Though he couldn't be certain the nightly saboteurs were the Imperial Suppression Army dispatched by the court, Lin Gu was quite sure. After all, apart from the court forces, the rebel army had no other enemies; the common folk would never dare to resist them. Their few acts of massacre were meant solely to awe and establish authority; now, anyone hearing the rebels were near would flee as far as possible, who would dare to organize in secret to fight back?

To catch them, Lin Gu set several ambushes, but the enemy always managed to foresee them, yielding no gain except heavier casualties for his own side. This was a massive blow to Lin Gu, who had always enjoyed smooth sailing in military affairs. However, the more the opponent obstructed him, the more convinced he became that Pingyuan County had not yet fallen, and the court was merely stalling for time to facilitate the siege.

Although the harassment severely affected the army's morale, there was no alternative in the current situation. He could only hope that in the daylight, with better visibility, the enemy wouldn't dare to show themselves easily, thus allowing them to press on with the march. Once they reached Pingyuan County, he wouldn't fear this rampant impudence anymore.

That evening, they finally arrived outside Pingyuan County. Upon meeting the messenger from Pingyuan, Lin Gu's conviction solidified further. Lin Gu did not know this messenger, but his trusted general, Jiu Xia, recognized him: Liu Dan, a Chiliarch, who had previously been serving under Bai Lang, conquering territory.

Liu Dan was glib and persuasive. He wept torrentially before Lin Gu, crying, "Marshal Lin, we cannot wait! Please dispatch troops immediately to aid General Bai and relieve his predicament. People inside the city are near the point of cannibalism; we have no food and no weapons for defense, and the Imperial Army attacks us intermittently. If you delay further, it will be too late!"

Lin Gu replied, "We have been ambushed for several successive nights by enemies who appear and vanish mysteriously, using advanced weaponry. How much do you know about them? Rushing in blindly risks catastrophic defeat."

Liu Dan responded, "Our General Bai has held the city by firm defense, but due to a constant lack of resupply, the combat effectiveness of our troops is low. Although the enemy has provocatively challenged us several times, we have endured it all. Whenever the besieging enemy approaches the walls, we repel them with arrows. Given that there has been no hand-to-hand engagement, the only enemy weaponry we have seen, aside from blades and arrows, appears to be nothing else."

Lin Gu pressed, "You keep speaking of a food shortage in the city. Didn't we temporarily transfer five hundred carts of grain from Hongping County and the surrounding areas initially? Why is this still the case?"

Liu Dan replied, "Answering Marshal Lin, that batch of grain never reached Pingyuan County; we later learned it was intercepted by the Imperial Army. We were already suffering a shortage, and this disaster compounded our misery. Otherwise, we wouldn't take those mere scraps of troops seriously."

Lin Gu exclaimed in surprise, "There’s such a thing? This means this Imperial Guard detachment is truly exceptional, far superior to the county and prefectural guards we previously encountered. They intend to neutralize Pingyuan County by resting while they wait, first hijacking the grain wagons to leave Pingyuan without reserve supplies, then feigning attacks to prevent you from harvesting the new rice. Seeing us arrive with reinforcements, they employ this harassing tactic, fighting us nightly only to wait for the city to run out of anything edible so you surrender voluntarily. But we have finally arrived; their wicked scheme will dissolve."

Liu Dan agreed, "Yes, Marshal Lin. General Bai thinks the same. We have prayed day and night for your arrival. He sincerely invites you into the city to devise a joint strategy to annihilate the enemy. General Bai says that once this Imperial Guard unit suppressing the rebellion is eliminated, the court will have no usable troops left. Then, our faction can certainly take Shuangcheng. This would be an achievement worthy of founding a state; even if we cannot be made kings, we would surely become high ministers under Prince Shou."

Lin Gu sneered, "Bai Lang might not see things as simply as that. How would that dog emperor named Ma commit the entirety of Shuangcheng's forces to suppress bandits? Besides, have you seen a force of one hundred thousand surrounding the city? The Shuangcheng Imperial Guard numbers one hundred thousand; their might should be immense."

Liu Dan countered, "Marshal Lin is indeed a military genius. This humble servant did not see the entire Imperial Guard force mobilized; there are perhaps only twenty thousand outside Pingyuan County. However, our morale is too low, compounded by starvation, so we cannot effectively counter them. But now, with Marshal Lin's twenty thousand men, plus our garrison of over ten thousand, we can certainly crush the government soldiers in a pincer movement outside Pingyuan County."

Lin Gu's expression was inscrutable. "They mobilized twenty thousand men to suppress bandits? Shuangcheng has one hundred thousand Imperial Guards. In the early days, the Central King led an army of thirty thousand to attack the Imperial Stables, intending to utilize the natural terrain there to intimidate Shuangcheng, but what was the result? Those thirty thousand vanished without a trace, and the Central King likely perished outside Shuangcheng. Are you now deliberately goading this Marshal, suggesting I wish to live too long?"

Liu Dan turned deathly pale with fright. "Marshal Lin, your humble servant dares not! I truly meant no such thing. I even pray for Marshal Lin to live a hundred years so he may continually promote me."

Liu Dan’s distress appeared genuine, and Lin Gu smiled with satisfaction. He said, "That is good. Although the Imperial Guard is fierce, annihilating them is not an impossible dream. As long as our maneuvers are sound, combining thirty thousand men with the geographic advantage of holding the city, this can certainly be achieved."

Liu Dan rejoiced, "Please, Marshal Lin, hasten with me into the city to confer! The enemy force is currently insufficient for a full siege. Afterwards, we can break out from the weakest point, the West Gate, back into Pingyuan County. Once Marshal Lin and General Bai finalize the master plan to repel the enemy, we will escort you back to command the main army, and then we will attack from both sides to completely drive back the bandit suppression forces. Merely this merit alone will earn us accolades from Prince Shou; everyone will be promoted and become wealthy."

Jiu Xia cursed loudly, "Liu Dan, you are audacious! What right have you to expect the Marshal to go see the defending general? Tell Bai Lang immediately to come personally to our main camp to request an audience! Once the strategy to repel the enemy is set, he can return to implement it."

Liu Dan looked troubled. "Commander Jiu, it is not that our General Bai is arrogant, but he bears the responsibility of defending the city and dares not leave his post. You are the reinforcements; naturally, you must enter the city to meet our General Bai. Even if Prince Shou were to judge this matter, our General Bai would be in the right."

Han Dong roared in anger, "You boy! You dare to look down upon our Marshal Lin, and we rushed here desperately to save you! Guards, seize him and take him out to be executed!"

Lin Gu stopped the guards, saying, "Hold! This is not the time for internal strife. Bai Lang does indeed have the responsibility of defending the city; we cannot blame him. We must prioritize the bigger picture. Send someone into the city first to ascertain the situation before deciding."

Liu Dan pleaded, "Marshal Lin, do you still think I would deceive you? Very well, whether you enter the city or not aside, can you send one of your senior generals to escort a shipment of grain back to Pingyuan County first? If the garrison inside the city starves, they will desert, and then we will all scatter, gaining nothing."

Lin Gu was not angered by Liu Dan's slight rudeness; he said, "Transporting grain to stabilize morale is the correct course of action. General Han, I entrust this task to you."

Han Dong accepted the order and led Liu Dan away. The next morning, two thousand soldiers escorted one hundred carts of grain, carving an opening through the West Gate and charging into Pingyuan County. The West Gate was opened wide to let them pass, then tightly shut again. The pursuing Imperial Guards made a show of force but retreated under the barrage of arrows from the battlements.

Considering my strategic thinking, pitting twenty thousand men against another twenty thousand, although our army has a very high chance of victory due to superior weaponry, it is simply not worthwhile; it’s a matter of losing a thousand men to wound the enemy by eight hundred. Therefore, I adopted an indirect approach: aside from dispatching Gu Qi for extensive harassment warfare, the next step was to lure and kill the opposing commander, taking his life amidst the chaos.

Gu Qi led his troops in stealthy operations during the night, exhausting themselves, and though they inflicted only a little over a thousand casualties, their actions caused immense psychological panic among the rebel reinforcements. This point was crucial, because only with unstable morale could the army fall into disarray following the death of its general.

These twenty thousand reinforcements had been subjected to attacks for several successive nights, and they still had to continue marching during the day. Although Lin Gu adopted a policy of surrounding the palisade without engaging on the last night, morale was already unstable. Rumors were spreading that Prince Shou’s rebellion had angered the heavens, and desertions were continuously occurring. Although Lin Gu excelled at leading troops, he could do nothing more than capture the harassers in this situation.

Liu Dan was a defector. Only after repeated screening by Qianhu Ding was he found to be someone completely trustworthy for this mission. Firstly, the man was eloquent and courageous, which was crucial; if he had failed in front of that old fox Lin Gu, everything would have been ruined. Secondly, he had dealt with Jiu Xia while serving under Bai Lang, making it easier to gain his trust. Thus, he became the optimal choice for luring the enemy.

As expected, after just one night, this man returned with one hundred carts of grain and two thousand rebel soldiers, along with Han Dong, a high-ranking general under Lin Gu. As soon as this contingent entered the city, they were secretly targeted by over four thousand bows.

As soon as the gate was closed, a sudden command rang out. Instantly, the forces hidden on the battlements and in the civilian houses emerged. The two thousand rebel soldiers, including Han Dong, were stunned. Han Dong turned to find Liu Dan had somehow slipped far away. Han Dong exclaimed in shock and anger, "Chiliarch Liu, what is the meaning of this? Does Bai Lang intend to rebel with you people!"

Liu Dan burst into laughter. "General Han, we do not intend to rebel; you are the ones rebelling—we are the Imperial Army suppressing the bandits. Drop your weapons immediately and surrender, or you will be struck down by a volley of arrows!"

Liu Dan was a Chiliarch, and many of the men here were loyal to him. At his shout, several responded: "Drop your weapons, or you will be slain by a volley of arrows!"

Han Dong finally realized that the people standing on the battlements were wearing the mixed attire of the rebel army, while those emerging from the cover of the houses were all heavily armored Imperial Guards. At this moment, he finally understood: Pingyuan County had been captured, and he had fallen into a trap.

Han Dong was a hot-blooded warrior but lacked extensive combat experience. Stung suddenly by such humiliation, he was deeply unwilling to accept it. He drew his blade from his waist and charged toward Liu Dan, "Traitor! I'll kill you!"

Bang, bang, bang—a sharp volley of arrows riddled Han Dong like a sieve. The Imperial Guards shouted at the two thousand rebel soldiers, "Drop your weapons, or you will all be shot dead!"

These ordinary peasant soldiers lacked much power of resistance. With their leading general killed, they completely lost confidence, and weapons clattered to the ground. Another voice shouted from the Imperial Guards: "Hands clasped behind your necks and squat on the ground! Any movement will be met with execution!"