latelenovela Chapter 2021 Give you a chance
Chapter 2021 Give you a chance
Inside the tent, a roar erupted.
Suddenly, the Scorpion Clan general, Tuwu Jin, stepped forward. He was tall and burly, clad in animal hide armor, with a bushy beard and halberds. His bull-like eyes were wide open, staring intently at Wang Zhongsi and Liu Hongji.
"Testing? What a load of bull!"
Tuwu Jin's voice shook the tent: "That Ran Ming led 20,000 cavalrymen and swaggered around outside my camp all night! How many of my soldiers did he kill? How many of my palisades did he trample?"
"You can tolerate this, but I, Tuwu Jin, cannot! Nor can the warriors of my Blood Wolf Clan!"
He waved his thick arms, his spittle almost spraying onto Wang Zhongsi's face:
"We eagles of the grasslands have always been the ones who actively hunt our prey. When did it become the prey's turn to provoke us near our nests?"
"Defend, defend, all you know is defense! If we keep defending, our morale will be completely destroyed! The Chu army will think we're afraid of them!"
He suddenly turned to Li Jing, clasped his hands in a fist and roared, "General! Give me 30,000 cavalry! No, 20,000 will do!"
"I am willing to lead my men out of the camp to fight that Ran Ming to the death!"
"We must cut off his bald head and hang it on the gate, so that the Chu army will know the might of our Great Tang and our Scorpion Clan allied forces!"
Tuwujin's roar was like igniting the fuse of a powder keg.
His words instantly ignited the long-suppressed emotions of another group of generals in the tent!
"The Turkic leader is right!"
A hot-tempered Tang general immediately stepped forward to voice his support: "The Chu army is going too far! A mere 20,000 men dare to be so arrogant in front of my 100,000-strong army!"
"If we don't fight and punish them, where is our army's prestige? How can the soldiers quell this anger in their hearts?"
Another young and ambitious general excitedly exclaimed, "General! I also believe we should attack!"
"Although our army has suffered setbacks, our main force is still intact. How can we simply cower in our camp and allow the enemy to spy on us?"
"When their probing troops are exhausted and have not yet established a firm foothold, we should send out our elite forces to pursue and kill them. Even if we cannot annihilate them completely, we should severely damage their morale!"
"We'll make sure Chu Ning knows we're not to be trifled with!"
"Yes! Attack!"
"We can't take it anymore!"
"Let the Chu army taste our might!"
The voices of the pro-war faction rose instantly. Most of them were brave generals or tribal leaders like Tuojin who could not stand being stifled.
They believed that the morale of an army needs to be boosted by victory, and that simply defending would only embolden the enemy and erode their own fighting spirit.
The humiliation of being attacked last night has now transformed into a strong desire for battle.
Suddenly, a heated debate erupted inside the command tent!
"Absurd! The enemy is powerful and is trying to lure us into battle. How can we walk into their trap?"
A seasoned and prudent general sternly retorted to Tuwujin: "If you act rashly and fall into an enemy ambush, suffering heavy losses, who will be responsible? Can Tuwujin bear that responsibility?"
"An ambush? What ambush! The main force of the Chu army is still inside the pass! Ran Ming only brought 20,000 men!"
The pro-war faction immediately retorted: "You've clearly been terrified by the Chu army! If you're so timid, you might as well go home and take care of your children!"
"What did you say?! This is outrageous!"
"Did I say something wrong? How was Luoxia Mountain lost? It was because..."
"Enough!" A sharp shout suddenly rang out, interrupting the argument that was about to spiral out of control.
Wang Zhongsi's face turned ashen. Although he advocated defense, he could not tolerate his colleagues exposing each other's shortcomings and fighting amongst themselves.
He took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, turned to Li Jing, and said in a deep voice:
"General! At this critical juncture, internal strife is a recipe for disaster!"
"Whether to attack or defend is left to the Commander-in-Chief to decide! We, your humble servants, will obey your orders!"
His words were both to stop the pointless argument and to hand over the final decision-making power to Li Jing, who had remained silent throughout.
All eyes instantly turned to the head coach.
Tuwu Jin was still panting heavily, staring with his bull-like eyes.
The pro-war generals wore expressions of reluctance and anticipation.
Generals like Wang Zhongsi and Liu Hongji, who advocated for a more cautious approach, looked grave as they awaited the final decision.
Li Jing remained seated, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest, his face expressionless.
As he listened to the heated debate between the two sides, his heart was also filled with turmoil.
He understood the fighting spirit and desire for war among the pro-war faction; the army did indeed need a fighting spirit.
However, the analysis by Wang Zhongsi and others is also mature and prudent, and in line with the current objective situation.
The Chu army's actions last night were most likely a probe; it was a calculated move to provoke him and lure him into battle.
Going into battle is unpredictable and carries enormous risks; while holding firm may seem passive, it is a more prudent approach.
An even more oppressive silence fell inside the tent, as if the air had frozen.
Every general could hear the pounding of his own heart.
Li Jing's gaze slowly swept over the generals again, finally landing on the model representing Zhennan Pass on the sand table, and the massive camp markers of the Chu army outside the pass.
He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable decisiveness that instantly silenced all other noises in the tent:
"Pass on my command..."
Li Jing's voice was calm and powerful, instantly silencing all the arguments and noises inside the tent.
His gaze was sharp, first landing on Tuwu Jin, who was still indignant.
"The leader of the Turkic Jin!"
Tuwu Jin's spirits lifted, he stepped forward, clasped his hands, and roared, "Your subordinate is here!"
"Since you are so eager for battle, I will give you the opportunity."
Li Jing said in a deep voice: "I order you to immediately muster 15,000 Blood Wolf cavalry and allocate 5,000 infantry archers to cooperate with you. After noon, launch a probing attack on the east side of the city wall of Zhennan Pass!"
He emphasized the word "probing," his sharp gaze fixed on Tuwu Jin: "Your mission is not to break through the barrier, but to launch a feint attack!"
"We must make a big show of it, create a great deal of momentum, and try to attract the attention of the Chu army inside the pass, thus tying down their forces in the eastern city!"
"If we can lure some of their troops out of the pass to fight in the open, that would be a great achievement!"
"But remember, do not linger in battle. If the Chu army reacts fiercely, or if there are signs of a large-scale mobilization of reinforcements, retreat immediately and defend your fortified camps. Do not make any mistakes!"
This order satisfied the desire of the Turks and the pro-war faction to launch an attack, while keeping the risks within a manageable range, thus characterizing their actions as a strategic feint at a higher level.
Although Turkkin longed for real open-field combat, he understood that this was the best order he could get at the moment, so he said no more and clasped his hands in a deep fist salute.
"Your subordinate obeys! You will ensure that the Chu army never has a moment's peace!"
After arranging the offensive, Li Jing turned his gaze to Wang Zhongsi, whose face was solemn.
"General Wang."
"Your subordinate is here," Wang Zhongsi replied, bowing.
Li Jing narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing across them: "Since the Chu army has taken this probing action to find out the strength and weakness of our army, how can we sit idly by and wait for our doom, letting them get what they want?"