Song Xiu

Chapter 71 It's so hard to solo queue

An urgent intelligence report was sent back to Huguan City as quickly as possible.

Upon receiving this intelligence, Tian Chongjin's expression changed drastically, and he immediately went to find Zhao Dexiu.

Upon seeing Zhao Dexiu, Tian Chongjin said with a solemn expression:

"My lord, the Northern Han army is at Shiti Mountain!"

Then Tian Chongjin explained the geographical location of Shiti Mountain to Zhao Dexiu in detail.

"Our previous intelligence indicated that the Northern Han army had returned to China under the leadership of Liu Jiye."

Unexpectedly, Liu Jiye feigned a return to the country, but in reality, he stationed troops on the border!

Tian Chongjin's expression grew increasingly grave as he spoke.

Tian Chongjin is naturally simple and honest, but that doesn't mean he's stupid.

The fact that the Northern Han army secretly stationed troops on the border is enough to demonstrate their wolfish ambitions.

Although there is currently no intelligence on the Northern Han army's southward advance, based on what Zhao Dexiu said earlier, if Li Jun is willing to invest heavily, the vanguard of the Northern Han army, drawn by the prospect of profit, could reach the walls of Shangdang within a few days.

The thought of this immediately conjured up an image in Tian Chongjin's mind:
Several thousand Song soldiers were focused on the siege, and when they were exhausted, a large number of Northern Han soldiers launched a surprise attack from the rear.
A catastrophe!

While feeling lingering fear, Tian Chongjin couldn't help but feel somewhat fortunate.

Tian Chongjin looked at Zhao Dexiu with admiration—if it weren't for the prefect, the Song army would have been in grave danger without even realizing it!

"Summon all the generals for a meeting."

Tian Chongjin was in a heavy mood, and Zhao Dexiu was in no better shape.

Admittedly, he had previously considered that the change in the hearts of the people in the various counties might be related to the Northern Han army.

Deep down, Zhao Dexiu still didn't want the Northern Han army to get involved anymore.

Upon hearing Zhao Dexiu's order, Tian Chongjin immediately turned and left.

After Tian Chongjin left, Zhao Dexiu returned to the bottom of the map, his eyes sharpening:
"Liu Jiye? Yang Wudi!"

After the generals arrived in the hall, they all gathered behind Zhao Dexiu.

With Zhao Dexiu's consent, Tian Chongjin has just informed the generals of the intelligence he has obtained.

Upon hearing that 20,000 Northern Han troops might soon arrive to aid Shangdang, the generals' faces turned quite grim.

In terms of sheer elite status, the Crane Control Army is second to none among the armies of the time.

However, the Northern Han army was four times the size of the Crane Control Army!
In addition, the generals of the Northern Han on the other side were not unknown figures.

With such a large disparity in numbers, even with a capable general in command, the situation would be unfavorable in open field battles, let alone when attacking Shangdang City.

For a time, many generals began to consider retreating.

The Crane Control Army is not afraid of fighting difficult and tough battles, but at least before fighting, it must be able to see where the opportunity for victory lies, so that there is a need to fight desperately.

Even without turning around, the oppressive atmosphere emanating from behind allowed Zhao Dexiu to keenly sense the change in the morale of his own side.

Zhao Dexiu's worst fears came true.

The news that the Northern Han army might march south would not only reassure the rebels, but also, to some extent, disrupt their own morale.

It was precisely because Zhao Dexiu had considered this beforehand that he did not accept Tian Chongjin's suggestion to "conceal military intelligence".

No matter how capable a general is, he cannot control the thoughts of every single person in the army.

As scouts return one after another, news that the Northern Han army might march south will eventually spread throughout the entire army.

Rather than concealing the truth and allowing the generals to suspect each other privately, which could destabilize the morale of the army, it would be better to be open and honest, and then guide and reassure them as the commander-in-chief.

"I've heard that Liu Jiye is known as 'Invincible' in the Northern Han Dynasty. In my opinion, this 'Invincible Liu' is acting somewhat rashly."

Zhao Dexiu's evaluation of Liu Jiye successfully piqued the curiosity of the generals behind him.

Taking advantage of the generals' growing curiosity, Zhao Dexiu said with a smile: "If he hadn't acted like a young wife and had a falling out with Li Jun, how could our army have taken Huguan so easily?"

As soon as Zhao Dexiu finished speaking, some of the generals burst into laughter.

Indeed, the news of the Northern Han army returning home was a crucial factor in the formation of this surprise attack force.

Importantly, Zhao Dexiu used a joking remark to clearly point out his team's two advantages.

One point is that the Northern Han army had prior conflicts with Li Jun, which shows that they were not of one mind.

The second point is: Huguan City is in our hands!
With Huguan City in existence, the Song army had no worries about running out of food or retreating, putting them in a position where they could attack or defend at will.

Thinking of these two advantages, the generals felt much more at ease.

At the same time, like Tian Chongjin, they admired Zhao Dexiu's foresight even more.

The strategy for capturing Huguan was personally devised by Zhao Dexiu.

The correctness of this strategy becomes undeniable when the situation turns unfavorable.

After hearing the heavy breathing behind him lessen, Zhao Dexiu continued:

"Liu Jiye hid at the foot of Shiti Mountain, hoping to deceive everyone, but unfortunately, Heaven favors the Song Dynasty, and he cannot hide from me!"

Zhao Dexiu went on to point out Liu Jiye's oversight despite his meticulous planning.

When Zhao Dexiu uttered those words, the last vestiges of unease in the hearts of the generals vanished.

The generals couldn't help but recall Zhao Dexiu's deduction in front of them a few days earlier.

They were as disbelieving as they were then, and now they hold Zhao Dexiu in the highest esteem.

Zhao Dexiu's foresight saved their lives in an unseen way.

Zhao Dexiu's two sentences revealed a concept to the generals:
Don't panic! With him here, we still have a chance of winning this tough battle.

Because this idea was based on three major facts, the generals were quite convinced of it.

After successfully calming down the generals, Zhao Dexiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The first step in resisting the Northern Han army must be to stabilize morale.

In reality, Zhao Dexiu was not feigning reassurance; he had a plan in mind that could help the Song army defeat the Northern Han army.

Zhao Dexiu stared intently at Shiti Mountain on the map:
"General Liu, there are some things you shouldn't get involved in!"

Unbeknownst to anyone, inside Shangdang City, there was someone who had been observing the Song army's every move.

That person was none other than Lüqiu Zhongqing.

Essentially, Lü Qiu Zhongqing was observing Zhao Dexiu, the main general of the Song army.

Having seen through Li Yun's character after he repeatedly ignored good advice, Lü Qiu Zhongqing was utterly disappointed in him.

Furthermore, Lü Qiu Zhongqing knew that after Li Jun led his army to launch a proactive attack, he had already fallen into a strategic disadvantage and would eventually face defeat and death.

The reason why Lü Qiu Zhongqing stayed in Luzhou was that he wanted to use Li Jun's influence to observe the heroes of the world.

As he observed, Zhao Dexiu, who had entered Luzhou like a dragon crossing the river, came into Luqiu Zhongqing's view.

In Lu Qiu Zhongqing's view, given Zhao Dexiu's status, only by serving him could he have the opportunity to fully display his knowledge.

However, while having sufficient social status, talent, knowledge, and demeanor were also aspects that Lu Qiu Zhongqing valued.

The surprise attack on Huguan Pass is enough to prove Zhao Dexiu's extraordinary courage and strategy.

Next, Lü Qiu Zhongqing considered Zhao Dexiu's overall perspective.

Standing on the city wall of Shangdang, Lu Qiu Zhongqing gazed in the direction of Huguan.

"The Northern Han army is about to march south. How would you respond?"

I have a strategy to defeat the enemy; I hope you can adopt it!
(End of this chapter)