If you can't see the ending of the hexagram, it means that there is still hope. As for the person who changed the ending with his own strength, Liu Buwang didn't know who it was. The master has a rule that you can only ask about things, not people. Because of the saying "Man can conquer nature".

There is no one who is completely controlled by the way of heaven.

"We do have geographical advantages. The Huluzui in Jiyang City is our natural advantage. Moreover, the soldiers in Jiyang City grew up by the water and are good at swimming. As for manpower, we will try our best to avoid mistakes now that we are here. The only difficulty now is actually the weather." He Yan looked at Liu Buwang and said, "If the wind blows from the southeast that day, we will win. If the wind blows from the northwest that day, even God will stand on the side of the Wutuo people."

The wind direction determines whether or not a fire attack can be used, and fire attack is the possibility with the greatest chance of success.

"Commander Xiao," Liu Buwang looked at Xiao Jue, "Even if the people in the city evacuate, if the Wutuo people take action in just a few days, the city will not be able to be defended, and the lives of the people in the city will be in danger. Those who evacuate now will also be caught up."

Xiao Jue: "So the later the Wutuo people act, the better. If the Wutuo people act quickly, then the longer they can defend the city, the better."

"You mean," Liu Buwang seemed to realize something, "the only possibility now is to defend the city."

"It's not just about defending the city," He Yan said, "If we want to attack, we have to use fire. But..."

This battle is not just a matter of generals and soldiers, but also of God's favor and luck.

"I understand." Liu Buwang said, "I will think of other ways. The governor should also make preparations in advance." He looked worried, "The Wutuo people will take action in three days at the latest."

In fact, everyone knew that the so-called three days was the best possible scenario they had estimated. In order to prevent too many people from evacuating the city, the Utos would definitely send troops in a very short time.

This is just a race against time between the two sides.

He Yan and his companions thought so, but they did not expect that the Utuo people were even more impatient than they were. On the second night, loud horns were blown in the north of the canal, and thousands of large ships appeared on the canal, bringing with them the ferocious Utuo people and long swords.

The soldiers are at the gate of the city.

Mu Hongjin sat in the hall, and the servants around him all stood with their heads bowed. The atmosphere was dull and stagnant. Only the woman remained the same as before, and calmly instructed the servants beside her: "Let the soldiers at the gate of the palace go to the city gate."

"Your Highness!"

"If the city gates are lost, I will not live alone. Instead of guarding the palace, I'd rather guard the people." Mu Hongjin said calmly, "I am their princess, so this is how it should be."

She was determined, and the servant hesitated for a moment, but finally did as she said. Mu Hongjin raised her eyes and looked at the painting of Jiyang Spring on the wall. The bustling flower market and water market, the noisy crowd, were so vivid that they seemed to walk out of the painting in the next moment. The battle was about to break out, and the princess was as beautiful and proud as ever, calm and powerful, without any panic, as if what happened outside was just a trivial storm. As long as she heard a piece of piano and watched a dance, everything would be resolved.

"Father," the red-robed woman murmured in her heart, "my daughter has guarded this city for more than 20 years, and will continue to do so in the future."

The people of this city are so kind, the water god will protect them, and they... will definitely get through this difficult time.

…

There had been no war in Jiyang City for many years. When the war broke out, the old, weak, sick and disabled people in the city who had not had time to leave were all awakened from their dreams. Some sat quietly in their houses waiting for the end to come, while others prostrated themselves on the ground, silently praying for the Bodhisattva's blessing.

Cui Yuezhi put on his armor, put his long sword on his waist, and left the house. There was no panic in the Cui mansion, even the servants were calm and composed. The concubines did not make any noise or laugh, but stood in the room obediently, waiting for instructions. Aunt Wei said, "Do your own thing. No one is allowed to talk nonsense until the master comes back."

As Cui Yuezhi's family, they could have evacuated, but they chose to stay and stick with Cui Yuezhi.

If the city was captured, these powerless women would definitely be in trouble in the hands of the Wutuo people. Therefore, everyone, including the crying and sad Third Aunt, had a white silk scarf at hand. Their lives belonged to themselves, and once the city was captured, they must not fall into the hands of the Wutuo people.

Cui Yuezhi left the mansion and rode to the camp of the martial arts field. As soon as he arrived at the camp and dismounted, he saw a man walking out of the tent. It was Xiao Jue.

Without the exquisite robes he usually wears, this young man no longer looks like a noble young master in the capital. He is wearing a black armor robe and cloud boots. The armor shines with a cold light, adding to his majesty. He has a handsome appearance, but his aura is as sharp as a long sword, just like the crystal sword on his waist, which makes it impossible to ignore his sharpness.

"Commander Xiao," Cui Yuezhi looked into the distance. It would not be long before the morning light would illuminate the sky of Jiyang City, and the Wutuo people's boat would arrive. It was time to act without delay. "The Jiyang Army in the city is all here. Cui will lead some people to set up an ambush at Huluzui, and the commander will lead others to take the boat to confront the Jiyang Army head-on. As for the fire attack..." He looked serious.

The people at the Observatory had been observing the sky all night last night. It might be windless today, or there might be a southeasterly wind. But even if the wind picks up, it will be in the afternoon. By the afternoon, the Uto people might have already landed.

All they could do was to wait here for a "possible" southeast wind, and for this possibility to come, they had to prolong the battle and delay the Utos as much as possible on the water.

Xiao Jue led the Jiyang Army to complete this very difficult task, but the more difficult task was not only this, but also the arsonist.

To set a fire on the Utuo ship without anyone noticing, and to set the fire at the right time, it was impossible to set fire to so many ships one by one. It was necessary to observe the location of the ships, find the most important ones, and use the fire on those ships to quickly expand the fire to all the Utuo ships. This requires a good overall view and good judgment. Looking at the entire Jiyang City, there are very few people who can do this.

Cui Yuezhi was also in a dilemma, but he had no choice but to wave his hand behind him. A group of people came over, led by Mu Yi, who had fought with He Yan in the martial arts arena before.

"I found a group of soldiers and followed Muyi's command. We found a good opportunity to board the Uto people's boats. When the southeast wind came, we set fire to them. It was difficult for us to determine which boats' fires could be controlled, so we could only let Muyi burn more."

The more he burned, the greater the chance of being discovered, and he might even be trapped on the ship. In a way, the soldier who set the fire was equivalent to the soldiers of the vanguard battalion, and they were the vanguard battalion that was ready to sacrifice themselves.

Their sacrifice paved the way for the brothers who came later.

Mu Yi said to Xiao Jue: "Mu Yi, just do your best."

Everyone now knew how unfavorable the situation was for the Jiyang Army. Mu Yi was no longer as arrogant as before, and his expression became much more serious.

"Cui Zhongqi, let me take charge of leading people to set the fire." A voice interrupted, the tent was opened, and someone walked out from inside. It was He Yan.

She also wore the robes and armor worn by the Jiyang City Army, and her long hair was tied up high. Her bright eyes and white teeth were completely different from her previous makeup. I don't know if it was an illusion, but everyone felt that this girl was even more eye-catching when she was dressed like this than when she was wearing makeup, and she was extremely natural.

Although the armor was heavy, she walked lightly and calmly. She looked at Xiao Jue and said, "Commander-in-chief, let me go in setting the fire."

"Miss He..." Mu Yi wanted to dissuade her, "This is very dangerous."

"There are too many Wutuo ships. We may have to wait until the afternoon to wait for the unpredictable southeast wind." He Yan shook her head. "To hide in them without being discovered, you need not only skills but also physical strength. And you also need to know how to coordinate with the Jiyang City Army led by the governor. Brother Muyi, you have never fought side by side with the governor before. Even if you go to set a fire, it will take a long time for you two to get along well. I am the governor's subordinate, and I have a tacit understanding with him. It's best for me to lead you. Besides," she smiled slightly, "didn't you fight with me before in the martial arts field? Why do you still have no confidence in me?"

Mu Yi blushed slightly, and was speechless for a moment. Since he lost to He Yan, he was inferior in skills, so how could he refute it?

He Yan's words were half true and half false. It was true that she could indeed cooperate better with Xiao Jue, as was the case with Yuan Baozhen in Liangzhou City. Moreover, many ideas between generals were shared. What Xiao Jue could think of, she could also think of. Similarly, Xiao Jue could understand her hints. Mu Yi might not understand. Secondly, she also saw that Mu Yi was determined to die and was going to exchange his life for success. However, on the battlefield, it was the general's responsibility to avoid unnecessary sacrifices. Although she did not dare to say that she could lead this group of people away safely, at least, they would not be wiped out.

From both a public and private perspective, it is better for her to do this dangerous task than for Mu Yi to do it.

Cui Yuezhi was a little hesitant. When they discussed the art of fire attack that day, he already knew that He Yan was not simple and should not be underestimated. She was much more capable than Mu Yi. But after all, He Yan was not familiar with him, and it was still unknown to what extent she could do it. Moreover, He Yan was not his subordinate. Even if he agreed, Xiao Jue would not agree. Therefore, he also looked at Xiao Jue and said, "Of course, Cui believes in Miss He's ability. Cui is also very relieved to let Miss He do this. I just don't know what Commander Xiao thinks?"

Xiao Jue looked at He Yan, and He Yan looked back at him. Her eyes were clear and full of life. The armor on her body made her look heroic and full of vigor, illuminating her entire face. She was like the young man who shone brightly in the martial arts arena in Liangzhou Wei, and her movements were as agile as the wind.

The free wind should not be trapped in a small space. He pulled the corner of his mouth slightly and said calmly: "Go ahead."

He Yan said: "Thank you, Governor!"

She originally thought that Xiao Jue might disagree, and she would have to convince him, but she didn't expect him to be so straightforward today. However, Xiao Jue could probably see that it was better for her to go than Mu Yi, and as the commander-in-chief, every order he gave had to be fair.

"Be careful." Xiao Jue said, "Don't rush in. If the situation is not right, just withdraw. I have other ways."

He Yan: "Understood!"

…

He Yan led Mu Yi and his group forward. Excluding herself, there were fifty people in total.

These fifty people are the fifty most skilled soldiers in the Jiyang City Army. They have to hide in the dark, ambush, hide, set fire, and evacuate, and may fight with some of the Wutuo people, so they cannot be weak in skills. He Yan looked at them and thought of the vanguard camp where he had served in the past. There were a dozen people in the vanguard camp who were at the forefront of every battle.

However, these dozen people will be different every time, because most of the time, they go and never come back. But it is also because of them that the possibility of victory can be created for the army in the future.

Cui Yuezhi led his troops to guard Huluzui, while Xiao Jue led the main force on a boat to fight the incoming Wutuo people on the Jiyang City Canal. Before leaving, Xiao Jue did not instruct her on any specific actions, which meant that from this moment on, the initiative of their secret arson was entirely in He Yan's hands.

"Miss He," Mu Yi looked at her: "What should we do?"

Time passed and the day was about to dawn. They didn't have much time to hesitate here. Although Mu Yi knew that He Yan was an excellent fighter, he didn't have confidence in whether He Yan could lead a surprise attack. He didn't even know that He Yan was the one who came up with the fire attack plan. He just thought that He Yan had the same idea as him, relying on his good skills to sneak into the Utuo people's ship and then set fire to it.

"Shall we prepare the anointing oil now?" Mu Yi asked, thinking that she hadn't figured out a solution, so he took the initiative to remind her: "How about we hide the anointing oil on the shore and try to transport it to the Uto people's ship?"

"No need." He Yan raised his hand and said, "Prepare ten small boats."

"Ten small boats?" Mu Yi frowned. "All the boats have been given to Commander Xiao. We don't have many boats now. What do we need so many boats for?"

He Yan said: "I thought about it, it's much more difficult to burn their ships one by one than to burn our own ships. It's better to burn our own ships."

Mu Yi was stunned. The dozens of people behind him didn't quite understand. Someone asked, "What does this mean? Can you explain it more clearly?"

"I need ten small boats. Put all the anointing oil you prepared on them. Then pile them with hay and pretend to be the same as other warships. When the two sides fight, the Uto people will think that this is just a small boat filled with anointing oil, which is the same as the ship of the Jiyang City Army. When the southeast wind blows, we can pretend to fight with them and get close to the Uto people's big ship."

"At that time, we can just light our own ship on fire."

"This is the only way that has the greatest chance of success. You can also jump into the river and save yourselves at best," she said.