The night upon the northern steppes was cold and desolate, but this silence was like the calm before a tsunami. In the distance to the north, tens of thousands of torches flickered like a colossal fire dragon, slowly coiling and advancing toward the solitary fortress. The deep, resonant sound of war horns, carrying a savage killing intent, occasionally rent the night air.
The army of over fifty thousand from the Blood Wolf Tribe, equipped with abundant weapons and provisions from Marquis Vinh An, had mobilized their full strength in a torrential assault. They were like a ravenous flood, seeking to swallow and level everything in their path.
Aboard the walls of Tran Bac City, the atmosphere was so solemn it could have frozen solid. Thirty thousand soldiers of the Tran Bac Army stood in their positions like statues. The torchlight illuminated their resolute faces, etched with the scars of wind and frost, and the determination within their eyes. They felt no fear. They were waiting.
Within the central command tent, Mong Phong and his vice generals stood around the sandbox. But this time, they were not the ones in command. Their gazes were fixed upon the young scholar standing in the head seat.
Tran Kien.
He showed no signs of tension. His face was as calm as a mirror-like lake. His profound eyes were locked onto the sandbox; in his mind, countless strategies and chess moves were being calculated at a terrifying speed.
"REPORT!" A messenger rushed in. "Great General! Army Inspector! The enemy vanguard is less than ten li from the city base!"
"Great General," the dark-faced vice general spoke, his voice tinged with anxiety. "The enemy outnumbers us nearly two-to-one, and their momentum is ferocious. Should we... send the cavalry to meet them first to dampen their spirit?"
Mong Phong did not answer. He only looked at Tran Kien.
Tran Kien shook his head slightly. "There is no need. The enemy is currently at the height of their bloodlust; a frontal confrontation would be like striking a rock with an egg. They wish to besiege the city, so let them."
He picked up small command flags and began placing them on the sandbox, his voice not loud, but incomparably clear and decisive.
"Hear my command. All archers, man the walls. Prepare fire arrows. But do not loose them until my signal."
"All infantry units, withdraw from the walls and conceal yourselves within the alleys. Prepare for street-to-street combat."
"The most elite cavalry unit, led personally by Great General Mong Phong, will quietly depart via the western gate. Circle around to the rear and lie in ambush at the Tiger Howl Valley. Await my signal."
"Open the main gates wide!"
"WHAT?!"
Tran Kien's final command caused the three generals to cry out in horror. "Open the main gates? Army Inspector, have you gone mad? This is no different from inviting the thieves into the house!"
"It is not an invitation," Tran Kien replied, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "It is opening the cage to let the foolish beast walk inside."
He pointed to the model of Tran Bac City. "Tran Bac City is constructed with immense resilience, but its greatest weakness is its sheer size. If the enemy splits their forces to attack all four sides, our numbers would make it difficult to defend. However, if we deliberately expose a fatal flaw, a single 'path of life,' what will an arrogant chieftain of the Blood Wolf Tribe do?"
"He will assume we are terrified and will mobilize his full force to charge straight through the main gates!" Mong Phong realized, his eyes widening.
"Exactly," Tran Kien nodded. "And when the bulk of their army has flooded into the city, that will be the moment they fall into an even greater snare. We will transform this entire city into a colossal meat grinder. We shall use the labyrinthine alleys to fracture their formation and use the rooftops to assault them from above. And once they are in chaos and exhausted..."
He looked at Mong Phong. "That will be the moment the Great General's cavalry delivers the final blade strike, severing their path of retreat."
An incredibly audacious and ruthless stratagem. This was not defense; this was luring the enemy deep before shutting the door to beat the dog. This was the essence of the stratagem "Shutting the gate to catch the thief."
Mong Phong looked at the youth before him, his heart filled with absolute admiration. "Very well! We shall do as you say!"
"ROAAAAAR!!!"
The war horns of the Blood Wolf Tribe resounded, shaking Heaven and Earth. Tens of thousands of barbarian warriors, their eyes bloodshot, brandished their weapons and howled like wild beasts as they lunged toward Tran Bac City.
But as they drew near, they were stunned. Not a single silhouette was visible atop the city walls. The main gate was flung wide open, resembling a pitch-black maw waiting for them.
"Hahaha! The rats of Dai Viet have lost their gall from fear!" The chieftain of the Blood Wolf Tribe—a giant over two zhang tall, riding a blood-colored wolf-demon—laughed uproariously. "Hear my command! All forces, charge! Seize this city! The women and the wealth are all yours!"
"KILL!!!"
Fifty thousand warriors, like a crimson flood, charged through the main gates without a shred of hesitation.
However, once the vanguard had flooded a certain distance inside... BOOM! The Profound Iron gates, weighing a thousand jin, suddenly slammed shut, sealing their retreat. Simultaneously, from the walls on both sides and from within the alleys, countless boulders and barrels of boiling oil—prepared long ago—were unleashed in unison.
"Ah... AHH! Help me!"
"It's a trap! We've fallen into a trap!"
The vanguard of the Blood Wolf Tribe instantly fell into chaos. Their formation was fractured, squeezed into the narrow main thoroughfare, becoming living targets. From atop the rooftops, thousands of Tran Bac archers silently appeared, loosed a rain of fire arrows.
Tran Kien stood atop the highest watchtower, quietly observing it all. His face was as cold as glacial ice.
"Pass down the command," he said to the messenger beside him. "Beat the war drums. The play... has begun."