I was living in the Five Dynasties period, just after crossing the Zhongdu Bridge.

The defeat suffered by Guo and Xue at the gates of Xingzhou was not simply a matter of losing thousands of armored soldiers and more than ten thousand bushels of military rations.

From a geopolitical perspective, this was originally an iron chain that locked down the northern road of Yecheng, but now Yang An has cleaved it open with a single stroke.

If Mingzhou cannot be defended, once the struggle for the throne on the Khitan side ends, Liao cavalry can be continuously sent from Zhenzhou to Yecheng.

Moreover, there were no natural barriers along the way, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the cavalry could advance south as if they were entering an uninhabited land.

At that time, the Han army of 100,000 will be trapped in a quagmire, facing attacks from both sides and unable to advance or retreat.

And Du Chongwei will once again put on that arrogant face of being ordered by the emperor to guard Hebei.

Inside the large tent, Gao Xingzhou sat at the head of the table, his brows furrowed.

He lived through four dynasties and had seen too many instances of arrogant soldiers inevitably failing.

Guo Congyi was a confidant of the emperor. Although he was brave and skilled in martial arts, he took the mandate of heaven for the new dynasty too seriously.

Since the An Lushan Rebellion, the land of Hebei has refused to accept any of that nonsense about destiny.

Xue Huairang's Mingzhou soldiers were local strongmen. Even after their main camp collapsed, they could simply disappear into the fields and ditches and return to Mingzhou City to gather a considerable number of remnants.

However, Guo Congyi found himself in an extremely embarrassing situation. Of the 10,000 imperial guards, he could barely muster less than 6,000 remaining soldiers, and they had lost most of their armor and weapons, their morale completely shattered.

"Gentlemen, the crisis in Mingzhou is imminent."

Gao Xingzhou surveyed the tent and said in a deep voice.

"Inspector Guo retreated to Mingzhou, leaving him with less than six thousand remaining soldiers. Although Xue Huairang was trying to gather the defeated troops, the morale of the Mingzhou army had been shattered by Yang An."

If the madman from Zhenzhou takes advantage of the situation to advance south, opening up the northern route to Yecheng, our futile defense along the Zhang River will become a joke.

The implication behind those words is quite clear.

We must save Mingzhou.

"Vice Commander Murong, the bravery of the Zhenning Army is known throughout the land. How about we send two commanders to their aid?"

Gao Xingzhou's plan was not intended to weaken the deputy commander who had always been disrespectful to him.

The Zhenning Army was stationed near Daming Prefecture in Hebei Province. They were familiar with the terrain and had many brave Hu cavalrymen who had surrendered to them. They were the best at countering the Khitan's light cavalry raiding tactics.

However, Murong Yanchao merely glanced sideways, casually fiddling with the fish pouch at his waist, without even raising his head.

Going to rescue Mingzhou meant facing off against more than a thousand elite Khitan cavalrymen on that flat plain.

For infantry to face elite cavalry is inherently a risky proposition with a slim chance of survival.

Moreover, this is about saving someone else's territory, gaining credit for someone else's achievements, and losing one's own men.

The emperor's younger brother would absolutely not agree to such a losing proposition.

"Commander Gao, it's not that I'm making excuses."

Seeing that Gao Xingzhou remained silent and was only waiting for his reply, Murong Yanchao could not refuse him any longer, after all, the distinction between master and deputy still existed.

"Our vanguard is facing the south gate of Yedu, and Du Chongwei is spying on us day and night."

If your subordinates were to divide their troops and head north now, and the rebels in the city were to take advantage of the situation and break through the encirclement, who would take the blame?

"I believe that since the Fuwei Army is stationed in the north, the affairs of Mingzhou should be the responsibility of Commander Li."

These words made Li Congxi's face turn bitter.

Although the Fuwei Army was part of the Emperor's inner guard, it was essentially just a reorganization of so-called elite troops drawn from various armies, along with displaced and defeated soldiers.

Although their combat strength wasn't so bad that they could only escort supplies, they were still capable of going head-to-head with Yang An's elite Khitan troops on the plains.

How is that any different from sending someone to their death?

So the commander of the army who helped the needy stepped forward, clasped his hands, and said, "The deputy commander is wise."

"It's not that the army is afraid to fight, but that the entire army doesn't even have a thousand cavalry at most."

"Yang An has Ma Da's most prized Khitan troops at his disposal. Their horses and armor are far superior to ours."

Murong Yanchao laughed loudly, his voice echoing above the tent.

"But don't you have Commander Shen Lie under your command? I've heard so many stories about him single-handedly pacifying Yaozhou that I'm sick of them."

"I've heard from Commander Shi that Commander Shen possesses the bravery of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, and is also the official person appointed by the government to collect debts at Zhongdu Bridge. If we don't go now, are we going to wait until Du Chongwei dies of old age in the city before we go to collect his body?!"

Shen Lie was wondering why Murong Yanchao harbored such malice towards him.

Hearing this, I understood.

It's not about the person, but rather about using the issue as a pretext for discussion.

He claimed he was being sent north to rescue Mingzhou, but in reality, he was using this opportunity to continue satirizing Gao Xingzhou's siege strategy.

If you had attacked the city earlier, would we still need to worry about the Liao army in the north and go to rescue Mingzhou now?

Li Congxi was also inwardly groaning; this was truly a battle of gods, and mortals suffered the consequences.

"Commander Li just said there aren't enough soldiers? That's easy to handle!"

Murong Yanchao smacked his lips, pretending to be deep in thought. "The Fuwei Army is known as the Emperor's personal guard. Since entering the capital, its troop strength has exceeded its quota. Commander Li alone has six commanders under your command."

Since that's not enough, then let's take five capable commanders from the remaining men to make five hundred cavalry. That should be about right, shouldn't it?"

This statement sounds like an attempt to sow discord and stir up trouble.

Everyone present knew that the so-called six commanders of the Fuwei Army were mostly infantrymen, not to mention they couldn't muster five hundred warhorses.

Which cavalryman wasn't the darling of his commander?

Now, who would be willing to hand over the rest of them to Shen Lie to take to Mingzhou?

"Deputy Commander, even if there are people, the Fuwei Army really can't gather five hundred warhorses..." Li Congxi continued to argue.

"Not enough horses?"

This was exactly what Murong Yanchao was waiting for.

"I may lack many things, but I certainly don't lack horses!"

As long as Commander Shen dares to go, all five hundred warhorses will be provided by my personal guard!

Grand Tutor Gao, didn't you want to save Mingzhou?

"I've even used my horse, surely you have nothing to say now?"

Gao Xingzhou frowned slightly. He knew that Murong Yanchao was using Shen Lie's life to slap him in the face.

It satirizes his strategy of besieging without attacking, which left his troops exhausted and weary.

Although this young man was one of Shi Hongzhao's men, Guo Wei and Fu Yanqing also sent letters asking him to take care of him.

Furthermore, Wang Quxia's status as a remnant of the army also aroused Gao Xingzhou's interest in talent.

"Commander Shen, you..."

He was about to speak up to stop him, to give Shen Lie a way out.

"Is Vice Commander Murong telling the truth?"

Shen Lie actually managed to get ahead of Gao Xingzhou and steadily stepped forward.

Horses? Plenty.

Is there such a good thing?

All the generals in the tent were taken aback, and even Murong Yanchao sat up straight.

Shen Lie was all too aware of his weaknesses.

Although the Fuwei Army had decent combat strength, it lacked the ability to charge into enemy lines with heavy cavalry.

Mo Xiao was good, but he was only a single rider.

Now that Murong Yanchao is willing to take action, let him raise a cavalry force of five hundred men here...

Isn't this helping him expand his army?

"There is no joking in the army." Murong Yanchao said seriously, "As long as you dare to go, five hundred fine horses will be assigned to your camp today."

"Your subordinate obeys!" Shen Lie bowed deeply with his hands clasped.

Gao Xingzhou, who was in the first position, saw it clearly and sighed inwardly.

This young man is ultimately too impetuous.

But once the order is given, it cannot be taken back.

"In that case, Shen Lie."

Gao Xingzhou's voice turned serious. "You shall immediately return to the Northern Camp to select men. Tomorrow morning, lead five hundred elite cavalry out of the Zhang River to relieve the siege of Mingzhou."

"You should... take care of yourself."