Chapter 471
Taking the Initiative
The candlelight inside the tent popped open with a "pop," casting Jia Yu's sharply defined profile onto the tent wall, flickering in the light and shadow.
He withdrew his gaze from the south and returned it to the map of the northern frontier on the table, his fingertips slowly tracing the vast area south of "Yehuyu" and north of Shenjing.
The terrain there was relatively flat, with numerous villages and towns. It was the main agricultural settlement and tax revenue source for the imperial court, and also the ideal place for the Tatar cavalry to plunder and raid once they broke through the front-line defenses.
"The demons and monsters have retreated for now, but the wolves and jackals are not far away."
Jia Yu muttered to herself.
The tentative retreat of the Great Master of Vastness and the Immortal of Boundless Innocence does not mean that Fairy Disenchantment will give up.
Meanwhile, on the northern grasslands, the Tatar main force, having lost an elite vanguard, would not let the matter rest. The defeat at Yehuyu disrupted their surprise attack plan, but it also exposed the weaknesses and vulnerabilities in their southern defenses.
Jia Yu had already foreseen the war that was to come.
In the following days, Jia Yu, with the authority of a newly appointed guerrilla general and the power to act expediently, swiftly and decisively reorganized the defenses.
He reorganized the troops in Yehuyu and the three surrounding passes, eliminating the weak and keeping the strong, and formed an elite cavalry force of more than a thousand men as a mobile force, with his original subordinates as the backbone, and trained them day and night.
At the same time, he did not stay in one place, but sent out a large number of scouts, equipped with trained hawks, falcons and hounds, extending the reconnaissance range outward by more than a hundred miles, like an invisible giant net, closely monitoring the movements of the northern grasslands.
Among the border troops, his reputation as the "Cat and Dog General," who could understand animal language and predict good and bad fortune, grew increasingly well-known, even taking on a mystical air. His soldiers respected him more and more, and obeyed his orders without question.
Sure enough, seven days later, urgent military intelligence reports poured into Jia Yu's desk from all directions like snowflakes.
The main force of the Tatars, consisting of tens of thousands of cavalry, divided into three routes and launched a fierce attack on three important passes in the northern frontier at the same time, with an unprecedentedly intense offensive.
Urgent dispatches from various border troops were sent directly to the capital.
The imperial court was shaken and urgently ordered troops from all directions to rush to the aid, but the journey was long and the Tatars seemed to have planned it in advance. Their offensive was like mercury flowing across the land, and in a short time, flames of war broke out everywhere, leaving the court unable to attend to all matters.
The scouts sent out by Jia Yu, combined with the scattered information brought back by those "animal informants," pieced together a chilling picture.
Under the cover of the three armies, several smaller but extremely elite Tatar cavalry units, like venomous snakes, stealthily infiltrated southward through the junctions and weak points of the defensive lines.
Its target was clearly the grain-producing area south of Yefuyu, which was relatively undefended.
"They've arrived as expected."
Jia Yu stared at the faintly visible infiltration arrows on the map, his eyes cold.
The Tatars intend to draw the main force of the imperial court with a frontal assault, then send their elite troops to penetrate and disrupt the heartland, undermine the foundation, and may even attempt to threaten the capital again.
His defense zone was conveniently located on the flanks or along the only routes for several infiltration routes.
"Pass on the order!"
Jia Yu suddenly stood up.
"The mobile cavalry battalion shall proceed with me. All garrison troops at the passes shall be on high alert. Without my orders, no one shall engage in battle. Defend the passes to the death!"
He wanted to take the initiative to hunt down those Tatar infiltrators and cavalry, gain merit, build momentum for himself, train his troops, and win over the hearts and minds of the people in the north.
Just as Jia Yu had mustered his troops and was preparing to leave the camp at night, his personal guards reported that a caravan claiming to be from the Rongguo Mansion was requesting an audience. They said they were sent by Grandmother Jia to reward the troops and visit the family members.
Jia Yu raised an eyebrow slightly. The Jia family's information network was indeed excellent, and their actions were swift. Sending someone at this critical juncture—was it simply a gesture of goodwill and appeasement, or was there a deeper purpose?
He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Please invite the leader in, and the rest of you shall be placed outside the camp. Register and collect the supplies for the troops, and distribute them to the respective units according to regulations."
Before long, a well-dressed man with shrewd eyes, who appeared to be in his forties, was led into the tent. He was none other than Lai Da, the chief steward of the Rongguo Mansion.
He entered with a broad smile and bowed, saying, "This humble servant, Lai Da, greets Master Yu."
"Our matriarch and all the gentlemen and ladies of the manor were overjoyed to hear that our eldest son had made outstanding military achievements in the northern frontier, bringing glory to the family. They specially ordered me to prepare some small gifts to reward the soldiers and visit our eldest son."
Jia Yu sat upright behind the desk, his expression calm: "Thank you for your concern, Madam. The border is bitterly cold, and the war is urgent. Steward Lai has traveled a long distance; you must be very tired."
Lai Da secretly glanced at Jia Yu and saw that although the legendary "Cat and Dog General" was young, he had an imposing aura as he sat there. His eyes were clear and deep, and he was no ordinary young man. Lai Da couldn't help but feel awe.
His smile widened: "I dare not say it's too much trouble. It's you, sir, who is fighting for the country. The old matriarch said that you are a fine son of the Jia family. Now that you have made something of yourself, the whole family is proud of you."
"If there are any shortages or difficulties in your army, please feel free to ask, and the manor will do its best to help."
They talk a good game, but it's nothing more than an investment ploy.
Jia Yu understood perfectly well, but showed no sign on her face, only saying calmly, "Thank you for your kindness, Madam. Everything is fine in the army."
"Steward Lai has come from afar, and we should host a banquet to welcome him, but the military situation is urgent, and I must set out with my troops immediately. I cannot stay with you for long. Please rest in the camp for the night and return tomorrow. Please give my regards to the old lady and everyone."
"send troops?"
Lai was shocked: "Sir, send troops now? The Tartars are outside..."
"It is precisely because the Tartars are rampant that we need to take the initiative to attack and protect our territory and people."
Jia Yu interrupted him, stood up, and his black cloak moved without wind. "Steward Lai, this is a matter of great military importance, and it is inconvenient to discuss it further. Please."
Lai Da dared not ask any more questions and quickly bowed and retreated, but his heart was filled with turmoil.
This Master Yu is decisive and imposing, quite unlike the other men in the mansion who indulge in pleasure. He is probably no ordinary person.
After sending Lai Da away, Jia Yu didn't linger any longer. He donned his armor, grabbed his weapons, and mounted his horse.
More than a thousand elite cavalrymen had assembled and were completely silent, with only the occasional snorting of the warhorses and the soft rustling of their armor plates, which exuded a chilling murderous aura in the night.
"set off!"
The horses, their hooves wrapped in cloth, galloped swiftly, gagged in the mouth. This cavalry force, like ghosts in the night, quickly disappeared into the vast northern wilderness.
In the Land of Illusion, before the Mirror of Love and Lust.
The Fairy Disenchantment's expression was beyond just ugly.
In the mirror, the golden light representing Jia Yu did not dim due to her intervention; instead, it burned even brighter, like a torch fueled by fuel.
At this moment, the golden light was moving rapidly northward, quickly approaching and about to collide with several black and red lines of aura representing the Tatar infiltration forces.
What alarmed her even more was that as Jia Yu took the initiative to attack and became involved in even greater battles, the golden light absorbed and integrated the surrounding fortune at a significantly faster pace.
It even began to subtly influence the scattered and stagnant fortunes of the entire northern frontier and even the direction of the capital, like the center of a gradually forming vortex. (End of Chapter)