At this moment, the atmosphere inside the Xijing Grand Commander's headquarters was quite solemn, unlike the turbulent atmosphere in the capital city a thousand miles away.
Zhao Muyun stood with his hands behind his back in front of the huge map of mountains and rivers, his gaze deep and profound.
Shen Qian stood to one side, quietly reporting the latest intelligence from various parties:
The battle at Longmen Pass has temporarily ceased, and Ma Zongliang has retreated to Shanzhou.
In the directions of Luzhou and Zezhou, the Fengtian Army's offensive has significantly weakened, and it has shifted to a defensive posture;
The vanguard of the relocation of the capital from Jinyang has arrived in Xiazhou and will soon reach Xijing.
Meanwhile, Fan Bingbing, who was sent to Beijing, had successfully conveyed the intention of "cooperation" to Li Jingang through Li Hu's wife, Madam Huang, and by taking advantage of Empress Gong's influence.
"Grand Commander, Li Jingang is currently overwhelmed with troubles regarding the Northern Barbarians. If we make a proposal, he will surely be tempted."
"Given his suspicious nature, he probably won't believe it easily, much less agree immediately," Shen Qian analyzed.
Zhao Muyun nodded slightly and said slowly, "Whether he believes it or not, whether he agrees or not, is up to him. But we must be prepared for both possibilities."
He turned around, his gaze sharp. "Firstly, if the peace talks succeed, we need to buy time to fully integrate our internal affairs, digest the newly acquired territories, restore people's livelihoods, and prepare our army for war."
"The Tartars have invaded the Central Plains, and another force is eyeing our Yunzhou. We will have to fight eventually, and we must be fully prepared."
Secondly,
His tone turned cold. "If Li Jingang refuses, or pretends to comply, or even tries to set a trap."
"Then we must let him know that the thunderous roar of Hedong is not just a firecracker!"
He then issued a series of orders:
"Tang Yanhai!"
"Your subordinate is here!" Tang Yanhai stepped forward.
"The relocation team is about to arrive. You are fully responsible for the defense of Xijing and the resettlement within the city! Make sure everything goes perfectly!"
"Especially the arrangements for His Majesty the Emperor must be made properly and securely."
Zhao Muyun emphasized the last two words, and Tang Yanhai understood immediately.
He knew this was to keep Yin Zhao firmly under his control, neither being impolite nor letting him slip out of his grasp.
"Wu Shangzhi!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"Your cavalry unit, together with Lord Chen Xuan, will strengthen patrols around Xijing, especially along the key roads leading to Jiannan Road!"
“Yang Yan fled to Jiannan. His nephew Yang Chao will surely be restless. We must be on guard against him taking advantage of the chaos to launch a sneak attack or harass us.”
"Guo Luo, Murong Chunhua, Namtso, Urgan!"
"exist!"
"You four cavalrymen must not relax your training for a moment, and must be ready to go to the battlefield at any time."
"Yes, sir!"
Currently, Zhao Muyun's cavalry consists of three thousand cavalrymen from Wu Shangzhi and Guo Luo's left and right battalions, three thousand Qiang and Rong cavalrymen, and one thousand Murong cavalrymen.
In addition, there was Huan Naxue's 1,000 Wuhuan cavalry.
There were a total of 8,000 cavalrymen!
The cavalry battalion was equipped with lances, swords, repeating crossbows, and plate armor.
There were even a thousand riders who were already equipped with warhorse armor.
This seems to be another step closer to the heavy cavalry that Zhao Muyun had previously envisioned building.
"Order the Governor of Huazhou, Lin Feng, and General Xi Sheng, that the defense of Longmen Pass must not be relaxed. Although Ma Zongliang has retreated, his main force is still there. We must guard against him making a comeback or using tricks."
"Notify the Yanzhou Armory and Heidushan to work at full speed to replenish the Thunderclap Bombs and Fireballs, and to begin developing new firearms."
"The manpower and materials needed for the workshop will be given priority!"
"......."
As orders were issued, Xijing mobilized its entire population.
They needed to prepare for a joint resistance against the Di, and also to build up their strength for the possibility of restarting the war with Li Jingang at any time.
However, the city of Xijing was not a monolithic entity.
Although Zhao Muyun's iron-fisted suppression had temporarily quelled the overt resistance, the undercurrents never ceased to surge beneath the surface.
Although Yang Yan fled after his defeat, those with vested interests with him were scattered throughout Xijing.
With the relocation of the capital imminent, the old and new forces are about to clash, power needs to be redistributed, and various contradictions are surging beneath the calm surface.
Some officials who had surrendered in Xijing harbored doubts and even resentment under pressure.
In addition, some local aristocratic families are still observing the situation.
Even more so, they secretly colluded with Yang Chao of Jiannan Road and certain forces in the capital.
Zhao Muyun knew all this well; excessive suppression would trigger a backlash, and there was no time to completely cleanse the area now.
He needs stability now, at least until he has dealt with the enormous external pressures, and he must maintain a delicate internal balance.
He instructed Shen Qian's night watchmen to write all of this down in a small notebook, to be settled later.
As for the task of appeasing and winning over some of the old forces in Xijing, we'll let the young Prince Jin and Fan Nan handle that when they arrive.
Politically, they should be more adept than Zhao Muyun.
......
Meanwhile, in the Imperial Palace of the capital, in the Imperial Study.
Li Jingang sat alone by the flickering candlelight for an entire night.
Feng Liang's plan kept swirling in his mind.
Collaborating with Zhao Muyun, whether temporary or limited, was like planting a thorn in his proud heart.
That would be acknowledging that the other party has the right to negotiate on an equal footing with him, and would be a challenge to his imperial dignity.
Moreover, Yang Yan's vehement opposition was still fresh in everyone's minds, and the power of the pro-war faction in the court should not be underestimated.
However, the threat from the Northern Barbarians was so real and imminent.
Urgent reports came one after another from Hebei: the vanguard of the Northern Di cavalry had penetrated deep into Hejian, burning, killing, and looting, and the prefectures and counties were in dire need of help.
The national treasury is empty, the transportation of grain supplies is difficult, and the army is exhausted from prolonged fighting...
If war were to break out again on the western front at this time, he really had no confidence that he could deal with two fronts at the same time.
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