Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors

Seeing the Turkic cavalry begin their retreat, Li Hongyun finally reined in his warhorse and did not lead the hundred riders across the river.

However, he still kept his eyes on the Turkic people from this side of the river ditch.

Not until he saw the over ten thousand cavalry all descend from Wulong Slope and retreat towards the distant Turkic main camp did he lead his hundred riders back to the formations of the Liang Army, retreating to within the walls of Binzhou State.

After having done all this, Li Hongyun felt his heart pounding wildly.

"I strut, then dash—how thrilling!"

After all, he was not Lord Qin, but merely impersonating him.

So, his previous composure was mostly feigned; in reality, he was quite panicked.

That cry of "I am Lord Qin too" served not only to deter the enemy and boost the morale of his own men but also to bolster Li Hongyun's own courage.

After shouting it, Li Hongyun felt as if he truly became Lord Qin, possessing the powerful aura of "though I am one against ten thousand, I will go forth."

It was only after he had played his part and the Turkic people truly retreated that Li Hongyun could relax and properly reflect on the reasons for their withdrawal.

Lord Qin's handling of the situation could be considered the standard answer.

But why was this the standard answer? What details were involved?

These were the questions worth analyzing in depth by Li Hongyun.

First and foremost, to execute this maneuver, the prestige of Lord Qin himself was indispensable.

With a combat power off the charts and tactics akin to divine, even among the Turkic people he was renowned, from the Khans to the chieftains and even to the ordinary soldiers, all regarding Lord Qin with reverence, a prerequisite condition.

Otherwise, if someone else were to try, it would definitively not have had such a powerful deterrent effect.

Secondly, Lord Qin's operation was based on knowing both himself and the enemy.

From the situation at the time, if a real battle were to ensue, the Liang Army would definitely not be at an advantage. Lord Qin was very clear about this, which is why he did not rashly initiate combat.

Had he truly had the strength to annihilate the Turkic people, he would have started fighting without a second word, instead of resorting to any form of stratagem.

After all, with Jie Li Khan leading a large army deep into the territory of the Liang Dynasty, if they could annihilate the Turkic people here and slay Jie Li Khan, severely damaging the Turkic main force, they would save themselves the trouble of venturing into the Desert North for a punitive expedition later.

Lord Qin was extremely familiar with the conditions of the Turkic people.

He knew not only of the Turkic strength but also of the Turks' characteristic internal divisions and was also very aware of the nomadic way of life.

He challenged Jie Li Khan to a one-on-one duel to disintegrate the morale of the Turkic soldiers, then proceeded to initiate a brotherly reconciliation with Tuli Khan, deliberately appearing close and friendly.

This would both cause dismay and fear in the hearts of Jie Li Khan and the Turkic cavalry and exacerbate the discord between Jie Li Khan and Tuli Khan.

Jie Li Khan and Tuli Khan already had conflicts.

Jie Li Khan was the third son of Qimin Khan, with his older brothers being Shibikhan and Chuluokhan before him. Both his elder brothers died not long after ascending to the position of Khan.

And Tuli Khan was the son of Jie Li Khan's eldest brother, Shibikhan.

That is to say, Tuli Khan was also a strong contender for the position of Khan, representing a significant force, not entirely aligned with Jie Li Khan.

Had it been anyone else, even knowing this, it would have been difficult to exploit.

After all, people from the Central Plains dynasties, no matter how they tried to ingratiate themselves, were ultimately outsiders.

No matter what, Tuli Khan would still side with Jie Li Khan.

But Lord Qin was different, having become sworn brothers with Tuli Khan in his name through an envoy—a mere pretext—and in fact, due to Lord Qin's high esteem, it was very likely that Tuli Khan admired and revered him.

Moreover, given that Tuli Khan was a strong contender for the position of Khan...

To Jie Li Khan, Lord Qin's strategies seemed like they could contain a great conspiracy.

With only a hundred riders, Lord Qin dared to ford the ditch and charge uphill against the tens of thousands of elite Turkic cavalry.

Lord Qin, sage in military tactics, wouldn't commit such acts of self-destruction.

So, what kind of backup plan did Lord Qin have ready to dare to do this?

In Jie Li Khan's view, first of all, after penetrating deep into Liang territory, his rear was not entirely secure. It was very likely that Lord Qin had already dispatched Li Jing, Yuchi Jingde, or other Liang cavalry generals to flank and encircle his rear.

Secondly, the cozy behavior between Lord Qin and Tuli Khan seemed more like a signal.

If, while Lord Qin led a hundred riders in a charge, a Liang force unexpectedly arrived to cut off the rearguard at Wulong Slope, and if the Liang troops in front coordinated in time with Lord Qin, and Tuli Khan coveted the Khan position and suddenly turned traitor...

Then Jie Li Khan would likely face an immediate and complete collapse.

Actually, if one calmly thought about it, such a scenario wasn't very likely.

But in such a tense atmosphere, Jie Li Khan simply didn't have the luxury of time to ponder.

The surprising actions of Lord Qin created immense psychological pressure on the Turkic people. It wasn't so much underestimating their intelligence, but rather more akin to a pressured mistake.

It's like when playing games in a lane; if you're up against a noob, you'll make few mistakes; but if you're playing against someone better than you, every feint they make disturbs your peace of mind, intensifies your psychological pressure, and gradually, you'll make a multitude of pressured mistakes.

When you must make extremely important decisions in an extremely short amount of time, very few hotheads will choose to rush forward; more often, people will opt for a safe play, retreating first to assess the situation.