"Report! General, something terrible has happened! Dai City has been captured by the Qin!"
"What? How is this possible? Weren't Qin's main forces with us?"
"It was Qin's Lin Tian! Lin Tian, leading fifty thousand troops, directly captured our Dai City!"
"Qin's Lin Tian? His fifty thousand new recruits?"
Inside Li Mu's military tent, many generals were greatly surprised.
They all knew that there was another army attacking Zhao, and that was Lin Tian's fifty thousand troops.
However, Lin Tian's fifty thousand troops were all new recruits who had never seen battle, making them difficult to take seriously.
Such new recruits who had never seen battle could be considered performing exceptionally well if they could muster half their combat strength.
Therefore, while they might be able to hold a position on the battlefield, it would be extremely difficult for them to attack and capture cities.
Li Mu and the others had long known about Lin Tian's army entering the battlefield.
After all, the capture of Lang Yu by Lin Tian's army was something they had paid close attention to.
But once they knew Lin Tian's army was heading for Dai City, they didn't pay much attention.
Dai City had a considerable number of Zhao soldiers, in addition to many civilians.
They believed that the commander of Dai City would be able to defend it.
Yet, to their surprise, Lin Tian's army had captured Dai City in just a few days of its arrival. The contrast was immense.
It was so immense that many found it unbelievable, and many cursed the commander of Dai City.
"Are they incompetent fools? In less than a few days, Dai City was captured by Qin's Lin Tian. Were they even defending it seriously? Did they just open the city gates to welcome Lin Tian's army!"
"The commander of Dai City is indeed a waste. Such a strong Dai City was lost so easily under his command. Even if a seven-year-old child was the commander, it wouldn't have been lost this quickly!"
"I think we should report this to the King and punish the commander of Dai City. Even if he is dead, he should know the consequences of dereliction of duty in the underworld!!"
In the eyes of many, the loss of Dai City was an unacceptable event.
Therefore, accusations were constant.
However, Li Mu's expression was very calm, and he showed no intention of blaming anyone.
Instead, he asked the soldier who came to report:
"Where is Qin's Lin Tian's army now?"
"They are on the road to Yanmen Pass!"
Upon hearing this, the soldiers immediately understood.
Lin Tian was not satisfied with capturing their Dai City; his next target was a crucial pass for Zhao, Yanmen Pass.
Thinking of this, many generals felt indignant.
"This Qin's Lin Tian is outrageously bold! Does he think he's invincible on the battlefield just because he luckily captured our Dai City? A mere fifty thousand new recruits dares to make a move on our Yanmen Pass!"
"It's fine, let him be arrogant for now. When he reaches Yanmen Pass, he'll learn the might of our Zhao soldiers!"
"Haha! That's true. Our Yanmen Pass is defended by fifty thousand troops, meant to guard against the Xiongnu. If Lin Tian's army dares to approach Yanmen Pass, they will surely be annihilated by our Yanmen Pass soldiers!"
Yanmen Pass was a very important place for Zhao.
It was the front line of defense against the Xiongnu and a vital military stronghold for Zhao.
Before Li Mu became the Great General or the Lord of Wu'an, he was the one guarding Yanmen Pass.
Li Mu had a unique sentiment for Yanmen Pass.
Therefore, on this matter, Li Mu thought more deeply than others.
"How exactly did that Qin's Lin Tian break through our Dai City?"
"Their army camped and cooked two miles outside the city, making the soldiers of Dai City lower their guard. Then, three days later, Qin experts led by Lin Tian launched a surprise attack on Dai City, administered a laxative to the warhorses of Dai City, and then opened the city gates!"
"After that, Lin Tian's fifty thousand troops directly attacked Dai City. Our soldiers in Dai City could not resist and were all killed in battle!"
"Hmm? Two miles away?"
Upon hearing this, Li Mu clearly sensed something different.
Two miles away was certainly suitable for an attack.
Yet, the soldiers of Dai City had not initiated an offensive for a full three days, implying a significant psychological battle.
Moreover, in the process of this psychological battle, Lin Tian had completely calculated the thoughts of the commander of Dai City, holding him completely in his grasp.
This was why he could so easily succeed in a surprise attack and capture Dai City with ease.
Thinking of this, Li Mu took a deep breath.
"None of you should underestimate Qin's Lin Tian; he is not a simple character!"
"Looking solely at his combat prowess, none of us can match him. He alone can slay four thousand enemies and snatch the enemy general's head from amidst ten thousand troops. Such combat strength is undoubtedly that of a Sword God!"
"Furthermore, he was the first to reach Xinzheng, the capital of Han, and he controlled the situation before the Han army even arrived in Xinzheng!"
"Without sufficient intelligence and cunning, this would be impossible to achieve!"
"Not to mention, he later recovered the Yu Province Cauldron, thereby ascending to a high position in one fell swoop. Can any of you achieve such a feat?"
"When attacking Dai City, he opened the city gates with the smallest possible cost and captured the city. If it were any of you attacking a city, would you have done it as brilliantly as he did?"
At these words, everyone was silenced.
Those who knew of Lin Tian's past understood how incredible his achievements were.
An ordinary youth from Guanzhong had grown to such heights in just one year.
This was something even scions of noble families could not compare to. In truth, it was no different from a legend.
Thinking of this, the previously clamoring Zhao generals fell silent.
They also realized that Lin Tian was indeed not as simple as they had previously imagined.
However, what surprised them even more was Li Mu's next statement.
"If Qin's Lin Tian is not eliminated, he will surely become a major threat to our Zhao!"
"Therefore, we should nip him in the bud!"
"General Sima!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"You will lead five thousand soldiers to Yanmen Pass, personally command the defense of Yanmen Pass, and if there is an opportunity, you must annihilate Qin's Lin Tian!"
"Your subordinate accepts the order!"
The General Sima Li Mu spoke of was Sima Shang, the deputy general of his army.
Being able to become Li Mu's deputy and work with him for a long time already indicated his extraordinary capability.
In fact, when Li Mu died, he was even shrewder than Li Mu, managed to escape, and disappeared.
Now, entrusting him with the command of the fifty thousand troops at Yanmen Pass to deal with Lin Tian was enough to show that Li Mu had already developed a murderous intent towards Lin Tian.
...