At this moment, not far from them, the Xiongnu military camp was filled with wailing. Sword and spear wounds were manageable, but the most fatal were the burns.

Many had been burned in yesterday’s camp fire. Those with large burn areas had essentially no chance of survival. Even if they seemed full of vigor now, their wounds would easily deteriorate.

Liu Cong was also injured. His face pale, he leaned back, and after being bandaged, clutched his chest and asked, “What’s the situation with our grain supplies?”

Liu Li lowered his head and said quietly, “We managed to recover a quarter of it. The rest was all burned.”

Liu Cong’s expression darkened. After a moment, he sneered, “Good, good, very good. Order the soldiers to go out and search for provisions.”

A cruel glint flashed in his eyes. “If they can’t recover the grain, then capture people. Burn all their houses and fields. What we cannot have, they should not expect to keep either.”

Liu Li trembled before acknowledging the order.

Although the scouts hadn’t returned, the bloody aura and killing intent on the Zhao family army made it clear they had been through a fierce battle, so Magistrate He believed eighty percent of the battle results they reported.

Thus, before dawn, he summoned all officials from the Magistrate’s Office. Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan also attended the meeting.

Magistrate He asked, “Has the scorched earth order been transmitted?”

“Yes, it has already been sent out.”

“Dispatch several teams. Have them drive all common people within a fifty-li radius into the city before nightfall today. Simultaneously order the nearby cities not to refuse refugees and not to leave a single grain of food in the countryside!”

“Yes!”

“All passes must be defended. Beware of Xiongnu retaliation…” Magistrate He only established the major policies, then handed the specific orders to Zhao Hanzhang.

Zhao Hanzhang smiled and said, “First have the scouts gather intelligence from all directions. Let’s hold our defensive positions.”

Everyone then dispersed, and Zhao Hanzhang also went back to catch up on sleep.

By mid-afternoon, the scouts’ reports returned with more battle results and intelligence. “The enemy camp is filled with wailing, casualties are severe. Liu Cong’s deputy general Huyan Liang was killed. Their grain supplies were burned. At daybreak today, Xiongnu soldiers began going out in groups to collect provisions…”

Magistrate He remained composed, but Xun Xiu and the others were utterly dumbstruck, never having imagined the battle results would be so significant.

Magistrate He was also surprised, but he maintained his composure. He swept his gaze over everyone and sighed, “Now do you understand why I handed Yuzhou over to Zhao Hanzhang?”

“Her ability to command troops is no less than Gou Xi’s,” Magistrate He sighed. “Currently, the only ones who can save Yuzhou are Gou Xi and her.”

And Gou Xi would not act now. He could only place his hopes on Zhao Hanzhang.

Xun Xiu and the others lowered their heads and responded in unison.

Seeing they were finally willing to listen, Magistrate He said, “When Deputy General Zhao wakes, go pay your respects.”

When Zhao Hanzhang awoke, she found the courtyard filled with assembled generals. She reached out to accept the cloth handed to her by Ting He and wiped her face, asking, “When did they arrive?”

“Half an hour ago. They said they wouldn’t leave until they saw you, Miss.”

Zhao Hanzhang asked, “Where’s Tinghan?”

“The young master is in the front hall looking at things.”

Zhao Hanzhang handed the cloth back to her, put on her outer robe, and went out with a smile on her lips.

As soon as the door opened, Xun Xiu and the others who had been sitting and talking in the courtyard immediately raised their heads and came forward to pay respects. “Deputy General Zhao!”

Zhao Hanzhang nodded slightly and asked with a smile, “What brings all you generals here? Let’s speak in the front hall.”

In just one day, Zhao Hanzhang had won over Yuzhou’s military forces. Fu Tinghan, meanwhile, had finished reading many official documents and letters from the Yuzhou Magistrate’s Office.

The scattered information was organized in his mind, gradually compiled into usable intelligence.

Zhao Hanzhang didn’t summon everyone, only bringing Xun Xiu and a few others to hear his briefing.

Fu Tinghan mainly explained the current specific distribution of enemy forces and their defensive situation.

This was what hadn’t been discussed yesterday.

Yesterday, they had only broadly covered each side’s troop numbers and Liu Cong’s main army outside Chen County, but now it wasn’t only Chen County that was besieged.

Yuzhou was a great plain with many routes the Xiongnu could enter. Magistrate He had deployed defenses at some key passes, mainly blocking the Xiongnu main forces at those locations.

Fu Tinghan had read many documents and letters today. He told Zhao Hanzhang, “The Emperor dispatched Minister Fu to Chang’an to recruit soldiers to aid Yuzhou. By my calculations, he should have just arrived in Chang’an. I don’t know when he’ll be able to bring troops.”

“All untrained new recruits…” Zhao Hanzhang paused, suppressing her heartache, and asked, “What other news is there?”

Fu Tinghan picked out a letter from the table and handed it to her. “This is a distress document from Guancheng…”

Xun Xiu immediately interrupted him. “We can barely manage ourselves. How can we possibly rescue others?”

Zhao Hanzhang reached out to receive it, opening it while saying, “Doesn’t Guancheng also belong to our Yuzhou?”

“But that place has been completely occupied by the Xiongnu. Guancheng is now an isolated city. How can we rescue them?” Xun Xiu said, “Let them hold out on their own.”

Zhao Hanzhang frowned. When the letter was opened and she saw who wrote it, she sat up straight. “Beigong Chun? The one defending Guancheng is Beigong Chun?”

“Yes,” Xun Xiu said dismissively. “He was dispatched by His Majesty to provide support, but ended up trapped in Guancheng. Now he’s asking us to rescue him…”

Zhao Hanzhang nearly threw the letter in Xun Xiu’s face. This was an allied army! Yuzhou’s forces had retreated again and again, barely holding Chen County, while Beigong Chun not only held Guancheng but could maintain his position even with the surrounding areas fallen. What an exceptional general!

Zhao Hanzhang ground her teeth, lowered her eyes in thought, then said, “I’ll handle this matter. Taking advantage of our current high morale, we’ll counterattack and drive the Xiongnu out before the winter solstice.”

Everyone looked surprised and exchanged glances. “We’re counterattacking? Shouldn’t we hold our defensive positions?”

“Yes, they’ve just suffered a blow. As long as we hold firm without venturing out, once the weather turns cold and their provisions run short, they’ll surely retreat.”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “Attack is the best defense.”

She was quite firm. “Generals, return and prepare. Once I’ve determined our strategy, I’ll invite you all to discuss it.”

Several people exchanged glances and acknowledged the order before withdrawing.

After leaving the main courtyard, someone said, “After winning just one battle, she thinks she’s invincible?”

“Shh, quiet. Didn’t you see her face was unpleasant just now? I’m not worried about the counterattack itself. Whether we attack or they attack us, it’s all fighting. What I’m worried about is—she’s not planning to rescue Beigong Chun, is she?”

“Beigong Chun is now trapped in Guancheng. How would we rescue him?”

Fu Tinghan was also asking Zhao Hanzhang, “Are you going to rescue him?”

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, her eyes sparkling. “When I saw Guancheng’s location, I thought of it. We can absolutely conduct a guerrilla campaign and force Liu Yuan to retreat.”

Fu Tinghan didn’t know much about military strategy, but he understood the disparity between the two sides. “To play guerrilla warfare with the Xiongnu, you need horses. We only have this few cavalry. How confident are you?”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “But in terms of familiarity with Yuzhou, no one can match us. As long as we don’t let them catch us, they can do nothing about it.”

Zhao Hanzhang was very confident, her eyes bright. “I’m confident we can keep them from catching us. If we can rescue Beigong Chun in the process, that would be even more worthwhile.”