The imperial court is ceding territory from our northern border? Then we'll rebel!

Soon, several ragged, terrified herdsmen were brought in. Upon seeing the fierce-looking generals in the tent, they were so frightened that they knelt on the ground, trembling and unable to speak clearly.

Wu Chan patiently coaxed and threatened them, and even brought in a translator who understood their tribal dialect to interrogate them for a full half hour.

The result was exactly the same as what the messenger had said.

A mixed cavalry force, comprised of Han Chinese and nomadic people, bearing the character "Xiao" on their banners, stormed Yanze City like a divine army. They asked everyone they met who the richest person in the city was, where the grain was stored, and where the artisans lived. Then they began their frenzied looting.

In the end, they did not stay in the city, but instead took all the wealth and artisans and continued south, their whereabouts unknown.

After asking the questions, Wu Chan waved his hand and ordered his men to take the herdsmen away.

Inside the tent, a deathly silence fell once again.

If only one herder said this, it might be a lie. But the details given by several herders from different families, after being questioned separately, were strikingly consistent. This greatly increases the likelihood of the story being true.

"Your Excellency...this..." Kuntu, with his eight-character mustache, had fully sobered up and stammered, "This...could it be true? Xiao Jingchen...he really circled around behind us?"

"What's the panic!" Wu Chan slammed his hand on the table, forcing himself to remain calm as he shouted, "So what if he really comes? How many troops can a mere Salt Lake City have? Just because he can take Salt Lake City doesn't mean he can threaten us!"

"I suspect this is just a small detachment sent by Xiao Jingchen, at most a few thousand men, with the aim of harassing our rear and forcing us to withdraw from Yumen Pass. Hmph, a petty trick!"

Wu Chan's analysis was very logical and seemed to make a lot of sense.

"Pass on my orders!" He stood up and loudly commanded, "First, immediately dispatch more scouts to search northward! Expand the reconnaissance area to three hundred li! Five hundred li! I want to see just how many people this so-called 'Xiao Family Army' actually has, and where they're hiding right now!"

"Secondly, issue orders to all major cities in the rear to strengthen their defenses! Especially our capital! Have His Majesty the King conscript all able-bodied men from within the city to be ready to defend it at any time!"

"Third, and most importantly!" A sinister smile appeared on Wu Chan's face. "We'll stay here and hold our ground! I want to see how long his isolated force, without supplies, can hold out! Once they're exhausted, we'll turn back and annihilate them all! Capturing Xiao Jingchen's detachment will be a great achievement!"

He felt his response was perfect. It both stabilized the situation and laid a trap.

The generals inside the tent breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Wu Chan's plan, feeling that the Prime Minister was indeed shrewd and calculating.

"The Prime Minister is wise!"

"That's right! An army without logistical support is like a toothless tiger, nothing to fear!"

"Once we catch them, we'll skin them alive and make them into whips!"

Inside the tent, a cheerful atmosphere returned.

They all thought it was just a minor incident, a harmless nuisance.

The prey was still leisurely grazing on the grass in front of it, unaware that the fiercest hunter had already circled around behind it and opened its blood-red maw.

And the scouts they sent out were destined to never return with any news.

Because hundreds of miles ahead in the Gobi Desert, Hadan and Bayin's tens of thousands of steppe cavalry had formed a huge net, completely sealing off that area.

Any living thing that tries to approach or leave will be silently devoured by them.

While Wuchan, the prime minister of the Yuezhi Kingdom, was still basking in the glory of his "perfect" response.

An urgent military report from Yumen Pass, traveling 800 li (approximately 400 kilometers) at breakneck speed, is being delivered day and night to the capital of the Great Yan Dynasty, thousands of miles away.

The military report was not about the fall of Yanze City, but rather a "victory report" carefully crafted by Wu Chan.

In the letter, he embellished his account of leading an army of 100,000 to the gates of Yumen Pass, causing the Great Yan garrison to tremble in fear and remain hidden. Then, he "humbly" stated that he had come to avenge his "ally" Ashina Sun, but that Heaven, being benevolent, did not wish for further bloodshed. He said he would consider withdrawing his troops if the Great Yan court could "show even a little" sincerity.

This letter is less a military report and more a blatant extortion letter.

However, when the letter was delivered to the capital and presented to the Grand Secretary Zhou Wenyuan, he felt as if he had received the best news imaginable.

"Excellent! Excellent! This Wu Chan certainly didn't disappoint us!"

In the study, Zhou Wenyuan read the letter three times over, his gray beard trembling slightly with excitement. A long-lost smile finally appeared on his usually worried face.

Standing beside him were Zhang Zhao, the Minister of Personnel, and Sun Kejian, the Minister of Revenue, both key figures in the civil service. At this moment, they too wore expressions of joy.

"Your Excellency, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief." Zhang Zhao stroked his beard and said with emotion, "The Yuezhi's 100,000-strong army is like a sword hanging over Xiao Jingchen's head. He certainly won't dare to make any rash moves now. As long as he's tied up in the northern frontier and unable to return to the capital, we'll have enough time to slowly make our preparations."

"Hmph, it's more than just holding him back." Sun Kejian, the Minister of Revenue, sneered. He was a thin, elderly man with a perpetually sarcastic look in his eyes. "Xiao Jingchen's northern expedition, though victorious, has nearly emptied the court's coffers. Now, even the rats in the national treasury are starving. His 200,000-strong army is a bottomless pit, feeding its men and horses every day. Let's see what he uses to confront the Yuezhi!"

"As long as we cut off his food supply, his army will fall into chaos without a fight in less than three months! At that time, whether to fight or make peace will be up to us, won't it?" Sun Kejian's calculations were in full swing.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wenyuan nodded approvingly.

This is the most crucial part of their plan.

First, they used the Yuezhi to restrain Xiao Jingchen from the outside. Then, they used money and supplies to strangle Xiao Jingchen from the inside.

With a two-pronged approach, we're not afraid that Xiao Jingchen won't give in!