Chapter 285: Making a Feint to the East While Attacking in the West

Two days later, Tu Tu Kesiluo led men to scout ahead and reported to Jiang Jiang Mingyu: "Big Brother, five li ahead is a fork in the road; south leads to Jizhou, while west heads toward Hongzhou. According to the map, we are less than two hundred li from Jizhou; if we continue forward, we can strike it."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu suddenly seemed confused, staring at the map and asking: "Rushing? Where to?"

Tu Tu Kesiluo was somewhat baffled: "Isn't that obvious? Of course we are going to Jizhou; where else could we go?"

Amidst a sea of bewildered gazes, Jiang Jiang Mingyu suddenly gave a cunning smile and said: "Who said we must go to Jizhou? Our army's true target is actually Hongzhou."

"Not going to Jizhou?" Even Zhang Zhang Jiani was startled and doubtful. "Big Brother, haven't we been spreading rumors all along that we intend to attack Jizhou? Suddenly changing course now, wouldn't that be too strange?"

Before she finished speaking, her eyes lit up, and she suddenly understood: "I see! This is the strategy of 'making a feint to the east while attacking in the west'!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded approvingly: "Clever! My feint to attack Jizhou was meant to confuse Li Li Haoyang, making him shift his main forces to Jizhou to defend. Now, if we quietly turn west and strike Hongzhou directly, wouldn't that be a sure victory?"

Seeing Tu Tu Kesiluo's look of utter confusion, he smiled and said: "All our previous actions were designed to create the illusion that our army was about to attack Jizhou. I dare say Li Li Haoyang already knows we have arrived and has surely stationed heavy troops in Jizhou. Attacking Jizhou now would only waste our strength for nothing."

"Hongzhou is at most one hundred li away; we can reach it in a single day at most. We first seize Nanjing, the capital of Hongzhou. By the time Li Li Haoyang reacts and sends reinforcements, we will already hold the advantage. We can either wait and occupy the entire prefecture of Hongzhou, or engage Li Li Haoyang's main force in a decisive battle."

Just then, a scout returning from the direction of Jizhou galloped back on a flying horse, shouting his report: "Reporting to Your Majesty, Li Li Haoyang heard we have arrived and has already dispatched one hundred thousand troops from Huzhou to rush to Jizhou. Adding the fifty thousand original garrison troops of Jizhou and another fifty thousand drawn from Hongzhou, Jizhou has now assembled two hundred thousand great troops to await our army!"

Hearing this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu laughed heartily: "Did you hear that? Li Li Haoyang has fallen for the trap! Let us hasten westward now; he would never guess our destination is Hongzhou. By the time he reacts and sends aid, we will already have seized the initiative!"

Tu Tu Kesiluo also spoke excitedly: "Exactly! Li Li Haoyang's troops are weary from a long march, and their morale has dropped. We seize strategic initiative, annihilate Li Li Haoyang in one stroke, and unifying One Da Jiang is merely a matter of time!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded with satisfaction and shouted loudly: "That is right! No further delay; the entire army advances swiftly, heading straight for Zhenfeng City in Hongzhou!"

In an instant, more than one hundred thousand troops changed course and marched west, sweeping majestically toward Hongzhou.

Meanwhile, within Jizhou City, Li Li Haoyang was gathering civil and military officials to discuss countermeasures.

"Everyone, according to scout reports, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's great army has approached Jizhou. We must go all out and defend our homeland to the death!"

The ministers responded in unison, agreeing. Li Li Haoyang frowned tightly and continued: "I have already dispatched the elite hundred thousand troops recently captured in Huzhou to reinforce us. Combined with the original garrison of Jizhou, we have two hundred thousand great troops. With this force to resist Jiang Jiang Mingyu, defending our homeland is within reach!"

The ministers cheered again. Li Li Haoyang flew into a rage: "Jiang Jiang Mingyu the traitor has grown bold, daring to eye the borders of my Great Liao! This time, I will surely capture him alive in Jizhou, pacify the Nine Provinces, and unify the world!"

Jizhou City was in a state of martial law, with heavy troops guarding every corner, awaiting Jiang Jiang Mingyu's invasion. However, they did not know that Jiang Jiang Mingyu had already changed course and marched west; Li Li Haoyang's deployment was merely a futile effort.

As soon as Jiang Jiang Mingyu ordered the army to advance west, Tu Tu Kesiluo immediately instructed that scout: "Go quickly to the rear army and tell Ligoudan to send more men south to scout the situation in Nanjing. There must be no mistake!"

Soon, the scout dispatched by Ligoudan galloped south on a flying horse, heading straight for Nanjing.

The midnight wind howled. After nearly two hundred li of continuous travel, the scout finally returned to the main army, covered in dust, and reported to Jiang Jiang Mingyu: "Reporting to Your Majesty, I have investigated clearly; Nanjing and the entire Hongzhou are extremely calm, knowing nothing at all of our army's westward approach. Nanjing's Commandant, Fei Long, is still celebrating Li Li Haoyang's capture of Huzhou."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded and said: "Very good, the situation is exactly as I predicted. How many troops does Nanjing currently have? What is the state of its city defenses?"

The scout quickly replied: "Nanjing originally had a garrison of one hundred thousand, but Li Li Haoyang recently transferred two thousand to deal with Your Majesty, so Fei Long now has only eighty thousand remaining. Knowing our army intends to attack Jizhou, he believes Hongzhou is perfectly safe, and his city defenses are not strict."

Having finished speaking, the scout gasped for breath a few more times.

Tu Tu Kesiluo, who had been yawning continuously, suddenly had his eyes light up. He waved for the scout to withdraw and said to Jiang Jiang Mingyu: "Big Brother, we are less than fifty li from Nanjing, and that fool Fei Long remains completely unaware. Tomorrow morning, once we exit the mountain pass, I guarantee we will capture Nanjing in one stroke without any failure!"

Fearing Fei Long might detect them, Jiang Jiang Mingyu had already ordered the army to secretly take a detour and hide among the mountains.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu looked at the map, pondered for a moment, and said: "Excellent. This way, we can seize Nanjing and establish a foothold in Hongzhou. Go notify Goudan and the others; tomorrow morning, the army will launch a full-scale assault and strike directly at Nanjing!"

At dawn the next day, the faint sound of clanging war drums and hoofbeats echoed from within the mountains. A vast, dark mass of troops was seen silently surrounding Nanjing City through the morning mist.

At that moment, the city's garrison had just risen, and Fei Long had only just finished washing and dressing. Suddenly, a sentry outside the gate cried out in alarm: "Trouble! The enemy has arrived!" Fei Long quickly donned his armor and rushed to the city wall. Looking out, he saw a dark mass of iron-armored troops completely surrounding Nanjing City, with banners fluttering in the wind; it was Jiang Jiang Mingyu's great army!

"This... how is this possible!" Fei Long was utterly horrified. "Jiang Jiang Mingyu was supposed to attack Jizhou! How could he suddenly come to attack Nanjing!"

But with the enemy already at the gates, Fei Long had no time to ponder further and could only hurriedly mobilize the entire city's troops to defend.

"We, your subjects, swear to defend Nanjing to the death!" the generals and soldiers shouted.

"Excellent!" Jiang Jiang Mingyu laughed loudly from below the city wall. "Fei Long, we have an irreconcilable feud; today, I will make you pay with your life!"

"Archers, prepare! Artillery, take positions!" The troops responded and took their places.

"Fire the cannons!" A deafening roar of cannon fire erupted, and the city walls were instantly battered into ruin.

"Release the arrows!" A rain of arrows, blocking out the sky, swept through the city. The defending forces suffered heavy casualties.

"Charge!" Immediately after, Jiang Jiang Mingyu personally led fierce generals straight at the city gate.

Both sides engaged in fierce combat. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Fei Long could only cower and flee, allowing Nanjing City to fall.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu laughed: "Haha, too easy! We seized the initiative, and Nanjing City fell without a prolonged fight!"

The generals cheered with joy. Jiang Jiang Mingyu immediately settled the defenses of Nanjing to prevent a counterattack by Li Li Haoyang.

Meanwhile, in Jizhou, Li Li Haoyang remained immersed in the illusion that our army would attack Jizhou, knowing nothing of the true situation.