Your Majesty, Please Stop!

Chapter 257: The Strategic Wisdom of the Prince of the County Can Withstand a Million Soldiers

Early morning.

The first rays of sunlight shone on the courtyard of the Jiang Mansion's yamen. Cui Ying'er, Murong Xiu, Xiong Zhang, and a group of people had already returned.

After a night of surveillance, although there was a lot of discussion among the Western Qin army and the people in the city, the rebellious sentiment was not severe. After all, for the past two hundred years, the Jiang family was the only one known, not the royal family.

It was customary to complain a bit, but no one truly had loyalty towards the court.

...

Outside the city camp.

In the general's tent, dozens of high-ranking generals gathered once again. Each of them looked exhausted. After a night of contemplation, they realized that it was no longer possible for them to leave the Western Qin army.

As for rebellion and such, they might as well follow the Prince of the County, Jiang Yuxi. Whatever he wanted to do, let him do it. Anyway, with the Western Regions' army pressing on, there was a great danger of the entire army being annihilated and dying on the battlefield. If everyone died, what was the point of caring about anything else?

"These forty thousand elite soldiers from the Western Regions are all talented in warfare and archery! It's a pity that they are not of our kind, so their hearts will inevitably be different! And what about those princes and princesses? How will the Prince of the County arrange them?"

Yu Chi Jun was deeply troubled and looked at Jiang Yuxi, asking, "Did you convey our thoughts to him yesterday?"

Everyone turned to look at Jiang Yuxi. Jiang Yuxi's face turned bitter as he replied, "I told him last night, but he has a strong temper. He said he would make arrangements this morning."

"Ah!" Yu Chi Jun sighed heavily. "I thought that when the young Prince of the County arrived, he would listen to us. I didn't expect it to be completely different. I heard what the Prince of the County said yesterday. He called us all useless and claimed that he could wipe out a million Western Regions' army with a snap of his fingers."

The group of high-ranking generals exchanged bitter smiles.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter..."

The sound of urgent horse hooves came from outside, and then Jiang Man'er rushed into the camp, her face grim. "The Western Regions' army has launched a full-scale attack! Chunhui Prefecture, Mahui Fort, Yanghe Field are all in dire straits!"

The generals immediately stood up and examined the terrain map.

The Western Regions' million-strong army was attacking from three directions, while the Western Qin army only had a few hundred thousand troops. Even if they divided their forces, each route would face the pressure of nearly ten times the enemy's strength.

"Clatter..."

The sound of horse hooves came from outside again, and soon the unkempt Sheng Lingge burst into the tent, sweeping his gaze around before cupping his fists in salute. "The Grand Commander has given the order to fully retract the front lines, abandoning Chunhui Prefecture, Yangcheng Prefecture, Mahui Fort, Yanghe Field, and the Guiwei Grassland. The 150,000-strong army will withdraw to Xingling Prefecture and its five prefectures, defending the three natural barriers of Jinchuan Pass, Ningling Pass, and Mayi Pass!"

"All the people in the abandoned areas will be relocated, and all the food and supplies will be transferred!"

"Nonsense!" Yu Chi Jun and several other veteran generals were furious. "If we retreat again, there will be nowhere left to retreat. How can we sustain a 150,000-strong army and several million civilians in five prefectures?"

Zheteng Kun suddenly stood up. "We must see the Prince of the County!"

Sheng Lingge, with an indifferent look, stepped aside. "The Prince of the County is currently incorporating the forty thousand Western Regions' surrendering soldiers! He is right in front!"

The group of veteran generals exchanged glances and hurriedly left the tent, mounted their horses, and headed straight for the captive camp. When they arrived, they saw that the seven hundred Iron Floating Guards had already incorporated more than forty thousand Western Regions' surrendering soldiers.

The young Prince of the County was sitting cross-legged on a high platform, on a grand chair, with more than ten attendants and subordinates in armor behind him.

The autumn sun hung high, casting long shadows of the group of people.

The group of veteran generals hurriedly approached and saluted, "We pay our respects to the Grand Commander!"

Xin Zhuo raised his hand lightly, indicating that there was no need for excessive courtesy, and pointed to the Western Regions' surrendering soldiers below, whose numbers seemed endless. "What do you think?"

The group of veteran generals looked over and found that the unruly foreign surrendering soldiers, who used to surrender but refused to submit, were now obediently accepting incorporation.

"How did the Grand Commander manage to do this?" Yu Chi Jun asked in astonishment.

Xin Zhuo waved his robe and pointed to a large pit in the distance, saying, "It's simple! I dug a pit and buried two thousand Western Regions' generals, tribal leaders, and chieftains. The rest naturally became obedient. No matter what kind of tribe they are, they all lack a few good-for-nothings! I plan to incorporate these more than forty thousand Western Regions' surrendering soldiers into your respective commands. With this, the Western Qin army will have a force of two hundred thousand!"

Jiang Gu'en was shocked. "Two hundred thousand troops? Will there be enough food and supplies?"

Xin Zhuo smiled. "I just finished counting the army's food and supplies. If we eat a little less, we can hold on for two months!"

"And what happens after two months?"

The group of veteran generals' teeth chattered. The court had already stopped sending food and supplies, using the excuse that the supply route had been cut off. It was clear that they intended to put the Western Qin army in a desperate situation. This was causing them great distress. If there were no food and supplies replenishment after two months, not to mention a two hundred thousand-strong army, even the one hundred fifty thousand Western Qin soldiers would collapse without fighting.

Xin Zhuo looked at everyone. "After two months, the Western Regions' million-strong army will be annihilated, and the thirteen countries will be destroyed. My Western Qin will expand its territory by five thousand li and have a million archers!"

A group of old generals felt their scalps tingling. This is too absurd, are we just playing around?

"I wonder where the Commander-in-Chief gets his confidence from?"

Wei Chi Shuo, with his handsome and serious face, showed a hint of skepticism. "Please, Commander-in-Chief, don't boast without substance. Please speak of practical matters and effective plans. Otherwise, how can we convince the masses?"

Bai Xuanji hesitated for a moment and also said, "I am confused as well. Please enlighten us, Master!"

"Please enlighten us, Commander-in-Chief!"

Nearly a hundred generals saluted in unison, questioning.

"You might as well broaden your horizons and look beyond the battlefield!"

Xin Zhuo dismissed a group of miscellaneous generals, leaving behind a group of experienced and trustworthy old generals. He looked towards the distant vast land and the twisted horizon under the autumn sun. "Why does the Thirteen Kingdoms Alliance want to conquer the Western Qin territory?"

The group of old generals didn't understand. What other reason could there be? To seize land, population, and because they are mortal enemies of Da Zhou, that's all.

Xin Zhuo smiled and said, "Firstly, they want the vast West River Nine Water Corridor, the fertile Three Thousand Li Horse Plains, and the colorful Western Qin territory with its three provinces and eighteen prefectures.

Secondly, they may have been influenced by certain individuals in Da Zhou who believe that they can completely annihilate the Western Qin army and divide the territory of the three provinces and eighteen prefectures. Not only will they gain land and population, but they will also eliminate their mortal enemy, the sword hanging over their heads. Is this correct?"

The group of generals looked at each other. Yes, the analysis of the Prince of a Small County is correct, and then what?

Xin Zhuo continued, "Now they have already obtained most of what they wanted. We have even contracted our front lines, showing weakness and giving them enough benefits. At this time, how will the Western Region soldiers react?"

Wei Chi Jun cupped his hands in salute. "At this time, the Western Region soldiers are proud. In fact, they already look down on our Western Qin soldiers. Even if several famous generals try to restrain them, they still act arrogantly!"

"Very good! Let's not talk about the foolishness of arrogant soldiers being destined to fail!" Xin Zhuo laughed. "If in the future, my 200,000 Western Qin soldiers contract our front lines, rely on the strategic passes, and fight to the death, they won't be able to swallow us, won't be able to defeat us, right?"

The group of generals looked at each other, a bit confused. If they can't defeat us, won't they be surrounded?

Xin Zhuo said, "You must understand the principle of 'one vigorous effort, then decline, and finally exhaustion.' The strength of the Western Region countries is average, the land is barren, and more than one million soldiers need to eat and drink. They can't sustain it. Moreover, they cannot ignore the unclear intentions of the Da Zhou front-line army and the Shen Ce army. So, after a short time of being unable to defeat us, their morale will definitely waver!

Of course! We can't rely solely on their wavering. That would be wrong, and too naive!"

Xin Zhuo stood up, looked directly at the generals, and confirmed once again that they trusted him before lowering his voice. "At this time, we need to use indirect methods to defeat the enemy. Firstly, send skilled negotiators to visit the royal families of various countries and tell their kings that Da Zhou will not give up the Western Qin territory. When our Western Qin army is reduced to the last man, the exhausted soldiers of the Thirteen Kingdoms will face the fury of other Da Zhou armies lying in wait. There is definitely a possibility of annihilating them in battle. Let them think for themselves and use their brains."

Secondly, we will use the captured princesses and princes of various countries to bribe their concubines with money, jewels, silk, and jade, and whisper in the ears of the emperors of those countries.

Thirdly, we will bribe the domestic political enemies of the leading generals in the Western Regions, telling them that the Western Regions generals are planning a rebellion, and if they don't withdraw their troops, the country will be in danger.

Fourthly, we will establish distant alliances and launch close attacks, persuading the mortal enemies of the thirteen countries to betray them. With the Western Qin army tightly restraining the main forces of the thirteen countries, they will be vulnerable to betrayal and surprise attacks. They are not fools and will know what to do. Once our Western Qin army is defeated, the strength of the thirteen countries will greatly increase, and those bastards will have no chance of survival.

Fifthly, we will send a fearless battalion to bypass the Mongyang Mountain and constantly harass the supply routes of the Western Regions army! We will set fires, flood the area, and do whatever it takes to disrupt their supplies.

Sixthly, I will create an epidemic and spread it to the Western Regions military camp!

Seventhly, we will closely monitor the movements of the Western Regions army. I want to know everything about them, even if it's just a fart, it will be reported to me!"

After a pause, looking at the generals who were already pale and confused, he said, "These plans have already been carefully made. We just need to discuss and send the most suitable candidates! We will not fight for the next two months! If we can withstand their attacks, it will be considered a victory! Can you do it?"

Jiang Gu'en, Wei Chi Jun, Tuoba Kedi, Zheteng Kun, Lin Haotian, a group of veteran generals, were pleased and immediately knelt down and saluted, "We will follow your orders!"

Wei Chi Shuo Zhen, Jiang Man'er, Bai Xuanji, including Sheng Lingge and Sai Qingzhu, also knelt down at the same time.

In a moment, only Xin Zhuo was standing!

The generals suddenly understood the meaning of "a skilled war practitioner has no glorious military achievements". These were things they had never thought of or only vaguely considered. Their minds were muddled and incomplete.

These things were not just empty talk or paper strategies, but highly likely to succeed and be effective!

The prince's broad perspective, vision, and strategy had transcended the essence of military warfare. His meticulous thinking and accurate understanding of the situation were truly insightful.

This was not arrogance, but a genuine ability, the skill of a commanding general!

"This matter must not leak out. We must monitor each other and carry it out with utmost secrecy!"

Xin Zhuo turned around, mounted his horse, and scanned the crowd. "I am willing to say this publicly because I trust all of you. I hope that two months from now, we will see results!"

After a pause, he continued, "I have a wild ambition. I want to annihilate the million-strong Western Regions army in one battle. I want to drink in the palaces of the Western Regions countries, take their money, and play with their queens and princesses!"

"Yes, sir!"

(End of this chapter)