Wu Shangzhi's 1,000 light cavalry traveled day and night and finally arrived in Xinzhou two days later.
Xinzhou, located between Jinyang and Shuozhou, is a vital throat connecting the two important cities. To its northeast is Yanmen Pass, and its strategic position is extremely important.
At this time, the atmosphere inside and outside Xinzhou City was tense. Some villages and towns outside the city had been burned and looted by Ashinadu's cavalry, and black smoke could be seen in the fields.
The garrison commander of Xinzhou was an old general named Sun Ding, who was originally a subordinate of Xiao Lie, but not Xiao Lie's close friend.
When the news of Jinyang's change of ownership came, Sun Ding chose to be loyal to Yin Ji and Zhao Muyun after a brief hesitation.
However, he had limited troops. Facing the threat of Ashinadu's 3,000 elite cavalry, he could defend the city but was not strong enough to fight outside the city.
Wu Shangzhi's arrival made Sun Ding feel relieved.
"General Wu, you are finally here!"
Sun Dingying walked out of the city gate, but his eyes were full of doubt. "However, the Tartar cavalry are elusive and numerous. You only have a thousand people. Can you be a match for them?"
Wu Shangzhi was dusty, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle:
"General Sun, rest assured. General Zhao and His Highness have already seen through the Tartars' scheme. Although I only brought a thousand cavalry, together with your own troops, we are more than enough to give Ashinadu a hard time!"
He paused and asked, "What is the enemy's current movement?"
Sun Ding did not dare to ask any more questions, and quickly led Wu Shangzhi up to the city wall, pointing to the northeast:
"Ashinadu's main force is patrolling the Black Wind Valley area, thirty miles away. Yesterday, they even sent a small group of cavalry to harass the granary west of the city. They come and go like the wind, and we have no way to deal with them."
Wu Shangzhi observed the terrain. The terrain around Xinzhou City was relatively flat, which was conducive to cavalry maneuvers, but there were also some hills and valleys that could be used.
He pondered for a moment and said, "We can't just hold on. General Zhao ordered me to delay and harass the enemy. We must take the initiative, but not engage head-on."
He looked at the captain of the Shenji Camp who had come with him and said, "Captain Liu, you will take the crossbowmen and half of the Thunder Bombs to assist General Sun in defending the city. Focus on strengthening the city defenses and the granary."
"Understood!"
Wu Shangzhi then said to Sun Ding, "General Sun, please assign me 500 infantrymen who are familiar with the local terrain, preferably hunters, skilled in mountaineering and ambushes."
Although Sun Ding was confused, he still did as he was told.
Wu Shangzhi himself led a thousand light cavalry and five hundred infantrymen who were good at mountain warfare and began his operation.
He did not go to fight Ashinadu's main force.
Instead, he broke up his cavalry into several groups of 100 men, coordinated them with the 500 infantry, and used his familiarity with the terrain to ambush the small groups of cavalry and reconnaissance teams sent by Ashinadu.
The hills and valleys northeast of Xinzhou became a death trap for a while.
The Di cavalry were often caught off guard and encountered powerful crossbow fire from the hills on the flanks, or stepped on cleverly disguised caltrops and horse traps.
Sometimes, when they dismounted and fought on foot, trying to clear out the ambushed infantry, Wu Shangzhi's cavalry would rush out from the other side like ghosts, and after a burst of fighting, they would flee into the distance.
Wu Shangzhi even used the thunder bomb to the extreme.
He selected death squads and had them sneak into possible Di camps at night to set up traps, or use powerful crossbows to shoot arrows tied with thunder bombs into the enemy camp.
Although the direct casualties were limited, the deafening explosion and the flames shooting into the sky dealt a huge blow to the morale of the Di people.
The Di camp was in turmoil all night, and both the men and the horses were terrified.
Ashinadu was annoyed by this endless harassment tactic.
His cavalry advantage was difficult to play out in the face of the enemy's flexible and mobile small troops and strange firearms.
Wu Shangzhi easily escaped several attempts to encircle and suppress the enemy troops. Instead, he suffered several minor losses due to his impatience and recklessness.
"Damn Yinren! As slippery as a loach!"
Ashinadu was furious in his tent. "Pass the order down! Withdraw the troops and stop the small-scale attacks! Gather all the troops at dawn tomorrow. I will destroy all the strongholds outside Xinzhou City and see where they can hide!"
Ashinadu was enraged. He decided to change his strategy and concentrate his forces to first clear the periphery and then intimidate Xinzhou City.
And this fell exactly into Wu Shangzhi's calculations.
......
Jinyang City, General's Mansion.
Zhao Muyun and Yin Ji listened to the information that Shen Qian brought back from various sources.
"General, Your Highness, Commandant Wu has been using harassment tactics in Xinzhou, and they've been quite effective."
"Ashinadu has been enraged and appears to be gathering troops for a violent attack."
"Captain Xi had a small encounter with the enemy at Eagle's Beak Cliff. Our troops held their position firmly in the stronghold. The enemy's tentative attack was repelled, resulting in over a hundred casualties. There has been no further movement since then."
"Tuoba Xiong's cavalry came to join forces with Cao and Liu, but they remained inactive."
"Zhang Huan and Wang Ben's armies have basically taken control of the prefectures in the southeast of the Yellow River, and have strengthened their defenses in Luzhou, Zezhou, and Puzhou to the north of the Great River!"
"Li Jingang's troops are showing signs of mobilization on the other side of the river, but they haven't made any moves to cross the river yet. However, Henan and Shandong provinces are showing signs of a large-scale crossing."
"In Yunzhou, Commandant Lin and Commandant Shi relied on the fortress to hold the fortress firmly. General Guo Luo's cavalry engaged in several small-scale clashes with Ye Lirong's troops, resulting in casualties on both sides."
"Sima Han Zhong and Chief Secretary Fan Nan of Shuozhou have sent a letter stating that there is sufficient food, fodder, and military equipment, and the people are in a stable mood."
“…”
Shen Qian finished his report and stood with his hands hanging down.
After hearing this, Yinji looked at Zhao Muyun with a questioning look in his eyes: "Master, does the Wu Duwei need reinforcements? If Ashinadu really attacks with all his strength, Xinzhou will be under tremendous pressure."
Zhao Muyun shook his head, his gaze still fixed on the map. "No need for that. Wu Shangzhi is a man of substance. Since he dared to provoke Ashinadu, he must have a plan in mind."
"Xinzhou's defenses have been strengthened, and Sun Ding is no mediocre person, so the city is safe. We are in the rear, and we must trust the frontline generals' ability to make decisions in an emergency."
He paused, pointing his finger towards Langyu: "The crux of the matter remains here. Cao Jun and Liu Pan's fifty thousand men, and Tuoba Xiong's ten thousand elite cavalry, are like two hungry wolves squatting at our doorstep."
"If we don't hurt them and scare them, there will be no peace in Hedong. We won't be able to fully cope with the arrival of the main force of the Northern Di and the possible crossing of the river by Li Jingang."
Mr. Zhou twirled his beard and said, "General, you are absolutely right. However, the enemy is powerful, especially Tuoba Xiong's 10,000 cavalrymen, who are a real threat."
"But if our army takes the initiative to attack, we will be short of manpower. If we hold our ground, we will be pinned down for a long time, which will deplete our national strength."
A hint of determination flashed in Zhao Muyun's eyes. "So, we can't wait for them to attack. We must actively lure them to attack, and then we must fight a decisive battle at the time and place of our choice, using the method we are best at!"
"What? Actively lead them to attack?"
Yinji and Mr. Zhou exclaimed in unison.
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