I became the God Brother of the Regent King after Transmigration!-Chapter 287 - 213: Feigned Attack

"Yinzhou now has only a little over thirty thousand troops left!" Lu Jian calculated for a while, and said in shock.

Previously, Yinzhou was the center of the Southern Border of Yan Country, and also where Rong Shuo was stationed. It was filled with elite troops, with over fifty thousand defenders, as impregnable as a steel barrel.

Among these fifty thousand defenders, there was Rong Shuo’s only cavalry of twenty thousand.

The world knew that Yan Country’s cavalry was unparalleled.

Even though the Southern Border cavalry wasn’t as fierce as the Northern Territory’s Dingyuan Army cavalry, it wasn’t something the Wei Country could easily defeat, because Wei Country simply had no cavalry.

Previously, Rong Shuo’s great victory on the border relied heavily on those twenty thousand cavalry capable of fighting against ten times their number, charging fearlessly into battle.

But now, due to the Wei Army’s siege of Cang Wind Port, which is a crucial town in the Southern Border and must not be lost, Rong Shuo had no choice but to disperse his fifty thousand troops, entrusting Su Yi and Li Yuanju each with fifteen thousand soldiers to provide reinforcements.

Furthermore, due to the earlier famine in the Southern Border, Rong Shuo dispatched five thousand troops to various state cities to stabilize the military morale.

So now, the main force remaining in Yinzhou consists of only ten thousand infantry and those twenty thousand cavalry.

Wei Junzhuo casually said, "Thirty thousand against thirty thousand, it seems there’s not much benefit for this General, but the defenders in Yinzhou now are cavalry."

Cavalry, how do they defend a city?

Moreover, those cavalry haven’t fought for nearly a year, residing in the countryside, neglected training, and when used for defending a city, they’re not as good as the most ordinary infantry.

Recently, the famine in Yinzhou has worsened. Even if it’s thirty thousand against thirty thousand and the city cannot be taken, he can temporarily cut off surrounding reinforcements, turning Yinzhou into an isolated city, while receiving endless reinforcements from Wei Country...

The unfortunate thing is, Rong Shuo initially believed too much in the peace treaty between Wei Country and Yan Country, not deploying cavalry along the border, fearing it would affect the peace between the two countries. Instead, he let them put away their weapons and settle in Yinzhou, the safest place in the Southern Border. Over time, those cavalry have become far from a military force.

Lu Jian sighed, "No wonder the General had us besiege the city for so long without ordering an assault, wanting them to keep sending reinforcements, leaving Yinzhou vulnerable."

Wei Junzhuo said, "At first, I didn’t think this way. Su Yi is a fierce general under Rong Shuo’s command. I initially wanted to take him and Cang Wind Port, thus cutting off one of the Southern Border’s arms...

But, if Su Yi is an arm of the Southern Border, then Rong Shuo is an arm of Yan Country."

Originally, Wei Junzhuo could have waited another year or so, and those Yan Country cavalry would be even less useful than now.

However, Yuan Lu’s failure to kill Yuan Lang, and instead his betrayal of Wei Country, became a catalyst prompting him to seize this rare opportunity and decide to march on Yinzhou.

"The General truly has a masterful plan! I will do my utmost to open a path for the General," Lu Jian solemnly said.

"The more intense the battle at Cang Wind Port, the less anyone will notice our departure. Therefore, you must show the enthusiasm to capture Cang City in one strike."

Wei Junzhuo’s light golden eyes were as deep and captivating as amber.

"I obey! Tonight, three thousand soldiers will not cease until victory is ours," Lu Jian pledged with a salute.

"No matter how important this place is, it’s not as important as Rong Shuo alone," Wei Junzhuo murmured softly.

Under the cloak of night, accompanied by the trumpet signaling the attack of three thousand Wei Vanguard Army soldiers, nearly thirty thousand Wei troops silently withdrew from the vicinity of Cang Wind Port.

No one knew that the standing Wei military camps had already become deserted.

Before leaving, Wei Junzhuo whispered:

"Have that group of Qiangrong people ambush near Yinzhou in advance. Whether someone returns to reinforce Yinzhou or whether Rong Shuo tries to escape, keep a close watch. I want to see how useful they are."

"Yes."

*

Meanwhile, Gu Lan and Rong Heng had arrived at a small town in the Southern Border, where more and more travelers could be seen following them towards Yinzhou.

They all seemed to believe that reaching Yinzhou under the protection of Prince Rui would be safe.

Gu Lan went to the postal station in the city, where she let a servant lead the horse away for a rest, while Rong Heng went to a nearby pharmacy to buy some herbs.

Then, the two sat together on the threshold of the postal station, gnawing on dry rations in the cold wind.

"The disaster refugees here are getting denser, all heading to Yinzhou." Continuous cold winds made Gu Lan’s voice noticeably hoarse.

If she had known, she wouldn’t have eaten so many oranges earlier; now she was suffering from inflammation for over ten days without recovery.

Rong Heng handed her a water pouch and said, "Drink more water."

Gu Lan took a sip and asked in surprise, "What did you add here?"

"Just bought mint leaves and licorice, added some maltose. Is it hard to swallow?" Rong Heng furrowed his brow and asked.

Gu Lan took another careful sip and handed the water pouch to him: "It has a sweet aftertaste, quite nice to drink, you should... drink more cold water too."

She couldn’t help but think of the running joke in later generations about drinking hot water and felt like an unfeeling boyfriend.

Rong Heng stared at the water pouch in her hand, dazed for a moment, then obediently took a sip.

This was the water pouch Gu Lan had just drunk from...

Too much sugar, it’s so sweet.

He put away the water pouch, looked at the refugees rushing in the distance, and said:

"Based on the information we received along the way, Xie Yun and Tang Zhan have split into two groups. Tang Zhan returned to Yinzhou ahead of time, while Xie Yun escorted grains from Tongzhou and other places, rushing along the way to distribute in Yinzhou. Now he has just arrived in Lu State, and at this speed, it will probably take another half a month to transport the grains to Yinzhou."

At this moment, Gu Lan stood up, took out a piece of dry food, and placed it in the bowl of a boy begging by the courier station.

"Thank you, noble one! Thank you, noble one!" The boy endlessly thanked Gu Lan, bowing his head in gratitude.

Gu Lan said: "Yes, so many refugees have to go to Yinzhou to survive, little do they know that the disaster relief transport hasn’t actually reached Yinzhou yet. Yinzhou used to be considered the most prosperous city in the Southern Border, but now with so many refugees all of a sudden... it probably doesn’t have any food left."

Rong Heng glanced at the boy still bowing his head, his voice indifferent:

"Keep your own dry food safe, we still have a long way to go, the next courier station might not have supplies."

Gu Lan dug out a piece of candy and tossed it to Rong Heng: "You and I have each other, there are mountains and trees ahead, what is there to fear."

"Not everywhere has wild chickens and rabbits."

Rong Heng said this, but he still put the candy in his mouth.

Gu Lan smiled slightly, her gaze falling on the few herbs she just bought: "Didn’t you also save several people along the way, using up all your medicine."

Rong Heng: "..."

"How does this handsome brother know the disaster relief transport hasn’t reached Yinzhou?"

Suddenly, the boy who received the dry food stopped bowing and asked in a milky voice.

Gu Lan raised an eyebrow: "Why, did you hear any other news?"

She closely observed this begging boy and discovered that although he looked about the same age as Rong Yunhao, eight or nine years old, and was dressed in the tattered guise of a refugee, his inner clothes were embroidered with luxurious patterns. He seemed like a young master from a family fallen on hard times.

The boy nodded and said:

"Since last month, there have been two poor scholars every day, shouting near the courier station that the Emperor has already transported the grains to Yinzhou. Prince Rui is opening warehouses to distribute grain in Yinzhou, and everyone can eat their fill by going to Yinzhou. It was only two days ago that those scholars left."

Gu Lan was taken aback: "Daily?"

"I’ve been begging here for a month, I wouldn’t get it wrong, they come every day, using scholarly words, and everyone who hears them plans to go to Yinzhou."

"Then why don’t you go?"

The boy shook his head and said: "My home is in Yinzhou. We fled here last winter, and even though the Prince is there, it was still famine-stricken at the time. Why would I return?"

Gu Lan suddenly stood up:

"Someone is deliberately spreading the rumor about food in Yinzhou, intending to lure the refugees there. Firstly, if Prince Rui provides relief to the people, it will drain Yinzhou’s own resources. Secondly, with an increase in refugees, spies mixed into the city become harder to guard against. Once there’s warfare—"

The several scholars mentioned by this little beggar were obviously spies from Wei country, infiltrating the city to ensure that more and more refugees continue to pour into Yinzhou City.

Rong Heng immediately fetched back Mo Feng and Hong, his voice icy:

"Wei Country isn’t aiming to attack Cang Wind Port."

Gu Lan’s always calm face was now shrouded in gravity, she spoke each word with emphasis:

"But Yinzhou."

No wonder, in the original story, Rong Shuo died in battle, causing chaos in the Southern Border.

If the Wei Army had captured Cang Wind Port first and then slowly devoured the Southern Border, with Rong Shuo’s abilities, he wouldn’t have easily suffered repeated defeats.

Their initial target was to catch them off guard, attacking the heart of the Southern Border—Yinzhou!

Currently, Yinzhou has lost its resources, overwhelmed with refugees, and possibly because Rong Jing issued an order for Rong Shuo to hold Cang Wind Port at all costs, much of their military force may have been redirected.

It is simply a prey placed right at Wei Army’s mouth!