In Shuozhou City, Han Zhong received a secret order from Zhao Muyun.
He dismissed his attendants, read the note carefully, lit it in the candlelight, and watched it turn to ashes.
On his sallow face, his eyes were surprisingly bright.
"Boss Zhao...Han Zhong will definitely live up to your trust!"
He swore in a low voice and then began to cough violently, but when he looked up again, his eyes had become extremely firm.
He immediately summoned Zhong Dahu, Shi Yong, Wang Tiezhu, Zhao Wen, Bai Ruolan and others in an extremely secretive manner, and tactfully conveyed Zhao Muyun's instructions.
"Damn it! The fight is finally about to begin! I've been holding it in for a long time!" Zhong Dahu rubbed his hands together, extremely excited.
"Are the Northern Di really coming?" Shi Yong's face was solemn, and he clenched the Embroidered Spring Knife in his hand. "They've come just in time! We can use their blood to pay tribute to the spirit of Zhao Tou in heaven!"
He still doesn't know the truth.
Zhao Wen was more concerned with practical matters. "Military supplies and fodder are fine, and the brothers are all eager to fight. But... what about Xiao Cheyun and Pan Ren outside the city? And what about the pressure from the Crown Prince and Prince Jin?"
A cold light flashed in Han Zhong's eyes: "Let's put aside the internal grudges for now and fight against the Di people first."
"But if they dare to move, or try to invite the wolf into the house, don't blame us for being ruthless!"
"From today onwards, surveillance of the Princess's compound and Xiao Cheyun's tribe will be redoubled! If there's any unusual movement, strike first!"
Bai Ruolan was listening quietly at the side. Although she didn't know that Zhao Muyun was still there, when she heard "the highest principle is to protect the military and civilians of Shuozhou and guard the national border", she felt inexplicably determined in her heart, as if she had found a backbone.
She said softly, "I will do my best to appease the women and children in the palace and the city, and I will also intensify the collection of military supplies."
Han Zhong looked at her, a complicated expression flashed in his eyes, and he nodded: "Thank you, Madam."
......
Jinyang Palace.
Crown Prince Yinji received the latest order from his father, Prince Jin.
In addition to urging him to speed up the control of Shuozhou, the order also informed him of the shocking changes in the capital, his father being placed under house arrest, the crown prince ascending the throne, and the news that he had raised the banner of the Jingnan Campaign.
He asked Yinji to stabilize Jinyang, raise food and manpower, and fully support the front line.
Yinji was both surprised and happy. He was surprised that the situation had changed so drastically, but he was happy that his father had finally waited for the opportunity and great things were to come!
He immediately took action. On the one hand, he increased the pressure on Shuozhou, sending messengers to urge Xiao Cheyun and Yin Yao, and even hinted that if Han Zhong and others did not know what was going on, he could consider "extraordinary measures";
On the other hand, he aggressively recruited food and able-bodied men in Jinyang and surrounding counties to fully support his father's "Jingnan" campaign.
Pressure once again gathered over Shuozhou like dark clouds.
Xiao Cheyun was extremely anxious as he received a series of increasingly harsh orders from Jinyang.
He tried several times to meet with Yin Yao to discuss countermeasures, and even proposed a plan to forcibly control Han Zhong and force him to hand over power, but was rejected by Yin Yao on the grounds that "the time is not right" and "don't act rashly and provoke a mutiny."
"Princess! The prince's mission is complete! Now that the crown prince has committed atrocities, he has been abandoned by the world! Now is the perfect time for us to seize control of Shuozhou and help the prince achieve his great cause! How can we hesitate?"
Xiao Cheyun couldn't hold back any longer and broke into the courtyard where Yin Yao lived again, speaking in an urgent tone.
Yin Yao was sitting by the window embroidering a handkerchief with a solitary wild goose on it.
Without even looking up, she spoke calmly, "General Xiao, if my father wants to accomplish great things, he must rely on the hearts of the people and a vast army, not just a solitary city or a helpless army."
"Although Han Zhong and others are grief-stricken, they have not lost their vigilance. The Shuozhou army still has fighting power."
"If we use force now, the outcome is unpredictable. Even if we succeed, both sides will suffer losses, which will only weaken our strength and may even push Shuozhou to the Crown Prince's side. Isn't that more harm than good?"
She raised her eyes and looked at Xiao Cheyun with a cold gaze: "What's more, my husband has just passed away, and I am a widow. How will the world view me and my father if I try to seize his inheritance at this time?
"What we want is the support of the people, not the bad reputation left by plundering them."
"Wait! Wait for a better time, or wait for them to cause chaos on their own."
Xiao Cheyun was speechless for a moment. Although he felt that the princess was too indecisive and even a little soft-hearted, her words did make sense.
Moreover, she was of noble status and was the prince's beloved daughter, so he did not dare to force her too much. He had to retreat in disappointment and sent more spies to monitor every move in Shuozhou City. At the same time, he reported Yin Yao's attitude and his own concerns to Jinyang.
Yin Yao looked at Xiao Cheyun's departing back and sighed softly.
He cast his gaze towards the gray sky of Shuozhou outside the window again and murmured to himself:
"Zhao Muyun...did you really die like this? Why do I always feel...that all this seems too coincidental..."
The doubts and inexplicable uneasiness in her heart could never be shaken off.
…
Just when the situation in Dayin was tense and civil war was about to break out, the 200,000 cavalry of Beidi had already completed their assembly!
Like a black tide, two huge cavalry corps emerged from the depths of the grassland.
Led by Wuliangha, a fierce general from the Northern Di royal family, with 100,000 elite cavalry under his command, they marched from the southern grasslands of the desert to Yunzhou, and headed straight for Shuozhou!
The other route was led by Chanyu’s younger brother, Zuoxian Wang Wuhan, who also had 100,000 cavalrymen and a clear goal, aiming at Youzhou, an important town on the Yanyun Road!
As the two armies set out, King Zhelan, King Loufan, and Timur also took action.
The roar of iron hooves stirred up a cloud of dust, like a sandstorm sweeping across the sky and earth.
The desolate sound of horns echoed across the wilderness, symbolizing killing and conquest.
The beacon towers on the border lit up smoke signals one after another, and the urgent military reports were transmitted to the rear at a speed of 800 miles!
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