Along the Baigou River, the cold wind seemed even more biting than it had been ten days ago, whipping up ice shards from the river surface and stinging people's faces like fine needles.
The military tent that had once served as the meeting place was erected again, but this time, the atmosphere outside the tent was far more somber than before.
The elite cavalry of the Hedong Army and the Fengtian Army faced each other from a distance of several hundred paces.
Both knights gripped their weapons tightly, their eyes scanning each other warily. An invisible pressure filled the air, as if a single spark could ignite a massive battle.
Zhao Muyun still only brought Tang Yanhai, Li Si, and a hundred personal guards, his black cloak fluttering in the wind.
His expression was calm as he glanced at the Fengtian Army cavalrymen who were standing ready in battle opposite him, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips.
Yang Yan appeared surrounded by a group of generals. He was dressed in a formal commander's robe, with a sword at his waist. His expression was calm, but deep in his eyes was a trace of weariness and gloom that was hard to hide.
The cost of the bloody battle in Changzhou was far heavier than he had anticipated.
The two sat down in the tent again. The charcoal brazier was still there, but it couldn't warm the frozen atmosphere.
"Prime Minister Yang, congratulations on capturing Changzhou."
Zhao Muyun spoke first, his tone calm and revealing no emotion, "Although it took a long time, you ultimately won the bet. As agreed, the position of Grand General of the Hebei Army is yours."
His straightforward admission surprised Yang Yan and the Fengtian Army generals behind him.
They had anticipated that Zhao Muyun would make excuses or even turn against them, but they did not expect him to be so "easygoing".
Yang Yan gave Zhao Muyun a deep look, but saw no resentment or anger on the other's face. This made him more wary than relieved. This young man was cunning and would never give in easily.
"General Zhao kept his promise, and I admire him."
Yang Yan slowly spoke, "In that case, our two armies should work together to recover Youzhou. I wonder what Grand Commander Zhao's thoughts are on the next step of the advance?"
Although he had gained official recognition, he remained cautious and wanted to test Zhao Muyun's bottom line.
Zhao Muyun smiled and leaned forward slightly: "Since the Grand Steward asked, I will speak frankly. Youzhou City is well-fortified. Although Wuzhu was defeated, his strength still remains. In addition, reinforcements from Yanshan are arriving one after another. A direct attack is definitely not the best strategy."
He walked to the map and traced his finger around the area around Youzhou: "I think our army can be divided into two routes. One route, led by the Grand General, will send the main force of the Feng Army northward from Changzhou, through Shunzhou, to directly threaten Youzhou and draw the attention of Wuzhu's main force."
“Another route,” he pointed to Xuanzhou, “will be taken by my Hedong army, which will advance eastward from Xuanzhou, bypass the southern mountainous region of Youzhou, and penetrate into the area of Tanzhou and Jizhou in the northeast of Youzhou, cutting off the connection between Youzhou and the various tribes of Yanshan, and severing their external support and supply lines.”
"In this way, Youzhou will become an isolated city. If this continues for a long time, it will run out of food and supplies and will be unable to receive reinforcements from the outside. It will inevitably fall into internal strife, and we can surrender it without a fight."
The tent was completely silent.
Zhao Muyun's plan sounded reasonable, making full use of the Hedong Army's high mobility and skill in flanking maneuvers, while also entrusting the heavy responsibility of attacking the strong Fengtian Army.
But upon closer inspection, it reveals a hidden secret.
Once the Hedong Army controls Tanzhou and Jizhou, it will be tantamount to choking Youzhou's throat and cutting off Youzhou's route to the grasslands to the north.
Even if they capture Youzhou, the greatest victory and strategic initiative will fall into Zhao Muyun's hands.
How could Yang Yan not see through the scheme?
His expression remained unchanged as he calmly said, "General Zhao's plan is excellent. However, outflanking the enemy's rear carries enormous risks. If we venture too far into enemy territory and are discovered by Wuzhu, we risk total annihilation."
"How about this: our army has more troops, so we can send 30,000 to carry out the infiltration mission together with your troops, supporting each other. The main force of 70,000 will still be under my personal command, and we will launch a frontal attack on Youzhou."
He wanted to send someone to monitor or even control Zhao Muyun.
Zhao Muyun seemed to have expected this, shaking his head and saying, "The quality of troops is more important than their quantity. Flanking maneuvers require speed and concealment. Too many troops will only make it easier to expose our whereabouts and slow us down. Ten thousand of my Hedong troops are enough."
"If the Grand Commander is not at ease, he may send a cavalry unit to support our army on the flank, but the main force should still be concentrated on the front to put enough pressure on Wuzhu so that our army can take advantage of the situation."
He refused to budge an inch and insisted on acting independently.
The two exchanged words back and forth inside the tent, seemingly discussing tactics, but in reality, they were vying for the initiative and control in the future battle for Youzhou.
The Fengtian Army generals looked displeased, but due to their status and the occasion, they did not dare to interrupt.
Finally, seeing Zhao Muyun's resolute attitude, Yang Yan knew that further arguing would be pointless and would only make him appear petty, so he said:
"Since Grand Commander Zhao is so confident, then let us proceed with this plan. Our army will prepare immediately and march north from Changzhou in three days. I hope Grand Commander Zhao will achieve a resounding victory and cut off Youzhou's external support as soon as possible."
"I will certainly live up to the Grand Steward's expectations." Zhao Muyun cupped his hands, his smile unchanged.
After the meeting, the two men parted ways again without exchanging any further pleasantries.
Upon returning to the Hedong army camp, Zhong Meng immediately couldn't help but ask:
"Grand Commander, are we really going to go through all that trouble to attack Tanzhou and Jizhou? Wouldn't that be leaving the tough nuts for Yang Yan to crack? What if he takes Youzhou first, and all the credit goes to him?"
Zhao Muyun glanced at him, then looked at Wu Shangzhi, Guo Luo, and the others who also looked puzzled, and said calmly, "Do you really think Yang Yan can easily take Youzhou?"
He walked to the map and pointed to Youzhou City: "Youzhou's defenses are no weaker than Changzhou's. He still has 70,000 elite Northern Di troops and 50,000 surrendered soldiers. Relying on the fortified city, even if Yang Yan has 100,000 troops, he will have to break his teeth and pay a heavy price to take it by force."
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
