“What you all said is incisive and comes from the bottom of your hearts.”
His voice was calm, yet it carried a calming power. "Yang Yan's plan is an open scheme. He anticipates that our army is exhausted and unable to launch a swift attack, so he uses this edict to pressure us and throw the problem at us."
"If I obey his order to send troops, it will play right into their hands. Our army will suffer heavy losses and our strength will be greatly diminished. Regardless of victory or defeat, it will be advantageous to them."
“If I disobey orders and do not come out, he will have an excuse to abandon Hebei, divert the attention of the Northern Di tiger to our Hedong, and put us in a situation where we cannot stand alone. Furthermore, he can use this to put the blame on our Great Yin in front of the court for sitting idly by and watching the Central Plains suffer!”
He paused, a cold and confident smile curving his lips:
"However, Yang Yan has ultimately underestimated me, Zhao Muyun, the courage of everyone here to die with the enemy, and our iron army that has survived countless battles!"
He stood up, walked to the huge map of mountains and rivers, pointed heavily at the location of Daizhou, and his voice suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable determination:
"Sending troops is inevitable! With Wuzhu rampaging and foreign troops at the gates of the city, how can I, Zhao Muyun, stand idly by?"
"But not now, nor to launch a full-scale attack on the fortified city of Youzhou, and certainly not to follow the path laid out by Yang Yan!"
"Wu Shangzhi!"
"Your subordinate is here!" Wu Shangzhi stepped forward, his voice booming like a bell.
"I order you to lead five thousand elite cavalry, with plenty of banners and drums, to set out from the Daxing Mountains immediately and advance eastward to the area of Caozhou and Xiongzhou!"
"Your mission is not to conquer cities and territories, but to bluff, wave flags and shout slogans, and make it appear as if my army is advancing eastward!"
“Continuously harass the Northern Di’s supply lines and scouts. If you encounter a small group of enemy troops, you can annihilate them. But if you encounter their main force, you must be defeated but not defeated. You must immediately flee far away and use the mobility of cavalry to maneuver against them.”
"I want Wuzhu to know that my troops, Zhao Muyun's troops, have moved! His backyard is not so safe! But I want to keep him guessing about our strength and the direction of our main force."
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Excitement gleamed in Wu Shangzhi's eyes; he loved these kinds of flexible and mobile missions the most.
"Tang Yanhai, Guo Luo!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"You two are in charge of accelerating the infantry's rest and training! Supervise the logistics, replenish armor, arrows, and provisions, especially siege equipment and defensive supplies, and work day and night!"
"I want to see a fully equipped and menacing army regain its fighting spirit within a month!"
"Yes! We will not fail you!" Tang Yanhai and Guo Luo replied in unison.
"Xi Sheng, Liu Yi!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"Strengthen the defenses of all passes and cities in Daizhou, Xinzhou, and even Jinyang Prefecture!"
"Prepare plenty of logs, rolling stones, kerosene, and molten gold; inspect the city walls and clear the firing range! We must prepare for the worst; in the event of the collapse of Hebei, we must be able to hold our ground and block Wuzhu's westward advance!"
"Yes, sir!" The two men replied solemnly.
"Namtso, Huanwu!"
Zhao Muyun looked at the two loyal alien leaders and said solemnly, "I urge you to urge the warriors of each tribe to rest and recuperate their warhorses to restore their strength."
"In future battles, whether attacking or defending, your iron cavalry will be the backbone of our army!"
"Rest assured, Lord Zhao! The descendants of the Eternal Heaven will not back down when their friends are in need!" Namtso bowed with his hand on his chest and solemnly promised.
"Liu Pan, Cao Jun!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"You two will be responsible for training the new recruits, and at the same time, closely monitor the movements of various places in Hedong, especially the prefectures and counties bordering Hebei!"
"Beware of infiltration by Northern Di spies, and also... be wary of the secret activities of Fengchao spies and other forces."
"Understood! I will certainly live up to your expectations!"
With the assignments finalized, the generals received their orders and left, leaving only Zhao Muyun and the ever-silent Shen Qian in the study.
Zhao Muyun turned his gaze back to the location of Xiangzhou on the map, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
"Yang Yan, you want to hold Hebei firmly, use my strength to restrain Wuzhu, and even want to take back Xijing... Your meticulous thinking and ruthless methods make you a formidable enemy in my life."
Zhao Muyun muttered to himself, a hint of coldness in his voice, as if he had met his match. "Unfortunately, we both know that the game of chess in this world is not limited to just Hebei."
"You want to hold off Wuzhu while I fight him to the death under the walls of Youzhou? Dream on. I'll make sure you don't get your way."
He turned to Shen Qian, a calculating glint in his eyes: "Send orders to our people in the capital and Hebei to use every available channel to spread the news widely."
"I, Zhao Muyun, am deeply grateful for the country's favor. I have mobilized all the elite troops of Hedong, prepared for battle, and will soon march out of the Daxing Mountains and eastward to Youzhou to fight Wuzhu to the death!"
"We need to make a big show of it, the more the better, ideally so that even Wuzhu's spies know about it!"
Shen Qian asked in confusion, "My lord, what is this...?"
Zhao Muyun smiled slightly: "Make the deception real, and the real deception illusory. I want to make Wuzhu suspicious and hesitant to go south with full force, and I also want to make Yang Yan unable to figure out my true intentions."
"At the same time, send another secret letter to Han Zhong, telling him that there is no need to rush into a decisive battle with Tuoba Wuhu."
"Let him proceed steadily and resolve the Yinzhou issue at the lowest possible cost. Most importantly, we must preserve our military strength to the greatest extent possible! In the future great battle, the military strength of Hedong will be of paramount importance!"
"Yes! I'll arrange it right away!" Shen Qian accepted the order and left.
Zhao Muyun stood alone in front of the map, his gaze slowly moving between the areas representing the Northern Di, the Great Feng, the Western Capital, and his own sphere of influence.
The flames of war raged in Hebei, Yang Yan's return to power, the imperial court's relentless pressure, and the potential threat to Xijing...
All the pressure gathered like heavy dark clouds, but the light in his eyes grew sharper and more determined, like a tiger lurking in the darkness, waiting for its chance.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
