Harassment, delay

As a veteran of the battlefield, Tuoba Tao naturally knew that sending isolated troops for rescue carried great risks, yet he could not object.

This was the beauty of the 'besieging a point to strike the reinforcements' tactic: attacking a target the enemy is certain to rescue.

As the candidate for the next clan leader and the future hope of the Tuoba clan, Tuoba Rui's importance was self-evident.

Now that this rising star had fallen into a desperate situation, if they allowed him to be annihilated...

Then not only would the Tuoba clan lose an important young talent, but it would also deal a massive blow to the army's morale.

Looking at these indignant clan leaders, Tuoba Tao could only compromise.

"In that case, let Tuoba Yong and Tuoba Jun lead twenty thousand elite troops to the rescue."

The two young generals, faces beaming with joy, stood up to take the command tokens. Just as they were about to turn and leave, they were called back.

Tuoba Tao was ultimately uneasy. He stopped the two and instructed them with earnest concern.

"Last time, your Uncle Hao was defeated and killed because he fell for the Han people's tactic of besieging a point to strike the reinforcements;"

"I expect their siege of Rui'er without attacking is done with the same intent. Therefore, you must be extra careful along the way; it is better to be a bit slower."

The two listened seriously, nodding repeatedly, and finally cupped their fists in a salute together.

"Clan leader, rest assured. We will definitely be cautious and prudent. Just wait for our news of victory."

Seeing their attitude, Tuoba Tao nodded with satisfaction and patted the shoulders of the two juniors.

"Good, go then!"

The twenty thousand Tuoba clan elites packed their gear overnight and set out before dawn the next day.

This movement had long been anticipated by the other clans. They were not surprised at all and continued to prepare for the expedition at a leisurely pace.

With the reinforcements already departed, Tuoba Tao was no longer so anxious and simply watched quietly. This would later become the decision he regretted most.

On the other side, the Fourth Division was the first to arrive outside Lijiang City, joining forces with Wen Pin.

Wen Pin went forward to exchange salutes with Xia Luqi, patting his arm as he spoke.

"Hahaha, Bang Jie, now that you're here, I'm even more at ease. Where is the Lord?"

"The Lord feared you had insufficient troops, so he ordered me to lead the Fourth Division and travel through the night to reinforce you."

"I thank the Lord for his consideration."

Wen Pin bowed toward the east, and then Xia Luqi assigned him a task.

"Bang Jie, for now, take the Fourth Division to garrison the North Gate and rest. Once the Lord arrives, I will make further arrangements."

"Understood!"

Seeing the reinforcements arrive from a distance, Tuoba Rui's heart in the city sank directly to the bottom.

By now, the city had run out of food, and they were forced to slaughter their horses for sustenance.

Just as Tuoba Jun and Tuoba Yong's reinforcements stepped into the Lijiang territory, Wen Pin's scouts discovered them.

"It looks like the enemy will arrive in five days at most. I wonder where the Lord's main army is?"

Currently, he only had over three thousand seven hundred men from the Beiwei Army and five thousand from the Xuanjia Army, barely enough to keep Wen Pin pinned down.

To implement the tactic of besieging a point to strike the reinforcements, the arrival of Gao Yuan's main force was still required.

Xia Luqi answered his question.

"Scouts sent by the Lord arrived this morning. The main army is still over a hundred and fifty li from here. At their current speed, it will take three or four days."

"Three or four days... will that be too late?"

Xia Luqi looked at the letter in his hand, revealed a mysterious smile, and handed the letter to Wen Pin.

"The Lord is brilliant in his calculations; he has already thought of a plan for you."

Wen Pin took the letter and read it, also revealing a knowing smile, and immediately summoned the Scout Battalion Commandant.

Tuoba Yong and Tuoba Jun led their army, traveling day and night. They did not linger even when passing two empty cities.

Seeing how smooth the journey had been, with less than two hundred li remaining, the two were much more at ease.

"Brother Yong, after days of travel, I see the soldiers are exhausted. Let's set out half an hour later tomorrow."

"Very well. Otherwise, even if we reach Lijiang, I fear it will be difficult to defeat the Han people;"

"However, you must arrange the night watch well. I hear the Han people are particularly fond of night raids."

"Don't worry."

The night passed without incident. The next morning, after breakfast, the Xikang Army packed their gear and hit the road.

But they hadn't gone far when a loud bang suddenly rang out, followed by shrill screams.

Tuoba Jun rushed to the front to look and was so frightened he sucked in a breath of cold air.

A large pit, ten feet deep, had appeared in the ground. Several soldiers had inadvertently fallen into it.

Two soldiers had been pierced through vital organs by bamboo stakes and had already perished. Two others had injured their feet and likely couldn't walk anymore.

"What's going on? Why has the army stopped!"

Tuoba Yong rode furiously to the front of the line and saw the scene, his teeth gnashing in anger.

"Damned Han people! What are you all standing around for? Save them quickly! And Scout Battalion, go and investigate thoroughly for me."

They didn't know what they'd find until they looked, and it was a shock; they actually found two more traps.

After finally dealing with the traps, the dozen or so scouts were so exhausted they were nearly coughing up blood.

By the time the Xikang Army resumed their journey, it was nearly noon. An entire morning had been wasted.

Crucially, to prevent further accidents, the Xikang Army's marching speed was significantly slower that day.

In the following days, the Xikang Army encountered all sorts of strange harassments every day.

Sometimes it was one or two small traps, sometimes it was nighttime harassment; they were being annoyed beyond endurance.

Most importantly, because of this harassment, their marching speed had slowed by nearly thirty to forty percent.

They had originally planned to reach Lijiang City in five days, but now, on the sixth day, they were still over fifty li away.

That night, the Xikang Army camped in a canyon.

This was a location carefully selected by Tuoba Jun and Tuoba Yong.

The cliffs on both sides were high and steep; even if enemy troops were lying in ambush on the mountains, they couldn't possibly charge down.

They only needed to guard the two exits to sleep soundly.

In the darkness, atop the cliff, Gao Yuan watched the lights below without saying a word.

Xia Luqi finished his mission and came to Gao Yuan's side.

"Lord, everything is prepared. The Second Division is guarding the north exit, while the Fourth Division and fifteen hundred Xuanjia Army soldiers are guarding the south exit."

"Good. Let the soldiers eat something and rest. Wait for the opportunity."

"Understood!"

The night grew deeper, and the noise in the valley gradually subsided.

Seeing that the time was right, Gao Yuan waved his hand at Xia Luqi and calmly ordered...

"Action!"

Immediately, Xia Luqi and the signalmen began waving torches in their hands to signal.

A large number of torches instantly appeared on the cliffs. A thousand Xuanjia Army soldiers emerged from the shadows, a torch in one hand and a clay jar in the other.

Gao Yuan also held a clay jar, used a torch to light the cloth plugging the opening, and then threw it down with force.

His action acted as a signal, and a massive number of clay jars were hurled down.

"Crash..."

The sound of clay jars hitting the ground echoed through the valley as the oil inside splashed out.

The fire began to burn and flow, fueled by the oil spreading and splashing everywhere.

After throwing the jars, the soldiers on the cliffs began to toss down bundles of hay and firewood.

These had all been painstakingly cut by them over the last two days, and now they were all thrown down at once.

Crackling sounds filled the air!

"Fire! Fire!"

"Ah... help!"

The once quiet camp in the valley instantly became a scene of chaos. The sound of the roaring fire was everywhere, along with the screams and pleas for help from the Xikang people.

The tents and grain in the camp became accomplices to the blaze, and the fire soon spiraled out of control.

By the time Tuoba Jun and Tuoba Yong stepped out of their tents, they saw flames soaring into the sky.

The two exchanged a look and knew things had gone terribly wrong. They immediately began to shout.

"Don't panic! Don't break ranks! Put on your armor, take your weapons, and follow us to break out through the south!"