At the summit of Lingshan Mountain, Zhao Huan gazed towards the Dragon Spear Guards halfway up the mountain. His long hair fluttered behind him in the mountain breeze, and a resolute look gradually appeared in his eyes.

After a long while, Zhao Huan's voice rose with the mountain breeze.

"Then I, this old man, will be the Dragon Commander one more time."

Lian Zhongyi and Yan Zheng immediately knelt on one knee and shouted, "Greetings, Commander Long!!"

Zhao Cheng and the others followed closely behind, shouting in unison, "Greetings, Commander Long!!!"

"Please rise, everyone."

Zhao Huan looked at Zhao Cheng, his usual languid demeanor vanishing, and said with a serious expression, "From this day forward, I, the commander, will establish the Zhao Family Army, with the Dragon Spear Guard as its special forces. Zhao Cheng, you are the young commander of the Zhao Family Army, with equal command authority as I am!"

"Yes!" Zhao Cheng shouted.

"Xu Shouli, Yue Jiti, Xiao Luofeng, your troops still have several hundred wounded soldiers and a thousand able-bodied men left. The several hundred wounded soldiers will remain in Lingshan to recuperate. The thousand able-bodied men and the surviving Right Prime Minister's troops will be organized into a personal guard, commanded by He Zhi. Do you have any objections?"

"No objections," the three said in unison.

Zhao Huan continued, "Once the Zhao Family Army is fully formed, there will be arrangements for the three of you."

"Yes!" Yue Jiti and Xiao Luofeng replied.

Xu Shouli waved his hand and said, "I'm not good at marching and fighting, but I can manage logistics as a quartermaster. I won't be involved in leading troops from now on."

Zhao Huan nodded and said, "I will make my own arrangements when the time comes. Xu An and Zhao Cheng are good friends and work together very well, so let him follow Zhao Cheng."

Xu Shouli smiled and said, "That's exactly what I was thinking. It's time to let this kid get some experience."

Zhao Cheng agreed with Zhao Huan's arrangements. The core team members each had their own responsibilities. Xu Shouli was not suitable to lead troops, so he was like Xiao He from the Han Dynasty in his previous life. Lian Zhongyi was like Zhang Liang. As for generals like Xiao He and Fan Kuai, it depended on whether Yue Jiti and Xiao Luofeng had the ability to be worthy of them.

Hearing Zhao Huan's arrangements, Zhao Zhan became even more excited and asked, "Father... Father General! When shall we raise an army?"

Zhao Huan said, "Look at the speed at which we recruit and train soldiers, look at the situation in the court, and look at the overall situation of the world."

Yan Zheng asked doubtfully, "Does the General believe that the situation in the world will change?"

"Leaving aside the Southern Zhou, when have those small kingdoms in the Western Regions ever truly been peaceful?"

Zhao Huan gazed into the distance, his eyes deep, and said, "We already know about the murder of Yuan Zhang and his son, so Southern Zhou must know by now. Will Yang Zhanbei cause trouble before retiring? The riots in Tianyong County aren't over yet, and the Great Yue Kingdom has taken in many refugees from Tianyong County. Will Terentu, Abilie, and Jin Ran be tempted to make a move?"

Who knows?

...

In September of the twelfth year of the reign of Emperor Shang, the Southern Zhou suddenly broke the alliance. Yang Zhanbei dispatched Yang Qingzhi as the commander-in-chief, along with Li Yunqing and He Biao, each leading 100,000 troops of the Yang family army to attack Yunjing City in two separate routes. The Southern Zhou court then appointed Prince He, Zhou Jinghuan, as the "General Who Pacifies the North" and ordered him to lead 100,000 troops to reinforce the Yang family army.

The Southern Zhou court mobilized an army of 300,000, seemingly intending to take advantage of the internal strife within the Da Jing court to launch a major northern expedition.

Zhou Jinghuan devised a clever plan: instead of joining forces with the Yang family army, he launched a surprise attack on Yunshui City.

The main camp of the Zhennan Border Army was in Yunjing City. Although there were also troops stationed in Yunshui City, there were not many. It was suddenly attacked, and the Zhennan Border Army could not spare any troops. It was captured in just a few days.

While the Yang family army and the Zhennan Border Army were locked in a fierce battle in Yunjing City, Zhou Jinghuan did not stay in Yunshui City, but instead headed directly north to Yunmeng City.

Yunmeng City, located at the apex of the triangle, had even less defense and fell within a day.

Zhou Jinghuan did not linger, but headed south from Yunmeng City, forming a pincer movement with the Yang family army against Yunjing City.

No one expected that the final blow to Yunjing County would not be the Yang family army, but Zhou Jinghuan, who had never led an army before.

For a time, Zhou Jinghuan was in the limelight, while the Zhennan Border Army was in a state of utter chaos.

Just as Zhao Huan had predicted, the overall situation in the world began to change.

The Zhennan Border Army had already retreated into the city. The north and south gates of Yunjing City were engulfed in flames. Inside the council hall, the important generals of the Zhennan Border Army stood with solemn expressions, and the atmosphere was extremely oppressive.

With Yuan Zhang gone, the Zhennan Border Army was led by Feng Jing and Huang Shi.

Everyone was standing, except for Feng Jing, who sat in the commander's chair behind the military desk, intently studying the map. Huang Shi paced back and forth in front of the desk, glancing at Feng Jing every now and then, then at the other generals, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

"Report—"

A soldier rushed in, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "The Yang family army's offensive is too fierce; the south gate needs reinforcements."

Without even looking up, Feng Jing said, "Have the Great Shield Battalion fill in the gaps."

"yes!"

After the soldiers left, Huang Shi finally couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Old Feng, this kind of defense isn't working. If it were just the Yang family army, it would be fine, but now Zhou Jinghuan is here too. He'll wear us down sooner or later. Let me lead the Northern Guards out of the west gate and fight our way out! We'll fight them to the death!"

Feng Jing shook his head and said, "That's not how the Northern Guards are used. Yang Qingzhi left men outside both the east and west city gates to keep an eye on us and prevent a sneak attack. If we can't make full use of the advantages of the Northern Guards, we can't let them die in vain."

Huang Shi said, "Isn't it a waste to keep them in the city and not use them?"

Feng Jing said, "The Northern Border Three Guards are the Prince's brainchild and the first-class force of the Great Jing. It's better to leave them unused than to use them recklessly."

Huang Shi said, "Once the city falls, the Three Guards of the Northern Border will still be devoured by them!"

Feng Jing looked away from the map and stared sternly at Huang Shi, insisting, "Words that could undermine morale should not come from your mouth."

Huang Shi, holding his bald head, shouted, "This won't work, that won't work, it's so annoying!"

After Feng Jing studied the map for a while, a middle-aged general with blood-stained armor walked in carrying a helmet.

Feng Jing asked, "General Chi, why are you back?"

Chi Jianzhang was Yuan Zhang's third-ranking general, after Feng Jing and Huang Shi. He was a seasoned and prudent defensive commander. In this battle to defend Yun Jing City, he was primarily responsible for arranging the frontline work.

Give me your saliva.

Chi Jianzhang took a large bowl of water, drank it, and said, "After the Great Shield Battalion filled in, the Yang family army retreated and rested, and Zhou Jinghuan's side also stopped. I've arranged for people to keep an eye on them, and I'll come back to discuss countermeasures with you when I have some free time."

Feng Jing thought for a moment and said, "The Yang family army has been attacking for more than a day without rest, so they are really tired. Zhou Jinghuan has taken two cities and rushed to Yun Jing City without stopping, so his physical exertion is even greater. You and the soldiers should take this opportunity to rest."

Chi Jianzhang said bluntly, "Fighting like this isn't going to work; we need reinforcements."