"But..." Gao Cheng suddenly thought of something.
"But what?"
Chi Damu spoke impatiently.
"But we still have to besiege Jinyang Prefecture. If you pull twenty thousand cavalry away, my lord, it will put us in a very unfavorable position," Gao Cheng said.
Unfavorable was an understatement. They already lacked the advantage in numbers. If those twenty thousand cavalry were withdrawn, they would be at an even greater disadvantage. If the city's defenders counterattacked, they might be swallowed whole.
"General Gao, you're worrying that the sky will fall," Chi Damu said with a sneer.
"Our barbarian cavalry come and go like the wind, covering hundreds of li a day. Zhao Feng has a hundred thousand civilians with him. He'll be lucky to cover twenty or thirty li a day. They may have a four-day head start, but we can catch them in a single day and return in two or three at most. Even if the defenders attack, surely you can hold out for two or three days? Better still if Yu Zhiyong leads his army out of the city. Once my cavalry finish off the Martial Suppression Guard and return, we can crush them between us! Remember, open battle belongs to our barbarian cavalry. It's only troublesome when they hide like turtles inside their city," Chi Damu said.
After hearing this, Gao Cheng slapped his thigh.
"That's right! We were just worrying about how to take this fortified city, and now our opportunity has arrived!"
"Then it's settled! I'll pursue Zhao Feng immediately! If Yu Zhiyong sends his army out to fight, hold on for three days at most. Once I return, we'll strike from within and without!"
With that, Chi Damu led twenty thousand barbarian cavalry in pursuit of the civilians under Zhao Feng's escort.
Meanwhile, inside the Prefectural