"Understood!"
"Wait a moment!" the Little King of Hell called out to me, clapping his hands. Rúhuā and Sìyuè entered. "You two, protect Lord Wu!"
"You really don't need to. Keep them for your own guards."
"No, you must take them!" the Little King of Hell said seriously.
"...Then let them lead the troops. I'm not skilled at riding horses," I said.
"If you don't ride, how will you get there?" the Little King of Hell frowned.
I conjured the Gale Force Art. The Little King of Hell looked quite surprised. "You've learned this too?"
"Yes..." Seeing her astonishment, I didn't dare to say Xie Bi'an taught me. Could this be a secret of the Underworld's Department of Justice, one that cannot be revealed? The Little King of Hell knew it; I'd seen her use it in the mortal realm.
"Alright, be careful," the Little King of Hell didn't probe further.
"By the way, are there shovels in the city?" I asked.
"Yes."
"Have each cavalryman bring one," I said, looking at the operational map on the table. I located Dragon Gate City and marked a spot about five kilometers to the east. While there were no forests there, a small hill stood between it and Dragon Gate City, obscuring the area from direct view from the city.
"Rúhuā, Sìyuè, we'll assemble here, trying our best not to be discovered by the enemy."
"We obey!"
I didn't find any shovels on the city walls, only some arrows. That would do; they could be used as markers. With my quiver on my back, I flew back to Dragon Gate City first. Comparing the terrain, I arrived at the designated area. After observing the topography for a while, I used arrows to mark four trenches about six or seven hundred meters behind the hill, two on each side, forming a horn formation to ensure we wouldn't shoot our own men.
The cavalry of the underworld is truly fast. In about half an hour, I heard the thunder of hooves approaching. I climbed the hill and looked into the distance, seeing a troop of black-armored cavalrymen, carrying shining shovels on their shoulders, charging towards us.
Eight hundred cavalrymen split into four groups and began digging trenches at the locations I had marked with arrows. They didn't need to be very long; each trench would hold a hundred soldiers, about fifty meters each. Their archery skills were average, so fighting together would better utilize the power of volley fire.
The soil was relatively loose, and combined with the fact that these were elite soldiers, their digging efficiency was high. In less than fifteen minutes, the task was completed. I jumped in to test it. It was about 1.2 meters deep, allowing one to crouch and hide, or to stand and shoot from behind the dug-out earth mounds. It was just right.
"Alright, Rúhuā, take all the spearmen and tether your horses about a hundred meters behind the trenches," I began the specific arrangements.
"Yes, Lord Wu."
"Sìyuè, you take four hundred... wait, isn't that too many?" I asked. No wonder they dug so quickly earlier. I counted roughly and realized it wasn't four hundred elite cavalrymen, but rather eight hundred. That was fine, as the trenches weren't dug for them anyway.
"Your Highness was worried, so she had me bring an extra four hundred," Sìyuè said with a smile.
I nodded. "Then take all eight hundred of them. Go to the front of Dragon Gate City and try to lure the enemy out. Lead them over the hill and past the trenches. That will be enough."
"But what if the enemy doesn't come out?" Sìyuè asked.
"It's impossible for them not to come out. Go," I said with a smile. This was a matter of psychological warfare.
After Sìyuè led the cavalry away, I reminded the remaining spearmen: "Later, when the enemy comes over the hill, don't rush to fire. Wait for my signal. If I raise my hand high, then you fire. If I don't raise my hand, let them come."
"Why?" Rúhuā asked, confused. "Let them get closer to attack? At such close range, our spearmen might not have enough time!"
"Trust me, okay?"
Rúhuā bit her lip and nodded. "Then you be careful!"
The spearmen, holding their horses, led them to be tethered a hundred meters behind the trenches. I borrowed Rúhuā's horse, mounted it, and climbed the hill. Pretending to be the leader, I gazed at Sìyuè's cavalry formation and began to charge towards the walls of Dragon Gate City.
The enemy's banners immediately rose on the city walls, and arrows were shot down as a warning. Sìyuè didn't dare to get too close, only hovering outside of firing range. Logically, under such uncertain enemy conditions, the defenders shouldn't have sallied forth to engage. However, the situation at Dragon Gate City was somewhat special.
Just as I expected, a few minutes later, seeing that we were all cavalry and had no siege equipment, the opposing side confidently opened their city gates and dispatched a troop of cavalry, charging towards Sìyuè's formation. Their numbers were only around two hundred. They looked like they were being sent to their deaths...