Jingnan Wang was adept at meticulously controlling his troops. Messengers traveled between the various units and the royal tent morning, noon, and night, reporting on the current situation of each unit, down to how many laborers were sick, how many warhorses were lame, how much grain was in storage, how much was consumed in the camp that day, the usage and remaining amount of military medical supplies, and so on.

The royal tent would then provide feedback, indicating how much needed to be replenished and the progress of the new round of battle, whether they were responsible for attacking the city, providing support, or specifically guarding against possible Chu army movements on the periphery, sometimes even meticulously dividing the area of responsibility down to the hilltop.

Each unit of soldiers was like a "puppet on a string," with the string held tightly in Jingnan Wang's hand. The so-called commanding them like his own limbs was pretty much what this meant.

If an ordinary commander directed things in this way, there would inevitably be complaints from below and the problem of armchair strategizing might arise. However, Tian Wujing was clearly not one of those.

In fact, this wasn't that rare. Any great commander knew the benefits of doing things this way, but it was often difficult to put into practice. Once there were too many soldiers and too many military heads, their respective factions, their respective mountain strongholds, and their respective backers in the court were densely packed and complicated. When fighting a war, the commander often didn't think about the battle itself, but rather these intricate interpersonal relationships.

Moreover, throughout history, when a great commander was appointed and sent on an expedition, the higher-ups liked to deliberately add sand to the mix, directly setting up a supervisory army. That was a more blatant power play, and the deliberate insertion of factions that were at odds with you into your army was also a typical expression of the art of checks and balances.

However, this phenomenon would not exist in the Great Yan's expeditionary force against Chu.

Firstly, Jingnan Wang himself would not allow this phenomenon to occur.

Secondly, the current Yan Emperor had issued a clear decree before the expedition: anyone who dared to criticize the frontline war effort from him downwards would be executed on the spot.

Xiao Liuzi once said that if the Three Jin lands were excluded, then Great Yan's territory was not as vast as Chu's, its population was not as large as Qian's, and its external environment was not as good as Jin's.

The reason why it was able to sweep outwards in this generation, win a glorious reputation, and establish the current national power was because even though it only had five fingers, it could clench them tightly into a fist and strike with force. Even if you had seven, eight, nine, or even ten fingers, it would be difficult to really clench them together to fight against me. In the end, you would still be knocked down by my punch.

But this kind of inconceivable division of power often made people feel very uneasy. In recent years, Qian and Chu had been waiting to see the Yan Kingdom's jokes, but the problem was that they might not get to see the jokes; they themselves were in danger of becoming the real joke.

For example, the Great Chu at this time.

Perhaps,

Only Nian Yao himself knew

The kind of pressure he was facing now was like a black firmament constantly brewing momentum above his head, with thunderbolts like cracks torn open in the sky.

Right now,

He was grateful that, in any case, the Great Chu still had Zhennan Pass to rely on.

If there was no such stronghold, Nian Yao didn't think that the Great Chu would perish. Even if the Yan iron cavalry was fierce, Nian Yao was confident that under the King's leadership, the Chu nation's destiny would not be so easily extinguished.

But what could be imagined was,

If the hundreds of thousands of Yan-Jin allied forces were allowed to enter Chu territory directly, trying to drive them away or maneuver around them would be extremely difficult for the Great Chu.

As the war gradually unfolded, with the conclusion of the first contact, the Battle of Yangshan Fortress, the information gathered by scouts and spies within each other's territory gradually landed on the desks of the higher-ups on both sides.

Although the Yan Kingdom was gambling its national fortune, it was monolithic. After all, as long as those few were there, the monolith would inevitably exist. Those three had long since used blood and fire to completely smooth out the burrs on the monolith.

As for the Great Chu,

Nian Yao submitted a memorial of victory to the court,

Although he also personally wrote a secret memorial to the King, presenting the specific situation of the battle.

But the Bai family

Still submitted a memorial impeaching Nian Yao for sitting idly by while Yangshan Fortress was besieged without rescue, for being cowardly and avoiding battle, resulting in the annihilation of eight thousand Bai Bu soldiers!

The Bai family's memorial expressed their anger.

This action, from a god's-eye view, would actually have a very unfavorable impact on the overall situation.

But from the Bai family's point of view, they had sent out troops to garrison the fortress deep within Chu's defense, but they were inexplicably wiped out by the Yan.

The Bai family was not a great aristocratic family like the Qu clan. When the Qu clan's fifty thousand Qingluan army went on an expedition to the Jin territory and was lost, they immediately raised a second batch, and there were also consolations from the King and the court.

Although the consolation prize – a princess – was abducted by the Yan.

If you used this army as bait and achieved some battle results, the Bai family might not have complained so much. The Bai family had that much political awareness. But didn't this amount to doing nothing at all?

Therefore, for the sake of the family's survival and future, the Bai family had to voice their dissatisfaction. A child who cries gets fed, and besides, they were justified.

But this move would inevitably stir up a storm. After all, Nian Yao had previously deployed all the private soldiers of the various aristocratic families in the various military forts and outposts outside Zhennan Pass, while using the imperial guards under his command as a force to defend Zhennan Pass and as a reliable mobile force.

This arrangement was based on a comprehensive consideration of the battle situation, but with different allegiances, the angle of thinking about problems also changed, and it was inevitable that the nobles in the Chu Kingdom would feel that this was using their private soldiers as expendable items.

And this incident of the Bai family stirred up a thousand waves with one stone.

Not everyone could go to the front line in person, and not everyone could see the situation clearly. Some people, even if they saw it clearly, would pretend not to see it.

Our Great Chu's great aristocratic families have been receiving the country's favor for generations. Now, the country is in trouble. Those who send troops send troops, those who send laborers send laborers, and those who send grain send grain. Are you, the imperial family and the court, planning to use us as pawns?

In fact, on this point, the Blind Man had analyzed the political impact that this battle would have on the Chu Kingdom with Zheng Boye alone. It was clear that Nian Yao was being countered by the Jingnan Wang's various armies, and was unable to provide support, but the nobles in the Chu Kingdom would not think that way. You had to know that the Chiang Kai-shek comrade in that time and space also liked to play that trick back then.

Zheng Boye was very curious when he heard the Blind Man's speculation, curious about how Jingnan Wang might not even know that his response could be seen so far ahead, like doing a language comprehension test.

The Blind Man just smiled faintly and said that he didn't believe that Tian Wujing wouldn't understand politics.

And as long as this play was run well, it would actually have a great effect on reducing the Chu Kingdom's resistance. The best warfare is to attack the enemy's plans.

Therefore,

Great General Nian, he was very hurt.

Because he believed that in terms of troop deployment, he was not as good as Tian Wujing. There was nothing to hide about this. He himself had great respect for Tian Wujing.

But even when facing the pressure from all sides of the court behind him, his situation was actually much worse than Tian Wujing's!

He was already not as good as others,

And his treatment wasn't as good as others,

Great General Nian was so angry!

After receiving the news from Yingdu that he was being impeached,

He sat on the threshold of the General's Mansion in anger,

And ate three chilled watermelons in a row!

………

"This watermelon is sweet."

Zheng Boye was also eating watermelon.

Sitting on his left was Gong Wang, and on his right was Gongsun Zhi.

Two days had passed since their last meeting. Today was the third day.

And today, the Eastern Expeditionary Army was preparing to attack Dongshan Fortress.

To be honest,

The battles that Zheng Boye had fought before were truly like "bows like thunderbolts, strings like alarms."

When he went south to attack Qian, it was like a race, sparing no effort to seize the position of his allied forces and be the first to reach the capital.

In the capital area of Jin, he also traveled day and night, directly attacking the palace gates.

When he followed Tian Wujing on the expedition to the Snow Plains, he also attacked fortresses and seized tribes every day, almost without stopping.

The thousand-mile raid on Xuehai Pass was even more unnecessary to mention. He had almost brought the mobility of the cavalry to the extreme, and after taking Xuehai Pass, he immediately faced the siege under the desperate struggle of the Savages.

But this battle, if you ignore the surprise attack on Yangshan Fortress a few days ago... Well, even if you include the battle of Yangshan Fortress, this was still the slowest-paced battle he had ever fought.

The slow pace was because there were many troops and the siege warfare was destined to be slow.

But you must know that the army was entrenched here, and every day, it had to consume a huge amount of grain and fodder. The pressure on logistics was extremely heavy. Fortunately, this was a national war, and the laborers and production of Yan and Jin were supporting it, so the war could "slow down."

The flanks of Gong Wang's and Gongsun Zhi's troops had been opened, covering the east and west wings of Dongshan Fortress. The two commanding generals themselves came to Zheng Boye's command tent, intending to personally observe the siege of Zheng Boye's army.

Who would have thought that with the siege war imminent, Zheng Boye was openly sitting on the command chariot, enjoying the watermelon. Seeing them coming, he immediately invited them to come up and eat together.

"Does Boye have an ice cellar here?" Gong Wang asked in surprise.

"I don't have that. I'm not extravagant enough to that extent, but I do have a secret method of making ice. It's difficult to mass produce, but it's enough for my own use. It's so hot these days. It's really hard to get through the day without chewing on some ice.

Later, the two of you can each take a cart back. I don't have any more than that here."

Gongsun Zhi smiled when he heard this: "Then I won't stand on ceremony. Haha, damn it, my face is already as thick as my father-in-law's. I thought I had already cultivated to be impervious to fire and water, but who knew that every time I came to Boye's place, I would eat and take something away. I'm actually a little embarrassed."

Gong Wang also smiled when he heard this.

At this time, the command chariot began to move, pulled by a carriage in front, and guarded by shield soldiers on both sides.

In front of them was the siege formation that had already been deployed.

The catapults were neatly arranged there, giving people a very strong visual shock. Not to mention the towers that looked extremely sturdy, causing Gong Wang and Gongsun Zhi to stare intently, completely forgetting to eat watermelon.

Although the Yan army was not good at siege warfare, these two commanding generals were veterans who had led troops, so they naturally knew the sophistication of these instruments. They were definitely not just flower stands made of casually cut wood.

"There's something I have to make clear first," Zheng Boye said.

Gong Wang and Gongsun Zhi quickly said: "Boye, please speak."

"Throughout history, it's rare for anyone to die in siege warfare, especially on the attacking side. The losses are bound to be greater than those on the defending side. Since the two generals are now with me, we have to face this Dongshan Fortress together.

You can watch and learn about the methods of siege warfare. Behind my military camp, there are two more camps, one for suppressing Savage slave soldiers, and one for building and repairing these instruments.

Although during the siege, I will first use the Savage slave soldiers to wear down the Chu people on Dongshan Fortress and grind down their siege equipment and energy.

But in the final analysis, this city still has to be taken down by our regular soldiers fighting with swords and spears.

I'm not going to beat around the bush. When it really comes down to hand-to-hand combat, I have to draw on regular soldiers from both of your commands to use together.

I won't deliberately spare the two of you, causing my soldiers to suffer more casualties, but I won't deliberately preserve my own strength and let your men go to fight.

I will make a guarantee here that I will treat everyone equally.

As for the credit, I have Yangshan Fortress as a base. As you know, Jingnan Wang treats me like his own son. I can share all the credit with the two of you.

So,

Let's make this clear first. Let's set this tone first. After being open and honest, none of us three brothers will harbor any complaints."

Gong Wang and Gongsun Zhi exchanged glances, and immediately knelt down on the command chariot to Zheng Boye:

"Your subordinates will follow Boye's orders!"

"Your subordinates will follow Boye's orders!"

In fact, for the two of them, they had long been mentally prepared to let their subordinates take on the main attack mission. Zheng Boye's ability to say this had exceeded their expectations.

In addition to Zheng Boye's current status, and the relationship between him and Jingnan Wang as he said earlier, this "heartfelt" statement was extremely comforting.

"Please rise, both of you. Open another watermelon over there."

At the rear end of the command chariot sat a man wearing a bamboo hat, with several watermelons in front of him.

Gong Wang got up and went to take one himself.

The man drew his sword and quickly cut the watermelon, placing it in a basket on the side, indicating that Gong Wang could take it over.

Gong Wang looked at it curiously, took a few more glances at the man in the bamboo hat, and carried the basket over. While distributing the watermelon, Gong Wang said with a smile:

"The person behind Boye, this subordinate sees that he is quite skilled with the sword."

Zheng Boye nodded and said: "Well, after all, he's the Sword Saint."

"........" Gong Wang.

Gongsun Zhi stopped eating the watermelon and even turned his head to look at the rear.

When the command chariot reached the designated central location at the rear, the various preparations at the front had also been completed.

On the west side of the command chariot, there was a group of auxiliary soldiers waiting in formation, but they were not standing, but sitting, with shields standing beside them, which could be used as sunshades.

"Hey."

Zheng Boye pointed to a random auxiliary soldier over there,

After the man came over with some disbelief,

He handed him the remaining watermelon in the basket:

"Eat it."

………

Guo Dong excitedly took the basket from Boye's hand.

Boye,

Boye,

Boye still remembered himself, Boye still cared about himself!!!

After carrying the basket back, Guo Dong took a piece for himself first, then handed a piece to Xu An, and the rest was handed to the captain. The captain waved his hand, indicating that he didn't want it, and then it was divided among the other comrades around him.

Guo Dong was crying while eating watermelon.

Xu An looked at him from the side and laughed.

He knew how much pressure his brother had been under ever since his father was killed by Chu scouts. Now, the Earl of Pingye was simply a pillar in his heart.

This time, the Earl of Pingye specifically sent him watermelon, which was the best comfort for his brother.

A piece of watermelon was not much, and after eating it, Guo Dong wiped his mouth and said impatiently:

"Damn it, why haven't they started the siege yet!"

He now wished he could fly to the Dongshan Fortress city wall and plant the "Zheng" flag there for Zheng Boye.

Xu An comforted him:

"It's still early. The catapults have to fire first, then the arrow towers have to advance, then the Savages have to go up, and only then will it be our turn."

"But I can't wait!!!"

Guo Dong roared.

"There will be plenty of opportunities for you to show off, don't rush, don't rush."

In fact, Xu An knew in his heart that they, these auxiliary soldiers, were there to protect the archers or the battering rams and arrow towers. If nothing unexpected happened, they would basically not have the opportunity to charge up the city wall.

But what could he do if the passion in his brother's heart had been completely ignited by a piece of watermelon?

At this time, on the command chariot, Zheng Boye was explaining to the two commanding generals:

"Here, and there, the stakes that have been erected are actually markers, distance reminders for the catapults. Later, the first round of throwing will be carried out here. We'll try to hit the city walls of Dongshan Fortress first, but I estimate that the Chu people are good at construction, so it will be difficult to smash down these city walls."

"If that's the case, Boye, why not move closer and directly smash the boulders at the Chu people's city towers or inside the city?" Gongsun Zhi asked.

Before Zheng Boye could answer, Gong Wang spoke first: "This is because the Chu people in Dongshan Fortress must also have catapults prepared, and there should also be giant crossbows on the city walls.

If we get too close too early, our catapults will easily be hit by the Chu people's catapults. We should take it slow, preferably by first stirring up the grass and alarming the snakes, so that the Chu people's catapults will be exposed first."

Zheng Boye nodded and said: "Brother Gong is right."

Gong Wang smiled. He was a Jin person, so he actually knew something about siege warfare.

A long time ago, at Zhennan Pass, he had fought against the Chu people alongside Situ Lei.

"Prepare——————Release!!!"

"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!!!!!!"

The first round of catapults began to throw. Because the distance was too far, most of them just smashed into the ground below the city walls, and a few of them crashed into the city walls.

The people from the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion were quickly doing the throwing coordinates, calculating the distance.

And at the very front of the team,

A large group of Savages sat down in a dark mass, with a large basket of soil placed in front of each Savage.

The Savage King's royal flag stood there,

He pointed to the moats and protective moats under Dongshan Fortress with one finger,

And in the other hand, he held a handful of bamboo slips with words engraved on them,

And shouted to the surroundings:

"Later, those who fill the soil into the moats and can bring back the baskets can come to me to receive bamboo slips. With bamboo slips, tonight, you will have food to eat!

Don't worry about the arrows of the Chu people on the city walls,

The stars,

Will bless you!"

After saying that,

The Savage King turned around, turned his back to the Savages behind him, and faced the city walls of Dongshan Fortress.

After saying these words,

He himself also smiled.