Chapter 70: Strike Back and Win

Facing Di Renjie's question, Zhao Ji already had an answer in mind.

At this moment, he was confident and spoke eloquently: "The enemy is not small in number, but they are scattered. However, our army has the advantage in equipment and training. Moreover, we are focused on one, while the enemy is divided into ten. So we use ten to attack one. We are many while the enemy is few. We are prepared while the enemy is not. This is a winning trend."

"We still need to concentrate our superior forces to defeat the rebels one by one. I will personally lead the elite troops to deal with the two smaller enemy groups attacking the West Gate and the North Gate."

"When the killing sounds are heard, Yu Feng's group will definitely notice it, and he will most likely launch an attack in advance and attack the Governor's Mansion. Considering that the predecessor of the Governor's Mansion, Wuyuan, was originally a civilian residence, the gates and walls are not high or deep, and there is no geographical advantage, it is easy to attack but difficult to defend."

"And if we defend the Governor's Mansion, even if our army wins, the rebels will surely flee in all directions and it will be difficult to pursue them. By then, it will probably turn into a street fight, which will harm the people."

"The Art of War says that to defend a place that is not attacked, you must defend it firmly. Simply abandon the Governor's Mansion and move your lord to the Governor's Mansion in advance. The Governor's Mansion is not the main attack direction of the rebels, so your lord's safety will not be a problem."

"We will only send a small number of elite troops to the Governor's Mansion to lure the enemy. We will order Yuan Fang to lead the troops of the Youzhou camp to set up an ambush around the Governor's Mansion. We will wait for the rebels to enter the Mansion and then fight them out, trapping them in the Governor's Mansion."

"If I make good progress, I will join forces with Yuan Fang to annihilate the rebels who have gathered at the Governor's Office."

Facing the war, Zhao Ji seemed like a different person, his tone and demeanor were different.

Di Renjie noticed the change in Zhao Ji and nodded repeatedly at his plan, seeming to appreciate it very much.

But Zhao Ji hadn't finished his speech yet. He raised his eyebrows and glanced at Di Renjie: "I have my own selfish motives behind these arrangements."

Di Renjie was an experienced man, and he saw through Zhao Ji's thoughts at a glance: "Do you want me to take this opportunity to deal with Princess Yiyang?"

Zhao Ji looked at his nose and then at his heart: "That's right. If something happened to Princess Yiyang, I would lead the troops to quell the rebellion in the city. If His Majesty asks about it, I would have an explanation. And it seems more reasonable that Princess Yiyang died on the day of the rebellion."

Di Renjie turned his back and sighed, "It's hard for you, Chengyuan, to think of such a solution. But if you say so, I can't go to the governor's mansion and must stay in the governor's mansion. If the rebels can't break through the governor's mansion, how can the princess be in trouble?"

Zhao Ji was stunned when he heard this, and said with some regret: "I didn't think of this. Let's forget it. Your safety is the most important thing. We can discuss the princess's matter in the long run."

Di Renjie smiled slightly: "Don't worry, I will make proper arrangements. I will keep Yuan Fang by my side, transfer more soldiers to the Governor's Mansion, and send Qiao Tai to lead the troops to ambush around the Governor's Mansion. This will be enough to ensure my safety."

Zhao Ji frowned and thought for a moment, then said helplessly: "Then my lord must keep Yuan Fang by his side at all times, and be careful of the assassins accompanying Princess Yiyang."

Di Renjie smiled and agreed, "Don't worry, I know what to do. As for the rebels in the city, I'll follow your advice. It's already daybreak, you should immediately summon all the civil and military officials in Youzhou to the Governor's Office to prepare for the suppression of the rebellion."

"Yes!" Zhao Ji bowed and left.
-
Soon after, civil and military officials of all levels in Youzhou gathered in the Governor's Mansion, with Di Renjie sitting at the head and Zhao Ji guarding beside him.

Di Renjie slammed the gavel and said, "Urgent news came last night that the Turkic army has arrived and is less than two days away from Youzhou."

As soon as these words were spoken, the officials at the next station were in an uproar, whispering and talking among themselves.

Zhao Ji shouted at the side: "Silence!"

Only then did the officials below quiet down.

Di Renjie was calm and composed. "I am here, don't panic. The imperial army will arrive today. The military department must immediately close the four gates of Youzhou. The government office must issue a ban on the market and a street clean-up order. All shops must be closed and pedestrians must return home. Anyone who violates the order will be treated as a spy!"

"Everyone in Youzhou needs to be on high alert, do their job, appease the people, and don't let them panic. Youzhou Chief Clerk and a few other officials will stay to discuss matters related to defending the city, and the rest of you can disperse."

"We will follow your orders, sir." The officials responded. After the officials dispersed, Qiao Tai hurried to Di Renjie and said, "Sir, I have already followed your instructions and dispatched the troops from the Youzhou camp into the city. We have set up an ambush in the governor's mansion and the surrounding houses."

"Well done," Di Renjie nodded with satisfaction, turned to Zhao Ji, and patted him on the shoulder, "Chengyuan, it's up to you from now on."

"Please rest assured, sir. I promise that I will fulfill my mission." Zhao Ji promised.
-
Soon, Di Renjie's emergency order swept through every corner of Youzhou City like a gust of wind. The city gates were tightly closed and a comprehensive martial law was implemented.

On the streets, the government troops galloped on horseback, shouting loudly: "The Turkic army has arrived outside the city. All shops must be closed and pedestrians must return home. Anyone who disobeys this order will be treated as a spy!"

The tranquility of the early morning was broken. Shops that had just opened put up signs saying "closed" and pedestrians on the streets hurriedly fled home.

All these sudden changes naturally alarmed Yu Feng who was on high alert.

Yu Fengzheng and hundreds of assassins were armed with knives and swords, hiding in a spacious tall house.

"General Yu, what's going on? Are the Turks here so soon?" the leader of the Flying Leopard Team asked in confusion.

Yu Feng shook his head, frowning, "According to the original plan, the Turks should arrive in two days. But considering the distance, scouts should have known about the Turkic army's movements. Most likely, the scouts passed the news back, which is why the government imposed martial law."

The leader nodded, seeming to think that Yu Feng's judgment made sense: "General Yu is right. It's good that the Turkic army has arrived. It's better to arrive early than late."

However, Yu Feng sternly retorted: "What do you know? The master means that we must take Youzhou in advance so that we can bargain with the Turks. And now that the government has imposed martial law, our actions will be more difficult. Do you understand?"

"What should we do then?" the leader asked again.

Yu Feng sighed and said, "We have to shoot now. We have to go ahead even if it means we have to. The government troops have blocked the streets now. It's too late to retreat even if we want to."

He hadn't said anything else. Jin Mulan was still in the Governor's Mansion, which was even more of a reason not to retreat.

While Yu Feng was still in the dark, Ma Wu had already acted as a guide and took Zhao Ji to clear out several teams that were preparing to set fire to the city.

At this time, another courtyard was found, which was the hiding place of the killer who attacked the North Gate.

There were only a hundred assassins originally preparing to attack the north gate, and they were completely powerless in front of Zhao Ji's elite troops.

The fully armed guards quickly cleared out these killers, and arrows rained down, killing those killers without armor protection one by one.

The guards were simply treating the wounded and cleaning up the bodies. Some of the killers had feather arrows stuck in their bodies and died in a very tragic way.

Ma Wu witnessed all this and was so terrified that his legs went weak involuntarily. Finally, he could not bear the bloody scene anymore and vomited again.

Zhao Ji also recalled his experience on the battlefield: "This is a tragic way to die!"

But this was not the time to lament, he ordered: "The wounded will stay here first, and return to the team after the chaos is quelled. Let's go to Xiguan!"

Zhao Ji glanced at Ma Wu again and said, "Come here, carry him away."

　Thanks to Uncle95 for the reward again.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)