Qi Bei County
From time to time, he could see the corpses and blood from the battle. Pei Zi Yun gazed into the distance as a cold smile appeared on his face. Ren Wei then said, "Young Master, the weather is getting warmer. We have to dispose of the corpses as soon as possible."
"You have a point." Pei Zi Yun sighed, "You don't have an official title. I shall hand the workers over to you later. But please wait for now!"
Ren Wei acknowledged. He then saw Pei Zi Yun looking at the battlefield, which was filled with killing intent. He did not move, but in his heart, he was shouting, "System!"
The Plum Blossom in front of him grew bigger and bigger until it became a translucent information interface. It floated in front of him and revealed a mission.
"Mission: Enter the Dao through the zither, open the gates of heaven for Qi Qianye (Incomplete)"
"Mission: Eliminate Ji Bei Hou and obtain the title of True Sovereign (Incomplete)"
"Yin Master: Sixth level (57.2%)"
"After the battle in Qi Bei County, my reputation rose by 50%. And it's still accumulating. Just this alone is worth it."
When Pei Zi Yun finished reading, a Daoist stepped forward, "Dao Master, Ji Bei Hou has sent his troops."
"He's been waiting for us to attack the city." Pei Zi Yun laughed coldly. He then regained his senses, "Ren Wei, I want you to do three things!"
"First, inform the soldiers to have more meals today."
"Second, I want you to pass the order for the generals to hold a meeting."
"Third, you don't have an official title and can't organize anything. However, the workers can. Organize them to clean up the battlefield and repair the city walls. Especially the corpses."
"Think of a way. Don't be stingy with money. Give the workers some encouragement. Think of a plan and give it to me." Pei Zi Yun said. Although Ren Wei was killed quickly in his previous life, he had been a high ranking official for a few years. Such a small task was not too difficult for him.
"Yes!" Ren Wei's eyes gleamed as he replied, "It's just that Young Master has already said that I don't have an official title. I need a title to organize the workers."
"That's easy." Pei Zi Yun smiled and turned around. When he entered the prefectural hall, he picked up a piece of paper and wrote, "Ren Wei will be the leader of the workers. This order — Pei Zi Yun."
He passed it to Ren Wei and said, "This is enough. You can go now!"
Finished speaking, he sat down. In a short moment, all the generals had gathered, the personal guards were divided into two rows in front of the main hall. The shelves were moved over, the Emperor's Sword and the command medallion were placed behind the table.
To the left and right were generals and lieutenants, and to the left of the table was a chair.
"Enlightened Master!"
Although the Reverend's actions were a little out of place, the generals did not dare to be negligent at this time. "Pa Pa" they all saluted.
"Everyone rise." Pei Zi Yun's face was expressionless as he spoke, "Count Zhong Qin, please take a seat!"
Count Zhong Qin clasped his hands in salute before taking a seat. The rest of the generals and lieutenants stood with their hands by their sides. Pei Zi Yun then spoke out plainly, "I've got news. Ji Bei Hou has deployed his troops. He's bringing fifty thousand soldiers with him.
"Buzz!" Everyone started discussing amongst themselves. Before long, Pei Zi Yun placed his hand on the table, and everyone quietened down. He then asked, "Does everyone have any opinions?"
An assistant general, Xue Ping, spoke out, "Since Ji Bei Hou has deployed his troops, we shall fight a decisive battle. As long as Ji Bei Hou shows up, we shall wipe him out."
Hearing this, a general laughed coldly, "Enlightened Master, we have forty thousand men. After this battle, we've lost six thousand men. Although we've captured three thousand, we can't use them now. We only have thirty thousand men. If we were to fight a decisive battle, our losses would not be small, and our chances of winning would not be high."
"Enlightened Master, I think that we should end this battle quickly. We all know that there are only ten thousand soldiers in the city. The other forty thousand are temporary recruits. They've only been here for two to three months. Even if they were to undergo training, they would still be a motley crew. We should fight a decisive battle and annihilate Ji Bei Hou."
"Nonsense, the wars have only been going on for ten years. Many of the veterans are scattered amongst the commoners. Although they've only been here for two to three months, many of them are fearless soldiers. Two to three months is more than enough for them to be reinstated." Someone was unconvinced and retorted. At that point, the entire hall was filled with commotion.
"We have thirty thousand men. Half of them are elites, while the other half are soldiers. Ji Bei Hou has ten thousand men, and forty thousand soldiers. Should we fight a decisive battle or not?"
Pei Zi Yun looked at Count Zhong Qin. Count Zhong Qin's face was solemn, and did not speak.
After some time, Pei Zi Yun swept his gaze across the hall. The generals and lieutenants had all quietened down, waiting for a decision. Pei Zi Yun paused, "Now is not the time."
"Enlightened Master? We're not going to fight a decisive battle? "One of the generals asked.
"Yes, we're not going to fight a decisive battle." Pei Zi Yun looked at him before picking up a wooden stick and pointing it at the map, "Fighting a battle is about courage. With one spurt of energy, the second spurt of energy will weaken, and the third spurt of energy will be exhausted. When the enemy is exhausted, I will be strong."
"Fighting a battle is largely based on the will of the people."
"Ji Bei Hou raised his troops and took over the entire city. He then conquered two counties. Following that, he defeated and killed the Count of Ping Yuan, who was sent by the Imperial Court. After taking over five counties, the morale of the people rose. That's why the generals and soldiers were willing to risk their lives, while the officials watched from the sidelines."
"However, this morale is not stable. It's like iron. Although it looks like iron, it's actually very brittle. It has to be repeatedly beaten and tempered before it can become mature. Our army's battle at Qi Bei County was no doubt a heavy blow to it, breaking its tempering process."
At this point, the generals seemed to have understood something. Count Zhong Qin's eyes gleamed as he knew that this was the truth. He leaned back, his heart was in turmoil, 'Pei Zi Yun is so young, yet so calm and experienced. It's terrifying.'
Pei Zi Yun then continued, "However, iron is still iron. Especially after taking such a heavy blow, it's like an army in despair. Besides, the news of our victory has not yet spread. If we were to fight now, not only would we be betting on our martial arts fate, there's no need for us to do so."
"Hence, we have to rely on the county city to block Ji Bei Hou's army. There are three benefits to this."
"The first is to cool down the morale of Ji Bei Hou's soldiers."
"The second is to make use of the city walls to wear down Ji Bei Hou's troops and morale."
"The third is to spread the news of our victory and spread the news, causing the hearts of the people to waver."
"It doesn't matter if we fail once, the people's hearts won't waver. However, Ji Bei Hou's foundations are weak. If we fail, there's no way to turn the situation around. What will the soldiers and officials think of us?"
"Iron is hard and brittle. Without toughness, it will break apart. When that happens, we can win in one fell swoop."
"Hence, our army now has three missions. The first is to mobilize the workers to repair the city walls and strengthen the defenses. The second is to get rid of all the troublemakers. That is to evacuate the captives and some of the civilians. The third is to split up our elite troops and take advantage of the fact that the other three counties are unable to move. That is to take back Ji Bei Hou's territory."
Xue Ping stood up and asked, "What if Ji Bei Hou divides his troops?"
"If Ji Bei Hou divides his troops, he'll die." Pei Zi Yun replied plainly, "He only has a total of fifty thousand soldiers. Ten thousand of them might be able to pass. If they were to gather their forces together, they might still have some fighting power. However, if they were to split up, their weakness would be exposed.
"Fifty thousand troops and twenty thousand troops are two different things."
"The former can change the quality of his troops, but the latter can be slaughtered."
"Everyone, what are your thoughts on this task?" At this point, Pei Zi Yun looked at Count Zhong Qin and noticed that his eyes were downcast. He didn't reply. Pei Zi Yun then spoke out coldly, "Xue Ping!"
"Here." Xue Ping replied loudly.
"Take all the prisoners and injured soldiers, as well as those who are unreliable, and transport them to the counties behind to recuperate. For the injured soldiers, give them ten taels of silver, five taels of silver for light injuries, and three taels of silver for light injuries. Send them out immediately."
"Yes!"
"At the same time, make sure that the three counties nearby send half of their defensive equipment and three thousand troops to the city. This must be done quickly!"
"Yes!" Xue Ping replied.
"Count Zhong Qin!"
Since his name had been called, Count Zhong Qin had no choice but to respond. He stood up, "Here!"
"In addition to the three thousand troops, we have thirty-six thousand men. I shall give you twenty-six thousand to defend the city. Can you do that?" Pei Zi Yun asked.
Twenty-six thousand against fifty thousand. Count Zhong Qin remained expressionless, but his heart was racing. At this point, under the watchful eyes of everyone present, he smiled, "As long as we have rations, we can defend the city for half a month or even a month. Ji Bei Hou has catapults, and so do we. We can use them against him, and he won't have an easy time."
Pei Zi Yun then laughed, "Alright, I shall hand the city over to you. Keep Ji Bei Hou occupied."
"Yes." Count Zhong Qin replied.
Pei Zi Yun then laughed, "Ji Bei Hou has fifty thousand troops. Since he is so eager to fight me, I shall take ten thousand. Ji Bei Hou will chase after me. The rest of you shall gather at the other counties and reclaim the rest of the counties. You may even press on to the city."
"If you don't chase after me, then you shall guard the city. I shall go and reclaim the remaining counties. We have the support of the entire imperial court. We shall not lose."
"Mobilize the Dao Officials and scouts to monitor the situation. Be aware of Ji Bei Hou's movements. In this battle, I only have one thing to say. Stick to him."
"No matter which side it is, as long as they can keep Ji Bei Hou occupied, it will be like a game of chess. As long as they can cut off his vital energy, they will be victorious."
"Yes!" All the generals replied.
Pei Zi Yun then laughed, "Chen Yong, you shall follow me. Everyone, follow my instructions and make preparations. If not, Ji Bei Hou will have to bear the consequences."
"Yes, haha!" All the generals burst out laughing.
At this point, an official rushed in and reported to Pei Zi Yun. When Pei Zi Yun heard this, he was enraged. He then slammed his fist on the table, scaring all the generals into silence. Even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard.
"Don't worry, Ji Bei Hou is just a despicable person!" Pei Zi Yun gritted his teeth as he spoke. Seeing that all the generals did not understand, he then laughed, "Ji Bei Hou has deployed three thousand troops to attack Baoyang County."
"Baoyang County?" All the generals looked at the map. This was an unremarkable county in Ying Prefecture, and did not have much strategic value.
They then heard Pei Zi Yun say coldly, "This is where my Dao sect is located. My mother is there as well."
"Oh?" All the generals had long known that Pei Zi Yun was a Daoist. However, after so many days of commanding, they had gradually forgotten about it. Only now did they realize it. They looked at each other and said, "Damn it. He's trying to use Daoist Master's sect and Old Madam to threaten and attack Daoist Master. How despicable."
"Daoist Master, as long as you say the word, I will annihilate this army immediately."
Seeing that all the generals were pleading for his orders, Pei Zi Yun was calm and collected, "Ji Bei Hou's actions are actually to disrupt my plans and rhythm. It's a pity that my plan is exactly what I want."
"All of you proceed according to the plan. Leave this matter to me to settle."
"Yes!" All the generals were filled with confidence in Pei Zi Yun as they replied in unison.
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