Xijing, the Hall of State Affairs.

The joy of the new emperor's ascension to the throne had not yet dissipated when military intelligence from all directions arrived like snowflakes.

Yinji sat in the main seat, Zhao Muyun sat in the first seat on the right, and Pei Lun, Fan Nan, Zhou Hong and other important officials were arranged on both sides, each with a solemn and iron-like expression.

"Your Majesty, General, we received an urgent message last night."

Minister of War Pei Lun spoke first, his voice heavy, "Urgent report from Longmen Pass: Li Hu has launched a general offensive, charging seventeen times in one day, and the pass wall has been breached in three places."

"Although Commander Lin Feng tried his best to hold the line, the number of casualties has reached three thousand, and more than half of the arrows and logs have been used up."

He paused, then continued, "General Lin requests reinforcements; otherwise, if this continues, Li Hu is very likely to capture Longmen Pass."

Yinji frowned: "I took three thousand troops to reinforce the city earlier. Xijing probably doesn't have many troops left to mobilize!"

Pei Lun looked at Zhao Muyun.

Zhao Muyun slowly said, "The five thousand Imperial Guards of Xijing are needed to protect the capital and cannot be moved. The only mobile force that can be mobilized now is Han Zhong's Hedong, but the situation there is not optimistic either."

"Is there fighting in Hedong as well?" Yinji pressed.

"Hmm." Zhao Muyun said slowly, "When I was in Hedong, I made a command error and supported Tian Qing in launching an attack. As a result, my general Li Mao was seriously injured and we lost more than 400 cavalry."

"In addition, when I received the message and returned to Xijing, a large number of Tatar cavalry appeared at Baicaotan outside Yunzhou."

"Han Zhong took the available troops from Hedong to Yunzhou to support Tian Qing. Therefore, it was impossible for Hedong to send out a single soldier."

"What?" Yinji suddenly stood up. "Tartar cavalry have also appeared in Yunzhou. If there are also disturbances in Youzhou and Hebei, won't the Great Yin be engulfed in war everywhere?"

Zhao Muyun said calmly, "If the situation at Longmen Pass remains deadlocked, Li Jingang will definitely take action. The reason he hasn't dared to touch Youzhou and Hebei yet is probably because he's afraid the Tartars will come again!"

"What do we do now?" Yin Ji asked anxiously. "If Yunzhou is lost, the Northern Di cavalry can march straight down to Hedong and threaten the heart of Guanzhong!"

“And another thing,” Pei Lun added, “Regarding Yang Yan in Jiannan, although Pang Qing is still in Xijing, scouts report that Yang Yan has been frequently mobilizing troops recently, seemingly indicating some unusual activity. He is clearly aware of his nephew Yang Chao's situation, and I'm afraid…”

He didn't finish speaking, but the meaning was clear—although Yang Yan sent people to negotiate and seek reliance, his true intentions remained unknown.

If he finally understands that his decision to abandon Yang Chao and join Jiannan was a misunderstanding, will he try everything to find Yang Chao?

Since Yang Chao surrendered to the Great Yin Dynasty and wrote the "Pacifying Jiannan Strategy," winning over the three thousand surrendered soldiers from the Jiannan Mountains, he volunteered to serve as a local official in Xiazhou and Yanzhou.

For a moment, the hall of state affairs was completely silent.

Longmen Pass was under siege; there were no troops available in Hedong; the situation in Jiannan was ambiguous; and although Niu Dejin's troops outside Lantian Pass had suffered setbacks, they had not retreated...

Encountering such a troublesome situation so soon after ascending the throne, Yinji slumped down, muttering, "I've only been on the throne for three days..."

"Your Majesty, do not worry," Zhao Muyun said calmly. "Although the situation is critical, there are indeed opportunities within the crisis!"

He stood up, walked to the huge hanging map, and pointed to the location of Xijing.

"Gentlemen, please look, our army appears to be surrounded by enemies on all sides, but in reality, the enemy is also fighting independently and is difficult to coordinate with."

"The Tartars and Li Jin have just finished a battle, so naturally they can't coordinate their efforts; Li Hu and Niu Dejin's two armies, one in charge and one in deputy, seem to be launching a pincer attack on Xijing, but they are thousands of miles apart, their intelligence is lagging, and they can hardly coordinate their efforts."

"As for Yang Yan, he's just a grasshopper in autumn. He won't be able to hop around for long. As long as Shen Qian and Tang Yanhai increase their efforts, he'll be too busy taking care of himself to send troops to attack again."

"Furthermore," he sneered, "in Hebei, the Hebei military governor, Xiong Dayong, has secretly sent people to contact me, seemingly intending to pledge allegiance. Therefore, we can appropriately reduce our forces east of Hedong, focusing mainly on defending against Li Biao and Li Bao in the southeast of Luzhou!"

"As for the Western Regions, let Wu Shangzhi do as he pleases! I think he will not disappoint me and will even be able to return ahead of schedule."

After hearing Zhao Muyun's analysis, everyone suddenly understood.

"What the General means is..." Fan Nan said thoughtfully.

“Since the enemy is not a monolithic force, we will defeat them one by one.” Zhao Muyun traced his finger across the map. “Our primary enemy is Li Hu at Longmen Pass. If this pass is breached, the Fengtian Army can advance straight into Guanzhong, and Xijing will be in grave danger.”

“Unfortunately, we don’t have enough troops,” Pei Lun said. “We only have five thousand soldiers in Xijing. Even if we send them all to Longmen Pass, it will only be enough to barely hold out.”

Zhao Muyun turned around, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes: "Who said we were going to send all our troops to Longmen Pass?"

Everyone was taken aback.

"Minister Pei, draft the military order immediately," Zhao Muyun commanded. "Conscript 20,000 laborers from Guanzhong, and publicly declare them as an army of 50,000. Head to Longmen Pass in three days!"

"The General himself is going?" Yinji asked in surprise. "Then what about Xijing..."

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I am merely bluffing." Zhao Muyun lowered his voice. "These 20,000 civilians, carrying numerous banners and drums, are making a show of force along the way, creating the illusion of a large army rushing to our aid."

"Then, General..." Zhou Hong asked, puzzled.

“I will secretly change course and lead three thousand Jiannan troops to Lantian Pass.” Zhao Muyun pointed to the location of Lantian Pass on the map. “Li Hu’s general attack on Longmen will surely cause Li Jingang to urge Niu Dejin to launch a fierce attack on Lantian, thus tying down our forces.”

"So the General wants to catch Niu Dejin off guard?" Pei Lun's eyes lit up.

“That’s right.” Zhao Muyun nodded. “Longmen Pass is a natural fortress, and Lin Feng can hold out for a while. But Lantian Pass is different. Xiao Cheyun only has 10,000 troops. If Niu Dejin launches a full-scale attack, I’m afraid it will be difficult to hold out for long.”

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