My vicious dog, my horse, I can do whatever I want with it

Chapter 111: Lure the tiger away from the mountain and share the food

Zong Yanli wiped the sweat off his face, put on his armor again, and then took the letter handed to him by Gao Feilin.

She just glanced at him twice and said, "Call Ning Chi over."

Ning Chi came hurriedly with sweat on his forehead, looking like he had just come from the training ground. He bowed to Zong Yanli and said, "Greetings, General!"

Zong Yanli handed over the letter on the table and said, "This is a letter from the Qin family. Your mother has been seriously ill for many days, but you didn't know anything about it?"

"Mother is sick!?" Ning Chi was shocked and hurriedly stepped forward to take the letter and quickly read it.

"Pack your bags and go home immediately." Zong Yanli frowned and said to Ning Chi.

Ning Chi clenched the letter in his hand with a complicated expression on his face. Both his father and uncle sent him many letters, most of which urged him to return home. At first, Ning Chi would read them, but later, he saw that the letters sent each time were all similar, so he stopped reading them.

I was too lazy to even open the letters that came after that. I never expected that my mother had been seriously ill for many days.

Ning Chi was in a state of anxiety. The war had just started here, which was a good opportunity for him to make achievements. However, he could not ignore his mother at home. Finally, he had to grit his teeth and bow to Zong Yanli, saying, "General, please allow me to go home for a few days. When my mother is fine, I will come back to follow you!"

"Just go back with peace of mind." Zong Yanli walked forward and helped Ning Chi up. He looked at Ning Chi, whose face had changed drastically, with a slightly complicated expression.

Perhaps Ning Chi will never come back after this trip, and it is unknown when we will be able to reunite again.

Zong Yanli raised his hand and patted Ning Chi's shoulder, frowning and saying, "The capital is not stable right now, you must be careful in your actions."

Although Ning Chi didn't know why Zong Yanli gave such instructions, he nodded sensibly and said, "Yes, I will keep it in mind!"

Ning Chi did not stay for too long. He simply packed his bags and hurriedly left the camp and returned to Beijing that day.

Xiang An was sad for a while, but not for long, because Zong Yanli launched another offensive against the Jin army. Unfortunately, our army was unable to break through the Jin cavalry formation, even Bai Xiuyun's ghost camp found it difficult to break through.

Zong Yanli, Pei Liang and Gongsun Pu were often troubled by how to break the formation. They tried many military formations but were unable to find a solution.

"What a pity! If we had the siege chariots from Qing, we wouldn't have to go through so much hardship." Zong Yanli sighed slightly. Each country has its own strengths. Qing got the craftsmen's drawings to build siege chariots, and Jin got the guidance of famous scholars to train its cavalry formations.

"If we charge into the battle line, our army will suffer heavy casualties." Zong Yanli supported himself on the table with both hands, stared at the map in front of him with a frown, and pondered over a good strategy.

"Forget it." Seeing that his thoughts were fruitless, Zong Yanli simply stood up and said, "Xiang An, come with me for a walk outside the camp."

"Yes!" Xiang An responded immediately.

Zong Yanli took Xiang An out of the camp on horseback. Instead of staring at the map, it would be better to walk around and take a look at the terrain. Perhaps there would be a different solution.

Now Zong Yanli no longer has any martial arts to teach him. He is already capable of fighting among the many generals in the army, but if he wants to go further, it is not enough to just have martial arts. What Zong Yanli wants to teach him now is the talent of being a general.

These things all depend on one's own understanding. They are unlike martial arts where even if one has natural talent, one can only achieve some success if one works hard and practices.

"That's where the Jin army is." Zong Yanli led Xiang An to the top of a high slope, where they could see the smoke rising from the Jin army's tents from afar. She raised her chin slightly and said, "Our army has been fighting the Jin army for many days. Have you seen any clues?"

Xiang An lowered his head nervously, took a deep breath and said, "The strength of Jin lies in its cavalry formation. If the cavalry formation is broken, Jin will be vulnerable."

Xiang An thought for a moment and said, "I think that to break the formation, it is not necessary to charge."

Zong Yanli raised his eyebrows when he heard this, turned around and looked at him and said, "Tell me now."

"I am a stupid student who doesn't know how to use military formations, but I often read military books as my teacher said. Although I read them hastily, I still remember the contents of the books." After Xiang An got Zong Yanli's affirmation, he boldly continued, "There are many ways to break the military formation, such as charging through, encircling, and attacking its weaknesses with spears."

"But students think that these methods are not applicable to the Jin cavalry."

"If we compare the cavalry formation to a ferocious tiger, it is better to lure the tiger away from the mountain and eat it separately than to anger the beast."

Xiang An expressed his opinion firmly. When he said "lure the tiger away from the mountain", Zong Yanli's eyes lit up instantly. She looked at Xiang An in front of her steadily, and her heart suddenly felt a little sad and complicated. She had never taught any students before.

Now, I suddenly understand how it feels to watch the young children I once taught grow up.

Xiang An was a little unsure whether what he said was right or not. Seeing that Zong Yanli did not respond, he bowed his head in annoyance and said, "This is just my humble opinion. If there is anything wrong, please correct me, teacher."

"Since you have made such an analysis, I believe you must have thought about it for a long time." Zong Yanli raised his chin slightly and looked at him and said, "Since you have come up with the answer after thinking a lot, you should not ask yourself whether it is right or not, but how you should implement this strategy."

"As a general, you must not hesitate. If you win, that's great, but if you lose, it's not your fault."

"Xiang An, if you follow your plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain, are you confident that you can win?" Zong Yanli raised his lips and smiled, staring at Xiang An with a very solemn expression.

Xiang An's heart suddenly started beating wildly and his palms felt sticky with sweat. This was not just paper talk but a real battle between two armies. He boldly proposed a strategy, but he didn't expect that the teacher not only did not refute him, but also asked him to use this strategy against the enemy.

Zong Yanli didn't tell him directly whether he was right or wrong. The nervousness and fear that came from him made Xiang An afraid to speak.

Zong Yanli did not rush him, giving him enough time to react, and said to Xiang An with some difficulty: "I am not capable of fighting, please forgive me, teacher!"

Zong Yanli looked at Xiang An, who was kneeling on one knee with a guilty look on his face. He just calmly reached out his hand to support Xiang An's shoulders and helped him stand up. Then he said, "I pushed him too far. You are still young. There is no need to rush."

"Let's go back to the camp." Although Zong Yanli didn't say anything, Xiang An felt that the teacher must be disappointed in him.

He felt a little annoyed and ashamed, and followed Zong Yanli back to the camp with his head hung.

Pei Liang and Gongsun Pu were still studying the military formation in the tent. When they saw Zong Yanli coming back, Pei Liang raised his eyebrows and asked, "General, why do you seem even more depressed after going out?"

Zong Yanli sat in the tent and waved his hands without saying anything. Pei Liang and Gongsun Pu looked at each other in surprise. It was rare to see the general in this state!

"Do you two have any students?" Zong Yanli asked Pei Liang and Gongsun Pu after drinking a cup of tea.