At the commander's command, the entire Jinyang began to operate at high speed again.
The clouds of war had just dissipated from Jinyang, but they quickly gathered towards Longyou in the west.
A game in Longyou with a larger scale, more complex forces and concerning the future of the world pattern, officially kicked off with Zhao Muyun's resolute westward advance.
Three days later, with Shi Yong as the vanguard, Wu Shangzhi and Guo Luo as the left and right wings, Zhao Muyun in charge of the central army, and Liu Yi leading the Shenji Camp and baggage train, an elite army composed of 5,000 mixed infantry and cavalry, holding high the dragon flag with the word "Yin" and the general flag with the word "Zhao", marched out of the west gate of Jinyang and embarked on the long journey to the west to Longyou.
The army moved swiftly, but Zhao Muyun was concerned about the crisis in Longyou and knew that speed was of the essence in war.
On the one hand, he ordered Shen Qian to send a large number of night scouts ahead.
With a reconnaissance distance far beyond the norm, they penetrated deep into Longyou like tentacles, and at all costs, contacted Tang Yanhai, Pei Lun and any forces that might still be resisting, in order to collect the latest intelligence.
On the other hand, he strictly ordered the troops to travel light and only carry necessary weapons and 15 days of dry food. Subsequent supplies would be coordinated by Han Zhong in Hedong and delivered through the initially opened trade routes.
The desert is full of raging sand and the north wind is howling.
Five thousand soldiers and horses marched westward from Yinzhou, following the passage previously opened by Pei Lun and Tang Yanhai, at lightning speed.
.....
At the same time, the situation in Longyou was deteriorating rapidly.
More than 2,000 soldiers led by Pei Lun and Guo Xiaoti were besieged in Heidu Mountain by a coalition force of nearly 10,000 led by Wumuchi, a general under the Northern Di Loufan King, and Ashina Lu, a general under Yuchi Ming of the Chechi Kingdom.
Although this mountain is strategically located and easy to defend but difficult to attack, it is short of water and food, making a breakout impossible.
Wumuchi was not in a hurry to attack, but adopted a siege strategy, constantly tightening the encirclement and consuming the defenders' will.
He was full of pride and believed that capturing Pei Lun and annexing western Longyou was a foregone conclusion.
Pei Lun and Guo Xiaoti led the charge and repelled the enemy's exploratory attacks several times, but the casualties among their soldiers were increasing, their arrows were about to run out, and the situation was precarious.
Zhang Zan, the governor of Longyou, who came to rescue but was ambushed on the way, lost 2,000 soldiers and horses, and his strength was greatly damaged. He had to retreat to Liangzhou.
They had to defend against the pressure from Yang Yan and Li Hu's Dafeng Army on Xiaoguan and Suzhou in the east, and be wary of harassment from the Qiang and Rong cavalry in the south. They were already overwhelmed and could hardly spare any strong troops to rescue Heidushan.
Tang Yanhai led the elite scout battalion and, together with An Dehai's caravan guards, held the Ganzhou front line. Using the city defense and familiarity with the terrain, they barely blocked the coalition forces of Beidi and Chechi Kingdom from infiltrating to the east.
Andehai used his extensive network of trade routes in the Western Regions, hired some Western Region mercenaries at a high price, and tried to contact allies further west, but distant water could not quench immediate thirst.
On Yang Yan's side, apart from deploying troops at Xiaoguan, he was not in a hurry to launch a strong attack.
It was obvious that he wanted to wait until both the Northern Di and the Longyou defenders were defeated before reaping the benefits.
At the same time, he had frequent contacts with Qiang and Rong envoys, and seemed to be plotting a specific plan to divide Longyou.
However, the Qiang and Rong cavalry frequently appeared on the border between Hehuang and Longyou, looting villages and towns, encroaching on the area around Liangzhou, and acting with arrogance.
The situation in Longyou has become extremely critical.
The Western Expedition Army led by Zhao Muyun, after ten days of forced march, crossed the desert and finally arrived at the Longyou area, heading straight for Guazhou!
However, Zhao Muyun made a decision that surprised everyone.
His target was not the besieged Heidu Mountain, nor the heavily defended Guazhou.
Rather, it was the relatively empty rear camp of the Beidi Tartar and Chechi Kingdom coalition forces, as well as the key node of their connection with the Loufan King's headquarters:
Shandan Town!
Zhao Muyun’s strategic intention is very clear: Besiege Wei to save Zhao!
You fight yours and I fight mine!
You have surrounded Pei Lun with a large army and are threatening Longyou. Then I will directly attack your logistics base, cut off your communications, and disrupt your overall deployment.
......
A few days later, outside Shandan Town.
This small town, originally a commercial and travel center, has now become an important hub for the coalition forces of Wumuchi and Chechiguo to store food and transport the wounded.
There were about a thousand defenders, most of whom were vassal troops of the Chechi Kingdom and some auxiliary troops of the Northern Di, and their vigilance was relatively lax.
At the darkest moment before dawn, the defenders of Shandan Town were still asleep when they were suddenly awakened by a deafening explosion.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Liu Yi commanded the Shenji Camp to concentrate the use of the thunder bombs they carried and threw them accurately at the weak points of the town wall and near the town gate!
Flames shot up into the sky, wood and rocks flew everywhere, and the defenders instantly fell into great panic and chaos.
"Cavalry! Charge!"
Wu Shangzhi took the lead, like a tiger descending from the mountain, leading the Hedong cavalry that had been well-trained for a long time, and took advantage of the chaos caused by the explosion and the diffuse smoke to tear open the defense of Shandan Town like a sharp blade.
Shi Yong led the infantry to follow closely and expand the results of the battle.
The battle was almost one-sided.
The allied defenders were caught off guard and were unable to organize any effective resistance and were quickly divided and annihilated.
In less than an hour, Shandan Town changed hands, a large amount of food and weapons stored by the coalition forces were burned or seized, and the food supply route to King Loufan's headquarters was also cut off.
When the news reached Wumuchi's camp at the foot of Heidu Mountain, the Northern Di general was so frightened that he almost fell off his horse!
"What? Zhao Muyun's cavalry from Hedong? Why is he here? Shandan...my food!"
Wumuchi was shocked and angry. The fall of Shandan meant that his army, which had penetrated deep into Longyou, was facing a fatal threat to its rear and supply lines.
"General, should we withdraw the siege and return to provide support?" the subordinate asked hurriedly.
Wumuchi looked at the Heidu Mountain in front of him, which had been under attack for a long time, and thought of Zhao Muyun's main force that appeared in the rear, and he was in a dilemma.
If they continued the siege, they might be cut off by Zhao Muyun; if they withdrew the siege and went back to provide support, their efforts would be in vain, and Zhao Muyun would be well-rested, making the outcome unpredictable.
Just as Wumuchi was hesitating, worse news came:
Zhang Zan in Liangzhou was greatly encouraged when he heard that Zhao Muyun's army had entered Longyou and won the first battle. He immediately seized the opportunity and sent elite cavalry out of the city to attack the Qiang and Rong camp, beheading hundreds of them.
Tang Yanhai of Ganzhou had already learned from Ye Bushou that his leader Zhao was leading the army here in person, and he was so excited that tears filled his eyes.
One dark night, he sneaked into the Beidi camp with ten elite scouts and assassinated several Tatar centurions.
For a time, the coalition forces of Wumuchi and Chechiguo fell into panic and their morale was shaken.
Zhao Muyun succeeded in his attack and did not stay in Shandan Town. He immediately led his troops south, making a move to attack Heidu Mountain to rescue the city.
At the same time, a large number of cavalry were sent out to set up false formations and bluff, which put great pressure on Wumuchi.
The battle situation in Longyou changed instantly because of the sudden intervention and precise attack of Zhao Muyun's surprise troops.
The game between various forces began to fiercely unfold!
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