"This humble general saw it," Chen Kui said. "Under the banner of the Yin Army, the one wearing silver armor who has not retreated an inch should be Zhao Muyun."
“He personally oversaw the central command…” Ma Zongliang murmured, “No wonder the morale of the Yin army is so high.”
He walked back to the command desk and gripped his sword again:
"Order the three armies: Tonight, the entire army shall be on high alert, and three times the number of scouts shall be dispatched to guard against a night attack by the Yin army. The seriously wounded shall be sent to the camp ten miles away, and the lightly wounded shall be treated on the spot. Each camp shall take inventory of its weapons and arrows, and replenish those that are missing."
"yes!"
"Furthermore," Ma Zongliang added, "slaughter three hundred sheep and let the soldiers have a hot meal. Tell them that today's defeat was just a minor setback in the initial battle. Our main force still numbers 160,000, several times the enemy's strength. We will fight again tomorrow and avenge this humiliation!"
The generals accepted the order and departed.
Only Ma Zongliang and Li Biao remained in the tent.
Ma Zongliang sighed, the tough look on his face fading, revealing exhaustion: "Li Biao, I take full responsibility for today's defeat."
"General..."
"I did underestimate them," Ma Zongliang said with a wry smile. "We had the numbers and a solid formation, so we thought the advantage was in our hands!"
Li Biao was silent for a moment, then said, "General, there is no need to blame yourself. Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Although we suffered a defeat today, we also annihilated 10,000 enemies."
"Furthermore, Zhao Muyun's Mo Dao Battalion and heavy cavalry have already pressed forward."
“Yes.” Ma Zongliang looked at the darkening sky outside the tent. “However, his Shenji Battalion was not used today, not even a single thunderbolt was fired. It seems he also had a trump card up his sleeve.”
The two were speechless for a moment.
After a long silence, Li Biao said, "General, no matter what, as long as we plan properly tomorrow, we might be able to turn the tide."
"Be especially wary of his firearms. When we fought the Tartars, he used firearms to win against overwhelming odds."
"He won't hesitate to use his resources on us in order to win."
"His firearms are limited, and after he runs out, he has to travel thousands of miles from Xijing to resupply. We must grit our teeth and hold on."
"What the commander-in-chief says is absolutely right..."
......
Meanwhile, Zhao Muyun was also making arrangements in the Yin Army camp on the south bank.
He summoned his generals and pointed to a spot on the upper reaches of the Yi River on the map: "Ma Zongliang has just suffered a defeat today and must expect me to press my advantage. If I were him, I would set up an ambush here."
Wu Shangzhi's eyes lit up: "General, are you saying that the Fengtian Army will lure us across the river tomorrow?"
“Not tomorrow, but the day after,” Zhao Muyun said. “Ma Zongliang needs time to rebuild his morale. But he can’t afford to delay—and Li Jingang can’t afford to delay even more. So he can only rest for one day at most.”
Despite having a bandage wrapped around his shoulder, Xiao Cheyun insisted on attending the meeting: "Then how should we deal with this?"
Zhao Muyun smiled slightly: "Let's play along."
He traced a line across the map with his finger: "Tomorrow, we will make the appearance of crossing the river and launching a strong attack, but only send a small force to probe. The main force will secretly move upstream to find a new crossing point. At the same time, we will spread the word that we have captured an important figure in the Fengtian Army and demand an exchange of prisoners."
Xi Sheng asked in bewilderment, "General, most of the prisoners we've captured are ordinary soldiers. What important figures could they be?"
“Ma Zongliang might know, but Li Jingang doesn’t.” A sly glint flashed in Zhao Muyun’s eyes. “He would guess, he would doubt, he would worry that one of his nephews had been captured by us again. He couldn’t sleep well that night.”
The generals suddenly realized what was happening and all smiled.
Zhao Muyun's smile faded, and he said seriously, "However, this plan can only disrupt the enemy. The real victory will depend on the actual fighting on the battlefield. Each camp should rest well tonight, and proceed according to plan tomorrow."
The generals accepted the order and withdrew.
At dawn, a low bugle call sounded from the Yin Army camp on the south bank of the Yi River.
Wu Shangzhi climbed the camp's watchtower and looked towards the north bank through the morning mist.
The Fengtian Army's camp was faintly visible in the thin mist, but one could vaguely see flags moving and figures moving about—the Fengtian Army was reorganizing its troops and setting up its defenses.
"General, the scout reports." The scout quickly climbed the tower. "The Fengtian Army has built three lines of defense three miles north of the bank: the first is a trench and a fortified village, the second is an earthen rampart and arrow tower, and the third is a wagon formation and a forest of guns. It looks like they're going to hold out to the death."
Wu Shangzhi nodded; this was within his expectations.
Ma Zongliang was no mediocre man after all. Despite suffering a major defeat, he was able to quickly learn from his experience, adjust his strategy, and organize an effective defense.
"What are the General's instructions?" he asked.
The guard presented him with a note, which Zhao Muyun had given to Wu Shangzhi when he returned to camp.
Wu Shangzhi broke it down and found only eight characters: "Take steady steps and advance cautiously."
He understood Zhao Muyun's meaning—not to rush things, not to take risks with a strong attack, but to use the safest method to gradually chip away at the Fengtian Army's defenses.
"Order all battalions," Wu Shangzhi said in a deep voice, "to prepare meals at Chenshi (7-9 AM) and form ranks at Sishi (9-11 AM). Do not rush to attack today; first, probe the enemy's formation for strength."
Once the order was given, the camp began to bustle with activity.
Smoke rose from the chimneys as the soldiers silently ate their rations, wiped their weapons, and inspected their armor.
After yesterday's bloody battle, everyone seemed much calmer, their eyes no longer showing the excitement of the first battle, but rather the solemnity unique to veterans.
At 3:45 AM, war drums sounded on the south bank.
The Yin army began to form ranks.
Unlike yesterday, today's formation is more imposing—the front three 5,000-man square formations are arranged in a triangular pattern, with swordsmen and shieldmen in front, spearmen in the middle, and archers and crossbowmen in the rear.
They were Han Fang from Hedong, Li Mao from Yunzhou, and Liu Qi from Jingxiang, each leading 5,000 troops into battle.
Passages were left between the square formations to facilitate cavalry maneuverability.
The central army consisted of 10,000 elite troops personally commanded by Wu Shangzhi, including 1,000 Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) battalions, 3,000 archer battalions, and 1,000 heavy cavalry.
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