Chen Xuan listened with his heart pounding.
Although he had surrendered, he was, after all, a former general of Xijing, and had deep ties with many forces in the city. He couldn't help but speak up:
"Grand Commander, isn't this... too harsh? It might provoke a greater backlash and be detrimental to winning over the people..."
Zhao Muyun suddenly looked at him, her gaze sharp as a knife, as if it could pierce his heart: "General Chen!"
Chen Xuan trembled and quickly bowed his head: "Your subordinate is here!"
"You are now the garrison commander of Xijing! Your duty is to ensure the absolute stability of Xijing and make it a secure rear area for our army!"
"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures! If your misplaced compassion causes chaos in the rear and affects the battle situation on the front lines, can you bear that responsibility?"
Zhao Muyun's words struck Chen Xuanxin like a heavy hammer: "Immediately issue a proclamation to implement the law of collective punishment! If there is unrest in a ward, the ward head will be punished; if there is wrongdoing in a village, the village head will be equally guilty!"
"Get everyone moving and monitoring each other! I'm going to make sure those rats hiding in the gutter have nowhere to hide!"
"Your humble servant... obeys!" Chen Xuan's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and he dared not say another word.
"Furthermore," Zhao Muyun looked at Shen Qian, her tone slightly softer but still grave, "the relocation of the capital has begun, and His Majesty the Emperor, along with the important family members and officials of the Prince of Jin's residence and the Grand General's Office, will soon arrive in Xijing."
"Security along the route and arrangements within the city are of paramount importance! I don't care what methods you use, ensure absolute safety! If any mishap occurs..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but the cold glint in his eyes made Shen Qian realize that the consequences would be absolutely unbearable.
"I guarantee it with my life!" Shen Qian replied solemnly.
Zhao Muyun's iron-fisted order was like pouring a ladle of cold water into a boiling oil pan, instantly triggering a violent reaction.
The night patrols and the remaining troops carried out a thorough sweep and crackdown with unprecedented efficiency and ruthlessness.
In the following days, a somber atmosphere enveloped the city of Xijing.
Every day, heads rolled at Caishikou, and bloody severed heads were hung on the city gates and in the bustling marketplace, silently proclaiming the will of the new rulers.
Several large businesses involved in price gouging were raided and their owners executed, and their assets confiscated.
Two fortified villages, which had attempted to resist from their strategic locations, were breached by a combined force of Murong Chunhua's cavalry and Tang Yanhai's scout battalion. Firelight illuminated half the sky, and all those who resisted were mercilessly slaughtered...
The bloody methods brought fear, but also order.
Prices in the city quickly fell back down, the rumors stopped abruptly, and the nighttime arrows never appeared again.
Xijing City temporarily suppressed the undercurrents within its borders using an almost cruel method.
Zhao Muyun sat inside the headquarters, listening to reports from all sides, his face expressionless.
He knew this was only a temporary calm; the real challenges lay ahead.
But he also knew that on the thorny path to the pinnacle of power, mercy was often the greatest luxury.
He had to be ruthless and decisive than his enemies.
......
With the strong support of Liu Yi's Divine Machine Battalion, Longmen Pass temporarily stabilized its defenses.
As Liu Yi had predicted, after suffering heavy losses at the pass, Ma Zongliang did not immediately launch a new offensive.
Instead, they adopted a strategy of encirclement and harassment, constantly sending small groups of troops to probe and deplete the defenders' energy and resources.
Xi Sheng, Liu Yi, and others on the pass dared not relax their vigilance in the slightest, remaining on guard day and night. Ma Zongliang's army below the pass was like a circling hungry wolf, ready to pounce again at any moment.
Lin Feng then arrived with his troops and officially took over command.
His four generals, Liu Yi, Xi Sheng, He Yunsheng, and Xu Yunlong, totaling five thousand men, resisted Ma Zongliang's fifty thousand-strong army.
The war has reached a difficult stalemate.
In Xijing, under Zhao Muyun's iron-fisted suppression, the internal undercurrents were temporarily suppressed, but the enormous affairs of relocating the capital followed one after another, with countless tasks consuming a great deal of his energy.
Emperor Yin Zhao, along with the Prince of Jin's residence, the Grand General's Office, their families, officials, and documents, began to relocate to Xijing in batches.
A massive convoy, apprehensive officials, precious books, and official seals symbolizing power were all on the road.
Zhao Muyun had to ensure their safety while also figuring out how to settle the "emperor" and balance the various forces. Every step she took was like walking on thin ice.
He squeezed the war potential of Xijing and even the entire Hedong region to its limit.
In Longyou, Zhang Zan, Pei Lun, Shi Yong, and the Qiang and Rong tribes also contributed their full strength.
In particular, the fierce fire oil that Pei Lun extracted from Heidu Mountain was continuously sent to Xijing and the battlefield of Longmen Pass.
Food, laborers, artisans, medicinal herbs... all resources were prioritized for the front lines.
He kept giving orders to Tang Yanhai and Murong Chunhua, demanding that they quickly eliminate local bandits and stabilize the rear.
He urged Han Zhongfan in Jinyang to speed up the relocation of the capital and to send as many reinforcements and supplies as possible to the eastern front.
The entire Hedong regime was like a fully drawn bow, the string stretched to its limit, and one could almost hear its teeth-grinding groans.
Zhao Muyun himself was the one drawing the bow, his eyes fixed on the direction of Longmen Pass, ready to shoot the decisive arrow at the crucial moment.
He also quickly integrated Huan Naxue's 1,000 Wuhuan cavalry, Namtso's 3,000 Qiang and Rong cavalry, and Guo Luo's 1,000 cavalry who had returned from Ziwu Pass, intending to personally lead his army eastward to fight a decisive battle with Ma Zongliang!
However, just as he had almost completed all the arrangements and was about to depart for the front lines—
A shocking piece of news, completely unexpected by everyone, swept in like a hurricane:
With his troops at Longmen Pass, Ma Zongliang, who was facing off against Xi Sheng and Liu Yi's forces, suddenly broke camp overnight without warning and led his 50,000-strong army to retreat to Shanzhou City, a hundred miles away!
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