Strategic Maneuvering

Second, he sent a fast rider to Yanzhou with a letter to Baili Zan.

Riding two horses to death, the letter reached Baili Zan in three days. Woken up by the messenger, Baili Zan rushed barefoot to read the letter.

The core of the letter was three words: "Empty Fort Strategy?!" Zhong Luiping exclaimed, "This won't work! What if something goes wrong? How can we explain to Your Highness?"

Chi Ying cradled her sleeping son, her eyelids drooping, indecisive.

Dim lights flickered inside, darkness outside. The darkest hour before dawn.

Baili Zan waved the letter, "War favors speed. Yanzhou isn't a permanent base. Your Highness will eventually return to the capital. With Huerhana gone, the Northern Di might not attack. Once the emperor is dead and Your Highness ascends, there will be no more worries."

Zhong Luiping shook her head, "Too risky! You're gambling with Lady and Your Highness's children's lives!"

"Enough!" Chi Ying intervened, "Sir, please go. This is serious. I need to think carefully."

Should she play it safe, letting Yang Qiong and Bumu'er fall into Cui Jie's trap, or launch a decisive offensive, trapping Cui Jie between three fronts?

At dawn, the entire Yanzhou camp mobilized, twenty-one thousand troops fully armed. Cao Qian wore armor, his new cloak fluttering in the morning wind.

His wife, Lady Wang, wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, nodding as Chi Ying spoke. Chi Ying hugged her, and Lady Wang sobbed silently.

The oath-taking ceremony began, offerings were made, and Bai Li Zan handed the wine cup to Cao Qian reverently. Cao Qian raised the bronze goblet, pouring the wine onto the ground. Blood spurted from slaughtered sacrificial animals.

"Since the late emperor's death, the new emperor has harmed his siblings, surrendered to the Northern Di, and oppressed the people, shaking the foundations of our nation!" Cao Qian's voice was powerful, his gaze resolute. "Your Highness endured humiliation, biding his time for this day. Today, entrust your lives to me. Your weapons will decide the future of Central China! For Your Highness and your families, swear to slay the tyrant!"

Among the troops were former imperial guards, remnants of Xu Chong's forces, Xu Cheng's militia, and nearly ten thousand anti-rebellion soldiers. Cui Yi's disciplined army, known for fair rewards and punishments, had earned loyalty from border troops. Soldiers' loyalty was to their generals, not the emperor!

Below the platform, the troops roared, waving their weapons, shouting, "Support Your Highness, slay the tyrant!" Their morale soared.

Cao Qian placed the goblet back on the tray, glancing at his newlywed wife. Lady Wang wiped her tears, forcing a smile, hands clasped in prayer.

Twenty-one thousand Yanzhou troops left behind only three thousand. Eighteen thousand followed Cao Qian, heading northwest toward Xuanzhou.

In Jiangzhou, Zhong Yuanshan received Shan Jian's letter. Thirty thousand Jiangzhou troops gathered near Mao County, awaiting orders.

Shi Bangze, stationed between Jiangzhou and Xuanzhou, and Emperor Cui Jie in the capital, simultaneously received news of Huerhana's trip to Ma Quan Pass, Yang Qiong's rescue mission, and Cui Yi's secret expedition to assist.

However, the anti-rebellion army also learned that Xu Cheng was stationed in Shuangchang, leaving only Shan Jian in Xuanzhou.

Shi Bangze, having suffered a defeat at Shan Jian's hands, sought revenge. Though separated by Xu Cheng's troops, he believed avoiding detection would suffice.

He immediately ordered, "Mobilize all troops, split into two groups…"

Roads headed north to chase the rebel King Cui Yi, while another route went south, bypassing Shuangchang, and directly targeting Xuanzhou Prefecture!"

The strategist beside him tried to dissuade him, saying, "General! These are just rumors that have not been confirmed. What if it's a trap set by the enemy…" "Shut up!" Shi Bangzhe angrily threw a jug of wine at him, "There are soldiers but no generals in Xuanzhou City. How can we miss such a good opportunity! This general must take Shan Fuzhi's head as a side dish for my wine. Anyone who dares to obstruct me will be punished according to military law!"

Eighty thousand anti-rebellion troops broke camp, with Shi Bangzhe personally appointing a deputy general to lead thirty thousand men north to pursue Cui Yi, while he himself led fifty thousand troops, passing through Jiangzhou's Fuxian County, bypassing Shuangchang, and heading straight for Xuanzhou Prefecture.

Zhong Yuanshan listened to the scout's report and chuckled, saying, "You can't catch a wolf without risking your child. This Shan Fuzhi is ruthless towards others and even more so towards himself, truly a genius."

According to Shan Jian's arrangement, he and Xu Cheng pretended not to know about the anti-rebellion army's plan, letting them bypass Shuangchang and attack Xuanzhou Prefecture.

But just as Shi Bangzhe thought everything was foolproof and his forces had penetrated deeply, Zhong Daileading ten thousand Jiangzhou troops, and Xu Cheng leading ten thousand Xuanzhou troops, attacked from behind.

Zhong Yuanshan himself remained stationary, only waiting for news of victory from Xuanzhou before joining forces with Cui Yi and Cao Qian to concentrate their attacks on the capital.

The capital had nearly one hundred thousand troops stationed, but since the war between brothers Cui Jie and Cui Yi began, they had been repeatedly reorganized and mobilized. After the incident involving Hu Erhana, Cui Jie disregarded the objections of his ministers and transferred another twenty thousand of the remaining less than sixty thousand imperial guards to join the Ganzhou troops in attacking the ruins of Maquan Pass, intending to wipe out Yang Qiong and several minority leaders in one fell swoop.

Everything was under Shan Jian's control, including the fact that Guo Mao was no longer trusted by Cui Jie.

Cui Jie's decision to transfer the imperial guards northward did not consult his opinion. Before the end of the year, Guo Mao was jointly squeezed out by Cui Jie's confidants for advocating that Shi Bangzhe should be held accountable for delaying military operations. Furthermore, because he pleaded for Rong Hai, Cui Jie became suspicious of him and stopped valuing his opinions. From then on, he was forbidden from entering the imperial study for half a year when making this regrettable decision.

Zhong Lüping's intuition proved correct; the foolish invitation letter was not written by Guo Mao but was the work of Changsun Tai.

Grand Tutor worked hard all his life to become the father-in-law of the emperor, how could he fall because of a stone inkstone? He didn't hold grudges and immediately threw himself back into serving Cui Jie wholeheartedly. Even his own daughter, Changsun Chiying, who had stayed away from politics, was completely unaware of her father's naivety and absurdity in strategic planning.

After seeing off Cao Qian, Changsun Chiying led a group of women back to the palace and sat in the main hall – in Cui Yi's seat.

In the hall, Xiaoqiu held six-month-old Cui Hao, Zhong Lüping held three-year-old Cui Xian, along with Wang Shi, Nian Jiaojiao, and Nong Yue, who had been imprisoned for two years without sunlight, stood quietly.

Their husbands, fathers, brothers, masters... had left the land of Yan Prefecture and joined the battlefield filled with smoke and fire, leaving behind only scholars, old people, and weaklings.

Changsun Chiying deliberately chose a bright red dress embroidered with auspicious patterns like dragons and phoenixes, bats, coins, etc., symbolizing good fortune.

"Sisters," she took a deep breath and slowly spoke, "I know you might not say it out loud, but you're all terrified because the men have left. In the city, apart from the three thousand Yan Prefecture troops, there are only us women and children who can't help."

Although the few people below didn't speak, their expressions showed varying degrees of anxiety. As the strategist, Bai Lizan accompanied Cao Qian south, leaving no man in charge in the vast Yan Prefecture. Their only hope was the woman sitting before them, Changsun Chiying.

Changsun Chiying sat upright in the master's chair, showing no trace of fear on her face. Her gaze swept over the faces in front of her.

"As long as two months! Within two months, once His Highness conquers the capital, we won't have to live in constant vigilance anymore!"

For the first time, she used such a resounding voice to try to awaken the fighting spirit of these women.

Changsun Chiying shouted, "Even though General Cao and Master Bai have left, we must continue living as if they were still here! It's July now, believe in your men, fathers, and brothers—they will return before the wheat ripens!"

"A woman may not ride horses or wield spears, but we can still defend the city!"

"As long as our hearts and minds remain calm, the Beidi people won't take advantage of our weakness. All we need to do is stay composed and ensure outsiders don't see through our facade!"

"Of course, we also need to prepare…"

Her lips trembled slightly, and Xiaoqiu immediately stepped forward: "Madam…"

Changsun Chiying waved her hand to indicate she was fine and continued, "We must be prepared. On the day Tiger Leap Pass falls, I won't ask you to stay. So, I'll arrange an escape route for you. In case of emergency, you must follow my instructions."