Chapter 951 The Opening Battle, the Heir!

The Wei River flows on, never ceasing. This river is essentially the dividing line between the north and south in terms of terrain. To the north lies the flat expanse of Shanggu Prefecture, and beyond Zhennan Pass is the Sanjin Basin. To the south, the terrain is typical of the Chu Kingdom, with numerous rivers and lakes.

Right now,

Along both banks, especially on the north side, numerous camps have sprung up, with large numbers of Jin-Dong troops moving through them. Behind, even more troops are constantly gathering here.

Tan Dayong rode on horseback, patrolling the Wei River with his centurion. There were many small groups of cavalry like them, mostly distributed in the upper and lower reaches, their purpose being to monitor the Chu Kingdom's navy.

After the defeat in the First Battle of Wangjiang, the Yan people had always been deeply wary of the Chu Kingdom's navy. Although the Yan people had been working hard to develop their own navy in recent years, the existing scale was still no match for the Chu Kingdom's navy.

"Everyone, rest here for a while."

The centurion ordered.

The soldiers dismounted one after another, feeding their horses with fodder and giving them salt licks to lick, while they began to eat fried noodles.

Tan Dayong saw a large group of laborers heading southeast from the north, pushing large carts loaded with strangely shaped objects.

"Those are trebuchet parts, and of course, other components as well." The centurion introduced to his young soldiers, "These parts are the most troublesome to make, and they require special materials. It's too inefficient to rush them on the spot, so they're all made in workshops outside Fengxin City and then transported here. As for the other frames, we can just use local timber for assembly."

Tan Dayong took a bite of the fried noodles in his hand.

He wondered,

Could his two younger brothers be in that transport team?

...

"Second Brother, water." Tan Xiaoyong said to Tan Eryong beside him as he pushed the cart.

Tan Eryong untied his water bag and threw it to his brother, while he continued to push the cart.

Earlier, when Tan Xiaoyong used his water bag to fill water from a stream, he was discovered by the captain of the laborer group, who gave him a lash.

One of the rules in the Jin-Dong army was that whether they were regular soldiers, auxiliary soldiers, or laborers, they were not allowed to drink raw water unless the conditions were so harsh that it was unavoidable.

Tan Xiaoyong hung the water bag back on his second brother's body and reached out to help push.

"Little Brother, does it still hurt?"

"A little."

"Remember the lesson."

"Got it."

The Tan brothers pushed the cart into the camp, where many shirtless craftsmen were assembling the parts, and even further out, a large number of laborers were transporting timber.

A dwarf was standing on a watchtower, directing the various teams of craftsmen.

A man like an iron tower was lifting large pieces of wood and stacking them up.

"You two, come and carry wood."

"Yes."

Tan Eryong and his brother also joined the "craftsman" team.

This kind of labor continued until late at night, and the group didn't even have time to eat in between.

When work stopped,

Food was sent from the rear: dry rice, pickles, and cured meat, in large quantities and filling.

After eating,

Tan Xiaoyong patted his stomach and leaned back, sighing:

"Second Brother, is this how wars are fought?"

"I don't know either."

"Why haven't the lights been turned off yet!"

Xu An led a group of armored soldiers to inspect the auxiliary soldier camp, and when he saw that this auxiliary soldier camp was still lit, he immediately rebuked.

The Tan brothers saw their captain step forward,

"General Xu, after my camp returned from transporting materials in the afternoon, it was assigned to the craftsman camp to work until late at night, and we just finished eating, so we didn't have time..."

"Did the craftsman camp issue a document?"

"No."

"Did you report back before dark?"

"No."

"Was there enough time for a quarter of an hour to eat?"

"Yes."

"Someone, take him down, give him twenty lashes, and record it in the register."

The captain opened his mouth,

And finally had to kneel down;

"This subordinate accepts the punishment."

"Record the demerit, and if it happens again, you'll be beheaded."

"Yes!"

Xu An swept his gaze around and said coldly: "With so many people in the army, without rules to restrain them, what kind of chaos would it be? It's been so many years since we fought a war, you brats have really forgotten the rules."

"Second Brother, that general is so fierce."

"Don't talk nonsense, go back to the tent and sleep."

Tan Eryong pulled his brother and turned to enter the tent.

"Second Brother, will we go to the battlefield?"

"Brother doesn't know either."

"I want to go, but I'm also afraid of going."

"Heh, who isn't?"

...

After inspecting the camp he was responsible for, Xu An rode his horse into the central army. In front of the command tent, he dismounted and handed the register to Liu Dahu, who was standing outside the command tent.

"General Xu is coming personally?" Liu Dahu recognized Xu An, after all, Xu An had once served as Jin Shuke's personal guard with Chen Xianba.

"I just finished patrolling the camp nearby, so I came to deliver it myself. Is the Prince discussing matters?"

"Yes."

"I want to see the Prince to report something."

"Please wait a moment, General Xu."

Liu Dahu walked into the command tent. After a while, Liu Dahu came out and lifted the curtain.

Xu An walked into the command tent. Inside the command tent, the Prince was sitting on the commander's seat, and below him stood Chen Xianba and Qu Peiluo. In addition, the Heir of Jingnan was sitting there reviewing documents.

The Prince's gaze fell on Xu An,

Xu An knelt down and reported:

"Your Highness, this subordinate has something to report. This subordinate has found that the auxiliary soldiers and laborers in the army are lacking in military discipline and military law, which may lead to future troubles."

"Is it that serious?" the Prince asked.

"Reporting to Your Highness, it is."

The military style of the Jin-Dong army inherited that of the Jingnan army, which emphasized strict control over all matters, no matter how small;

But in recent years, although there have been military exercises and deployments every year, there hasn't been a proper expedition for a long time. In addition, most of those who joined the auxiliary soldiers and laborers this time are younger, which makes it easy for them to be lax.

This kind of problem wouldn't attract attention in other armies, but in the eyes of the Jin-Dong army, it was somewhat inappropriate. Moreover, Xu An himself is now a military discipline officer in the army, which is his duty.

At this time, Tian Tian, who had been reviewing documents on the side, looked up at Zheng Fan and said:

"Father, there have been many reports of auxiliary soldiers and laborers causing trouble in the past few days."

Zheng Fan nodded and said to Xu An; "Xu An."

"This subordinate is here."

"I order you to take the lead in rectifying the military discipline of the auxiliary soldier camp and the laborer camp. The great war is imminent, and you don't have much time. Help me, and get the military discipline in order."

"This subordinate obeys!"

Xu An got up and exited the command tent.

Zheng Fan's gaze then fell on Chen Xianba and Qu Peiluo again.

The current situation is that,

After the Jin-Dong army left Zhennan Pass, they came aggressively and had already opened up their formation along the southern part of Shanggu Prefecture, which is along the Wei River. The troops were certainly not piled up together, but spread out to focus on specific targets.

Both sides were clear that what the Jin-Dong army had to do next was to cross the river.

The Chu people had already begun to strategically retreat. The Chu people did not intend to directly engage in a strategic decisive battle with the Jin-Dong army on the Wei River, because this deal would be too costly for the Chu people.

If the Jin-Dong army lost, under the premise of preventing the Chu army's navy in advance, at most it would be a situation of a frustrated attack, unable to cross the river. Losses were unavoidable, but it wouldn't really be a major blow.

In addition, even if the Jin-Dong army's first round of attack failed, would the Chu army dare to take advantage of this momentum to counterattack?

Not to mention that the terrain of Shanggu Prefecture was simply a "naked" run for the Chu army, which was mainly infantry. If they really went crazy and fought over, wouldn't Zhennan Pass still be standing there?

At that time, the Chu army would be unable to advance or retreat.

For the Chu army, the strategic goal that must be achieved by counterattacking across the Wei River was to take down Zhennan Pass in one fell swoop on the basis of defeating the main force of the Jin-Dong army, otherwise, on this wide plain, the Jin-Dong cavalry would be enough to bury the elite of the Chu army.

As for holding on, it would also depend on luck, because once the Jin-Dong army broke through a point, landed on the shore at a certain location, or even further away, crossed the river from Sansuo Prefecture and circled back;

Once the Chu army made the decision to hold the Wei River, its defense line would be immediately poked with several holes on the basis of being a long snake formation, and then be cut off and surrounded by the Jin-Dong army from all directions.

Although they hadn't fought a war for many years, both sides knew each other's tactical habits very well.

Therefore,

From a military deployment perspective, it was the right choice for King Xiong Tingshan of Chu to choose a strategic retreat, trading space for time.

After all, the Yan army had twice penetrated deep into the Chu Kingdom's hinterland, but in the end, they had to retreat.

However,

It was impossible for the Chu people to retreat so cleanly;

The current situation was that both sides were deploying troops on both banks. You knew I was going to advance, and I knew you were going to retreat, but we still had to go through a few push hands and show off a bit.

Next, a certain location was likely to become the focus of both sides' attention. There, a battle would be fought, and then the results would be observed, and the next steps would be taken.

The reason why Chen Xianba and Qu Peiluo appeared here was to take advantage of the opportunity before the drums were beaten to gather the generals tomorrow to sneak in and pre-book the job of "opening the door to success."

After Xu An left,

Chen Xianba spoke first:

"Your Highness, this subordinate has been active along the Wei River for many years, and is extremely clear about the defenses of the Chu people's water village and the Chu people's tactics. In addition, although this subordinate only has three thousand cavalry, they are all brothers-in-arms personally trained by this subordinate, and they are absolutely brave and capable of fighting.

Knowing yourself and your enemy,

Therefore, this subordinate believes that he can take on the responsibility of the first battle!"

After Chen Xianba finished speaking, Qu Peiluo spoke, but his tone was not as tough as Chen Xianba's. The former young master of the Qu clan, after a period of frustration, had gradually regained the elegance of a great Chu noble in recent years:

"Speaking of knowing yourself and your enemy, I am a Chu person, and the Chu Character Camp under my command is also Chu people. General Chen, I think we understand ourselves better."

Chen Xianba turned his head to look at Qu Peiluo, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Qu Peiluo smiled slightly, not afraid, but cupped his hands and said:

"Your Highness, the Chu Character Camp requests to fight. If the war against Chu can be fought with Chu attacking Chu, that is the right solution."

Zheng Fan, who was sitting on the commander's seat, looked at the two generals arguing, seemingly finding it difficult to make a decision.

And Tian Tian, who had started reviewing documents again on the side, seemed a little too quiet.

Zheng Fan reached out and pushed the teacup in front of him.

Tian Tian got up, picked up the teacup, refilled Zheng Fan with hot tea, and when he put it down, Zheng Fan asked somewhat puzzled:

"What?"

Tian Tian: "Huh?"

"Hehehehe." Zheng Fan suddenly laughed, pointed at Tian Tian, and said, "You're itching to get involved too?"

Tian Tian: "Um..."

Zheng Fan looked at Chen Xianba and Qu Peiluo standing below,

Said;

"What can be done, you two are arguing so much, that you've made my son itchy to get involved."

Qu Peiluo immediately bowed and said; "Then please let the Heir take the first battle, we will be convinced."

After speaking,

Qu Peiluo turned his head to look at Chen Xianba standing beside him.

Chen Xianba took a deep breath, cupped his hands and saluted;

"This subordinate is willing to lend his troops to His Highness."

Tian Tian's official identity was the Heir of Jingnan and the "eldest son" of the Regent, so it was only natural that he would take the lead in this battle and win this opening victory, and no one could object.

After all, both his biological father and adoptive father had left bloody scars on the Chu people. Now, as the son inherited his father's business, it would boost the morale of his own army and further suppress the morale of the enemy.

Most importantly, the Prince had asked with a smile, and the meaning was already very clear. He was not asking for their consent.

Chen Xianba and Tian Tian could be considered to have grown up "halfway" together, and Tian Tian had called him "Brother Ba" for so many years. No matter how arrogant he was, he was too embarrassed to compete with Tian Tian.

As for Qu Peiluo,

Was he full enough to run to the command tent to compete with the rising star of the Jin-Dong army for the first battle?

He wanted to make a difference in this battle, but he wasn't so ambitious as to compete with the real "family" for a breath.

He was called here by Liu Dahu,

After he arrived, Chen Xianba was also there. When Chen Xianba requested to fight, Qu Peiluo naturally had a clue in his heart. Okay, let's compete.

Now, the relationship is good, and we are paving the way for the Heir.

Moreover, this was a rehearsal. When the drums were beaten to gather the generals tomorrow to arrange tasks, they would have to go through the previous model again.

The Prince could "appoint people by favoritism" in front of them, but when it was not absolutely necessary, he hoped to be "fair and open-minded" in front of the generals.

Compared with Chen Xianba and Qu Peiluo's decisive abandonment,

Tian Tian was a little dazed. He really didn't expect that his father would directly hand over such an important opening battle to him.

He originally thought that his task was to stay by his father's side, review documents, run errands, and learn, but he really wanted to go to the front line to fight, but happiness came too suddenly.

And Zheng Fan, who was sipping hot tea, couldn't help but think of the scene when he was forced onto the shelf by Old Tian.

The difference was that he really didn't want to take risks at the beginning, but Tian Tian was fearless.

Fate, here, seemed to draw a circle.

Tian Tian took two steps back and knelt down;

"This son will definitely not disappoint Father!"

This task can be considered accepted.

Putting down the teacup,

Zheng Fan said: "Xianba, lead your troops to provide support."

Chen Xianba was slightly puzzled. He had said earlier that he was willing to hand over his troops that he had personally trained to Tian Tian to fight this battle, but the meaning of the Prince's words was obviously not to let Tian Tian use his soldiers.

But the problem was that Tian Tian didn't have any troops. He hadn't had time to truly master and develop his own direct line of troops.

As an "older brother," Xianba didn't want Tian Tian to take over a randomly drawn team to fight this battle, because this battle could not be lost. Not to mention the impact on the battle situation, the impact on Tian Tian would be great.

The glory of two fathers was sometimes a kind of deep pressure.

A brave father has no cowardly son, because a cowardly son will be bitten to death.

Zheng Fan said again; "I will transfer the Brocade-Clothed Guards to you."

Chen Xianba had nothing to say;

Although he had the spirit of a newborn calf not afraid of tigers, he, who had served as the Prince's personal guard, certainly knew what kind of force the Brocade-Clothed Guards, which had been dedicated to the Prince's safety since its establishment, was.

If Li Chenghui's unit represented the final glory of the old Zhenbei Army, Liang Cheng's town represented the true elite of Jin-Dong, Jin Shuke's town represented the bottom line of Jin-Dong...

Then the Brocade-Clothed Guards was the true essence of the entire Jin-Dong army, the elite of the elite.

Most importantly, Tian Tian was very familiar with the Brocade-Clothed Guards.

With the premise of the army pressing down, Chen Xianba found it hard to think of a reason to lose by using the Brocade-Clothed Guards to break the situation, because the Yan and Chu sides would tacitly control the scale of this confrontation.

"Thank you, Father!"

Zheng Fan nodded and waved his hand again.

"This subordinate takes his leave!"

"This subordinate takes his leave!"

Chen Xianba and Qu Peiluo took their leave together.

After leaving the command tent,

Qu Peiluo looked at Chen Xianba and asked curiously: "General Chen doesn't seem to have any dissatisfaction?"

Chen Xianba sneered and said; "I'm not so lacking in magnanimity."

"Then Qu apologizes."

"You're welcome."

Inside the command tent,

Tian Tian, who had received the military order, was a little dazed. Should he go and gather the Brocade-Clothed Guards now, or should he continue to sit back and finish reviewing the documents that hadn't been reviewed yet?

"I'll look at the documents, you go and say hello to them."

"Yes!"

Tian Tian turned to walk out, but a voice came from behind:

"Wait."

Tian Tian stopped and turned to look at Zheng Fan:

"Father?"

Zheng Fan reached out and threw a red stone towards Tian Tian.

Tian Tian reached out and caught the red stone.

"Jiejie."

"He is a child you watched grow up, and now he is going to the battlefield, and you should naturally protect him for a while."

The red stone stood up from Tian Tian's hand and shook.

The extremely proud Demon Pill had always shown a very resistant attitude to any instructions and orders, whether it did them or not, even if it did;

But this time, it was very willing.

Tian Tian was a child it had watched grow up.

"Father, this son will definitely not let you down!"

After speaking,

Tian Tian left the command tent with the stone.

A shout soon came from outside the command tent:

"By order of the Regent, the Brocade-Clothed Guards will be at my disposal from this moment on!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

Inside the command tent,

Zheng Fan leaned against the commander's seat,

His fingers gently tapped the armrest,

Tapping and tapping,

A smile gradually appeared on the corner of Zheng Fan's mouth:

"General Zheng Fan of Dacheng Kingdom, General Pingye, the Commander-in-Chief of Xuehai Pass, listens to the order!"

"This subordinate is here!"

"I order your department to directly capture Yangshan Village;

If you win, I will record the first contribution to the attack on Chu for you;

If you lose, don't come back. You can directly ask the Chu people on the opposite side, ask them if they will take in you, the rightful驸马 of Great Chu." (驸马: imperial son-in-law)

"This subordinate... obeys."