Abandoning literature for martial arts, starting by unleashing the beauty's bow.

Lu Fengnian slightly raised his eyelids. "Commander Diao said there are two paths. What's the second path?"

Diao Zilin coughed lightly, "If it is the case, and Commander Lu applies on his own initiative, my elder brother should be able to transfer you to the First Battalion of the Zhenxi Army."

Lu Fengnian hesitated. "Wouldn't doing this be tantamount to breaking ties with Wan Qianhu?"

Diao Zilin added, "So what if we tear off the mask of civility?"

With my elder brother protecting you, why worry about Wan Song? Even General Liu isn't worth your time.

After a moment's thought, Lu Fengnian said in a deep voice, "I appreciate Commander Diao's kindness."

However, such an approach could very well create a rift between General Diao and Commander-in-Chief Liu.

Diao Zilin waved his hand, "The conflict between my elder brother and General Liu has been going on for a long time, and it's no secret in the Zhenxi Army."

Lu Fengnian responded, "That's precisely why I'm even more hesitant to do so."

The conflict between General Diao and General Liu is still out in the open. If this matter causes the conflict to be fully ignited, then I will be in the eye of the storm.

I'm just a lowly centurion; if I were to go to the center of that storm, I probably wouldn't even know how I died.

Diao Zilin wanted to say something more.

Lu Fengnian said in a deep voice, "I will still adopt the first method of Diao Baihu, and take advantage of the opportunity when the Great Zhou army is about to launch a large-scale attack on Shiyang Pass to strive to make more military achievements, become a centurion as soon as possible, and get rid of Wansong."

Diao Zilin nodded. "That is indeed a relatively safe method."

At this point, he raised his glass, "Then I wish you great achievements, promotion, and wealth!"

Lu Fengnian quickly raised his glass and said with a smile, "I also wish Commander Diao great success and a meteoric rise in rank!"

……

Three days later, news of the Great Zhou army's impending large-scale attack spread through Shiyang Pass.

The military and civilians inside the pass were extremely tense and filled with anxiety.

At the beginning of the year, the Great Zhou army also launched a large-scale attack on Shiyang Pass.

That battle lasted for half a month, with blood flowing like rivers on and around the city walls.

Despite relying on Shiyang Pass, the Daqing army was still at a disadvantage.

If the battle continues for a while longer, it's hard to say whether Shiyang Pass can be held.

Now, the Great Zhou army is preparing for a large-scale offensive.

Moreover, there are reports that this attack is larger in scale than the last one.

The Great Zhou army moved the granary forward and is continuously transporting grain and fodder to the new granary.

Inside the city, a murmur of discussion had already begun:

This time, the Great Zhou is very determined, and Shiyang Pass may not be able to be defended.

These voices grew louder and louder, causing even greater panic within Shiyang Pass.

In order to stabilize morale, Zhao Beiwang issued an order to severely punish all those who spread rumors and disrupted morale, which finally suppressed such voices.

However, the soldiers and civilians of Shiyang Pass had already conceived the idea that relying on violence to suppress the virus would only address the symptoms, not the root cause.

More importantly, the voices that spread were from within, and two of them were not insignificant: the Zhenxi Army and the Marshal's personal guard battalion.

The Marshal's personal guard has always been eyeing the Zhenxi Army covetously, while the Zhenxi Army has always been wary of the Marshal's personal guard.

However, these two old rivals now share a common goal: to get Zhao Beiwang to lead his troops out of the pass.

When Zhao Beiwang learned that the Great Zhou army was about to launch a large-scale attack, he immediately thought of defending the area with all his might.

Only by relying on the natural barrier of Shiyang Pass can they be more confident in blocking the Great Zhou army.

However, thanks to the joint efforts of the Zhenxi Army and the Marshal's personal guard, a consensus has been reached throughout Shiyang Pass: Shiyang Pass cannot be defended!

Three men can make a tiger; many voices can melt metal.

As these voices increased and continued to flood Zhao Beiwang's ears, he gradually began to waver.

Therefore, he changed his decision to maintain strict defense and convened a series of emergency military meetings to discuss countermeasures.

After several days of discussion, the leaders of Shiyangguan reached the following consensus:

To withstand this wave of attacks from the Great Zhou, we cannot simply cower in defense and passively take hits; we must take the initiative to attack in order to have a chance of victory.

However, there is still no specific plan on how to take the initiative.

To be precise, the plan will remain confidential until formal action is taken.

Only two people knew about the plan.

One was Zhao Beiwang, the commander of Shiyang Pass, and the other was Huang Yunhe, the commander of the personal guard battalion of the Marshal's Mansion.

Originally, given their status and position as commanders-in-chief of various armies, they were qualified to know the war plans.

However, Zhao Beiwang had already become suspicious of Liu Zhenting, so he classified the battle plan as top secret and did not even inform the general.

Zhao Beiwang's general plan was to send troops to the front to confuse the Great Zhou army, while at the same time sending elite troops to bypass the Great Zhou army and launch a surprise attack on the Great Zhou army's granaries.

The task of raiding the granary fell to the Marshal's personal guard battalion.

Within Shiyang Pass, it seems that only the Marshal's personal guard battalion has this capability.

Zhao Beiwang had done a good job of keeping secrets, but unfortunately, Liu Zhenting had been operating in Zhenxiguan for so many years and had many informants.

With the cooperation of the Marshal's personal guard, Liu Zhenting quickly grasped the battle plan.

……

Late at night, at the General's residence of the Zhenxi Army.

Liu Zhenting sat at the head of the table, with Xu Huang, the guerrilla general of the Second Battalion, Gao Dehai, the guerrilla general of the Third Battalion, and Wu Feng, the guerrilla general of the Fourth Battalion, sitting on either side of him.

Behind Xu Huang, Gao Dehai, and Wu Feng stood their respective commanders, including the commanders of a thousand and a hundred households.

Lu Fengnian stood behind Wan Song, while Wan Song stood behind Gao Dehai.

At this military conference, all the senior officers of the Second, Third, and Fourth Battalions of the Zhenxi Army were present.

Liu Zhenting looked around, his gaze sweeping over each of the generals. "Gentlemen, I have ascertained Zhao Beiwang's action plan."

The new recruits from the Marshal's Mansion have already left the pass this morning, bypassed Wangyue Mountain, and headed straight for Echo Valley, intending to burn down the granaries there.

Three days later, Zhao Beiwang will lead the main force inside Shiyang Pass away from Shiyang Pass and then station them five miles west of Wangyue Gate to attract the attention of the Great Zhou army.

At that time, I will lead the First Battalion, the Third Battalion, and the Fourth Battalion to accompany Zhao Beiwang out of the pass, while the Second Battalion will stay behind to guard Shiyang Pass.

Zhao Beiwang led his troops out of the pass, but he had no intention of engaging the Great Zhou army in a direct confrontation. He merely set up a battle formation there to confuse the Great Zhou army and give the Marshal's personal guards an opportunity to burn down the granaries.

If the General's personal guards succeed, the Great Zhou army will surely retreat without a fight.

He cleared his throat as he said this.

"Gentlemen, this time, our opportunity has come."

After the Marshal's personal guards left Shiyang Pass, Diao Zilong would also follow Zhao Beiwang out of the city. Within Shiyang Pass, there would be no one left who could stand against me.

As soon as the opportunity arises, the Second Battalion can act immediately and firmly seize Shiyang Pass once again.

At this moment, Xu Huang, the guerrilla general of the Second Battalion, whispered: "General, although Diao Zilin and the Marshal's personal guard have left Shiyang Pass, a large number of troops are still stationed inside Shiyang Pass."

With the strength of my Second Battalion, I'm afraid it will be very difficult to take Shiyang Pass.