Mythical Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1490: Chapter 1435: Time to Show Our Hand

”I fear not even death, what else could I not give up?” Yuan Tan casually waved his sleeve, incomparably indifferent. If he could return Youzhou to the Central Plains intact, even in death, he would not have failed the descendants of the Gui family from the Yuan clan.

The value of the Eight Ancient Surnames was to lead their tribes to settle in the barbarian lands, expand the Central Plains, and establish Zhuxia. During those barbaric times, in the era before Huaxia was established, they were always expanding territories.

Even later, when the Zhou Emperor granted fiefdoms, they acted as a barrier for the Central Plains, stationed on the front lines, gradually expanding the territory of Zhuxia. From the Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States over hundreds of years, they never stopped the pace of territorial expansion.

They relentlessly stepped forward, continuously expanding the Central Plains’ territory, generation after generation striving to pass the land to the descendants of Zhuxia. It was so in the Spring and Autumn Period, the Warring States, the Qin State, and likewise the Han Dynasty.

”Then let me tell you something,” Sheni Pei nodded. Since Yuan Tan was psychologically prepared, there was nothing more to say. When one’s own strength is insufficient, leveraging external forces becomes the best option.

”The troops in Jicheng are just over ten thousand, and most are defeated troops I withdrew from the North. Although there is a renowned general like Jun Yi, defending the city is absolutely impossible.” Sheni Pei did not know how many days he had been unconscious, but he was very aware that the combat power displayed by the Northern Huns’ main force was something Jicheng absolutely couldn’t withstand.

”You were unconscious for two days, during which time our forces suffered some losses, leaving us with less than ten thousand troops. The intensity of the siege by the Hun people is very high,” Yuan Tan said, his face somber.

”I was unconscious for two days?” Sheni Pei asked.

”Yes, at this rate of manpower loss, our forces can only hold for three more days before the city falls. Even with strong support from the city’s populace, it would be meaningless.” Yuan Tan’s expression was serious, as the Hun attack was too fierce.

”Three days?” Sheni Pei roughly estimated, ”Leave it to me then; we will reclaim Youzhou. Remember there is a unit of Liu Bei’s Army in Liaodong, they and Bingzhou must have received the news.”

”But that’s not enough. Whether it’s Liu Bei’s arrangements in Liaodong or the remaining troops in Bingzhou, together they don’t amount to thirty thousand, and we have less than ten thousand. Even if the three join forces, it’s still insufficient, not to mention they can’t unite their forces,” Yuan Tan shook his head.

”No, quite the opposite, the three will definitely ally. I will give them the opportunity to unite,” Sheni Pei shook his head, smiling, ”Leave the rest to me. I will naturally make contact with them; we may not be without hope for turning the tide.”

Seeing Sheni Pei’s expression, Yuan Tan did not question further. He trusted Sheni Pei’s ability. If he said there was hope, then there certainly was hope.

”Lord, help me call Gong Ren and Zhouping, I have matters to discuss with them.” Seeing Yuan Tan not asking more questions, Sheni Pei spoke, and Yuan Tan at this time did not maintain the dignity of a Lord, immediately sending people to find Dong Zhao and Cui Jun.

”Zheng Nan, the siege outside has resumed, I will go to calm the troops on the city walls, you rest for now.” After sending people out, Yuan Tan heard the sounds of slaughter outside, realizing the Huns’ siege had started again, he advised Sheni Pei.

Sheni Pei did not say much. After Yuan Tan left, he lay down, starting to think while waiting for Dong Zhao and Cui Jun’s arrival.

Ziyuan and Youruo are not fools, unlike me, they will surely lean towards Liu Bei, and under Liu Bei, Zhao Yun’s cavalry is still held back. If the situation in Beixin stabilizes, with the speed of Zhao Yun’s forces, which are essentially the White Horse Soldiers under a new guise, they can catch up even if they receive the message late and are unimpeded.

Sheni Pei silently calculated the current forces of the Han Dynasty and the Hun Soldiers beneath Jicheng. With Zhuge Liang, Chen Gong, and Zhao Yun joining, Sheni Pei had considerable confidence.

With this, although our manpower is only half of the Hun’s, there is already a chance of winning the battle. However, the biggest challenge now is ensuring they launch the attack on time.

How to guarantee their consensus without coordination? Sheni Pei closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache. As long as this issue could be resolved, reclaiming the northern part of Youzhou in a single battle wasn’t impossible.

Having confronted the Huns once, Sheni Pei keenly felt that they weren’t adequately prepared, making this the ideal moment to repel them at our borders.

Sheni Pei’s strategy was initially a flash of inspiration, and now he needed to refine it, making this seemingly absurd plan viable. The Northern Huns’ Chanyu’s Imperial Guards was a major trouble.

Having experienced it personally, Sheni Pei understood that this personal guard of about a thousand men was undeniably an army embodying the Military Spirit, more powerful than the Vanguard he recalled, hence any strategy must account for them.

While Sheni Pei was pondering, Cui Jun and Dong Zhao came together. They appeared more solemn compared to before, but unlike Yuan Tan, their gaze lacked the resolve to face death together.

”Forgive me for interrupting, please take a seat,” Sheni Pei slowly sat up. Unlike his previous demeanor with Yuan Tan, Sheni Pei now exuded an aura of majesty.

Cui Jun and Dong Zhao exchanged a glance, then naturally sat in their respective seats.

”Do you know why I asked you here?” After serving them tea, Sheni Pei instructed others to close the door and forbid entry.

”We don’t know,” Cui Jun calmly replied.

”Zhouping, you and Gong Ren can start looking for new patrons,” Sheni Pei said indifferently.

Cui Jun and Dong Zhao’s hands involuntarily trembled, although the movement was slight. All three were cautious, so they all noticed, and an instant air of awkwardness permeated.

”Zhouping, were you with Liu Xuande from the very beginning?” Sheni Pei calmly asked.

Cui Jun didn’t respond, Sheni Pei didn’t press further, turning instead to Dong Zhao, ”Isn’t it confusing to be a multi-faceted spy, sometimes even losing sight of your own heart?”

Dong Zhao remained silent; his Spiritual Talent was to follow the momentum, upon making a choice, he could infer in one stroke the trajectory of the ’force’ based on the information he gathered.

It was extremely practical and formidable, this talent being the reason Dong Zhao chose to be a multi-faceted spy, as this allowed him to collect more information, access more trends of the times, though ultimately still just a reference.

One reason being his choice might not be correct, another being the information gathered might not be accurate or comprehensive. By inferring the trends in one stroke, sometimes he indeed fell into a trap.

After all, Dong Zhao was not like Guo Jia, whose judgment molded reality. If he could make accurate judgments with ample information, his Spiritual Talent would almost equal preemptively glimpsing the outcome of the grand scheme.