That night, undercurrents surged within the capital city.
After returning to his residence, Ma Zongliang immediately summoned his trusted generals for a secret meeting.
The candlelight flickered, and everyone's faces were solemn.
"General, are we really going to leave the city and engage Zhao Muyun in a decisive battle?" the confidant asked in a low voice. "Our army has just suffered a defeat, and morale is low. I'm afraid..."
Ma Zongliang waved his hand: "Do you really think I, the commander, want a decisive battle?"
The generals were taken aback.
"That was said for His Majesty's benefit," Ma Zongliang sneered. "Who is Zhao Muyun? He burned Li Hu's 60,000-strong army to the ground in Wancheng, and now he is waiting in Dengzhou, ready to fight. If we take the initiative to attack, what is that if not suicide?"
"So, what does the commander mean..."
"Drag it out," Ma Zongliang uttered. "Drag it out until a turning point appears, or... until there's a way out."
He unfolded the map: "Look, Zhao Muyun is waiting for the results of the battles on all sides, and so are we. Waiting for what? Waiting for the Northern Di Left Wise King Wuzhu to make a comeback, waiting for the Western Turks to intervene in the Western Regions, waiting... for those military governors in Jiangnan who are watching to make up their minds."
"But the city's food supplies are only enough for half a month..."
“So we can’t really wait half a month.” A glint of shrewdness flashed in Ma Zongliang’s eyes. “If Li Biao and Li Bao’s armies can come to the capital and be under my command within ten days, we still have a fighting chance. If not…”
He didn't finish his sentence, but all the generals understood the unspoken meaning.
Although the 30,000 defeated soldiers in the capital and the nearby troops, though claimed to number 100,000, Ma Zongliang knew that they were a motley crew.
The truly capable fighting forces were Li Biao and Li Bao's 100,000-strong army and Li Sheng's 50,000-strong army in Youzhou.
It's a pity Li Sheng can't come; our hopes rest on these two guys in Hebei.
At the same time, in the Prime Minister's residence, Feng Liang was also secretly meeting with several civil officials.
"Gentlemen, the tide has turned," Feng Liang sighed. "Nan Yue has submitted, Jingxiang is in turmoil, Hebei has rebelled, Youzhou is besieged... Is the Great Feng... doomed?"
The Vice Minister of Rites said in a low voice, "Prime Minister Feng, I have heard that Ma Zongliang advocates for a decisive battle outside the city, this..."
"It's nothing more than a cornered beast's struggle." Feng Liang shook his head. "Zhao Muyun is a brilliant strategist; how could he be unprepared? Fighting in the open outside the city is exactly what he wants."
"Then we..."
Feng Liang remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "We cannot bear to see the people of the capital suffer from the ravages of war again. Gentlemen... let's make preparations as soon as possible."
Although the words were veiled, the meaning was clear.
That night, many mansions in the capital were lit up, and many people stayed up all night.
Meanwhile, in a brightly lit high-rise building in the south of the city, Fan Bingbing, dressed in elegant attire and light makeup, summoned several capable subordinates:
"Li Jingang appointed Ma Zongliang as commander, preparing for a decisive battle."
"Ma Zongliang has no intention of a decisive battle; his aim is to delay... Civil officials like Feng Liang have already harbored rebellious intentions..."
This intelligence was encrypted and written in small print, then tied to the legs of carrier pigeons.
The carrier pigeons flew out of the capital under the cover of night, heading south.
......
Three hundred miles away, in the city of Dengzhou.
Zhao Muyun stood in the courtyard, looking up at the night sky.
A carrier pigeon landed silently, and Chen Kai took the secret letter and hurriedly presented it.
After reading the secret letter, a smile appeared on Zhao Muyun's lips.
"Isn't it a bit late for Li Jingang to appoint Ma Zongliang as commander-in-chief at this point?"
He looked at Chen Kai and said, “Tell the brothers in the capital to continue spreading the news, especially to emphasize three things.”
"Please give your instructions, Grand Commander."
"First, they say my Hedong army will soon attack Youzhou, and Li Sheng will have nowhere to escape; second, they say Liu Song will soon formally surrender; third..."
A cold glint flashed in Zhao Muyun's eyes. "He said that I have already dispatched Wu Shangzhi's army from the Western Regions back east, and they will arrive soon."
Chen Kai's eyes lit up: "A combination of feints and real attacks to confuse the enemy! Brilliant!"
“Furthermore,” Zhao Muyun added, “have the brothers spread a nursery rhyme throughout the city: ‘In the capital, a dragon is trapped; at the end of April, the city gates open.’”
"This is..."
"Winning hearts and minds is the best strategy," Zhao Muyun said calmly. "The more suspicious Li Jingang is, the harder it will be for Ma Zongliang to act. Once they, the emperor and his ministers, are distrustful of each other, and the soldiers are disaffected, the capital... will fall without a fight."
He turned and went back to his room, walked to the map, and lightly tapped the capital city with his finger.
It will be soon.
Wait until the Western Regions are pacified, until Jingzhou and Xiangyang surrender, until Hebei is pacified, until Yunzhou is secure.
When these four things are accomplished, it will be time for a thunderous strike.
But can Li Jingang... afford to wait?
......
Late January, Western Regions, Shule River Valley.
A cold wind swept across the valley, carrying yellow sand, and banners fluttered in the sandstorm.
Wu Shangzhi stood on the newly erected command platform, looking down at the 20,000 elite troops who were fully prepared for battle.
After two months of arduous fighting, these young men from Hedong and Guannei showed signs of hardship on their faces, but their eyes burned with an even more fervent flame.
"General, all the troops are ready." Guo Luo reported solemnly. "The 30,000 men of the Uhan have all been driven into the Pamir Pass. Ashina Helu, the Khan of the Western Turks, has sent an envoy to request a meeting with the General."
Wu Shangzhi looked towards the snow-capped mountains stretching to the west, a smile appearing on his lips.
The plan to drive away the wolves and tigers has succeeded.
A month ago, following the main force of the Right Wise King Wuhan of the Northern Di Kingdom of Loulan, he led his army and, in accordance with Zhao Muyun's strategic plan, drove Wuhan's troops into the Western Regions, disrupting the original order of the various countries in the Western Regions.
Subsequently, he captured five thousand Northern Di Tartars in the Peacock Valley and incorporated them into his army.
In order to survive, these surrendered soldiers fought their own kind even more ruthlessly than the Yin army.
They were familiar with the grassland terrain and the tactics of the Northern Barbarians. Thirty thousand men were driven like a pack of wolves toward the western Turkic border.
Ashina Helu, the Khan of the Western Turks, initially wanted to sit back and watch the two sides fight, but he panicked when he saw the fleeing soldiers pouring into his territory.
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