Prince of Song Dynasty

Chapter 879 Giant Sand Table
Unexpectedly, after Ye Chen finished speaking, he stood up and said with a smile, "Mr. Duanmu and Master Yunyue followed me to the military headquarters to see something."

Xin Shi had already understood it, and arranged for people to prepare the car and ceremonial guard. The Military Shuttle Department was next to the right side of the palace, and the time for half a stick of incense had arrived. Hundreds of officials greeted His Majesty the Emperor.

Ye Chen led Duanmu Zhongren and Master Yunyue to the military headquarters. It has to be said that this trust really touched Duanmu Zhongren, who was uncomfortable just now.As for Master Yunyue, he always had the inscrutable look of an eminent monk.

After entering the military hub, Yang Jiye led the way in person.Duanmu Zhongren and Master Yunyue followed Ye Chen from left to right, then walked through the front yard of the military headquarters' usual office, and walked along the corridor to the inside.

Along the way, Duanmu Zhongren couldn't help observing carefully, but saw that the layout of Xiangfu Kingdom's military hub that governs the world's soldiers and horses was much simpler than he imagined, but when he looked closely, he found that it was extremely reasonable. However, the Fuya compound has a faint feeling of an iron-blooded military camp.In particular, as you go deeper, you will find that there are more guards and fewer officials. In the end, even a single official can't be seen. Guardsmen in armor are everywhere.

Duanmu Zhongren's heart moved, and he secretly said: "Could it be that we are going?"

Ye Chen, Yang Jiye, Zeng Shangfei, and Master Yunyue had already stopped in front of a building. He hurriedly stopped and looked up. There was a horizontal plaque hanging above the closed door of that lonely building, but it was not written Instead of the "White Tiger Hall" he imagined, it says "war room" in three large characters.

Yang Jiye saw his doubts in Duanmu Zhongren's surprised expression, and said: "According to His Majesty's will, the place where we Xiangfu Guojun discusses is not called 'White Tiger Hall', but 'War Room'."

Duanmu Zhongren said: "The war room... as the name suggests, it is actually more in line with the title of the military conference than the White Tiger Hall."

Ye Chen, Yang Jiye, Zeng Shangfei, Duanmu Zhongren, and Master Yunyue walked into the war room. Although Duanmu Zhongren had never entered such a military secret place, he was familiar with history books and military books, and he knew such places. importance, and not everyone can get in.Rao, as a Confucian who pays attention to self-cultivation, it is difficult to restrain the emotions in his heart at this moment, mixed with Ye Chen's trust, curiosity and a little excitement... All kinds of emotions are intertwined, Duanmu Zhongren couldn't help but feel the moment he stepped into the door. Even breathing became slightly rough.He hastily took a deep breath, trying to balance his breathing.But he never thought about why Master Yunyue followed in so easily.

Although Duanmu Zhongren's breathing changed only slightly, how could it escape Ye Chen's ears, Ye Chen smiled in his heart.Combining the past investigations of Duanmu Zhongren by the Ministry of Security these days and the probing these days, so far, it has been possible to rule out that Duanmu Zhongren is not a member of the Holy Church.

Under the witness of Duanmu Zhongren, the military officer in charge of guarding the war room wearing the military uniform of the capital school did not bow down to Ye Chen, but opened the door after paying a strange military salute. Ye Chen did not wait for Duanmu Zhongren , striding into the door, Yang Jiye and Zeng Shangfei gestured please to Duanmu Zhongren.

The moment he stepped into the war room, Duanmu Zhongren almost suffocated.

What appeared in front of him was a super-large sand table!Duanmu Zhongren, who is a native of Guazhou in the Hexi Corridor, can tell at a glance where the terrain of the sand table is without looking too much.

The sand table was originally invented by Ye Chen when he was in the Huaxia Weifu, and it has become popular in the Song Kingdom and Xiangfu Kingdom, and it is said that the Liao Kingdom has followed suit.But Duanmu Zhongren, who was far away in the Western Regions, saw it for the first time, not to mention that the sand table in front of him can be said to be the largest sand table in this era.What he saw with his eyes was quite shocking to his heart.

In an instant, Duanmu Zhongren threw everything away, walked quickly to the sand table, and looked curiously at the mountains and rivers, cities and deserts on the sand table.This is a giant sand table that covers the entire Hexi Corridor, starting from Lanzhou and Liangzhou, and extending to Shazhou in depth. It completely occupies a conference hall that can accommodate more than 40 people!
What impressed Duanmu Zhongren the most was that almost every village, green state, city, and tribe in the Hexi Corridor clearly marked with small flags how many people there were, how many troops were there, what nationality, and how many Han people accounted for. , etc. useful intelligence information.

"As early as the beginning of the founding of our Xiangfu country, I asked the Ministry of Security to start investigating the mountains and rivers, geography, and the number and strength of various forces in the Western Regions. This is the achievement of the Ministry of Security over the past year." In Ye Chen's faint voice, There are some inexplicable emotions. After all, military combat ideas such as sand table and war game deduction are advanced combat theories and methods that only later generations have. When used in this era, they already have a lot of advantages over the enemy.

"Soon each legion will issue a new map. The latest course added by our Xiangfu Country Military Academy is Cartography. The weather, the location, and the harmony of people, we must first firmly occupy the location." Compared with the sand table Later generations are far from accurate enough, but Ye Chen may be sure that in this era, it is already the most accurate sand table in history.

After carefully examining the sand table, Duanmu Zhongren took a deep breath and said from the bottom of his heart: "With such detailed information, if Your Majesty does not have the Western Regions, what is the law?"

Ye Chen smiled and asked, "Mr. Duanmu, why don't you discuss it in detail?"

Duanmu Zhongren shook his head and said: "This old man is a literati. He has never led a soldier or fought a war, so he dare not speak recklessly, but there are a few things to worry about. Let His Majesty and the General listen to it. I hope there will be some where it is used."

Ye Chen said: "Mr. Duanmu is polite, please speak freely."

Duanmu Zhongren looked at the sand table, and after thinking for a while, he said: "As far as I know, the tyrants and powerful states in the Hexi Corridor in the Western Regions have been operating for a long time, and their strength is not weak, and there are many wars in the Western Regions, and there are as many bandits and robbers as a cow's hair. The land of the state and the soldiers and horses in the hands of the defenders have always been brave, and they are by no means incompetent. In addition, the road in the Hexi Corridor is dangerous, mostly desert and wild, and there are hundreds of miles of uninhabited people. The difficulty of transshipment is nothing more than this. The defenders are easy. Keeping the walls strong and clearing the fields, it is not easy for our expeditionary army to transport food, grass and luggage. If the food road is lost, it is really in danger of overturning. Therefore, we should send capable generals to protect the food road without any mistakes."

Ye Chen's eyes flickered, Yang Jiye and Zeng Shangfei's faces were moved, and Master Yunyue remained calm.

Yang Jiye and Zeng Shangfei were moved because what Duanmu Zhongren said was almost exactly the same as the biggest issue about the westward Hexi Corridor that they had researched in the military discussion. scholar."

Ye Chen smiled and said: "It is true that Mr. Duanmu's words are also the ones that worry the whole Xiangfu Kingdom. The most difficult thing to attack the Hexi Corridor is indeed the supply."

Duanmu Zhongren would never think that what he said just now, Xiangfu's monarch and ministers would not think of it, it was just a remark, and then he said: "However, this old man thinks that Xiangfu's army is strong, and it only needs to be at every step to protect the food. Do not worry about the failure of the Hexi Corridor states.”

Ye Chen nodded slightly, what Duanmu Zhongren said earlier hit the nail on the head.What I said later is only a pertinent and safe statement, and there is no surprising strategy.

In fact, although Ye Chen wholeheartedly wanted to take down the Hexi Corridor and make it another long-lasting source of income for the Xiangfu Kingdom, he even regarded it as a source of income, but he was concerned about taking the Hexi Corridor in a short period of time and very smoothly. Always be cautious.

Because he knows that once the war starts, there will be many unexpected situations. No matter how much he prepares the military headquarters, the harsh natural conditions in the Hexi Corridor are still difficult to overcome. The above may not be absent.

Ye Chen has a clear understanding of the differences between the pre-war deduction and the actual war.For example, since ancient times, all generals who can lead troops to fight have known the importance of food roads, but in fact, there are countless examples of wars that failed due to food road supplies being robbed or even destroyed by natural factors, and even always occupy the The vast majority of all wars in history.

Of course, Ye Chen didn't need to discuss this with Duanmu Zhongren at this time.

"So, this old man still thinks that His Majesty's methods outside the battlefield are very important in the battle of the Western Regions. Sometimes they can be worth tens of thousands of troops." Duanmu Zhongren said again while looking at the sand table in amazement.

Ye Chen nodded and said: "Mr. Duanmu's words are very true, so in Mr. Duanmu's opinion, when is the best time to send troops?"

"May!" Duanmu Zhongren replied without thinking.

"May?"

"Exactly. Most of the soldiers and horses under the command of the powerful forces in the Hexi Corridor are cavalry. Your Majesty's army is mixed with cavalry and infantry. My strengths and weaknesses are very clear. In the enemy's territory, the weather, the location, and the harmony of people are all in the enemy, and the wise will not take them. When the deep water dries up in winter, the thieves and horses have no grass for overnight, and they are weak. However, the winter is bitter and cold, and the attack is not easy. The two are unfavorable times. In the deep spring, the bandits are weaker, and your majesty is training troops and horses, so you can take advantage of them. This is a time when I am strong and the bandits are inferior. Therefore, when you send troops in May, your majesty's army will have the right time." Duanmu Zhong Ren said very confidently.

Ye Chen applauded in his heart. Yang Jiye and Zeng Shangfei said that when they ordered the army commanders to propose their own strategies and tactics for sending troops to the Hexi Corridor, many army commanders also mentioned this point.From a military point of view, Ye Chen has to admit that the most appropriate time to start the war is undoubtedly May.

(End of this chapter)