Chapter 970 The National War (End)

The winter wind ceaselessly drilled in through the cracks of the main tent, impatiently seeking to snatch away all the warmth within, again and again.

Xie Yu'an sat on the commander's seat.

Before him lay two piles of military report folders.

He had already read them.

No,

To be precise,

He had read them countless times these past few days.

The curtain of the commander's tent was lifted from the outside, bringing in more cold wind, rustling the pages of the books.

Xiong Tingshan walked in, with three people standing beside him.

One was surnamed Zhao, named Zhao Han, over fifty years old. The old patriarch of the Zhao family had died two years ago, and now he was the current patriarch of the Zhao family.

One was surnamed Shi, named Shi Yong, the successor of the Shi family, serving in the Imperial Forbidden Army.

The last one was a eunuch. The Great Chu had no position for supervising army eunuchs. To a certain extent, the Great Chu nobles, with their deep moral fastidiousness, disdained eunuchs, so for a long time, eunuchs in the Great Chu did not have a high status.

And that was why he was left in the army, to act as a message relay between the emperor and the front lines. The emperor had promised Xie Yu'an not to interfere in the front-line battles, so he left a person with a very low status here to prevent him from overstepping his authority.

The five people in the commander's tent at the moment could be said to be the true decision-makers in the entire Chu State front-line camp.

This time, Xiong Tingshan was not aggressive, nor was he overbearing. Instead, he took the initiative to walk to a vacant seat nearby and sat down.

The other three also took their seats.

Xie Yu'an raised his head and glanced at the four people below, without saying a word.

The atmosphere in the commander's tent went from silence to further silence.

Finally,

The one who broke the silence first,

Was Eunuch Wu.

Eunuch Wu got up cautiously, not standing in the center, nor deliberately pinching his throat, but his voice was still very soft:

"His Majesty has a reply."

Xiong Tingshan, Zhao Han, and Shi Yong stood up at the same time, preparing to step out and kneel.

Even Xie Yu'an, who was sitting on the commander's seat like a wooden man, put his hands on the table at this moment, preparing to get up.

"This is neither an imperial decree nor an oral order. His Majesty said that he will not issue any decree regarding the affairs of the front lines, so please sit back and listen."

Everyone hesitated, but Xie Yu'an sat down first.

Seeing this, the others also returned to their seats.

"His Majesty said that he has read the letter from Xie Zhuguo (Pillar of the Nation, a high-ranking official title).

His Majesty said, Xie Zhuguo has worked hard.

His Majesty finally said that the affairs of the front lines are still to be decided by Commander Xie."

After Eunuch Wu finished speaking, he half-bowed to everyone present, then sat down and continued to smile.

Xie Yu'an gave Eunuch Wu a heavy look. He did not believe that the emperor would really delegate power completely, otherwise Eunuch Wu, this "megaphone," would not need to come in with them at this time.

The Zhao family represented the inherent forces who had relied on the emperor very early, like the Dugu family.

The Shi family represented the headquarters faction of the Imperial Forbidden Army.

Prince Ding represented the increasingly large Shanyue tribe faction in the army.

Himself, or rather, the Xie family behind him, represented the aristocratic forces that were declining but could barely still be called a lean camel.

The remaining blanks were filled by the emperor.

Coming so neatly, so directly, and so perfectly timed, Xie Yu'an did not believe it if there had been no prior consultation, if there was no inclination in their hearts.

Shi Yong said, "Commander, this humble general dares to offer a suggestion."

"You are too polite, feel free to speak."

"Yes, Commander Xie must have read Xie Zhuguo's letter."

Xie Yu'an remained noncommittal.

Shi Yong stood up and continued:

"According to the news from my Feng Chao (Phoenix Nest, intelligence agency) Inner Guard in Jin East, the 200,000 Yan army dispatched by the Yan State court to support Jin East, after completing the autumn harvest, only a small portion chose to go east to Zhennan Pass, and the majority transferred in a southwest direction.

Therefore, this humble general believes that the main force of the 200,000 reinforcements from the Yan State court should have entered my Great Chu territory, but not through Zhennan Pass to Shanggu Commandery, but through Meng Mountain."

Xie Yu'an said, "Meng Mountain is difficult to traverse."

Shi Yong immediately followed up, "Commander, although the Yan people have not been in a hurry to build their large-scale navy in recent years, they have never stopped constructing water conservancy, especially the former Fifth Prince of Yan State, now the Minister of Public Works, who has twice personally inspected river works downstream of Wang River in the past five years.

Moreover, the Prince's Mansion in Jin East seems particularly fascinated by this type of construction. The current Meng Mountain may not be so difficult to traverse anymore. Even if it is difficult, it can be transported batch by batch over such a long time.

And the most difficult part of Meng Mountain lies in the difficulty of large-scale input of rear food supplies, and the lack of sustained logistics, which does not mean that people and horses cannot move at all.

Otherwise, how did the Regent Prince enter Chu by boat back then?

How could that criminal, Nian Da… Nian Yao, raid Fancheng from the north back then?

In addition, Fancheng should also have stored a lot of grain and military supplies these years, which should be enough for the Yan army to use for a while.

After transporting a large army there, and then fighting a quick battle instead of a protracted war, this humble general believes that it is more than enough."

Xie Yu'an raised his head and said:

"Jin is vast and flat, and the Yan people's cavalry are like the wind. Moreover, the Jin East area is almost entirely under the control of that Prince's Mansion. Silently and secretly dispatching troops in their own territory is not difficult for that Prince's Mansion at all."

"Does Commander not believe in the loyalty of my Feng Chao Inner Guard? Does Commander think that my Feng Chao Inner Guard has returned false information?"

Xie Yu'an shook his head and said, "The Feng Chao Inner Guard, especially those in Yan, are all good sons of my Great Chu."

"Then Commander…"

"But the problem is, if that Prince's Mansion wants to, it can completely deceive everyone, and even their own officials will find it difficult to figure out where their army has gone and which road they are taking."

"How is that possible…"

"Nothing is impossible." Xie Yu'an glanced at Shi Yong and said very frankly, "Your Shi family has been a pure minister for too long, without large fiefs and no other thoughts.

Let me put it this way,

If my Xie family wants to rebel,

We can completely make the Xie family's troops go west while presenting you with the Feng Chao Inner Guard's report on your Shi family's desk saying they are going east."

This example was a bit too fierce, so fierce that everyone present didn't know how to respond.

Xie Yu'an continued:

"The land is your land, the people are your people, the soldiers are your soldiers, and even the fish in the streams listen to your orders. At this time, if the territory is a little bigger, it is not difficult to deceive the heavens and cross the sea in your own territory.

My Xie family is like this,

That Regent Prince in Jin East will only be more so than my Xie family."

Shi Yong pursed his lips and sat down.

Zhao Han got up and said, "What Commander said is true. We can say that the affairs of Jin are like being separated by mountains, but what about the affairs of my Chu? The Yan people are very cautious, but they still showed their hand in Sansuo Commandery and Liusha Commandery. Several cavalry units with a scale of tens of thousands of people, a month ago, from east to west, interspersed in the direction of Fancheng.

This is the transfer of the elite of the Jin East army, and it will never be fake.

This is enough to confirm and illustrate that not only has the main force of the Yan State court entered my Chu West, but also nearly half of the main force of the Jin East army led by the Regent Prince has been transferred to Chu West.

Because my three commandery defense lines are unbreakable, the Yan people have no choice but to look for breakthroughs in other directions. The direction the Yan people are looking for is in Chu West, in Guyue City, and on… Xie Zhuguo.

This point…"

Xie Yu'an suddenly sneered and said:

"Nearly half of the Jin East elites have already gone to Chuxi through the Sansuo and Liusha Commanderies? How are you so sure, Uncle Zhao?"

"Everything has traces to follow."

"Then how did Dugu Zhuguo get blocked by the Yan army outside Fancheng for no apparent reason back then?" Xie Yu'an retorted, "There are too many talented generals among the Yan people, no, among the Jin East army, and covering the battlefield with cavalry is their best skill."

"This is different, Commander. When the Regent Prince went to Fancheng from Zhennan Pass, his method of concealment was for a while, in order to make my Great Chu unable to distinguish his movements for a while.

How could it be possible to leave no traces at all?

Besides, so much time has passed, hasn't it?

In addition, why did the Yan people originally use worthless savage slave soldiers to infiltrate and wreak havoc on my three commanderies, but suddenly changed to using the Yan State court's standard troops a month ago?

The autumn harvest has long ended, and the people have long been gathered and protected by my army. Now, for the Yan people, there is little merit and great casualties, so why do this?

Could it be that the Regent Prince really looks down on the combat power of the court's army and let them come to train in advance?"

Xie Yu'an looked at Zhao Han and said:

"What do you think is the reason?"

"The purpose is to give us a false impression, creating a situation where there are many troops in his camp.

Furthermore, why have the Yan people been building a large number of camps and fortifications like crazy in the past few months?

Did the Yan people invade my Chu country, or did my Chu army attack their Yan territory?

The large-scale mobilization of laborers and the construction of a large number of projects are actually…

Just a deliberate deception, used as a cover.

He's panicking!"

"Oh." Xie Yu'an nodded and asked, "You think that the Regent Prince of Yan State, the nominal son-in-law of our Great Chu, Zheng Fan, who has stained his hands with the blood of three Zhuguo of my Great Chu,

He will panic?

If he really wants to cover it up,

Why not do nothing?

He just closes the gate,

No,

Even if he opens the gate wide for you to see,

Could it be that my Chu army will have nothing to do and take the initiative to attack?"

Zhao Han paused for a while, but continued, "Yesterday, the latest report from the west entered the commander's tent."

Xie Yu'an didn't hide it and nodded:

"It's a letter from my father. What I saw is the same as what you saw."

"In that case, why doesn't the Commander believe Xie Zhuguo's judgment?"

"My father is not a god. My father also makes mistakes."

"Xie Zhuguo saw it with his own eyes, how could it be wrong? Xie Zhuguo used himself as bait, sacrificing himself for righteousness, attracting the main force of the Yan army, creating such a god-given opportunity for my army on the front line. Commander, why do you always shrink back!"

Xie Yu'an pressed his hand and said:

"You said, what should we do?"

Zhao Han licked his lips, took a deep breath, and said:

"It's already too late to support Guyue City."

Saying this, Zhao Han couldn't help but pay attention to Xie Yu'an's expression. Seeing that Xie Yu'an's expression was normal, he continued:

"The Regent Prince claimed that 500,000 troops entered Chu, but the real combat soldiers are at most 200,000, or even less than 200,000.

Including the troops transferred to the west, the combat soldiers under the command of the Regent Prince should only be around 100,000.

Originally, the reason why my army chose to shrink from the beginning of the confrontation was because at the beginning, although my army had a superior number of troops, its combat power… might be on par with the Yan army.

But in the past few months, a large number of troops have been transferred to the three commanderies to enrich the border army. The Yan State court's reinforcements that my army originally feared are not in Shanggu Commandery, and the Regent Prince's headquarters troops have become fewer and weaker.

Therefore, at present,

My army can send five armies north at the same time, not only to defeat the Yan army's resistance, but also have a great opportunity to push into Shanggu Commandery…

Even,

Because the Jin East troops have come out in full force this time, the defenses of Zhennan Pass must be weak.

If we can take Zhennan Pass,

Then the situation between my Great Chu and Yan State will be reversed immediately!

Even if the Yan army still has a large number of troops滞留 in my Chu West, what can they do as long as my army blocks Zhennan Pass?

At most,

They can only retreat to Fancheng, and it's hard to say how many can retreat by then!"

"Clap clap clap! Clap clap clap!"

Xie Yu'an clapped his hands and praised:

"What you said is really inspiring, as if the revival of my Great Chu is right in front of us."

"If the Commander has something to say, please speak frankly."

Xie Yu'an stood up directly and kicked over the table in front of him, cursing:

"What war are we fighting? What war is there to fight? Let's all wash up and go to sleep. Isn't everything available in dreams!

Qu Tiannan thought the same way as you back then!

Nian Yao thought the same way as you back then!

Shi Yuantang thought the same way as you back then!

And Dugu Zhuguo, and too many others. Why can't this problem in the minds of my Chu people be changed?

The best-case scenario is not only to drive that Regent Prince out of Shanggu Commandery but also to take back Zhennan Pass. Good, the general trend of the world has been brought back by my Great Chu!

But have you thought about it,

What if we lose the gamble?

My Great Chu has hundreds of thousands of troops,

Following one after another,

Across the Wei River,

Into Shanggu,

Once we lose the gamble,

How many children will be able to swim back alive?

Without these hundreds of thousands of Imperial Forbidden Army main forces blocking in these three commanderies,

The Yan people's iron hooves,

Can reach the capital in an instant!

My Great Chu,

Will have no room to turn over again!"

At this time, Xiong Tingshan stood up and said very calmly:

"So, if the Yan people really do this, and our prediction is correct, but we do nothing.

Commander,

Do you want to sit here like this,

Waiting for the news of your father's death?"

"That's my father. Even if he dies, it's up to me, his only son, to mourn him and smash the basin!"

Xiong Tingshan roared:

"Yes, you can lose your father, but my Great Chu can no longer afford to lose a Zhuguo, the last Zhuguo, for no reason, do you know!"

"…" Xie Yu'an.

Xiong Tingshan reached out and pointed outside the commander's tent, and continued to roar:

"Shanggu has long been lost due to the fall of Zhennan Pass. Liusha Commandery and Sansuo Commandery have long become enclaves. Fancheng is there, and it is also ruining a commandery;

What's more, the front lines where our army is currently located are also in the territory of the three commanderies, which have become battlefields!

My Great Chu is indeed vast, but the true essence of my Great Chu is not in Chu South, but in Chu North.

That Zheng,

If he comes this year and returns without success, he can go back.

If he comes again next year, and again the year after!

How many times can my Great Chu support, and can we still see hope!

Xiong Tingshan pointed at Shi Yong, pointed at Zhao Han, and then pointed at Eunuch Wu:

"Do you think they don't know? Do you think His Majesty doesn't know? Even, do you think you don't know yourself?

The result of being a shrinking turtle all the time is that you are beaten every year, and consumed like this every year, hahaha.

One ebbs and the other grows, one ebbs and the other grows. In the end, can my Chu people only pray that the Great Wu Zheng and the others will curse the Regent Prince or the Yan Emperor to death in order to turn over?

If they are always healthy and live a long life, my Great Chu will die of suffocation, suffocate… and die without any resistance.

Even if Zheng Fan doesn't personally lead troops over again,

He can let his next generation lead the army, and he can easily push down this weak Great Chu!

My Chu is not Qian. Qian has the wealthy land of Jiangnan. How long can the Chu South of my Great Chu continue for my Great Chu?

Commander Xie,

Actually, we all understand these principles. Originally, we agreed with your strategy. Defend, defend a hope, and defend an opportunity for the Chu people to look at the sky again tomorrow.

So,

Commander Xie, you shouldn't feel that we are forcing the palace today.

None of us dare to gamble,

Even His Majesty doesn't dare to gamble!

It's your father,

It's your father,

He has already put himself, the Xie family, and my entire Great Chu on the gambling table!

A gambling table that we can't afford to lose at all.

If Xie Zhuguo dies in battle, it means that the main force of the Yan army is indeed in Chu West.

With Xie Zhuguo's death, we can continue Great Chu for another sixty years!"

Xie Yu'an sat back on the commander's seat in a daze.

But soon, he recovered his emotions, reached out, supported his forehead, and suddenly laughed:

"Hehehe, hahahaha…"

Xie Yu'an reached out and rubbed his face hard, raised his head, and grinned:

"So, for the sake of my Great Chu, for the sake of my Chu people, for the sake of this national war;

This Commander can only pray,

That my father,

Dies sooner rather than later, is that right?"

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