Shen Qian took a deep breath and continued:
"Wuzhu, using some unknown method, actually persuaded Wutugu Chanyu to once again gather more than 100,000 cavalry!"
"One route, led by General Tuoba Wugu, marched out of the southern desert and attacked Yunzhou; the other route, personally commanded by Wuzhu, marched out of the Yanshan Mountains and headed straight for the Central Plains!"
"With the army's sharp edge, urgent dispatches from all over the north bank of the Great River are flying to the capital like snowflakes!"
"One hundred thousand Northern Barbarian cavalry?"
Murong Chunhua gasped, "The scale of last year's invasion wasn't even this large! How dare they..."
Tang Yanhai suddenly realized: "So that's how it is! Li Jingang's backyard is on fire! The Northern Barbarians seized the perfect moment for their southward invasion this time!"
Shen Qian nodded and added, "Li Jingang received an urgent military report that the Northern Di were launching a large-scale southward invasion. It is said that he smashed the jade ruyi on the spot during the court assembly!"
"He knew the strength of the Northern Di cavalry, and since Yanyun was under Han Yanshou's control, the Northern Di cavalry could advance south without any obstacles and could deploy their troops on the north bank of the Dahe River in just a few days."
"Once the Northern Di cavalry reaches the north bank of the Yellow River, not only will Li Biao and Li Bao be attacked from both sides, but the capital will also be threatened, and the country may even be lost!"
"Therefore, he had to urgently adjust the national strategy! He ordered Niu Desheng to adopt a defensive posture in Zezhou and strictly ordered Li Bao and Li Biao to stop their strong attack on Huguan and hold their ground and await further orders."
"At the same time, an urgent message was sent, ordering Ma Zongliang's army to abandon its offensive on Longmen Pass and immediately return to Shanzhou to defend it!"
"On the one hand, they are monitoring the movements of our army; on the other hand, Ma Zongliang's troops, as the main force closest to the capital, could be transferred to the south bank of the Yangtze River for defense at any time."
The truth has come out!
The camp was initially deathly silent, then erupted into a huge uproar!
Almost all the generals wore expressions of ecstatic joy!
"Heaven is helping me! Heaven is truly helping me!"
Murong Chunhua excitedly waved her fist, "Grand Commander! Li Jingang is being held back by the Northern Barbarians, greatly reducing the pressure on both the eastern and western fronts! This is a golden opportunity for us to develop!"
"That's right!"
Guo Luo excitedly chimed in, "Grand Commander! We should immediately head east out of Longmen Pass and seize Shanzhou and the capital! We should wipe out Li Jingang's stronghold!"
"Head south! Heading south is the only right thing to do!" another general retorted. "Yang Yan has just been defeated, and Yang Chao of Jiannan Circuit has not yet established a firm foothold. It's the perfect opportunity to take over the Land of Abundance in one fell swoop, so that our army will have no more worries about the rear!"
"Yes! This is an opportunity that will not come again! Please, Grand Commander, order the troops to be dispatched!"
The crowd was in high spirits, everyone was overwhelmed by this sudden and enormous strategic opportunity, as if conquering new territories and achieving hegemony was just around the corner.
Even the usually composed Tang Yanhai had a flicker of excitement in his eyes.
However, Zhao Muyun, who was at the center of the excitement, quickly calmed down after the initial shock.
The joy on his face gradually faded, replaced by a deeper contemplation.
He slowly walked to the huge map, his gaze no longer fixed on the area around Hedong, but turned to the vast grasslands further north, to the unsettling shadow marked "Northern Barbarians".
His gaze swept across the Northern Barbarians, the Central Plains controlled by Li Jingang, and the Hedong-Longyou-Xijing region he occupied.
His brows furrowed deeper and deeper, his eyes sharp as an eagle's, as if he were calculating a complex game of chess concerning the fate of the world.
In my previous life, the history of that war-torn era surged forth like a tide.
The great teacher pointed out the principle of bipartisan cooperation...
Zhao Muyun gradually realized the truth.
The noise in the hall gradually subsided, and everyone noticed the Grand Commander's unusually solemn expression.
"Grand Commander?" Murong Chunhua called out tentatively.
Zhao Muyun slowly turned around, her gaze sweeping over the faces flushed with excitement, and uttered a statement that left everyone speechless:
"No."
Just one word, yet it was like a splash of ice water, instantly cooling down the heated atmosphere.
"No?"
Murong Chunhua thought she had misheard. "Grand Commander, do you mean... not to take this opportunity to expand?"
"good."
Zhao Muyun's voice was calm and firm, carrying an undeniable power: "We will hold back for now."
"Why?"
Tang Yanhai couldn't help but exclaim, "Grand Commander, such a golden opportunity is fleeting! Li Jingang is tied down by the Northern Barbarians and unable to attend to other matters, which is the best time for us to strengthen our power!"
Zhao Muyun walked to the center of the hall, looked around at everyone, and spoke clearly: "Gentlemen, I only have a few questions for you."
"First, the 100,000 iron cavalry of the Northern Barbarians are marching south with overwhelming force, burning, killing, looting, and committing all sorts of atrocities. If Li Jingang cannot hold them off, and the Northern Barbarians break through the defenses and advance deep into the Central Plains, what will become of that scene?"
"A thousand miles of scorched earth, fields strewn with bones, people enslaved, civilization destroyed in an instant! Have you ever considered the consequences?"
He paused, noticing the changing expressions on the faces of some of the generals, and continued:
"Secondly, even if we seize Shanzhou, the capital, or Jiannan Road, we will still suffer heavy losses in the battle with the hundreds of thousands of troops still under Li Jingang's command."
"At that time, facing the powerful and well-equipped Northern Di cavalry, will we be able to defend our newly acquired territory? And how should we ourselves respond?"
"third,"
Zhao Muyun's voice suddenly rose, carrying a power that pierced the heart, "This world, this vast land, ultimately belongs to the people of Dayin! It belongs to the sons and daughters of Dayin!"
"Internal strife and dynastic changes are nothing more than brothers fighting amongst themselves. But the Northern Barbarians are a foreign race!"
"They are jackals who want to exterminate our race and destroy our culture! When foreign invaders invade and our nation is in peril, if we only care about taking advantage of the chaos to expand and engage in endless internal strife, how is that any different from inviting wolves into our house and becoming accomplices to tigers?"
"How will I face my ancestors in the afterlife? How will I face the people of the world?"
A series of questions struck the hearts of every general like heavy hammer blows.
The hall was completely silent, and many people lowered their heads, their faces showing shame.
They only saw the opportunity for expansion, but never imagined that such a profound crisis and moral responsibility were hidden behind it.
Murong Chunhua opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but found herself speechless.
Tang Yanhai and Guo Luo nodded slowly, seemingly lost in thought.
Zhao Muyun could tell from everyone's reaction that they had taken it to heart.
He took a deep breath and delivered his carefully considered decision, a decision that would shake the very fabric of the world:
“Chen Qian”.
Shen Qian snapped out of his shock and quickly replied, "Your subordinate is here."
"Send a carrier pigeon to inform Deputy Commander Fan!"
Zhao Muyun's gaze turned eastward, as if piercing through countless mountains and passes to see the bustling yet dangerous capital city. "Have her use all the resources in the capital. Find a way to contact Li Jingang!"
"Contact Li Jingang?"
Shen Qian was stunned, thinking he had misheard.
All the generals in the hall looked up in astonishment, staring at Zhao Muyun in disbelief.
“Yes!” Zhao Muyun’s tone was calm, yet carried a tremendous force. “I want to negotiate with him!”
What?
"Peace talks?"
Even the most composed generals gasped in surprise.
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