In this realistic war game, only I understand the course of the battle.

Two additional barricades were erected at the foot of Mount Li in the east of the city, an additional musket team was deployed to the Luoshui ferry crossing in the west of the city, three anti-cavalry trenches were dug in the open area in the south of the city, and the pontoon bridges along the old course of the Yellow River in the north of the city were all demolished.

Every stroke was crisp and clean, without the slightest hesitation.

He was not a military general.

He was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) during the Hongwu era. He served as a censor in the Censorate for more than ten years, impeaching Xun Gui, arguing with the prime minister, and being demoted and recalled three times.

He was only transferred to Shandong last year as a councilor, and the imperial edict stated that he was to "supervise the transport of grain and assist in the defense of Jinan." He turned "assist in the defense" into "defend to the death."

"Lord Song has arrived," came the announcement from outside the door.

When Wen Ding-Qing Shan entered the hall, his fifth-rank civil official robe was already faded from washing, but the white pheasant embroidered on the rank badge was still meticulously crafted.

After the fall of Dezhou, all the files he brought with him were laid out in front of Tie Xuan's desk: military reports from the twelve cities, casualty lists for each camp, a list of Yan army siege equipment, and an analysis of the Yan army's tactics for breaching city walls, which he had personally compiled. This last document was three full pages long.

Tie Xuan flipped through the battle strategy analysis, then looked up at Qing Shan. "You fought Zhu Neng in Texas before, and this guy suddenly developed a new style?"

"Unconventional".

The man in the blue robe gave a brief answer.

"And then, out of nowhere, a commander named Li Jingzhong appeared."

First, he blew up the west gate, then the watchtower, and finally the south gate of the central camp. Each of the three explosions occurred in a different location, but each time they caused a chain reaction of collapses in the defenders' lines. He didn't engage in direct confrontation; he played by the rhythm of the battle.

Disrupt the defenders' rhythm, then find an opening in the chaos.

"It sounds like he's from a military family," Cheol-hyun said.

The man in the green robe shook his head. "I investigated using special methods. His resume states that he joined the army at sixteen, taking his father's place, and that his ancestors for three generations were military households in Beiping. He has no mentor, no background, and no combat record before the Baigou River. He seems to have appeared out of nowhere. But the most dangerous aspect of this man is not him. His assessment of Li Jinglong at the foot of Dezhou City even silenced General Sheng Yong for a moment after reading the military report—he said Li Jinglong would run away, and Li Jinglong really did run away."

Tie Xuan closed the file and remained silent for a long time. The candlelight flickered on his face, casting long shadows on his cheekbones. Then he picked up a pen and wrote a few lines on a blank sheet of paper. The handwriting was neat and meticulous.

"To General Sheng Yong: Li Jingzhong, a centurion of the Yan army's captured city camp, is a major threat. If possible, persuade him to defect; otherwise, make him the primary target for elimination during the Battle of Jinan."

He blew the order dry and handed it to his staff. "Send it to General Sheng Yong immediately." Then he turned to the man in the blue robe and said, "Lord Han, you dealt with him on the front lines in Dezhou. I'd like to hear your thoughts on the defenses of Jinan."

The man in the green robe walked to the table and pointed to the eastern part of the city on the city defense map.

"The Yan army did not rest for long after capturing Dezhou, indicating that Zhu Di wanted to take advantage of the victory and move south. The proper route from Dezhou to Jinan was to take the official road and attack from the north. But Li Jingzhong would not take the proper route. In Dezhou, he attacked Baojiaying—the northwesternmost corner. He attacked the rear of Chenjiaying—the weakest point. When he came to Jinan, he would definitely attack the weakest part of the city's defenses."

He drew an arc with his finger from the east to the west of the city. "The east side has Mount Li, with its fragmented terrain, making it unfavorable for cavalry deployment. The west side has the Luo River, with numerous crossings and a long riverbank. If I were him, I would choose the west side. Once the Luo River crossings are breached, the Yan army can deploy along the riverbank and threaten the city walls from the flank. Moreover, General Sheng Yong's main forces are concentrated in the north and east, leaving the west side relatively weak."

Tie Xuan followed his finger and nodded. "Go on."

"He wasn't just good at attacking cities. His final move in Dezhou was to stand under the city walls and do nothing, using psychological pressure to break Li Jinglong. He knew how to use feints and psychological warfare. Jinan's defenses were strong, so he wouldn't launch a direct attack. He would first create chaos on the outskirts, making us expose our weaknesses."

Tie Xuan paused for a moment, then suddenly asked an unrelated question: "What is his rank in the Yan army now?"

"According to reports from scouts, after the great victory at Dezhou, Zhu Neng personally recommended him for merit and awarded him the rank of centurion. However, Zhu Neng also gave him an extra silver command flag, which allowed him to bypass the deputy commander and directly allocate supplies and auxiliary troops. In reality, the troops under his command were already close to the size of a thousand-household garrison. The Yan army's breaching-the-city camp gave him the vanguard position and also assigned elite cavalry from the Doyan Three Guards to train with him. He is practicing a new mixed infantry and cavalry combat tactic, but he hasn't figured out the specifics yet."

"Centurion." Tie Xuan chewed on the word. "Baigouhe was still an infantryman. In just over a month, he was promoted from infantryman to centurion, skipping two ranks from sergeant to squad leader. Zhu Neng is an arrogant man. Back when he personally selected troops in Beiping, he even dared to scold members of the imperial clan. The person he can promote is not someone who can only kill people."

He picked up his pen and drew a circle at the location of the Luoshui ferry crossing in the west of the city, and then drew another circle at the foot of Lishan Mountain in the east of the city.

"Reinforce the west side of the city with two thousand infantrymen, and set up more barricades and tripwires. Also, the mountain road to the east of the city cannot be neglected—you say this man is good at using feints, so he may deliberately feign an attack on the west while actually attacking the east. We need to guard against not just one direction, but his mind."

The man in the green robe cupped his hands in a respectful gesture. "I have another suggestion."

Tie Xuan looked up at him. Qing Shan took out a piece of paper from his sleeve, on which a simple city defense map was drawn in ink, marking the locations of several key passes.

"There are seven small military camps outside Jinan, distributed in the east, west, and south directions of the city. These camps form a pincer movement with the city, and any invading enemy that cannot capture the outer camps and forces an attack on the city will be attacked from both the city wall defenders and the elite troops in the camps. However, after the Battle of Dezhou, some of the outer camp walls were damaged and have not yet been repaired. In particular, the antlers of the two camps in the east of the city were mostly trampled down when the defeated troops retreated from Baigou River. If these weak points in the defense system are not repaired before the arrival of the Yan army, they may be seized and torn apart by an opponent like Li Jingzhong at a very low cost."

Tie Xuan took the piece of paper, glanced at it, and placed it on the highest stack of documents on his desk. "Before sunrise tomorrow, have the workshop send craftsmen and laborers up the mountain to repair the stockade. Re-attach the antlers, deepen the moat, and repair all the damaged crenellations on the stockade walls."

Seeing that Tie Xuan had accepted his suggestion, Qing Shan bowed and took his leave. As he walked out of the hall, the streets and alleys of Jinan were still brightly lit, the blacksmith's furnace was burning brightly, and laborers were pushing grain carts back and forth. He cast his gaze to the northern night sky, a thought swirling in his mind—there simply wasn't enough time to fortify all seven military camps.