As Li Su had said before, Lian Yu’s plan was to attack Yun Qiang while the Northern Wei army was trapped between Bei Xiao Pass and Emerald River.
He had prepared meticulously, from troop deployment and the timing of entering the palace to solutions for all possible difficulties in Yun Qiang.
Yet, even so, not everyone would necessarily agree.
As soon as Lian Yu finished speaking, someone raised an objection. "Northwest is currently in a critical period for military operations. Although Cheng Nanliu and Nie Jintang’s armies are now trapped by us in the northwest, if our forces are dispersed, and Northern Wei sends reinforcements, we will be attacked from both sides. Isn't it too risky to rashly attack Yun Qiang at this time?"
Lu Qing Wan looked up at the sound of his voice and saw that the speaker was Lin Feng Mian, one of the three veteran generals of the Xuan Jia Army. As his name suggested, even in military attire, one could sense his scholarly demeanor. Lu Qing Wan remembered Li Su mentioning that this man's loyalty to the Xuan Jia Army far surpassed his loyalty to Si Feng Wu. Without much thought, she knew he was afraid that the war front would be stretched too thin, dragging the Xuan Jia Army into danger.
With a veteran general like Lin Feng Mian, who was considered an elder in the Xuan Jia Army, holding an opposing view, it was natural that many would support him.
Indeed, after Lin Feng Mian spoke, someone quickly voiced their disagreement. "General Lin is right. We are currently only enemies with Northern Wei. If we start a war with Yun Qiang, Xi Liang will feel threatened and will not sit idly by. In that case, we would face the elite forces of two countries. While the forty thousand Xuan Jia Army is formidable, facing a joint force of two countries, does the strategist intend to repeat the mistakes of a year ago?"
"Yes, Strategist. It was like this a year ago too, when the two countries jointly dealt with Da Gan. The King almost lost his life then, and what's more, the King is not here now!"
At these words, Lu Qing Wan suddenly looked over, her gaze meeting that of a general in his forties. The man met Lu Qing Wan's eyes without flinching, looking at her directly, and even his tone was slightly provocative. "Princess, you are looking at this humble general like this. Do you think what I said is incorrect?"
All eyes in the command tent instantly focused on Lu Qing Wan. Lian Yu was about to defend her, but she calmly spoke first, "General Feng, as a high-ranking staff officer of the Xuan Jia Army, you must not know the truth of the King's peril a year ago. Currently, no one in Da Qin will pursue and intercept the King. Even if necessary, the Emperor of Da Qin will not hesitate to rescue the King from danger. And today's Da Gan is not the Da Gan of last year. The King is stationed in Shang Jing, with sufficient troops and supplies, and will only cheer for the soldiers, not hold them back."
After stating these irrefutable facts, she finally uttered what she wanted to say most. "If I understood correctly, General Feng meant that facing a joint force of two countries, even the King almost met his doom, and now the King is not even on the scene to oversee the overall situation, is that right?"
Currently, Lian Yu was in full command of the Xuan Jia Army. General Feng's words were undoubtedly somewhat dismissive of Lian Yu. Lu Qing Wan also knew that there was a severe cult of personality surrounding Si Feng Wu within the Xuan Jia Army. If she wanted to win over the generals of the Xuan Jia Army for the new dynasty, this personal adoration had to disappear. This General Feng questioning Lian Yu's command of operations in public gave him an opportunity. If this matter could be accomplished, the Xuan Jia Army, without Si Feng Wu, could still be an invincible and fierce fighting force.
The generals in the tent had no idea of Lu Qing Wan's many plans. Hearing this, they all became nervous. Everyone understood the implication of Feng Wei Rong's words, but with Lu Qing Wan pointing it out, it became awkward. Questioning the commander was a major taboo in the army. Feng Wei Rong also did not expect Lu Qing Wan to be so bold. He cast an unnatural glance at Lian Yu, then pretended to be calm and said, "What this humble general said is the truth. The formidable reputation of the Xuan Jia Army relies half on the soldiers' bloody battles, and half on the King's name as the God of War. Without the King, the soldiers will have to shed more blood."
Lu Qing Wan nodded in agreement. "That is true, but the King cannot personally lead the front lines to command the situation now. Since General Feng does not agree with the strategist's plan, why not tell us your thoughts?"
To everyone's surprise, she did not use her status to pressure him or bolster Lian Yu's support. Feng Wei Rong and the generals who had echoed Lin Feng Mian looked at Lu Qing Wan in astonishment, as did the other generals. Only Lian Yu watched everyone with calm eyes, exuding an aura of steadfastness, as if unperturbed by any storm.
Feng Wei Rong was quite forthright. After exchanging a look with his colleagues, he calmly said, "In that case, this humble general will share his views." He took a long pole and skillfully gestured on the sand table. "Currently, Nie Jintang and Cheng Nanliu's thirteen thousand troops are trapped between Bei Xiao Pass and Emerald River by our General Shen Da's fifty thousand troops and Shen Qing Zhou's Tian Zi Battalion's sixty thousand troops. Furthermore, along the Emerald River, there are ten thousand troops under the command of the Southern King assisting us. On the surface, our side has a sure victory."
He raised his pole and pointed towards the Northern Wei territory outside the pass. "But according to intelligence, Northern Wei has stationed ten thousand troops in Yongning City, ready to march south at any time. Moreover, Nie Wu Ming has also recalled the White Robe Army from the northeast, showing an intent to fight the Xuan Jia Army to the death. At this time, if we divert troops to attack Yun Qiang, in this humble general's opinion, it is tantamount to seeking our own destruction. Therefore, this humble general still believes it is best to concentrate our forces to attack Northern Wei and drive them out of Bei Xiao Pass. If the King wishes to expand our territory, it will not be too late to turn and attack Yun Qiang then."
Feng Wei Rong's words were reasoned and well-supported, with clear intelligence meticulously laid out, proving that he was not opposing for the sake of opposition. Lu Qing Wan breathed a sigh of relief. This at least confirmed that Lin Feng Mian and Feng Wei Rong, among others, merely had different combat philosophies from Si Feng Wu, focusing on the issue rather than the person, which made it easier to handle. She organized her thoughts and said seriously, "General Feng's words, based on the safety of the Xuan Jia Army, do have some reason. However, the prerequisite for Northern Wei to be able to unite with Xi Liang and Yun Qiang to threaten Da Gan is that their military provisions and supplies must be abundant, right? Those of you who have been stationed in the northwest for a long time, do you not know that the grain, supplies, and various materials that Nie Wu Ming has accumulated over the past few years are now in our own storehouses?"
Lu Qing Wan's purpose in coming here was to crush Yun Qiang, attack Northern Wei, march on Xi Liang, and unify the three southeastern principalities. No matter how they objected, she would ensure that Lian Yu executed the operational plan that he and Si Feng Wu had long devised. Of course, persuasion was necessary, and since her own people could not fight, it had to be done by presenting facts and reasoning. Speaking of reasoning, Lian Yu's previous explanation of the reasons for attacking Yun Qiang was about strategy, and now it was Lu Qing Wan's turn to present the facts. However, seeing the bewildered generals, Lu Qing Wan looked at Lian Yu with a hint of confusion. "Strategist... did you not tell the generals?"