The Strategy of Besieging Wei to Rescue Zhao

On the main road, dust flew as horse hooves clattered.

Ren Tianye led an army of over thirty thousand troops, galloping furiously.

Report!

A messenger rode up swiftly on horseback: General, Wang Hai of the Wang family has come to report. He says there is an urgent matter to inform you of.

Wang Hai?

This aristocratic family, which deeply trusted the Ren National Duke's estate, had already earned his trust. During this expedition to Sifang City, they had provided immense assistance.

They had even provided four thousand troops.

Ren Tianye actually had quite a favorable impression of him.

What could be the reason for his report now?

Bring him here!

Ren Tianye tightened his reins, and his steed, the Night-Illuminating Jade Lion, stood firmly in place.

A moment later, Wang Hai rode over. Before he even got close, he said excitedly, General, someone has come to defect to us! Someone wants to pledge their allegiance!

Someone else?

Ren Tianye was surprised.

Why were there waves upon waves of people coming to defect?

However, Sifang City had already been conquered. Wasn't it a bit late to pledge allegiance now?

General, the ones pledging allegiance are the Zhou and Wu families from Shanhe City.

Ren Tianye was instantly jolted.

Shanhe City!

He immediately asked with considerable urgency, Are they reliable?

Wang Hai already knew that Ren Tianye was a man of few words and did not dawdle, saying, General, they are absolutely reliable.

The Zhou and Wu families are aristocratic families within Shanhe City. They have always been rooted there. When the barbarians entered the city, they couldn't bear to abandon their estates, and they foolishly believed that the barbarians would truly make peace with the Yu people and live in mutual harmony.

So they stayed behind.

But this decision to stay nearly caused the ruin and death of the Zhou and Wu families.

The barbarians are fierce and tyrannical. As always, they treated the Great Yu people like two-legged sheep. After entering the city, they burned, killed, and pillaged. Nine out of ten households in Shanhe City are empty, and corpses are piled up like mountains.

So many people have perished under the barbarians' blades.

The Zhou and Wu families also suffered heavy casualties.

How could they not be sincere in their defection?

Pausing for a moment, Wang Hai continued, Furthermore, I can guarantee with my life that the Zhou and Wu families are indeed sincere in their allegiance.

It's not even just these two families. Many other large families are willing to pledge allegiance to the General, hoping only that the General will allow them to go to Yunji City.

A look of wild joy appeared on Ren Tianye's face.

In truth, he had always known that describing the situation in Shanhe City as a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood was not an exaggeration in the slightest. Considering the centuries-old hatred between the barbarians and the Yu people, it was expected that the Yu people in Shanhe City would want to defect to him.

After all, he controlled Yunji City.

Yunji City was closest to Shanhe City.

Seeking nothing else but a place to settle and survive, they ought to defect to him.

Because of this, a thought had even crossed his mind.

To abandon reinforcing Yunji City and directly attack Shanhe City.

With Yunji City's geographical advantage, even if the barbarians launched a frenzied, all-out assault, it definitely wouldn't succeed in a short time.

He would attack Shanhe City directly.

Forcing the barbarians to pull back and defend.

However, while this strategy was good, there was no suitable breakthrough point. After all, although Shanhe City's geographical advantages were not as prominent as Yunji City's, it was still a massive city capable of resisting countless barbarian invasions.

If their thirty-odd thousand men went to attack it.

He feared it would be ineffective.

But now.

If there were inside contacts, then it would be possible.

He immediately said, Wang Hai, call the people from the Zhou and Wu families of Shanhe City over. I will question them personally.

Yes, General! Wang Hai said. As it happens, they are right nearby.

Ren Tianye specifically stopped to wait. Before long, two men wearing brocade robes, but with sunken eyes and haggard appearances, sprinted over.

Through Wang Hai's introduction, one was the eldest son of the Zhou family, and the other was the only remaining bloodline of the Wu family.

When the two saw Ren Tianye, it was as if they had seen a loved one. They instantly burst into bitter tears, venting all the slaughter, humiliation, collapse, and despair they had suffered over these many days all at once.

It wasn't until Ren Tianye shouted for them to stop that they gradually ceased their crying.

Then, the two detailed the information inside Shanhe City one by one.

Aside from confirming what Wang Hai had said, they also mentioned something that surprised Ren Tianye.

The barbarians have mobilized almost their entire army, over eighty thousand men, and they have all gone to attack Yunji City.

They only left behind ten thousand or so old, weak, sick, and disabled soldiers, commanded by the barbarian Third Prince, to hold Shanhe City.

Right now, the people inside Shanhe City are boiling with indignation and have long prepared to rise up. If the General is willing to go, with us coordinating from the inside and outside, Shanhe City will surely return to the hands of the Yu people!

Ren Tianye frowned.

This good news was indeed good, but he wasn't letting it go to his head.

His focus was on the barbarian Third Prince, Tuoba Xiangtai.

This was the man who was supposed to marry the Empress Xiao Mingzhao. In the face of such a major event as attacking Yunji City, he was actually absent?

Were the barbarians protecting him, not wanting him to experience danger?

Or was there an internal power struggle among the barbarians?

Or could there be some conspiracy?

Ren Tianye had no way of knowing.

But a great opportunity was right before his eyes, and it was absolutely impossible for him to give it up.

He immediately shouted orders to the entire army.

Change course immediately and head straight for Shanhe City.

We attack Shanhe City!

The generals obeyed the order and advanced at top speed. They changed direction, and before they had gone far, Ren Tianye spotted two mountain peaks in the distance.

These were the Left and Right Peaks, a treacherous pass that had to be traversed when heading south from Shanhe City. Previously, the Martial Emperor of Great Yu had specifically stationed troops upon them to prevent the barbarians from marching south in the event that Shanhe City fell.

It was entirely possible to use the geographical advantage to throw logs, rolling stones, and other objects from the high mountains on both sides to block the enemy's advance.

If we could deploy a detachment of troops up there.

While I am attacking Shanhe City, it will surely force the barbarians to return and defend. We could use this geographical advantage to severely crush the barbarians' spirit.

Ren Tianye was quite tempted.

However, he quickly gave up the idea.

The main reason was a lack of manpower.

He only had over thirty thousand men in his hands, and they were about to attack a massive city like Shanhe City. Unless everything went as smoothly as the attack on Sifang City.

Where they could take it almost without losing a single soldier.

Otherwise, it would not be an easy task under any circumstances.

Ren Tianye could only drop the idea.

Of course, he was also very careful.

He sent scouts ahead to investigate the Left and Right Peaks. If there happened to be an expert among the barbarians who could calculate his movements and set an ambush for him in return, he would suffer a massive loss.

He had just issued the order here.

A messenger, riding two warhorses and alternating between them, galloped over swiftly.

I have a matter of extreme urgency to report.

General, General!

Seeing him from afar, Ren Tianye's heart violently jolted.

This messenger was wearing the uniform of Sifang City.

Which meant he was from Sifang City!

No way, how long had it been since he led his troops away, and something had already happened in Sifang City? Requiring a messenger to deliver an extremely urgent dispatch?!

A feeling of unease surged in his heart.

He even went up to meet him personally. Without waiting for the messenger to get close, he asked urgently, What happened to Sifang City?

Is Song Wan's army too formidable, causing Sifang City to fall?

The messenger hurriedly pulled his reins. Before he could even catch his breath, he said, No, General, Sifang City is perfectly fine.

Furthermore, Song Wan is dead!