Chapter 258: Abandoning the Rook to Save the King? (Thanks to the book friend Guiren Yiguoke for the reward!)
As soon as He Jingyun said this, the tent instantly became quiet and everyone's eyes were focused on Ye Mingsheng.

Since Yelu Yan led 3,000 people and appeared near Yaowo Fort, it means that no matter whether he had planned it in advance or it was a sudden impulse, it shows one thing: he set a trap for Ye Mingsheng.

Using Xiao Xiu and Yelu Hange as bait, they lured Ye Mingsheng into the trap in Yaowo Fort, and then took advantage of their extraordinary speed to quickly advance and create a situation where they had more people against fewer.

With the arrival of Yelu Yan, the situation in Yaowo Fort changed fundamentally. Originally, Ye Mingsheng's troops had superior forces and were on the offensive. His 3,000 troops only had to face 1,000 to 1,500 Khitans under the command of Xiao Xiu and Yelu Hange in Yaowo Fort.

Now Ye Mingsheng's troops are going to face a total of about 4,500 Khitans under Yelu Yan, and the offensive and defensive situation will change instantly.

Three thousand men against forty five hundred, although it seems that the difference in numbers is not particularly large, and Ye Mingsheng's troops are not without the ability to fight, but considering that the area near Yaowo Fort is all plains, which is very suitable for cavalry attacks, and most of the 4,500 Khitans are cavalry, the actual combat power of both sides is still very large...
Fortunately, Ye Tie's inadvertent reminder made Ye Mingsheng aware of the Khitan conspiracy. Otherwise, at noon tomorrow, when Ye Mingsheng's troops, who knew nothing, were attacking Yaowo Fort, Yelu Yan suddenly attacked with 3,000 troops. In that case, everything would be over when they were caught off guard!
Seeing that Ye Mingsheng, who was sitting in the main seat, did not speak, He Jingyun continued:

"The area within a hundred miles of Yaowobao is all plains, and Mentougou is the only place that is easy to defend but difficult to attack. We can set off now under the cover of night. Even if the Khitan cavalry pursues us, we can preserve the main force and retreat to Mentougou. Then we can send a message to Yuan Song at Qumaling to come back for help, and the danger will be resolved!"

When He Jingyun came up with this plan, Guo Zhiping's expression changed, while the Third Battalion Commander Liang Xuezhang and Deputy Commander Ye Tie's faces darkened...

Ye Mingsheng narrowed his eyes when he heard this. Although He Jingyun did not say it directly out of consideration for Liang Xuezhan's face, Ye Mingsheng also understood the subtext of his words.

That means sacrificing the car to save the king!
It can be seen that He Jingyun believed that in the current situation, without the advantage of geographical location, even if Ye Mingsheng's troops could set up a camp to meet the enemy, it would be difficult for them to withstand the impact of thousands of Khitan cavalry.

Therefore, in such a dangerous situation that may lead to the annihilation of the entire army, you should act decisively, withdraw and minimize the losses as much as possible!
Of course, the troops are withdrawing now because they know that Yelu Yan, who has been discovered, will definitely pursue them and will not let Ye Mingsheng get away so easily.

But what He Jingyun said was right. The pitch-black night could indeed cover the retreat of Ye Mingsheng's troops and prevent Yelu Yan's troops from pursuing them, but it was only an obstruction...
Now, among the three thousand men under Ye Mingsheng, only the one thousand men in Guo Zhiping's cavalry are cavalry, and the rest of the third battalion are all infantry.

A person running on two legs certainly cannot run as fast as a person running on four legs. To withdraw troops now would be equivalent to throwing the two thousand infantrymen of the Third Battalion to be strangled by the Khitan cavalry!

According to He Jingyun's method, even if they retreated to Mentougou in the end, the third battalion under Ye Mingsheng would be finished!
As the commander of the third battalion, Liang Xuezhan was very annoyed by the method proposed by He Jingyun, but after careful consideration, he had to admit that He Jingyun's suggestion could be said to be the best solution under the current circumstances.

The area is located on a plain, the opposing cavalry is several times more numerous than ours, and they are good at cavalry combat. We are definitely defeated if we fight now. Now we either stay here and die together, or someone makes a sacrifice and leaves the hope of life to others... Thinking of this, Liang Xuezhan couldn't help but glance at Ye Mingsheng. Seeing that Ye Mingsheng looked like he was thinking, his mood undoubtedly became worse. If he guessed correctly, Ye Mingsheng was now considering how to talk to him.

"Ugh!"

He sighed silently in his heart. He knew that as the commander of the third battalion, he could not get rid of his responsibilities. Liang Xuezhang accepted his fate and thought that instead of Ye Mingsheng giving orders, it would be better for him to take the initiative. He immediately stood up, bowed to Ye Mingsheng and said loudly:
"Sir! I and all my colleagues in the Third Battalion request your permission to stay and block the attack!"

Although Liang Xuezhang didn't say much, his words were powerful and his expression showed that he was ready to die. He looked very tragic...

As soon as he finished speaking, all the generals in the tent who noticed the power of He Jingyun's plan looked at Liang Xuechang with admiration. Knowing that this mission was a life-threatening one, Liang Xuechang still had the courage to stand up. He was indeed a responsible person!
Liang Xuezhang's statement pulled Ye Mingsheng back from his thoughts. He looked Liang Xuezhang up and down and asked in a deep voice;

"Liang Xuezhang, you are good at defense. I will give you the troops to command. How long can you defend for at most?"

Ye Mingsheng's question surprised Liang Xuezhang. Although he was a little confused about the purpose of Ye Mingsheng's question, he thought about it and said slowly:
"Now deepen the camp, and Chief Guo will lead the cavalry to harass and contain the enemy from the outside. I am confident that we can hold out for a day!"

"Can you hold it for two days?" Ye Mingsheng continued to ask:

"One day will definitely be no problem. Two days will be a 50-50 chance. It mainly depends on how well Captain Guo's cavalry can contain the enemy..." Liang Xuezhang did not dare to make any boasts on such a life-and-death issue. He said everything in detail:
Liang Xuezhan's answer made Ye Mingsheng turn his attention to Guo Zhiping, who was sitting at the back of the tent and was very low-key.

Since he came under Ye Mingsheng's command, Ye Mingsheng has given Guo Zhiping 100% trust. He gave priority to adding almost all of his war horses and hundreds of elite soldiers drawn from various departments to his cavalry team. He also never assigned any tasks to their cavalry team, allowing them to devote 100% to training.

It takes a thousand days to maintain an army and only a moment to use it. Now is the time when Ye Mingsheng needs his cavalry to stand up and play his role and prove his worth!

Feeling Ye Mingsheng's gaze, Guo Zhiping stood up without hesitation and said:
"My troops have been training for less than three months, so we are not yet able to compete head-on with the Khitan cavalry in terms of combat power. However, if they are used for harassment or containment, there will be absolutely no problem. The brothers are also eager to have a big battle with the Khitans!"

(End of this chapter)