When Arahan finally managed to gather some boats, crossed the Bailang River, and pursued the Hedong army that had "fled south."
But they discovered that it was just a small cavalry force of about a hundred men, which had already scattered and disappeared.
And Zhao Muyun's true main force has once again vanished as if it had evaporated into thin air!
"Bastard! Bastard!"
Arakhan was almost vomiting blood; he felt like a monkey being toyed with.
He was constantly being pulled around by Zhao Muyun using various methods, running around like crazy, but he couldn't even touch the hem of her clothes.
The continuous long-distance raids and the extreme emotional fluctuations severely affected the physical strength and morale of the Northern Di cavalry.
Upon learning that Arahan had been tricked again and that Zhao Muyun had disappeared, Han Yanshou of Xiongzhou became even more determined to hold his ground.
"See! I knew Zhao Muyun was cunning! Issue the order: not a single soldier is to move without my written command!"
He completely abandoned the idea of attacking Arahan from both sides and only wanted to hold Youzhou firmly.
Standing on the west bank of the Xutuo River, Zhao Muyun listened to Tang Yanhai's report about Arahan's exasperation and Han Yanshou's inability to move, and a satisfied expression appeared on his face.
That's exactly the effect we want: to exhaust, frustrate, and impair the judgment of the pursuers, while making the defenders fearful, conservative, and afraid to move.
"Now, it's time to move on to the next step."
He gazed eastward, where the outline of the magnificent city loomed faintly in the distance.
"Send a message to Murong Chunhua and Namtso, telling them to make even more trouble on the western front! It would be best if they could create the appearance of attacking Juyong Pass several times!"
"Furthermore, have our people in Youzhou spread rumors that... our Hedong army has already captured Juyong Pass and will soon be at the gates of Youzhou!"
Combining reality and illusion, psychological warfare, intelligence misdirection...
Zhao Muyun applied the various asymmetric warfare tactics he knew from another time and space to the battlefield of this era.
This is not just a tactical victory, but a complete suppression on both strategic and psychological levels.
The more Arahan and Han Yanshou struggled, the tighter they were entangled.
......
Zhao Muyun's elusive movements along the banks of the Xutuo River and his swift and decisive attack at Heifeng Valley spread like an invisible plague rapidly throughout Youzhou and its surrounding areas.
Panic was no longer confined to the military high command; it began to seep into every corner of Youzhou City like mercury seeping into the ground.
Murong Chunhua and Namtso faithfully carried out Zhao Muyun's orders.
At the foot of Xishan Mountain, they perfected the "deception" tactic.
In addition to continuing to raise more flags and create dust to build momentum, they even selected soldiers with loud voices to approach the Northern Di stronghold at night and shout in unison to simulate the momentum of a large army attacking the city.
Occasionally, they would organize several small-scale raids, targeting the outposts and patrols outside Juyong Pass.
Although the actual losses were not significant, the psychological pressure they caused was enormous.
The garrison commander of Juyong Pass was in constant fear, with messengers seeking help rushing back and forth between the pass and Youzhou like a revolving lantern.
Each arrival of a messenger intensified Han Yanshou's unease.
Even more fatally, the "sleeper agents" that Zhao Muyun had planted in Youzhou City beforehand began to take effect.
These intelligence networks, composed of merchants, down-on-their-luck scholars, and even a few low-ranking officials who had been turned against their cause, began to spread all sorts of true and false information in teahouses, taverns, and the streets.
"Have you heard? Juyong Pass was ablaze with fire and filled with the sounds of battle the night before last. It's probably lost!"
"That's right! I have a distant relative who works inside the pass. He secretly sent a message through someone, saying that the Hedong army is incredibly powerful. They have a kind of magical weapon that can breathe fire, and the warriors guarding the pass have suffered heavy casualties!"
"I've also heard that Zhao Muyun, the Grand Commander of Hedong, has personally led an army of 100,000 to the north of Youzhou, intending to completely surround us in this city!"
"One hundred thousand? I think it's more than that! It's said that the mountains and plains are covered with red flags, stretching as far as the eye can see!"
Rumors and gossip spread like wildfire throughout Youzhou City.
Panic was like an invisible shackle, suffocating ordinary people and soldiers.
Prices in the city began to soar, especially for food and salt. Some wealthy families had already begun to quietly pack their belongings and look for ways to escape.
The soldiers guarding the city walls were also on high alert. At the slightest disturbance, they would unleash a barrage of crossbow bolts, causing widespread panic.
Han Yanshou was in Xiongzhou, so he couldn't hear the specific discussions in the streets of Youzhou.
But he could sense the oppressive and panicked atmosphere that permeated the entire city from the reports of the scouts coming and going.
The intelligence sent by the staff was getting worse and worse, almost all of it bad news about the Juyong Pass being in danger, Zhao Muyun's whereabouts being unknown, and the morale of the people in the city being unsettled.
"Useless! You're all a bunch of useless trash!"
Han Yanshou slammed a report on the ground in frustration. "What is Arahan good for! Ten thousand elite cavalry, and they can't even catch a glimpse of Zhao Muyun! Juyong Pass is useless too, a mere few thousand feints have scared them out of their wits!"
He walked to the top of Xiongzhou City and looked at the still majestic Youzhou City Tower in the distance, but his heart was filled with a sense of powerlessness.
Zhao Muyun is like a slippery eel, or a venomous snake lurking in the shadows. You never know where he will emerge from next to deliver a fatal blow.
This ubiquitous threat is more exhausting than a conventional confrontation on the battlefield.
“My lord,” a trusted advisor said cautiously, “the situation is treacherous. Zhao Muyun’s tactics are unpredictable, and our main force has been mobilized by him, leaving us exhausted.”
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