Chapter 152: Qi Dispatches Troops

This was largely because the state of Jin had held hegemony for too long, accumulating an overwhelming sense of psychological superiority. They always felt that the situation had not deteriorated to such an extreme extent, which was why they remained so unconcerned and fearless.

At this thought, Meng Di let out a long sigh and instantly reached a decision.

"Judging by the current circumstances, Lu is beyond salvation this time. Having spent over a month in a stalemate with Zheng without gaining an inch of territory, Yang Hu's military campaign has been all for naught. To challenge the core of Jin's power at a time like this is nothing short of making oneself a living target."

"Without a doubt, Qi's primary consideration next will be to strike at Lu, testing Jin's reaction. If Jin still takes no action this time, it remains to be seen whether Lu can even survive."

Hearing this, Ji Ran gently shook his head as well.

"With the situation so intricate and convoluted, Yang Hu's actions are tantamount to burning himself alive. How could he follow Jin's wishes and offend Wei? If Qi, Wei, and Zheng unite their forces to attack Lu, what on earth will Yang Hu have left to counter them?"

Lamenting these matters now was futile. Meng Di stood up.

"Since things have reached this point, further words are useless. During this period, we must intensify our troop training. Our regular cavalry force has now reached nearly thirty thousand men, and the horses are basically maintained at a ratio of three mounts per soldier."

"Moreover, merchants continuing to exchange horses for wine have been arriving steadily. Under the current circumstances, we can expand our forces to a maximum of nearly forty thousand men. With such a military strength, we will be fully capable of threatening Qi."

"In the coming period, we must select able-bodied individuals from among the populace across various regions to prepare for future city defense. It will likely not be long before Qi dispatches its forces. You and Han Zhan will be responsible for regional defense and must make preparations in advance."

Just as Meng Di had anticipated, once the conflict between Zheng and Lu concluded, Zheng once again dispatched envoys to Qi to establish a direct alliance. Although Wei had not made its stance explicit, it had evidently received word and was currently mobilizing troops within its borders.

At the same time, Qi was also mobilizing its army. The atmosphere of war was growing increasingly palpable, prompting Meng Di to hesitate no longer. He sent out scouts to closely monitor Qi's movements while simultaneously preparing the supplies necessary for a military expedition.

Qi made the first move. Led by the Prime Minister Gao Zhang as the commander-in-chief, they set out from Linzi with eight hundred war chariots after a grand martial oath, targeting Xiyun. Upon receiving this intelligence, Meng Di did not hesitate and directly led his cavalry across the Yi River.

Just as they arrived near the Qi Great Wall, Gao Zhang ordered the main army to rest, preparing to resume their march the following day. At this time, the Qi Great Wall was only in its nascent stages, built as a defensive fortification to fend off invasions from Wei and Lu.

Currently, passes had only been constructed at key locations, yet this was already sufficient to block the passage of chariots. Gao Zhang was full of confidence this time. He knew that Meng Di had continuously expanded his forces recently, bringing his cavalry numbers up to forty thousand.

However, Gao Zhang was no Pan Yi; eight hundred war chariots translated to nearly eighty thousand men. As long as the march was conducted cautiously without giving Meng Di any opportunities to exploit, he could completely defeat Meng Di through sheer numerical superiority.

The reality on the ground, however, differed from Gao Zhang's expectations. Early the next morning, a military officer hurried in to report.

"Reporting to the Prime Minister, movements of the Lu army have been detected at the Qi border. They are entirely cavalry, numbering at least thirty thousand."

Hearing this, Gao Zhang frowned slightly. He had not expected this Meng Di to dare take the initiative and launch an offensive, which greatly exceeded his expectations. With a cold snort, he said,

"This Meng Di is quite bold, actually attempting to use offense as defense. It seems he remains quite confident. Go and reconnoiter immediately, keeping a close eye on the Lu army's movements. This Prime Minister would like to see what tricks he can pull off this time."

Having crossed the Dongyun territory, the officer also spotted the traces of Gao Zhang's army and galloped back to report to Meng Di.

Upon receiving the news, Meng Di gave a faint smile inwardly. On this flat terrain, cavalry fighting against war chariots would be thoroughly countered; the tactics used against Ju would likely hold little utility now.

Because Gao Zhang's army maintained its formation throughout the march, they were clearly well-prepared. Under these conditions, Meng Di also had to worry about Dongyun forces circling around to cut off his rear. Although the cavalry's mobility naturally allowed them to break through encirclements, if the two sides became locked in close combat and another enemy force appeared from behind, it would be fatal.

After pondering carefully for a moment, Meng Di said to Bo Ren, who stood beside him:

"Take five thousand cavalry, skirt around Gao Zhang's army, and reach his rear. Your main objective will be to raid those Qi supply wagons. Seize as much grain as you can, and burn whatever you cannot take. Try not to leave a single grain for the Qi army."

Upon hearing this, Bo Ren immediately understood, cupped his fists in acknowledgment, and then selected five thousand cavalrymen, galloping off into the distance.

Following this, Meng Di deliberately slowed his pace to allow Gao Zhang's main army to press forward. Two days later, the two forces met face-to-face.

A distant glance at the Qi army told Meng Di that this battle would not be easily fought. This time, the Qi army was divided into four divisions, with two hundred chariots per division. One division formed the vanguard, while the other three marched abreast behind it.

Judging by this formation, it was clearly designed to prevent the cavalry from encircling their flanks. Under such circumstances, engaging in a frontal battle would yield no advantages, so Meng Di naturally chose not to fight head-on. As soon as the Qi army arrayed its forces, he chose to withdraw.

As the Qi army resumed its march, Meng Di immediately split his cavalry into several groups to harass them. Both sides suffered losses in the give-and-take, and within a mere two days, his forces had already lost over a hundred men.

This made Meng Di realize that the Qi troops arriving this time were exceptionally elite. Fighting and retreating alternately, the two forces gradually approached Dongyun. Seeing the operational space for Meng Di's cavalry further compressed, the morale of the Qi army naturally soared.

Gao Zhang was very satisfied with the current state of affairs, and inwardly he could not help but feel a degree of contempt for Meng Di. After all, he was merely a young man lacking frontline combat experience, and cavalry tactics held little advantage when pitted against war chariots.

The only thing they could rely on was high mobility, but in frontal combat, raw combat power was the key factor determining victory or defeat. What use was running fast?

Just as Gao Zhang was pondering how to crush Meng Di utterly, a blood-stained general rode up to him at high speed. The general dismounted in a flurry and reported with a grief-stricken expression:

"Reporting to the Prime Minister, the grain and forage we were escorting has been intercepted by the Lu army. They put the entire supply to the torch. We beg the Prime Minister to quickly dispatch troops to rescue and suppress them, or our army will soon have no grain left to consume."