taken off his armor since he entered the army. The Dongzhu on the tassel of the Chunjun sword on his waist was now glowing a strange blue.

When the third watch gong sounded, Gu Changqing sat alone in the general's tent, looking at the blood-stained secret report on the desk.

"It seems that Meng Zhang can't sit still anymore. He is more anxious than us."

Gu Changqing looked at the direction of Qiandu on the map and suddenly let out a long sigh.

"The Yellow Turban Army had just conquered Qiandu and should have marched southward with lightning speed, but now they are confronting us in Hulu Valley - Grand Master, have you ever thought about why?"

Tan Mengjun was silent for a while, then suddenly pointed to the center of the map.

"Qiandu?"

Gu Changqing's cloudy pupils suddenly contracted.

"Exactly."

"Since Meng Zhang used the Sky Ancestor as bait, he must have calculated that we cannot sit idly by. What he wants is not a battle in Hulu Valley, but..."

Tan Mengjun sighed and said to the stunned Gu Changqing.

"It's to expose our flaws."

"What a trap! Unfortunately, he missed a trick——"

Gu Changqing took over the conversation, and the golden knife glowed coldly under the candlelight.

"Order the whole army, prepare dinner at 3 pm tomorrow and attack at 1 pm!"

The veteran suddenly raised his voice.

"General Tan."

The topographic map of Hulu Valley flickered under the candlelight. The old general's skinny fingers stroked the defense marks of Wuxiongwei and suddenly knocked heavily on the position of Tan Mengjun.

"The general is here!"

Tan Mengjun was solemn and clasped his hands together.

"If I see Duke Su retreat tomorrow..."

"You should lead your troops to attack the enemy's rear, and make sure that the Azure Dragon Legion does not reach the center of the army."

Gu Changqing's voice suddenly became erratic.

"Go ahead. We can't afford to lose this battle."

Tan Mengjun was shocked and was about to speak, but he saw the old general closing his eyes and waving his hands.

When the sound of bangs mixed with the sound of horse hooves came at the fifth watch, the Daqian Dynasty's army had begun to move out of camp.

The silver armor of the Wuxiong Guards shone coldly in the morning mist, and the rock-gray robes of the Chongyan Guards were covered with night dew. Looking at the White Horse Volunteers under Su Ye who were ready to go, Tan Mengjun suddenly felt that the battle was becoming more and more confusing.

"Gu Changqing is old."

At this time, on the west cliff of Hulu Valley, Meng Zhang was planting his flag on the highest peak. Looking at the morning mist rising in the valley, he suddenly turned to Li Cunxiao and said:
"The sword of an old general is often sharper than that of a young man."

Li Cunxiao wiped the blood stains off King Yu's spear, and the tip of the spear shone coldly in the morning light.

"It is beneficial, but... I don't know how long it will last?"

"Send a message to the entire army. Today, let Grand Tutor Gu see what the Yellow Turban Army is like!"

Meng Zhang suddenly chuckled, looked at the smoke rising into the sky on the other side of Hulu Valley, and suddenly raised his voice.

The mountain wind blew the battle flags fluttering, and 170,000 troops lined up in the morning mist.

(End of this chapter)