Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors

On the fourth of July, Lord Qin fell ill, and as Prince Qi, he assumed command.

The stalemate continued into August, during which time he persistently sent cavalry to harass Xue Ju's supply lines and logistics.

At this moment, due to the lack of a major defeat for the Liang Army, Xue Ju's forces certainly dared not besiege Ningzhou State but continued the standoff.

By the ninth of August, around the time of Xue Ju's death, they directly took advantage of the chaos to sweep them away.

The plan was quite good, but whether it could succeed still depended on the execution phase.

Therefore, to ensure nothing went wrong, Li Hongyun added a talent for skilled archery and riding, making sure that in the brightest moments of battle, he, as Prince Qi, could personally join the fray.

Even if he couldn't perform as phenomenally as Lord Qin, he at least had to show a willingness to lead the charge.

Because Li Hongyun was well aware that if he didn't personally go into battle, at best he would just be a strategist.

If Lord Qin was just a valiant talent, then it would be acceptable for him to command from the rear, but since Lord Qin was an all-around talent, if Li Hongyun didn't join the frontline to fight shoulder to shoulder with his soldiers, his prestige would still never surpass Lord Qin's.

...

Everything proceeded as Li Hongyun had planned.

After Lord Qin fell ill, Yin Kaishan and Liu Wenjing did indeed come to see him, requesting to go into battle.

The biggest blame for the historical battle given away for free should be on Yin Kaishan, whose desire to fight was the strongest. And Liu Wenjing, who was in the position of exercising military power on behalf of Lord Qin at the time, did not adhere to Lord Qin's advice to hold their ground and was swayed by Yin Kaishan, also bearing major responsibility.

This time, after swaying Liu Wenjing, Yin Kaishan came to sway this seemingly young Prince Qi.

"Your Highness Prince Qi, Lord Qin was concerned that you wouldn't be able to repel the enemy, which is why he said you should clear the fields and hold out until his recovery before engaging in battle.

"But Your Highness, you are wise and valiant, with strategic insight, and each of our commanders is eager to fight and full of fighting spirit. How could we miss this golden opportunity?

"I believe that when the enemy hears of Lord Qin's illness, they will surely underestimate us, so this is precisely the time to assemble our forces and go into battle to intimidate the enemy with our might!

"If we achieve a great victory, then Your Highness will have the chance to prove yourself; if it's a minor victory, we can still deter the enemy, preventing them from underestimating us, and greatly boost the morale of our troops."

Li Hongyun chuckled to himself, thinking I won't fall for your evil tricks.

A victory, big or small, is still a win, so why don't you talk about the possibility of a crushing defeat?

If I actually listened to you and went into battle, I'd be the one primarily responsible.

However, he didn't really have any reason to be angry with Yin Kaishan because Yin Kaishan didn't intentionally want to mess things up; he just got ahead of himself after defeating some less formidable forces, as the saying goes, he got carried away.

Li Hongyun smiled faintly, "The time is not yet ripe."

Yin Kaishan was taken aback, "What does your majesty mean by 'the time'...?"

Li Hongyun with the look of a soothsayer, "The feat of wiping out Xue Ju is already in the palm of my hand.

"But now with Lord Qin recently ill and Xue Ju having come with the full might of his state, this is when their will to fight is strongest. Since the enemy is eager for battle, we must not fulfill their wishes.

"There are numerous internal conflicts within Xue Ju's army, and his heir, Xue Rengao, cannot command the troop's loyalty. Once there's a change, the hearts of the soldiers and generals will surely waver.

"When the time is ripe, victory will be within reach."

Yin Kaishan still didn't quite understand, "I understand, but what your majesty refers to as 'the time' is...?"

Li Hongyun smiled faintly, "I have watched the stars at night, Xue Ju has but a month of life left.

"Thirty-five days from now, it will be the time for the decisive battle!

"Before that, anyone who dares to speak of battle, behead!"