Zhao Hanzhang raised an eyebrow, “Today we met before his eyes and appeared so intimate. Will he believe I’ve truly withdrawn?”

Gou Xi said confidently, “If it were a more cautious general, perhaps he would have doubts, but with the Prince of Donghai, I’m confident I can make him believe it. General Zhao need only lead your men in withdrawal and wait for my message eighty li away.”

Zhao Hanzhang lowered her eyes in thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement, “Very well!”

She said seriously, “I await your orders, General.”

Seeing Zhao Hanzhang so forthcoming, Gou Xi narrowed his eyes and asked, “How many troops does General Zhao plan to take across the river?”

Zhao Hanzhang pondered, “The opposite bank is also under Yuzhou’s jurisdiction. I don’t wish to expand the scope of battle, so speed is essential. Therefore, the crossing force should be elite rather than numerous. I’ll take two thousand elite troops plus three thousand infantry. After I assault their camp, if I can capture the Prince of Donghai, excellent. If not, I can still block reinforcements crossing back through the river during our retreat and eliminate as many of their effective forces as possible.”

Even Gou Xi couldn’t help looking at her in surprise. Seeing her completely serious expression, clearly this was exactly her plan, he said, “An excellent strategy, General Zhao. This way, we can surround those who cross the river, front and back, and retain at least sixty percent of them.”

This would make it difficult for the Prince of Donghai to rise again—he might even meet his end here.

Gou Xi grew excited. Working with intelligent people was indeed pleasant. He immediately finalized the battle plan, “Let’s proceed this way. We’ll adapt to circumstances as they develop.”

Zhao Hanzhang smiled in agreement and asked, “But which of your men will lead the other river crossing force, General Gou, and how many troops?”

“Ten thousand men, led by my cousin Gou Chun. Does that satisfy General Zhao?”

Zhao Hanzhang’s smile widened. She was satisfied.

A young man stepped forward from behind Gou Xi and cupped his fists toward Zhao Hanzhang, “I am Gou Chun. I request General Zhao’s guidance.”

Zhao Hanzhang quickly smiled, “I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare. In military strategy and warfare, all of Yuzhou’s officers together cannot compare to General Gou. How could Young General Gou need advice from us?”

Zhao Hanzhang flattered Gou Xi, “General Gou is the Han Xin of our Dajin.”

Though Gou Xi was stern and upright, hearing such words still made the corners of his mouth lift.

The two discussed the battle plan and timeline, then Gou Xi took his leave.

Zhao Hanzhang led her officers to stand in place, watching them depart.

Xun Xiu and the others still felt uneasy, asking, “Commander, shall we really attack the Prince of Donghai like this? Won’t the court brand our Yuzhou forces as rebels?”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “What’s there to fear? When the sky falls, there’s someone tall to hold it up. General Gou has a close relationship with His Majesty and holds the Emperor’s secret edict.”

Xun Xiu and the others inwardly scoffed. That secret edict had become known throughout the realm—how could it still be secret?

Moreover, the Emperor had already denied that edict under pressure from the Prince of Donghai, though no one believed the Emperor’s words.

But under public scrutiny, Gou Xi’s supposed secret edict was considered false.

Zhao Hanzhang continued, “Besides, there’s still me. If Gou Xi can’t withstand it, I’ll be hit first anyway.”

Xun Xiu and the others relaxed, no longer so anxious.

Zhao Hanzhang smiled, “Let’s go. Time to prepare. Everyone should break camp and leave.”

As they walked, she discussed with everyone, “We have many people. Eighty li away, if I remember correctly, that’s outside Xuchang. We can’t all enter the city with so many people, and there’s not enough space to camp outside either. We’ll have to split into several groups. Since we’ll be fighting soon anyway, let everyone squeeze together in fewer tents for now, so we can set up less…”

Xun Xiu and the others felt that to avoid war-weariness among the soldiers, they should still be housed as comfortably as possible and were about to advise this when Zhao Hanzhang continued, “But food cannot be reduced. We must ensure adequate provisions…”

Food supplies were a major concern. Everyone immediately set this matter aside to discuss provisions with Zhao Hanzhang, essentially all the generals asking her for supplies.

After all, she was now the Administrator, and provisions were properly her responsibility.

The group discussed as they returned to camp. That very day, Zhao Hanzhang ordered them to break camp and leave.

Upon receiving the order, the soldiers started with the outermost camps departing first, heading toward Xuchang where they would establish camp first and ensure security before the main army gradually followed.

After all, with over a hundred thousand people, Zhao Hanzhang couldn’t have everyone travel on the same day. She had them withdraw in an orderly fashion.

By the time the Prince of Donghai across the river noticed, it was already the third day, and nearly half of the Yuzhou camp had emptied.

He asked his subordinate generals, “Such a large movement, and you only discovered it now?”

The generals lowered their heads. Luoyang had been at war for two consecutive years and everyone was exhausted. This expedition was another offensive action, fighting Gou Xi no less.

The generals who had previously been thrashed by Gou Xi had zero enthusiasm for battle.

With such generals, the soldiers were even less motivated. Everyone was war-weary and lazy.

The Prince of Donghai frowned, “Didn’t they just form an alliance two days ago? Why would Zhao Hanzhang withdraw now? Could this be a ploy to lure us out?”

His generals, hearing him say this, all breathed sighs of relief and immediately nodded, saying they harbored the same suspicions, so better to remain still for now.

The Prince of Donghai also decided to hold position temporarily and ordered, “Send scouts to investigate whether they’ve truly withdrawn.”

But with a river between them, and with Gou Xi and Zhao Hanzhang’s scouts being competent, his men were discovered as soon as they crossed. Forget bringing back intelligence—they practically went out never to return.

Though soldiers were expendable, capable scouts were difficult to train and quite valuable.

Several generals passed the buck to each other, none willing to accept this assignment.

The Prince of Donghai directly assigned someone to the task, then settled in to wait for news. But that very evening, Gou Xi’s forces quietly crossed the river and launched an attack.

The sudden battle cries startled the Prince of Donghai awake. After recovering, he flew into a rage and ordered, “Fight back, fight back! Keep all who attacked here!”

Gou Xi’s men immediately retreated. By then torches had been lit on the opposite shore, showing the way for those in the river.

Being nighttime, the Prince of Donghai’s men dared not pursue into the river. Even so, Gou Xi’s forces suffered considerable losses.

Zhao Hanzhang received the scout’s report, nodded, and told him to withdraw and continue monitoring.

“Gou Xi has begun.”

Fu Tinghan frowned, “Using soldiers’ lives as fodder like this—how many attempts will it take to lure the Prince of Donghai into the trap?”

“At least five times,” Zhao Hanzhang said. “Gou Xi’s reputation is too formidable, and the Prince of Donghai is no fool. Unless Gou Xi openly stabs me in front of him, he won’t believe we’ve fallen out.”

Zhao Hanzhang smiled as she said this, sincerely admiring, “Gou Xi is using this feint strategy brilliantly. Unless it’s a very patient veteran general, few could withstand such provocation.”