activa-t Chapter 16 Breaking the Stalemate
Chapter 16 Breaking the Stalemate
Xuanyuan Che stared at the mysterious figure before him and said in a deep voice, "Since you claim to know the secret, why do you choose to help us? And what are your conditions?" The mysterious figure smiled slightly, a hint of cunning in his eyes: "Your Highness, please do not be impatient. I have a history with your country and cannot bear to see it fall into enemy hands. As for the conditions, after the matter is accomplished, I only need a travel permit so that I can stay away from this place of trouble."
Su Yao carefully observed the mysterious figure, feeling a familiar aura about him, but unable to quite place it. After a moment's thought, Xuan Yuanche said, "Words are meaningless; how can I believe your words are true?" The mysterious figure took out a jade pendant from his sleeve and handed it forward, saying, "This is a token. Your Highness can send someone to verify it. The family behind this pendant once saved your country's late emperor. Now that the family is declining, I only wish to do this last thing for them."
Xuanyuan Che took the jade pendant and handed it to his trusted aide, ordering him to verify it immediately. A short while later, the aide returned and whispered a few words in Xuanyuan Che's ear, confirming that the mysterious figure's words were true. Only then did Xuanyuan Che say, "In that case, we will believe you for now. But you must first reveal some secrets so that we may know your sincerity."
The mysterious figure nodded and slowly said, "Although our neighboring country has allied with other nations, their intentions differ. One of them already has many trade conflicts with our neighboring country and was only coerced into joining the alliance. If Your Highness can send someone to persuade them and offer them substantial benefits, you can win them over. Furthermore, although our neighboring country's food supplies have recovered somewhat after the last attack, there is a very well-hidden pass on their new supply line. If we can set up an ambush there, we can cut off their food supplies again."
After hearing this, Xuan Yuanche and Su Yao made a plan. Xuan Yuanche immediately arranged for an eloquent strategist to travel with generous gifts to the country with which they had a conflict, while he and Su Yao prepared an ambush plan for the neighboring country's new supply line.
Su Yao suggested, "This time, we can't use regular troops for the ambush. We can select soldiers skilled in mountain warfare to form small elite units, and have them ambush in the mountains and forests around the pass. Using the terrain advantage, we can wear down the enemy with arrows and traps before launching a surprise attack." Xuan Yuanche approved Su Yao's plan and began selecting soldiers and conducting targeted training.
Under the persuasion of strategists, the previously hesitant nation indeed became swayed and began secretly engaging with Xuanyuan Che's country, gradually breaking away from the alliance of neighboring nations. This change greatly shocked the neighboring nation, and cracks appeared within the alliance.
Meanwhile, on Xuan Yuanche's side, the ambush troops were already in place. Under the cover of night, they quietly infiltrated the vicinity of the pass and, according to Su Yao's plan, set up a dense array of traps and hidden archer positions.
As the neighboring country's supply convoy slowly entered the pass, a signal was given, and a hail of arrows rained down on the enemy army like locusts. The enemy was thrown into chaos, falling into traps one after another. At this moment, Xuanyuan Che led his elite soldiers out, engaging the enemy in fierce close combat.
After a fierce battle, Xuanyuan Che's troops successfully cut off the neighboring country's food supply and captured a large amount of supplies. Due to food shortages, the morale of the neighboring country's army was low, and desertion began to occur.
However, just as Xuan Yuanche and Su Yao were preparing to press their advantage, news arrived from within the country that a group of mysterious assassins had suddenly appeared in the palace, their target seemingly the emperor. Xuan Yuanche was greatly alarmed and hurriedly returned to the palace with Su Yao.
Upon returning to the palace, they found the guards engaged in a fierce battle with the assassins. Xuan Yuanche quickly joined the fight, his sword flashing through the assassins' ranks, each strike drawing blood. Su Yao, meanwhile, directed the guards to protect the emperor, calmly maneuvering to prevent the assassins from breaching the defenses.
After a fierce battle, the assassins were gradually overwhelmed, but before they died, they shouted, "This is just the beginning, a bigger conspiracy is yet to come!" Xuan Yuanche and Su Yao frowned. They knew that there must be a deeper force behind everything, and they had to find this force as soon as possible, otherwise the country would never have peace.