Shuozhou City gasped under the bloody sunset, the city walls were broken like an old man's missing teeth, and every brick and stone was soaked in the breath of blood and fire.
Han Zhong leaned against the parapet, his sallow face devoid of any color, and every breath he took caused pain in his lungs.
He took a sip of the water bag handed to him by his personal guard and started coughing violently. The water was mixed with dark red blood.
"Han Sima!"
Xi Sheng came running over, dragging a wounded leg, his armor torn and covered in blood. "The Tartars have retreated! Damn it! Their catapults have been misfiring for quite some time, and their siege momentum has weakened considerably!"
A glimmer of light flashed in Han Zhong's turbid eyes, not joy, but deeper fatigue and vigilance.
When something is abnormal, there must be something wrong.
The Wuliangha were determined to win, so why would they weaken their offensive for no reason?
"Report!"
A Yebushou scout stumbled up to the top of the city wall, his voice hoarse but filled with incredible excitement, "Sima Han! The Tartar camp... is in chaos!"
"I vaguely saw medical officers frequently entering and leaving the central army tent. It seems...it seems that the commander-in-chief, Wuliangha, has suddenly fallen ill, and several Tartar generals have also fallen ill!"
Upon hearing this, the surviving defenders on the city wall were stunned at first, and then burst into ecstasy at having survived the disaster!
"God bless Shuozhou! It must be God who wants to take that Tartar commander away!"
"May Marshal Yun's spirit in heaven bless you!"
Han Zhong and Xi Sheng looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other's eyes.
God?
Yun Shuai?
They believe it's man-made!
Is this really the work of Boss Zhao?
How could he reach into the center of the Uriankhai army?
“Don’t slack off!”
Han Zhongqiang took a deep breath and shouted an order, "Although the Di army is temporarily in disarray, their strength is still there! Repair the city defenses, treat the wounded, and keep a close watch!"
"Captain Xi, take your men and gather the last of those thunder bombs under guard. Do not use them without my order!"
He needed this precious breathing space, and more importantly, he needed to figure out what was going on.
…
Almost at the same time, the vanguard army of King Yinxi of Jin arrived and set up camp fifty miles south of Shuozhou.
Inside the commander's tent, Xiao Lie, the general in charge of the King of Jin's army, looked at the envoy who had just returned, still frightened but with a gleam in his eyes. Listening to his exaggerated description of the power of the "heavenly thunder", as well as Han Zhong's "earnest" request for help and implicit promises, greed and ambition grew wildly in his heart like weeds.
"General! The power of that divine weapon is simply terrifying!"
"If our army can get this thing, not to mention the Uriankhai, even sweeping across the world will be a piece of cake!" the envoy said excitedly.
The deputy general was more cautious: "General, Han Zhong is asking for help in times of crisis. While the promise is tempting, we must be wary of deception."
"Although the Wuliangha have suffered a temporary setback, their strength remains intact. If our army were to confront them head-on at this moment, even if we win, it would be a pyrrhic victory, and we would be in vain, making things difficult for others."
Xiao Lie paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, pondering for a moment. A shrewd look flashed in his eyes. "A head-on attack? How could I do such a foolish thing? Isn't Han Zhong planning to cooperate with the outside forces?"
"Okay! Pass the order down. The army will break camp tomorrow and slowly advance towards Shuozhou. I want the flags to fly high and make a grand display!"
"Send another team of envoys to meet Wuliangha with the prince's letter!"
"I am leading the Emperor's army to mediate the war. I cannot bear to see both sides suffer such heavy losses and so many lives lost. I am willing to act as a middleman and persuade the Shuozhou defenders to surrender. I will offer the secret of the 'Yu Di Li Weapon' in exchange for the Wuliangha general withdrawing his troops and sparing the lives of the people in the city."
Everyone in the tent was stunned, and then they understood.
The King of Jin represented by General Xiao Lie is trying to get something for nothing!
They wanted to occupy the righteous name of mediation and protecting the people, and at the same time force Shuozhou to hand over the secret of the artifact.
We also need to intimidate the Wuliangha, making them afraid because of the fire in their backyard and the illness of their commander. It would be best if they could retreat without fighting or accept the conditions!
"General, you are brilliant!" All the generals praised in unison.
…
There was a gloomy atmosphere in the Tatar camp.
Wuliangha suffered from vomiting and diarrhea, and had a high fever. He lay in bed dying. Several of his trusted generals were also bedridden and unable to manage the affairs.
The military doctors could not find the exact cause of the disease and only suspected it was malaria or plague caused by acclimatization, which caused panic among the soldiers.
At this time, the arrival of the envoy from King Jin made the situation even worse.
Captain Wanqi, who was acting as the military commander, read the words in the letter from Prince Jin, which seemed high-sounding but were actually full of threats and provocations.
He looked at his commander lying on the sickbed and was so angry that he almost drew his sword to kill the messenger, but was stopped by other generals who still had some sense.
"The Jin King's army has arrived, with tens of thousands of soldiers. Our commander is seriously ill, and morale is low. If we start a war with the Jin army now, the consequences will be disastrous!"
Another captain of the 10,000 cavalry whispered, "Why not just feign compliance and buy time for now, and then make a decision after the Marshal's condition improves?"
The leader of the cavalry had no choice but to suppress his anger and said to the envoy of King Jin:
"This matter is of great importance, and a decision can only be made after our great king recovers from his illness. Could your envoy please inform the King of Jin if he can grant a few days' grace?"
The messenger returned to report in a triumphant manner.
However, an even more uneasy atmosphere permeated the Tatar camp.
The commander was seriously ill, and with powerful enemies surrounding them, the morale of the army was at its lowest point.
However, this information was quickly passed down through Ye Bushou's layers of communication and eventually reached Zhao Muyun's hands.
"Prince Jin has indeed made a good plan, hoping to reap the benefits."
"Wulianha fell ill at the perfect time...it seems Old Tang's men have succeeded."
Zhao Muyun looked at the information with a hint of sneer on his face.
He specially prepared the poison, and the dosage and time of onset were calculated.
The purpose was to create chaos and delay by making the Wuliangha lose their command ability without taking their lives immediately.
"General Yun, the Jin King's army has stalled and is communicating with the Tartar envoys, seemingly intending to negotiate peace."
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