Chapter 202 The mantis stalks the cicada, but the oriole follows behind
In the northern border, in the northern barbarian camp, the cold wind was howling and the tents were swaying in the wind.

Chagan Uli has summoned the leaders of all the major tribes and quickly deployed the previous orders. The entire camp is filled with an atmosphere of tension and expectation.

At the same time, the middle-aged Confucian scholar and Yuan Chenghuan began to plot in a secret corner how to target the rebel army in front.

After what happened to Tan Tai Ao, they knew that the fighting power of the rebel army was no longer what it used to be. They were equal to or even better than the Northern Barbarians. Moreover, there was Lin Zhongyun's unpredictable mind, who would always set up ambushes in unexpected places, catching them off guard.

"We must firmly grasp the initiative." Yuan Chenghuan's voice was low and firm. He pushed aside the sand table and pointed to a relatively flat basin on the map, which was the land of Hanzhou. With a gleam in his eyes, he said, "There is an old saying in the Central Plains that goes, 'Strengthen your strengths and avoid your weaknesses.' Since we no longer have an advantage in the front, in order to ensure that nothing goes wrong, we must greatly weaken the fighting power of the rebels before the war."

Hanzhou is known as the "Land of Abundance" because of the abundant rainfall and fertile soil in this basin during the rainy season, which gave birth to countless fertile fields. However, it is precisely this flat terrain that is extremely suitable for the army to charge.

Yuan Chenghuan looked across the map and seemed to have seen the future victory.

"If we have to choose a place that is conducive to the decisive battle, Hanzhou is definitely the best choice." He continued, with a hint of excitement in his voice.

The middle-aged scholar nodded, frowned slightly, and then pointed to Miyun City in Hanzhou, his eyes burning: "If we want to weaken the fighting power of the righteous army to the greatest extent, we must rely on the power of heaven and earth, and Miyun City must not be lost."

Miyun City is completely different from other cities in Hanzhou. It is located on the edge of Hanzhou, with towering mountains behind it. It is covered with snow all year round. The mountains are towering into the clouds, forming a natural barrier. There are also abundant water sources here, and Miyun Reservoir is the most important reservoir.

It is now the end of winter. Compared with the coldest time, the temperature has warmed up significantly. The melting of ice and snow has greatly increased the water storage capacity of the Miyun Reservoir.

In addition, the Miyun Reservoir was originally very large and the water surface was not completely frozen. As long as the gates were opened and the water was released, it would be enough to flood Hanzhou.

"As long as we can lure the main force of the rebel army into Hanzhou, and then open the sluice gates to release water, the flat terrain of Hanzhou will be enough to flood the entire Hanzhou." Yuan Chenghuan's eyes flashed with enthusiasm, "Without any effort, the rebel army can be wiped out!"

The middle-aged scholar smiled and agreed in his heart. Even if some of the rebels survived, they would have been scattered and frightened. Facing the trampling of the northern barbarians, they could only wait for death.

Once the main force of the rebel army is destroyed, it will be in an irretrievable situation, and the number one rival of the Northern Barbarians will disappear completely. No one can stop them from entering the Central Plains, and the entire Daqian will be a piece of cake for them.

The difficulty they were struggling with before was how to lure the rebels to lead their main force to attack Hanzhou without hesitation and step into the ambush circle they had set up early in the morning.

After all, this is a necessary prerequisite for the success of this plan.

Otherwise, all plans will come to naught.

If it were ordinary generals, they would not have such worries.

However, Lin Zhongyun has demonstrated his cleverness and strategy time and time again, forcing them to be cautious.

However, now that the Daqian Emperor is willing to use himself as bait, all these problems can be easily solved.

Unable to hold on any longer, Daqian launched a desperate attack. Everything was so reasonable that even Lin Zhongyun could not see the strangeness in it.

"The most important thing is to keep the plan secret. If you delay, something bad will happen!" Yuan Chenghuan's voice rang in his ears, interrupting his thoughts. This was also the main reason why he had been against delaying the plan.

"In order to complete the show and allow the rebel army to attack Hanzhou without any worries, we can completely counterattack and let the Khan lead some people to pretend to pursue Li Zhongwu and others, but actually sneak into Hanzhou to prepare for the plan in advance."

The middle-aged scholar nodded, thinking about Yuan Chenghuan's proposal, and then continued: "In addition, during the attack of the rebel army, the resistance must be strong, so that the bandit Lin will not be suspicious."

His voice gradually became lower, and he knew in his heart that although such a plan was feasible, the cruelty of it also made him feel uneasy.

What he meant was to deploy troops in various cities in Hanzhou to resist the rebels. However, these people were destined to have only one fate: either be killed by the rebels or drowned, which was no different from committing suicide.

He knew in his heart how ruthless such a decision was, but it was the only way to ensure that the plan would be foolproof.

"I know this plan is difficult for you, but time is running out." The middle-aged scholar had a calm face and a firm tone, "Once this plan fails, what awaits us will be a tidal wave of offensives by the rebels. We must make all preparations and not leave any way out."

Yuan Chenghuan also felt a heaviness in his heart. Even if they really succeeded and completely wiped out the rebel army, their victory in this battle would not be very glorious. His name would only be cursed in future history books.

All the humiliation and all the infamy will be borne by him alone.

But he understands,

For the future of Daqian,
In order to trample Lin Zhongyun under his feet,
This is what he has to do.

Since ancient times, there have been piles of bones under the feet of successful people, and they are willing to bear the infamy even if it means doing so.

Just as he had previously been sent on a diplomatic mission to the Northern Barbarians with a bad reputation, he did not care at all about the evaluation of future generations or the ridicule of others.

As long as he could see Lin Zhongyun being executed with his own eyes, it would be the best reward for all his efforts.

"I don't care how others judge me, nor do I care how history records it." Yuan Chenghuan's voice was low and firm, as if he was comforting himself, and the crazy hatred in his heart became stronger and stronger.

His hands were clenched into fists, his nails dug deep into his palms, blood seeping from his fingertips, but it did not weaken his determination at all.

At this moment, he had only one thought in his mind, which was to eliminate Lin Zhongyun at all costs.

……

Hanzhou, Qianqing Palace.

Liu Wulie sat alone on the dragon throne, gazing into the distance, looking at the clouds outside the sky, and fell into deep thought for a long time. The yellow dragon pattern under the dragon throne, illuminated by the candlelight, seemed to be whispering about the glory and loneliness of Daqian.

At this moment, he had only one thought in his mind: how to stabilize Daqian's foundation in this precarious time.

As the food gap continued to widen, the situation in Yangzhou became increasingly tense. He was forced to suppress the rebellion with a high-pressure stance and barely managed to stabilize the situation.

But he knew that this situation was like a taut string that could break at any time. Everyone was in a state of panic, and everyone was in danger. A storm that could destroy Daqian was quietly approaching, and he didn't have much time left.

However, he did not indulge too much in this sadness, as at least one or two pieces of good news came in the past few days.

Just as he expected, when the news that he was willing to be bait spread, the Northern Barbarians agreed to his plan, opened the sluice gates and flooded the rebel army.

After all, even the Northern Barbarians did not dare to underestimate the rebels at this time, so he would never give up this opportunity.

However, what they didn't know was that this scheme was not only aimed at the rebel army, but also at the Northern Barbarian Army.

Although Daqian's biggest enemy now is Lin Zhongyun, the righteous army,
But what happens once the rebel army is crushed?
There is no doubt that the next target of the Northern Barbarians will definitely be Daqian. Will Daqian still have the strength to face the Northern Barbarians' cavalry at that time?

Daqian can't even defeat the rebels now, let alone the powerful northern barbarians? Therefore, the answer to this question is yes.

Although the Northern Barbarians had previously agreed to an agreement not to fight between them, the agreement was always meant to constrain opponents of the same level. When the strength of the two parties to the agreement began to be unequal, the so-called agreement was nothing more than a piece of waste paper. He knew in his heart that if he did not take this opportunity to wipe out these two threats in one fell swoop, Daqian would have nowhere to escape in the future.

Therefore, this time he wanted to use the rebel army as bait to induce a battle between the Northern Barbarians and the rebel army, and then submerge the Northern Barbarians and the rebel army together in Hanzhou.

However, by doing this, innocent people in Hanzhou will be affected.

He also had no way to evacuate the people in advance. An empty city would arouse suspicion anyway, thus ruining his plan.

"Innocent people..." He murmured softly, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly, as if he was uneasy about the slight hesitation.

However, he shook his head suddenly. As an emperor, he must put the overall situation first. Those people who were struggling in Hanzhou had already developed a rebellious heart against Daqian, so it was better to die.

Now, all he has in his eyes is Daqian’s century-old foundation and his power as emperor.

In order to maintain Daqian's foundation for hundreds of years and to avoid becoming a king who loses his country, he is willing to pay any price.

Gradually, a gloomy look appeared on his face, and the calm and heaviness in his eyes had long been replaced by endless madness. He seemed to have fallen into an inability to extricate himself from madness.

"Someone come!" he roared, his voice as loud as thunder, echoing in the empty palace, making people feel terrified.

Wang De, the confidant, rushed over immediately, his face pale with fear, he just lowered his head, silent as a mouse, not daring to breathe.

Uneasy!

This is the most true portrayal of what is in his heart at this moment.

As the person who raised Liu Wulie since he was a child, he has watched Liu Wulie grow up to the present day and knows the secrets behind this young emperor and the sadness that cannot be told to outsiders.

However, even at the moment when the rebel army captured Yangzhou, he had never seen Liu Wulie so crazy. The man standing before him was no longer the gentle monarch, but a ruler full of fanaticism and obsession.

"Your Majesty, what do you want me to do?" Wang De asked in a trembling voice, feeling uneasy in his heart.

"News has come from the Northern Barbarians, and they have agreed to our plan."

Liu Wulie put his hands behind his back, and his tone became deeper and colder, "Now you go to Miyun in person, and make sure to control Miyun in our hands. I will inform you of the plan to release the water when the time comes."

Wang De was stunned, and felt a chill in his heart. He asked hesitantly: "These... innocent people..."

If this plan were to be leaked, regardless of whether the rebels would react or not, the people in Hanzhou would not agree and would definitely rebel immediately. The situation would then become even more difficult.

"Are you questioning me?" Liu Wulie's gaze was like ice, instantly shattering Wang De's hesitation.

A crazy smile appeared on his face, and the only thing in his mind was to annihilate the rebel army. As for the appointment, he no longer cared about it and put it out of his mind.

"Yes, I will stand up immediately!"

Although Wang De felt uneasy, he could only grit his teeth and obey under Liu Wulie's scorching gaze.

Having been with Liu Wulie for these years, he deeply understood one truth: as subjects, they can only obey forever. Now he can only secretly hope that everything will go well.

After seeing Wang De off, Liu Wulie quickly walked down the platform and came to the outside of the hall. He looked out the window at the night. A cold wind blew, and the flame in the lantern flickered, casting a shadow on his face.

"In order to maintain Daqian's foundation for hundreds of years, and in order not to become a king who loses his country, I will pay any price!" He muttered to himself, and the fanaticism and obsession on his face became more and more obvious.

……

At the same time, Yunfu City.

Compared with Liu Wulie's madness, Lin Zhongyun seemed relaxed and contented at this moment, looking at the scenery outside with a calm mind.

He is not in a hurry.
It is they who now hold the initiative, not Daqian or the Northern Barbarians.

Once everything is ready, it will be easy to flatten Daqian, and he is sure that day is not far away.

As for Li Zhongwu's deep journey into the heart of the grassland, he was not worried at all.

The Wu Dang Flying Army under his command is in no way inferior to the Northern Barbarian Cavalry on the grassland in terms of mobility, and they can definitely protect themselves no matter what.

"King Wu, although according to our spies, Chagan Wuli has sent troops back to the grassland to provide support, and we have disrupted their plans. But this matter is a little too smooth?"

Yuan Jingxin stood aside with a worried look on his face.

He was a little worried. You know, the war was imminent and the Northern Barbarians had suffered losses at the hands of the rebels more than once. In this situation, would they dare to send troops to support?

He understood the importance of the base camp to the Northern Barbarians, but such a decisive dispatch of troops was a bit too suspicious.

"I'm not worried about that!"

Lin Zhongyun smiled slightly and said slowly: "In the face of absolute strength, any conspiracy is just a lie. Even if they really have a conspiracy, they can only be a combination of internal and external forces to surround Li Zhongwu.

Thus, he killed my top general Li Zhongwu, and then exploded before the war started to disrupt the morale of the army. "

Hearing this, Yuan Jingxin suddenly became uneasy and suggested: "In this case, should we send troops to support General Li?"

Lin Zhongyun didn't care about this. He waved his hand and said with a smile: "No need. I have already told Li Zhongwu about this situation in advance. He knows how to deal with it."

"It is Liu Wulie who has not made any moves in recent days. This is a bit too abnormal. He is the one we should pay attention to."

"Yes, yes... King Wu, you are right!"

Yuan Jingxin nodded repeatedly and said in a deep voice: "King Wu is wise. He pointed it out to me right away. I will immediately send people to sneak into Hanzhou to find out the situation."

Lin Zhongyun nodded. Now he had enough confidence to deal with everything that was about to happen.

Even if the northern barbarians really have a conspiracy, we can just fight back when the enemy comes and block when the water comes. There is nothing to panic about.

(End of this chapter)