"Zhao Muyun! Zhao Muyun! I will tear you to pieces!"
Wuzhu's roar echoed in the main hall of the Youzhou military headquarters, filled with deep-seated hatred and a hint of barely perceptible fear.
The defeat at Luancheng was a surprise attack, a result of the advantage of firearms, and he could also attribute it to carelessness and bad timing.
However, the Battle of Motianling was a real open-field battle. Arahan had the advantage in numbers and was able to wait for the enemy to tire themselves out, yet he was defeated so decisively and thoroughly.
Zhao Muyun's cunning military tactics and the strength of the Hedong army made him feel a real chill.
Last year, he and Right Wise King Wuhan each led an army of 100,000 south. He advanced smoothly all the way to the capital of the Great Yin Dynasty.
The newly enthroned Yin Zhao suffered a military defeat, ceded the Yanyun Road, and paid reparations to sue for peace.
Then, Wuzhu was encouraged by Consort Xiao, whom Yinzhao had reluctantly sent out of the city, to storm the capital, massacre the city for three days, and return with a full load of spoils. As a result, he was designated as the successor by Wutugu Chanyu!
The Right Wise King Wuhan also led an army of 100,000, but he got bogged down in Shuozhou and could not advance any further.
It was Zhao Muyun who stopped Wuhan's advance in Shuozhou.
In that case, if Wuzhu and Wuhan had taken a different route, they might have also suffered a setback in Shuozhou!
Therefore, it should be Wuhan who conquers the capital of the Great Yin Dynasty and becomes the successor of the Chanyu.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger and take care of yourself!" a trusted advisor urged. "The most urgent task is to deal with the current crisis. Yang Yan's attack on the city is fierce, and Zhao Muyun is also watching us closely..."
Wuzhu gasped for breath, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes flashing with ferocity: "Yang Yan... Zhao Muyun... Fine, fine, you all want me dead, don't you?"
A near-manic ruthlessness appeared on his face. "Order that all outer fortifications be abandoned and all troops be withdrawn to the inner city! Drive those captured southern civilians to the city walls to help with the defense!"
"Tell the garrison that if Youzhou falls, everyone will die! If you want to live, fight to the death to defend the city!"
He wanted to turn Youzhou into a meat grinder, using the most brutal methods to wear down the Feng Army, and also to make Zhao Muyun hesitate to act rashly.
"Furthermore," Wuzhu lowered his voice and instructed one of his most trusted generals, "send your most reliable men out of the city secretly to contact... the general of the Fengtian cavalry unit following Zhao Muyun."
"Tell him that as long as they cooperate with us to attack Zhao Muyun from both sides and eliminate him, I am willing to give him half of the treasures in Youzhou's treasury, as well as... all the credit for Zhao Muyun's head!"
"They could even speak on his behalf to Yang Yan!"
By this point, Wuzhu no longer cared who he cooperated with; he was willing to use any means necessary to eliminate Zhao Muyun, his greatest threat.
He keenly sensed that the rift between Yang Yan and Zhao Muyun was the only opportunity he could exploit.
......
now!
After a brief rest and replenishment of spoils following the great victory at Motianling, the Hedong army did not immediately return as Yang Yan had predicted, nor did it continue to penetrate deeper into the northern Di territory.
Zhao Muyun concealed his troops in another forest east of Motianling, quietly observing the situation.
"Grand Commander, what's our next move? What about Xijing..." Wu Shangzhi asked.
Although they had won the battle, the safety of Xijing remained a heavy burden on everyone's hearts.
Zhao Muyun looked at the latest intelligence summary:
The siege of Youzhou has intensified, with the Fengtian Army suffering heavy casualties and making slow progress.
Li Jin's Fengtian cavalry lingered fifty miles to the southwest, seemingly observing.
There seems to be some unusual activity within Youzhou City, and the defending troops are putting up an even more frantic resistance.
From Xijing, the latest news from Lin Feng is that he is still blocking Yang Chao's troops in Wannian.
Although the defending troops suffered heavy casualties, the city walls were solid and morale was still good.
Although Yang Chao's troops launched a fierce offensive, they lacked effective means of attacking the city and there was no immediate danger of breaching it.
"Yang Yan wants to force us to choose between saving Xijing and fighting for Youzhou," Zhao Muyun sneered. "We'll not let him have his way."
He walked to the map and pointed to an area between Motianling and Youzhou: "This is Luoyingjian. It's a strategically important location, with two mountains flanking a ravine, easy to defend and difficult to attack. We'll move our camp here."
"Does the Grand Commander intend to... defend the strategic location and observe the situation?" Guo Luo asked thoughtfully.
"Not entirely." A glint flashed in Zhao Muyun's eyes. "We've made a grand move to Luoyingjian, creating the impression of establishing a stable base here to harass Youzhou's rear for a long time. What will Yang Yan and Wuzhu think?"
Murong Chunhua reacted quickly: "They will think that we have temporarily given up our plan to immediately return to Xijing and want to establish ourselves in Youzhou and wait for the right opportunity."
"Yang Yan will be even more anxious to attack the city, and Wuzhu... might try to remove us as a thorn in his side first."
“That’s right.” Zhao Muyun nodded. “Especially Wuzhu. Arahan has just been defeated. He hates me to the bone, but he’s also worried that I’ll cut off his last connection with Yanshan.”
"Li Jin's Fengtian cavalry has also been looking for an opportunity. Let's spread out our formation like a piece of fat meat and see if we can lure these two hungry wolves over!"
Upon hearing this, the generals gasped in shock.
The Grand Commander is using himself as bait to prepare for another tough battle! With a mere ten thousand troops, how can he possibly deal with threats from both Youzhou and Fengtian?
"We must be driven to the brink of death to survive." Zhao Muyun's tone was calm, yet it contained unwavering determination. "Xijing needs time, and the situation in Youzhou also needs to change."
"The fiercer we fight here, the bigger the commotion we make, the more likely Yang Chao's determination to quickly attack Xijing will waver, Yang Yan's strength to attack Youzhou will be weakened, and the less pressure Prince Jin and Lin Feng will face!"
"And if we can gain a foothold in Luoyingjian, or even win another battle, then the initiative in the entire Yanyun will be completely in our hands."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
