Late at night, the city walls of Juxu City were brightly lit.

With Lin Zhongyun personally taking action, the news of the army's approaching presence naturally spread throughout the entire northern border.

Such news naturally made the middle-aged scholar stand in front of his desk with a frown on his face. His expression was extremely gloomy, and it was obvious that he was shocked and angry.

Hu Yanhuan, who was ordered to come and protect the middle-aged Confucian scholar, also had a solemn expression, but more of it was anger at being despised by the rebels.

Although he was already one of the smartest young men in the Northern Barbarians, he still did not realize the meaning behind this.

Young and ignorant, he was filled with anger at the moment. He looked at the middle-aged scholar, frowned and said, "Military Advisor, this thief Lin is too arrogant. He looks down on us like this. It's really hateful!"

"hateful?"

The middle-aged scholar looked at Hu Yanhuan, who was full of anger, and couldn't help but smile. He shook his head and said helplessly: "What is this place? Is it a battlefield where you fight to the death?"

"Hate is the best outcome here."

He snorted coldly, a helpless smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he said to Hu Yanhuan earnestly: "You must know that as a commander of an army, you should never let anger cloud your mind at any time, especially in front of your enemies."

"Anger will affect your personal decision-making. Once the decision-making is biased, your personal bias will manifest on the battlefield as the sacrifice of countless lives. Once this bias reaches an irreversible point, it means that only failure will greet you."

He spoke this very slowly, like a trickle of water falling into Hu Yanhuan's ears.

He understood that the reason why Chagan Uli sent Hu Yanhuan to follow him was not just to protect him, but more importantly, he hoped that Hu Yanhuan could learn more by following his leader.

This is the same purpose as when Huyan Leng sent Huyan Huan to his side in Yinshan City.

Since Chagan Wuli wanted to do this, he was willing to teach him everything he knew. After all, he didn't want the Northern Barbarians to be without successors.

The series of questions from the middle-aged scholar left Hu Yanhuan speechless for a moment. He didn't know how to answer or defend himself.

"In ancient times, the best way to fight a war is to attack the heart."

Seeing Hu Yanhuan remained silent, the middle-aged scholar continued, "It is obvious that Lin Zhongyun's move is nothing more than to provoke people like you, thereby stirring up the emotions of the army and forcing the Khan to take the initiative to attack.

In Yandang City, we, the Northern Barbarians, can still hold our ground, but once we leave the city, the situation will become precarious."

Hu Yanhuan was stunned when he heard this, as this was a direction he had never imagined. After the middle-aged Confucian scholar's reminder, he realized the importance of the matter.

Hu Yanhuan said in a low voice, "Then the military advisor means that we should send a message to the Khan now and ask him to stay in the city and not leave?"

The middle-aged scholar looked up at him without saying anything. After thinking for a moment, he slowly said, "This is just one point. Now that we have discovered Lin Zhongyun's true conspiracy, we have to think about what he will do next."

"One move is three steps ahead. This is the most basic rule of Central Plains Go. A smart person can plan four or five steps ahead for the next move. Such a person can become a well-known chess player, and then a great chess player."

At this point, his tone suddenly softened, and his eyes revealed a yearning expression, "A true genius can plan ten steps ahead. Such people are called great masters, also known as chess saints."

"The chariot has five wheels and the horse has no bridle. This huge battlefield is like a concrete chess game. You and I are just chess pieces on the board. Only those who look three times before taking a step can have the last laugh."

The middle-aged scholar spoke with deep emotion, but these words left Hu Yanhuan confused. What chessboard, what chariot without wheels, what horse without reins, they were completely different from a battlefield.

"These are still profound for you. I hope you have the opportunity to understand the culture of the Central Plains. Apart from removing some of the dross, it will still be beneficial."

Then, he pulled Hu Yanhuan to the sand table, pointed at the five cities that had been marked on it, and asked, "If you knew that we were defending the city, how would you attack?"

Faced with such a question, his straightforward character made him blurt out: "Of course we have to fight them and defeat them. As long as we concentrate our forces to capture a city, the morale will inevitably drop, and the next thing will become much easier."

The middle-aged scholar smiled and said, "Have you ever thought about the price you have to pay to capture a city? Not to mention whether the opponent will support you, let's say that if you capture this city, will you have the energy to attack other cities?"

Hu Yanhuan was stunned for a moment, but he no longer felt as aggrieved as before, because he knew he was wrong when he said the first word.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. The events of Yinshan City echoed in his mind. He thought about how Li Zhongwu dealt with the linkage between Yinshan City and Oak City.

Although Li Zhongwu failed in the end, this direction was undoubtedly correct.

At this time, he began to think carefully about the advantages of the five-city linkage, that is, if one side is in trouble, all sides will come to its aid, which will distract him and make him afraid to act rashly, and he will not be able to gather all his forces to attack one place.

However, such linkage also has a huge disadvantage, which is that if one part is moved, the whole body will be affected.

If any city is attacked, the other four cities will inevitably take corresponding actions.

But as long as you move, you will definitely make mistakes and there will always be opportunities to take advantage of.

Gradually, his eyes brightened and a plan slowly began to form in his mind.

"If we attack one city rashly, the other four cities will surely quickly support us and form a siege." Hu Yanhuan said thoughtfully, "This will not only put us in a passive position, but also consume a large amount of manpower and resources."

The middle-aged scholar nodded slightly, indicating that he should continue.

"We need to find a breakthrough, a point that can distract the enemy."

Hu Yanhuan continued, his eyes wandering across the sand table, "Perhaps, we can adopt a strategy of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west, creating an illusion that the enemy is going to attack a certain city, and then suddenly change our target when the enemy mobilizes troops to support us, and attack them by surprise."

The middle-aged scholar's eyes flashed with appreciation and he nodded: "Yes, this is a feasible strategy. But how can we ensure that the enemy will be fooled?"

Hu Yanhuan frowned and fell into deeper thought. He kept recalling past battles in his mind, trying to find inspiration from them.

"We can use spies and disinformation."

Hu Yanhuan finally said, "We can confuse the enemy by spreading false attack plans. At the same time, our main force can quietly gather near the real target, and when the enemy withdraws its troops, we can quickly launch a surprise attack."

The middle-aged scholar nodded and smiled, "Very good, your ideas have become clearer and clearer. But this is not enough, we still need to consider the subsequent action plan. After conquering a city, how can we ensure that we can quickly and firmly occupy it and prevent the enemy's counterattack?"

Hu Yanhuan took a deep breath and said with a firm look: "We need to quickly repair the city defense and consolidate the defense after the siege.

At the same time, send out elite troops to garrison and prevent the enemy from counterattacking. Most importantly, we need to quickly expand the results of the battle, use the captured city as a springboard, and continue to attack other cities to form a chain reaction. "The middle-aged scholar nodded with satisfaction: "Very good, you already have a preliminary plan. Remember, the battlefield changes rapidly, and flexible response is the key."

"What that thief Lin did next was definitely different from what you guessed, but no matter how he acted, his essence remained the same." The middle-aged Confucian scholar continued, his eyes flashing with wisdom.

Hu Yanhuan nodded, his heart full of confidence. At this moment, he only felt an unprecedented feeling, that war could be so refreshing, and also so complicated.

The middle-aged scholar smiled and patted his shoulder: "Very good, remember, victory on the battlefield does not rely solely on force, but also requires wisdom and strategy. You are already on the right path."

Hu Yanhuan looked at him, and gradually he understood.

But after realizing it, he suddenly thought of something. He recalled that the middle-aged Confucian scholar had spoken so much to him, which was uncharacteristically true. It seemed to have a hint of entrusting his son to his care.

He seemed to realize something and felt very complicated, but he did not point it out. Instead, he quietly left the tent.

The night outside the tent was dark and the cold wind was howling, bringing a biting chill that seemed to penetrate his armor and reach his heart.

Hu Yanhuan stood outside the tent, looking at the night sky in the distance, with an indescribable complex emotion welling up in his heart.

At this moment, he finally realized that Daqian was obviously extremely weak, but had been keeping them out. Their bravery and fearlessness seemed so insignificant in the face of these wave after wave of schemes.

In the past, the reason why the Northern Barbarians were able to win victories and become famous throughout the world was simply because of the sacrifice of one head after another.

It’s ridiculous that they used to regard this fearless sacrifice as the highest honor.

In the past, he didn’t know what sentimentality meant, but now he seems to understand it a little.

……

And at the same time.

Inside the rebel army’s tent.

All the generals stood in front of Lin Zhongyun, filled with righteous indignation. In front of them was the flag that was shot down by Chagan Uli.

There were still traces of arrows on the flags, as if telling of the enemy's provocation and insult.

"This is a naked provocation! We can't just let this go!" a young general said angrily, his fists clenched and anger burning in his eyes.

"Yes, Your Highness, we must fight back immediately and teach them a lesson!" another general echoed, his voice full of dissatisfaction and indignation.

The generals were talking intermittently, and the whole tent was noisy and the atmosphere was extremely tense.

Everyone's face was filled with anger and unwillingness, as if they were ready to rush out of the tent and fight the enemy at any time. However, they forgot that it seemed that they had provoked the northern barbarians more excessively.

Lin Zhongyun sat on the high platform, looking calm and composed, without saying a word.

He calmly glanced at everyone present. He understood what these people were thinking. They just wanted to take this opportunity to complain.

He could see the anger and dissatisfaction of the generals, but he was not in a hurry to interrupt them. Instead, he waited quietly, waiting for them to stop arguing until they were dry-mouthed and slowly calmed down.

At the same time, he was secretly thinking about everything Chagan Uli had done during the day.

In fact, he believed that Chagan Uli did not give the order to shoot arrows out of anger, but intended to attack the rebels by surprise under the cover of darkness and test their background.

However, Chagan Uli did not expect that he had already thought of this and chose the most appropriate time to station the rebel army.

The last arrow that shot down the flag truly proved that Chagan Uli was really angry. Before that, he was probably very clear-headed.

He understood that the same trick could not be used twice. Having suffered a loss once, the Northern Barbarians would never take the initiative to go out of the city to meet the enemy this time.

Therefore, from the very beginning he had no plan to anger Chagan Uli. Everything he did was just to pave the way for his subsequent plans.

Judging from Chagan Uli's reaction, his preparations have been in place and the time is ripe.

At this time, everyone was so tired of arguing that the whole tent fell silent, no longer as noisy as before.

Seeing that their emotions had stabilized, Lin Zhongyun slowly said, "Now that everyone has settled their arguments, let's get down to business."

"As I said before, this time we must first attack the enemy's heart."

He pointed at the map of Yandang City and Juxu City and said slowly: "Now the intention of the Northern Barbarians is very clear, that is, to hold the city firmly and delay our progress at all costs."

When the generals heard this, they nodded one after another, with expectation and confidence flashing in their eyes.

"The enemy is defending five cities and supporting each other, which is indeed a problem. But we can take advantage of their linkage, create illusions and distract their attention." Lin Zhongyun continued, with a firm light in his eyes.

"They may have enough strength to defend one city, but what if we attack five cities at the same time?" His voice was low and powerful, which always made people believe it unconsciously.

Li Zhongwu was even more shocked, and said in astonishment: "Your Highness, you mean to attack the five cities at the same time, so that the Northern Barbarian Army inside will be unable to take care of themselves, let alone support."

As soon as he finished speaking, he said worriedly, "But, isn't it too arrogant for you to do this, sir?"

"What if the Northern Barbarians risk their lives and gather their forces to attack me? Wouldn't that be even more dangerous?"

In response to Li Zhongwu's question, Lin Zhongyun smiled and said, "I have already thought of your question, but it is not appropriate to talk about it at this time."

"Let's get back to the point we were talking about. If we attack five cities at the same time, there will be loopholes in the Northern Barbarians' defenses, and we can take advantage of the opportunity to break through and win."

"Next, I want you to follow my plan, disperse your forces, and prepare for the attack." Lin Zhongyun pointed to the five cities on the map and assigned tasks one by one. "Each city must have enough troops to create the illusion that we are going to attack with all our strength."

"Everyone can only rest until three o'clock tonight. After three o'clock, everyone must pack their bags and set out to confuse the northern barbarians." Lin Zhongyun's voice was low and powerful, as if he was announcing an important decision.

(End of this chapter)