CHAPTER 1453: CHAPTER 1401: LURING THE ENEMY DEEP AND CLOSING THE GATE TO STRIKE THE DOG

[Excellent, excellent, so that’s how it is, I didn’t expect it to be the Northern Huns.] Sheni Pei’s face showed hardly any hint of fear; instead, it was filled with delight. His current goal was to establish the posthumous fame of the Yuan Clan, and nothing was more suitable than the Northern Huns.

[The Huns, who fought against the Han Dynasty for three hundred years, will now fall at my hands. Whether I end them or initiate their end, my lord’s reputation will be indispensable.] Sheni Pei looked at the densely packed Outer Barbarians below the city and chuckled coldly.

"Yiqu, keep an eye on the outside. If the Northern reinforcements of the Hu people stop coming one day, inform me immediately," Sheni Pei instructed Jiangh Yiqu beside him.

"Understood!" Jiangh Yiqu responded with unyielding determination. As a general from Yuan Shao’s time, his ability to command troops was quite strong; after a direct encounter with the Xianbei, he only lost two thousand men and managed to bring out the rest, which was a testament to his capability.

Perhaps noticing Jiangh Yiqu’s expression, Sheni Pei, after a moment of silence, reassured him, "Rest assured, we will win. The Xianbei reinforcements won’t be many."

Jiangh Yiqu looked at Sheni Pei puzzled, completely unable to comprehend. With the passes through Jundu Mountain open, how could the Xianbei reinforcements be cut off?

Sheni Pei did not elaborate further. He knew that even if Jiangh Yiqu didn’t have the answers, he would still strive to defend Changping. As long as they held on for a few more days, whether it was Xianbei or the Northern Huns beneath the city, they would all be dead.

Indeed, with Juyong Pass open, the south of the Great Wall was an open plain, unobstructed. Conversely, with Juyong Pass sealed, the Hu people south of the Great Wall would become trapped like fish in a barrel.

Sheni Pei originally never planned to open Juyong Pass when designing the strategy. The original intention was to defend Juyong Pass and then mobilize troops to annihilate the Xianbei below Juyong Pass.

But later, when Cui Jun casually mentioned bypassing the rear of the Xianbei through the Liao River, it inspired Sheni Pei. Since things had reached this extent, why not take a gamble, allow the Xianbei to enter Juyong Pass. Once Juyong Pass was open, the Xianbei would undoubtedly not take any other route.

After all, choosing another route meant the Xianbei would expend significant military force just to breach the Great Wall, while Juyong Pass being open meant entering Youzhou was an open plain, with no obstacles at all.

Such terrain was extremely favorable for the Xianbei, and with no ambushes, even if the Xianbei chiefs were fools, they would choose to go through Juyong Pass.

This alone was enough to lead the Xianbei to follow Sheni Pei’s expectations, and where Sheni Pei was currently stationed at Changping was the largest bait, with enormous grain reserves stockpiled there in Youzhou.

Changping was an ordinary city, unlike the specially fortified major city of Jicheng; it was easy to attack and highly profitable. The first target of the Xianbei would undoubtedly be here!

Moreover, with Sheni Pei’s initial defeat, losing to the Xianbei, the Xianbei naturally had no additional concerns; attacking Changping seemed like the most correct choice.

By using bait to gather all the Xianbei in one place, the destructive power of the Xianbei entering Youzhou directly decreased to the minimum level. All that remained was to figure out a way to take down the Xianbei in one fell swoop.

With the battlefield chosen and the scope defined, Sheni Pei was quite confident in securing victory. After all, the opponent was nothing more than a bunch of ants.

Now for Sheni Pei, all that remained was to wait for Fengg Ji and Guo Tu to set up everything as he arranged. As for Dong Zhao and Cui Jun, truthfully, Sheni Pei did not trust them.

At Gu River Ferry, north of Juyong Pass, a large number of elite troops from the Yuan Army successfully landed. These troops had been transferred from the southern part of Youzhou, from the battlefield commanded by Xuu You and Xun Shen. They were true elite veterans.

This meant that in the southern part of Youzhou, Guanzhou, and Beixin Defense Line, effectively, there were less than ten thousand stationed, essentially an empty city.

Regardless, Xun Shen and Xuu You had done an impeccable job of deceiving Fa Zheng and Xu Shu on the opposite side, and even the likes of Jia Xu in the rear were unaware.

Even when Beixin’s forces were reduced to barely ten thousand men, Xuu You willingly wasted four thousand troops to make Fa Zheng believe New North City had abundant forces, and the generals, including Xuu You in New North City, were determined to seal the city and hold out.

Similarly, Xun Shen also attempted dangerous maneuvers after falling short on manpower and deployed all available forces. He seemed to discover a balance, stabilizing Guangchang while unable to defeat Xu Shu.

The different characters of the two made Fa Zheng, who had the upper hand, realize that following Xuu You’s refusal to emerge from the closed city, they decided to hold their ground and maintain their strategic advantage.

Xu Shu, discovering that he was powerless against the resolute Xun Shen, and Xun Shen unable to respond in kind, led both to a standstill.

The subsequent low-intensity skirmishes made it difficult to discern the Yuan Shao army’s true situation. If Xuu You didn’t allow Fa Zheng to gain any substantial benefits, endless probing would surely unveil New North City’s true status.

Of course, if Xun Shen failed to show his inability to defeat Xu Shu, and Xu Shu can’t counter him, a ceasefire would disrupt the balance, revealing any vulnerabilities.

This is why Sheni Pei placed the Yuan Clan’s strongest strategist in the forefront. To deceive effectively—and with the opponent being truly brilliant strategists—now only Xuu You and Xun Shen under Yuan Tan’s command could pull it off.

While this plan, if uncovered, would be disastrous, if it were successful, the Yuan army’s triumph over the Xianbei confined around Changping would provide them a much-needed respite.

Regarding the aftermath of the Xianbei defeat, should Liu Bei’s forces attack Guanzhou and Beixin in frustration, honestly, with Xuu You and Xun Shen’s prowess, it would definitely not fall in twenty days. By then, Liu Bei’s army would have learned of the Yuan Clan’s major victory over the Xianbei; naturally, Xun Shen and others would have known earlier.

As long as morale remained stable, the line of Guangchang and Beixin could not be taken by a single surge from Liu Bei’s forces. With no northern threat, Sheni Pei was confident of holding out through the year.

Moreover, knowing Liu Bei well enough, Sheni Pei trusted that when he returned north victorious after subduing the Xianbei, even if Liu Bei contemplated action, a head-on confrontation would be deemed unnecessary, a path Liu Bei wouldn’t likely take.

For Sheni Pei now, it’s all about waiting. Juyong Pass, the Xianbei stationed there would not be numerous. After all, they needed continuous entry into Youzhou. With Lyu Kuang, Lyu Xiang, Guo Tu, Fengg Ji, Hee Mao, Chen Peng, and others entering Juyong Pass from the north, the possibility of the Xianbei setting up fortifications was low.

As long as they successfully entered Jundu Mountain from the north, sealed off Juyong Pass, and gathered the Outer Barbarians together in Youzhou, the outcome was already predetermined. The only difference would be how they died and the extent of their devastation.