Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors

After several more attempts, Li Hongyun finally obtained the talent of "Skilled in Archery and Horsemanship."

This was a D-level golden strengthened version of the talent, and also the one that could best make up for Li Hongyun's lack of personal combat strength at the time.

Of course, what high EQ people would call "several attempts," those with low EQ would describe as getting fancy beatdowns from Lord Qin several times over.

Li Hongyun wanted to exploit the fact that Lord Qin liked to personally lead a small number of cavalry to scout, trying to set up ambushes or send out brave generals to encircle and intercept him, but all attempts ended in failure.

Because...

The methods he could think of, historically, Lord Qin's enemies had also considered.

Especially for the Eastern Turks, this colossus, their cavalry had never gained an advantage against Lord Qin's cavalry forces, let alone Dou Jiande's cavalry, which paled in comparison to the Eastern Turks'.

In history, many people felt regret for Dou Jiande, believing that if he had not been born at the beginning of the Liang Dynasty but rather at its end or another chaotic time, he might have become a great ruler.

And Hulaoguan Pass's inglorious mile-long retreat of severed heads also transformed Dou Jiande's historic image from a ruler who rose from humble beginnings, honored the wise, had certain political and economic achievements, into a classic example of someone who squandered a good hand.

But in fact, Dou Jiande was not wronged.

Because if we talk about being wronged, there was Jie Li Khan of the Eastern Turks, who faced an even more colossal misfortune from the start.

In any case, Li Hongyun's attempted strategy had failed.

Lord Qin dared to charge with dozens of cavalry, not out of blind recklessness or risk-taking, but because he had calculated all aspects of the risk.

In fact, there were many who tried to imitate Lord Qin, such as his nephew, Prince Huaiyang, who often mimicked his behavior of leading a few dozen cavalry in charges and falls.

In the battle of Hulaoguan Pass, Prince Huaiyang earned his spurs during the victory over Dou Jiande, charging back and forth through the ranks several times, and even surviving after being shot into a porcupine.

But play too much, and it gets out of hand.

In the campaign against Liu Heita, the young Prince Huaiyang once again attempted a cavalry charge, and this time, he tragically lost his life.

When Lord Qin heard the news, he was deeply saddened and said, "He always followed me in my campaigns, envying my ability to charge into battle with every sight, seeking to emulate me, and this has led to today's disaster!"

It's clear that Lord Qin was very aware of the risks involved in his charges into enemy lines. He was not a brainless brute, but rather would only make such decisions when he was sure he could retreat unscathed.

An important factor in this was insight.

Lord Qin, with his dozens of cavalry, could accurately assess the enemy's strength and choose to strike or withdraw accordingly. He would only charge recklessly into battle when both sides were deadlocked.

Therefore, Li Hongyun's several attempts at laying ambushes were mostly seen through, and before the ambushes could close in, Lord Qin had already turned and left.

But if Li Hongyun pursued, danger often lurked.

Having realized this, Li Hongyun decided to change tactics.

First, he insisted on defending the camp, strictly ordering his soldiers not to pursue when provoked by Lord Qin.

This naturally caused some dissent among the troops, but that was okay, because Dou Jiande's authority was high enough to keep his men under control.

If Lord Qin wanted to scout the terrain with dozens of cavalry, then let him, it was better than going out with thousands of cavalry and offering them up.

After ensuring safety, Li Hongyun immediately called a meeting of the generals to discuss matters.

"Regarding the recent warfare, the generals may speak their minds freely."

Li Hongyun's gaze swept over the many generals under his command.

He lingered especially on Liu Heita, whom he had been observing closely.

Soon, the generals began to voice their ideas.

Some generals were clearly impatient, suggesting an immediate full-scale attack on Hulaoguan Pass to break through the city and lift the siege of Luoyang.

Other generals thought it better to stand off temporarily, probing the enemy's reality before acting.

After each general proposed a plan, Li Hongyun would stand from Lord Qin's perspective and challenge it, resulting in the speaker often being left speechless.

Clearly, neither method was effective.

An all-out attack on Hulaoguan Pass?

Hulaoguan was a critical pass situated between two Yellow Earth highlands, and the Liang Army was firmly entrenched and combatively robust.

The difficulty of a brute force attack was high.

If it were really possible to take it by force, then Dou Jiande would not have hesitated so long to act in history.

And clearly, a prolonged stalemate was not feasible either.

Because from the current situation, Dou Jiande's supply lines were the more strained. Continuing the standoff would benefit the Liang Army.

Moreover, Luoyang City was already in dire straits, having endured hunger for a long time, and could fall at any moment. If he waited and Luoyang fell, wouldn't Dou Jiande's efforts be in vain?

Not to mention, in Dou Jiande's army, everyone from top to bottom believed that their army of a hundred thousand could not lose to a few thousand, having traveled so far to fight a decisive battle, not to sightsee at Hulaoguan Pass.

Such a passive strategy would hardly be convincing.

Just then, a counselor spoke up.

"In my opinion, our army should cross the Yellow River, capture Huaizhou and He Yang, then cross the Taihang Mountain to enter Shangdang, and after passing through the Hukou and Pu Jin Crossings, we can claim the territory of River East.

"This is the best strategy, with three advantages: firstly, entering unpopulated territory ensures safety for our troops; secondly, it expands territory to acquire new soldiers; and thirdly, the siege of Luoyang will lift itself."