Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 859: Insight into the Mystery
Zhao Kuangyin took the news brought back by Li Wenzhong, and a trace of regret unconsciously emerged between his eyebrows. He knew very well that if he failed to persuade Pan Mei to return to the Song Dynasty, it would mean that he could not quickly reverse the current stalemate in the war.

At this moment, he could only pin all his hopes on the yet-to-be-decided plan of sowing discord, hoping that it would stir up waves within the Wu military and trigger a civil strife within the Wu army.

"Everyone!" Zhao Kuangyin's eyes swept across the generals in the tent, and his voice was calm but with a hint of imperceptible anxiety, and he asked: "Do you think Su Chen will fall into our trap, become suspicious of Pan Mei, and then dismiss him?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the tent fell into a brief silence.

Among those present were senior generals such as Cao Bin, Han Lingkun, Liu Shouzhong, Dang Jin, Wang Zhengzhong, Gao Huaide, Mi Xin, etc., who had experienced many battles and made outstanding contributions; there were also outstanding young generals such as Shi Baoxing, Shi Baoji, Murong Yanqing, as well as the commander of the imperial guards Cui Yanjin and Zhang Qiong, who were all brave and good at fighting. At the beginning of the founding of the Song Dynasty, there were indeed many brave generals and talented people, and the scene was thriving.

But at this time, the generals were either frowning in thought or whispering to each other, obviously seriously weighing the feasibility of this strategy.

Zhao Kuangyin waited quietly. He knew that every opinion of these generals could become the key to influencing the direction of the war.

However, the expressions of the generals in the tent were different. They did not know Su Chen well, so they could not predict whether the young commander would continue to show his amazing wisdom in this dangerous chess game, or would fall because of momentary confusion.

Cao Bin pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke: "Su Chen is a cunning man, a master of military tactics, and has endless strategies. Normally, his wisdom is enough to see through any trap. However, he is young and hot-tempered after all. It is hard to say whether he can remain calm in the face of the double blow of betrayal and rebellion. In history, many wise and resourceful heroes have failed at such a critical juncture, such as the former hero Cao Cao, who impulsively killed Cai Mao, which ultimately led to the tragic defeat of the Battle of Red Cliffs."

Zhao Kuangyin nodded slightly, a trace of deep thought flashed in his eyes, and he said in a deep voice: "Then, let's wait and see whether Su Chen will follow the footsteps of those predecessors. We must be fully prepared and ready to launch an attack at any time to drive the Wu army out of Huaibei."

"Yes, sir!" The generals responded in unison, their voices full of firmness and determination. Everyone clenched his fists, ready for the upcoming battle.

In Suqian, the Wu army camp was brightly lit.

Su Chen was staring at the spread-out topographic map with a frown on his face, and he was repeatedly deducing in his mind how to effectively block the reinforcements from the Song Dynasty court heading south.

He had received accurate intelligence that 150,000 soldiers were gathering, led by Li Chugeng, deputy envoy of the Privy Council, and accompanied by generals Zhang Yongde, Zhang Hui, and Fu Yanqing, and were marching south in a mighty force.

Su Chen knew very well that if he could not find a way to stop them before they arrived, he would face the desperate situation of being attacked from both the north and the south by the Song army.

Although he had firearms in his hands, the number was limited and it was difficult to cause a fatal blow to the army of hundreds of thousands. Moreover, once the secret of the firearms was exposed, the Song army would definitely learn a lesson, and the degree of shock and effect would be greatly reduced.

Su Chen knew that if they went deep into the territory of the Song Dynasty, they had to fight quickly and decisively, and they must not get bogged down in a protracted war. If they delayed, they would not only miss the opportunity to fight, but also make it difficult for these foreign invaders to gain a foothold in the north, and they would fall into endless fighting and internal consumption.

At present, Wu's reinforcements are crossing the river and entering Huainan, but it will take some time to reach Haizhou.

Su Chen thought that once the 100,000 New Wu troops successfully entered Haizhou and reinforcements arrived, his chances of winning would be greatly increased. His eyes wandered over the map, looking for possible battlefields and tactics that could secure victory. In this tense battle, Su Chen was considering secretly mobilizing Lin Renzhao's troops, ordering them to stop marching north and turn west to join the troops he personally led to jointly besiege the reinforcements that rushed from Bianjing.

He knew very well that most of the reinforcements from the Song Dynasty were recruited from various places, lacked unified command, and were not elite imperial guards. Many of the local garrisons had not seen war for many years and knew nothing about the power of firearms, which was their weak spot that was most easily blocked.

Su Chen believed that as long as he could quickly defeat the Song Dynasty's reinforcements and then turn around to resist the offensive of Zhao Kuangyin and Cao Bin, while luring Pan Mei's troops north to raid the rear of Cao Bin's army, the balance of victory would tilt towards the Wu army.

Of course, it is not easy to implement all this. The key lies in the speed of mobilizing troops and the cleverness of strategy. Whoever can win the first battle in this game will be able to take the initiative on the battlefield.

Just as Su Chen was pondering every move in the tent, a scout hurriedly delivered a letter, breaking the silence in the tent.

"Marshal Su, General Pan has a secret letter." A guard's voice sounded outside the tent, breaking the silence of the night.

"Oh?" Su Chen raised his head, a gleam in his eyes, "Show it up."

Captain Jing Yun of the imperial guards strode into the tent with big strides. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's. He personally checked the seal of the letter. After confirming that it was correct, he handed it to Su Chen respectfully.

Su Chen took the letter, unsealed it with his fingertips, and unfolded the letter. He quickly scanned the letter and found that there were two letters inside, one signed by Zhao Kuangyin and the other by Cao Bin. Su Chen's eyebrows slightly raised, and he immediately realized that this was a trick by the Song Dynasty to persuade Pan Mei to surrender, and it was also a clever trick to alienate him.

As a time traveler, Su Chen was well aware of such historical records and strategies, and he saw through the mystery in the letter at a glance. He then turned to the scout and asked about the specific details of the letter.

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This scout was a messenger sent by Pan Mei's military camp, and he had been informed of the whole story in advance. Facing Su Chen's questioning, he did not hide anything and told everything he knew.

Su Chen listened to the scout's narration and gradually understood Pan Mei's decision at that time. It was very clever. He couldn't help but feel a little bit of recognition for Pan Mei's wit and decisiveness.

A faint smile appeared on Su Chen's lips. This war was not only a contest of military strength, but also a game of wits and strategies.

He thought to himself: Pan Mei has made his choice. At least for now, he is still on my side. This is a plot by the Song Dynasty to sow discord. I cannot lose my composure and fall into the trap. However, this just gives me an opportunity. Why don't I use the same method against him and deal with it with a counter-espionage plot?

He pondered for a moment and made up his mind. He decided to write a secret letter to Pan Mei. They would put on a good show together, just like the good story of Zhou Yu beating Huang Gai in history. On the surface, he would dismiss Pan Mei, but in fact, he would let Pan Mei secretly control the military power. In this way, he could induce Zhao Kuangyin and Cao Bin's troops to turn around and attack Pan Mei's camp with all their strength, distracting their attention and manpower.

In this way, Su Chen and Lin Renzhao could join forces to first eliminate the Song Dynasty reinforcements coming south from Bian Jing.