However, Ma Zongliang was unaware that just as he thought he had seen through Zhao Muyun's scheme, Wu Shangzhi on the south bank of the Luo River received a message by carrier pigeon.
The letter was written by Zhao Muyun himself and contained only eight characters: "The fish has taken the bait, proceed according to plan."
After reading the letter, Wu Shangzhi smiled.
He summoned Lin Yuan: "Issue the order that the entire army will set off at midnight tonight."
"General, weren't we supposed to feign an attack on Yanshi?"
“The feint attack is over.” Wu Shangzhi looked westward. “Ma Zongliang must think we’re bluffing now. Perfect timing, let’s quietly head west to Yishuichuan.”
"And the camp here..."
"Leave a thousand men, carry out the flags frequently, and continue cooking and lighting fires as usual every day," Wu Shangzhi said. "We need to make Ma Zongliang's spies think that we are still here."
At midnight, 29,000 Yin soldiers quietly broke camp and marched westward at breakneck speed.
Only a thousand soldiers were left in the camp as a decoy, but all the flags were still raised and the cooking smoke was still rising.
At the same time, the Tangut cavalry south of the Yishui River also received orders.
After reading the secret order, Mezang Epang smiled at Namtso and said, "Brother, the show is about to begin! From today onwards, we will split into ten teams, each with six hundred men, and travel back and forth between Luoyang and Yishuichuan."
Namtso replied, "Yes, raise more flags and create more dust, so that Ma Zongliang will think that our army is everywhere!"
The six thousand cavalrymen were divided into ten groups, like ten sharp arrows shooting in different directions.
Each of them rode two horses, switching between them constantly, galloping day and night. Wherever they passed, dust billowed and banners stood tall, making them look like tens of thousands of troops in motion.
April 7th, Yishuichuan Camp.
Ma Zongliang received a series of reports:
"Report! The Yin army is still on the opposite bank of Yanshi, and the smoke from their cooking fires is still rising!"
"Report! Approximately three thousand Yin Army cavalry have appeared southwest of the capital!"
"Report! Enemy forces have been spotted near Hangu Pass!"
"Report! Another cavalry unit has appeared south of Yishui River, carrying the banner of the Murong clan!"
"......"
With each intelligence report and each direction reported, Ma Zongliang began to sense that something was amiss.
Zhao Muyun's troops seem to be scattered in various places...
"General, something's not right." Li Biao's expression was grave. "If Zhao Muyun's main force is really in Dengzhou, why is he sending so many cavalry to harass people everywhere? Isn't that a waste of manpower?"
Li Bao added, "Moreover, if the enemy troops in Yanshi were truly a feint, they should have withdrawn by now. Yet they remain, practicing river crossings daily..."
Ma Zongliang stared at the sand table, his mind a jumbled mess. What exactly was Zhao Muyun trying to do? Distributing troops for harassment, bluffing, creating a feint... all these tactics had been employed, but where was the real main force?
Just then, another urgent military situation arose:
"Report! Scouts have spotted the main force of the Yin army, at least 50,000 men, twenty miles south of Luyang Pass, advancing towards Yishuichuan!"
"What?!" Ma Zongliang jumped to his feet. "South of Luyang Pass? Isn't that..."
He rushed to the sand table, his fingers trembling as he found the location—twenty li south of Luyang Pass, which is the southern entrance to the Yishui River!
Zhao Muyun's main force has actually arrived!
Moreover, they came from the south, not from Yanshi in the east!
“But…but what about the puppet master…” Li Bao was dumbfounded.
"We've been tricked!" Ma Zongliang's face turned ashen. "Yanshi is a feint, the foreign cavalry is just harassment, the real main force has been hiding in Dengzhou, and now they're suddenly attacking Yishuichuan!"
He forced himself to calm down and quickly analyzed: "It's thirty li from Luyang Pass to Yishui River. It can be reached in half a day with a forced march."
"Zhao Muyun is trying to take advantage of our army's attention being focused on the eastern route, and suddenly launch an attack from the southern route to catch us off guard!"
"General, what should we do?" Li Biao asked anxiously.
A resolute glint flashed in Ma Zongliang's eyes: "Since he's here, then let's fight! Order the entire army to deploy according to the original plan! Li Biao, you lead the central army to meet the enemy head-on! Li Bao, you lead the left flank to prepare for an encirclement! Zhang Yu, the right flank is yours!"
He paused, then added, “Also, order the 30,000 reserve troops lying in ambush on the south bank of the Yi River to cut off Zhao Muyun’s retreat as soon as his entire army enters Sichuan! This battle will be fought to the death on the Yi River!”
Orders were issued one after another, and the 200,000 Fengtian troops began to deploy in a tense manner.
Ma Zongliang climbed the observation platform and looked south.
Under the spring sunshine, the vast plains of Yishui River are laid out before you, and in the distance, dust rises slowly from the horizon.
Zhao Muyun, you've finally arrived.
Let's settle this here at Yishuichuan!
......
On the eighth day of the third month, twenty li south of the Yi River, at the Yin Army camp.
Night fell, but the camp was quiet, unlike its usual bustling atmosphere.
The soldiers silently wiped their weapons, inspected their armor, and fed their warhorses one last meal of fine feed.
A heavy, oppressive atmosphere filled the air; even the warhorses sensed the impending battle and pawed at each other restlessly.
Inside the central command tent, the candlelight cast a long shadow of Zhao Muyun.
He had been standing in front of the sand table for an hour, his gaze moving back and forth across the terrain of the Yishui River, as if trying to etch every hill and every river bend into his heart.
"General, all units are ready." Wu Shangzhi entered, his armor clanging. "According to your plan: 30,000 infantrymen will form the central army, under my command; 20,000 cavalry will be stationed on the left and right wings, with Xiao Cheyun and Murong Chunhua each leading 10,000; 6,000 light cavalry from the Dangxiang and Qiang tribes will serve as scouts; and the remaining troops will be reserves."
Zhao Muyun didn't look up: "What about Ma Zongliang?"
"The scouts report that the Fengtian Army's 200,000 troops have all entered the Yishui River. Li Biao's 50,000 Imperial Guards are in the center, arrayed on the north bank of the Yishui River; Li Bao's 30,000 are on the left flank, relying on the hills to the west; Zhang Yu's 30,000 Imperial Guards are on the right flank, stationed on the east bank. There are still 70,000 troops..." Wu Shangzhi paused, "...their whereabouts are unknown, probably an ambush."
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