Several hundred generals found their positions.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan also arranged for the commanders in their homes.
One hundred thousand soldiers against one hundred thousand soldiers, this could be considered a major battle.
Because Wang Juan was playing the role of the defensive commander of a backward region, her soldiers could be arranged first. The generals would attack from the east of Jiangnan, which was the east of Jiangnan.
Wang Juan was not allowed to have large ships, only small sampans. However, the main battlefield was Wang Juan, and Zhang Xiaobao could be more flexible in the logistics.
Wang Juan had four hundred thousand indigenous people, and the generals had fifty thousand logistical soldiers to supplement them.
With Li Longji's order, the battle began.
Zhang Shougui was in charge of the Great Tang's vanguard, leading twenty thousand soldiers, fifty cannon ships, two hundred transport ships, and horses.
At the start of the battle, Zhang Shougui picked up an order flag, waved it twice, and whispered, "Order all cannon ships to line up. Move the ships, fire the cannons, and bombard the coast of Haiyan."
The messenger glanced at the small sand table and map in front of Zhang Shougui, nodded, and went to the large sand table in the middle of the large room to repeat Zhang Shougui's order.
At this time, many people had entered the large room to deliver the message. The referees were staring at the sand table, and the people in charge of recording were also moving their brushes like they were flying.
The model ships representing the cannon ships moved across the surface of the sea on the large sand table. Several referees looked at the sand table and shook their heads, giving a result.
'Tang vanguard cannon ships are firing blanket-fire. Based on the maximum range of the cannons, zero native casualties. Because there are no troops stationed along the coast, if the Tang vanguard cannon ships continue to fire, 1500 shells will be consumed in fifteen minutes. '
Wang Juan also looked at her sand table and map and softly ordered, "All personnel have finished setting up the traps. All lines are to retreat. With Qiantang as the center, form a straight line from north to south. Retreat to Wucheng, Deqing County, Wukang, Yongxing, and Fuyang County in a line. Prepare to retreat again and give up on Lingyin Mountain.
If the various vanguard units have already arrived at their designated positions, and no new orders have been received within seventy-two hours, it means that the command center has already moved, and orders them to freely adjust the troops according to the deployment before the general battle, or to retreat, or to hide, or to feign attack. "
The person in charge of delivering the message nodded and left. He went to the house where Huzi and the others were and informed the people outside. The people standing outside expressed that they had heard the message but did not go in to inform Huzi and the other generals. ;
Because Wang Juan was a native, she didn't have a radio, so it would take some time for the news to be transmitted. If the referee had set a time limit of four days for the news to be transmitted, then the people outside would have to wait for one day before they could inform Huzi and the others. If the referee had set a time limit of eight hours, then they would have to wait for two hours, which was a four to one ratio.
Three minutes later, the general in Zhang Shougui's other room sent a report. "Vanguard Scout Team One reports that the artillery coverage has been completed. All suspicious bunkers in the coastal areas within Sea Salt's line of sight have been destroyed. No signs of a counterattack have been found."
"Gunship Command Camp reports that 1,150 rounds of ammunition have been expended. Firing has been halted and awaiting further orders. One-seventh of the total number of rounds have been expended." This was the report sent by the general in another room.
"Scout again, report again. Order the Scout Camp to increase the number of troops ashore and carefully search." Zhang Shougui realized that the situation was a little bad from the report sent by the First Scout Team. The First Scout Team did not say how many native corpses they had seen, which meant that they had not been able to find them, or that there was no one along the coast and all the bunkers were fake.
At this moment, Zhang Xiaobao stood up from his room and began to stroll out, heading toward Wang Juan's room. As he passed by Zhang Shougui's door, he even smiled at him.
"Mm?" When Zhang Shougui saw Zhang Xiaobao, he froze for a moment, but then he suddenly reacted and said to the messenger, "Objection! Zhang Xiaobao has snuck out on his own and violated the rules."
The messenger immediately went to the panel of judges, and after receiving a reply, he returned and said to Zhang Shougui, "The panel of judges has expressed that it's fine. Zhang Xiaobao has not violated the rules."
"How is that possible? He's already come out, but he hasn't violated the rules. I request that the panel of judges give a detailed explanation. Look, he's already entered Wang Juan's room, so how can the martial arts examination still proceed? What is he in charge of that he can just go over? In a moment, remember to close my door. It's easier for them to hear. "
Zhang Shougui unhappily pointed at Zhang Xiaobao, who had just entered Wang Juan's room and closed the door.
The messenger ran back and forth. "The panel of judges has said that you have no right to know what Zhang Xiaobao is in charge of through the panel of judges. Furthermore, they have confirmed once again that he has not violated the rules. If you must know, then you can first request to withdraw from the martial arts examination. After they inform you, you can only sit in the judge's seat or leave the field."
"Ah!" Zhang Shougui paused for a moment, then waved his hand. "Forget it. I can't withdraw yet. Order the cannons to follow the northern shore of Hangzhou Bay and travel close to the shore. Use the fastest speed possible to reach Yanguan County. Send a scout team to search the shore. If they encounter an enemy, report back.
The special forces will go ashore and enter the forest. If they find traces of the enemy, use the radio to call for artillery support and inform the central army. The road ahead is safe. "
Yang Sixun was in charge of the central army of the Great Tang fleet. He was in charge of forty thousand soldiers, twenty cannons, and three hundred ships. It was not his turn to do anything yet. He sat on the chair and looked at the sand table on the ground. There were a few models of small boats in front of him, representing the vanguard. The messenger pushed the boats forward bit by bit.
Every time they moved a little, they would leave. Then, when they received the report from the panel of judges, they would push a little more. After pushing a little more, when the messenger returned, two of the boats had stopped moving.
Yang Sixun was stunned. "Why did the two groups of soldiers stop at the vanguard?"
This group was requested by Wang Juan. It was represented by the brigade and battalion of the Military Advisor. It was not that the current military system was not good enough, but that Wang Juan was more familiar with it. It was already good that she did not change the brigade into platoons. When she lectured, she also had the generals get used to the system.
Yang Sixun was only puzzled, but Zhang Shougui was about to go crazy from anger.
"Why are my two groups not moving? Can someone give me an explanation? "Zhang Shougui was the messenger.
The messenger knew what was going on, but he could not say. He could only helplessly shrug his hands. "If Sir wishes to see the details, please withdraw first."
"Fleet personnel report that the propellers of the vanguard's first, second, and third groups have been entangled by fishing nets. The panel of judges has determined that the first, second, and third groups are unable to move, and their steam engines have been damaged. Half of the first group's boats are unable to move, and their steam engines have also been damaged."
Zhang Shougui's question was quickly answered by a messenger from another room in the group.
"How did they get entangled? The lookout just now said that the water was calm. Where did they hide their fishing nets? This is too much of a bully. "Zhang Shougui could not figure out what the problem was.
In the end, the messenger also said, "If you wish to know the exact reason and observe from a third party's perspective, please withdraw first and find someone else to replace you."
"Can't you just say something else? Zhao Gang, withdraw first and ask what's going on. Have your little brother replace you. If the explanation is wrong, come find me. If the explanation is reasonable, you can stay with the panel of judges. "
Zhang Shougui shouted as loudly as he could into the room next door.
Zhao Gang was the captain in charge of the lookout. When he heard Zhang Shougui's voice, he reluctantly put down the flag, stood up, and walked over to the large sand table in the center.
When he got there, he said, "I withdraw. I want to know how the boat was entangled by the fishing nets. In your judgment, there were no tools on the water that left a mark."
The people of the panel of judges were very easy to talk to. Since Zhao Gang had withdrawn, they would tell him. He explained, "Wang Juan had people place a fishing net in the water at the very beginning, using a levitation technique. It's basically a piece of wood with a rock hanging from it. Only after achieving levitation is it allowed to be placed in the water. The fishing net is hung in this manner. This technique is not difficult at all, and the panel of judges has approved it. You … do you have any other opinions?"
Zhao Gang thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No. Have my little brother replace me. I want to join the panel of judges. Give me a copy of the rules."
Zhang Shougui did not receive Zhao Gang. What he received was news from the messenger: 'Lord Zhao has already joined the panel of judges.'
Zhang Shougui raised his head and sighed. He now understood that the boat had truly been entangled by the fishing net. As for how, he would have to find the reason himself.
It didn't take long for the water ghosts to report: 'Discovered floating pieces of wood and falling rocks in the water, neither floating nor sinking, attached to the fishing net.'
The special forces on shore also reported: 'Discovered countless bunkers and dummies, but no living or dead people.'
Zhang Shougui nodded vigorously. "Formidable. Before we even made contact, our Great Tang has already lost several tens of thousands of strings of coins. But I don't understand."
As he spoke, Zhang Shougui stood up and headed straight for the center of the sand table. When he arrived at a door facing this direction, he wrapped his clothes around his head and covered his ears with his hands. Unable to enter, he said, "Stop for a moment. I have something to say. I didn't see or hear."
Li Longji was eating appetizers and drinking wine while looking at the sand table. Seeing Zhang Shougui enter like this, he raised his hand to signal for a pause.
"Minister Zhang, Minister Zhang, someone come and take his hands off. Stop pretending. We don't believe that he can't hear us."
Without needing help, Zhang Shougui put down his own hands and said indignantly, "Your Majesty, this subject refuses to accept this. Wang Juan is our general's teacher, so she already understands us very well. And there's also Zhang Xiaobao, who specializes in scheming. If they fight with us, we will be at a disadvantage at every step.
What this subject wants to ask is, if it really was the Great Tang's army, how many aboriginals would be able to come up with such a plan? But Your Majesty, look at the way they fought. They've been scheming from the start and understand us very well. Is it possible for them to be true aboriginals? "
Li Longji earnestly listened. After thinking for a while, he asked, "Then … according to Minister Zhang's meaning, you admit defeat? Wang Juan directly became the martial champion? "
"This subject does not mean that. What this subject means is that the referees should not have allowed them to be as smart as they are now," Zhang Shougui argued.
His voice was so loud that others could hear him. Wang Juan and Zhang Xiaobao walked out of the room and to the sand table in the center. Zhang Xiaobao spoke.
"General Zhang, yes, Cuckoo understands you, but you don't understand her? She's always giving you lessons, so you don't understand her style? I also didn't hide. I used schemes, and everyone seemed to understand that once my schemes were out, they would always be connected.
"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Could it be that you want to push the blame onto us and say that you don't understand us? You say that we schemed against you, but could it be that on a real battlefield, you would discover that the enemy general was scheming against you and you would stop fighting? And then because they were in the wrong, they would agree to a truce and withdraw their troops? "
"This … this is not the case. On the battlefield, there is only life and death, nothing else. Everyone uses their own methods to determine victory and defeat, but are the aboriginals as smart as you? Wouldn't they be scared silly by the sound of cannons? "
Zhang Shougui first shook his head, then continued with his reason for opposing.
"Oh? Scared silly by the sound of cannons? Fine, General Zhang, take a look and see what this is. "Zhang Xiaobao took out his gun and pointed it at Zhang Shougui.
"A gun," Zhang Shougui replied.
"Very good. Then now, General Zhang, I want you to bring your mother, wife, or daughter over and take off their clothes so that we can all humiliate them. Otherwise, I'll beat you to death," Zhang Xiaobao said.
"Brat, you dare?" Zhang Shougui's eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened. He stepped forward and charged at Zhang Xiaobao. "Zhang Xiaobao, if you have the guts, beat me to death! Beat me ~!"
"Stop! General Zhang, I'm apologizing. I'm just saying. Later, I'll kowtow to Auntie and apologize. I'll go with Cuckoo to apologize. Please don't be impulsive."
Zhang Xiaobao hurriedly ran behind Li Longji.
"Minister Zhang, don't be impulsive. We will uphold justice for you. Someone, seize Zhang Xiaobao," Li Longji urged.
Gao Lishi was on the side. He pressed down on Zhang Xiaobao and snatched the gun from him.
Only then did Zhang Shougui stop his charge and angrily glare at Zhang Xiaobao. "Zhang Xiaobao, I'll remember you. If you don't give me a satisfactory explanation, I'll buy a cart full of firecrackers and blow up your house."
Zhang Xiaobao raised his hand and fearfully said, "Okay, General Zhang, please don't be angry. Later, Cuckoo and I will kowtow to Auntie, okay?"
"There is an explanation. It's like this, General Zhang. I was just saying, and you're already like this. You also know the power of a gun, so why didn't you back down? The natives also have their own parents, wives, and children. If you're not afraid of guns, should they be afraid of cannons?
Living in humiliation or dying in battle to protect their loved ones, I believe that many men know what to choose. Even women can be forced onto the battlefield. Thus, your explanation is not valid. "
Zhang Xiaobao sincerely spoke this time.
Zhang Shougui took a few deep breaths. "In the future, you're not allowed to use my family as an excuse. There's no need for you to go to my mother's place. I admit that the natives also have men, but are they as smart as you?"
On the side, Wang Juan glared at Zhang Xiaobao. Of all the examples he could use, why did he have to mention his family?
Following which, she said, "General Zhang, Xiao Bao and I have been wanting to pay a visit for a long time. Please don't refuse. You must go. Xiao Bao's words just now offended you, so please be magnanimous. Later, we'll pay a visit and apologize.
"Now, I'll answer your second question. Our Great Tang's technology is limited, but the gunships are there for all to see, and the steam engine ships are shuttling back and forth. Let's not talk about the natives of other places, just talk about Japan. Do you think they can't figure out how to stop the propeller ships?
"If a foreigner studies in the Great Tang long enough, he will know how the weapons of the Great Tang are and will definitely think of a way to deal with them. No one is a fool, and there are also some extremely talented people.
"If a tribe sends one hundred people to study in the Great Tang, when they return, how can they not compare and think about the Great Tang's economy and military?
Yes, they might not understand the Great Tang as well as I and Xiao Bao, but you won a battle, so how can the other tribes not think about it?
You say that it's unfair that Xiaobao and I know a lot, but it's unfair to use guns against cold weapons. You can't always treat others as fools. In fact, no matter how backward a place is, as long as they fight to the death, you can't win unless you kill everyone. "
Zhang Xiaobao took back his gun and continued, "Actually, not all the men in all places are like men. In some places, you don't even need to fight. You just need to spend money, and women will take off their clothes and perform for you. This is actually more tragic than being conquered by force.
General Zhang, think about it this way. You are not fighting against the natives, but against a smart people. You just have advanced weapons, but this people are not afraid of death and are eager to learn. Moreover, they have sent many people to study in the Great Tang.
"You also have to understand that the person participating in the Military Selection is Cuckoo. You have the advantage of weapons and are making it difficult for her to move. We are competing with cold weapons and hot weapons, but we are using the natives as an excuse.
Don't you even have this little bit of confidence? Do you have to turn Cuckoo into a fool before you think you have a chance of winning? Then what if Cuckoo also uses hot weapons to participate in the Military Selection? Do you still dare to compete? "
Zhang Shougui lowered his head in embarrassment. Truly, Wang Juan's Military Selection was already not balanced. No one knew if the natives would be so formidable that they would not compromise even if their entire tribe was wiped out, or so weak that they would take off their clothes for a little money. But since he had chosen his opponent, he had to choose the strongest.
Thus, he said, "Your Majesty, this subject knows his wrongs."
"Correct. Minister Zhang is a man. Since you are willing to risk your life to protect your family, in the future, when needed, you will definitely be able to protect the country." Li Longji didn't care at all about Zhang Shougui's lack of etiquette. If he really wanted to investigate, he would first investigate Zhang Xiaobao. Who wouldn't be angry after hearing those words? Unless he wasn't a man.
If things went wrong, he would have to write a decree to console Zhang Shougui's mother. As for Xiao Bao, he would have to suffer even more. He would have to pay his respects.
Upon hearing Li Longji's words, Zhang Shougui felt much better. He glanced at Zhang Xiaobao, wanting to persuade him not to come and apologize, but Zhang Xiaobao immediately understood.
"General Zhang, don't say anymore. I have to go. Even if it's for my reputation, I have to go. Otherwise, what will the world think of me? If the two of us switched places, you would already be on the ground. Not even a doctor from the Academy of Deyi could save you.
Once the Military Selection is over, Cuckoo and I will pay you a visit. Don't reject us at the door. Cuckoo, what gift do you think we should prepare? An apology is an apology, but a gift can't be lacking. "
"There's no need, there's no need." Zhang Shougui actually felt a little embarrassed. This husband and wife pair had been talking about kowtowing and apologizing for nothing more than the fact that it involved his family. It wasn't like they were actually trying to humiliate him. Their usual etiquette was already more than enough.
Wang Juan ignored Zhang Shougui's words. Following Zhang Xiaobao's words, she said, "I heard that Auntie likes to eat Huainan sweet oranges. This is a must. It's said that Auntie worked hard in her youth and coughed for a long time. Tubo's golden fungus is also a must.
Also, Auntie always has people buy sandalwood to calm the heart. Gifting her a set of sandalwood furniture is also a must. Auntie is also afraid of the cold. When the soldiers of Jilin Province went overseas to find seeds, they hunted down a white bear pelt and placed it in Auntie's room.
Auntie is also willing to watch the show. How about we bring our acrobatics and crosstalk troupe over to accompany Auntie in her happiness? Also … "
Wang Juan spoke one thing after another, leaving Zhang Shougui dumbfounded. He realized that some of the things Wang Juan spoke of were things he already knew, but there were still some that he didn't know. For an outsider to know his mother's habits better than him and speak of them as if they were family treasures, wasn't this a little too frightening?
Thinking of this, Zhang Shougui couldn't find the words to refuse. She was gifting something to his mother. He felt like Wang Juan was his mother's real daughter. She truly understood everything.
Moved, Zhang Shougui couldn't help but sigh. "Let's just continue with the Military Selection. I think we're done for."
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