Don't even mention Liu Wuzhou, even Song Jingang, who engaged in combat with Pingyang Princess firsthand, couldn't fathom the situation.

From the time they started plotting against Jinyang, the entire script of events was utterly incomprehensible.

In reality, the two were initially just probing, their military force wasn't particularly large but was decent in quality, and with the support of the Turkic cavalry, they hoped to lure the Liang Army out of the city for open battle.

However, the Liang Army wouldn't come out.

So, they continued to harass the surrounding counties, Yuchi Jingde performed exceptionally well in this process, but still, the Liang Army did not emerge.

Liu Wuzhou and Song Jingang immediately felt relieved, clearly, this Pingyang Princess responsible for defending Jinyang was devoid of any talent in field battle!

Otherwise, why wouldn't she even dare to try?

Thus, the two gradually became overly confident, creating a significant uproar.

When they heard that the Liang Army had reinforcements arriving, they were quite nervous, fearing figures like Prince Qi or Lord Wei would arrive.

Although they didn't think that Prince Qi or Lord Wei could easily defeat them, they would still pose a tougher challenge than Pingyang Princess.

Unexpectedly, it seemed that Chang'an took the situation lightly, and it appeared to still be Pingyang Princess leading the troops!

Liu Wuzhou and Song Jingang were overjoyed, obviously, Liang was completely underestimating them!

On the battlefield, underestimating the enemy comes with a price.

Thus, Liu Wuzhou and Song Jingang devised a strategy where Song Jingang would face the Liang Army directly, while Yuchi Jingde would lead elite cavalry to circle around and strike decisively.

This plan was of course perfect, Song Jingang even arrogantly declared that if it were really a mere woman leading the army, Yuchi Jingde wouldn't even need to step in, he could break through directly from the front!

But after the battle commenced, it seemed there were some discrepancies from what they anticipated.

The military formation led by Pingyang Princess was exceptionally orderly, and given the already decent quality of the Liang Army added to their numerical advantage, Song Jingang's side began to struggle.

"Report! Our front line is nearly collapsing!" a courier reported on horseback.

Liu Wuzhou anxiously gazed towards the distant battlefield and gritted his teeth, "Hold at all costs, scout again and report!"

"Yes!" The courier departed once more.

Liu Wuzhou silently comforted himself, "It's okay, once Yuchi Jingde launches the attack, everything will improve..."

He strained his eyes looking into the distance.

Somewhere behind the Liang Army lines, Yuchi Jingde should have already maneuvered into position.

Why hadn't he attacked yet? Hmm... he might be waiting for the perfect moment.

If he attacked rashly and the Liang Army wasn't yet exhausted, it certainly wouldn't achieve the best effect. So, Yuchi Jingde's ability to be patient and choose the optimal moment was also a good thing...

Song Jingang was best at defense, even though he was at a disadvantage in terms of numbers, he could certainly hold on a bit longer.

Thus, Liu Wuzhou focused on the battlefield situation while waiting for Yuchi Jingde's cavalry to arrive and turn the tide.

...

Elsewhere, Fan Cun disguised as Yuchi Jingde led the cavalry hiding in a valley.

"General, shouldn't we attack now?" the Deputy General questioned puzzledly.

Fan Cun gave him a side glance, "Are you the general or am I? Are you teaching me how to fight?"

The Deputy General hurriedly said, "Subordinate does not dare, but we have been hiding here for so long, and the frontline should have already engaged in combat. If we don't go to support them now, I'm afraid..."

Fan Cun's expression darkened, "What do you understand!

"The right moment hasn't come yet. If a rash battle leads to complete defeat, can you bear that responsibility?"

The Deputy General was at a loss for words and could only silently withdraw.

Military orders were as heavy as a mountain, although he was very puzzled, he could only comply.

...

Inside Luoyang City.

Lu Heng, disguised as Wei Zhen, arrived at the city wall to inspect the defenses.

"Mr. Wei!" The military officers guarding the city saluted him with utmost respect.

During this time, Lu Heng, disguised as Wei Zhen, had completely won Wang Shichong's trust, and the soldiers guarding the city naturally recognized this as well.

Even now, Lu Heng's words carried more weight than those of Bing Yuanzhen.

On the surface, Wang Shichong had him and Bing Yuanzhen jointly lead troops to reinforce Luoyang, with Bing Yuanzhen in command and Lu Heng seemingly just serving as a strategist.

But in the eyes of others, it wasn't so.

Bing Yuanzhen was a general who had defected from Li Mi, but Wei Zhen? He had been advising Wang Shichong right from the start!

With such distinctions between intimacy and estrangement, Wang Shichong should trust Wei Zhen more.

Moreover, Wei Zhen, being a mastermind of divine strategies, naturally possessed high authority upon entering the scene.

Thus, in their eyes, Wang Shichong would be more trusting of Wei Zhen, while Bing Yuanzhen was merely a tool for leading troops in battle, ultimately still under Wei Zhen's constraints.

However, Lu Heng knew that it wasn't really the case; Wang Shichong trusted Bing Yuanzhen more.

But what of it? Most of the foot soldiers didn't know that.

As Wei Zhen, Lu Heng strolled to one of the city gates and met the guard commander there, Luo Shixin.

He gave Luo Shixin a meaningful smile, which Luo Shixin returned.

Perfect!

Actually, Luo Shixin was a character that players couldn't connect with.

He initially followed Pei Renji, then defected to Li Mi with Pei, and was captured by Wang Shichong while fighting for Li Mi in the twelfth year of the great era, eventually defecting to Wang Shichong.

But the actual time when Wang Shichong truly defeated Li Mi and took in most of his generals under his command came two years later.

That is to say, Luo Shixin had been following Wang Shichong for two years earlier than generals like Bing Yuanzhen.

Initially, knowing Luo Shixin was a fierce general, Wang Shichong ate and slept in the same quarters with him, treating him very well. However, after defeating Li Mi and taking in many new generals, Wang Shichong immediately shifted his focus to Bing Yuanzhen and others, reducing his regard for Luo Shixin.

Luo Shixin felt deeply humiliated by this.

Later, Wang Shichong even took Luo Shixin's warhorse and gifted it to his nephew. After repeated incidents of this sort, Luo Shixin became completely disillusioned with Wang Shichong and sought an opportunity to defect to the Liang Dynasty.

At this moment, Luo Shixin's grievances with Wang Shichong were just beginning to surface.

Lu Heng, knowing this in advance, connected with Luo Shixin and promised him a place in the Liang Dynasty. Along with many inside the Liang camp, they immediately turned Luo Shixin.

This gave the players another advantage.

If it were normal subversion, it had to be done cautiously, as the situation could become unmanageable if the other party was unresponsive or even reported them.

But having read the script in advance, players could achieve a nearly 100% success rate in subversion.

...

On the other side, Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande were preparing for battle.

Both were full of confidence.

In Wang Shichong's view, he had set an ambush along the way, waiting at his ease, and with Cheng Zhijie and Qin Shubao as internal confidants within Dou Jiande's army to assist, it seemed his chances of winning were greater.

In Dou Jiande's view, Wang Shichong's hometown had been stolen by the Liang, and even if there were precautions in the retreat, the morale must still be low. On his side, with defectors like Cheng Zhijie and Qin Shubao eager to fight and seeking to make their mark, morale was high, and a direct assault posed no issue.

Everyone believed they had the situation well in hand.

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