The next morning, while Zhao Muyun was having breakfast with Huan Naxue, enjoying a rare moment of tenderness, Shen Qian hurriedly requested an audience, his face grave.
"Grand Commander, urgent report from Hedong!" Shen Qian presented a sweat-stained letter. "Li Jingang is furious upon learning that Xijing has changed hands and Yang Yan has fled!"
Zhao Muyun frowned and quickly unfolded the letter.
The content made his nerves, which had just relaxed, tense up again.
The letter was written by Han Zhong himself.
Three days ago, the three units under Li Jingang, namely Niu Desheng, Li Bao, and Li Biao, launched an unprecedentedly fierce attack in the direction of Luzhou and Zezhou!
The pressure on the defense lines at Huguan and Dahe has increased dramatically. Wang Ben and Zhang Huan both said that the battle was extremely fierce and the casualties were considerable, and requested reinforcements!
"Li Jingang is furious!" Zhao Muyun put down the letter and laughed. "It's not like he has many people in his court who have helped us a lot!"
"If we hadn't been wary of Yang Yan, we wouldn't have had such a good opportunity to take back Xijing."
"Go on, what other intelligence have you gathered?"
Shen Qian then reported: "According to inside sources, Li Jingang was furious upon hearing that Longmen Pass had fallen, and beheaded the garrison commander who abandoned Longmen Pass in the chaos and fled back alone!"
"At the same time, he urgently summoned Ma Zongliang back to the capital, seemingly to gather a large army and retake Longmen Pass!"
The situation took a sharp turn for the worse!
They thought that taking Xijing would give them a temporary respite to consolidate their forces, but they did not expect Li Jingang's reaction to be so swift and intense.
He clearly realized the fatal impact of the loss of Xijing on his strategic situation, and did not hesitate to launch a strong offensive on both the eastern and western fronts at the same time in an attempt to reverse the defeat.
Both the eastern and western fronts are under emergency alert!
The atmosphere in the hall instantly became oppressive.
Huan Naxue also put down her chopsticks, her heroic spirit and worry returning to her brows. It seemed that as long as Zhao Muyun needed her to share his burdens, she would not hesitate to put on her armor and go to the battlefield.
Zhao Muyun stood up, walked to the map, his gaze sharp as a knife, and slowly moved across the points of Longmen Pass, Luzhou, and Zezhou.
"Well done, Li Jingang. I underestimated his decisiveness."
He scoffed, "He wants to attack from both sides, making it difficult for us to manage both ends?"
He pondered for a moment, then quickly made a decision.
"Chen Qian, immediately write a letter in my name and send it to Jinyang by express courier, delivering it to His Highness Prince Jin and Commander Han!"
"The letter should clearly state that Xijing has just been pacified and everything needs to be rebuilt, and our army also needs a short rest."
"They must do everything in their power to withstand the offensive of Niu Desheng, Li Bao, and Li Biao in Zezhou and Luzhou!"
"Tell them that withstanding the pressure on the eastern front is the greatest support for the western front!"
"Yes!" Shen Qian accepted the order.
Zhao Muyun's finger tapped heavily on the location of Longmen Pass, his voice resolute:
"Li Jingang wants to retake Longmen Pass and regain control of Xijing? Dream on!"
"Pass down the order! Each battalion should seize the time to rest and replenish supplies, and the wounded should be treated as soon as possible!"
"The troops under Xi Sheng, He Yunsheng, and Xu Yunlong, as well as the troops under Wu Shangzhi and Liu Yi, are all under the direct command of this governor!"
"We must deliver a crushing blow to Ma Zongliang at Longmen Pass! Victory is our only option in this battle!"
"As long as we defeat Ma Zongliang on the western front and shatter our hopes of recapturing Longmen Pass, Niu Desheng, Li Bao, and Li Biao on the eastern front will inevitably suffer a blow to their morale and retreat without a fight!"
"This battle is meant to break Li Jingang's spine! Let him know that Xijing is not something he can take back just because he wants to!"
"Yes, sir!"
......
The urgent news of victory, delivered by an 800-li express courier, exploded like thunder over Jinyang City, instantly sweeping away the gloom and worries that had hung over the city.
"Xi'an has been liberated! The Grand Commander has taken up residence in Xi'an!"
"The Left Chancellor of Fengchao, Yang Yan, has been defeated and fled! Guannei Road has returned to the territory of our Great Yin Dynasty!"
"Longmen Pass has been captured by our army!"
The swift horseman, his voice hoarse but unable to hide his excitement, galloped along the main street of Jinyang, spreading the great news throughout the city.
There was a moment of deathly silence, as if no one could believe the sudden surge of joy.
Immediately, like a volcanic eruption, deafening cheers surged from all directions, converging into a sea of joy.
Shopkeepers and their assistants eagerly hung up the colorful ribbons and lanterns they had prepared, while the crackling of firecrackers echoed throughout the shop.
The mischievous children chased each other through the streets, which were filled with the smell of gunpowder.
Teahouses and taverns were instantly packed, people raised their glasses in celebration, their faces beaming with long-lost, heartfelt smiles.
The gloom that had been building for months was completely dispelled by the light of victory at this moment.
Bai Ruolan and Yin Yao were moved to tears when they received news of Zhao Muyun's victory in entering Xijing from their servants.
Their husbands were not only safe and sound, but they also won a great victory. How could they not be happy?
However, compared to the pure revelry in the streets and alleys, the atmosphere inside the Chengyun Hall of the Prince of Jinyang's Mansion became subtle and complex after the initial great excitement, even carrying a hint of indescribable solemnity.
Prince Yinji of Xiaojin held the heavy victory report, personally written by Zhao Muyun and stamped with the seal of the Grand Commander, his fingertips trembling slightly.
His young face was flushed with excitement, and his eyes were bright.
But hidden within this bright depths lies a subtle sense of bewilderment and helplessness.
The situation in Hedong, where the precarious Yin Dynasty was located, changed completely after the establishment of Xijing!
Xijing was once the capital of the early days of the Great Yin Dynasty, but later the capital was moved to the present-day Beijing.
But Xijing is a place that every member of the Great Yin Dynasty longs for, a place where a distant and glorious dream resides.
I thought it would take a long time for the Hedong army to bring the Great Yin back here.
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