Autumn has arrived once again.
The wind along both banks of the Wei River carried a biting chill.
Xijing, the Grand Governor's Office.
The night was deep, and the candlelight flickered.
As Zhao Muyun was discussing with Fan Nan how to use the Jiannan Road harassment incident to further pressure Luoyang, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the door, accompanied by a slightly panicked report from his personal guard, Li Si:
"Grand Commander! Urgent military report from Yunzhou, delivered by express courier!"
"Bring it here!"
Zhao Muyun felt a chill run down her spine.
An urgent message delivered over 800 li (approximately 400 kilometers) must have been sent to a matter of life and death.
The messenger, covered in dust and with chapped lips, practically lunged in, holding a sealed letter aloft with sealing wax.
Fan Nan quickly took it, checked that the sealing wax was correct, and then quickly opened it. After only a few glances, his face turned deathly pale.
"Grand Commander... Northern Barbarians... the main force of the Northern Barbarians..."
Fan Nan's voice trembled slightly, "They...they bypassed Xiongzhou and Yizhou, and broke through Daming Prefecture in Hebei!"
"By the time Cao Jun and General Liu Pan discovered this, their vanguard had already penetrated deep into the Daxing Mountains, their forces pointing directly at... Luzhou and Zezhou!"
"What?!"
Zhao Muyun suddenly stood up and snatched the military report.
In the candlelight, his pupils suddenly contracted.
The military report clearly stated that Wuzhu, the Left Wise King, personally led at least 80,000 elite cavalry, supplemented by a large number of auxiliary infantry, and did not launch a strong attack on Hejian Prefecture, which was heavily fortified by Li Jingang.
Instead, they used guides and inside agents familiar with the terrain to navigate secret mountain paths and complete a strategic detour at an astonishing speed!
Although Cao Jun and Liu Pan tried their best to intercept them, their forces were scattered and could only delay a part of their detachment, unable to stop the main force.
"Luzhou, Zezhou..."
Fan Nan gasped, nearly dropping his teacup.
"This is the southeastern gateway of Hedong. Li Jingang's troops had been unable to conquer it for a long time. Unexpectedly, the Tartars did not attack Li Jingang, but instead came to threaten us!"
"This is extremely detrimental to our negotiations with Li Jingang!"
For a moment, the council chamber was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; the only sounds were heavy breathing and the howling wind outside the window.
Originally, it was thought that the Tartars' primary target was Li Jingang's core area, while Hedong could remain on the sidelines and wait for an opportunity to act.
Unexpectedly, the Northern Barbarians had such keen insight and ruthless tactics, directly bringing the flames of war to the vital point of Hedong!
However, Zhao Muyun slammed his fist on the table, causing the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone to jump.
"What a brilliant Wushu! He must have a master guiding him."
He forced himself to calm down quickly, his gaze sharp as an eagle's: "Take immediate action:"
"First, send a message by carrier pigeon to Cao Cao and Liu Bei, ordering them to send small detachments to entangle the Northern Di's flanks, harass their supply lines, and slow down their advance!"
"At the same time, order Xiao Cheyun, Zhang Huan, and Wang Ben of Luzhou and Zezhou to consolidate their forces, guard the passes, and refrain from taking the initiative to fight."
"Second, martial law is declared in Xijing, and all troops are on high alert! Lin Feng is ordered to strengthen the defenses of Longmen Pass and Shanzhou, and to guard against Li Jingang taking advantage of the situation to launch an attack."
"Third, immediately copy down the core contents of this military report and send twice the number of fast horses, one to Shen Qian at Fenglingdu and the other... directly to Li Jingang in the capital. Let them know that when the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken."
He paused, his tone chilling:
"Tell the messenger that we can tell the capital that if Hedong collapses, the Northern Di cavalry will be able to drink from the Yellow River within ten days. Let's see how long Li Jingang's capital can remain peaceful!"
......
Fenglingdu, the elegant room of "Wangheju".
The second meeting between Shen Qian and Li Yuan had just begun, and the atmosphere was even more subtle than the first.
The two sides are locked in a tug-of-war over every inch of ground, including the specific list of prisoners to be released, details of the border demarcation, and the level of future intelligence sharing.
Li Yuan attempted to gain more prestige for the Great Feng Dynasty.
Shen Qian firmly holds onto the vested interests of Hedong, and their verbal exchanges reveal hidden reefs lurking beneath the seemingly calm surface.
However, a storm far exceeding their expectations was sweeping in from the north.
As Shen Qian and Li Yuan were arguing about a problem, the door was suddenly pushed open, and one of Shen Qian's confidants rushed in with a panicked expression.
He disregarded etiquette, leaned close to Shen Qian's ear and whispered something, then slipped a secret letter into his hand.
Li Yuan frowned slightly.
But after reading the secret letter, Shen Qian's face darkened visibly, and even the fingers holding the letter tightened slightly.
His heart sank, and an ominous premonition arose within him.
Shen Qian slowly raised his head, his previous composure and sharpness completely gone, replaced by an almost icy solemnity.
He waved for his confidants to leave, closed the door, then looked directly at Li Yuan and pushed the secret letter over to him.
“Your Highness,” Shen Qian no longer used the pseudonym “Mr. Yuan,” his voice deep and powerful, “there is no need to dwell on trivial matters any longer. Please look at this.”
"This is a military report we just received, delivered by express courier from Hebei."
Li Yuan was deeply shocked and quickly glanced at the secret letter.
The more you look at him, the paler his face becomes, and fine beads of cold sweat even seep from his forehead.
"This...how is this possible? His Majesty has a key garrison in Daming Prefecture, how could it have fallen?"
"It is pointless to investigate why the defense was lost now."
Shen Qian interrupted him, his tone urgent, "The fact is, the main force of the Northern Barbarians has swept through the northern barrier like a flood and is heading towards the weakest point on both sides!"
"Your Highness, the saying 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold' is no exaggeration! If our Hedong Luze falls, the Northern Barbarians' next target will be Mengjin Ferry and Xiaopingjin, where they can easily cross the river!"
"At that time, the north gate of the capital will be wide open, and you will have no defenses left!"
He stood up, leaning forward, giving Li Yuan a tremendous sense of pressure:
"The previous conditions are null and void! Now, we need Your Highness to make a decision immediately and report back to the capital as quickly as possible:"
First, your dynasty must immediately issue an imperial edict recognizing our existing territory, and all parties, including Yang Chao of Jiannan Circuit, must not interfere!
Second, immediately release the merchants and their goods who have traded with my Hedong region as the first batch of relief supplies!
Third, Yang Chao is hereby ordered to immediately cease all provocative actions on the border. If even one arrow crosses the border, it shall be considered treason, and Hedong and the imperial court shall jointly punish him!
Fifth, the matter of General Li Hu can be discussed later, but the court must immediately demonstrate its sincerity in cooperation!
These requirements are many times more stringent than before.
Li Yuan's face turned ashen. He knew that this meant Zhao Muyun was in a critical situation, but it also meant that if Li Jingang did not agree, Hedong might be willing to perish together with Zhao Muyun.
They might even make more extreme choices in order to survive.
“Mr. Shen…this matter is of utmost importance, I…I need to see the Emperor immediately!” Li Yuan could no longer sit still and abruptly stood up.
"Your Highness, please proceed immediately!"
Shen Qian cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, his tone leaving no room for doubt, “Every moment of delay could make the situation irreversible! I will wait here for Your Highness’s good news, but hopefully… we won’t see the smoke signals of war from the Northern Barbarians!”
Li Yuan said no more and left in a hurry, his footsteps echoing on the wooden stairs, hurried and disordered.
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