Qu Yi leaned over the silk map with a low, respectful chuckle.
"Lord."
Zhang Xin looked up from the sweeping lines of the terrain. "General Qu, what is on your mind?"
"Uh, well, that is..." Qu Yi rubbed his heavily calloused hands together, looking slightly sheepish. "In today's engagement, my vanguard camp fired continuously. Our reserves of crossbow bolts have been largely depleted..."
"Oh, is that all?" Zhang Xin let out a relaxed laugh as realization dawned on him. "Do not give it another thought. I will personally order the logistical corps to fully replenish your stockpiles before nightfall. Rest easy."
"Our army's munitions are vast. Take as many arrows and bolts as your men can carry!"
"My profound thanks, Lord!"
Qu Yi could scarcely keep track of how many times he had bowed in gratitude today. A Lord... he is such a damn magnificent Lord! He had been used to begging Han Fu for every scrap of rusted iron, only to be questioned and rationed. To be granted an open-ended armory upon a single request was a level of structural trust he had never experienced.
Zhang Xin smiled warmly, waving off the praise before turning his focus back down to the strategic map.
Qu Yi felt a bit awkward simply slinking away immediately after getting exactly what he wanted, so he lingered by the outcropping, clearing his throat. "Is the Lord already calculating the tactical blueprint for our next engagement?"
Zhang Xin nodded, sliding the edge of the silk map closer to the freshly minted commander. "Precisely. General Qu, you are intimately familiar with the regional dynamics here. Do you have any direct insights?"
Qu Yi focused his sharp gaze on the markings, his fingers tracing the defensive networks. "Is the Lord intending to immediately move our forces against the hostile garrisons stationed at Wei County and Qingyuan?"
"Exactly." Zhang Xin nodded approvingly.
"The White Horse Volunteers have been fundamentally crippled as an offensive asset. Although the Xiongnu Cavalry remaining in the region likely haven't received the full battle reports yet, the midnight fire I set to their stables last night will ensure their mounts are functionally combat-ineffective for the foreseeable future. According to the internal intelligence you provided, Han Fu currently possesses only these two organized cavalry regiments under his direct operational command. As for the scattered horse elements embedded within his other standard infantry units, they are too disorganized to pose any structural threat to my flanks."
Zhang Xin's eyes narrowed, a glint of predatory focus crossing his face. "The strategic momentum is entirely ours. Naturally, I intend to fully exploit our mobility advantage to expand our territorial gains. It is time to forcefully move against Zhao Fu, Cheng Huan, Yan Liang, and Wen Chou!"
"If Han Fu possesses the sudden courage to march his core reserves out of the capital to rescue them, I will simply leverage our cavalry supremacy to execute a textbook 'besiege the stronghold to strike the reinforcements' maneuver. If he cowers and refuses to send relief, then we shall slowly, systematically gnaw his outer commanderies away to the bone. As long as we sever these two critical counties, the utter destruction of their garrisons will fundamentally shatter the psychological morale of the remaining defenders holed up inside Ye City."
Zhang Xin laid out his entire operational logic with cool, calculating precision. He looked directly into Qu Yi's eyes. "General Qu, do you see any brilliant tactical angles that can help me accelerate the capture of these two strongholds?"
"Lord," Qu Yi pondered deeply for a long moment, staring at the small wooden blocks representing the enemy forces. Suddenly, a confident smirk broke across his face. "This general believes these two counties do not need to be assaulted at all."
"Oh?" Zhang Xin raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued. "What exactly do you mean by that?"
"Lord, you may not fully appreciate the internal nature of the man," Qu Yi chuckled, a trace of visceral contempt in his voice. "Han Fu is a profoundly timid, administrative bureaucrat. To put it plainly, he is as cowardly as a field mouse."
"Consider what you have just achieved: a terrifying midnight raid directly under the nose of Ye City, the absolute incineration of the Xiongnu's primary encampment, and a decisive, ruinous ambush that practically wiped the legendary White Horse Volunteers from the face of the earth! Han Fu, having just received news of such a staggering, catastrophic double-defeat, must be experiencing absolute, paralyzing terror in his heart right now."
Qu Yi slammed his palm lightly onto the map over Ye City. "This general wagers that at this very microsecond, his panicked brain is already drafting urgent, frantic military edicts to the garrisons of both Wei County and Qingyuan. He will command them to immediately abandon their sectors, pack up their legions, and rush back to the capital to concentrate every available shield for a desperate, final stand behind the walls of Ye City."
Hearing this psychological profile, Zhang Xin dropped his gaze back to the geography.
"Wei County serves as the absolute eastern shield wall of Ye City," Zhang Xin murmured, his analytical mind probing for flaws in the theory. "If our main legions want to launch a direct assault on the capital, we must either reduce this fortress first, or execute a complex, exposed flanking maneuver via Liyang."
"If our army commits to a siege here, Ye City buys itself a massive operational window of temporary safety. Conversely, if we attempt to bypass it via Liyang, the intact garrison at Wei County can easily march out, catching our advancing columns in a devastating pincer movement alongside the primary forces from Ye City. If Han Fu simply abandons such a vital strategic choke point, our vanguard can march unhindered from Dongwuyang, completely encircling Ye City from the vulnerable southeast!"
Zhang Xin looked up, locking eyes with Qu Yi. "How could any sane commander abandon such an indispensable shield? Even if we take ten thousand steps back—even if Han Fu truly loses his mind to fear and desires a full retreat—how could his brilliant chief strategists, men of Ju Shou's caliber, fail to violently dissuade him from such tactical suicide?"
"Rest entirely assured, Lord," Qu Yi stated with absolute, unshakable certainty. "This general has operated under Han Fu's direct administration for two and a half long years. I believe I understand the inner clockwork of his mind better than anyone."
"The moment raw, visceral panic takes root in that man's soul, he will desperately, pathologically seek an immediate illusion of personal security. He will completely deafen himself to loyal, strategic counsel. The closer his protectors are to his own throat, the safer he feels. He will pull them in, consequences be damned."
"Is that so?"
Zhang Xin's interest was instantly inflamed. If Han Fu's psychological profile was truly as volatile and brittle as Qu Yi claimed, then the strategic playing field had just completely transformed.
"It is absolutely, undeniably true!" Qu Yi nodded emphatically.
Zhang Xin studied the utter conviction written across Qu Yi's features. Then, searching his own memories, he recalled the bizarre, tragic historical end of Han Fu in the original timeline.
In that history, after a panicked Han Fu had voluntarily surrendered the entire prosperous province of Jizhou to Yuan Shao out of sheer intimidation, Yuan Shao had placated him with the empty title of General Fenwei, allowing him to reside safely within the luxurious former estate of the eunuch Zhao Zhong in Ye City.
Later, a petty subordinate named Zhu Han, who harbored an old personal grudge against Han Fu, took unauthorized command of a faction of troops, surrounded the mansion, and brutally broke the legs of Han Fu's eldest son. Although Yuan Shao moved instantly to execute Zhu Han to maintain political appearances, the sheer trauma fractured Han Fu's fragile mind. Convinced that Yuan Shao was covertly plotting his assassination, a terrified Han Fu begged for permission to abandon his titles and flee into regional retirement as a test.
Yuan Shao had readily, casually agreed. Yet, so deep was Han Fu's systemic paranoia that he didn't even dare return to his ancestral home in Yingchuan. Instead, he fled to seek asylum under the wing of Zhang Miao, the Prefect of Chenliu, who was known to have an active political rift with Yuan Shao.
Not long after his arrival, Yuan Shao sent an official diplomatic envoy to Chenliu, ostensibly to negotiate a reconciliation with Zhang Miao. Han Fu was seated at the very same banquet table when the envoy arrived.
During the festivities, Yuan Shao's messenger leaned over, whispering a private, entirely mundane administrative note into Zhang Miao's ear. No one else at the table heard the words. Yet, the sight of that secret whisper triggered a massive, psychotic break within Han Fu's delusional mind. Convinced that his host was currently arranging his execution, a terrified Han Fu excused himself to utilize the latrine. There, driven by absolute, unmanageable panic, he grabbed a tiny, blunt iron knife meant for scraping mistakes off wooden writing slips, and frantically hacked at his own throat until he bled to death.
Timid, high-pressure bureaucrats possessed an incredibly low threshold for acute psychological stress. The moment their carefully ordered realities suffered a catastrophic disruption, their coping mechanisms didn't just bend—they shattered into pieces.
Should I... risk a play on this? Zhang Xin felt an intense temptation coloring his thoughts.
The distance from Wei County back to the safety of Ye City was roughly one hundred and fifty li. From the further outpost of Qingyuan, it was well over two hundred li. Such a massive, exposed corridor of retreat across flat terrain was more than enough runway for his elite cavalry forces to charge back and forth, slicing a retreating column into ribbons dozens of times over.
Furthermore, even if Qu Yi's psychological assessment proved entirely incorrect, there was zero structural deficit to his own army. If the enemy garrisons held their ground, Zhang Xin would lose nothing; he would simply revert back to his original blueprint for a methodical, standard siege offensive.
An operational gambit with such microscopically low risk, yet offering such an astronomically high strategic payout, was a mathematical no-brainer. It was absolutely worth pursuing.
Zhang Xin scanned the map with a renewed, lethal focus.
"Yunchang! Zilong!"
Guan Yu and Zhao Yun, who had been resting their horses and checking their armor nearby, immediately sprinted over at the sound of his voice, bowing gracefully with clasped fists.
"Lord, what are your commands?"
"Come closer." Zhang Xin waved his hand, pinning the corners of the silk map flat against the stone outcropping with heavy river pebbles. The two peerless commanders squatted down, their eyes tracking his finger.
"You two are to immediately ride back to the Liyang staging grounds at maximum speed. Take command of your respective elite cavalry divisions..." Zhang Xin's finger traced a sharp line, arresting on a precise coordinate situated directly between the county towns of Guantao and Yuancheng. "Move with absolute stealth, and lay a comprehensive ambush at Wulu Market."
"If my memory serves me correctly, there is a dense, expansive stretch of old-growth woodland bordering the perimeter of Wulu Market. Hide your entire horse contingent deep within those treelines, dampening your bits and concealing your scouts."
Between the bastions of Wei County and the distant outpost of Qingyuan lay two secondary local administrative towns: Guantao and Yuancheng. Wulu Market sat nestled right beside Yuancheng, bordering a fast-flowing tributary of the regional Qing River. It constituted the absolute, unavoidable bottlenecks through which the Qingyuan garrison would have to march if they attempted a panicked retreat back toward Wei County.
Looking at the precise indicator, Guan Yu and Zhao Yun's eyes flashed with instant understanding. Their lord wasn't just planning a battle; he was constructing a slaughterhouse for the retreating legions of Qingyuan.
"Understood!" the two generals chimed in unison, their voices resonant. Yet, Guan Yu hesitated for a fraction of a second, a small doubt creeping into his mind. "Lord... once our horsemen have successfully secured the tree lines and established the perimeter... what are our explicit engagement parameters? How shall we initiate the strike?"
"Do not worry about the operational details for now. Once you have reached the sector, your only mandate is to listen implicitly to the directives of the strategist," Zhang Xin replied with a confident wave of his hand. "Time is of the essence. Ride hard!"
"Understood!"
Hearing that Xun You would be managing the tactical coordination, the two commanders wasted no more words. Spurring their mounts, they selected a handful of elite personal guards, split from the main infantry column, and dissolved into a rapid gallop back toward the Liyang horizon.
"Someone come here!"
Zhang Xin called over a swift-riding courier from his personal guard, leaning down to whisper a series of detailed, highly sensitive instructions directly into his ear. "Have you memorized every syllable?"
"Every word is etched, Lord," the guard replied instantly, repeating the core directives back without a single error.
"Superb." Zhang Xin patted the soldier's armored shoulder with a firm grip. "Gallop straight to the strategist's command tent. Tell him that I do not care what underhanded, manipulative, or deceptive methodology he must employ—he has an absolute mandate to lure the combined legions of Yan Liang and Wen Chou directly into the jaws of Wulu Market!"
"By your command!" The guard cupped his fists, wheeled his mount around, and vanished down the road in a cloud of dust.
Qu Yi watched the entire sequence play out, his eyes wide with a profound, terrifying admiration for his new master. "If the Lord's psychological trap bears fruit... there will quite literally be no more Han Fu loyalist forces left alive east of Ye City by next week!"
Zhang Xin stood up, planting his hands firmly on his hips as his gaze swept over the vast Hebei plains.
"However..." Qu Yi hesitated, curiosity finally overriding his military decorum. "Lord, if I may ask... how on earth did you know with such casual certainty that there was a dense forest suitable for hiding a cavalry army right beside the nameless crossroads of Wulu Market? You have spent the last decade campaigning in the far northern frontiers of You Province and the imperial capital."
Zhang Xin froze for a microsecond, then let out a booming, boisterous laugh that echoed across the riverbank.
"Did you truly not know, General Qu?"
He turned, flashing a brilliantly sharp grin.
"I am a local!"