At dawn, Yang Chao paced anxiously in the camp.
Overnight, the situation reversed.
Zhao Muyun's sudden appearance not only lifted the siege of Wan Nian, but also caused him to lose several thousand men.
The most terrifying thing was the explosive weapon, which completely threw him into disarray.
"Governor, the casualty statistics are in."
Deputy General Yang Hong lowered his head and said, "More than 1,700 men were killed in action, and more than 3,000 were wounded, including 1,000 seriously wounded."
Eighty percent of the siege equipment was destroyed, and the food supplies... amounted to only seven days' worth.
Yang Chao slammed his fist on the table: "Zhao Muyun! I swear to kill you!"
Just then, a guard came to report: "General, a letter has been shot from outside the city, addressed to you."
Yang Chao frowned: "Give it to me."
The arrow-written letter contained only a few words:
"Under General Yang's command: once the birds are all gone, the bow is put away; once the rabbit is dead, the hunting dog is cooked. Given the lesson of your uncle's fate, how can the general not have concerns about the future?"
"If you are willing to withdraw your troops, I, Zhao, can guarantee the foundation of Jiannan for the General. I await good news within three days. Zhao Muyun respectfully submits."
Yang Chao's expression changed drastically, and he clutched the letter tightly in his hand.
Yang Hong asked cautiously, "General, what does the letter say?"
Yang Chao handed him the letter, and Yang Hong gasped after reading it: "This...this is a divisive tactic! Zhao Muyun is trying to sow discord between you and His Majesty!"
"It is indeed a divisive tactic."
Yang Chao's face was grim. "But what he said is also true. Uncle just conquered Youzhou, repelled Wuzhu, and made unparalleled contributions. And what was the result?"
"I was summoned back to the capital with a single imperial edict, and lost all my military power. If I were to conquer Xijing, what awaits me?"
Yang Hong said urgently, "General, don't fall for the trap! Although His Majesty has recalled the Grand Commander, he has not punished him, but instead promoted him to Grand Commandant. This shows that His Majesty still trusts the Yang family!"
"Trust?" Yang Chao sneered. "If it were trust, why let Cui Mian and Li Sheng take over the military power in Youzhou? Why give us a one-month deadline to break through the city? This is clearly an attempt to use the Xijing garrison to deplete the strength I've painstakingly built up!"
He walked to the map and pointed emphatically at the ten-thousand-year mark:
"Zhao Muyun dared to charge into the enemy lines with only a thousand men, which shows that he is fearless. If he dared to come, he must have a backup plan."
"If we continue our assault, even if we capture Wannian, it will inevitably be a Pyrrhic victory. At that time..."
Yang Hong understood: "At that time, His Majesty can find any reason to strip you of your military power, General."
“Indeed.” Yang Chao sighed. “My uncle wrote me a letter before he left, telling me to preserve my strength. Now that I think about it, he had already seen through His Majesty’s thoughts.”
"So what do we do now?"
After pondering for a long time, Yang Chao slowly said, "Order the entire army to retreat fifty li and set up camp near Ziwu Valley."
"At the same time, send a report to the capital, saying that our army has defeated Wan Nian's reinforcements and is now resting and will soon be able to break through the city."
"This is going to be..."
"Delay." A shrewd glint flashed in Yang Chao's eyes. "Delay until Zhao Muyun's rear guard arrives, delay until the supplies run out."
"At that time, it won't be that I don't want to fight, it's that I can't. If Your Majesty wants to blame me, I will have a reason to refuse."
Yang Hong suddenly realized: "General, you are brilliant! But... what about Zhao Muyun?"
"Reply," Yang Chao wrote, picking up his pen. "Just say I need time to consider it and will give him an answer in ten days."
"Ten days? Isn't that too long?"
“Not long,” Yang Chao sneered. “I’ll use these ten days to see how the capital city reacts.”
"If His Majesty urges us to launch an attack, it means he truly intends to kill me. If His Majesty agrees to a period of rest and reorganization, then there is still room for maneuver."
The messenger accepted the order and departed.
Yang Chao walked outside the tent, looked in the direction of Wannian City, and muttered to himself:
"Zhao Muyun, you want me to be your pawn? Then let's see who the real player is."
......
In Wannian City, Zhao Muyun smiled slightly after receiving the reply.
"Grand Commander, Yang Chao is trying to stall for time," Lin Feng said.
“Exactly.” Zhao Muyun handed the letter to the generals. “He is observing, observing Li Jingang’s attitude, and also observing our strength. This shows that the divisive tactic has already worked.”
Shi Yong frowned: "But he wants to drag it out for ten days. Ten days is enough time for Li Jingang to react."
"That's exactly the reaction I want from Li Jingang."
Zhao Muyun walked to the map. "Yang Chao's 50,000-strong army is bogged down beneath a fortified city, and their supplies are running low."
"If Li Jingang were truly a wise ruler, he should be urged to finish the battle quickly, or at least have supplies allocated. But given Li Jingang's suspicious nature, he will only do one thing—"
"Urge the attack, regardless of casualties," Lin Feng replied.
“That’s right.” Zhao Muyun nodded. “And we will use even harsher language, and even threaten to strip Yang Chao of his military power. At that point, Yang Chao will only have two choices: either fight to the death, or… move closer to us.”
Xu Yunlong worriedly asked, "What if Yang Chao chooses to fight to the death?"
“Then let’s fight.” A fierce glint flashed in Zhao Muyun’s eyes. “Wu Shangzhi’s army will arrive in seven days. Combined with our current forces, it will be enough to defeat Yang Chao. However, the casualties will be heavy, which is not what I want.”
He paused, then continued, "So in these ten days, we need to do three things. First, reinforce the city's defenses, especially the west gate. Second, send out scouts to closely monitor the movements of the Fengtian Army. Third..."
Zhao Muyun looked at Shi Yong: "Little Shi, your Longyou army is skilled in mounted archery. I want you to take three thousand cavalry to harass the Fengtian army's supply lines. No need for a direct confrontation, just burn the supply wagons and run."
Shi Yong clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This humble general obeys the order!"
"Lin Feng, you're in charge of the city's defenses. Xu Yunlong, you reorganize the garrison and move the wounded to a safe place inside the city. I'm going to check on the Shenji Battalion's firearms reserves."
The generals accepted the order and departed.
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