Just after noon, Murong Chunhua, who was scouting ahead, sent a messenger to report: Feng Army cavalry, about three thousand men, have been spotted moving in this direction from the western official road!
"Who is leading the troops?" Zhao Muyun reined in his warhorse.
"Judging by the banner, it's Li Jin!"
Zhao Muyun's heart sank.
Li Jin was Yang Yan's top cavalry general. Although he had been ambushed and repelled by Guo Luo's heavy cavalry, that was an unexpected attack.
Given the current state of the Hedong Army, a direct confrontation would not be very likely to succeed.
Have they spotted us?
"Not yet, but based on their respective routes, they will meet in half an hour."
Zhao Muyun quickly surveyed the terrain.
They were in a valley with steep mountains on both sides and only two exits, one in front and one behind.
If Li Jin corners us here, we'll be trapped like turtles in a jar.
"Order the entire army to halt and take cover!"
Zhao Muyun made a quick decision: "Guo Luo, take your men to the mountain pass ahead and set up an ambush. Tang Yanhai, archers, move to the slopes on both sides. Murong Chunhua, your light cavalry battalion, spread out and harass the enemy's flanks to buy time."
"Grand Commander, we are outnumbered, and a direct confrontation might be difficult..." Guo Luo said worriedly.
"No direct confrontation." A ruthless glint flashed in Zhao Muyun's eyes. "We must make Li Jin back down. Shen Qian!"
"exist!"
"Raise all the remaining flags and scatter them throughout the valley to create the illusion of a large ambush. Then find a few dozen men to run back and forth in the woods, raising dust."
"A bluff?" Tang Yanhai understood.
“Yes.” Zhao Muyun said coldly, “Li Jin has suffered a loss before, so he must be wary. Seeing that we are on high alert, he will not dare to attack rashly. As long as we can delay until dark, we can take advantage of the darkness to break off contact.”
The plan was executed swiftly.
Although the soldiers of the Hedong Army were exhausted, they obeyed orders and quickly set up a feint in the valley.
The flags were faintly visible among the trees, and the figures were indistinct. Coupled with the dust deliberately kicked up, from a distance, it did indeed look like a large army lying in ambush.
Half an hour later, Li Jin's three thousand cavalrymen appeared at the western entrance of the valley.
Upon seeing the scene in the valley, Li Jin reined in his horse, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.
"General, judging from the banners, they are from the Hedong Army, and there are quite a few of them," the lieutenant whispered. "They seem to have been prepared for this."
Li Jin pointed his riding whip at the valley: "Zhao Muyun is cunning in his military tactics. We suffered heavy losses at Luoyingjian and the North Gate of Youzhou before. This valley has a treacherous terrain; what if there's an ambush..."
"But the Grand Steward's orders are to hold them off for at least three days."
"That's only if you're alive to hold out." Li Jin sneered. "Send the order: the vanguard scouts ahead, proceed cautiously. The rest of you keep your distance and do not rashly enter the valley."
The Fengtian cavalry began to advance cautiously, at a very slow pace. At this moment, Murong Chunhua's light cavalry battalion attacked from the flank, unleashing a volley of arrows at the Fengtian army ranks before fleeing into the distance.
"Enemy attack!" The Fengtian Army erupted in chaos.
Li Jin roared in fury: "Chase them!"
But the light cavalry had already disappeared into the woods. The Fengtian army pursued them for a while, but fearing they would fall into a trap, they had no choice but to retreat.
This harassment continued for two hours, as dusk approached. Li Jin still dared not launch a full-scale attack, while the Hedong army used this time to quietly move to the east side of the valley.
As night fell, Zhao Muyun finally got her chance.
"Now! The entire army breaks out to the east! Don't linger, move quickly!"
Four thousand soldiers from Hedong rushed out of the eastern entrance of the valley like arrows and headed south along a hidden path.
By the time Li Jin discovered it, it was too late. Pursuing them in the dark was too risky, and he could only watch helplessly as the Hedong army disappeared into the darkness.
"General, should we pursue them?" the lieutenant asked.
Li Jin's face turned ashen: "What are you chasing? The mountain roads are difficult to travel in the dark. What if we fall into an ambush? Send someone back to report to the Grand Commander that the Hedong Army has fled south and our army is in pursuit."
He actually didn't want to pursue her anymore.
Zhao Muyun's military tactics made him uneasy; this mission was clearly a hot potato.
Pursuing too closely might result in losses, while losing them would leave us unable to explain ourselves to Yang Yan.
It's better to just follow along, which will save face and avoid a direct confrontation.
Meanwhile, the Hedong army was desperately making its way through the night.
After a swift eighty li march in one night, by the time dawn broke again, the army had reached the southern foothills of the Yanshan Mountains, less than a day's journey from Luoyingjian.
"Rest for an hour," Zhao Muyun ordered, his voice already hoarse.
The soldiers almost collapsed to the ground, and many fell asleep with their rations in their arms.
Zhao Muyun leaned against a tree, closing her eyes to rest, but her mind was racing.
I wonder how the three thousand garrison troops at Luoyingjian are doing.
Can Zhong Meng hold on?
If Yang Yan sends troops to attack, how long can they hold out?
In Xijing, Yinji, Fan Nan, Pei Lun, and Lin Feng have been holding out against Yang Chao's 50,000-strong army for over a month.
No matter how strong the city walls are or how abundant the food supplies are, there is always a limit.
"Grand Commander, have some water." Guo Luo handed over a water pouch.
Zhao Muyun took the water, drank a sip, and the cool water invigorated him.
"Guo Luo, if we return to Hedong, reorganize our troops, and immediately rush to the aid of Xijing, what do you think our chances of victory are?"
Guo Luo paused for a moment, then spoke frankly: "Not much. Our army has suffered heavy casualties in the series of bloody battles, and needs time to rest and replenish its forces."
"Yang Chao's 50,000 troops are well-rested and ready for battle, and it's a siege, so even if we arrive, it will be difficult to break through the encirclement."
"What if... we don't go directly to Xijing?" A glint of light flashed in Zhao Muyun's eyes.
"What does the Grand Commander mean?"
"To relieve the siege of Wei by attacking Zhao." Zhao Muyun picked up a twig and drew a simple diagram on the snow. "Yang Chao is attacking Xijing, so his supplies will inevitably come from Jiannan Road. If we send a surprise force to bypass Xijing and go straight to the northern part of Jiannan Road, we can cut off his supply lines..."
Guo Luo's eyes lit up: "Then Yang Chao will definitely retreat!"
"Not only that," Zhao Muyun continued, "Yang Yan also needs a lot of food and supplies to pursue Wuzhu. If we can threaten the supply lines of both armies at the same time, they will not dare to make any rash moves."
"But we don't have enough troops."
"Quality over quantity is the key to a good army." Zhao Muyun threw away the tree branch. "Murong Chunhua's light cavalry battalion is best suited for this kind of mission. They come and go like the wind, specializing in attacking supply lines and depots, striking and leaving immediately."
"Meanwhile, the main force is positioned to reinforce Xijing and contain Yang Chao."
Guo Luo said excitedly, "This plan is feasible! However, it requires detailed planning and must be done quickly, as Xijing cannot hold out for much longer."
"Therefore, we must get to Luoyingjian as soon as possible, meet Zhong Meng, and then head south immediately."
Zhao Muyun stood up. "Pass down the order: continue the journey in one hour, and be sure to reach Eagle Falling Gorge before nightfall today!"
The order was given, and the exhausted soldiers struggled to their feet and continued their journey.
However, when they finally saw the entrance to Luoyingjian at dusk, the sight before them made everyone's hearts sink.
The camp at Luoyingjian was still there, and the flags were still flying, but it was too quiet, eerily quiet.
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