On the city wall, Lin Feng stared intently at the rising dust in the distance.
The smoke and dust grew closer, and banners could be vaguely seen waving. A cavalry unit pierced the rear of Yang Chao's army like an arrow.
"Look at the flag! It's the 'Stone' flag!" a sharp-eyed soldier on the city wall shouted.
"stone?"
Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat, "Could it be General Shi Yong from Longyou Road?"
Sure enough, the cavalry charged swiftly and headed straight for Yang Chao's supply camp.
The Fengtian Army's rear was thrown into chaos, and the troops that were attacking the city had to be divided and sent back to reinforce.
"We can hold on for another month!"
Lin Feng trembled with excitement. "Xu Yunlong, pass down the order to gather all soldiers who can still fight and prepare to leave the city to provide support!"
“But Commander, what if this is Yang Chao’s scheme to lure the enemy…” Xu Yunlong hesitated.
"No," Lin Feng said decisively. "Look at the tactics of that cavalry; it's completely in the style of the Longyou Right Army. General Shi Yong and I have worked together for a long time; I recognize his fighting style!"
Below the city, Shi Yong led 5,000 Longyou cavalry to sweep through the rear camp of the Feng Army like a whirlwind.
Each of them was equipped with two warhorses, one for charging and one as a spare, moving swiftly like the wind.
Even more frightening, they brought hundreds of cans of flammable oil.
"Light the fire!" Shi Yong shouted.
The cavalrymen set fire to cloth bundles soaked in flaming oil and hurled them at the Fengtian army's grain carts and tents with slingshots.
Instantly, flames shot into the sky and thick smoke billowed.
In Yang Chao's central command tent, the Jiannan military governor was furious.
"Where did this army come from? What are their scouts good for?!" He overturned the table. "Order the vanguard to continue the siege, and the central army to follow me to wipe out this cavalry!"
However, Shi Yong never confronted him directly.
The Longyou cavalry employed classic grassland tactics—hit and run.
By the time the main force of the Fengtian Army arrived, they had already retreated to a safe distance, regrouped, and were looking for the next weak point.
Just as Yang Chao was in a state of utter distress, the Wannian City Gate suddenly opened wide.
Lin Feng personally led 1,500 garrison troops to break out!
Although their numbers were small, these garrison troops had been suppressed for more than twenty days, and now they were like tigers released from their cages, unstoppable.
"kill!"
Lin Feng took the lead and killed three Fengtian Army soldiers with his spear.
Xu Yunlong and He Yunsheng split into left and right wings, launching a pincer attack on the Fengtian Army besieging the city.
Caught between two attacks, the 5,000 Fengtian soldiers besieging the city were thrown into chaos.
Seeing this, Yang Chao knew that he could not break through the city today, so he gritted his teeth and ordered: "Sound the retreat! The entire army shall return to the camp!"
The Fengtian Army retreated like a receding tide, leaving behind corpses and burning tents.
Half an hour later, Shi Yong's cavalry and Lin Feng's garrison met outside the city.
"General Shi!" Lin Feng dismounted and clasped his hands in salute. "If it weren't for your help today, Wan Nian would be in grave danger!"
Shi Yong hurriedly dismounted and returned the salute: "Governor Lin, with several thousand soldiers, held out for more than twenty days in Wannian. He is a true hero! I admire him!"
It turned out that Pei Lun and Fan Nan saw that Lin Feng's troops were insufficient and that they could not spare troops from Hedong and Huazhou, so they decided to transfer troops from Longyou to provide support.
Wannian is the southern gateway to Xijing. Once it falls, Yang Chao's 50,000-strong army will besiege Xijing.
Yinji immediately ordered Longyou to provide maximum support.
Zhang Zan, the military governor of Longyou, gritted his teeth and ordered the military commander of Ganzhou to go to Guazhou to relieve him. He also squeezed out 5,000 cavalry and 5,000 infantry from Liangzhou and the Qiang and Rong tribes and rushed to the battlefield of Xijing.
The two entered the city side by side, and the defending soldiers cheered with joy upon seeing the reinforcements.
In the city's government office, Lin Feng hosted a banquet to welcome Shi Yong.
"How did General Shi know that Wannian was besieged?" Lin Feng asked.
Shi Yong drank a large bowl of wine, wiped his mouth, and said, "It was an order from the Prince of Jin. I received the order half a month ago, and so I joined forces with Military Governor Zhang to plunder Liangzhou."
"Ten thousand?" Lin Feng's eyes lit up. "There are only five thousand cavalry outside the city, the rest of the troops..."
"They're thirty miles behind," Shi Yong said with a smile. "I'll lead a light cavalry raid first, and the main army will follow shortly. In addition to the soldiers, I've also brought three thousand cans of flammable oil, which we've mined day and night over the past few months."
Lin Feng was overjoyed: "Fire oil is a powerful weapon for defending the city! General Shi, you have truly provided timely help!"
"But speaking of which, where is Grand Commander Zhao?" Shi Yong asked. "The Prince of Jin said in his letter that the Grand Commander has already returned from the Yan-Yun Road. Logically, he should have arrived before me."
Lin Feng's expression darkened: "The Grand Commander has not yet arrived. However, a messenger broke through the encirclement the day before yesterday to deliver a message saying that the Grand Commander has set off from Hedong and is on his way."
Shi Yong nodded: "The Grand Commander is a brilliant strategist and must have a plan. What we need to do now is to hold onto Wannian and wait for the Grand Commander's arrival."
"What are your thoughts, General Shi?"
Shi Yong walked to the map and pointed to the terrain outside the city: "Yang Chao's army of 50,000 has suffered some losses in terms of food and supplies, and their morale has been dampened. But his forces are still far superior to ours. I suggest that we launch a preemptive strike tonight."
"Take the initiative?" Xu Yunlong asked in surprise. "We don't have enough troops."
"We must take advantage of his recent defeat and the instability of his army's morale."
A glint of light flashed in Shi Yong's eyes. "I'll use the fierce oil, and you send in the infantry. We'll launch a night raid on his camp. We don't aim to annihilate him completely, but only to create chaos and burn his siege equipment."
Lin Feng pondered for a moment, then slammed his hand on the table and said, "Good! We'll proceed according to the general's plan! He Yunsheng, you're still injured, stay and guard the city. Xu Yunlong, gather two thousand elite soldiers, and tonight you'll join General Shi and me in the attack!"
"Understood!"
At midnight, the moon was dark and the wind was high.
Wannian City quietly opened its three gates, and Shi Yong's five thousand cavalrymen silently left the city in three separate groups.
Lin Feng and Xu Yunlong's two thousand infantrymen followed closely behind.
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