A grand military meeting was held in Fuling City.
Mu Zian's core generals are currently gathered together.
The five people are Jia Xu, Zhao Yun, Luo Cheng, Han Shizhong, and Liang Hongyu.
There are strategists who can devise plans within the command tent and win battles a thousand miles away.
There was a fierce general who could take the head of a general from the midst of a thousand troops as easily as taking something out of a bag.
There are also brilliant commanders who can win with fewer troops, save a collapsing empire, and turn the tide of disaster.
Mu Zian's lineup can be described as a perfect pentagon with no weaknesses.
However, since the decision has been made to abandon Fuling City, it is necessary to inflict another heavy blow on the Xiongnu before that.
Inside the room, Han Shizhong, who was in charge of the city's defense, spoke first.
“In the past few days, the Xiongnu have been continuously reinforcing their camp, seemingly intending to hold out for a long time.”
"However, according to the reports from the sentries, a large number of Xiongnu cavalrymen left under cover of darkness at midnight."
"I wonder what these Huns are up to."
As Han Shizhong finished speaking, Jia Xu calmly began to speak.
"The reason why the Xiongnu fortified their camp was probably to rely on high walls and strong fortifications to confront and contain our army."
"If I'm not mistaken, the Xiongnu cavalry that General Han mentioned left in the middle of the night must be heading towards Qiubi City."
Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the room suddenly froze.
Jia Xu's two simple sentences clearly analyzed the current situation.
There wasn't a single fool present; they immediately understood the Huns' plan and deployment.
Luo Cheng spoke first.
"The Xiongnu are trying to leave a portion of their forces to contain us while the rest of their army enters Liangzhou from Qiubi City. What cunning fellows they are!"
Mu Zian nodded, his eyes slightly serious.
It is clear that there were also strategists among the Xiongnu.
They dispatched 10,000 cavalry to Liangzhou to cut off the supply lines.
Now, by leaving people to lock down the city and dividing the troops at Qiubi, they have managed to break the stalemate.
Fortunately, Mu Zian had already planned his next move and did not intend to continue defending Fuling City.
Do you know how many people are left in the Xiongnu camp?
Mu Zian asked Han Shizhong.
"There are still about ten thousand cavalry."
Han Shizhong gave the answer smoothly.
Mu Zian pondered for a moment upon hearing this, and then spoke again.
"Currently, there are less than four thousand usable soldiers in Fuling City. It will be quite difficult to swallow up these ten thousand Xiongnu cavalry. Does anyone have any good ideas?"
Everyone fell into deep thought upon hearing this, just then Liang Hongyu suddenly spoke up.
"Your Highness, I do have a way to defeat these ten thousand Xiongnu cavalry."
"Fifty miles away from Fuling City, there is a river valley called Xianmatan."
"In the summer when there is plenty of rain, it is a vast expanse of water. When autumn comes and the river recedes and the sun shines, it becomes a flat area with lush water plants."
"When it rains, the soil becomes wet and turns into a muddy swamp. If a horse enters, it will sink in, hence the name 'Sinking Horse Beach'."
"If we can lure these 10,000 Xiongnu cavalry here, we might be able to destroy them by taking advantage of the terrain."
Upon hearing this, Han Shizhong immediately spoke up.
“My wife is right, there really is such a place.”
"The Xiongnu rely most on the speed of their warhorses. If we can lure them here, we can trap them and annihilate them all!"
Both of them were given the identity of powerful figures in Liangzhou by the system. Liang Hongyu and Di Hu, the former garrison commander of Fuling City, were sworn siblings.
Therefore, my understanding of Liangzhou's topography was naturally supplemented in my memory.
As soon as Han Shizhong finished speaking, Luo Cheng spoke up.
"But according to what you two said, the place where the horse is trapped is indeed a good place for an ambush."
"But you also said that to change it into a swamp, it needs rain to irrigate it, and now that winter is approaching, where is the heavy rain?"
The question raised by Luo Cheng is indeed the most important point.
The Xiongnu people were certainly not foolish enough to rush into this obvious trap when it was raining.
Jia Xu smiled slightly upon hearing this.
"This is easy; why wait for rain to soak this riverbed?"
Upon hearing this, everyone turned their attention to Jia Xu.
Mu Zian asked curiously.
What plan should be devised?
Upon hearing this, Jia Xu smiled and slowly uttered eight words.
"Build dikes to store floodwaters and divert water for irrigation!"
These words were like the clouds parting to reveal the light.
Flooding is undoubtedly the most tried-and-tested strategy in China's history of thousands of years.
The most famous example is Guan Yu's use of floodwaters to submerge Yu Jin's seven armies, then attacking by boat and capturing Yu Jin alive.
Li Shimin used the construction of a dam upstream of the Ming River to block the river's flow. When Liu Heita's army crossed the river, he breached the dam to release the water. The floodwaters washed away Liu's army's positions, and the Tang army took the opportunity to attack, inflicting a great defeat on Liu Heita's army.
These two battles were crucial: one made Guan Yu famous throughout the world, and the other established Li Shimin's supreme position in the army.
Both water attacks achieved brilliant results.
Jia Xu truly lived up to his reputation as a cunning strategist; every single one of his plans was designed to stab the enemy in the heart.
Everyone was pleasantly surprised to hear this, and then Liang Hongyu asked.
"If that's the case, how can we get these Xiongnu people to willingly go to the riverbank?"
At this moment, Mu Zian, who had been silent for a long time, smiled slightly and uttered eight words.
"Provoke, lure the enemy, surround, and annihilate them."
Upon hearing this, everyone wore knowing smiles.
A gust of wind swept through the room, and a plan targeting He Lan's 10,000 cavalry began to be implemented.
That night, the city gates of Fuling quietly opened.
Zhao Yun and Liang Hongyu led a group of men straight to Xianma Beach.
For He Lan, who had led troops for many years, besieging was a piece of cake.
All they had to do was keep fortifying the camp and then send out their scouts.
Keep a close eye on Fuling City—that was the task Yelü Junba left him.
Moreover, He Lan could also predict that the Han people inside Fuling City would not dare to come out and attack.
Although Mu Zian implemented a scorched-earth policy, the scattered cavalry scouts still managed to bring back some surprises here and there.
For example, today, the scouts on the outpost brought He Lan a Han Chinese woman.
Compared to women from the grasslands, Han Chinese women are fairer and more beautiful, and most importantly, they don't have that muttony smell.
For He Lan, who had been abstaining from sex for several months, this was definitely the best opportunity to vent.
Moreover, now that Yelü Junba is no longer in charge, as the highest-ranking officer in the entire camp, he can do whatever he wants.
However, just as evening approached, before He Lan had fully vented his anger...
One of his centurions hurriedly reported bad news.
"A 100-man scout squad that was out on patrol was attacked."
Of the last hundred men, only a few dozen returned, their faces marked with the word "waste" in the Xiongnu language.
Three boxes were also brought back with dozens of people.
When He Lan opened the box that was constantly seeping blood, his expression froze.
Inside the box were neatly cut-off ears and noses.
The other box was full of severed fingers.
The last box contained dozens of heads with their hair tied together.
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