Zhao Muyun was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Then let's quit while we're ahead! We've given Yang Yan the opportunity; whether he proves useful or not is beyond our control!"
"However, based on my understanding of him, he certainly won't let go of such a golden opportunity to seize Youzhou!"
After resting for an hour.
As dawn broke and the snow stopped, the leaden clouds hung low, making it the perfect time to launch a surprise attack.
With insufficient light and obstructed vision, and having been on guard all night, the early morning was the time when people were most tired.
"Set off."
The four thousand soldiers set off again, this time not on a forced march, but stealthily.
The horses' hooves were all wrapped in thick cloth, and the soldiers advanced by following the footprints of their predecessors, minimizing the traces they left behind.
The twenty sleds had been abandoned in the woods by the river, and all five hundred thunderbolts were carried by the Divine Machine Battalion.
It took nearly two hours to travel thirty li (approximately 15 kilometers).
At midday, in the rolling hills and woods north of Youzhou City, four thousand elite troops from the Hedong Army had quietly taken their positions, hidden in a depression only a mile from the city wall.
From here, the northern city wall of Youzhou stands majestically.
The guards could indeed be seen on the top of the wall, but their numbers were sparse and the intervals between patrols were long.
The wolf-head flags of the Northern Barbarians could be faintly seen fluttering in the cold wind from the city tower.
As expected, the defenses at the north gate were relatively weak.
Zhao Muyun lay prone behind a sloping earthen mound, carefully observing the city gate with a monocular telescope.
The north gate was tightly closed, and the drawbridge in front of it had been lowered—although the moat was frozen, this indicated that the garrison was at least routinely carrying out the city's defense procedures.
"There are five sentries on the city gate tower, and about ten guards on each of the two watchtowers on either side of the city gate."
Zhao Muyun whispered, "The patrol passes by every fifteen minutes. Liu Yi, do you see that shadow on the left side of the city gate?"
Liu Yi looked in the direction Zhao Muyun pointed, and saw a depression where the city gate met the city wall, right in the blind spot of the sentry.
"That's the best spot to place the thunderbolt."
Zhao Muyun said, "We'll go in three groups. The first group of fifty will eliminate any possible sentries; the second group of one hundred and fifty will transport the detonators; and the third group of three hundred will be responsible for their placement and cover."
"Understood!" A resolute glint flashed in Liu Yi's eyes.
"Xiao Wu, lead your light cavalry forward to a point three hundred paces away. Upon hearing the first explosion, immediately fire arrows at the enemy towers and city walls on both sides to suppress the defenders."
"Don't be stingy with arrows. In the first thirty breaths, create a rain of arrows so that the defenders can't raise their heads."
"receive!"
"Guo Luo, the heavy cavalry battalion is to wait behind the woods east of the city gate. Once the city gate is breached, charge immediately, but do not venture deep into the city. Keep charging back and forth near the city gate to create chaos."
"Yes, sir!"
"Alright, let's go!"
Zhao Muyun swung his hand downwards heavily.
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