Chapter 943 The Zheng Family, Father and Son

"My lord, in these years, I have established thirty-six military fortresses, twelve land stockades, and six water stockades in the Shuiye swamps south of Fancheng.

"The military fortresses are positioned at key points, so any major movements by the Chu people will inevitably be detected by us in a timely manner.

"The land stockades are located at transportation choke points.

"If our army launches a main attack, the foundation for advance will already be laid.

"If the Chu army attacks, our army can advance and rely on the military stockades to form a battle line, or retreat and rely on these stockades to delay the Chu army's offensive, gradually wearing them down and buying Fancheng time to prepare.

"As for the water stockades, unless the Yan navy comes south from Wangjiang to support us, we currently don't have warships comparable to the Chu navy's large vessels, but we do have some medium-sized ships, and plenty of small boats. While we can't defeat the Chu navy head-on, we can use them to block waterways and harass the enemy, minimizing the Chu's naval advantage in this area as much as possible."

Thirty-six fortresses sound intimidating, but they are actually just distributed "outposts" that serve as "beacon fires," acting as the eyes and ears deployed in the periphery.

The land stockades are the foundation. After all, whether it's the traditional Yan army or the current Jindo army, their real advantage lies in their cavalry.

And to allow the cavalry to exert its true mobile advantage in war, it's necessary to conduct terrain surveys and secure control in advance. Otherwise, the terrain of Chu easily allows cavalry to get bogged down, split apart, or obstructed.

"Well done."

Zheng Fan nodded as Gou Moli showed him the military deployment map.

"In addition, my lord, I have also developed three operational plans based on Fancheng as the launching point."

"Speak."

"First, the Fancheng forces would advance eastward, along the path you took to rescue Fancheng from Zhennanguan, cutting off the northern part of Chu in one fell swoop.

"Second, our army would advance southeast from Fancheng towards the Great泽 (Da Ze, Great Swamp), and after crossing the Great泽 (Da Ze), directly threaten Yingdu, replicating your surprise attack on the Chu capital to strike at the heart of the Chu people.

"Third, our army would depart from Fancheng and rely on the Qishan mountain range, advancing south all the way, severing the connection between the Chu people and the Qishan mountain range."

Zheng Fan sat in his chair, listened to Gou Moli's three plans, and pondered briefly before saying:

"Attacking eastward from Fancheng to completely connect Fancheng and Zhennanguan is actually useless. It would only waste our army's strength in this seemingly connected new territory, exposing our soft underbelly and giving the Chu people too many opportunities."

Warfare isn't as simple as changing colors on a sand table, nor is it always advantageous to seize more territory at the beginning. The foundation of victory lies in eliminating the enemy's elite forces that they can field in open battle. Once the enemy lacks the confidence to wage open warfare, then we can concentrate our superior forces to dominate the battlefield and focus on capturing key cities.

The Yan's advantage has always been the mobility of their cavalry. When facing off against equal field armies, the Yan often have the upper hand. But prematurely coveting early victories and actively annexing a large area would lead to "constant good news," but how much force would be needed to garrison these newly occupied territories? How much of their mobility would it consume?

And once your own forces are dispersed and the territory you need to cover expands, it becomes the Chu who can move freely within your "territory."

Just like the war between the two kings of the North and South when they opened up the Jin territory. After directly crushing the elite forces of the Helian and Wenren families, most of the Jin cities were easily captured by simply sending out proclamations. Taking territory first can lead to indigestion; taking out the enemy's main force first allows you to truly sit down and digest the gains elegantly.

Gou Moli nodded and said, "My lord is wise."

Zheng Fan pointed at the map and said, "Second, marching from Fancheng, crossing the Great 泽 (Da Ze), and then advancing to Yingdu is not only a long journey but also the most difficult path.

"Ever since Jingnan Wang burned Yingdu, the Chu people have become extremely vigilant about the defense of their capital, fearing that our army would replicate the feat.

"Therefore, if our army departs from Fancheng and attacks southeast, it will likely be caught in layers of Chu ambushes and attrition. Once the army's spirit is lost and the soldiers are exhausted, the winding Great 泽 (Da Ze) may become the place of their destruction."

Gou Moli nodded again, "My lord is wise."

Wise he truly was; it wasn't just flattery.

With Liang Cheng by his side and having learned from Tian Wujing, Zheng Fan's military skills were already quite high. Coupled with the many opportunities he'd had to personally command troops over the years and the numerous battles he'd experienced,

it could be said that Zheng Fan's current military quality had already reached the level of a first-class commander.

"Third… heading south and cutting off the Qishan mountain range. If we can go as far south as possible, we can make it more difficult for Qian and Chu to 'exchange goods' once Yan and Chu go to war."

Since the Yan state annexed the Three Jins and formed a situation of dominating the north, the four major powers of Xia had gradually evolved into a three-nation format. In this format, it was a general trend for the second and third strongest to join forces against the strongest.

Although there were occasional frictions, they still couldn't block the recognition of "shared fate".

What differed from the Three Kingdoms era was that the "Battle of Red Cliffs", which should have occurred in Liang due to Li Fusheng's complete defeat, didn't materialize because Zheng Fan personally led troops to conquer Shangjing.

So, if Yan and Chu were to start another national war, would Qian support Chu?

That was certain.

Although the Yan had always looked down on the Qian, using various fables and jokes to satirize them,

the Qian, especially the Qian court, weren't fools.

If the situation became Yan and Chu confronting and fighting each other on the front lines while Qian was transfusing blood to Chu from behind, it would have a very detrimental impact on Yan's war effort.

After all, apart from being bad at fighting, the Qian were capable in other things…

Although the northern part of Qian had been repeatedly ravaged by the iron cavalry of Yan in the past decade, the core of its true wealth… Jiangnan, hadn't suffered the damage of a single soldier. In short, the Qian's health bar was still very thick.

At this moment,

Zheng Fan and Gou Moli were standing on the city wall south of Fancheng, with Tian Tian holding up the map.

The Regent pointed his finger in the north and south directions,

and said,

"Some passes are meant to be places of control. Zhennanguan, Xuehaiguan, and Nanmenguan – whoever holds these three passes can control the freedom of advance and retreat, and the initiative of the situation.

"Fancheng is not quite the same.

"Fancheng is a nail that my Wangfu (royal mansion) has hammered into Chu territory. Its role is to thrust out at a crucial moment to achieve the greatest support and auxiliary effect on the overall battle."

Even if the Chu managed to capture Fancheng, it would be difficult for them to use it to launch an attack on Jin, although there was now a waterway they could use. But this waterway was only roughly constructed, and hadn't undergone the large-scale mobilization of manpower and resources for development and consolidation like the Sui Emperor's Grand Canal.

Therefore, even if Fancheng was lost, the Wangfu (royal mansion) only needed to deploy a certain number of troops north of Mengshan to block the Chu's advancing tentacles with a high degree of certainty.

Furthermore, Fancheng wasn't suitable as the main battlefield for launching an attack because it couldn't compare to Zhennanguan in terms of logistical pressure or the ability to accommodate the battlefield.

If the Yan-Chu war were to restart, the main force would inevitably depart from Zhennanguan, not from Fancheng.

The purpose of the forces stationed at Fancheng was to provide support, not only to make their presence felt but, most importantly, to achieve cost-effectiveness.

"My lord, I understand," Gou Moli said with a smile. "Actually, I've been thinking about something these past few years, and I beg your lord to forgive me."

"Speak."

"Back then, you made a thousand-mile raid on Xuehaiguan, achieving Jingnan Wang's pinnacle battle example of using a flanking force to achieve a miraculous effect on the main battlefield. I've been wondering if I were in your place, could I achieve the same results as you did back then."

"You're being too modest."

Zheng Fan had always defined himself as a "flower in a greenhouse." No matter how good he felt about himself, he couldn't possibly think he was better than the Barbarian King, who had built his empire with his own hands, in military and political affairs.

For no other reason than that he, Zheng Fan, couldn't endure the hardship.

"My lord, in these years, I have personally visited the Qishan area several times and established some relationships with certain people. Therefore, once the war starts, I can swear on my horse stable that,

I can't guarantee anything else,

but I can isolate Qian and Chu from each other,

I,

can do it!"

Zheng Fan reached out and patted Gou Moli on the shoulder, saying, "With your words, I can rest assured."

"Thank you for your trust, my lord."

"I will also give you a promise: after Xia is unified, the barbarians will also be incorporated into Xia."

"Thank you, my lord, for your accomplishment!"

Seeing that the prince and Gou Moli had finished their conversation, Liu Dahu, now sporting a beard, stepped forward to report:

"Your Highness, the princess is still waiting."

Of the three personal guards who had accompanied Zheng Fan, Chen Xianba and Zheng Man had both been sent out to other locations.

Chen Xianba was at Zhennanguan, and Zheng Man was at Xuehaiguan.

Only Liu Dahu had been asked by Zheng Fan twice, and he had clearly expressed his unwillingness to be sent away, meaning that the prince couldn't be without someone to serve him.

Therefore, he had remained by Zheng Fan's side as a personal guard, and was now the captain of the guards, somewhat similar to the role of a secretary in the commander's tent.

"Call Da Niu over."

The serious expression on the Great Yan Regent's face when discussing military affairs immediately softened when he mentioned his daughter.

His daughter was his soft spot.

Before long,

Da Niu, who had been waiting a long time to be summoned by her father, skipped and hopped over, her face not showing the slightest dissatisfaction or grievance, but rather full of joy:

"Daddy, Daddy, Da Niu missed Daddy."

She was the one who had run away from home, and she was the one who had taken her younger brother with her, but she was still the one saying she missed her father.

There was a clear logical problem here, and it couldn't be justified, but no one would care, and Zheng Fan certainly wouldn't care.

Who told him to dote on her so much?

"Oh, my daughter."

Zheng Fan picked up Da Niu. Children at this age were growing rapidly, and they could change a lot in just two or three months.

Da Niu wrapped her arms around Zheng Fan's neck and kissed him twice on the face:

"Dad, is Mom okay? Does Mom miss me?"

"She's fine. She said that since you left, the house has been quieter, and she can spend more time playing cards with her sisters-in-law every day."

"That's not true, Daddy's lying to me, Daddy's lying to me."

"Hehe."

Zheng Fan gently stroked his daughter's head.

"Did Da Niu interrupt Daddy and Uncle Gou from discussing important matters?"

"No, Daddy and Uncle Gou have already finished talking. Daughter, is this your first time in Chu?"

"Dad, that's not true!"

"Hmm? When did you come before?"

Da Niu pointed to the black dragon flag and the double-headed eagle flag hanging on the castle tower and said:

"Isn't this Yan territory, Daddy's territory? This is also our home, it's just that our home is too big. I'm just taking a stroll from our home in Fengxin to the home that Uncle Gou is helping us watch over."

In short, this isn't called running away from home, our home is just too big.

When Gou Moli heard this, he immediately smiled and said, "My lord, the princess is right, our home is big."

Then,

Gou Moli said to the princess:

"It will be even bigger in the future, so our little princess has come here specially to familiarize herself with the place, so that when our home expands several times over in the future, she won't be able to tell east from west. The princess has foresight."

Even though Da Niu had a thick skin, she was embarrassed to be "praised" like this by Gou Moli in front of her father and Tian Tian Ge (older brother), so she could only press her face against her father's chest and,

chided:

"Dad, Uncle Gou is making fun of me."

"Your Uncle Gou likes you too much to make fun of you.

It's you who shouldn't rely on the fact that Uncle Gou likes you and act willful here."

"I won't, I'm very well-behaved."

Zheng Fan knew his daughter well.

She seemed simple and a bit careless, but in some ways, she had truly inherited her mother's traits.

The crow didn't know it was black; the Regent didn't even think about where the spoiled temperament on his child came from.

But it was also good.

A father hoped that his daughter would be innocent and carefree, but definitely not to the point of being silly. His daughter didn't have that problem.

Zheng Fan put Da Niu down.

Da Niu walked to the back and bowed deeply to a person sitting there drinking tea:

"Disciple greets Master."

When the Regent and his subordinates were discussing matters, the only one who could sit there without any regard for others was that old neighbor.

The Sword Saint leaned forward, reached out and placed his hand on Da Niu's wrist, and frowned slightly,

and said:

"You've been slacking off. You haven't been circulating your energy these days."

Da Niu stuck out her tongue a little embarrassedly.

The Sword Saint was also somewhat helpless. Firstly, this female disciple who had inherited his Dragon Abyss lineage was different from the sword attendant. The sword attendant's nature was still cold and aloof, but this female disciple was the best at acting spoiled and could coax him and his wife around, making it impossible for him to maintain the demeanor of a strict teacher.

What was even more frustrating was that with the Fire Phoenix Spiritual Body, she progressed faster in the early stages even if she only worked for three days and rested for two.

In addition, the gentlemen of the Wangfu (royal mansion) did indeed value the young master more. Everyone in the Wangfu (royal mansion) knew this, but it didn't mean that the gentlemen would obviously treat the little princess unfairly.

Teaching one was teaching, and teaching two was just a matter of doing it together, but they wouldn't be as strict with Da Niu as they were with the young master.

But thinking of the most honest person in the Wangfu (royal mansion), who had managed to comprehend his sword techniques by watching the sword attendant's practice and even present them with an ax, so while he was Da Niu's master, Da Niu had never lacked people to supplement her lessons and point her in the right direction.

Just then,

Third Master and Zheng Lin also walked over.

As soon as Zheng Lin appeared,

the smile on Gou Moli's face gradually disappeared.

The Wangfu's (royal mansion) young master was very attentive to etiquette, but that didn't mean he liked those cumbersome rituals. Rather, it was his own personality that was very compatible with his position, which was… looking down on everything.

Therefore, Gou Moli was always careful when dealing with the young master, knowing his limits.

This child, despite his young age, always gave him the feeling of seeing that blind man;

Of all the people in the entire Wangfu (royal mansion), the one Gou Moli feared the most wasn't the prince, but the Northern Master who had tormented him to the point of near death.

Also disappearing along with the smile,

was Zheng Fan.

It wasn't that Zheng Fan didn't want to be a loving father. In fact, whether it was to Tian Tian at the beginning or later to Da Niu, Zheng Fan was a loving father who could spoil his children to the heavens.

But for this biological son, it had really gradually evolved to the point where he would subconsciously frown whenever he saw him.

Zheng Fan had also analyzed the reasons with Si Niang (Fourth Mistress). He felt that perhaps Tian Tian had been too well-behaved back then, so well-behaved that it was unbelievable. Moreover, Da Niu was a daughter, and it was natural for a father to dote on his daughter, liking his little cotton-padded jacket. Wasn't that how daughter slaves came about?

With the comparison, even his own biological son might feel awkward about stepping through the door with his left foot first.

However, there was another very real reason that Zheng Fan didn't say, and Si Niang (Fourth Mistress) couldn't possibly point out:

That was, his own biological son was a genuine little devil king.

Thinking of how the other devil kings had looked at him at the beginning, and then comparing it to this biological son, it was actually easy to understand.

Ordinary fathers could say to their sons:

If it weren't for me raising you for so many years, how could you be like this...?

But his own son was born a ninth-rank, and even if you threw him into the Sky Desolate Mountain Range, and went back to see him in a dozen years, maybe this kid would have become the small leader of some wild barbarian tribe, and married the old leader's daughter.

However, under the tempering of his parents' mixed double beatings over the past few years, plus his older brother's single beatings, this kid wouldn't lose face in public.

Zheng Lin knelt down and saluted:

"Your son greets Father, may Father live a thousand years!"

"Rise."

"Thank you, Father."

The father and son stared at each other silently, bringing down the atmosphere here with them.

Fortunately, everyone was used to it.

If the Regent looked at Tian Tian like a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law, the more she looked, the more she liked him, then looking at his own biological son was really like a father-in-law looking at his son-in-law, hating him with a passion while still maintaining a smiling facade.

Then,

Zheng Fan faced south and said:

"Although you are still young, you are, after all, the Wangfu's (royal mansion) young master. Seeing as war is about to break out soon, and I am going to go on an expedition, you must act like a man, be steady, and take care of the home well. This is the responsibility of being the young master."

Zheng Lin nodded very seriously,

and said:

"With your son at home, please go with confidence, Father."

"…" Zheng Fan.