On the top of Shuozhou City, the smoke and smell of blood have not yet dissipated.
The series of earth-shaking noises not only brought about the temporary retreat of the Di army, but also an indescribable psychological shock, casting a huge shadow in the hearts of both the attackers and the defenders.
Han Zhongqiang, despite his illness, inspected the city defense with the help of Wang Tiezhu.
Although the defenders were exhausted, their eyes were burning with excitement of surviving the disaster and an almost superstitious fanaticism.
"Sima Han! Is that... is that Lord Zhao appearing?"
A young soldier's voice trembled with excitement as he pointed at the area below the city that was devastated by the "thunder bomb".
A complicated expression appeared on Han Zhong's sallow face.
He couldn't tell the truth, so he could only mumble, "It was God who blessed Shuozhou and Dayin! It was also because we, the soldiers, fought to the death and moved Heaven!"
He must make the most of this morale. "Soldiers! The Di people are not invincible! They will also be afraid and flee! Defend Shuozhou and wait for reinforcements! Victory will surely belong to us!"
"Defend Shuozhou!" An excited response came from the top of the city.
However, Han Zhong did not dare to relax at all.
He was also very clear that the number of thunder bombs was limited, and although their power was terrifying, it was not infinite.
After suffering such a great loss, the Wulingha will never give up. Their next attack will only be more crazy and cautious.
The real test is yet to come.
He immediately gave orders: closely monitor the movements of the Tartars, repair the damaged city defenses, allocate the remaining thunder bombs and the soldiers who know how to use them to the most critical positions, and strictly forbid their use lightly.
At the same time, he organized the Shenji Camp brought by Tang Yanhai into a separate team, led by Tang Yanhai himself, as the final reserve team.
Sure enough, after the initial shock and panic, the Wulingha quickly regained their composure.
He severely punished several silver-armored captains who led the retreat and reorganized the troops.
Although he was still frightened by the terrible "heavenly thunder", he was a famous general of Beidi after all, and would never give up Shuozhou, which was within his reach.
He summoned his generals, his face gloomy: "That's not a thunderbolt! It must be some strange weapon created by the Dayin people!"
"It's loud and powerful, but there won't be many of them! Otherwise they would have used it long ago!"
Pass the word down, so the warriors don't have to be too afraid!"
"Next time we attack, spread out your formation and charge faster! Once we reach the top of the city walls and engage in close combat, that thing will be useless!"
"Also, build more shield carts and wooden curtains, maybe we can stop them!"
"Send another fast horse back to the royal court to report the situation to the Chanyu and urge the arrival of reinforcements and siege equipment as soon as possible!"
The Wuliangha decided to postpone the attack for a day or two, on the one hand to allow the soldiers to recover from the fear of the "thunder in the sky", on the other hand to build more protective equipment and wait for reinforcements.
He will use his absolute strength to crush any form of resistance in Shuozhou!
…
Just when Shuozhou got a brief respite, Zhao Muyun had quietly arrived outside Jinyang City.
He did not enter the city, but secretly met with the leader of Yebushou who was lurking in Jinyang, as well as several officials and generals who had long been secretly won over by Shen Qian and were not completely loyal to the King of Jin.
Candlelight flickered in a secret room of a hidden manor.
"General Yun, upon learning of the defeat of the enemy by 'Sky Thunder' in Shuozhou, Prince Yinxi of Jin has dispatched 10,000 troops to Hedong. His vanguard has already passed Fenzhou and will soon be entering Jinyang."
"But his marching route deliberately avoided the Tatar army's front, seemingly intending to take advantage of the situation and seize Shuozhou, rather than actually engage in a decisive battle with the Wuliangha."
Leader Yebushou reported in a low voice.
A Jinyang civil servant who was won over also said:
"Your Highness... uh, Prince Jin has been summoning his staff for discussions several times recently. He's expressed deep doubts about whether Marshal Yun is truly dead, and is extremely interested in the object in Shuozhou that can emit 'heavenly thunder.'"
"It seems... there are plans to seize the secret formula of this item."
Zhao Muyun listened quietly, his fingers tapping the table unconsciously.
Everything was as expected.
He understood the Prince of Jin's thoughts very well.
"very good!"
Zhao Muyun spoke, his voice calm but filled with undeniable strength, "Since His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin is so interested in 'Sky Thunder', then we should help him and make his name more legitimate."
He glanced at everyone present and said, "Go do a few things right away."
"First, have our people spread the word throughout Jinyang and even throughout Hedong that His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin, deeply concerned about the national crisis and unable to bear the suffering of the people of Shuozhou, has resolutely led a large army north to fight against the Di people. He intends to cooperate with Han Sima of Shuozhou to defeat the Di invaders!"
"Speak passionately so everyone knows!"
"Secondly, I accidentally let King Jin's men find some clues related to the Sky-shaking Thunder."
"Third," Zhao Muyun's eyes flashed with a sharp light, "send another letter to Han Zhong. Have him write a sincere and urgent letter asking for help in the name of the highest-ranking officer left in Shuozhou, and send it directly to His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin!"
"The letter should emphasize the critical situation of Shuozhou, and the soldiers and civilians are eager for help just as a long drought awaits rain."
"You can also hint that, in gratitude for the King of Jin's assistance, we are willing to offer all the Yu Di weapons and their manufacturing methods in the city to the King of Jin, hoping that His Highness will send troops to relieve the siege as soon as possible!"
When these words were spoken, everyone in the secret room was shocked.
The civil servant couldn't help but say, "General Yun! This plan is brilliant, but if we really hand over the secret recipe of 'Sky-shaking Thunder' to King Jin, wouldn't that be..."
Zhao Muyun smiled slightly, but the smile was a little cold: "Who said I really want to give him the complete secret recipe? Give him a simplified version, or..."
"Wouldn't a 'version' that requires special materials and is extremely difficult to produce on a large scale be enough?"
"The important thing is to make him believe that as long as Shuozhou is captured, the secret of this magical weapon can be obtained."
"Let him and the Wuliangha fight each other."
Everyone suddenly understood and admired Zhao Muyun's plan, but at the same time, they also felt a chill.
This General Yun has truly mastered the art of understanding and utilizing people's hearts.
"Also!" Zhao Muyun added, "Let our people in the capital start spreading the news that the Northern Di Zuo Xian King has plundered countless gold, silver, treasures, and craftsmen in Youzhou, and that his logistics camp is extremely wealthy..."
"And by the way, I'll also leak the 'detailed' news of how the court negotiated peace with Minister of Rites Su Zheyan and others, and how they humbly agreed to cede Yanyun, to the powerful and loyal people throughout Dayin."
Chen Qian's eyes lit up: "Marshal Yun wants to... disrupt the entire Hebei and Youyan regions? Make it so that Prince Zuo Xian can't be at peace?"
"In troubled times, the muddier the water, the easier it is to fish."
“The bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish!”
Zhao Muyun said calmly, "The court is incompetent, causing loyal officials to lose their faith and the people to suffer."
"Then why not make the world even more chaotic, and let everyone see that only strength is the basis for survival! And we..."
He didn't say anything else, but the glint in his eyes said it all.
Commands were quickly issued from outside Jinyang City.
An invisible net began to cover the King of Jin, Wuliangha, and even the entire northern border war situation.
…
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