After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 807 - 797: The Same Decision

Xun Xiu stood by Zhao Hanzhang’s side, seeing Shi Le, he clenched his fist and stared at him, "Commander, let me lead the battle this time?" 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"The city gates are tightly shut, as long as they don’t attack the city, let them curse all they want." Zhao Hanzhang withdrew her gaze and said, "Send someone to call Mi Ce."

Xun Xiu paused and then complied.

Zhao Hanzhang paced back and forth in front of the map while Xun Xiu and others had all withdrawn, leaving only Ming Yu beside her.

As he watched her wander for a while, Ming Yu asked, "What does the Commander intend to do?"

Zhao Hanzhang stopped pacing, turned her head, and looked at him with bright eyes, "I want to enact a ’besiege Wei to save Zhao’ and ’loot a burning house’ strategy."

Ming Yu’s eyes flashed, "You wish to attack Pingyang?"

Zhao Hanzhang said, "Liu Cong’s army is outside, Pingyang is defenseless, this is a rare opportunity."

"But Shangdang is in Shi Le’s hands, even if we take Pingyang, we can’t hold it."

"Therefore, we attack Shangdang as well!"

Ming Yu was surprised, "Where do we get the troops?"

Zhao Hanzhang clenched her fist, "This is a one-time opportunity. Order Jingzhou, let Wang Yifeng and Wang Meizi lead troops to Yu State, and I plan to deploy Mi Ce and Yuan Li to assist Beigong Chun in attacking Shangdang."

Ming Yu also began to pace, finally stopping and saying, "Commander, have you thought it through? If successful, Jin can eliminate this decade-long worry, but if not, we will all face ruin, and even Jin might fall."

Zhao Hanzhang said, "Great danger brings great reward, and crisis can turn into opportunity. Who’s to say this isn’t our chance?"

Ming Yu’s heart surged, believing she was right.

So he agreed.

Neither Zhao Hanzhang nor Ming Yu told anyone about this; they only summoned Mi Ce and Yuan Li, redeploying defenses and letting them leave with fifty thousand troops.

The order to mobilize troops from Jingzhou was also sent south urgently.

Unbeknownst to them, while Zhao Hanzhang was redeploying, Shi Le quietly took a group of people and headed straight for Zhencheng County.

During wartime, information was not relayed timely. When Shi Le began attacking Zhencheng County, Mi Ce and Yuan Li were dividing forces to attack Chaoge County and Gong County. When Shi Le led his troops southward, four counties out of six in Ji County were occupied, with few soldiers left inside the city.

Ji County belongs to Si Province; its proximity to Yan State and Shangdang makes its geographical position unique. When Zhao Hanzhang recovered Si Province, she didn’t want to provoke Shi Le and Gou Xi, so she left this area untouched.

The six counties of Ji County still followed imperial orders and did not belong to any faction’s force.

Meanwhile, Wei County, north of Ji County, was split in half: one half occupied by Shi Le and the other by Liu Yuan’s Western Xiongnu.

Because Shi Le hadn’t held the four county cities for long, Yuan Li, based on the list given by Zhao Hanzhang, quickly contacted the local aristocratic families and took two counties.

Mi Ce was no slower, quickly taking Chaoge County and Jixian, and they hadn’t stopped. They intended to take the remaining two counties, recruit troops, and join forces with Huang An to attack Shangdang and Wei County.

At this time, Beigong Chun in Luoyang City and Fu Tinghan outside Pingyang City received Zhao Hanzhang’s letter.

Indeed, Fu Tinghan had gone to Pingyang City. When the war broke out, he and Ji Yuan immediately wrote to Zhao Hanzhang.

Although the letters were sent, but soon a reply came saying they couldn’t find her; the messenger returned saying Zhao Hanzhang went back to Chen County. Although they also sent a letter to Chen County, Fu Tinghan feared it might miss her still.

As the war broke out, everyone instinctively looked to him as the lead, not only Beigong Chun, Xie Shi, and Chen Wu, but even Ji Yuan consulted his opinion.

This put immense pressure on Fu Tinghan; he also feared that Zhao Hanzhang might return to find Luoyang lost, so after careful consideration, he decided to take the initiative.

He said this, "Hanzhang said, offense is the best defense."

He racked his brains trying to say more to persuade everyone to agree with his viewpoint, but as soon as he finished, Beigong Chun slapped the table and said, "Minister Fu is right; at this time we should take the initiative, not only to probe their strength but also to let them know that Si Province isn’t to be trifled with."

The Xiliang Army was afraid of no one!

Xie Shi also nodded, "The Xiongnu Khanate’s ambition is too great, daring to attack Si Province, Yu State, and Yan State simultaneously. Yan State has the emperor and Gou Daojiang; I guess their main force must be there, so Pingyang is empty, and we can fight."

Ji Yuan also waving his fan said, "Liu Yuan’s dispatch of troops is not only to destroy Jin for the supremacy of the world, but also to divert domestic attention from the drought. Just right, we will help the Commander encircle Wei and rescue Zhao."

Thus everyone joyfully decided to take the initiative and moved swiftly.

Fu Tinghan even personally wrote to Fu Zhi, inviting him to join in sending troops to Pingyang, aiming for a pincer attack from both sides. To promote friendly cooperation, he himself went outside Pingyang City.

When Zhao Hanzhang’s appointment letter and the letter were passed to Pingyang City, Fu Tinghan was already standing on a hillside, watching Zhao Erlang fight a battle.

The military strength of Si Province was not significant; every soldier was crucial, so Fu Tinghan improved the trebuchets, extending their range. If not for some concerns, with stones instead of gunpowder bags, the battle might have gone more smoothly.

They weren’t merely attacking Pingyang City from the front but dividing forces into three directions to attack other cities.

The high walls and strong gates of Pingyang City made it hard to breach from one side, so he surrounded it. At worst, he would isolate it like Liu Yuan did with Jinyang.

Liu Kun could guard Jinyang alone; Liu Yuan might not manage it.

Because Zhao Erlang and Beigong Chun were in Si Province, Liu Yuan specifically left an army to guard Pingyang, so the Zhao Family Army made no headway after attacking for three consecutive days. Yet, the counties east of Pingyang were seized by the Zhao Family Army one by one; Liu Yuan feared that the Zhao Family Army’s intense assault might eventually isolate Pingyang City, so he dispatched reinforcements.

Once Zhao Hanzhang’s letter arrived, Fu Tinghan immediately discussed with Beigong Chun extracting some from the Zhao Family Army and Xiliang Army guarding Luoyang to support.

Zhao Hanzhang originally wanted to stay in Meng County, outlast Shi Le patiently, but defending the city proved tedious. Meng County, with ample resources and backed by Yu State, made it difficult for Shi Le’s army to break in, given their adequate preparations.

Furthermore, since that day, Shi Le’s eighteen riders came twice daily to taunt, and within just three days, Zhao Hanzhang got to know five of the eighteen riders.

Though she herself didn’t leave the city, Xun Xiu and others selectively engaged in skirmishes with them, with wins and losses, minimal casualties.

Evidently, they were stalling, waiting until the enemy grew impatient and acted impulsively, ready to strike decisively.

Normally, Meng County could hold for three to five months without issue; Zhao Hanzhang was confident she could hold for a year and exhaust even Shi Le.

But it was dreadfully boring. Apart from their daily evolving taunts, she could only listen to various reports of the war situation.

The situation in Yan State was promising too; it’s said that Gou Xi won three consecutive battles, reclaiming two cities.

So Zhao Hanzhang, seeing Shi Le never appear, decided to leave Meng County to Xun Xiu to defend while she secretly led a Zhao Family Army directly to Shangdang.