Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 649: Simple and Troublesome
Prince Sheng Li Qi, no, now it’s Prince Chenliu Li Qi.

He happily went to Chenliu County with his family to become the "King of Chenliu".

Although they said they were setting up a government office, in fact the residence was ready-made. Li Lin's original palace did not need to be renovated, and could be directly used by Li Qi.

After all, the emperor Li Lin has now moved into the official imperial palace and has long looked down upon the original palace in Chenliu.

However, when Li Qi went to Bianzhou, Gao Shi, as a close confidant of the prince, did not follow the prince. As for the reason, Gao Shi did not mention it to Li Qi, and Li Qi did not try to keep him.

Both parties tacitly said goodbye politely without saying any extra words.

After nightfall, Fang Chongyong summoned his generals and trusted aides to a meeting at the Yangzhou government office in order to discuss how to deal with the increasingly violent civil unrest in the south of the Yangtze River.

Gao Shi was also present at the meeting, but had not yet been appointed to a new official position by Fang Chongyong.

"Gao Shi, I am now recruiting you as a marching officer, to serve by my side and to participate in military discussions.

Please introduce the military situation now."

Fang Chongyong said to Gao Shi with a smile.

"Okay, Marshal. I will talk about the current battle situation."

Gao Shi's heart was at ease. He unfolded the map he had prepared long ago and hung it on the wall. South of the Yangtze River, there were densely packed red circles marked with a vermilion pen, which made people's scalps numb.

Those places were captured by the rebel army under Yuan Chao.

"Yuan Chao's offensive is very fierce, and their current target is Suzhou and Changzhou.

The goal was clear. If they could capture Yangzhou, that would be the best. If they couldn't, they would have to completely occupy Xuanzhou, Suzhou, Changzhou, and Runzhou south of the Yangtze River. Then they would continue to plunder the land southwards and wait for an opportunity to attack north of the Yangtze River.

The rebels Zhu Ci and Shen Hao in Huzhou are also very active. They cooperated with Yuan Chao to capture Huzhou City a few days ago, and General Lai Zhen has retreated to Changzhou. "

Gao Shi briefly introduced the military situation and did not mention the bandit Fang Qing troops stationed in Qiupu at all.

He believed that the actual number of Yuan Chao's troops had exceeded 100,000, and this was ironclad information that could be verified repeatedly.

As for the rebel Fang Qing, it is good enough for him to have 10,000 soldiers who are slightly capable of fighting. He is not even qualified to "come to the table"!
Now Yuan Chao, the rebel, has become powerful and can call the shots in Jiangnan. If we only look at the number of people, the number of government troops, even if the United Army is included, is probably only one-third of the rebel army.

And the deployment is very scattered.

It is hard to be optimistic about the current war situation.

"Everyone, what do you think?"

Fang Chongyong asked as he looked around at the crowd.

No one spoke.

No one wanted to rashly propose an inappropriate strategy. No one present was a fool, and everyone understood that if they could achieve military merit this time, it would be of great help to their future career!

"Marshal, we have the advantage of the canal, which makes it very convenient for transporting troops and food.

The route of the canal is from Yangzhou to Runzhou, then to Changzhou to Wuxi to Suzhou to Jiaxing to Hangzhou.

We know it, and Yuan Chao certainly knows it too.

Their original route of advance was along this road from south to north, in the opposite direction of ours, but they were blocked by Lai Zhen, and only then were they able to attack Huzhou from the west of Taihu Lake.

The Changzhou line was not impregnable. Yuan Chao had many troops, so they could attack in different directions, bypass Changzhou City, and cut off the canal supply.

Therefore, I think that resisting step by step is exactly what Yuan Chao is trying to do. We must disrupt the rhythm of the enemy army. "

Yuan Zai, who was participating in a military meeting for the first time, clasped his fists and said to the other party.

He didn't want to be the first to stand out, but who made him enter this circle without any merit? He had no choice but to stand out!

After hearing Yuan Zai's words, everyone's eyes lit up, and many people muttered in their hearts:
This guy named Yuan is quite capable!
The bandit army's tactics were not unusual at all. They took advantage of the well-developed water network in the Jiangnan region, either attacking in groups or taking detours to surround and attack reinforcements. They gradually advanced to the Yangtze River coast.

As the saying goes, "To guard the Yangtze River, one must also guard the Huai River." If the rebel army wants to seize half of the country, then one of them is Yangzhou, and the other is Hefei. These two places must be taken away.

Otherwise, wanting to live in peace in a corner is just a dream!
For example, the Southern Chen and Southern Tang dynasties soon perished after losing Huainan, because they could not defend the Yangtze River alone.

But why didn’t the rebel army advance southwards first?

The answer is that there is the Wuyi Mountain Range blocking the south, and the area is surrounded by mountains.

The rebels rebelled because they wanted to live a good life. Could it be that their original intention was to go into the mountains and live with jackals, tigers and leopards?

That's obviously not the case.

"There is no need to rush to wipe out the Yuan Chao rebels overnight. Since you all have no ideas, go back and think about it first, and discuss it tomorrow.

If we don’t take action, then it’s fine. But if we do, we must deal with Yuan Chao.”

Seeing that no one responded, Fang Zhongyong waved his hand, indicating that the generals could go back and rest.

Everyone filed out and left the study. Yuan Zai seemed to have something else to say, but seeing that Fang Zhongyong had no intention of discussing military strategy, he sighed and followed everyone out of the government office study.

After everyone left, Fang Zhongyong frowned and stared at the map on the wall in a daze.

There were so many people around just now that it was inconvenient for him to express his opinion. He looked as steady as an old dog, but he was actually very anxious inside.

This battle can be described as "both simple and troublesome".

The reason why it is simple is that judging from previous battle examples, Fang Chongyong believes that the enemy army's combat effectiveness is not strong, and its appeal is not strong in the newly occupied territory.

By pushing the front line forward little by little and capturing cities one by one, Yuan Chao will eventually be wiped out.

However, this would cause great damage to Jiangnan. After conquering a city, the local population and industry and commerce would be destroyed.

It would be very good if two or three households out of ten could survive.

The trouble in this battle is how to defeat the main force of Yuan Chao's army as quickly as possible!
Cut the mess with a sharp knife!
Taking over one city at a time is definitely not a good idea.

The situation was now clear. Lai Zhen had temporarily stopped Yuan Chao's bandit army in Changzhou, and Hangzhou was still a thorn in the rear. The next battle would be for the cities of Suzhou and Wuxi.

There is a high probability that Yuan Chao will surround Suzhou and Wuxi and attack the reinforcements, luring Lai Zhen to come to rescue, thereby consuming the strength of the government army.

As for Hangzhou, they tried their best to attack the city desperately, because Hangzhou City was much larger than all the cities currently occupied by Yuan Chao!

Once we capture this place, we can temporarily use it as the capital.

How can Yuan Chao break the deadlock he is dealt?
Fang Chongyong folded his arms, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

If Suzhou is fought over repeatedly, it will become a scorched earth.

If we fight for Jiaxing repeatedly, Jiaxing will become a scorched earth.

This kind of fighting is not only time-consuming and laborious, but also wipes out the population of Jiangnan. Obviously, this is not a good way to go.

Boom boom boom!
There were three knocks on the study door.

Da Congming said outside, "General, Gao Shi wants to see you. He said he has something important to report."

"Let him in."

Fang Chongyong shouted unintentionally, his mind was still on military strategy, his eyes fixed on the map.

Gao Shi walked into the study and saw Fang Chongyong seemed to be thinking about something. He said nothing and just waited quietly by the side.

It was as if Fang Zhongyong was the only one in the room.

After a long time, Fang Zhongyong came back to his senses and asked Gao Shi: "I met you when I went to Hexi. We are old acquaintances. If you have anything to say, just tell me directly."

"Are you planning to let Prince Chenliu go, Marshal?" Gao Shi asked in a deep voice.

Fang Chongyong was stunned. He didn't expect Gao Shi to ask this.

What's so hard about dealing with Li Qi?
He waved his hand and said:
“There is no such thing as letting go or not letting go.

A man is innocent if he possesses a treasure. It is a wise move for King Chenliu to leave Huainan, a place of trouble.

In this case, how can I be so hard on him? The Prince of Chenliu will surely have no worries about food and clothing, and live to a ripe old age. "

"The Marshal is so humble, which is admirable."

Gao Shi was very respectful, and the other party saluted with his hands crossed.

"Okay, stop beating around the bush and just say what you want to say."

Fang Zhongyong sighed. He was feeling very upset.

Yuan Chao is such a flea, how freaking good at jumping! Fang Chongyong's original plan was to quickly conquer Huainan and then wipe out Yuan Chao's bandit army as quickly as possible.

Unexpectedly, when he arrived in Yangzhou, Yuan Chao had already launched a massive offensive in Jiangnan!

Such a large situation obviously cannot be resolved by minor actions, and it will not even stop overnight.

"General, to quell the civil unrest, we must first conquer the people's hearts.

It is impossible to kill all those rioters. The only way to solve the problem in a short time is to break their will.

Resettling these rioters and letting them return to their farmland is the key to calming the civil unrest in Jiangnan."

Gao Shi said to the other party Chongyong.

I have to say, there is some truth in what he said. However, everyone understands the truth, but the difficult part is the strategy, how to implement the specific actions!
For example, many emperors said, "The people are the most important, the country is second, and the emperor is the least important." But what does "the people are the most important" mean? That is to be implemented in specific national affairs.

At this point, these emperors seemed to have forgotten what they had said before.

This is the same principle as the need for "softness" to quell the rebellion in the south of the Yangtze River. What is important is the measures.

"What should we do specifically?"

Fang Chongyong folded his arms and asked with interest.

"General, the government should first post a notice stating that only the main culprit will be executed this time, not the accomplices. Only the evildoers will be killed, and their families will not be implicated."

Gao Shi said so.

"That's right, but if we can't defeat Yuan Chao on the battlefield, these are all nonsense. Saying them will only make people think that the court is weak."

Fang Chongyong pointed out the biggest weakness of the method proposed by Gao Shi.

When the enemy army is defeated, calling on them to surrender their weapons but not to kill them will have the effect of disintegrating the enemy army.

But when the enemy is in high spirits, shouting that they will be treated leniently will only make the enemy more arrogant!

"General, I think it is very unwise to set up the battlefield in Suzhou and Hangzhou. We have been mobilized by Yuan Chao the whole time. Wherever they attack, we have to rescue. If we fight like this, even if we win, it will be a forced victory."

Gao Shi finally expressed a point of view that Fang Zhongyong agreed with very much.

"Yes, then how do you think we should fight back?"

Fang Zhongyong's expression also turned serious. He didn't believe that Gao Shi was only capable of this.

If this is all the other party's ability and he still dares to come alone late at night to offer advice, it can only mean that Gao Shi is too frivolous and not up to any important task.

"General, Yuan Chao's military skills are really average. He was able to capture cities and territories before because the Tang army in Jiangnan was in disarray and there was no leader, so everyone acted on their own.

I think this guy may have some skills in battle, but he is a complete layman in strategy!"

Gao Shi walked up to the map, pointed to the location of Taizhou and said:

"Yuan Chao started in Taizhou, first went south to control Wenzhou, then went north to control Mingzhou.

Follow the troops northwards to Yuezhou, Hangzhou, Huzhou, and head straight for Changzhou!"

Gao Yu used a charcoal pencil to draw a line on the map, and the other party Chong Yong explained:

"Although Yuan Chao has more than 100,000 soldiers, perhaps he has gathered 200,000 now. But he has already taken care of the head and not the butt. His troops are in the shape of a long snake. And the elite troops should be gathered at the head of the snake, which is near Huzhou.

Its old nest Taizhou, as well as Mingzhou, Yuezhou and other places it controlled successively, should be full of old and weak troops, or non-direct troops, and their combat effectiveness is much inferior to the main force near Huzhou.

Marshal, if we send troops here, we can cut off this long snake!"

Gao Shi pointed to a place name on the map and said.

"Mingzhou, Wanghai Town?"

Fang Chongyong discovered that this place had actually been marked by Gao Shi a long time ago, and from the name one could tell that this was a seaport.

“Yes, this is the largest ferry port in Mingzhou, where ships can berth.

The Marshal only needs to take his elite troops from Yangzhou, march eastward along the Yangtze River into the sea, then march south along the coast to the vicinity of Mingzhou and land at Wanghai Town.

After landing, they directly attacked Cixi, Fenghua and other places in Mingzhou. After occupying this place, they would dig deep trenches and fortifications, and then they could split Yuan Chao's rebels in two! Cut them into two parts, north and south, so that he could not take care of the head and the tail.

Afterwards, the commander-in-chief divided his troops into two groups. One group headed west to attack Yuezhou and occupy Kuaiji. The other group headed south to attack Yuan Chao's old nest, Taizhou!

Yuan Chao learned that the rear supply had been cut off and his hometown was occupied by the government army. His troops must have lost their morale! They could no longer attack Suzhou and Wuxi, so they could only go south to Yuezhou to try to open up the grain route.

At that time, the commander-in-chief can attack cities and send people to surrender at the same time. This is the strategy to defeat the enemy!"

Gao Shi bowed deeply to Chongyong and said.

Gao Shi has his own understanding of defeating Yuan Chao, but Lai Zhen doesn't buy his account, and Li Qi is not someone who can take responsibility, so Gao Shi has been planning silently and waiting for an opportunity.

And now, the opportunity has come.

"You're right, but it's a bit risky to do this."

Fang Zhongyong stroked the short beard on his chin and said thoughtfully.

Gao Shi's suggestion was very bold, but if it succeeded, it could turn the tide of the war.

If we really want to make an analogy, it is a bit like MacArthur's Incheon Landing. The sea route goes straight to the enemy's rear, interrupting the enemy's offensive rhythm and cutting off the supply line.

It would be extremely difficult for a peasant uprising army to regroup after suffering such a blow.

"How about this, you go back and think about it first, and bring it up during the military meeting tomorrow. I still need to think about it further."

Fang Zhongyong said without comment.

"Understood! I will take my leave then."

Gao Shi bowed respectfully and left. He also knew that Fang Chongyong was very cunning. Even if he agreed with his strategy, he would not agree to it now. This is the stability that a mature leader needs.

After Gao Shi left, Fang Chongyong looked at the "long snake" on the map.

"If you don't throw out some tempting bait, Yuan Chao won't take the bait. Gao Shi is still a scholar after all, and his thinking is too simple."

He shook his head and muttered to himself.

(End of this chapter)