"Grand Commander! Are we really giving up Youzhou?"
Tang Yanhai has always obeyed Zhao Muyun's orders without question, ever since the Yanqingdun beacon tower.
However, Tang Yanhai was unwilling to give up the mighty and magnificent city, which was twice the size of Jinyang, before he could even get used to it.
"Why don't we hold our ground for now and have Lao Han send troops from Hedong to provide support as soon as possible?"
"As long as we have more than 20,000 people, no one can take it from us."
Wu Shangzhi suddenly clasped his hands in a fist salute, the armor plates clanging loudly, his voice trembling slightly with excitement:
"Grand Commander! My brothers in the Heavy Cavalry and I are heartbroken! We risked our lives to win Youzhou City!"
"So many of our old brothers from Yinzhou fell on the road to Pancheng, fell in front of the Privy Council's residence!"
"I don't know how to tell my brothers if I'm just going to give up now!"
His eyes reddened, clearly remembering his comrades who remained forever in Youzhou City.
Although Guo Luo, Xi Sheng, and the others did not speak, their faces were filled with resentment and incomprehension.
Wu Shangzhi and Tang Yanhai are Zhao Muyun's sworn brothers.
Although they did not understand Zhao Muyun's decision, they did not express any intention to disobey Zhao Muyun's military orders.
Now that the two of them had raised everyone's questions, they would listen to Zhao Muyun's explanation.
Murong Chunhua, who had always trusted Zhao Muyun's schemes, frowned deeply, clearly unable to understand the order.
Despite the almost unanimous opposition from the generals, Zhao Muyun remained unusually calm.
He walked to the window, gazing at the gradually returning vitality of Youzhou's streets and alleys, and slowly spoke, his voice not loud, yet clearly reaching everyone's ears:
"Gentlemen, who do you think will be happiest after we take Youzhou? And who will be most afraid?"
Everyone was taken aback.
Zhao Muyun turned around, his gaze sharp as a knife: "The happiest ones are perhaps us, Xijing, and countless Dayin people who yearn for an end to the war and a peaceful life."
"But what we fear most is definitely not Wuzhu, who invaded our Central Plains!"
He pointed south: "The Fenglingdu Alliance was merely a stopgap measure."
"Li Jingang, Ma Zongliang, and Niu Desheng, they are always thinking about wiping us out and annexing Hedong!"
“We have never been true allies with Li Jingang; we have only been temporarily forced into the same trench by the more powerful enemy, the Northern Barbarians.”
He walked to the map and pointed heavily at the location of Tanzhou:
“Ma Zongliang is always shrewd and calculating in his military campaigns. Do you really think that Wuzhu will obediently watch us occupy Youzhou and allow our Hedong power to expand and threaten them after his defeat?”
Tang Yanhai seemed to be thinking: "The Grand Commander means... that Fengchao might..."
"It's not a possibility, it's a certainty!"
Zhao Muyun said decisively, "If I'm not mistaken, as long as Wuzhu retreats, Ma Zongliang will definitely not pursue Wuzhu with all his might. Instead, he will preserve his strength, lie in wait, and wait for an opportunity."
"Once we fight the retreating Tartars to the point of mutual destruction, he can then come out to clean up the mess. Not only can he easily recapture Youzhou, but he might even take advantage of our weakness in Hedong and advance westward, threatening our very foundation!"
"Think about it, even if we transfer another 10,000 troops from Hedong, how can we withstand the repeated attacks of 100,000 Tartars and 100,000 Fengchao troops?"
"Moreover, our forces are concentrated in Youzhou. What should we do if Li Jingang launches a surprise attack on Longmen Pass?"
"Our current strength does not allow us to stretch the battle lines too far."
The tent fell silent instantly.
The generals were all shocked by Zhao Muyun's analysis and broke out in a cold sweat.
They were so caught up in the joy of conquering Youzhou and their worries about the Northern Di's counterattack that they almost forgot there was a fierce tiger lurking behind them!
“But…” Xi Sheng said in a muffled voice, “Even if the Fengchao has ill intentions, we can defend the city and not be afraid of them! Youzhou is a high-walled city with deep moats…”
“Defend?” Zhao Muyun interrupted him. “What can we use to defend? Our army has been through a series of bloody battles. Our soldiers are exhausted and have suffered heavy casualties. Although the saying that we have run out of arrows and food is a bit of an exaggeration, supplies are indeed in short supply.”
"The three thousand newly recruited soldiers have not yet won over the hearts of the people, and they are not yet ready to fight. What we are facing may be Wuzhu's furious counterattack, as well as Ma Zongliang's well-rested and powerful army of over one hundred thousand!"
"Being attacked from both sides and isolated behind enemy lines, Youzhou is not a fortress, but a dead end!"
He looked around at everyone, his tone serious: "Gentlemen, we cannot fight a war based on mere courage. What we want is final victory, not momentary impulse."
"Youzhou is important, but even more important is preserving our strength and maintaining the strategic initiative! Temporarily abandoning Youzhou may seem like a retreat, but it is actually a strategic retreat!"
"A strategic retreat?" Wu Shangzhi still couldn't quite grasp the concept.
“That’s right!” Zhao Muyun continued, “If we abandon Youzhou, Wuzhu will definitely lead his army to fight for it. And Ma Zongliang, would he be willing to let Wuzhu take Youzhou back so easily?”
"No! What he wants is for the snipe and the clam to fight, while the fisherman profits. So let's create an opportunity for them to suffer mutual losses!"
His eyes gleamed with wisdom, a wisdom born from a time traveler's precise understanding and strategic brilliance, a wisdom that could be overwhelmingly superior to anything else.
"When we evacuated, we emptied Youzhou City, including supplies and civilians!"
"By the way, let's leave some surprises here for Ma Zongliang or Wuzhu when they enter the city."
Wu Shangzhi asked, "Not all the people of Youzhou City will necessarily follow us!"
"Yes, yes, there are over 100,000 people in Youzhou, with their families in tow."
Zhao Muyun smiled calmly: "We'll take those who are willing to come with us. Once we get to Hedong, we will definitely not let them suffer any losses."
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