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(Second Update ~)
Chapter 373 "Set Out"
If Du Wei wanted to break the morale of these cannon fodders, he wouldn't need to strip them of their armor and waste manpower to throw them outside.
If he was a bit more cruel, he could just cut off the heads of a few hundred captives and throw them outside the city walls. That way, the morale of Guardo's army would immediately crumble.
But Du Wei didn't do that. It's not just because he's not cruel, but more importantly, he doesn't want too many people to die. In order to cope with the upcoming war, he must gather as much strength as possible.
Although the Northwestern Army is hateful and has ruled the Northwest for 20 years, it's still not enough. The ones who should be beheaded and judged are the generals, not Rugaard himself. As for the thousands of soldiers below, what crime did they commit? They're just following orders from above.
Moreover, the Northwestern Army's elite level isn't something to brag about. With such a group of highly trained veterans, how could Du Wei not be envious? If only he could receive them … …
However, after defeating Rugaard's cavalry, he's already gotten nearly 20,000 captives, all of which are elite cavalry!
These 20,000 captives are enough for him to slowly digest.
It's not that he wasn't envious of the 40,000 soldiers outside, but Du-Wei was very clear that he absolutely couldn't touch those 40,000 soldiers outside!
No matter how much Prince Son trusts him, the Northwest is a place where the empire doesn't want to nurture another warlord after dealing with Rugaard!
But now? He already has 100,000 soldiers under his command. Of course, after the war, he will have to send back the 50,000 soldiers from Rollin's private army. But that doesn't mean the capital will tolerate him taking in so many soldiers from the Northwestern Army!
Du Wei and Philip have discussed it before. In order to make Prince Son feel reassured, he can't have more than 50,000 soldiers under his command without the threat of the Northwestern Army!
Therefore, the Northwestern Army's infantry outside will be sent to other armies to be absorbed. He can't force himself to stand out anymore. Otherwise, the bird that pokes its head out will be shot. A tall tree will attract the wind. It was not a fun thing.
Just like this, Du Wei also felt that his victory this time was too 'glorious'. The power of the hot air balloons was simply too amazing. With the advantage of aerial bombardment, Rugaard's cavalry was completely destroyed. After this matter is over, Prince Son will definitely have to reconsider if he can still sleep at night with such a powerful army in his hands!!
Although Du Wei knows his victory was a fluke, he relied on the barbed wire and trenches to force the cavalry into a crowded terrain. In addition to that, Rugaard didn't bring any long range weapons … … But Prince Son may not know this much. If he saw his "strong army" could easily defeat tens of thousands of soldiers, how could he allow Du Wei to continue to expand his army??
Du Wei is even certain that after this battle, Prince Son will definitely ask him for more hot air balloons!!
It's not that Du Wei doesn't want the 40,000 Northwestern Army outside the city, it's just that he can't have them anymore. Otherwise … … There's no war in the Northwest anymore. Why would Du Wei need so many soldiers?
Even if Prince Son knows that there's going to be a war in the next two years, most people don't. And … … Even if there's going to be a war in the next two years, why would Du Wei need so many soldiers? After all, you're just a Duke, not the Emperor! And the Emperor didn't appoint you as the Marshal!!
Maintaining 50,000 elite soldiers under his command is the limit that Du Wei set for himself. This way, he can avoid touching Prince Son's heart.
•
Since Du Wei made the decision, he immediately sent someone out of the city to deliver a letter to the Tempest Legion and Governor Bohan's barracks. He vaguely expressed his intentions in the letter.
The Tempest Legion's General Andre already owed Du Wei a favor when he went to the capital to report the situation. Now that Du Wei actually said that he won't take the credit, Andre naturally felt even more grateful towards Du Wei. As for Governor Bohan, he couldn't help but sigh at Du Wei's "death".
Since the Duke of the Tulip Family won't take the credit, then they won't be polite either.
However, Du Wei made a small request in the letter.
I can give you the credit and let you fight the 40,000 Northwestern Army … … But I, Du Wei, only want one person!
Gudolo!!
Regarding this request, whether it's Andre, Bohan, or even the general of the capital's guards, all of them were somewhat puzzled. But after thinking about it for a while, everyone felt relieved.
The matter of Gudolo leading his troops to surround Loulan City is no secret, many people know about it. It's likely that the Duke of the Tulip Family is holding a grudge over this matter and wants to capture Gudolo for revenge.
However, in the eyes of these people, a general of the Northwest Army is just a small fry. If they catch him, they can just write his name on the death list and quietly send him to the Duke of the Tulip Family. This can be considered as selling a favor to the most popular figure in the Northwest Army, so why not?
•
The day of the decisive battle has finally begun. Du Wei made an agreement with the other three armies. They will be in charge of the main attack while he will send out his cavalry to patrol the perimeter to prevent any fish from escaping the net. At the same time, his own army will act as a reserve to provide support wherever the situation is critical.
Such a move won the favor of everyone. Seeing Du Wei being so tactful, they also didn't hold back.
Early in the morning, after the horn was blown, the empire's army from several directions simultaneously launched their attack.
Gudolo was already prepared for a protracted battle. His camp is not lacking in fences and trenches, and most of the Northwestern Army's assets are also in his own camp. There's no shortage of ranged weapons, even crossbows and ballistas.
Although the morale of the army is slack, Gudolo is not someone to be trifled with. First, he called a group of mid-level officers into his tent and told them: Even if the others can be pardoned, but you are all officers, the leaders! Ordinary soldiers can surrender, but even if you do, you will still be charged with treason! The only way now is to go all out! There's still a glimmer of hope. If they give up now, then they can only wait to be hanged!
After scaring these officers, they will naturally go back to their own camp to suppress the morale of the troops. As a result, despite the low morale, the Northwestern Army still managed to put up a decent fight.
Governor Bohan's infantry division was the first wave of attack. The soldiers raised their shields to block the Northwestern Army's arrows. After paying the price of a thousand men, they were barely able to fill up the trenches in the south with sandbags. Immediately after, Godolor organized his trusted 1000 men to rush out. These guys didn't even wear armor and rushed out like a swarm of bees. With a flurry of attacks, they cut down half of the people sent by Governor Bohan to fill the trench.
Blood flowed like a river and corpses littered the ground. After all, Bohan wasn't born as a general and lacked military talent. Seeing this, he didn't order reinforcements and instead ordered a retreat.
In the end, after spending an entire morning to open up a gap in the south, it was actually snatched back by Guatolo.
Far away, Du Wei stood on top of the wall to watch the battle. After watching for an entire morning, he sighed: "Fuck, Wang Cheng's personal guards are still so narrow-minded! Fuck!! "
Du Wei can clearly see that Bohan doesn't know how to fight, but what about the others? Leaving aside Andre, the Tempest Legion is made up of cavalry, but what about the personal guards? These personal guards watched Bohan's men die, yet they didn't go up to help … … Even if you're feinting from another direction!!
Standing beside Du Wei is Philip. Wearing a thick robe, Philip sighed and whispered: "My Lord … … I'm afraid this isn't the intention of the personal guards."
Du Wei is a smart man. With this reminder, he immediately understood!
Could it be Prince Son?!
Bohan isn't a direct subordinate of Prince Son, but someone promoted by the Crown Prince. This is something Du Wei is well aware of. Although Prince Son didn't dismiss Bohan after he came to power due to the overall situation in the Northwest. But that doesn't mean he can tolerate this "subordinate of his political enemy" to continue to shine after the Northwest is pacified.
After the Northwest is pacified, it will be time for Bohan to fall.
Therefore, Prince Son absolutely won't tolerate Bohan having too many troops under his command, nor will he allow Bohan to make too many contributions! Otherwise, if Bohan makes too many contributions, for the sake of fairness and his own reputation, how can he not reward him?
Bohan suffered a small loss in the morning. Obviously, the personal guards deliberately didn't act.
Bohan lost three to four thousand men in one morning. He's not an idiot, so it didn't take him long to figure out what was going on. Looking at the personal guards in the distance, Bohan cursed a few times in his heart.
(There will be an update later, please vote ~! ~!!!)
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