A thousand-year-old family that began with the Battle of Makino

Chapter 959: The governors of various states gathered in Bian Prefecture, and the military government discussed the strategy

The first month of the fourth year of Qianning
Bai Haoyuan, the governor of Yun, Pu and Huazhou; Bai Xingjian, the governor of Yanzhou; Bai Xiaoqiang, the governor of Mizhou and Xinzhou;

Li Kerang, governor of Xuzhou, Suzhou and Haizhou; Yuan Qing, governor of Yingzhou, Haozhou and Sizhou; Bai Yu, governor of Zhengzhou, Bianzhou and Songzhou; Chen Daniu, governor of Haozhou and Yingzhou;

Xuanwu Army Deputy Envoy Guo Huilong, Five Soldiers Garrison Envoy Yuan Congwu, Military Commander Bai Banghan and other generals from all walks of life in Xuanwu gathered at the Xuanwu Army Headquarters in Bianzhou.

A major military meeting is being held to discuss the future offensive direction of the Xuanwu Army.

The generals took advantage of the time when Bai Yi was not there to chat and exchange interesting stories and experiences in their respective defense areas.

"The envoy has arrived!"

With a nod of greeting, Bai Yi walked in from outside the hall with the gait of a dragon and a tiger.

The venue for this military meeting was set at the White Tiger Hall. From now on, all meetings related to military affairs will be held in the White Tiger Hall.

Meetings concerning administration were held in Guangming Hall.

"I am waiting to see you, Lord Envoy."

"No need to be polite, everyone, please take a seat."

As Bai Yi took his seat, all the generals sat upright on the stools prepared for them in the hall, with their heads held high and their chests puffed out, looking at the commander-in-chief behind the desk.

"I believe you all know the reasons why I called you back this time."

"Yes, last year our army defeated Zhu Xuan and Zhu Jin, recovered Yunyan, forced Wang Shifan to surrender, and shocked the world."

"However, if you plan ahead, you will succeed. If you don't plan ahead, you will fail. Since I have decided to compete with the heroes of the world, I cannot stop."

"So, where will our army's goal be next? Please feel free to speak your mind."

After hearing Bai Yi's opening words, Guo Huilong, the leader of the military officers, immediately stood up and said:
"Now that the envoy has pacified Yun and Yan, and conquered Zibo and Qing, the whole world is paying attention. Looking at the surrounding military garrisons, the prince of Wei Bojian, the envoy's eldest son, and the others are no more than Zhu Quanzhong, Yang Xingmi, and Lu Yanwei."

"Zhu Quanzhong occupied Heluo and invaded Guanzhong; Yang Xingmi dominated Jianghuai and attacked Jiangnan; Lu Yanwei protected Cangjing, but he could not do it alone."

"Zhu Quanzhong is the strongest, followed by Yang Xingmi. As for Lu Yanwei, he is just a defender of the status quo. He is not worth your attention. You only need to send a debater and he will surrender on his own."

"Now that Zhu Quanzhong has taken over Hezhong, he has also received support from the three towns of Li, Wang, and Han in Guanzhong. His army is strong and his cavalry is second only to mine. Therefore, he has fought against Hedong many times, and it is difficult to say who will win or lose."

"Although there was a rift between Hezhong and the imperial court last year, we still hold the righteous cause and can slow down a bit."

"On the other hand, Yang Xingmi accepted Zhu Jin's troops and gained the advantages of the northern troops. In addition, he is the best at naval warfare, which may become a big problem."

"I heard that in the current war between Qian Liu in western Zhejiang and Dong Chang in eastern Zhejiang, Yang Xingmi's voice was often heard."

"If they really take over Jiangnan and Jiangdong, they will become like Wu Liang. With our current strength, we may not be able to win."

"Therefore, I think the military government's goal is to go south to Huainan, cut off the ring behind, and then swallow up Hebei, and then go west to Guanzhong, and the world will be settled."

After Guo Huilong finished speaking, the other generals also stood up to express their own views, but most of them were similar to his.

About two-thirds of the generals believed that they should first take Huainan, then Hebei, and finally Guanzhong, and then take over Bashu, so as to build up a great momentum and destroy Jiangdong.

Since they were of the same mind, Bai Yi did not keep the secret any longer and immediately stood up and made the decision:
"It seems that most people agree with Guo Shuai's idea, which is good. It shows that everyone's vision is not limited to their own family."

"Early before the military meeting, I had discussed this with the military commander, and it coincided with General Guo's opinion. In this case, conquering Huainan will be our army's next strategic goal."

"Guo Huilong!"

"Your Majesty."

"Although we are going to attack Huainan, we have to guard against Zhu Quanzhong. I hereby appoint you as the defense envoy of Zheng, Bian, Song, Hao, and Ying. You will command the troops of the five states and be stationed in Bianzhou."

"Order."

"Bai Yu."

"My child is here." "I now order you to stay in Bianzhou and be responsible for supervising all military affairs except for my expedition. If there are any undecided matters, you can ask Tian Weiyi for civil affairs and Guo Huilong for military affairs."

"I will definitely live up to my father's expectations."

"Bai Haoyuan."

"I will leave the affairs of Hebei and Jibei to you."

"Order."

"Bai Xiaoqiang."

"Your Majesty."

"Although Wang Shifan of Qingzhou has already submitted to the military government, we must be on guard. Bai Xingjian needs to be used. The military affairs of Xu, Mi, and Xin are left to you."

"Please rest assured, sir."

After arranging the preparations at home, Bai Yi looked around at the other generals and said sternly: "The rest of you, follow me to the Huainan expedition, and make sure you complete the victory in one battle."

"I will obey your order."

It's no wonder Bai Yi is anxious. He is already 53 years old. If he delays any further, when Bai Rui is too old to walk and unable to handle family affairs, he will have to give up everything and return to Songxi to inherit the position of head of the family.

By then, the great cause of unifying the world would be missed and handed over to the second son Bai Jian.

By then, when the old takes over and the new is replaced, no one knows what will happen.

August of the fourth year of Qianning
The plum rain season had just arrived in the Jianghuai region, and the huge war machine of the Xuanwu Army slowly started moving.

While other vassal states were keeping their troops inactive and licking their wounds from the wars of the previous two years, the Xuanwu Army brazenly declared war on Huainan on the grounds that Yang Xingmi had accepted the rebel Zhu Jin.

In an instant, the whole world was shaken, and everyone's eyes were turned here.

At this time, not only the war in the north and the west, but also in eastern and western Zhejiang had ended. Qian Liu defeated Dong Chang, was awarded the title of Jiedushi of Zhendong Army, and was promoted to Jianchao Taiwei and Zhongshu Ling, and was granted an iron certificate.

In addition to his original title as Jiedushi of Zhenhai Army, Qian Liu, who controlled the Liangzhe region, was both the Jiedushi of Zhenhai and Zhendong, and occupied half of the south of the Yangtze River. He was another rising powerful town in the world.

This was the first time that the Xuanwu Army danced alone on the stage of the world. The entire Tang Dynasty, from the emperor and ministers to the common people and soldiers, all turned their eyes to the east.
The Xuanwu Army was the "strongest town" in the world, "monopolizing eighteen states" and "headed by a man from the most aristocratic family in the world".

August th

Bai Yi had already designated Suzhou as the gathering place for various armies, and forced Wang Shifan to send an army to join them.

At this time, the small place of Suzhou gathered the largest number of soldiers in the world. It seemed that all the evil energy in the world had gathered above Suzhou.

Suzhou Tongcheng, the capital of Suzhou Prefecture, is an important node on the canal.

Looking from the canal, the two banks stretched for dozens of miles, with flags densely spread and the sounds of drills deafening, as if one had stepped into a ship and sailed into the underworld.

August 19

All the designated troops were present. Bai Yi beat drums in the central army tent outside Tongcheng to gather the generals, roll call and distribute orders.

After counting, a total of 200,000 troops arrived, including half of the Xuanwu army, 20,000 people, the Xuande, Xuanren, Xuanyi, and the newly formed Xuancheng army, each with 20,000 people, all of which arrived.

These 100,000 men are the elite of the entire Xuanwu Army today, and they are the basis for Bai Yi to dominate the world.

In addition, there were 20,000 Qingzhou soldiers sent by Qingzhou Wang Shifan, and the remaining 80,000 soldiers and horses of the Xuanwu Army, totaling 200,000.

In order to maintain these 200,000 people, the Xuanwu Army mobilized nearly one million able-bodied men and civilians, which was a national effort.

Because of the high consumption, fortunately there is a canal as a food route, otherwise just how to transport food to the front line would be a problem.

(End of this chapter)