Upon hearing that he has a plan, everyone in the tent cheered. This is due to the great victory in the first battle and the confidence that Lin Wanrong has instilled in them.
"What plan do you have, quickly tell us!" Xu Zhiqing was overjoyed and hurriedly urged him.
Lin Wanrong stared at the map intently and leisurely said: "There is an old saying in China, 'Before the soldiers and horses move, the rations and fodder move first'. The Turks have over two hundred thousand men and horses stationed at Wuyuan and the rations they consume every day will not be a small amount. They are not like us who can rely on Xingqing Prefecture to replenish our rations. From what I know, the rations of the Hu are almost all transported from the grasslands. Why don't we make an issue out of this. "
Since ancient times, there had been countless classic campaigns to raid the army's rations. No one felt that this idea was new to him, but how to achieve the effect of a surprise attack was what everyone was troubled about.
Yu Zongcai stole a glance at Xu Zhiqing and shook his head: "General Lin, I'm afraid you don't understand the habits of the Hu. The Turks grew up on horseback and are proficient in horsemanship. When they march, they carry almost all their rations and dried meat with them. At most, each of them can carry ten days' worth of rations. If we are to ambush their rations, I'm afraid we have nowhere to start. "
After fighting with the Hu for so many years, everyone in the tent is familiar with their habits and nodded their heads in agreement.
Xu Zhiqing smiled: "Brother Yu, you misunderstood General Lin's intention. It is true that the Hu carry rations with them but that is only when they are moving at high speed and come and go like the wind. Ten days' worth of rations is enough for them to fight a big battle. But it is different this time. Our victory at Wuyuan has greatly exceeded the Turks' expectations. That Lu Dongzan is exceptionally cautious. He must scout out the situation ahead before he is willing to continue advancing. Thus, the speed of the army has been greatly slowed down. From Wuyuan to here, they will need at least three days. In addition to the time spent to travel from the grasslands to Wuyuan, that is to say, before they reach the Helan Mountain Pass, before facing our main force, the Turks will have depleted at least half of their rations. If you are Lu Dongzan, what will you do? "
"Military counselor means that in order to cross the Helan Mountains, Lu Dongzan must mobilize provisions from the depths of the prairie!" Zuo Qiu suddenly understood.
Lin Wanrong smiled and nodded, looking at him with appreciation.
"This is the congenital weakness of the Hu people," Xu Zhiqing continued to analyze, "In the past, when they conquered other tribes, they always fought in the grasslands and deserts. Rations could be deployed at any time, so supplies were not that important. But it was different this time. Although the Hu people are brave and fierce, they have never gathered more than three hundred thousand soldiers. This is the first time they are fighting such a large scale battle. Moreover, they are heading south to the Central Plains. They have spent a lot of time and must be lacking in various aspects. Such a large-scale battle not only tested the courage of the soldiers on both sides, but also the strength of the nation. And I can say this with certainty. Before we conquer Xingqing Prefecture, these 300,000 Turks will not be able to get a single grain of grain from China. Thus, logistical support is the Turks' weakest link. "
Xu Zhiqing's words were well-organized and her analysis was reasonable. All the generals were confident. Although the Hu people are strong in numbers, they must also look at their shortcomings.
Lin Wanrong shrugged and said helplessly, "After hearing Miss Xu's words, I suddenly feel a little regretful. I killed five thousand warhorses at Wuyuan. Isn't that giving a lot of rations to the Hu people?"
Laughter sounded in the tent. Zuo Qiu patted his shoulder and smiled, "No matter. To the three hundred thousand mouths of the Hu people, five thousand warhorses is just a drop in the bucket. It is just a meal. But Brother Lin, the shadow you left in the hearts of the Hu people will never be erased. "
Lin Wanrong laughed and the atmosphere in the tent became lively again.
Yu Zongcai was unconvinced, "Even if Lu Dongzan wants to mobilize a large amount of rations, he will do it in the grasslands behind them. There are hundreds of thousands of Hu in front of us. Do you think we can grow wings and launch a sneak attack? "
Xu Zhiqing nodded, "Big Brother Yu is right. This is also what I find hard to understand. But how does General Lin intend to launch a sneak attack?"
This was indeed a very serious problem. To pass through hundreds of thousands of Turks was an impossible task. Everyone turned their eyes to Lin Wanrong, waiting to hear what he had to say.
Lin Wanrong walked up to the map and silently stared at it for a long time. Suddenly, he sighed, "Military Advisor Xu, Big Brothers, what do you think of the direction of the Helan Mountains?"
His sudden question left everyone dumbfounded. What direction could the Helan Mountains take? Wasn't it just a massive mountain range? It spanned from north to south, forming a natural barrier between China and the Turks, as well as the dividing line between the two cultures. Other than that, what else could they see?
"The Helan Mountains are high and the highest point is called Aobaoge Mountain. It is the highest mountain in the northwest of China. It stretches for eight hundred li and is a majestic sight. Standing at the peak of the Helan Mountains, looking towards the east, one can overlook the Yellow River and the Ordos Highlands. Heading towards the west, it is steep at first and then gentle at the end, straight into the Alxa Grasslands — "Xu Zhiqing explained carefully. She took out a small red letter and marked the locations on the map.
Lin Wanrong smiled at her gratefully. Looking at the vast mountain range marked on the map, he was in a daze.
Miss Xu was the closest to him. She saw his eyes glistening as he muttered to himself, "Riding the chariot, trampling through the Helan Mountains. Aspiring to eat the meat of the Hu, laughing and talking about drinking the blood of the Xiong Nu. Helan, the great Helan — "
He is reciting poetry again! Xu Zhiqing's heart thumped and her face heated up. She whispered, "What are you talking about?"
Lin Wanrong's eyes swept across everyone and laughed, "Helan is a great place. Not only do we need to defend the Helan Mountains, we need to attack from here. "
Attack? Miss Xu stared at the map and was silent for a long time. Suddenly, her expression changed, "You, you want to go from east to west, across the Helan Mountains, and kill your way into the Alxa Grasslands?"
Miss Xu's words woke them up and the expressions of the generals in the tent changed. The Helan Mountains were naturally steep. There were only two large canyons running through the north and south. They were formed after tens of thousands of years. The terrain was steep and difficult to pass through. To the east and west, there were endless mountains and primeval forests. Strong winds blew at the foot of the mountains and heavy snow fell at the top. The weather was harsh and changeable. Since ancient times, there were no roads that could be used. It was simply a pipe dream to want to pass through the Helan Mountains.
"Can't I?" Lin Wanrong looked indifferent. He pointed to the northwest of the Helan Mountains, "Military Advisor Xu, is this place called Bayanhaote?"
Xu Zhiqing gritted her teeth and nodded, "Yes, this is Bayanhaote, located in the northwest of the Helan Mountains. The plains are wide and good at producing Tan sheep. The color of their wool is fine and smooth, curly like clouds. This is the famous' Thousand Gold Fur '. Most of the Turks' supplies came through this place.
"That's it!" Lin Wanrong slammed his palm on the map, "The throat of the Turks!"
Everyone in the tent kept quiet out of fear. After a long time, Zuo Qiu said, "Brother Lin, are you crazy? The Hu know that Bayanhaote is located in the northwest of the Helan Mountains, but they still set up a supply station here. Do you know why? "
"I'd like to hear the details." Lin Wanrong cupped his fists.
Zuo Qiu shook his head and sighed. "Not only is this place abundant in natural resources and extremely close to the Five Plains, but most importantly, this Helan Mountain Range has always been a path of death from the east to the northwest, and no one has ever been able to walk out of it alive. If not for that, the Turks would have attacked us long ago. They are more at ease to set up a supply station here than us! "
"Yes, this is a dead end." Yu Zongcai echoed, "General Lin, have you gone mad from wanting to be a hero? If this road is open, what natural barrier will stand between us and the Turks? "
Lin Wanrong let out a long sigh, "Brother Yu, the more impossible something is, the more likely it is to make a breakthrough. You haven't walked this road yourself, how can you be so sure that it is a dead end? "
"How can the legends of our ancestors be wrong?" Yu Zongcai snorted.
"Our ancestors may not be right in everything they say. A road needs to be stepped on." Lin Wanrong sighed and said.
The tent was so quiet that even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard. Everyone's eyes fell on Xu Zhiqing. They wanted to see what she would say. Miss Xu stared at the map and bit her red lips. After a long time, she spoke softly, "How confident are you in taking this road?"
Lin Wanrong shook his head solemnly, "I'm not confident. The only thing I can be sure of is that there must be a road connecting the east and west of the Helan Mountains. It's just that we haven't found it yet. "
His confident expression caused Xu Zhiqing to be puzzled. Based on her understanding of Lin Wanrong, he would not speak the truth on small matters and would not lie on important matters. Especially at a time like this where the lifeline of China is at stake, he would not speak without thinking. "Then how can you be so sure?" Xu Zhiqing lowered her voice and grumbled.
Lin Wanrong also did not know how to explain. Could he say that he had been here for a holiday before? In fact, the Helan Mountains did have several east-west corridors. However, he wasn't sure if it would work in this world.
Lin Wanrong shook his head with a bitter smile, "It's not that I'm sure, it's because of the situation. If there's a brother who can think of a better idea. Only a ghost would be willing to travel deep into the forest. "
Everyone was silent. Just as Lin Wanrong said, the army is now stationed at the foot of the Helan Mountains and the Turks are steadily advancing. A bloody battle is inevitable. If they can't think of any other way, they can only fight to the death with the Turks.
Xu Zhiqing also understood this logic. She hesitated for a moment and after a long silence, she sighed, "Let's stop here for today. Let me think about it."
Everyone knew that she was in a difficult position. They took their leave. Before Lin Wanrong could take a few steps, Miss Xu pulled him back, "Wait a minute —"
"Miss Xu, is there something you need from me?" Seeing that Zuo Qiu and the rest had left, Lin Wanrong turned around and asked with a smile.
Xu Zhiqing took out a letter from her robe and silently passed it to him. Lin Wanrong opened the letter and glanced at it. On the front page, there was a picture of a fairy-like woman sitting in a pavilion. Her brows were slightly furrowed and her face was delicate. Her abdomen was slightly bulging. It was a picture of a young married woman who was thinking about something.
"Qing Xuan!" Lin Wanrong was overjoyed. This was a letter from home from the capital. On the front page, there was a self-portrait of Miss Xiao. Xiao Qingxuan hadn't said a single word, but this simple portrait had already conveyed all the words she wanted to say.
On the second page, there was another woman. This woman sat in the carriage. She lifted the curtain to reveal a beautiful and moving face. There was a hint of bitterness in the heroic spirit between her brows. Her feet inadvertently extended out of the carriage and a bright red line danced around her ankle.
"Grand Mistress!" Lin Wanrong was overjoyed. This was another self-portrait of Xiao Yuruo. The deep longing that was engraved in her bones during the tiredness of the journey was clearly visible.
Next, there was Ning 'er, Qiaoqiao, Yushuang, Xian' er … Each of the madams drew a portrait of themselves. The situation was different and the posture was even more different. However, it was in accordance with their temperament and instincts. It vividly displayed the endless yearning.
In particular, Ning 'er was the most creative. She laid horizontally on the gums with a lazy expression. Her delicate body was wrapped in a silk quilt, slightly revealing her tender shoulders. Her pure white wrist stretched out of the quilt and lightly flicked the bright red candle. Her rosy little face was covered with a faint layer of pink. She was so charming that even the candlelight seemed to be suppressed.
In the entire letter, other than the portraits of the madams, there was not a single word left. However, it made one's heart burn. This was truly the most creative letter in the world. It was unknown who came up with this idea. It was too special and too talented!
Ning 'er, why did she need to cover herself with a quilt! Lin Wanrong snorted angrily. His gaze lingered on each madam for a long time. Who knew how much saliva dripped from his mouth.
"Have you finished reading?!" Xu Zhiqing's leisurely voice rang in his ears.
Lin Wanrong was shocked. Only then did he remember that there was still Miss Xu beside him. He quickly wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth and laughed, "I've finished reading, I've finished reading. Qing Xuan and the rest are really good at drawing. It's just that they wear a little too much clothes. Wait for me to write a letter to ask them to improve. Next time, they will draw a few bathing pictures with makeup and send them over. There must be a sauna. "
A faint blush appeared on Xu Zhiqing's face. She said gently, "Your family has beautiful wives who are affectionate, caring, and loving. You don't know how many people are envious of you. Traversing the Helan Mountains and strangling the barbarians' throats is such a dangerous task. Do you still want to go?!"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
