"There's been an incident, a major incident!!"
"What incident, why the rush?"
"General Sima has fallen! Yanmen has been lost!"
"What?"
Upon hearing this news, many Zhao soldiers were stunned.
This was undoubtedly shocking news for the state of Zhao.
Many among them reported this news immediately.
Thus, within a single day, Li Mu, who was confronting Wang Jian at Fei Xia, received the news.
Upon learning of this, he was so shocked that he was speechless.
After a long while, he finally ordered the soldiers to gather at the main general's tent.
As soon as these generals arrived, they saw Li Mu's extremely somber and murderous expression.
They immediately understood that something had happened.
Therefore, many generals who enjoyed lively discussions also fell silent at this moment.
Only when everyone had assembled did Li Mu speak.
His voice was hoarse, filled with exhaustion.
"Everyone, I have bad news to tell you, General Sima Shang has fallen!"
This pronouncement was earth-shattering; everyone was shocked.
"What? How is this possible?"
"How could General Sima Shang die? Didn't he go to support Yanmen?"
"Right! Weren't there only Lin Tian's fifty thousand troops in Yanmen? Could Wang Jian have secretly reinforced Lin Tian's army?"
Many generals knew that Zhao had a significant presence in Yanmen.
Coupled with it being their home ground, they could mobilize many capable young men, along with Sima Shang's five thousand troops.
Their forces in Yanmen held a substantial advantage.
If it were a defensive battle, even a hundred thousand troops might not be able to capture Yanmen.
If they were to fight outside the city, Zhao's army could completely crush Lin Tian's forces.
The only potential variable was likely Wang Jian.
If Wang Jian secretly dispatched troops to reinforce Lin Tian, it could cause immense trouble for Sima Shang.
However, they had been confronting Wang Jian's army day after day, engaging in skirmishes, completely bogging down Wang Jian's forces.
Wang Jian's army should not have had the capacity to reinforce Lin Tian's army.
Therefore, many of them couldn't understand how General Sima Shang had fallen.
As they voiced their thoughts, Li Mu's voice became even more somber.
"We have all underestimated Qin's Lin Tian!"
"Although he only had fifty thousand troops, and they were all new recruits, these fifty thousand new recruits were well-trained, and Qin's Lin Tian was a skilled commander!"
"In the direct confrontation, our army was utterly defeated by Lin Tian's forces!"
"The final outcome was that General Sima Shang died on the battlefield, and our entire army in Yanmen was annihilated!!"
Li Mu himself did not know the specifics of what had happened.
Not a single one of the people they had dispatched had returned alive, which was truly incredible.
But even with a general understanding, Li Mu knew that Zhao had suffered a crushing defeat.
Not only was Yanmen Pass lost, but their deputy general, Sima Shang, had also died at the hands of Lin Tian.
Such a devastating defeat was a massive blow to every Zhao soldier.
To a certain extent, it could even shake Zhao's military morale.
Fortunately, Li Mu was the commander-in-chief, and Sima Shang was merely his deputy. Otherwise, even Li Mu might not have been able to quell their army.
However, Sima Shang's death cast a shadow that hung over everyone's hearts.
The fall of several northern counties, in particular, caused unrest among the soldiers.
Many of the soldiers here were conscripted from these northern counties, and those lost territories were their homes.
Now that the Qin army occupied their homeland, how could they fight with peace of mind?
Li Mu was aware of this.
This was why, previously, he had sent Sima Shang to Yanmen to prevent Qin's Lin Tian from attacking it.
But who would have thought that Sima Shang would not only fail to stop him but also lose his life there?
Now, Li Mu and his forces were facing too many challenges.
"Tell me, should we send troops to retake Dai City and Yanmen, which belong to us?"
"We must retake it. If we don't, the soldiers under my command might rebel!"
"Yes, General! Many of my men are from Yanmen. Now that Yanmen is in the hands of the Qin, if we take no action, it will be very difficult for me to account to those soldiers!"
"General, many of the veteran generals you brought back from Yanmen, with Yanmen now lost...!"
In the past, Li Mu had been the commander of the Yanmen garrison, and he had too many men from Yanmen under his command.
Therefore, though the soldiers did not finish their sentences, Li Mu understood their intentions.
Yanmen was too important to them; it had to be retaken no matter what.
In Li Mu's heart, he felt the same way.
Yanmen was a place he had defended for many years, and he had long developed deep affection for this place and its people.
He was unwilling to see Yanmen fall under any circumstances.
However, as the commander-in-chief of the three armies, he could not act rashly.
One must remember that Wang Jian's two hundred thousand troops were stationed at Fei Xia. If he dared to move his army to Yanmen at this time, Wang Jian's two hundred thousand troops would launch a direct assault, attacking Zhao's capital, Handan.
If that were to happen, it would truly be a catastrophe for Zhao.
This forced Li Mu to weigh the pros and cons.
After a long pause, Li Mu spoke again:
"Yanmen must be retaken!"
"But before we retake it, we must also ensure the safety of Handan and avoid falling into chaos!"
"Therefore, I intend to request more soldiers from His Majesty, and then go to retake Yanmen!"
Although this method would consume considerable time, it was the only way Li Mu could think of to achieve both objectives.
Otherwise, he found it difficult to reassure his soldiers.
After proposing this method, the Zhao generals deliberated and finally agreed to it.
Subsequently, they reported this matter to their King.
As they were submitting their report, Wang Jian's army began to stir.
Wang Jian's army, which had been relatively stable, launched an offensive against Li Mu's forces.
This offensive caused considerable trouble for Li Mu's army.
However, Li Mu immediately understood Wang Jian's intention.
Wang Jian likely intended to use troop movements to stall his army, preventing them from retaking Yanmen.
This tactic was the same as what Li Mu had previously employed against Wang Jian, only now the roles of attacker and defender were reversed.
...