A few days later, Yinshan City.

Yinshan City, as the name suggests, is named after Yinshan Mountain. Yinshan Mountain is the last mountain leading to the Northern Barbarians, and it is also the border city between the Central Plains and the Northern Barbarians.

The caravans and supplies traveling between the Central Plains and the Northern Barbarians would always be exchanged in Yinshan City, which is the transportation center between the two places and has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times.

At this time, according to the original plan, Li Zhongwu had led his army to Yinshan City.

He rode on a tall warhorse and looked around the ancient city.

The walls of Yinshan City were not very high, because although people came and went here, few actually stayed here. Moreover, this was a battleground for military strategists, with many wars and the population being even smaller.

Therefore, there was no need to build Yinshan City so tall that it reaches the clouds. Instead, it had a rough style, and the city walls were covered with weeds, which formed a sharp contrast with the cities in the Central Plains.

Under the sky full of yellow sand, the city walls are full of uneven pits, covered with traces of time and remnants of war.

The mottled bloodstains on the city wall had long since turned purple and black, and the broken arrow holes seemed to be telling of the countless wars and battles this city had experienced.

At this moment, the Northern Barbarians' army was stationed on the tower, ready to fight. The Northern Barbarians' soldiers were looming in the yellow sand, their armors gleaming with a cold light under the setting sun.

Their eyes were grim and their weapons were tightly grasped, and they were obviously ready to face any challenge.

The middle-aged Confucian scholar stood on the city wall, gazing into the distance. What came into his sight was a desolate desert with no human habitation.

Such scenery is completely different from the lush forests of Hanzhou and Yangzhou. Now he finally understood why Chagan Uli had such a strong obsession with the Central Plains.

If these northern barbarians really took control of the Central Plains, they would no longer have to live in such a cruel environment and would no longer have to worry about the coming of blizzards.

He knew that Yinshan City was a key city between the Northern Barbarians and the Central Plains. If he were Lin Zhongyun, the first place he would attack would be Yinshan City.

The battle in Yinshan City will not only determine the ownership of Yinshan City, but also determine who will have the absolute initiative in the subsequent war.

But he also understood that if he, the Northern Barbarians, wanted to defend the city, he would have to pay a huge price, and it might even give the rebels an opportunity to take advantage.

Their troops have not yet gathered together. If the rebels find out the news at this time, they will most likely be caught off guard.

That result,
Such a situation,
This was something he didn't want to see, and it was something the Northern Barbarians could not bear.

Now the Northern Barbarians have already suffered a loss at the hands of the rebel army, although Chagan Uli's power is still there and he has suppressed some riots and panic.

But if something like what happened in Hanzhou happens again, the morale will never be restored.

Therefore, what the Northern Barbarians have to do now is not to defend Yinshan City at all costs, nor to withdraw their troops, but to win a victory against the rebel army, even if the means of achieving this victory are not glorious.

Gradually, a hint of coldness flashed across his eyes, and a vicious plan had already formed in his mind.

"How are the preparations going?" He turned his head to look at the deputy general beside him and asked in a cold tone.

"General, we have arranged defensive fortifications in the city in advance according to your orders, and the Khan has also delivered the things you requested." The deputy general came forward and reported the situation to the middle-aged Confucian scholar.

The middle-aged scholar nodded, his eyes still fixed on the distance, "Very good, especially the things I want must not be lost at all, otherwise you will be the sinners of the Northern Barbarians."

"Please rest assured, sir. That thing is under the protection of my most elite guards. There will be no accidents." The deputy general said with a firm expression and nodded solemnly.

The middle-aged scholar nodded, his eyes were cold and disdainful, and there seemed to be a faint blue flame dancing in his eyes. He knew that everything he planned would determine the future of the Northern Barbarians.

He turned and walked down the tower, and came to a secret military tent. Inside the tent, several trusted generals were already waiting for his arrival. Their eyes were filled with tension and anticipation, and they obviously knew what was about to happen.

"Everyone, our plan has entered a critical stage." The middle-aged scholar whispered, "Yinshan City is the lifeline of our Northern Barbarians. The rebels will definitely attack with a large army, but our goal is not to defend the city, but..."

One general couldn't help but ask: "Sir, if we don't defend the city, what are we going to do?"

The middle-aged scholar smiled coldly, took out the layout map of Yinshan City, spread it out in front of everyone, and said in a deep voice: "As for what you are doing, you will know when the time comes."

He pointed to several key locations on the map and continued, "Now send your people to drive out all the people in these marked places, and then station your soldiers there."

The generals carefully looked at the markings on the blueprint and found that these places were the main roads and weak defenses in the city. Their brows were slightly furrowed, obviously thinking about the middle-aged scholar's intentions.

"As for how and when to use that batch of stuff, wait for my notification." The middle-aged scholar had a sinister look on his face, with a hint of sneer in his eyes. "Remember, our goal is to make the rebels pay a heavy price when they attack, or even be wiped out."

A general hesitated and asked, "Sir, will this cause panic among the people in the city?"

The middle-aged scholar replied coldly: "War is inherently ruthless. As generals, you should think about how to win the war. As for whether the means are despicable or cruel, it is just a woman's kindness.

Since ancient times, one general's success is the result of the sacrifice of thousands of men. History is made by the victors. Only those who survive to the end live the best. "

The generals nodded one after another. They knew the determination and wisdom of the middle-aged Confucian scholar and decided to fully cooperate with his plan.

"Let's move, everyone." The middle-aged scholar waved his hand. "Time is running out. We must complete all arrangements before the rebels arrive."

The generals took the order and left, quickly starting to execute the middle-aged scholar's orders. The people in the city were quickly evacuated, and the soldiers were stationed at the designated locations, ready for battle.

……

As night fell, there was silence inside and outside Yinshan City.

At this time, the spy sent by Li Zhongwu just came back.

Li Zhongwu stood in front of the big tent, looking at the Yinshan City with lights shining in the dark night, his eyes cold.

No matter when or where, knowing yourself and the enemy is the prerequisite for victory in war.

Even though the rebel army has conquered most of the world, they still cannot let their guard down, not to mention that their target this time is Yinshan City where the Northern Barbarians are stationed. This is even more necessary.

Several spies hurriedly walked up to Li Zhongwu, knelt on one knee, and whispered, "General, we have already investigated the situation in Yinshan City. There are more than 50,000 Northern Barbarian troops stationed in Northern Barbarian City, and they have deployed a large number of defensive fortifications in the city."

Li Zhongwu nodded and motioned for the spy to continue. "The latest is that they have even closed the city gates and not allowed anyone to enter or leave. It seems that they are ready to stalemate with our rebel army."

The spy continued, "In addition, I heard that Chagan Uli sent a military advisor this time to coordinate all matters in the city."

"Oh? Military advisor?"

Li Zhongwu frowned, looked at the spy suspiciously, and asked, "Have you found out the name of the military advisor? Who is he?"

The spy shook his head and replied, "I have not been able to find out the specific identity of the military advisor. I only know that he is trusted by Chagan Wuli, and his methods are ruthless and his strategies are extraordinary."

This surprised him a little.

The Northern Barbarians stationed a large number of troops here and built fortifications in the city. All this was within his expectations. After all, no matter how impossible it was, the Northern Barbarians would not hand over Yinshan City to others like this.

But he never expected that Chagan Uli would actually send a military advisor this time. This added a lot of variables and made him start to worry again, even though he originally thought that the siege was a sure thing.

Chagan Wuli was not a fool. How could the person he regarded as his military advisor be someone who was only seeking fame and reputation?
Li Zhongwu pondered for a moment, then turned his gaze to Yinshan City in the distance. This unknown military advisor was obviously an opponent that could not be underestimated, and he had to act with caution to avoid falling into the opponent's trap.

"General, what should we do next?" The deputy general walked forward and asked in a low voice.

Li Zhongwu took a deep breath and said with a firm look, "We can't attack rashly. Although the cities in the northern border are far apart, the northern barbarians may think that we are thinking this way, and attack us from both sides when we attack the city."

"General, what you said is absolutely right, but are we just going to wait like this forever?" the deputy general continued to ask.

"Not really."

Li Zhongwu shook his head and said in a deep voice: "After all, our baggage and supplies have not yet arrived, so it is not suitable to attack immediately.

If we want to attack, we must first ensure that we have sufficient knowledge of the situation in the city."

The deputy general nodded to show his understanding. Li Zhongwu continued, "Send the order down, order all troops to strengthen their vigilance, and send spies to see if they can find more information."

At this point, he seemed to have thought of something. After a moment's silence, he pointed to the Oak City, which was a hundred miles away from Yinshan City, and asked, "In your opinion, how long would it take for the Northern Barbarians to get from Oak City to Yinshan City?"

"From Oak City to Yinshan City?"

The deputy general frowned and looked at Li Zhongwu with some confusion. He was very confused and didn't know why Li Zhongwu asked this.

Seeing the deputy general's confusion, Li Zhongwu explained: "Our army can travel a hundred miles a day under very short conditions, but what about the northern barbarians? You know, their war horses are more powerful than ours."

"If we really attack Yinshan City at that time, if they rush from Yinshan City to Zhumu City at full speed, it will probably take less than a day."

Hearing this, the deputy general suddenly realized, but the price of his sudden realization was a gloomy look on his face.

Times of Day,

It looks long enough to do a lot of things.

In fact, this period of time is extremely short for a major war.

If the Northern Barbarians really held their ground, and even prepared for street fighting, could they really capture Yinshan City in a day?
Moreover, this one day was their optimistic estimate. It might even take less than a day for the Northern Barbarians to come to support Yinshan City.

If they are lucky enough, they may arrive at the perfect time to attack the city. At that time, with the rebels being attacked from both sides, what would they have to worry about?

"General, you are absolutely right. I thought it was too simple." The deputy general said with lingering fear. If he was the commander of this war, he would never have thought of this.

If this happens, he would most likely fall into the trap of the northern barbarians, and the rebel army's invincible reputation would be ruined in his hands.

Seeing the deputy general's pleased expression, Li Zhongwu nodded and continued, "Because of this, we must be more cautious and make sure every step is under our control. We can't give the Northern Barbarians any chance."

The deputy general nodded and said in a deep voice: "General, what you said is absolutely right. We must make full preparations to ensure that we are fully aware of the movements of the Northern Barbarians before attacking Yinshan City."

Li Zhongwu thought for a moment and then said, "Send the order to all troops to strengthen their vigilance, especially the rear defense line, and closely monitor the movements of the Northern Barbarians. At the same time, send more spies to Oak City to find out the movements of the Northern Barbarians' reinforcements and their specific troop deployment."

The deputy general took the order and left. Li Zhongwu looked towards Yinshan City again. The lights of Yinshan City flickered in the dark night, like a sleeping beast, waiting for the dawn.

The darkness before dawn is the deepest, but it also heralds the coming of light.

Li Zhongwu stood outside the tent, the night wind blew across his face, bringing a hint of chill. But his heart was even colder than the night wind.

In fact, faced with such a situation, they could also adopt the previous strategy of attacking Hanzhou, using precise strikes against the poor and firepower coverage against the rich.

After all, any city fortress that claims to be indestructible is based on insufficient firepower.

As long as they have enough firepower, they can almost push forward.

However, as the name implies, to do this, they first need sufficient firepower. As early as before, when they attacked Hanzhou, they had already consumed most of the firepower reserves of Yangzhou.

Even the armory in Yangzhou, known as Daqian, could not withstand their consumption.

What's more, the place they are now is not somewhere else but the interior of the northern border, thousands of miles away from Yangzhou.

It would take at least ten days or half a month to transport such supplies, and by that time, the Northern Barbarians would have already launched an offensive, and they simply couldn't afford to wait.

He frowned, knowing full well that using such firepower to exchange for a border city was a losing deal. More importantly, Yinshan City was not their final goal, but just an important base for their northward advance. If they exhausted all their resources here, they would lose the ability to continue their northward advance.

"No matter what, we can't act rashly before the supplies arrive."

Li Zhongwu thought to himself, "As for Oak City, we can think of other ways..."

(End of this chapter)