kvmb Chapter 68 The retreat was a ruse.
Chapter 68 The retreat was a ruse.
An Lushan flew into a rage in the military camp.
His fat body trembled with anger.
Despite his usual iron-fisted approach to controlling his subordinates, this internal strife was unexpected.
"Why is General Chen so audacious! We must stop its spread immediately, or it will affect the overall situation!" An Lushan shouted, determined to quickly remedy the loss.
Upon learning this information, Li Mao felt a complex mix of emotions.
He had been observing An Lushan's actions, but the sudden change in the situation caught him somewhat off guard.
"If An Lushan suffers a setback here, will we benefit from it?" a trusted advisor asked tentatively, harboring many doubts.
"We must not act rashly, but observe the changes further before we can be confident in our actions," Li Mao shook his head.
The urgent and tense military meeting came to an end, and Li Heng made a new decision.
"Issue my order: all units shall proceed according to plan. I urge you all to be cautious and prudent, and work together to overcome this difficult time," Li Heng announced decisively.
In An Lushan's army, Feng Jiang seems to have been in contact with Li Mao for some time, attempting to instigate another round of unrest.
On the city wall, Li Heng watched the enemy's movements from afar, only managing a brief respite.
Li Heng then returned to a side hall of the palace.
He immediately consulted with several trusted confidants about the enemy's next move.
They were surrounding a huge map with a bright red flag in the center, marking the location of An Lushan's military camp outside Chang'an.
“Although General Chen has withdrawn, the enemy army has not been thrown into disarray. We must dig deeper into the intelligence.” As soon as Li Heng finished speaking, a guard quietly handed him a secret letter.
Upon opening the letter, Li Heng's expression darkened.
There seems to be a traitor within the palace who passed information to An Lushan.
"The news actually came from within the palace?" Several ministers exchanged bewildered glances, clearly caught off guard.
“We are shrouded in shadow, so we must be even more careful. We must immediately begin investigating this matter,” Li Heng said with concern.
However, they encountered numerous obstacles in investigating the specific mole within the organization.
No matter how hard they tried to investigate, the real culprit always seemed to get advance notice and escape time and time again.
Meanwhile, in his own tent, An Lushan listened to General Feng's report, a slight smile playing on his lips.
He planned and delivered the letter; it was a scheme Li Mao had given him.
“Li Heng is currently trapped in a predicament and unable to react in time, which is precisely the perfect opportunity for our army to advance again,” General Feng reported, a sly glint in his eyes.
“We cannot let our guard down. Although the internal troubles have not been resolved, Li Heng has been through many battles. We must not underestimate him.” An Lushan narrowed his eyes and tapped his fingers lightly on the table. He had already made up his mind.
……
“Feng cannot trust this man. I recently received intelligence that he is secretly plotting with others, and his motives are impure,” an aide whispered, trying to hide the anxiety in his eyes.
Li Mao frowned, realizing that the problem pointed directly at himself.
Once Feng Jiang uses An Lushan's power to isolate him...
"The situation is not yet settled; we cannot sit idly by and wait for our doom." Li Mao finally made up his mind.
at the same time.
Lee Hyung decided to adjust his strategy to deal with the current chaos.
He selected trusted subordinates to cut off some of the information flow in a top-secret manner, in order to thwart the conspiracy lurking in the shadows as much as possible.
"We must seize every opportunity and firmly grasp the initiative," Li Heng said to several loyal ministers in the small hall.
……
Soon after, An Lushan regrouped his army and prepared to launch a new wave of attacks on Chang'an.
"Tomorrow will be crucial." An Lushan gazed at the vast land outside the camp.
Inside An Lushan's camp, a heated discussion was taking place.
The retreat plan was brought forward, which was approved by some generals, but others had reservations.
"Would retreating at this time backfire?" a young general asked anxiously, worried that it would weaken morale and cause confusion in command.
An Lushan frowned, realizing that the current decision required utmost caution: "Retreat is not a concession, but a search for a better strategic point for subsequent attacks."
He was certain that this was a protracted struggle, and he needed to wait for the right opportunity to act.
An Lushan's gaze was fixed on the southeast, towards the new battlefield...
However, what he did not realize was that this movement had been observed by the keen scouts at the front.
Soon, the Chang'an authorities noticed something amiss.
Looking back at the court, Li Heng had already devised a new strategy to counter the enemy's feint.
He quoted a strategy from Sun Tzu's Art of War: "Military tactics are like water, which has no constant shape."
What he needs to do is keep the enemy guessing about his hand while firmly maintaining control of the battle.
"Your Highness, it seems there's an opportunity with General Feng's side. They're not on the same side as An Lushan. Could this be an opportunity for us to infiltrate?" an intelligence agent suggested.
Li Heng's eyes lit up, and he said, "By grasping this point, we can not only dismantle the enemy's alliance, but also press our advantage and achieve our goal in one fell swoop."
But just as the operation was being carried out intensively in Chang'an, a new problem arose: the supply of food and provisions was gradually running out.
Coupled with the chaotic situation in recent days, it has placed a considerable burden on the entire city of Chang'an.
Li Heng knew that now it was not only necessary to resist foreign enemies, but also to reorganize internally to stabilize the people's hearts.
He then quickly summoned officials from the Ministry of Revenue to discuss a new plan.
"Supplies are of paramount importance to the army; we must not be careless and must persevere," Li Heng emphasized again, knowing in his heart that he could not lose control of the rear at this time.
Following the previous investigation, Li Heng cautiously adjusted the defense strategy to prevent the city from becoming isolated and helpless.
at the same time
An Lushan summoned his trusted generals.
"The retreat plan was merely a ploy to mislead the Crown Prince of Tang."
"Do any of you have a good strategy for attacking?"
While devising tactical offensives, Feng Jiang also eagerly discussed how to weaken Chang'an's defenses through spies within the city.
"As long as the internal and external forces coordinate properly, the fall of the capital will be just around the corner," Feng Jiang advised An Lushan, promising to launch a series of disruptive actions.
……
"Feng made a mistake in chess, which may give Chang'an a chance to catch its breath." A secret agent quietly handed the intelligence to Li Heng.
Night falls again.
Li Heng couldn't help but guess that they were only retreating temporarily and might attack again at any time.
While he was pondering, Vice General Gao Shi brought unexpected news: "Your Highness, General Feng is secretly trying to infiltrate and contact us. Should we take this opportunity to sow discord?"
Li Heng was slightly surprised: "We will not act rashly for now, but we will keep track of his movements and at the same time set up more defensive lines. We must not give the enemy any chance to retreat again."
Meanwhile, in the enemy camp far from Chang'an, An Lushan was working on his next set of tactics.
He realized that although Feng was willing to rebel, a modified strategy was needed to make full use of this information.
At this moment, Chang'an once again enjoyed a brief period of tranquility.
The people on the street continued their daily lives during lulls in the fighting.
As time went on, Li Mao saw an opportunity in the situation.