The city was unusually quiet, with no attacks, reconnaissance, or messengers. The two deadlocked armies seemed to have completely forgotten about the nearly forty thousand soldiers outside the city.

As time passed, forward scouts on high towers observed frequent troop movements within the city. Upon hearing this news, Han Ruzi grew increasingly anxious. Shortly after noon, Cui Teng brought definitive information.

The second young master Cui came running back from the city without even wearing his armor. He burst into the tent, shouting, “Brother-in-law, run quickly! Word has spread throughout the city that the Southern Army and Imperial Guards are planning a joint attack tomorrow morning. There’s still time to escape now.”

He stood at the entrance, holding a horsewhip in one hand while beckoning to Han Ruzi with the other, his face urgent and covered in sweat.

“Did Grand Tutor Cui let you leave the city?” Han Ruzi asked.

“Father’s too busy to mind me. He’s overwhelmed, only thinking about how to defeat Shang-guan Sheng and you, disregarding all family ties. Brother-in-law, you shouldn’t stay here. Father means business this time – he’ll definitely kill you.”

“Wasn’t he serious when he sent three assassins?” Han Ruzi smiled. Now that he knew the enemy’s plan, he felt less tense.

“Assassins are easy to deal with, but you can’t defeat the Southern Army and Imperial Guards combined,” Cui Teng said bluntly. “Don’t wait here to die. Let’s go find the Northern Army.”

After some thought, Han Ruzi shook his head. “I cannot leave.”

“Why not? We have a hundred thousand Northern troops as backup. We can fight again later,” Cui Teng said in surprise.

Han Ruzi couldn’t leave because his presence was what kept the two armies inside the city from making rash moves. If he left, the Southern Army and Imperial Guards would inevitably engage in a major battle, with the victor becoming emperor and controlling the entire capital and court. Once an edict was issued, even without the imperial seal, they could command the realm.

Once the situation was settled, whether the Northern Army would fight for him was unpredictable. Even if they remained completely loyal, it would still be a hard battle ahead – and an unjust one. His supporters would only dwindle.

“Because… running away would make me appear cowardly,” Han Ruzi simplified his reasoning into this single statement.

Cui Teng put down his horsewhip and nodded seriously, “That’s right, I admire your courage. What should we do? Maybe… we could just lead our troops to charge into the city, fight in a chaotic melee, and win with bravery. Even if we die, we’ll be remembered for thousands of years.”

Cui Teng’s eyes lit up, truly believing this was a good idea.

Han Ruzi smiled, “If we die, we won’t be remembered as heroes for thousands of years. Instead, we’ll be infamous for ten thousand years, seen as foolish people who didn’t know their limits.”

“I don’t mind being a fool, but being infamous… that’s not so nice. Brother-in-law, what do you suggest?”

Han Ruzi sighed deeply. After thinking it over, he realized he truly had no one useful around him – his trusted allies were either far away with the Northern Army or trapped inside the city.

“Are you really willing to help me?”

“Of course.”

“If I win, both Grand Tutor Cui and Prince Donghai will be considered criminals.”

Cui Teng was stunned. He had never carefully considered what would happen after the war. After pondering for a while, he asked, “Would you kill my father and Prince Donghai?”

“As long as they surrender, I will be merciful,” Han Ruzi said.

Cui Teng grinned, “That’s good enough. If my father and Prince Donghai win, they’ll definitely kill you. But if you win, you won’t kill them. So I’ll help you – this way we can still remain a family.”

Han Ruzi felt somewhat guilty about deceiving him, but in this war, truth was the most useless thing.

“I want you to lead five hundred Northern Army soldiers to depart immediately to welcome the main force of the Northern Army. Return tomorrow morning.”

“Is the Northern Army that close?” Cui Teng was overjoyed.

Han Ruzi made an affirmative sound. For Cui Teng, the more explanations he received, the more confused he became, so Han Ruzi simply gave orders. He took up brush and paper, wrote a short message, placed it in an envelope, and sealed it with wax. “Take this letter, open it at White Bridge Town. Remember, it must be at White Bridge Town – not earlier, not later.”

“There’s a secret brilliant strategy in here?” Cui Teng’s voice trembled with excitement as he rushed forward, carefully took the letter, and gently tucked it into his robes, patting it through his clothes. “What’s written in the letter… I won’t ask. White Bridge Town, I’ve got it. I’ll leave now. I can reach White Bridge Town tonight, meet up with the main force, and return, though tomorrow morning might be a bit tight.”

“Just be as quick as you can, but you must reach White Bridge Town.”

“Understood.”

Han Ruzi called the Northern Army commanders and had them immediately dispatch five hundred soldiers to follow Cui Teng to White Bridge Town. They were given extra horses, two per person, to ensure continuous travel without rest.

Within half an hour, Cui Teng led his troops out. Being simple-minded, he didn’t ask many questions and wholeheartedly believed the Northern Army’s main force was already near the Capital. His enthusiasm infected many others, and after the five hundred soldiers left camp heading north, everyone in the camp believed the Northern Army would arrive tomorrow morning.

In reality, there was still no news from the Northern Army’s main force. Han Ruzi’s letter to Cui Teng instructed him to bring back a batch of Northern Army banners from White Bridge Town to create an illusion of strength.

Cai Xinghai’s Northern Army had a camp outside White Bridge Town. When they left in haste, they had left many things behind, including some banners. If time permitted, Han Ruzi also wanted Cui Teng to find some black cloth to make additional fake ones.

Han Ruzi had run out of options. Without reinforcements, he could only create the illusion of having them, hoping to intimidate the two armies inside the city tomorrow morning and buy himself more time.

This trick was indeed effective against the Southern Army outside the city. Regardless of whether the timing made sense, they believed the Weary Marquis had made preparations days ago and the Northern Army was already on its way.

Han Ruzi summoned the Southern Army commanders and didn’t hide the impending danger, even claiming that the attack from within the city might come earlier than expected. However, he didn’t mention anything about Cui Teng going to “welcome” the Northern Army, letting the commanders make their own assumptions. This also gave him some leeway if the Northern Army’s main force didn’t show up tomorrow – no one could accuse him of lying.

“Just holding our position tomorrow would mean victory,” Han Ruzi said deliberately vaguely. “But the terrain isn’t favorable for us. What are your thoughts?”

The Southern Army commanders, all hoping for generous rewards after the battle and believing the Northern Army would arrive tomorrow, eagerly offered suggestions.

“Why not retreat some distance? There’s high ground three miles away that would be easier to defend and harder to attack.”

“There’s only one night – not enough time to establish a camp. Besides, if we retreat, it gives the two armies inside the city more room to maneuver and join forces. If they pursue us during our withdrawal, the battle will be even harder.”

“Then let’s tear down the nearby houses – we still have time to build a low wall that could hold them off for a while.”

“We’d have to watch out for fire attacks.”

“Perhaps we should use offense as defense.”

“The city wall is right there, and we don’t even have scaling ladders. How would we attack?”

“How long do we need to hold out? An hour? Half a day? A full day?”

As various opinions flew around, everyone eventually looked to the Weary Marquis for a decision. Han Ruzi listened carefully to each suggestion and thought of an idea – one that Cui Teng had proposed before and he had rejected, but now seemed to have some merit. “Using offense as defense…”

“The Capital’s defenses are formidable, and we lack siege equipment. Attacking the city would be suicide,” one commander reminded him.

But Han Ruzi wasn’t thinking about attacking the city. “Do you think the Southern Army and Palace Guards inside the city will work together harmoniously?”

The commanders exchanged glances before one spoke up: “That’s impossible. Not only are the two armies serving different masters in a struggle for the throne, but even in normal times, we Southern Army soldiers look down on the Palace Guards. They’re all for show – even worse than the Northern Army.”

The commanders laughed, then quickly stopped when they remembered the Weary Marquis was the Northern Army’s Grand Marshal.

Han Ruzi didn’t mind and laughed himself before turning serious. “In that case, the alliance between the Southern Army and Palace Guards inside the city is merely temporary.”

The commanders didn’t respond – it was an obvious fact that needed no answer.

“If it’s just a temporary alliance, why couldn’t we join forces with the Southern Army inside the city to attack the Palace Guards? We’re all Southern Army, cut from the same cloth.”

The commanders exchanged glances. None of them were fools – they all knew the Weary Marquis harbored imperial ambitions but wouldn’t openly admit it until the Northern Army’s main force arrived. They supported him hoping to gain merit for helping him ascend the throne. For this very reason, Grand Tutor Cui would never ally with the Weary Marquis.

“Who will negotiate? Would Grand Marshal Cui and Prince Donghai agree?” a commander asked.

“No need to negotiate. We just need the Palace Guards to believe such an alliance exists.”

Some commanders grasped the Weary Marquis’s strategy while others remained puzzled. Han Ruzi explained, “I want to launch an attack toward the North Gate before the city forces make their move. If the Palace Guards grow suspicious, they’ll likely keep their gates closed and stay put. If they don’t move, the Southern Army inside probably won’t either.”

Everyone understood now. Though the plan seemed abrupt at first, upon careful consideration it had a good chance of success – with three armies suspicious of each other, any unusual movement could be magnified.

The commanders began praising it as a brilliant strategy. Han Ruzi credited the commander who had suggested “using offense as defense,” then left the specific arrangements to the commanders. The timing of this attack was crucial – it had to be just right, neither too early nor too late, and they needed to withdraw promptly to avoid heavy losses.

Though the camp had nearly 40,000 troops, they had arrived in haste with only their weapons, armor and provisions, lacking almost everything else. Despite the officers’ best efforts, they could only gather 5,000 mounted troops for the attack. But since victory wasn’t the goal, 5,000 would suffice.

All preparations were complete by the second watch. The 5,000 troops were ready to mount up and charge toward the Capital, while other soldiers prepared to defend the camp, moving the obstacles from the road and replacing them afterward. This false charge would involve the entire camp.

Han Ruzi could do nothing but wait, taking things one step at a time regarding tomorrow’s plans.

It was a night of furtive schemes.

Around the same time, several of Hua Bin’s elite fighters secretly infiltrated the palace by water. Their mission was simple yet challenging – steal the keys, open a palace gate, and let in Tan clan forces and the Southern Army.

Shang-guan Sheng deliberately had the Palace Guards relax their defense, planning to draw out the snake to find the missing imperial seal.

In the overlooked Southern City, Cai Xinghai had joined forces with Ni Qiu and others, preparing for an intense battle with their Tan clan surveillants while seeking ways to rescue the Weary Marquis’s supporters controlled by the Southern Army.

Everyone was confident in their own plans.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read