"If Zhang Jiuling was really that formidable, then he wouldn't be a human, but a god. Our Mengshe Zhao would never have a chance, so how could there be today's war? "
The Wang Clan truly was famous, and the former Prime Minister of the Tang dynasty was even more so. However, Wang Chong's words could only deceive those who weren't in the know. To an ambitious and ruthless character like Gelofeng, Wang Chong's words were complete nonsense. It would be strange if he would even listen to a single word.
"Damn it!"
Fengjiayi immediately reacted, cursing in his heart. It was all because Duke Jiu's reputation was too great. Everyone said that Duke Jiu was virtuous and respected, and his reputation as a virtuous minister was even more so.
Fengjiayi had a preconceived impression of Wang Chong and believed it to be true.
"This despicable and cunning fellow!"
"There's no need to get angry at him. When two countries go to war, each side will use their own methods and will stop at nothing. This has always been the case. The urgent matter at hand is to think of a way to attack the Annam Protectorate. "
Gelofeng waved his hand.
To tell the truth, if he didn't have to think of a way to sweep through the southwest as quickly as possible and capture this place, Gelofeng would have been rather interested in Wang Chong. It had been a long time since he had encountered such a formidable youth. Whether it was offense or defense, everything was seamless, leaving not the slightest opening.
Given Gelofeng's background and the fact that he had set up such a grave crime as rebellion, anyone else would have fallen into his trap. But Wang Chong had instantly neutralized this most dangerous of political plots. This wasn't something an ordinary person could do.
Putting aside the art of war, for him to be able to handle affairs and adapt to the situation to such a degree was truly not something an ordinary person could compare to. This was also the reason why Gelofeng had made the prompt decision to not pursue the matter any further.
"Follow me!"
Gelofeng unfolded his robe, turned around, and strode towards Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huizang. Almost at the same time, Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huizang led all the Ouzan generals toward Gelofeng.
Although they walked different paths, in certain aspects, as the leaders of the southwest, the two of them shared the same line of thought.
"Does the Prime Minister have any ideas?"
Gelofeng went straight to the point and said in a deep voice.
"This kid is not easy to deal with."
Dalun Ruozan took a deep breath.
"Our top priority now is to remove his defenses on the mountain. Without those steel defenses, the less than one hundred thousand soldiers of the Southwestern Protectorate army would be completely incapable of stopping our army. "
"Yeah!"
Gelofeng also let out a long sigh.
"The Tang dynasty dominated the world with their infantry. Positional warfare and defensive warfare have always been their forte. The Wang Clan seemed to be especially skilled in this aspect. In the Battle of Erhai, we were able to completely defeat the Annam Protectorate, but it's impossible here. "
Gelofeng and Mengshe Zhao's army had the deepest understanding of the changes in the Tang dynasty. From relying on their advantage in numbers to swiftly rout the Great Tang, to losing nearly seventy thousand soldiers on the mountain, the Annan Protectorate army had completely changed in the minds of the Tang. The difference between the Annan Protectorate army and the Great Tang army was like the difference between heaven and earth.
"We underestimated this kid. He came prepared. He's the one we underestimated the most in this war. "
A Mengshe Zhao general suddenly said.
His words silenced everyone. Yes, rather than saying that they had underestimated the Annam Protectorate, it was more accurate to say that they had underestimated a single person. Whether it was Lion City, these scattered fortresses, or even the massive transformation of the Annam Protectorate, they had all been brought about by a single person.
From a certain perspective, this war was a war between the Mengshe – Ü-Tsang army and one person.
That person from the Tang dynasty had only sent one person to completely tip the scales of this war, as well as alter the course of this war that should have been in the bag.
"Imperial Father, Prime Minister, and generals, I feel that we shouldn't overestimate that kid in this matter."
Fengjiayi suddenly spoke, a pensive look on his face.
"Oh?"
These words instantly attracted everyone's attention.
"Does Your Highness Crown Prince have a wise opinion?"
Dalun Ruozan faintly smiled, appearing to be all ears.
"I wouldn't dare to say that I have a wise opinion, but has everyone forgotten why the Tang people chose to break out of the encirclement?"
Fengjiayi said pensively.
"Buzz!"
Fengjiayi's words caused everyone's eyes to brighten. Indeed, in terms of safety, Lion City was even safer than this place. The Annam Protectorate had chosen to break out of the encirclement rather than remain in the city for a very simple reason.
"They ran out of food!"
A Mengshe Zhao general suddenly said, revealing the crux of the problem.
"That's right! The Annam Protectorate left Lion City because their food supply was about to run out. There are nearly a hundred thousand men and horses. The people and horses have to eat, drink and poop. This is not a small number. "
Fengjiayi's eyes shone with a sharp light, his gaze growing sharper and sharper.
"No matter how formidable that brat is, do you think he can conjure up enough food for one hundred thousand soldiers? The war in the southwest has only been going on for a little more than a month. Before the soldiers have moved, the rations have moved. This one once lived in the Tang dynasty, so I was fortunate enough to have some understanding of them.
"The Tang dynasty is different from us. Their territory is vast. In order to gather an army of one hundred thousand soldiers, they would need to gather them from all the prefectures and counties of the empire. The entire process is time-consuming and laborious, requiring a very long time.
"When I was studying in the capital during the Tang dynasty, I was fortunate enough to look up the historical records of the Tang dynasty. For the empires of the Central Plains, a three-month war requires three years of food preparation and preparation. Moreover, the further north they go, the poorer the land and the lower the yield. They aren't like our Mengshe Zhao, where the sun is abundant, and we can produce more rice than them.
"Thus, I can be sure that the Tang dynasty cannot prepare enough food for one hundred thousand soldiers in a short period of time. Even if that brat has wings on both sides, he can't conjure up enough food for one hundred thousand soldiers.
"Even if they surround the summit so tightly that not even a drop of water can trickle through, as long as we surround them and don't attack, they will die without question. When the time comes, it won't be us who will attack them, but them who will have to think of a way to break out and leave. "
As he spoke, Fengjiayi clenched his fists, his eyes blazing.
Putting aside his status as the Crown Prince of Mengshe Zhao, no one had ever been able to outshine Fengjiayi in front of so many people like Wang Chong. Although Fengjiayi had never said it, he had long ago viewed Wang Chong as a thorn in his side.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince speaks correctly. Even if we don't do anything, as long as we don't let the Annam Protectorate escape, they will quickly collapse without enough food. No matter what, they have no chance of winning this war? "
A Mengshe Zhao general immediately agreed.
Gelofeng slightly creased her brow, but she said nothing.
"Haha, Your Highness the Crown Prince's view coincides with this one's. But right now, there is still a small problem. "
Dalun Ruozan faintly smiled as he suddenly spoke.
"Oh?"
Fengjiayi's brows rose, but he quickly lowered his head and modestly said, "I would like to hear Prime Minister's wise opinion!"
"Haha, Your Highness the Crown Prince is a dragon among men. It's already quite good that you have noticed this. The problem of food truly is the lifeline of the Tang people, but this war is somewhat different from the past. … Why does Your Highness the Crown Prince believe that we can attack the Tang people without worrying about attacks from other sides? "
"This …"
A look of hesitation appeared in Fengjiayi's eyes. "Prime Minister's opinion is …?"
"Just as that Wang Chong said, the Tang Dynasty has four prefectures: Annan, Annan, Anxi, and Anbei, as well as five armies: Longxi's Big Dipper Army. Right now, the other four armies have no time to deal with us because we have reached an agreement with the Abbasid Caliphate, Charax Spasinu, the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganates, the Goguryeo Empire, the Xi, and the Khitans. The tallest tree in the forest is the first to be blown down by the wind. It's not just us who want to deal with the Tang Dynasty, but them as well. Thus, this is the reason they are willing to help us restrain the Tang Dynasty's forces.
"But if we drag things out for a long time and we can't take the southwest. Then the situation will be completely different. Once they believe that the Tang Dynasty is still the same Tang Dynasty, undefeatable, they will retreat. At that time, all of you should know what we will be facing! "
Dalun Ruozan's words instantly silenced everyone.
In truth, this was not some profound problem. It was just that as generals, they would subconsciously consider the problems at hand, the problems of the military, and not the problems of the overall situation or strategy.
With the war in the southwest having reached this stage, there was no time to waste. There was no time to wait for the Annam Protectorate to collapse on its own. The earlier they attacked the Annam Protectorate, the earlier they could settle the situation in the southwest. It would also allow the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganates, Goguryeo, the Xi, the Khitans, and the other factions to settle down and join the war against the Tang Dynasty.
Time was fleeting, and the longer they delayed, the more disadvantageous it would be for the Mengshe – Ü-Tsang army. On this point, Gelofeng was more anxious than anyone else. After all, Ouzan's men had a path of retreat, but Mengshe Zhao's men did not.
At this stage, costs were no longer considered. Thus, in the last two days of battle, Mengshe Zhao had lost so many soldiers, including the heavy losses suffered by the White Stone Legion, that Gelofeng had not even mentioned.
As an ambitious and ruthless person, Gelofeng was undoubtedly qualified.
But Fengjiayi clearly did not understand the anxiety in Gelofeng's heart.
"Let's talk about the Tang rations later!"
Geluofeng suddenly interrupted at this moment.
"Prime Minister, do you have any wise ideas about the current situation?"
"There's no other way at the moment!"
Dalun Ruozan shook his head and decisively said.
"If we want to deal with the Annam Protectorate, it's very simple. We first have to remove those steel walls they've erected on the mountain. If we can't do this, we'll have to pay the same enormous price as before!
"But that Qilin son of the Wang Clan truly isn't simple. If my guess is correct, he's probably brought an entire team of craftsmen here so that they can repair those steel walls at any time. If we attack at any time, he can repair it at any time. If this continues, there's no way to proceed. If we try to forcefully attack, we'll have to pay an even greater price than we imagined.
"If Prime Minister is worried about those steel walls, then leave the rest to us. Duan Yangyan, I'll leave the rest to you! "
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.
