Ouyang Shuo briefly explained his strategy of raising wolves. Then, he looked around and said, "32? 32?? That's the situation. If you have any suggestions, feel free to speak your mind. "
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Kuo stood up and bowed to Ouyang Shuo. "Marquis!"
"Please speak!"
Ouyang Shuo knew that Zhao Kuo's strategic vision was brilliant.
It was under Zhao Kuo's persuasion that Zhao State decided to take over the land of Shang Dang offered by the State of Han. Although Changping was defeated, the initial strategic decision was very correct.
Otherwise, Qin State would have easily taken over Shang Dang, and Zhao State would have been defeated even faster.
Zhao Kuo glanced at Bai Qi. Normally, as the commander of the northern expedition, Bai Qi should have the most right to speak. Now that he had beaten him to it, he wondered how Bai Qi would feel.
As for Bai Qi, his face was expressionless. No one could tell what he was thinking.
Zhao Kuo shook his head. Facing such an 'opponent', he felt a little helpless. He said, "The current situation is nothing more than a strategic choice between the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and Chiyou City. Should we take down the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom first and then destroy Chiyou City, or should we take down Chiyou City first and then besiege the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom? "
Ouyang Shuo nodded when he heard this.
Indeed, with the momentum of the two forces' development, one of them had to be restrained. Otherwise, if the two forces were allowed to develop like this, the Dragon Xiang Corps would not be able to suppress them.
"According to the Marquis's strategy, it is obviously not the right time to alarm the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Therefore, the only choice is to take down Chiyou City first. In this way, we can remove the threat from the Hundred Thousand Mountains and prevent it from threatening the headquarters of Lianzhou County. At the same time, we can replenish our forces and form one or two heavy infantry divisions. "
Zhao Kuo was the first to put forward his opinion: take down Chiyou City.
"What do you think?"
Ouyang Shuo did not express his opinion. Instead, he asked for Du Ruhui and Bai Qi's opinions.
Du Ruhui's specialty was decisiveness, not scheming.
Upon hearing this, Bai Qi took the responsibility and said, "I agree. Let's take down Chiyou City first. But there is one thing. If we want to attack Chiyou City, we have to go around Xun Province. What is the military office's plan? "
Zhao Kuo was stunned when he heard this. Just a moment ago, he was still feeling proud that Bai Qi had no choice but to agree with his judgment. He did not expect Bai Qi to throw out such a difficult problem.
There were only two ways to attack Jiuyou City from Lianzhou County. One was to walk out of Fort Mulan and enter Wuzhou from the borders of Xunzhou. In this way, they would encounter the southern and eastern armies of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
It was obvious that the idea of sending troops from Xun Province had basically been rejected.
The only way left was to pass through the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
Thinking of this, even Ouyang Shuo had a headache.
This was the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains! Even if the Military Intelligence Division's spies were traversing alone, they would still end up in a sorry state. It was easy to imagine how difficult it was for an army to pass through.
In the Dragonxiang Legion, other than the two Mountain Barbarian Heavy Infantry Brigades of the 3rd Division, the other divisions did not dare to guarantee that they would be able to lead their troops through the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
However, Ouyang Shuo did not dare to send out the Mountain Barbarian Heavy Infantry Brigade to attack Chiyou City.
Chiyou's position in the hearts of the barbarians was just too lofty. Letting the mountain barbarians' heavy infantry attack Chiyou City was no different from walking on a tightrope.
Even under the constraints of military discipline, the barbarian soldiers would not do anything out of line. Whether it was their morale or their morale, they would inevitably be affected.
Instead of that, it was better to not let the mountain barbarians' heavy infantry go to the front line.
What was even more fatal was that half of the Dragonxiang Legion's troops were cavalry troops. Letting the cavalry troops pass through the Hundred Thousand Mountains? It was simply a fantasy.
Facing Bai Qi's question, Du Ruhui and Zhao Kuo were thinking hard. Especially Zhao Kuo. He was too eager to defeat Bai Qi, even if it was in terms of strategy.
The study suddenly became quiet.
Ouyang Shuo glanced at Zhao Kuo and saw that his forehead was slightly covered in cold sweat.
Obviously, at this moment, Zhao Kuo's brain was working at high speed.
Ouyang Shuo hoped that this chief of operations could bring him a pleasant surprise.
After a long time, just when Ouyang Shuo was a little disappointed, Zhao Kuo suddenly raised his head. His eyes flashed with a bright light, and his whole body seemed to be glowing.
"I got it! Marquis, I've thought of a solution! "
Zhao Kuo suddenly stood up and danced with joy. His voice could not conceal the joy and excitement.
Hearing this, Ouyang Shuo waved his hand and said with a smile, "Please speak!"
Seeing this, Zhao Kuo looked a little embarrassed. Knowing that he had been rash, he smiled apologetically and calmed his mind. He sat back in his seat and said seriously, "Marquis, in fact, other than Xun Province, there is another place we can attack Wu Province. It is Zhaoqing."
"Zhaoqing?" The one who asked the question was Du Ruhui. As the head of military affairs, Du Ruhui was very familiar with the surrounding terrain. Zhaoqing was indeed connected to Wu Province, but it was located in Lingnan.
"That's right!"
"But Zhaoqing is located in Lingnan. It is not connected to our territory at all. How can the army reach Zhaoqing?"
Seeing Zhao Kuo's confidence, Du Ruhui was still puzzled.
Hearing this, Zhao Kuo smiled confidently and said, "There are two ways."
"Oh? I'd like to hear the details! "
Du Ruhui did not expect Zhao Kuo to think of two ways.
"First, the army can be transported to Tianshuang County and then march to Wu Province."
"That's not right!" Du Ruhui immediately rejected the idea. A trace of disappointment flashed through his heart as he said resolutely, "Attacking Chiyou City will require at least three to four divisions, plus a large number of logistical support personnel. Just the cost of transportation alone will be no less than fifty to sixty thousand gold coins. It will be enough to drag down the territory's finances. That's not right, it's not right at all. "
As the head of military affairs, Du Ruhui had to consider the issue of military expenditure.
Because of the rapid increase in the military budget, there were already voices of complaints from the finance department. Fortunately, Ouyang Shuo had personally stepped forward to suppress the complaints and settle the dispute.
As the head of military affairs, Du Ruhui was truly under enormous pressure. This pressure could not be felt by the commanding generals. Only he, the head of military affairs, could withstand it.
Attacking Chiyou City was a military operation in itself, and it would consume a large amount of money and resources.
Taking Chiyou City, with the mountain barbarians' construction ability, would not only not improve the territory's finances, but it would also become a burden.
Needless to say, if they were to reorganize one or two heavy infantry divisions when the time came.
Du Ruhui could imagine the cold face of the head of finance, Cui Yingyou. At this time, of course, he would not approve such a 'wasteful' military plan.
Hearing this, Zhao Kuo was not discouraged. He said, "If that's the case, then there's only the second option."
"What is it?"
Du Ruhui's tone was already somewhat restless.
Zhao Kuo said in a powerful voice, "Take Leizhou, then borrow Zhaoqing to attack Wuzhou."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone was shocked.
Obviously, this was Zhao Kuo's complete plan, and it was a bold move.
In order to take Chiyou City, Zhao Kuo suggested launching a preliminary war to take Leizhou at the southernmost tip of Lingnan, then using Leizhou as a springboard to attack Chiyou City.
Leizhou and Jingzhou were separated by the sea, and Lianzhou County was only separated by a forest.
Previously, when Ouyang Shuo was in Lingnan, he had thought of taking Leizhou to prevent other lords from coveting Jingzhou Island.
Zhao Kuo's proposal was completely in line with Ouyang Shuo's Lingnan strategy.
It had to be said that it was very bold.
Ouyang Shuo, Bai Qi, and the others were all stuck in the same train of thought. They had never thought of attacking from Lingnan. On the other hand, Zhao Kuo's bold and unconstrained ideas broke the stalemate.
Even Bai Qi's eyes lit up, and he looked at Zhao Kuo with admiration.
At this moment, Zhao Kuo had calmed down, and he did not show any complacent expression toward Bai Qi's praise. Obviously, successfully turning the tables had removed the knot in Zhao Kuo's heart to a certain extent.
With the knot in his heart removed, Zhao Kuo felt as if he had been reborn.
Zhao Kuo was very glad that he had made the decision to join Shanhai City.
Ouyang Shuo's eyes were like lightning, and he saw everything.
Ouyang Shuo was also gratified by this. Before this, Zhao Kuo was a little emotional, and he could not be considered a qualified Chief of Operations. Now, he was on the right track.
Ouyang Shuo looked around and said, "I agree with Chief Zhao's proposal. After you come down, the Military Office will draft a detailed battle plan and submit it to me for approval. "
"Understood!"
Du Ruhui and Zhao Kuo stood up at the same time and nodded.
In Shanhai City's army, all major battle plans were drawn up by the Military Office. The generals only had the power to make decisions during wartime. However, the power to mobilize troops was firmly in the hands of the Military Office.
Ouyang Shuo looked at Bai Qi and said, "Chief General, tell me your opinion on the deployment of the army."
Unlike other generals, as a Chief General, Bai Qi had the right to participate in the decision-making of the army's higher-ups. He was not just a general who obeyed the orders of the Military Office.
Hearing this, Bai Qi pondered for a moment, and then said, "We can't give up on the Hundred Thousand Mountains so easily. In my opinion, we can arrange for a group of infantry to pass through the Hundred Thousand Mountains as a surprise attack. "
This suggestion reflected Bai Qi's level.
The two complemented each other, and this was the way of war.
Zhao Kuo was deeply impressed by Bai Qi's words. He really could not underestimate Bai Qi.
"Chief General, please elaborate!"
"The Mulan Fortress will be guarded by the Third Division for the time being. The task of passing through the Hundred Thousand Mountains can be handed over to the First Division. The Second Division and the Fourth Division will be the main force, and they will attack from Zhaoqing. For safety's sake, the Imperial Guard Division will be mobilized. "
Shanhai City had mobilized a total of four divisions, a total of 54,000 soldiers. Their goal was to take down Chiyou City in one fell swoop before the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom could react.
Ouyang Shuo nodded and said, "Alright. The task of attacking Thunder Province will be handed over to the Imperial Guard Division and the Second Division. The Fourth Division will be stationed in Mulan Fortress for the time being. "
Thunder Province did not even need to mobilize three elite divisions. Once the army moved, it would be a huge consumption. (To be continued.)
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.
