Ganzhou City.
Zhao Muyun set up his headquarters here.
The camp was brightly lit, and scouts and night watchmen moved about nervously, creating an atmosphere even more somber than that on the walls of Liangzhou.
"Grand Commander, although the 30,000 cavalry of the Northern Di King Loufan and King Xiutu have not yet marched south, their scouts have expanded their range of activity to 30 li south of Yehu Ridge, clearly probing the strength and weakness of Guazhou City and Heidu Mountain!"
The news brought by Shen Qian made everyone's hearts tighten.
"And what about the east bank of the river?" Zhao Muyun's voice was devoid of any emotion.
His calm demeanor eased the tension among the crowd somewhat.
"Niu Desheng's 50,000-strong army from Fengchao has left the capital and is stationed on the south bank of the Dahe River, with its advance aimed directly at Zezhou!"
"Li Bao and Li Biao's Hejian army has also arrived at the border of Luzhou and is poised to attack!"
"Han Sima has sent a letter saying that Hedong is under immense pressure and is no longer able to support Longyou and Xiazhou. Please forgive us, Grand Commander!" Shen Qian's voice carried a hint of bitterness.
The tent was deathly silent.
Liangzhou is in dire straits, the Northern Di are eyeing it covetously, and now Li Jingang is also taking advantage of the situation to intervene...
This is absolutely desperate!
"Grand Commander, the most urgent task is to return to Liangzhou!"
An aide said urgently, "Although Captain Wu and Captain Guo have gone, their forces are insufficient, and I'm afraid they will be unable to relieve the siege!"
"No!"
Another person countered, "If our army moves, the Northern Di cavalry will surely follow. We will be fighting on two fronts, which is extremely dangerous!"
"Are we just going to stand by and watch Liangzhou fall?"
The sounds of debate filled the tent, a mixture of anxiety and helplessness.
Zhao Muyun remained silent, his gaze fixed on the map.
Suddenly, he slammed his hand on the table!
With a loud "bang!", the tent fell silent instantly, and all eyes were on him.
"What's all the noise about!"
Zhao Muyun's voice was icy cold, "Going back to provide reinforcements is a dead end, and staying put is also a dead end! Since it's a dead end anyway, then we'll forge our own path to survival!"
He stood up, walked to the map, and pointed heavily at Wolf Mountain: "Attack here! Take the initiative and wipe out these 30,000 Northern Di reinforcements first!"
"What?!"
"Grand Commander, please reconsider!"
"Our army has just gone through a major battle, the soldiers are exhausted, and our forces are insufficient. How can we still launch a proactive attack?"
Exclamations and voices of opposition rose again.
"It is precisely because it is impossible that it is the only chance!"
Zhao Muyun's eyes were sharp as knives as he swept over the generals. "Loufan King and Xiutu King believe that we dare not and are powerless to attack them, so they will surely be lax! We will do the opposite, take them by surprise, and attack them when they are unprepared!"
He gave no further opportunity to object, and quickly and clearly issued the order:
"Send orders to Pei Lun and Guo Xiaoti! Instruct them to gradually tighten their defensive lines, spread more flags, increase the number of cooking fires at night, and reduce the number of troops during the day, creating the illusion that the main force is about to move and is preparing to return to Liangzhou to provide reinforcements!"
"We must make sure that the Northern Di scouts are convinced that our main force is about to be transferred westward!"
"Chen Qian! Your night watchmen must cooperate fully. You must ensure that the false intelligence reaches the ears of the Northern Di people 'successfully,' and you must also closely monitor their movements, especially the location and defenses of their commander's camp!"
"Assemble all the soldiers in the camp who are still capable of fighting on horseback, including my personal guard battalion and Tang Yanhai's scout battalion!"
"Select another three thousand of the most elite infantrymen, those with the best physical condition, and carry all the remaining fire oil, bows and arrows, and only three days' worth of dry rations!"
He looked at the few remaining generals in the tent, his tone resolute:
"I will personally lead the team in this battle! It's all or nothing!"
"Grand Commander!" The generals were moved.
"Execute the order!"
Zhao Muyun shouted without room for argument.
......
That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high.
Zhao Muyun personally led four thousand elite troops out of the city, including one thousand cavalry and three thousand infantry.
With gags in their mouths and horses' hooves wrapped in cloth, they took advantage of the cover of night, like a pack of wolves lurking in the dark, and silently left Ganzhou City, heading straight for Langshan Mountain.
Meanwhile, Pei Lun and Guo Xiaoti mobilized their troops in a grand manner, in accordance with their plan.
The city of Guazhou and the camp at Heidushan were brightly lit, filled with shouts and the neighing of horses, creating a grand atmosphere of evacuation.
Soon, the commotion was relayed to the Northern Di camp at Wolf Mountain by Northern Di spies.
The campfire roared, and the aroma of meat filled the air.
Compared to the tense and oppressive atmosphere in Yinjun, the atmosphere here was much more relaxed.
King Xiutu, gnawing on a lamb leg and drinking fine wine, laughed at King Loufan, saying, "It seems Zhao Muyun can't hold on any longer and has to go back to save Liangzhou."
King Loufan had suffered greatly at Zhao Muyun's hands, and the impact of Wumuchi's crushing defeat on them made him extremely cautious.
Moreover, his strategist Han Yanshou now holds an important position in Youzhou, and without Han Yanshou by his side to offer advice, he is even more cautious.
Seeing that King Xiutu was so dismissive, he frowned and said, "Zhao Muyun is cunning; we must be wary of him."
"Hmph, so what if it's a trap?" King Xiutu said dismissively. "He just had a bloody battle with Wumu Chi, how much strength does he have left?"
"The scouts have already reported that the Yin army in Guazhou City and Heidu Mountain is indeed preparing to withdraw, with their flags in disarray, so it seems to be true."
"Once they've fought the Xijing army in Liangzhou to a standstill, we can go down and reap the rewards!"
"You've become so cowardly because you've been beaten by Zhao Muyun. If you're too scared, then stay here and guard the place; I'll take care of the attack!"
King Xiutu was already furious that King Loufan had stopped him from making any moves after his great defeat at Wumuqi. Now, King Loufan was pouring cold water on his plans, which made him very unhappy.
He refused to heed Loufan King's advice any longer and decided to take action: "Men, pass down the order that the men eat and drink their fill and get a good rest, because there might be a battle tomorrow!"
People can't teach people; but they can learn from experience!
King Loufan fell silent.
The guard of the Northern Di camp gradually relaxed due to King Xiutu's optimistic and complacent attitude.
The scouting area was even smaller than it had been in the previous days.
The darkest hour before dawn is also the most exhausting time of day for people.
Zhao Muyun's four thousand elite troops appeared like ghosts on the east side of the Northern Di camp.
This is the sheltered spot, and also the direction the Northern Di people considered least likely to be attacked, so the defenses were the most lax.
"Target: the enemy's main camp and grain storage area! Cavalry, charge into the camp; infantry, form ranks and follow; arsonists, set fire to the camp!"
Zhao Muyun lowered his voice and made the final arrangements.
He took a deep breath of the cold air, suddenly drew his sword, and swung it forward!
"kill-!"
There were no horns, no war drums, only a low, furious roar that seemed to come from hell!
A thousand iron cavalrymen, like death emerging from the darkness, instantly broke through the loose fences and the few sentries, and plunged straight into the heart of the Northern Barbarian camp!
"Release the arrows!"
The archers and arsonists who followed behind rained down countless lit rockets and burning oil canisters on the tents and haystacks!
Dry felt tents and hay ignite instantly when exposed to fire, and the fire spreads rapidly with the help of the wind!
"Enemy attack! The Yin army has attacked the camp!"
"Fire! Help!"
No one expected that the Yin army would launch a surprise attack on the camp at this time.
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