They were not in a hurry to return to Qingcang City. Hsu Fengnian, Song Dongming, and Chen Xiliang sat by a stream. Hsu Fengnian did not hide anything from the newly appointed Deputy Administrator. He told him a lot of Beiliang's plans. For example, Wang Lingbao led the troops to the Phoenix Regiment to kill the capricious Ma Liuke in order to clear a path for Cao Wei's ten thousand light cavalry. It could even be said that the temporary expansion of the Long Xiang Army before the war was also to ambush these ten thousand cavalry. The main force of the Phoenix Regiment was a secret deal between Beiliang and the Six Pearl Bodhisattva of Mount Lantuo. After listening, Song Dongming did not talk about the details. Instead, he picked up some stones and placed them on the ground. He muttered to himself, "Currently, there are three battlefields. Chu Lushan is in charge of the main battlefront north of Liangzhou. The pass, military town, and Wubao Relay Road are all perfect. It is not an exaggeration to say that they are impregnable. To the north of Youzhou, Beiliang has a natural advantage. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. It is unlikely that Beiliang will attack Youzhou in the early stages. However, Liuzhou is vast and has very few ups and downs. The terrain is like a flat plain, which is good for cavalry. We don't have any big cities or towns to rely on. Beiliang has the advantage in terms of overall military strength. They don't need to use schemes to mobilize their troops. If they choose this route to go south, they will bypass Youliang and Liangzhou. The only thing they need to guard against is that their supply line will be cut off by the Xu family's cavalry stationed in the northwest of Liangzhou. This will test the sneak attack and counterattack skills of both sides. "
Hsu Fengnian glanced at Chen Xiliang. The latter slowly said, "If Beiliang wants to successfully go south into Shu, regardless of whether Beiliang set up Liuzhou as a refugee land, they will try to open a gap here. Otherwise, even if they have a million troops, they will not be able to afford to attack the defense line in the north of Youliang. After all, our Beiliang Army, whether cavalry or infantry, are very good at fighting. Moreover, the cavalry can defend the city if they dismount, but they can also take the initiative to attack if they mount. This is the real headache for Beimang. General has long built large granaries and arsenals in the most important cities and fortresses on the frontlines to prepare for a long war. "
Chen Xiliang paused and smiled, "But in fact, our Beiliang Army has never thought that only defending the city is the best strategy. This point has been passed down from General and Li Yishan to Yan Wenluan, Chu Lushan, Yuan Zuozong, and all the other young generals. They have all come to a clear consensus. Therefore, Beiliang has been practicing martial arts for many years and has always strived for both offense and defense. Beimang chose to start the war now because of the General's death. In addition, Beiliang has to send a portion of its forces to the plains of Liuzhou in order to absorb the refugees. First, Beimang's western front faction finally feels that there is an opportunity. Second, they can't afford to drag it out. If the Liyang imperial court evolves the power of the central plains into fighting forces at the frontlines, the power of the two countries will only grow stronger and weaker. Beimang will have even less of a chance to fight. It can be said that choosing Liuzhou as the location of the war is the entry point that Beimang thinks it can benefit from. It is also a very proactive choice by Beiliang. This is not because Beiliang is arrogant, but because they are confident. Especially confident that our cavalry will fight at their doorstep. "
Song Dongming smiled knowingly and nodded. "Beiliang's military is actually like a well-cultivated field, waiting for the harvest. As the deputy administrator who has not yet received his official robe, I will not add feet to a snake. Compared to Beiliang, Beimang can be said to be a big family with a lot of resources. However, it is inevitable that there will be storms in a house with many branches. I heard that Empress Murong, in order to not have to worry about the future, wants to start a massacre of the Yelu family, the old masters of the grasslands. Many of the masters of the grasslands who are not willing to go down south to attack Beiliang have become lambs waiting to be slaughtered. Why don't we add oil to the fire and randomly choose one of the Yelu descendants to spread the news that Beiliang is willing to recognize him as the ruler of Beimang and not the usurping Empress Murong. This kind of thing will definitely not be able to hurt Beimang, but it will be able to annoy them a little. In the end, it is a good thing. "
Song Dongming stopped here and smiled. "Beiliang most likely has a backup plan for this, right?"
Hsu Fengnian smiled and nodded.
Song Dongming continued, "As for the specific war plans, Song Dongming will not interrupt. Beiliang is an expert in war, and they have many generals who are familiar with military matters. When professionals do things, I, as an outsider, will just watch the show. However, although Beimang's million-strong army seems aggressive, the ones who can really fight with their lives on the line are Dong Zhuo's nearly one hundred thousand soldiers, Hong Jingyan's Rouran Cavalry, Yang Yuanzan, Liu Gui, and a few other veteran generals. However, most of them are not elite soldiers. When the time comes, under the premise that we do not affect the overall situation, we will be able to wipe out one of Beimang's mediocre but sufficient soldiers in one go. Beimang is not a monolithic entity to begin with. Otherwise, the masters of the grasslands in Beiting would not have withdrawn at this time. They have always disagreed on whether to attack Beiliang on the western front or Gu Jiantang on the eastern front. If we cut them slowly, there might be a pleasant surprise. Of course, this is just a casual suggestion from Song Dongming. "
Hsu Fengnian, who had been silent this entire time, finally spoke. "This has always been a small link in Chu Lushan's interconnected plans."
Song Dongming happily laughed. "Just a small link … haha, I finally know why everyone is so afraid of that infamous Lu Qiuer. It's no wonder that the Great King of the Southern Courtyard, Dong Zhuo, suffered a great loss at the hands of our Protector-General."
Song Dongming narrowed his eyes and threw a stone into the stream, causing a ripple. "On the Imperial Court's side, there are some things that I can do. Regarding the grain, salt, and iron, I have a plan that can make the Imperial Court completely relent."
Hsu Fengnian smiled. "Oh? The Imperial Court has always wanted to make oxen pull carriages while not letting oxen eat grass. They're extremely stingy. Even now, the half of the grain that they've relented with great difficulty still hasn't been shipped to Beiliang's Lingzhou docks. If West Chu hadn't given them a warning at the start of the restoration of the country, this batch of grain probably wouldn't have left Xiangfan City for a hundred years. "
Song Dongming said calmly, "It's very simple. We of Beiliang sent a letter to the capital and asked to send ten thousand soldiers to quell the problem. The Kings of the border have the responsibility to guard the border and also quell the problem for the country. It's perfectly justifiable. The Imperial Court has suffered two major defeats in a row. Yang Shenxing's Ji Nan infantry have been caught like turtles in a jar. Yan Zhenchun has sacrificed his life for the country and all his soldiers have died in battle. Isn't this telling the Imperial Court that West Chu is difficult to deal with? We of Beiliang have always been good at gnawing at hard bones. The other Kings of Beiliang can't do anything. If ten thousand isn't enough, how about thirty thousand? "
Chen Xiliang smiled slightly. "It looks like the Ministry of War of Great Peace City is going to be a mess."
Earlier, it was Hsu Fengnian who had asked Song Dongming if a secondary second-rank official's hat was enough. Now, Song Dongming's mocking "Is it enough?" was really returning the favor.
Hsu Fengnian smiled. "The Imperial Court will hate you to death. I have to let experts protect you, the Deputy Administrator. Otherwise, Zhao Gou's death soldiers will definitely come to take your head."
Song Dongming did not smile at all. His eyes were firm as he said softly, "If the Zhao family doesn't even have this much courage, how can they rule the world? Do they really think that Beiliang will exchange the death of three hundred thousand soldiers for their peace? It's true that all the land under the heavens belongs to the King. But since Beiliang is also the Li Yang Territory, are the millions of Beiliang not citizens of the Zhao family? There's no such absurd logic in the world! "
Chen Xiliang sighed. He was convinced by this. For some reason, compared to Xu Beizhi who betrayed Beimang, Chen Xiliang felt closer to Song Dongming.
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