Mother, I have returned to the throne.

Chapter 257: The Maze

Under the leadership of Huo Jianchuan, Song Yuan soon met the members of the Golden Saints.

In the military camp.

After a brief correction, the two injured people were taken downstairs for treatment, and the others were being supplied in the tent.

Everyone was obviously hungry. Faced with the food in front of them, they wolfed it down. It seemed that they had suffered a lot in the wilderness.

But even so, the moment they saw Song Yuan, everyone still put down what they were holding and stood up immediately.

When facing his immediate superior, his eyes were full of respect.

"Eat your own food. There is no distinction between superiors and subordinates here today!"

Song Yuan was in a good mood and waved his hand, saying, "You are all heroes. How can heroes not have enough food?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Everyone spoke in unison, then sat down and continued their previous actions.

However, perhaps because everyone saw that Song Yuan obviously had something to ask them, their subsequent actions were much faster than at the beginning.

"Your Majesty, I'm full!"

Song Yuan didn't have to wait long before he heard a familiar voice. He looked closely and saw Saint Seiya number 11 standing up with a burning look in his eyes.

Since joining Song Yuan's men, these Golden Saints have forgotten their names, and the only things left are their code names.

They are ranked from one to twelve according to their age.

After several days of training, this number has now been deeply engraved in my bones.

Sensing the solemnity in the other person's eyes, Song Yuan nodded in satisfaction, then asked, "Then tell me in detail how you got here?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

He nodded at eleven o'clock, then hurriedly explained the specific content in detail.

After parting with Song Yuan that day, they waded across the Peacock River as Song Yuan had requested before, and finally arrived in the territory of the barbarians.

Faced with the unfamiliar environment, everyone did not panic, but searched around according to the previous plan, looking for a small group of living forces.

At the beginning, fate seemed to be playing a trick on them. No matter how hard they searched, all they found was a large army.

In the territory of barbarians.

The Golden Saints discovered that a lot of troops were gathering. The number of those people far exceeded their original imagination. Faced with such a behemoth, they did not dare to act rashly.

Fortunately, under Song Yuan's guidance, everyone became patient.

Faced with such a scene, no one acted impulsively, but instead lay dormant in the dark, carefully waiting for an opportunity.

Hard work pays off.

Just the day before yesterday, the opportunity everyone had been waiting for finally came!

Perhaps it was a gift from God, they encountered a cavalry group of no more than 20 or 30 people.

Although the opponent's mobility and number of people were superior to theirs, the Golden Saints were no pushovers. Relying on their excellent skills and the convenience of striking first, they eliminated the entire team in just a few minutes.

Only a few people were left alive and captured alive just to interrogate them for information.

Relying on the interrogation techniques taught to them by Song Yuan, they obtained the information they wanted without any effort.

After completing the task, everyone did not turn back immediately, but instead, as Song Yuan requested, put everything on horseback.

They drove their horses to the river and tried to cross the river on horseback.

This is done only because of Song Yuan’s previous arrangements!

For Song Yuan, any batch of war horses is a rare treasure, so he only hopes that the Golden Saints can bring back as many war horses as possible.

Even if it fails, we can still guess the thickness of the ice on the Peacock River by whether the war horses can cross the river safely.

It’s a pity that the winter here still doesn’t reach low temperatures.

In the end, the war horses were washed away to an unknown place by the current, and everyone successfully escaped and returned.

After hearing the last part, Song Yuan's eyes lit up and he immediately asked the most crucial question.

"According to the intelligence you gathered, what are the current movements of those barbarians?"

"Your Highness, according to the information we have gathered, they are all gathering on the left wing!"

"The troops they sent out ahead are just the vanguard. Their main purpose is to confuse the enemy. The main force will pass through the upper reaches of the Peacock River and launch a surprise attack across the river, aiming directly at Mohai City!"

It shouldn’t be!

Hearing this, Song Yuan frowned slightly, and a sense of solemnity arose in his heart.

Huo Jianchuan, who was standing beside him, noticed Song Yuan's expression and immediately asked, "Your Highness, are you worried about something?"

Song Yuan nodded, without hiding anything: "I always feel that the arrangement made by the barbarians is a little wrong, as if it is confusing the public!"

Based on the previous communication between Song Yuan and Huo Jianchuan, the two had inferred that the barbarians were likely to launch a surprise attack from the upper reaches of the Peacock River.

Now that what people said came true, Song Yuan was not happy at all.

He always felt that the other party's plan was a little too simple!

According to Song Yuan's previous speculation, the purpose of those barbarians should be to consume manpower rather than to attack the city.

But now, based on the intelligence collected, Song Yuan’s previous speculation has been completely overturned.

Song Yuan really couldn't figure out why the other party would give up their strengths and choose their weaknesses?

According to Song Yuan's understanding, this is completely inconsistent with the character of the barbarians!

However, in front of outsiders, Song Yuan did not want to reveal his feelings. He gave some instructions to the Golden Saint in front of him, asking everyone to have a good rest. Then, he returned to the tent alone.

Facing the base map in front of him, Song Yuan fell into deep thought.

The more I thought about it, the more I felt something was not right.

If the information collected by the Golden Saint is true, it means that Song Yuan’s previous speculation is completely false, and the barbarians have never considered their greatest advantage.

If Song Yuan had never seen Bulma, he might have thought that the opposing general was a fool.

But based on the previous contact between the two sides, Song Yuan really couldn't understand how such a smart person could make such a low-level mistake?

If they really chose to attack the city, it would be equivalent to giving up their advantage of strong mobility and instead fighting a head-on battle with the enemy who had been preparing for a long time.

Even if you are a fool, you wouldn't be so reckless, right?

For a moment, Song Yuan couldn't help but shake his head, feeling that his thoughts were in a mess.

There are clearly lines in my mind, but I can't weave them together smoothly.

Just as Song Yuan was frowning secretly, footsteps suddenly came from outside the military camp.

Situ Jing and Jin Lian came side by side, and both of them had a look of resentment on their faces.

Facing these two aunts, Song Yuan hurriedly smiled, not daring to offend anyone: "Didn't you two want to have a fight before? What was the final result? Who won?"

Thinking of the bet between the two, Song Yuan immediately became curious.

Jinlian responded immediately: "We are two bronze sisters, neither of us can bring ourselves to do such a ruthless thing, so the final outcome is naturally a draw!"

"How dare you say that? You were almost losing. If you hadn't called for a stop, I would have defeated you with my next move!"

Faced with such an outcome, Situ Jing was quite dissatisfied.

But Jinlian argued confidently: "Of course. If I don't stop you, you'll hurt me. Don't forget, I'm probably pregnant with someone else's child. I can't possibly disturb the baby, can I?"

As soon as these words came out, Song Yuan's expression suddenly became awkward.

Jinlian simply treated Situ Jing like a fool.

Because of the Hehuan Gong, there is no possibility for the two people who practice the technique to get pregnant.

Where does the concept of fetal qi come from?

However, while sighing inwardly, Song Yuan clearly looked a little surprised as he glanced at Situ Jing.

As expected, he is a descendant of a military family. With such strength, Situ Jing is really awesome.

Both of them are girls, but Situ Jing can actually surpass Jinlian. Just based on such skills, there are probably few people in the world who can compare with her.

The two of them bickered for a while, and then they focused their attention on Song Yuan.

Seeing Song Yuan lowering his head to study the map in front of him, Situ Jing hurried forward to relieve the pressure.

"If you ask me, you should stop staring at the map all day and take some time to rest!"

"I've never heard of a general who could win a battle by just looking at the map a few more times!"

"We have to take a look. The Golden Saints have returned. According to their intelligence, those barbarians are most likely targeting us!" Song Yuan responded without raising his head.

Such words immediately made Situ Jing's face change. She didn't care about what she said before and rushed forward to stare at the map with Song Yuan.

Song Yuan had already marked the red dot on the map. When Situ Jing saw the route of the barbarians' raid, his eyes suddenly lit up and he spoke eagerly.

"If you ask me, we should prepare in advance and set up an ambush on the other side of the river!"

"Those barbarians have just crossed the river, so their defenses must be down. If we strike suddenly and catch them off guard, they will surely return in defeat!"

According to the information Song Yuan had, the number of troops dispatched by the barbarians this time should be around 20,000.

For Song Yuan now, 20,000 people is not a lot, not to mention that he is planning it intentionally or not, and can easily achieve the outcome that Situ Jing said!

However, faced with such analysis, Song Yuan shook his head lightly.

"I don't think this is right. This is not the best marching route!"

"You've met Bulma before. Do you think he'd be a fool? How could he choose a more dangerous route instead of a better one?"

"The better route you mentioned, is it downstream? That place is too close to Zhenbei City. If someone notices their movements, even if they want to leave, I don't think they will be able to make it in time!"

"General Wei only needs to send tens of thousands of troops to guard the other side of the river. Then they will be walking into a trap. Even if it's 20,000 cavalry, they will probably never return. I think this is the worst strategy."

Situ Jing started to refute, but Song Yuan advised her to stick to her own opinion.

"It depends on what you think. If it's me downstream, then that's the best option!"

"I'm deliberately attracting their attention. This is the only way to mobilize the soldiers across the border. I'll make them run for their lives, and once I have a backup plan, we can coordinate with them in the wild and wipe them out in one fell swoop!"

"This is the best option. They shouldn't attack the city, but should do everything they can to deplete our strength!"

"That's what you say, but after all, there are only 20,000 cavalrymen. What do you expect these people to do?" Situ Jing frowned slightly.

In his view, a mere 20,000 people was a joke.

Even when facing Song Yuan, he was prepared.

With the help of the military forces stationed in the garrisons, as long as they are properly arranged, they can absorb all 20,000 elite cavalry. What's more, there are a large number of troops in Zhenbei City.

Once discovered, they can be mobilized immediately.

There is no need for them to choose a head-on confrontation.

This time Song Yuan did not respond, but stared at the map in front of him in silence.

In his mind, he was thinking about what Situ Jing said.

I have to say that ambushing in advance is definitely a good choice, but once you do this, there are other disadvantages.

Twenty thousand cavalrymen, this number is neither large nor small.

With Song Yuan's current strength, if he wants to take it down, he must put in all his effort. Otherwise, he will easily be led by the nose.

If Song Yuan followed Situ Jing's speculation, he would have focused all his attention upstream and sent troops to ambush, just to annihilate the enemy in one fell swoop.

By then, the defensive strength of Mohai City will be greatly weakened.

If those barbarians had a backup plan and chose to launch a surprise attack from another direction, they would be able to take control of Bohai City in the first place, and they could even cooperate with the people upstream to directly encircle Song Yuan's army!

Facing enemies from two directions, Song Yuan's arrangements at that time would become a joke, and he might even be blocked upstream with no way to retreat.

With this bargaining chip, the barbarians will be able to gain the upper hand.

It is entirely possible to negotiate with Daqin by relying on Song Yuan's identity.

If it really comes to that, Song Yuan will lose all face!

In front of Situ Jing, Song Yuan did not hide anything and expressed all his concerns.

Situ Jing frowned at the end of the sentence. "From what you said, I suddenly feel that those barbarians may have set a trap. You are probably worried that they will spread false information while sending another group of troops from downstream. But have you ever thought that doing so is really too risky!"

"Once Zhenbei City finds out and intercepts them in advance, won't their plan be completely thwarted?"

"But have you ever thought about this? Even if we fail, those barbarians won't suffer any loss. They can simply retreat and find another way out next time!"

Song Yuan responded: "For those barbarians, this move is like a gamble. They are betting on everything going smoothly!"

"Besides, the initiative is in the hands of those barbarians. If any step is not satisfactory, they can call a halt at any time!"

"If you were sure you wouldn't lose anything, would you take such a gamble?"

This time, Situ Jing fell into complete silence, with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

I have to admit that Song Yuan's worries had their reasons from beginning to end.

War itself is a gamble, and everyone involved is equivalent to a gambler.

Compared to other situations, when there is no loss at all, I am afraid no one can refuse to participate!

As long as mobility can be guaranteed, the advantages of those barbarians are really too great. It seems that only by saying this as Song Yuan said can they bring out their advantages!

But would those barbarians really do this?

For a moment, Situ Jing lowered her head and fell into deep thought, but at this moment, Song Yuan's eyes suddenly lit up and he slapped his head hard.

When Song Yuan spoke again, there was already a hint of affirmation in his tone.

"I figured it out, I finally figured it out!"

"It must be just as I said. The so-called 20,000 cavalrymen are simply a bait!"

"They will definitely cross the river downstream and attack us in secret, they will definitely do it!"

Seeing Song Yuan's initial suspicion turn into certainty, the two women beside him suddenly showed a bit of surprise in their eyes.

Judging from Song Yuan's tone, it seemed as if it was a sure thing.

Who gave him the courage to make such a guess?