Meanwhile, in Youzhou City, Wuzhu had received reports from scouts that Zhao Muyun and Yang Yan had divided their forces to attack Xuan and Chang prefectures.
The once invincible Left Wise King of the Northern Barbarians, after the defeat at Luancheng, had a more sinister look in his eyes, but his heroic demeanor remained undiminished.
He sneered, "Good! Very good! The Southerners are indeed cunning and hypocritical, all talk and no action! Order Ali Gua and Arahan to hold Xuanzhou and Changzhou! Hold them off for at least half a month!"
"At the same time, have there been any responses to the conscription orders issued to various units in Yanshan?"
The commander of the personal guards replied, "Your Majesty, three tribes have responded and can gather 20,000 cavalry, who are on their way. The other tribes... are still observing."
"Stay and wait?" Wuzhu's eyes flashed with a fierce light. "Tell them that if Youzhou falls, they'll be next! Send another envoy to urge them on!"
"yes!"
"Furthermore," Wuzhu walked to the map, pointing between Xuanzhou and Changzhou, "Zhao Muyun has fewer troops, while Yang Yan has more, but Yang Yan's journey is slightly longer..."
"Since they want to compete, let's give them a little something extra... Send an order to Arahan to send a small group of elite cavalry to harass Zhao Muyun's supply lines!"
"Remember, you must act under Yang Yan's name!"
Wuzhu revealed a cruel smile.
The infighting among the southerners was a golden opportunity for him to regroup and even turn the tide.
He wanted Zhao Muyun and Yang Yan to shed their last drop of blood on this land of Yanyun!
The three parties began a fierce and far-reaching struggle over Youzhou and its gateway.
The shadow of war loomed over Yanyun.
The north wind howled, and the weather grew even colder after the first heavy snow melted.
In the biting cold wind, two massive armies marched like steel torrents toward Xuanzhou and Changzhou respectively.
Banners fluttered, swords and spears stood like a forest, and the chilling atmosphere startled the crows on the withered branches.
The vanguard of the Hedong Army, led by Xi Sheng, moved with extreme speed.
Despite carrying enormous loads, the strong men of the Mo Dao Battalion marched with steady and powerful strides, demonstrating their extremely high level of training.
They bypassed potentially dangerous areas where ambushes might be set up, and sent scouts twenty miles ahead to ensure the army's movements remained secret.
Three days later, the vanguard had arrived ten miles outside Xuanzhou City.
Xi Sheng ordered his troops to hide and rest in a sheltered valley.
Elite night raiders disguised themselves as refugees or merchants and infiltrated Xuanzhou City to investigate the garrison's strength, defenses, and food supplies.
The commander of Xuanzhou was named Hutula, a fierce general under Wuzhu. He was brave and strong, but lacked wisdom and strategy.
There were approximately 8,000 Northern Di soldiers and about 5,000 surrendered Hebei troops in the city.
Thanks to Wuzhu's strict orders and the panic caused by the defeat at Luancheng, Hutula ordered the four gates to be closed and the city's defenses to be reinforced. Rolling logs, stones, hot oil, and molten gold were all prepared, and the city adopted a posture of defending to the death.
The night watchman quickly relayed the intelligence back.
After careful analysis, Xi Sheng concluded that the morale of the Xuanzhou garrison was low, and the surrendered troops were even more distraught. However, given the fortified city, a direct assault would inevitably result in heavy losses.
He immediately sent the intelligence back to Zhao Muyun, who was on his way.
When Zhao Muyun received the intelligence, the central army was already thirty miles away from Xuanzhou.
He pondered for a moment, then said to Guo Luo and Liu Yi beside him, "If Hutula wants to be a coward, then we'll force him out, or... let him make a mess of things on his own."
He ordered: "Order Zhong Meng to lead two thousand light infantrymen, carrying many flags and drums, to launch a feigned attack outside the north gate of Xuanzhou at midnight tonight, creating the illusion of a large army attacking the city. The bigger the commotion, the better, but they must not actually scale the city walls."
"Order Murong Chunhua to lead all light cavalry around Xuanzhou and ambush them near the official road leading to Youzhou. If any messengers or small groups of troops leave the city, intercept and kill them!"
"Order Xi Sheng's troops to remain hidden until the feigned attack on the north gate begins. Then, send elite Mo Dao soldiers to infiltrate near the west gate. If the enemy is drawn to the north gate, or if chaos breaks out within the city, seize the opportunity to capture the gate!"
"Guo Luo, the heavy cavalry battalion is on standby. If there is any disturbance at the city gate, we will launch an immediate attack!"
The generals acted according to the plan.
......
That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high.
At midnight, torches suddenly lit up the area outside the north gate of Xuanzhou, and the sounds of battle and war drums filled the air, as if tens of thousands of troops were attacking the city.
The soldiers guarding the city wall immediately tensed up, and alarm sirens blared.
Upon hearing the news, Hutula rushed to the North Gate to oversee the battle and transferred some of the garrison troops from the West and East Gates to the North Gate as reinforcements.
Just as chaos erupted at the North Gate, several bribed low-ranking officers of the surrendered army suddenly launched an attack near the West Gate inside the city, killing the Northern Di soldiers guarding the gate and attempting to open it.
However, Hutula did not fully trust the surrendered troops and also arranged trusted confidants to guard the west gate. The rebellion was quickly suppressed, but chaos inevitably spread.
At this moment, the elite Mo Dao Battalion, who were lying in ambush outside the West Gate, saw the fire breaking out in the city and heard shouts of battle, and knew that the time had come.
Led by the captain, hundreds of Mo Dao soldiers rushed toward the city gate like ghosts.
By the time the remaining defenders on the city wall discovered it, it was too late.
The heavy longsword slashed at the city gate as it tried to close, sending splinters flying.
The following Hedong army infantrymen swarmed in and engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand battle with the Beidi soldiers who came to reinforce them inside the West Gate.
The effectiveness of the Mo Dao was slightly reduced in this confined environment, but the Hedong Army infantry were equally brave and tenacious, holding off the counterattack of the Northern Di soldiers.
When the news reached the North Gate, Hutula was shocked and realized he had been tricked. He hurriedly divided his troops to reinforce the West Gate.
However, just as the Northern Di troops were being mobilized and their formation was in disarray, Guo Luo's heavy cavalry battalion suddenly burst out of the darkness like a thunderbolt and rushed straight towards the North Gate!
Iron hooves shattered the ice and snow!
The terrifying impact of the heavily armored cavalry instantly tore apart the still-unstable Northern Di army formation outside the north gate.
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