Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 778 Other plans

Su Chen had already seen through the thoughts of several old ministers. Every point in Han Xizai's analysis just now was indeed crucial. It determined that it would be difficult to suppress the Song Dynasty in terms of geographical, military, political, economic, and cultural aspects, and he might even be suppressed.

Because the Song Dynasty now represented the orthodoxy of the Central Plains, the wealthy families and descendants of the aristocratic families in the south of the Yangtze River were somewhat afraid of the northern clans and the imperial family. The reason why Qian Yue State took the initiative to serve the Song Dynasty, was willing to surrender without a fight, and even helped the Song Dynasty fight the Southern Tang was because they were afraid of the Central Plains dynasty.

This kind of thinking is very common in Jiangnan. Many local forces, gentry, and aristocratic families would find it difficult to fully agree with Su Chen's decision to lead hundreds of thousands of Jiangdong men to the north to fight. They believe that he is seeking death and overestimating his own capabilities.

Although the local forces of Southern Tang support Su Chen to a certain extent, it is more for self-preservation and peace in Jiangdong. If he proposes to go north to destroy the Song Dynasty, many officials and wealthy families will probably stand up to oppose it.

When Sun Quan wanted to mobilize the forces of Jiangdong to launch the Northern Expedition, he also faced many internal troubles. Many officials did not agree, and many large families also opposed it. They made trouble in many aspects such as food, logistics, and conscription. They did not support Sun Quan's attack on the Wei Kingdom. They were also full of fear of the northern regime and felt that the Northern Expedition was not in their interests.

Therefore, this issue cannot be avoided, and Su Chen must prepare early.

Su Chen said: "I have also thought about this issue, so I think that the Jianghuai area is the top priority. I plan to use troops to take over Jianghuai first, and use it as a foundation to support the war, gradually nibble away at Anhui, Qi and Lu, borrow the troops from these areas, and then attack Kaifeng, the chances of winning will be greater."

"Yixuan is right. We should use the troops from Jiangdong to attack Huainan and Huaibei, recuperate for two years, and then recruit soldiers from Huainan and Huaibei. Only then will we have hope of fighting against the elite imperial guards of the Song Dynasty!" Han Xizai nodded in agreement with Su Chen's words.

Xu Xuan, Xu Kai, Gao Yue, Zhong Mo, Gao Yuan, Xu You, Zhang Yi, and Shen Wei all had different expressions, but they all agreed with this method. Its specific implementation might require further planning.

However, this represents a general direction. Using the Jiangdong troops to cross the river and capture the Jianghuai area, and then recruiting men from Jianghuai and Qi and Lu to join the army to build an elite force. Using the northern troops to fight against the northern imperial army will be effective.

This move is very similar to "Tian Ji's Horse Racing". He used his elite regular army to fight against the local garrison of the Song Dynasty, and used his ordinary army to suppress and control ordinary people. After taking control of the Jianghuai area, he used local materials, selected local able-bodied men, trained them, and fully armed them to create a replica of "Heiyundu" to sweep across the Song Dynasty's imperial guards.

This is Su Chen’s future battle plan to attack Song!

But right now, his primary task is to unify the south first, so as to avoid any trouble in the rear when he launches the Northern Expedition north of the Yangtze River in the future.

Su Chen continued, "For the current mission, I plan to lead troops to attack Southern Han, sweep the southern border, and strive to unify the south first."

Xu Kai said: "Yixuan, we all support you. This time, you can send the elite troops and the best generals to attack Southern Han. It will definitely succeed!"

Shen Wei smiled and said, "That's right. General Lin Renzhao is both wise and brave, and has the demeanor of a great general. He can assist you and go south together to destroy South Vietnam."

Su Chen shook his head: "General Lin is the god of war in the army, and his prestige is very high. He is stationed in the Yangtze River to resist the sudden attack of the Song army to the south. Therefore, this time when I send troops to Nanyue, I plan to lead the troops myself and leave General Lin to defend the Yangtze River coast and guard the defense lines of Jinling, Runzhou, and Caishiji to prevent future troubles. Only then can I use troops against Southern Han with peace of mind!"

"That makes sense!" The ministers were all intelligent people. They had been in officialdom for many years and had read many history books. Naturally, they understood what Su Chen meant.

"When does Yixuan plan to advance?" Han Xizai was very concerned about his decision to send troops.

"It's summer now, and the heat is unbearable. It's not easy to march. And because the Southern Han is in the border area, there are many mountains, forests, and miasma. Our people will not be able to adapt to the local climate. I plan to increase the rapid training of military doctors and speed up the production of dysentery and anti-inflammatory drugs. In this way, we can carry them with the army, so we don't have to worry about soldiers getting dysentery or plague in the army."

This was something Su Chen had been thinking about a long time ago. The Southern Han was actually located in Guangxi, Guangdong, and Vietnam. Ancient people who went there would often be infected by the miasma in the deep mountains and forests, and would not adapt to the local climate and water, thus contracting diseases, the most direct of which were dysentery and gastroenteritis.

In ancient times, there were no anti-inflammatory drugs or bacterial drugs, so this disease could not be prevented. People easily died from the disease, and plagues broke out.

Su Chen studied medicine, so he naturally thought of this difficulty, and prepared medicines in advance, which could ensure the safety of the marching soldiers, greatly reduce the mortality rate, and improve morale.

"Is Yixuan going to lead the troops to war himself?"

Su Chen nodded and explained seriously: "Yes, I will go on the expedition myself. It is just a good opportunity to practice the skills and abilities of marching and fighting, deploying troops, transporting food and grass, and discovering new generals. It is also a way to train the team for the Northern Expedition in the future!"

Xu Xuan couldn't help but say: "It's right to have this idea. After all, Yixuan has made great achievements in literature, and now he has made great achievements in leading troops. He has established prestige in the court, and his heroic deeds have also spread among the people. This is very helpful for Su Chen's image of being both civil and military!"

"As for the small Southern Han, I believe that General Su will lead his troops and sweep across the country with unstoppable force. With this achievement, his name will go down in history!" Shen Wei admired Su Chen very much. Since they were not that familiar with each other before, he spoke more politely and always with words of praise.

Su Chen cupped his hands and smiled, "Master Shen, you are too kind. Military affairs are by no means easy. In fact, I am not very confident at the moment and need more preparation. During this period, if you know some young warriors or middle and lower-level military officers, if they have talents, you can recommend them to me. I can make an exception and use them in the expedition to Southern Han and train them in the army."

"Okay, let's help Yixuan find some capable generals, give them to him, and use them as a reserve for the future!"

"Yes, that's not a problem!"

All the ministers agreed, they valued Su Chen very much, in fact, they all had one idea in their hearts, that is, to support Su Chen as the future monarch and achieve the hegemony of unifying the world. Then they all had the merit of following the dragon, in addition to enjoying great merits, they could also follow him and go down in history.

Su Chen raised his glass to toast several ministers. With their support, he could give it a try. He would first annex the princes of all sizes in the south. After he had hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers, he could look for an opportunity to fight the Northern Song Dynasty.