The smoke from the battle outside Wu Zhou City had not yet completely dissipated, and the morale of the coalition forces was high.
Zhao Muyun did not give the remnants of Wuliangha and Bater any chance to breathe.
With the power of a great victory, he immediately led his troops north, aiming at Jingbian Army and Zhendi Fort, which were still occupied by the Tatars.
These two places are important military forts in the northern part of Shuozhou, guarding the key location of the Qingshui River Valley.
When the Tatars moved south, they left behind only a few troops, but they relied on the dangerous terrain to resist stubbornly, like two nails wedged into the border.
When it comes to using troops, Zhao Muyun is best at using the strong to attack the weak and the many to oppress the few.
He ordered Zhong Meng and Shi Yong's infantry as the main force to attack the city, and Lin Feng's Weizhou army provided fire coverage, launching a thunderous offensive against the Jingbian army.
The 20,000 Jin Wang troops brought by Yinji and Pei Lun's Linzhou troops rested in place.
In Zhao Muyun's words, the affairs of Hedong should be resolved by the troops of Hedong themselves.
Three thousand infantrymen, holding shields and resisting arrows and rolling logs, formed an army formation and advanced steadily, like a moving city wall.
Two thousand composite bows caused huge psychological and physical damage to the defenders on the fortress walls.
The Tatars in Zhendibao tried to leave the city to rescue, but were intercepted and killed by the cavalry of Wu Shangzhi and Guo Luo on the way and were defeated and fled back.
There wasn't much suspense in the battle.
In the face of absolute strength and high morale, the Tatars' resistance seemed pale and powerless.
Within a few days, the flag of Dayin was raised on the top of the Jingbian Army fort.
Seeing that there was no hope of reinforcements and the isolated city was difficult to defend, the defenders of Zhendibao abandoned the city at night and fled north into the vast grassland after a symbolic resistance.
The cavalry battalion and the scout battalion rode in pursuit and wiped out the remaining enemies.
Eventually, the border was pushed back to the state before the Tatars marched south.
The long-lost territory was recovered, and the flag of Dayin was once again flying at the border that had been trampled by the Tartars.
The people in the border areas such as Shuo, Wei, and Yin spread the news and came with food and drink to reward the army.
The reputation of Zhao Muyun and his Zhenbei Army reached an unprecedented height in the northern part of Hedong Road.
.....
The joy of victory filled the allied camp.
However, the decree from the "temporary court" that accompanied the Prince of Jin's army towards the capital was like a pour of cold water on one's face.
The decree was issued in the name of Emperor Yin Zhao, but the content was clearly written by Prince Jin Yin Xi:
1. Commend Zhao Muyun and the allied forces for their contribution in recovering lost territory.
2. Order the Crown Prince Yinji to immediately lead his Hedong troops, break away from the coalition forces, return south and participate in the suppression of the rebellion against Li Jingang in Xijing.
3. Order General Zhenbei and Hedong Jiedushi Zhao Muyun to go south to the capital within one month to participate in the battle and provide a batch of thunder bombs to assist in the battle.
4. Pei Lun, the former governor of Hedong, was transferred to the position of Minister of War and immediately went to the "temporary court" to perform his duties.
This decree can be said to be a fatal blow.
Not only did he split the coalition forces, he also demanded weapons and transferred Pei Lun, who was familiar with the situation in Hedong and had a close relationship with Zhao Muyun.
Zhao Muyun remained calm and summoned all his core civil and military officials to the commander's tent to discuss the matter.
After the decree was read out in public, the tent suddenly fell silent and the atmosphere was depressing.
Everyone's eyes involuntarily glanced back and forth between Fan Nan and Pei Lun.
After the army won a great victory in Wuzhou City, Fan Nan brought a group of officials from the former Xiaowei Mansion to Shuozhou to work.
Under his command, a group of officials including Zhao Wen, Huang Chang, Ma Ying (former county magistrate of Wu Zhou), Murong Hu (transferred to the Colonel's Office), Huan Kui, Pei Liao, and Du Zhong were gathered to fully manage the civil affairs of the Colonel's Office.
Back then, when Fan Nan was still the Minister of War, he presided over the first battle between Hedong Dao and King Zhelan. However, he was too arrogant and lost nearly 10,000 troops.
Pei Lun, the then governor of Hedong, took the opportunity to jointly impeach Fan Nan. Zhao Muyun made a deal with Pei Lun in exchange for Fan Nan's family being executed and then exiled to Lingnan.
Fan Nan's daughter, Fan Bingbing, the daughter of an official family, unexpectedly became a zither girl in a brothel.
Fan Nan and Pei Lun appeared at Zhao Muyun's place at the same time, so conflicts were inevitable.
Pei Lun's face changed and he felt uneasy.
Pei Lun was a little surprised that Zhao Muyun brought Fan Nan back from Lingnan to serve as his strategist.
However, he soon became worried about the content of the imperial edict in front of him.
This promotion may seem glorious, but in fact it is just a sidelining of him. It is not as real as the four thousand soldiers under his command.
Once he went to the temporary court, he would be like a fish out of water, and his life and death would depend entirely on the decision of King Jin.
He couldn't help but look at Zhao Muyun, and then at Fan Nan, who had a gloomy expression.
Although Fan Nan told Zhao Muyun that he had let go of Pei Lun's grudge against him, when he saw Pei Lun in person, he couldn't help but feel a little resentful and ignored Pei Lun with a stern face.
Zhao Muyun took it all in. He spoke slowly, his voice calm but with unquestionable authority:
"Master, Master Pei, you two are my dearest friends, Zhao Muyun. Our past grudges all arose from the turmoil of national affairs."
"Now that we are facing a powerful enemy, we need people now. We should prioritize national affairs and the safety of the people of Hedong."
He looked at the two of them with a burning gaze. "I'm here to act as a peacemaker. I hope you can put aside your past grudges and work together to maintain this hard-won situation. What do you think?"
Fannan took a deep breath.
He knew very well that Zhao Muyun needed balance, and also needed Pei Lun's Linzhou power and influence in the court.
Now that they were in the same boat, and Zhao Muyun had spoken again, he naturally had to express his position.
After a brief silence, Fan Nan slowly stood up and bowed to Pei Lun, his tone difficult but clear: "Pei... Minister Pei, I will no longer care about the past."
Pei Lun also felt relieved.
He was even more grateful to Zhao Muyun for giving him a way out, and quickly stood up to return the greeting, his tone even carrying a bit of excitement:
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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