Jiuxi

Chapter 705: 703 [The Way of Using Troops]

March 17th, the eighth year of Tiande in Dajing.

Nanjing Garrison.

Military reports from the southern border came in like snowflakes, and the clerks were kept busy.

"On March 13, the Southern Qi Jingzhou army crossed the border in three directions to harass our country's Taikang, Xinping, and Kaocheng. According to the intelligence sent back from the front line, the Qi army currently has 50,000 to 60,000 troops, with two flags. One is Jingzhou Governor Liu Shouguang, and the other is Minister of Military Affairs Han Zhongjie."

"Lu Chen in Dingzhou has not made any movement yet. During this period, our cavalry has stepped up their surveillance of the enemy's troops. Both Dingfeng Road and Qingliu Pass in the north of Dingzhou have been very peaceful recently, no different from usual. The Southern Qi court has previously issued an imperial decree that Han Zhongjie will lead the troops in this battle, and Liu Shouguang will be the deputy commander. Lu Chen has been excluded from the expedition by the Southern Qi emperor because he is against the advance and has a firm attitude."

"According to the inference of the garrison commander before the war, the Southern Qi army deployed about 150,000 troops in this battle, with the main force being the 120,000 troops of the Jingzhou Military Governor's Office and a part of the Beijing Army. This seems to be the case now. Our army has relatively few troops deployed in the southern border. In addition to the three border cities such as Taikang, plus the garrisons in Yuanwu and Lushan City in the rear, there are only 25,000 infantry and 3,000 cavalry in total."

Qi Huan, Shao Yin of Nanjing Road, stood next to the topographic map and gave a brief introduction of the battle situation to the generals in the hall.

Wu Yanshu took a sip of tea slowly and said calmly: "Everyone, the enemy is coming fiercely, do you have any plan to repel them?"

All the generals were silent.

It’s not that they are timid and afraid of fighting, but the timing chosen by the Qi army for this attack is very delicate.

The situation in Dadu is tense. Because the Xiashan Army and Fangcheng Army are in a state of unrest, a considerable part of the Jing Army's main force is responsible for monitoring them. Dadu is the top priority, with a large number of elite troops stationed there.

Now Wuyan Shu has a total of more than 150,000 soldiers and horses under his command, including more than 40,000 cavalry. However, not long ago, Emperor Jingdi dispatched 10,000 elite cavalry to the north, further weakening the strength of Jing's army in Nanjing.

According to common sense, if Wu Yanshu's enemy was only the Jingzhou Army on the western front, he could deal with it calmly even if tens of thousands of Southern Qi Jing troops were added. However, he still needed to be wary of a powerful enemy, that is Lu Chen and the Dingzhou Army in the southeast of Nanjing Road.

He had to divide his troops into several parts, so that the pressure on the southern defense line would increase dramatically.

Although Wu Yanshu had inspired people before, the objective facts cannot be ignored. These Jing army generals would not be so arrogant as to think that they could easily defeat the enemies in the south with inferior forces.

Wu Yanshu looked around at everyone and smiled, "It seems that everyone is very sober and no longer underestimates the enemy as before."

Although his words seemed to boost his prestige, the generals suddenly felt calm after hearing them.

"Being at a disadvantage is not a big deal. The key is to recognize the situation clearly. As long as we don't harbor arrogant illusions, our army will sooner or later find an opportunity to turn the situation around."

Wu Yanshu stood up and walked to the side of the map, and said calmly: "From the current offensive posture of the Qi army, the enemy commander is using a strategy of taking things step by step. Although this is a relatively slow advance, it is safe and reliable, and will not rush into danger. Do you know how to deal with this strategy?"

Daxiang Yin Zongmin pondered and said, "It has always been difficult to attack but easy to defend. Since our army's strength in the southern border is far less than that of the enemy, we might as well hold on to the city pass to consume the enemy's strength."

"It's not a bad idea."

Wu Yanshu nodded, then changed the subject and said, "But we must first clarify the goal of the Qi army in this battle. Although they are coming with great momentum, I don't think the Qi army dares to point their spearhead at Nanjing City. The enemy's real plan should be to push the front line forward more than a hundred miles, so as to clear the barrier south of Nanjing City and lay the foundation for the future. Therefore, you should first clarify this point. The Qi army's final strategic goal will be here when it advances from the west this time."

He raised his hand and pointed to a mark on the map.

The generals looked up and saw the word "Tongbai" written next to the logo.

Over the past year or so, Wu Yanshu has built a very solid defense line in the southern border. This line of defense is centered on the strong and tall Tongbai City, and includes Taikang, Xinping, Kaocheng, Yuanwu, Lushan and other places, serving as a barrier to the southwest of Nanjing City.

If Tongbai fell into the hands of the Qi army, the situation in Nanjing City would be very dangerous, as it would be facing the blade of the Qi army, and the Jing army's room for detour would be greatly compressed.

Zongmin's proposal was mature and prudent, but Wu Yanshu obviously did not agree with it.

The problem is that our own troops are at a disadvantage. How can we stop the advance of the Qi army at this time?
Wu Yanshu took the charcoal pencil from Qi Huan, drew a circle on the map, and said to the generals: "With Tongbai as the center, this area is hundreds of miles in radius. It will be the focus of the battle between our army and the enemy. If we want to break the steady advancement of the Qi army, the key lies in eight words: abandon the city and go around, and annihilate the enemy in a roundabout way."

"As the Qi army continues to advance, the battle line will be stretched out, and the difficulty of Qi army's logistics supply will increase day by day. This is an opportunity that our army can take advantage of. Of course, in actual operation, this is not easy. Since the Qi army has an advantage in manpower, it will definitely pay special attention to protecting the logistics line. Han Zhongjie and Liu Shouguang, the two Qi army commanders, are both knowledgeable about military affairs, and they will not ignore this problem."

"Attacking the enemy's logistics line is only a supplementary measure. We need to force the enemy commander to allocate some of his forces to take care of the rear, thereby reducing the pressure on our front. Zongmin."

Wu Yanshu looked at the burly middle-aged general.

Zong Min stood up and said, "I am here."

Wu Yanshu said: "I will give you 6,000 cavalrymen. After the Qi army passes Taikang, go around to the rear of the enemy army and harass their baggage. Be careful not to get surrounded by the Qi army, and don't fight with the enemy. Your mission is to harass, not to kill the enemy. Do you understand?" Zongmin said loudly: "I obey your orders!"

Wu Yanshu nodded slightly and continued, "Just now I said that the strategy to defeat the enemy is to abandon the city and go around. What does this mean? The Qi army will certainly deploy their forces and advance northwards city by city, connecting the front and the rear to take care of both sides. To deal with this kind of continuous camp, twelve words are enough, that is, lure them, tire them, harass them, attack them, annoy them, and deceive them. Generally speaking, force the Qi army to constantly divide its forces, use small forces to confuse the enemy, and use our army's familiarity with the terrain and the advantage of mobility to divide, surround, and annihilate them."

The generals' eyes lit up.

Pucha understood and said, "It is a great strategy to stay here. As long as our army can gain a strength advantage in a specific area, we can annihilate the effective forces of the Qi army."

"The year before last, the Prince of Changshan led his troops south. He set this strategy from the beginning, with the main goal of annihilating the main force of the Qi army, rather than focusing on conquering cities. Unfortunately, a small mistake occurred in the end, and they were dragged into the quagmire outside Yongqiu City by the Qi army."

Wu Yanshu sighed softly, and then said sincerely: "But the strategy of the Prince of Changshan gave me a lot of clues, which are just right for the current Qi army. I summoned you here today to unify everyone's ideas. We must not repeat the same mistakes, and we must resolutely implement the established strategy."

All the generals responded in unison.

Wu Yanshu then asked, "Do you have any questions?"

Another general, Yan Sun, asked, "Stay here. Since our army wants to lure the enemy deep into our territory, why don't we just abandon Taikang and other places? This will also reduce our losses."

Wu Yanshu shook his head and said, "Don't think the enemy is too stupid. In the early stages of the war, our army must show a tenacious attitude. Only by letting the Qi army experience the taste of hard-won victory will they believe in our army's determination to defend the city. When the Qi army continues to advance northward, it will be reasonable for our army to abandon the city and leave. If our army does not resist at the beginning, if you were the commander of the Qi army, would you continue to advance?"

Yan Sun suddenly realized and said, "It is wise to stay here."

Wu Yanshu smiled and said, "It's hard to decide the outcome of this battle. I will tell you the specific arrangements below. I hope you will keep them in mind."

The generals sat upright with solemn expressions.

After more than an hour, the generals who had received their respective tasks bowed and left, but Pucha stayed.

He looked at Wu Yanshu who was drinking tea to moisten his throat, and said solemnly: "Stay here, Lu Chen must be on guard."

Wu Yanshu put down the teacup and said calmly: "This is why I kept you here."

Pucha said solemnly: "Please stay and give instructions."

"Your Majesty has a decree."

Wu Yanshu stood up and said calmly: "You will lead 15,000 cavalry in person, take charge of the eastern front, and personally guard Yaoshan Pass."

"I accept the decree."

Pucha agreed respectfully, and then said, "If you stay, you won't have many cavalry. Will it affect the battle situation?"

The total number of light cavalry deployed by Jing's army on Nanjing Road was about 40,000. Emperor Jing had already transferred 10,000 main forces, and Pucha was going to take away another 15,000. Just now, Wuyan Shu asked Zongmin to lead 6,000 cavalry south, which means that he had less than 10,000 cavalry with him.

Wu Yanshu said calmly: "It doesn't matter, this many cavalry are enough. You must remember that His Majesty attaches great importance to this battle. Of course, we must win on the Western Front, and there will also be a pocket on the Eastern Front. This is why I let you take 15,000 cavalry with you."

Pucha thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "I understand."

Wu Yanshu raised his hand and patted his shoulder, saying with hope: "If Lu Chen is planning a surprise attack, we must put him in a desperate situation this time. If he really can keep his troops in place, then when the battle on the western front is decided, you must isolate the Dingzhou army from the battlefield and not give Lu Chen a chance to rescue the western front."

"The last general takes command!"

Pucha agreed proudly.

Looking at his departing back, Wu Yanshu stood for a moment, then returned his gaze to the map.

Scenes of war and battle appeared in his mind, and he muttered to himself, "Three thousand cavalrymen are the generous gifts I prepared for Han Zhongjie and Liu Shouguang."

"Now that you're here, don't leave."

(End of this chapter)