At midnight, on the city wall of Wannian.
The torches crackled between the crenellations, casting Zhao Muyun's long shadow onto the mottled bricks of the city wall.
He unfolded Yang Chao's second reply, the parchment making a slight rustling sound between his fingertips.
Lin Feng and Xu Yunlong stood on either side, holding their breath. Shi Yong had just returned with his cavalry, his armor covered in a layer of grime from the night dew and dust, and a fresh bloodstain on his forehead that had not yet dried.
Zhao Muyun read very slowly, as if she were chewing each word between her teeth.
Finally, he raised his eyes and handed the letter to Lin Feng. The firelight illuminated his calm profile, revealing no emotion.
"He agreed."
Zhao Muyun's voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to freeze the surrounding night breeze for a moment.
"But he added more! He only sent some of the elderly and weak family members, but he wanted to take all the food and supplies with him. He also wanted us to provide medicine and allow him to send a small team into the city to 'purchase' it."
Shi Yong chuckled, tugging at his wound and wincing in pain: "This guy knows how to take advantage of a situation! Grand Commander, I think this is just a delaying tactic, an attempt to use the pretext of procurement to probe my strength!"
Lin Feng had quickly finished reading the letter, his white eyebrows furrowed: "Not only that. He insisted on taking all the provisions with him because he was afraid that supplies would run out during the retreat, and also to weaken our army's endurance."
"Demanding medicinal herbs may seem like a sign of weakness and a plea for help, but in reality, it's a test of our sincerity and our reserves."
"As for entering the city to make purchases... Fifty people may not be many, but if they are mixed with assassins, they could create chaos in the city at a critical moment and coordinate with those outside, which would be a major threat."
Xu Yunlong said with deep concern: "What's even more worrying is that he demands that his troops remain intact when he withdraws, and we can only escort them from a distance."
"This is not a retreat at all; it is clearly an armed demonstration against us! Once their troops retreat into Jiannan Mountain Road and take advantage of the terrain, they may become too powerful to control."
Zhao Muyun did not respond immediately.
He turned around, placed his hands on the cold battlements, and gazed at the lights of the Fengtian Army camp in the distance.
That continuous stretch of lights, under the deep night sky, resembled the breathing of a crouching beast.
Further away, the outline of the dragon's spine blends into the darkness, like the spine of a lurking behemoth.
After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice low and clear:
“What you’re saying is all true. Yang Chao isn’t genuinely compromising, nor does he fully trust me.”
"He was struggling, weighing his options, and doing everything he could to find the most advantageous way out for the Yang family and his 50,000 troops."
He paused for a moment: "Li Jingang's death warrant has arrived, and he is terrified; Zhang Tao's troops are approaching, and he is furious; the way out I offered, he doubts but has no choice but to seize."
"So he wants to increase the stakes, to ensure things are secure, to take away everything he can, and to plant any possible obstacles."
"This is the desperate struggle of a cornered beast, and the shrewdness of a hero at the end of his rope. No wonder he is worthy of being a military governor!"
"Should we continue to feign compliance with him?" Shi Yong said urgently. "Why not take advantage of their panicked state and raid their camp tonight! I'm willing to be the vanguard!"
"And then?" Zhao Muyun turned to look at him, his gaze piercing. "A Pyrrhic victory, swallowing up their desperate counterattack of 50,000 men? What were our casualties? How much of the city's defenses will remain after ten thousand years?"
"By then, Wu Shangzhi will not have arrived, Zhang Tao's army will be at the city gates, and the two generals Niu and Ma from Hedong will take advantage of the situation to launch a fierce attack on Longmen Pass. What will we use to stop them?"
Shi Yong opened his mouth but couldn't speak, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
Zhao Muyun's tone softened, but became even more sinister: "If Yang Chao wants to leave, let him leave. But he can't leave so easily and gracefully."
"He wants provisions? Sure, but he can only take half of what's enough for his army for seven days."
"Tell him that the remaining grain and fodder will be considered as our army's 'assistance' for his return journey, as a sign of our sincerity."
"He wants medicinal herbs? Here you go. Produce half of what he ordered, mixed with some common herbs, and include a copy of Ma Bao's 'Essentials of First Aid' as a bonus. I wish his soldiers a speedy recovery."
A glint flashed in Lin Feng's eyes: "Grand Commander, this is... a veiled act of appeasement that actually weakens your position, while simultaneously enjoying a moral high ground?"
Zhao Muyun nodded.
"As for entering the city to make purchases..." A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips, "Approved. But only from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM tomorrow, one hour. The location is limited to 'Xingshunfang' near the city wall in the West Market."
"Order two hundred elite soldiers to be taken away tonight and mixed in with the merchants and civilians. Order the soldiers guarding the wards to carefully 'assist' the Fengtian Army brothers in purchasing goods. All ironware, strong liquor, large quantities of kerosene and sulfur, etc., should be sold out or require special approval."
"They want to buy rice, grains, meat, and vegetables. We offer an open supply, at 30% above the market price, and the transaction is cash."
"Have Liu Yi dispatch a team of skilled Shenji Battalion soldiers to disguise themselves as peddlers and set up a stall in a prominent place in the town to sell fireworks and firecrackers, creating some excitement."
Xu Yunlong suddenly realized: "This is a trap, a way to lure him into a snare, then monitor him, make money off him, and throw his mind into disarray?"
"Not only that." Zhao Muyun walked to the inner side of the city wall and pointed to a slightly dim area among the myriad lights below. "Xingshunfang is backed by this section of the city wall, and inside the wall is our warehouse where we store some of the replacement defensive equipment."
“Let them see, let them see our granaries are full. But the real gunpowder depots and elite garrisons are all far away. Shi Yong!”
"Your subordinate is here!"
"Your Longyou army will leave the north gate in batches before dawn tomorrow and hide in the mountains east of the city. When the Fengtian Army's purchasing team enters the city, your troops will make it appear as if they are coming from the east and creating a cloud of dust, but they must not actually approach the Fengtian Army's main camp."
"I want Yang Chao's scouts to see this and guess—have my reinforcements, Zhao Muyun's troops, arrived yet?"
Shi Yong excitedly clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This humble general obeys! I will make sure that Yang Chao can't sleep soundly!"
Zhao Muyun finally looked at Lin Feng: "Lin Feng, you are the one to write the reply. The tone should be sincere, the wording should be thoughtful, and it should reflect my good intentions to turn hostility into friendship and save his people."
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
