The generals quickly gathered around, and Chen Mo pointed to a mountain corner on the map and said, "Weiqiu, according to the scout’s report, this place is a mountain recess in the western suburbs of Anchang City, with very deep terrain that makes it easy to hide troops.

If our army is attacking the city and the hidden troops here are suddenly deployed, our forces would find it difficult to capture the city and could be attacked by enemy forces, so..."

Chen Mo initially intended to give orders directly, but this was too decisive, leaving no room for subordinates to offer their own input, so he asked, "What ideas do you have to keep them out of the battlefield?"

The generals intently observed, and the terrains of the mountains and rivers around Anchang City were all marked out on the map, which is an advantage of fighting on home soil, as there is a clear understanding of all the localities.

Li Weiqiu and Zhang Lie were merely martial artists, and although they were smart, in terms of military matters they merely knew to follow orders and charge, and their strategic abilities were limited.

However, as one of the deputy generals of the grand army, they could not directly admit incompetence, so they put on a thoughtful expression, giving an impression of profound wisdom.

Yet Dai Xishan, having experienced many battles, already had experience in military aspects, and after returning to the capital, he also read books on military tactics and battle formations and consulted with veteran generals on things he didn’t understand. As he gazed at the map’s topography, it was as if the terrain appeared in his mind as a vivid image.

After pondering for a moment, he said, "Sir, this area is low-lying and the roads are difficult to traverse, making it impossible to maneuver the army easily. If we feigned an attack first, using light cavalry to lure out the enemy from the mountain recess and then combine to attack, the fear is that they might launch a surprise attack while we besiege the city."

"Not advisable, the enemy is concentrated in this area." A stern-looking general reached out his hand, circled a part on the map with his finger, and then said, "If we use light cavalry to draw them out, it might alert them prematurely, causing Anchang City’s defenders to call for reinforcements from other forces and thus giving them time to prepare, which would defeat the purpose of a swift siege.

By then, if we get entangled, and it drags on, and the enemy reinforcements arrive, it would be detrimental to us."

After voicing his concerns, he offered his own suggestion: "Sir, from my perspective, we should take a steady approach. Anchang City is a big city, with tall battlements and strong defenses, which makes it difficult to conquer in a short period. Why not skirt around to attack Yi City first? It’s a smaller city but occupies a favorable position, making it easier to capture, and it would allow us to probe where the enemy’s main forces are positioned..."

The general’s name was Chu Ang, who originally was a Military Commander in one of the Tiger Elite Army units and was later promoted to the Wing Commander.

Chu Ang’s advice was sound and was relatively prudent. If there were no Red Cannon, Chen Mo would have surely adopted Chu Ang’s strategy, but now with the Red Cannons in possession, along with fire bottle bombs and high-explosive bombs, it naturally becomes crucial to take down Anchang City first.

This is a major city, and once captured, Chen Mo planned to use it as a logistic base, making it possible to advance or retreat strategically.

As for Yi City, due to its small size, it was evidently not suitable for the purpose.

Chen Mo waved off Chu Ang, then said to Dai Xishan, "I’ve decided to attack Anchang City tomorrow. Since the feigned attack idea was put forth by Xishan, the responsibility for leading this feigned attack falls upon you."

Dai Xishan clasped his fists and said, "Sir, with your trust, I shall give it my all."

"Be careful." Chen Mo patted Dai Xishan on the shoulder.

After all, when it comes to feigned attacks, the manpower is certainly insufficient. If the enemy deploys forces, it’s beneficial for the Song Army attacking the city, but disastrous for those leading the feigned attack.

The Desolate Kingdom’s cavalry is numerous, and the Dragon Oath Guards are not yet entirely wiped out, making any skirmish inescapable once entangled.

Afterwards, Chen Mo consoled Chu Ang for a bit, explaining that adopting Dai Xishan’s strategy wasn’t due to favoritism but because Anchang City was strategically important, and urged him not to take it to heart.

Chen Mo did not want internal discord to erupt among his ranks.

Chu Ang’s expression improved a little, but he didn’t take it personally.

He already had some understanding of Chen Mo, knowing that his approach to warfare often didn’t adhere to conventional paths, sometimes even being quite daring.

Now, directly launching an attack on Anchang City was indeed in line with his style.

Afterwards, Chen Mo began discussing the arrangements for the siege planned for the next day.

...

On the other side.

Ling Zhi led the remaining Dragon Oath Guards back into Anchang City.

Anchang City garrisoned 80,000 troops, including 20,000 cavalry; together with the Dragon Oath Guards, there were originally 100,000 troops.

But now, only 90,000 troops remained.

Ling Zhi stood on the city walls, peering towards Anchang Plain, wary of a sudden night raid by Chen Mo.

The Deputy General beside him said, "General, should we report today’s events to the king and request reinforcements?"

After all, in the current situation, the enemy forces outnumbered them several times.

"No need for now."

This was a task assigned by the king, yet not only did he not succeed, but made a mess of it, losing nearly 10,000 Dragon Oath Guards. If the king were to find out, a reprimand would be inevitable.

Furthermore, the main forces were still searching for Zhao Qianyi’s whereabouts, and Ling Zhi didn’t want to dampen the king’s spirit with this matter.

Thus, he planned to redeem himself by defeating Chen Mo once to save face before reporting the incident.

"Send down orders to transfer some of the garrison from our other cities to Anchang City, and also drive all the captured Song soldiers into the mountain recess, having the hidden troops there responsible for driving them away," Ling Zhi instructed after some thought.

"Understood."

...

The next day.

With the army assembled, cavalry and infantry units stood in neat formation, flags were displayed prominently, and the sound of horses neighing was incessant.

Wearing the Celestial Spirit Heart Guard Armor, a Talisman at his waist, Chen Mo sat astride his horse as fierce generals like Li Weiqiu, Dai Xishan, Zhang Lie, and Bai Yongtao gathered around him. Elite forces such as the Tiger Elite Army, Fire Qilin Army, Tianwu Army, and Shenrui Army gathered like rain.

"Xishan, I’m entrusting the Tianwu Army to you. You must lead the hidden troops out of the mountain recess. If there are no hidden troops, return to the main formation immediately," Chen Mo instructed.

Dai Xishan clasped his fists and said, "Rest assured, sire, Xishan will not fail the mission."

"Very well." Chen Mo nodded in satisfaction, then turned to the army and shouted, "Once we are out on Anchang Plain, I want you to use all your might to capture Anchang City before the enemy reinforcements arrive."

"Understood." The gathered officers and soldiers responded in a thunderous voice.

On the 194th day of the great turmoil, Chen Mo divided his forces into two paths, launching a full-scale assault.

At the hour of Si.

"Hooo—hooo—"

Outside Anchang City, horns blared loudly. Accompanied by the resonant and long horn sounds, countless black specks gathered densely from all directions, with Great Song’s strongest forces assembled here.

In the distance, various vehicles and horses were seen transporting provisions and enormous siege equipment.

If one’s vision was sharp enough, they might notice some of the "equipment" was covered with black cloth, leaving the contents beneath a mystery.

The vast silhouettes also startled the guards within Anchang City, but truthfully, the defenders of Loulan didn’t take it to heart.

For them, except when attacking Tiger Head Pass and facing stubborn resistance.

After the fall of Tiger Head Pass, they advanced southward smoothly with the Song Army fleeing at every encounter.

All of this made them feel everything was progressing too smoothly, making them somewhat dismissive of the Song Army, despite the heavy losses they suffered to the Dragon Oath Guards just the previous day.