Daizhou, the training ground for the Grand Commander's headquarters.
"Good! Good! Han Zhong fought well! The battle of Yinzhou is enough to make the Bald Black Tiger never dare to look south again!"
Zhao Muyun looked at the battle report and laughed loudly.
With his worries relieved, He Dong felt extremely relieved.
Before him lay a mountain of supplies that Fan Nan and Pei Lun had gathered.
When the thousand Akhal-Teke horses were led out, the entire training ground erupted in cheers.
These horses are beautiful in shape, with fine heads, high necks, long limbs, thin skin and fine hair. When they sweat, sweat that looks like blood flows from their shoulders. They are even more magnificent in the sunlight, and their neighing is clear and exciting.
"My goodness... This, this is the Akhal-Teke horse from the Western Regions?"
Wu Shangzhi stared wide-eyed, his mouth practically watering.
Although Guo Luo remained composed, his clenched fists and burning gaze betrayed his inner excitement.
The newly formed thousand heavy cavalrymen were the culmination of his efforts, but the limited carrying capacity and sprinting ability of the northern horses restricted their combat effectiveness.
Even infantry generals like Xi Sheng and Liu Yi couldn't help but exclaim, "Truly a dragon steed!"
Zhao Muyun took in everyone's reactions, laughed loudly, and waved his hand: "Stop being envious, Guo Luo!"
"Your subordinate is here!" Guo Luo stepped forward abruptly, his voice booming like a bell.
"These thousand Akhal-Teke horses are all assigned to your heavy cavalry battalion! Train them well now, and give the Tartars a good beating!"
Guo Luo knelt on one knee, clasped his hands above his head, and his voice trembled with excitement: "This humble general Guo Luo will certainly live up to the Grand Commander's high expectations! As long as the Heavy Cavalry Battalion is here, the vanguard of breaking through the enemy lines will remain!"
Just as the generals were gathered around the Akhal-Teke horse, discussing and envisioning the magnificent scene of their iron cavalry charging into battle, a report came from outside the gate:
"Report! Military Governor Han Zhong, Colonel Murong Chunhua, and Colonel Zhong Meng, leading 8,000 troops from Hedong, carrying a large amount of spoils, have arrived outside the camp!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Muyun's face lit up with even greater joy: "Please come in quickly! No, I'll go greet you myself!"
Soon, Zhao Muyun and his generals welcomed Han Zhong and his two companions, who were weary from their journey but full of spirit.
"This humble general, Han Zhong (Murong Chunhua, Zhong Meng), pays his respects to the Grand Commander!"
"Thanks to the great fortune of the Grand Commander, a great victory has been achieved at Yinzhou, and Tuoba Wuhu has fled out of Daqingshan! I have led my elite troops here to await your command!"
Han Zhong, representing the three, gave a loud report.
"Thank you for your hard work! Everyone has worked hard!"
Zhao Muyun personally helped the three up and patted them on the shoulder forcefully. "The battle of Yinzhou has demonstrated the might of our army and the spirit of our Great Yin people! The fresh troops and spoils you brought are a timely help!"
Everyone returned to the main tent, where the atmosphere was lively.
Zhong Meng vividly described how thunderbolts blasted the Tartars into chaos and how fierce oil fires burned the enemy soldiers, causing them to cry out in despair, which made the generals burst into laughter.
However, taking advantage of Zhao Muyun's excitement, Shen Qian, the deputy commander of the Night Scouts, found an opportunity to lean closer and whisper:
"Grand Commander, Li Jingang has sent an envoy, led by Cui Mian, the Vice Minister of War. They have arrived in Daizhou, and Commander Cao and Commander Liu are currently negotiating with them!"
Zhao Muyun's smile faded, and she snorted coldly, "Hmph! Li Jingang is afraid I won't send troops, so he actually sent someone to supervise me!"
"Should we make them disappear?" Shen Qian's face immediately turned cold, and he made a throat-slitting gesture.
Zhao Muyun immediately gave him a sharp rap on the head: "We can't kill them now. If we do, Li Jingang will turn against us!"
He walked to the tent entrance, gazing at the bustling scene outside where captured supplies were being unloaded, the shouts of men and the neighing of horses, and the heavy cavalrymen in the distance adapting to their new mounts. His gaze gradually sharpened and hardened.
"They're urging us to send troops, aren't they? Fine! Then I'll show them!"
Zhao Muyun turned around abruptly, his gaze sweeping over the assembled generals in the tent: Han Zhong, Murong Chunhua, Zhong Meng, Wu Shangzhi, Guo Luo, Xi Sheng, Liu Yi...
With his loyal brothers, experienced generals, newly acquired superior equipment, and a highly motivated army, a surge of pride welled up within him.
"Order the entire army! Rest for three days, distribute the spoils of war, and replenish provisions!"
"Three days later, the army set off, heading east out of Jingxing and marching towards Yizhou in Hebei!"
"I, the Governor, will personally meet with Wuzhu, the Left Wise King of the Northern Barbarians, and let Li Jingang see how the men of Hedong fight for their country!"
"I will obey the Grand Commander's orders!"
The generals responded in unison, their voices shaking the roof tiles.
When Cui Mian learned that Zhao Muyun had finally decided to send troops, he was initially relieved. However, upon seeing the Xijing army's strength, morale, and overall strength, a new shadow inevitably fell over his heart.
What Li Jingang probably wants is more than just the result of "sending troops"!
......
And at this very moment.
At the Xiangzhou front, the battle entered a more brutal and test-of-will phase.
After suffering a setback in the initial battle, Wuzhu quickly adjusted his strategy.
He no longer insisted on a frontal assault on those hedgehog-like fortifications, but instead made full use of the mobility advantage of his cavalry, adopting a tactic of multi-point harassment to exhaust and trap the enemy.
Tens of thousands of Northern Di light cavalry were divided into dozens of groups, like maggots clinging to bones, patrolling and provoking the Fengtian Army's defense line day and night.
They would sometimes suddenly appear outside a camp at dawn, unleash a volley of arrows, and then leave before the defenders could mount an effective counterattack.
Sometimes they would light bonfires and beat war drums in the dead of night, creating the illusion of a night attack and keeping the defending troops awake all night.
More often than not, they hunted down like ghosts all personnel sent out by the Fengtian Army: scouts delivering military intelligence, supply trains transporting provisions, and even small groups of soldiers leaving the camp to fetch water or patrol.
In just five or six days, the Fengtian Army suffered heavy losses on the outskirts.
In particular, the number of scouts was over 30% casualties. Many experienced scouts disappeared without a trace after leaving the camp, making it extremely difficult for Xiangzhou to obtain information from the outside world, as if its eyes were covered.
A grain transport team was ambushed by a large force of Di cavalry thirty miles outside the city. The five hundred guards fought to the death, and most of the grain carts were burned.
When the news reached back, an atmosphere of unease and oppression permeated the camp.
The soldiers dared not leave the camp easily, their nerves were constantly on edge, and their fatigue increased day by day.
A fear of isolation and encirclement spread quietly through the military like a plague.
Inside the central command tent, candlelight flickered.
As Yang Yan listened to the reports of losses and difficulties from each battalion, his face remained expressionless.
But he knew that Wuzhu intended to use this endless harassment and hunting to exhaust the defenders' energy, demoralize them, and ultimately wear them down.
"This can't go on."
Yang Yan put down the battle report in his hand, his voice calm but with an undeniable determination: "Passively taking hits will only embolden the enemy and wear down our fighting spirit. To deal with cavalry, especially such elite mobile cavalry, we must use cavalry to control cavalry, or use a strategy to defeat them."
His gaze swept over the generals in the tent, finally settling on cavalry captain Wang Bing.
Wang Bing felt the commander's gaze and immediately straightened his back.
"Reporting to the King!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"An army is raised for a thousand days, but used for only one. Your cavalry battalion has rested long enough."
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