Chapter 44 The Spoils of War

The officers from the Blood Kirin Army were the first to cheer and applaud, followed by everyone else. A suit of armor, no matter how expensive, was limited in value, but it was a symbol of status and a means to boast to others in the future. The few sets of armor currently being customized by the Ye Workshop were undoubtedly destined to become legendary pieces. There were less than ten finished sets in total, and the owners, apart from Dai Yun and Qiu Haohui, were all top generals in Dongping, including even Tan Xiaopei himself. Although everyone assumed that Ye Tao was preparing to expand the scope of customized armor, and would certainly not allow the camp commanders of Dongping to be accused of overstepping their authority, being among the first to be included in the expansion was still a great honor, and… they didn't have to pay for it themselves.

Ye Tao pressed his hands down, signaling for quiet. "Don't be in such a hurry, everyone. It will take some time. Procedurally, we need to wait for the official appointment from the Command Headquarters. The workshop also needs to install equipment and transport ore and other materials before it can start work. This gives you a chance to think carefully about what kind of armor you all like. ... Also, there's another matter that concerns everyone. It can be considered very important military affairs."

The conference table fell silent, everyone waiting for Ye Tao to continue.

"Mengnan Banner is the last of the passages bordering Yunzhou and Xiling that is not under our control. Since the end of the Yunzhou campaign, the Zijing Valley camp has been dismantled, and Zijing Pass is now taking shape. It is unlikely that the Zhenbei Military Command of Xiling will bypass us from the northern grasslands, as they cannot resupply like the grassland tribes. Currently, only the passage at the western end of Mengnan Banner, guarded by Changshi Pass, allows the Xiling army to come and go at will. Due to various hidden dangers within Taizhou and the Zhenbei Military Command in northern Xiling, although they still covet Yunzhou, they lack the actual strength to attack. Even the defense of Changshi Pass is relatively weak. ... But Changshi Pass is still a hidden danger. I need to take Changshi Pass into my own hands. Who will go and seize it for me?" Ye Tao scanned the conference table, speaking with great ambition.

"Lord..." An officer was about to speak, but Ye Tao shook his head and said, "Let me finish."

"Changshi Pass is currently guarded by fewer than two thousand soldiers. But we in Yunzhou have too many things to do, and I cannot mobilize too many troops. I can only provide one battalion, which is three thousand men. In this battle, I require a swift resolution, with minimal casualties on our side. And preferably, minimal casualties on their side as well; I intend to release the prisoners. I want Xiling to think that we do not want to fight right now, and are only acting to protect our own security. I don't want to engage in any large-scale warfare before we have completed our preparations." Ye Tao scanned the room again and asked, "Who wants to give it a try?"

Everyone looked at each other. Everyone understood that this battle would be extremely difficult. Changshi Pass was not a formidable pass, or even a conventional one. It was actually a cluster of four small castles built in Changshi Valley, with a low stone wall and a wooden gate that still served as the pass's entrance. But how to fight a battle where neither side could suffer heavy casualties was something no one was confident about.

"Then let me talk about the rewards," Ye Tao said playfully. "Anyone who can accomplish this can choose any one of the fifty battalions in Yunzhou and serve as its camp commander. Regardless of performance, there will be no replacement within one year. I will personally design and create a customized set of armor for the camp commander. ... Also, there is a recommendation for one person to enter the Blood Kirin Army for training and experience. As for other rewards, there will naturally be a bounty, but I won't mention it here. Suffice to say, the amount will be satisfactory. So, who's willing to give it a try?"

The reward was indeed substantial. For those present, the appointment as a camp commander was not something they cared about; they were already at least camp commanders. But the fact that Ye Tao would personally design and create armor was extraordinary. Considering Ye Tao's status, position, and his renowned reputation as the number one craftsman in the world, if this opportunity could be converted into cash, it would probably be worth hundreds of thousands of taels of silver... at the very least. And recommending someone to enter the Blood Kirin Army for training and experience was a simple and inexpensive favor for Ye Tao. Even though many people were fighting tooth and nail for the limited number of officer slots in the Blood Kirin Army each year, Ye Tao would always find a way to arrange for someone to get in if he wanted to. But for others, it almost guaranteed a person's future. Everyone had close subordinates, already had or would have children, or at least had nephews and nieces they were fond of. And this opportunity was all the more precious in such circumstances.

Just as everyone was hesitating, someone unexpected spoke up.

"Lord Ye, may I try?" A timid voice came from behind Dai Yun. It was actually one of Dai Yun's attendants.

"Shiliu? You..." Dai Yun turned around in surprise, looking at the girl who usually did her work silently and never said much.

The attendant and orderly named Shiliu was only nineteen years old, but she had been with Dai Yun for several years. Shiliu had rarely expressed her own opinions over the years, and this time, she surprised everyone.

Shiliu bit her lip lightly, too nervous to speak. This was the first time she had so strongly desired to do something, and in that instant, she had followed her instinct. However, as soon as the words left her mouth, she felt regret. She could only lower her head, biting her lip, desperately searching for the next suitable sentence in her now-muddled brain.

"Didn't expect to find your dowry this way..." An officer muttered, unknowingly making the atmosphere even more awkward.

Dai Yun's sharp gaze immediately made the babbling officer turn his head away, as if nothing had happened. Dai Yun looked at Shiliu with some pity and asked, "Is it for your brother?"

Shiliu nearly bit through her lower lip. She said softly, "...I don't want to leave Miss, and I don't want to be a camp commander. I just want my brother to have the opportunity to go to the Blood Kirin Army. I'll do anything to find a way out for my brother."

Ye Tao cleared his throat, breaking the strange silence and suspicion in the air. He said in a deep voice, "Miss Shiliu, this is a military conference. As an attending adjutant, you naturally have the right to seize this opportunity. Do you have any ideas?"

Shiliu looked at Dai Yun. The encouraging gaze from her mistress cheered her up.

Like almost all the adjutants present, her satchel also contained a map. She spread the map in front of Dai Yun and took out several copper military chess pieces, placing them on the map to represent the positions of several armies. Shiliu's idea was simple, but it had the style of an officer from the Blood Kirin Army system. Under Ye Tao's subtle influence, the Blood Kirin Army was now pursuing the "Three No's" of "no surprise victories, no fame, no heroic deeds", pursuing the efficiency of achieving victory rather than victory itself... For the Blood Kirin Army, victory was inevitable.

The core of Shiliu's battle plan was feint, deterrence, enticement, and surprise attack. Although Changshi Pass lacked combat strength, it still needed to conduct basic military reconnaissance. Every day, or at least every few days, they had to enter the territory of Mengnan Banner for reconnaissance, but now they tried to avoid contact with Yunzhou forces as much as possible, even avoiding contact and conflict with the herdsmen and farmers. Shiliu intended to completely block Changshi Pass head-on, completely stopping Changshi Pass's reconnaissance operations in Mengnan Banner. After a period of time, they would suddenly leave the front of Changshi Pass empty, creating a victorious situation of completing the mission and withdrawing troops. This kind of non-contact victory would surely make the defenders of Changshi Pass come out to investigate. Reconnaissance of a large force could not be done by a small scouting party; they had to spread out a line of scouts to fully assess the scale and movements of the enemy army. Therefore, in order to break through Yunzhou's feint, they would have to send out at least five to seven hundred men... which was half of the entire Changshi Pass garrison. At this time, the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Changshi Pass would be ripe. Changshi Pass was not a very suitable pass for defense; it was more like a border checkpoint. Shiliu planned to use a combination of surprise attacks, fire attacks, and smoke attacks to demoralize the enemy and force Changshi Pass to surrender. Shiliu even pointed out the benefits of using smoke attacks due to the extremely constant monsoon winds in this season... Whether they took Changshi Pass by force or forced its surrender, the Xiling soldiers who had entered Mengnan Banner would have no way out, and it should be easy to force them to surrender as well.

"Are you kidding me..." An officer under Dai Shijin questioned, "It's not like using smoke to drive out rabbits and foxes when hunting. How effective can smoke attacks be? The smoke will drift away. And if the enticement is too strong, the enemy won't dare to come out; if it's too weak, they won't bother to pay attention to you. If you entice too few, it won't have any effect. By the time of the smoke attack, the enemy might not be able to stand it and charge out. If you entice too many, are you going to let such a large group of people into Mengnan Banner to kill?"

This was what many of the officers present were thinking. Especially the smoke attack tactic, although everyone was familiar with it, it was mostly used in urban street battles or when attacking small fortress-like buildings. Using smoke to attack an entire pass in the open wilderness was indeed unheard of. As for the enticement, everyone felt it was a bit unnecessary. As long as the smoke attack was effective, what would happen if they just lined up and waited for the enemy to come out? But things weren't that easy.

"When the Blood Kirin Army was conducting the Yunzhou campaign, it transported a considerable batch of smoke agents, which are now stored in Suiyuan City," Shiliu said firmly. "The Blood Kirin Army has accumulated a large number of non-lethal combat methods over the years of exercises and operations. Especially in exercises, there are often situations where combat is not suitable. In this case, in order to force the other side to surrender, everyone has come up with many methods, and even special equipment. As an adjutant to Governor Dai, because I often assist in sorting out various documents and reports, I have specifically compiled these non-lethal combat methods into a booklet. Exercises conducted by the Blood Kirin Army have proven that smoke operations of a similar scale are entirely feasible."

"So, Miss Shiliu, even if it's feasible, which battalion are you going to take? And how are you going to guarantee that you can lead that battalion? Even if you are the captain of Governor Dai's personal guard, it's impossible to quickly make any battalion listen to you, especially with such continuous tactical actions that require extremely high command." Xu Yao, who attended the meeting on behalf of the Jingyun Cavalry, said in a deep voice.

Xu Yao was brought to Yunzhou by Tan Weiran and directly appointed as the adjutant of the Jingyun Cavalry, so he naturally had something going for him. Xu Yao was not a stickler for rules; on the contrary, he had always had a keen insight and had always paid great attention to the feasibility of various methods and strategies. And the two points he pointed out were precisely the flaws that Shiliu could not reverse.

"Shiliu, you are responsible for developing a battle plan and supervising its implementation. Is there anyone here who is willing to take a battalion to take Changshi Pass?" Ye Tao waved his hand, making the final decision. "As for the reward for this operation, Shiliu and the commanding officer can discuss it themselves."

At this time, the oldest officer among all the officers present stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Lord Ye, Governor Dai... If the two of you allow, this old man would like to take on this task. I am old, and I have no intention of participating in this reorganization. I just want to take over a garrison battalion. I think... even without this military功劳, it should be my turn, right? I won't compete with Miss Shiliu for this reward." The old officer named Yu Fuzhong said with a smile, "This humble general is currently leading the force that originally guarded Suiyuan. After General Xu's reorganization, it now has about seven thousand men. I'll take half of them to take Changshi Pass... it should be no problem, right? Please allow me, Lord Ye, Governor Dai."

Perhaps this was the best solution. Yu Fuzhong was almost sixty years old and was only a town garrison commander. Of course, this was because he came from a humble background, but it was also because Yu Fuzhong had not shown any strong command abilities or tactical imagination in the process of accumulating qualifications and rising through the ranks. However, his ability to become a town garrison commander fully demonstrated his solid foundation in leading, training, and managing soldiers, and it was also sufficient to show his prestige among the grassroots soldiers. And when Yu Fuzhong was willing to stand up and lead an army to carry out what seemed like a crazy idea, it basically guaranteed that there would be almost no unexpected situations. And the only thing that needed to be tested was the idea that Shiliu had proposed: whether smoke attacks were really effective.

"Then let's do that." After Ye Tao and Dai Yun exchanged a few glances, Dai Yun nodded and said, "I want to see Changshi Pass in our hands in one month. ... General Yu, please give Shiliu some guidance."

"This humble general obeys." Yu Fuzhong cupped his hands and agreed.

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……Today's update is even later, I was wrong