Muyun Prefecture is not that big, with six counties in total. It is only a day's journey to Yucheng. There is no snow in the prefecture, but the howling cold wind is still a very bad weather.
"Lord!" Outside Yucheng, Yu Wen, who had been waiting for a long time, along with a group of civil and military officials, waited for Xu Mu to arrive and shouted from a distance.
After getting off the carriage, Xu Mu smiled. He very much hoped that this chief general of Xishu would one day shine with a different kind of brilliance in troubled times.
"My lord, you have had a hard journey." Yu Wen approached and took a few bowls of ginger soup from the guard beside him to warm up Xu Mu and the others who were traveling from afar.
"Let's enter the city."
Yucheng is to the east of Muyun Prefecture, far across from Xinyueguan in Cangzhou. The buffer area in between is only about a hundred miles away. Previously, Dongfang Jing was stationed here, but later, as the war escalated,
, and Yu Wen’s continuous hard work, Yucheng let Yu Wen guard it alone.
"Wen Ze, how are things going lately?" Sitting in the governor's mansion, Xu Mu spoke in a solemn voice.
Next spring, in the decisive battle with Cangzhou, Yucheng will definitely be a key position. Opposite Xinyueguan, the Cangzhou general Ning Wu is not an ordinary person. At least when Dongfang Jing was there, he didn't use it.
No amount of strategies could fool Ning Wu.
She really is a famous general.
"My lord, there is nothing wrong." Yu Wen replied seriously, "Although there are occasional encounters with the respective reconnaissance battalions over Xinyue Pass, in general, Ning Wu does not want to start a fire of weapons.
"
"How many troops are there in Yucheng?"
"More than ten thousand."
The Battle of Faliang, to this day, Western Shu is still feeling a little relieved. Too many soldiers were lost in the battle, and the barren Liang land also needs time to digest.
It's a pity that the Demon Queen of Cangzhou is pressing forward step by step, turning the originally confusing situation into a confrontation between the whole world.
"The defense at Xinyue Pass will probably be mobilized a lot. Previously, Zuo Shiren attacked Cangzhou, and Ning Wu did not rush to help, but I estimate that the troops should be divided." Dongfang Jing stood aside and thought for a while before speaking.
Even after the troops were divided, Xu Mu had no interest in attacking Xinyue Pass. After more than a year of repairs and consolidation, both Yucheng and Xinyue Pass were like passes, easy to defend but difficult to attack. Allocate heavy troops
And if you cut down, the gains outweigh the losses.
"Yu Wen, have you captured the Cangzhou spies?"
"Of course I have, but these spies, even if they are submissive, can't ask anything. That Ning Wu is very smart. Only he and a few generals know the layout of Xinyue Pass. Lord, are you planning to attack Xinyue Pass?
"
Xu Mu shook his head, "I have no plans for the time being."
He came to Yucheng not to attack Xinyueguan, but for another matter. In the bottom of his heart, for some reason, he always wanted to bury a secret army near Yucheng.
He already has the candidates for the secret army. What he lacks is the terrain to bury the army.
After next year, the Dongling Tomb of Western Shu, the Nanhai League in the south, and the Kezhou River Bank in the north will besiege Cangzhou from four directions.
Of course, this is a strategy on the surface. If it is too straightforward, it can easily be blocked by the Demon Queen's soldiers. It is actually necessary to bury a secret army.
After all, now, even Xu Mu himself can’t say how many enemy troops there are in Cangzhou. Dongfang Jing’s strategy of cutting off food seemed to have no effect. The reconnaissance camp in Yucheng got back the news that there was no enemy in Xinyue Pass.
Signs of focus reduction.
Did this food and grass fall from the sky? No wonder the Demon Queen is so calm.
"My lord, do you want to leave the city?"
"Go to the mountains near Yucheng."
Yu Wen looked surprised, "Lord, Xinyue Pass is not far away, only more than a hundred miles away, and there are also cavalry in Cangzhou. If we intercept and kill -"
"Guardian Ning Wu, even if he really knows the news about my leaving the city, he will only think that it is a trap and assassination scheme by Xi Shu and will not rush out the army."
Xu Mu turned around and looked at Yu Wen calmly.
"Wen Ze, in the spring of next year, it is very likely that we will form an army here in Yucheng and attack Xinyue Pass."
Yu Wen had no fear at all, "Don't worry, my lord, we in Yu City have already prepared our troops in full formation. We are only waiting for the lord's order to send out troops to conquer."
"Very good. Let's do this. Bo Lie has trouble with his legs and feet, so he will stay in Yucheng. Yu Wen, you come with me out of the city. Don't worry, Ning Wu doesn't dare to move. He will probably send a message to Cangzhou and ask the Demon Queen to make a decision. But
It takes two or three days to come and go, and I will have already returned to the city by then."
A general who has a calm demeanor is certainly an excellent temperament. When guarding a city pass, he is the most reassuring. But no matter what, if the temperament is too calm, he will always lack an aggressive spirit.
Like Chen Zhong of Western Shu, when he first followed the Dou family, he was just a defensive general. But now, Xu Mu has been slowly training him, teaching him to be enterprising and one day be able to conquer the snow-capped mountains and grasslands.
"Lord, no matter what happens, I will come back that day." Dongfang Jing hesitated, knowing Xu Mu's temperament, but he did not persuade him after all.
Sometimes, such as exploring the location, the decision-maker needs to go there in person.
"The mountain wind is fierce. I don't want to freeze to death in the mountains, so I naturally have to leave early and come back early." Xu Mu said with a smile.
…
The mountains to the south of Muyun Prefecture are not connected to Shu Prefecture. But unlike Shu Prefecture, there is not much swamp miasma. However, the mountains are so steep that even the most desperate herb collectors would not dare to climb them.
"My lord, do you mean to hide a large army in the mountains?" Yu Wen, who was accompanying him, suddenly looked surprised.
"Ning Wu has a calm temperament, and it will be difficult to win without surprising troops. In addition, in next year's war, Xinyue Pass will definitely be defended. When the time comes, you need to follow my method and try to lure Ning Wu out of the city."
"My lord, how could a rat like him leave the city? Previously, the little strategist used many clever tricks, but couldn't deceive him."
"That's different. When the war starts next year, I will have my own way to trick him."
When the war breaks out, the situation in Jiangnan will become chaotic. And Xu Mu cannot stay in Yucheng. Instead, he will lead the navy and sit on the Xiangjiang River. On the side of Yucheng, the only option is
Leave it to Yu Wen, so he doesn't want to miss any opportunity to win. Again, under the siege, as long as Cangzhou breaks a hole, then the battle will be easy to fight.
Even if it is winter now, Xu Mu believes that in this world, people on both sides waiting for the battle will not be idle, dispatching troops, recruiting soldiers, recruiting civilians, building supplies... and even secretly.
various instigations of rebellion.
Whoever wins will have the opportunity to look up to the world.
…
Outside the Cangzhou Imperial Palace, Su Yaohou, wearing a golden coat with a phoenix pattern, stood on the jade steps as usual, raising her head and looking at the mountains and rivers outside the palace.
There was no fear, on the contrary, there was actually a trace of expectation on her face. Now that the layout has been reached, the thirty states in the Central Plains have really changed hands.
"Chess player, please enter the game."
"The chess player is not the king of Yuzhou, nor Zuo Shiren, but Xu Buyi, who is beginning to look like an emperor."
"Ah Qi, I'm ready."
The mute slave Ah Qi stood in the cold wind holding his sword. Except for occasionally nodding, he seemed to have become a stone sculpture the rest of the time.