Zhao Muyun shook his head: "That's not necessary. Longyou is complicated and needs troops. The five thousand men you brought, plus our existing forces, are enough."
He turned to his generals: "Gentlemen, in the Battle of Lushan, the vanguard of Nanyue was wiped out, and Liu Song retreated to Ye County. But Li Jingang will not give up easily, and there will surely be fierce battles to come. What do you all think the next step should be?"
Xiao Cheyun spoke first: "General, I believe we should press our advantage, take Ye County first, and capture Liu Song. If Jingzhou and Xiangyang are secured, the southern route will be safe."
Yang Chao objected: "Liu Song has 10,000 troops, and they are defending the city. It will be difficult to attack them by force. It would be better to attack the capital first. The troops that Li Jingang has brought have not yet formed a defense, which is the perfect opportunity."
Zhang Tao pondered for a moment and said, "In my humble opinion, we should first stabilize Hebei. Although Xiong Dayong is willing to surrender, he has not yet made a move, which may lead to unforeseen changes."
The generals discussed the matter animatedly, each holding their own opinion.
Zhao Muyun listened quietly, and only spoke slowly after everyone had finished speaking: "What you all said makes sense, but you only see one side of the story."
He stood up and walked to the map: "Look, we're in Dengzhou now, like a nail driven into Li Jingang's throat. To remove this nail, he'll have to mobilize troops. Whose troops?"
Pointing his finger at the map: "Li Hu of Longmen Pass, Li Bao and Li Biao's forces in Hebei, Liu Song of Jingxiang, or even further to Huainan, and even... the Northern Barbarians."
"The Northern Barbarians?" The generals were startled.
“That’s right.” Zhao Muyun sneered. “We have received accurate intelligence that Li Jingang has sent an envoy beyond the Great Wall, offering the land of Yanbei in exchange for Wuzhu’s return to the south. Judging by the time, the envoy should have already arrived in Yunzhou.”
Xiao Cheyun said anxiously, "Wouldn't Yunzhou be in grave danger? Military Governor Han Zhong has divided his troops to advance eastward, and General Tian Qing alone cannot hold them off!"
“So we need to hurry.” A cold glint flashed in Zhao Muyun’s eyes. “We need to take care of one more route before all of Li Jingang’s reinforcements arrive.”
Which route?
“Li Bao.” Zhao Muyun pointed heavily to the location of Xiangzhou in Hebei. “Li Bao’s troops are the elite troops sent from the capital last year when fighting against the Tartars.”
"If he heads south, he will be a major threat. But if we can immobilize him before he goes south..."
He looked at Zhang Tao: "General Zhang, you are most familiar with the situation in Xiangzhou. If Xiong Dayong starts an uprising, how will Li Bao respond?"
Zhang Tao pondered for a moment: "If there is unrest in the rear, Li Bao will not dare to rush south. He will first consult Li Jingang and leave enough troops to garrison Xiangzhou before he dares to set off."
"Then let his internal strife remain unresolved," Zhao Muyun said calmly. "Chen Kai!"
Chen Kai, the Night Scout Commandant, entered in response.
"Any news from Hebei?"
"Not yet? He's holding back his troops in Zhao Prefecture and doesn't seem to be moving towards Xiang Prefecture," Chen Kai replied.
"Hmph, I should have known that Xiong Dayong, like Liu Song, was good at being a fence-sitter, always siding with whoever is stronger!" Zhao Muyun sneered.
"General, what should we do?" the crowd asked.
"We'll settle accounts later!" Zhao Muyun looked at Chen Kai. "Send a message to Han Zhong and tell him to find a way to put pressure on Xiong Dayong."
"Since Xiong Da is using both ends of the rat's tail, let's strike first!"
Preemptive strike?
Everyone frowned.
Is the General preparing to head north? That's too unrealistic.
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