Just then, shouts of battle came from the direction of the valley.
Zhong Meng led his remaining troops out of the valley!
Although there were fewer than two thousand people left, and most of them were injured, they had been trapped for many days and were already seething with anger.
Upon seeing reinforcements, their morale soared, and they pounced on the Fengtian Army like tigers descending a mountain.
Caught between two attacks, the three thousand Fengtian soldiers completely collapsed.
When Guo Luo and Zhong Meng met up, both of them were covered in blood.
"General Zhong, you've suffered!" Guo Luo clasped his hands in a fist salute.
Zhong Meng grinned, revealing a particularly gruesome new scar on his face:
"I knew the Grand Commander would come! Brothers, those who can still fight, follow me to meet the Grand Commander!"
At this moment, Zhao Muyun personally led two thousand infantrymen to launch an attack from the front.
The three-pronged attack annihilated the three thousand Fengtian troops who were besieging the valley. The commander-in-chief was killed in battle by Guo Luo, and the deputy commander led the remaining troops to surrender.
"Take stock of the casualties, seize weapons and horses—and do it quickly!" Zhao Muyun ordered. "Zhong Meng, can you still fight?"
Zhong Meng straightened his back: "I can fight another three hundred rounds!"
"Alright, take your men to the Eagle Falling Gorge camp and join forces with Murong Chunhua. Make sure to take the camp before dawn!"
A fierce glint flashed in Zhao Muyun's eyes. "Wang Huan wanted to trap us, now it's time for him to taste what it's like to be surrounded!"
"Understood!"
Inside the Luoyingjian camp, Wang Huan had already sensed that something was wrong.
The harassing attacks from the west continued, but no real siege ever occurred.
None of the scouts sent to investigate the valley returned, and the faint sounds of battle gradually subsided.
"Something's not right..." Wang Huan's expression grew increasingly grim. "Order a thousand men to come with me out of the camp to investigate!"
However, as soon as he opened the camp gate, he saw a scene that filled him with despair.
In the wind and snow, a dark mass of troops surrounded the camp from three directions.
Facing them were Zhao Muyun's infantry, to their left were Zhong Meng's remnants, and to their right were Guo Luo's heavy cavalry.
Meanwhile, to the west of the camp, Murong Chunhua's light cavalry also ceased their harassment and instead focused on blocking the retreat route.
Besieged on all sides.
"General Wang, how have you been?"
Zhao Muyun rode out into the fray, his voice clearly carried through the wind and snow, "It's been so long since we parted ways in Youzhou, I never expected to see you again so soon."
Wang Huan's face turned pale, but he forced himself to remain calm: "Grand Commander Zhao, we are allies, why must we resort to arms? The Grand General has ordered that you remain in Youzhou to discuss the grand plan of pursuing the Northern Barbarians..."
"And then, like General Zhong Meng, be surrounded and killed by you?"
Zhao Muyun sneered, "General Wang, I'll give you two choices. First, surrender and I guarantee I won't kill any surrendered soldiers; second, resist stubbornly and wait until I break through your camp, then leave no one alive."
Upon hearing this, the Fengtian Army soldiers inside the camp began to stir. They were surrounded, with no reinforcements from the outside and no food supplies from the inside; continuing to hold out meant certain death.
Knowing that the army's morale had collapsed, Wang Huan sighed and said, "Open the camp gates... surrender."
When the sun rose, the wind and snow stopped.
The flags of the Hedong Army once again flew over the Luoyingjian camp.
After the two thousand surrendered Fengtian soldiers were disarmed, they were put under centralized guard, and Wang Huan was brought before Zhao Muyun.
"Kill me or torture me, it's up to you," Wang Huan said, his neck stiff.
Zhao Muyun looked at him for a moment, then suddenly said, "I won't kill you. Go back and tell Yang Yan—I, Zhao Muyun, came to fight against the Di. Now that Youzhou has fallen and the Northern Di have been defeated, my mission is complete."
"If he wants to do anything to us, he should think twice about his abilities. The next time we meet, it will be his death day."
Wang Huan was stunned: "You...let me go?"
"Not only will you be released, but all two thousand of your men will also be released."
Zhao Muyun said calmly, "But the horses and weapons must be left behind. You can walk back to Youzhou and tell Yang Yan that this is the last time I will show mercy."
Wang Huan gave Zhao Muyun a deep look, then clasped his hands in a salute: "I admire the Grand Commander's magnanimity. I will certainly convey these words."
After the surrendered soldiers of Fengtian Army were released, Zhao Muyun immediately summoned his generals to discuss matters.
"Grand Commander, why did you let them go?" Guo Luo asked, puzzled. "These people will become Yang Yan's troops again after they return."
"Killing surrendered soldiers is an ominous sign."
Zhao Muyun shook his head. "Moreover, I want them to go back and relay a message. Yang Yan's primary objective right now is to pursue Wuzhu, and he won't send troops south for the sake of our few thousand men."
"By releasing his men, I'm also telling him that he will always be my defeated foe!"
Tang Yanhai nodded: "The Grand Commander has thought things through thoroughly. So, what shall we do next..."
"Reorganize the troops and return to Hedong immediately."
Zhao Muyun looked south and asked, "Zhong Meng, what are your unit's casualties?"
Zhong Meng's expression darkened: "Of the three thousand brothers, only eighteen hundred remain, and of those, only twelve thousand are capable of fighting."
"The seriously wounded will all be left behind and escorted by Murong Chunhua's light cavalry battalion, taking a slow route back to Hedong. The rest of us will travel light and follow me on a rapid march south."
Zhao Muyun paused, "Our target is not Xijing, but the northern part of Jiannan Road, Yang Chao's grain supply route."
The generals were immediately invigorated and understood Zhao Muyun's intention.
Three days later, the Hedong Army, having rested and replenished its supplies, set off again.
This time, they bypassed all the cities and passes, taking only mountain paths, hiding during the day and moving at night, sneaking southward unnoticed.
At this time, the battle at Xijing City had reached its most critical moment.
Yang Chao's 50,000-strong army besieged Wannian for nearly 20 days. Although they failed to breach the city, they put immense pressure on the defending forces.
The city wall was damaged in many places, the defending army suffered more than half of its casualties, and the arrows and logs were about to run out.
To make matters worse, food supplies began to run out in the city.
Lin Feng ordered a rationing system, with soldiers eating two meals a day and civilians eating one meal a day. Even so, the stored grain would not last more than half a month.
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