It was not easy to settle down the 370,000 soldiers. Even if the East Jin Kingdom had prepared in advance and built a large military camp, it would still take a long time to settle down all the troops.
Fortunately, the lords had brought their generals with them, so the generals could be in charge of settling down the troops.
After settling everything down, the lords came to Ouyang Shuo's tent to pay their respects. Among these lords, there were both hidden pawns of the Great Xia Dynasty and enemies of the Great Xia Dynasty.
However, on the surface, everyone was harmonious and no one could tell that something was amiss.
Among the 13 lords of the East Jin Kingdom, other than the four lords of the Alliance of Mountains and Seas, the most important lord was none other than Ximen. As a big shot of the North Sichuan City, Ximen's appearance in the East Jin Kingdom's camp was really thought-provoking and attracted countless curious gazes.
Ximen, on the other hand, had a leisurely expression and ignored all the gazes that were cast at him.
The atmosphere in the tent was a little strange.
Before Ouyang Shuo said anything, the lords communicated with each other and carefully probed.
The current situation of the battle was unclear, so Ouyang Shuo did not make any promises. He only said, "Everyone, everything will wait until I meet the two generals, Xie Shi and Xie Xuan, and find out more about the situation."
The lords were all delighted when they heard that. They had rushed here just for this sentence from Ouyang Shuo.
The battle had just begun and the lords were all confused. The most important thing now was not to kill their way to the other side, but to find out more information. As the representative of the Dissimilated Humans, Ouyang Shuo naturally had a unique advantage.
"If that's the case, we won't disturb you anymore."
After receiving confirmation, the lords naturally got up and bid farewell.
"A bunch of snobs."
Feng Qiuhuang said indignantly as he looked at the lords leaving.
Ouyang Shuo smiled. "We're just using each other. You don't have to mind."
"I just can't stand it."
Ouyang Shuo did not argue. Seeing that it was almost noon, it was not appropriate for him to visit Xie Shi and Xie Xuan. He could only wait.
Just like that, the morning passed quietly.
…
At three o 'clock in the afternoon, Ouyang Shuo led his personal guards to the central camp to greet Xie Shi and Xie Xuan.
The purpose of this visit was firstly to familiarize himself with the Inhumans and report the basic situation of the Inhuman Army as a representative. Secondly, it was to find out how far the war had progressed.
Ouyang Shuo wanted to know if the letter that Xie Xuan had written to Fu Jian had been sent out yet. This was a crucial part of the campaign. It was precisely because Fu Jian's army had taken the initiative to retreat that they had collapsed without even fighting.
On the way there, Ouyang Shuo briefly recalled the situation of Xie Shi and Xie Xuan.
Xie Shi, courtesy name Shi Nu, Xie An's younger brother.
Fu Jian led his army to the south. The imperial court dismissed Xie Shi from his position as the Minister of Fire and appointed him as the Conquering General, as well as the Governor of the Punitive Expedition. He commanded his nephews Xie Yan, Xie Xuan and the West Lieutenant General Huan Yi to lead the resistance.
The reason why Xie Shi was able to take up this position and hold such a high position was not only because of his own ability, but also because of his background. At that time, the imperial court of the East Jin Kingdom was almost controlled by the Wang family of Langya and the Xie family of Chen Commandery where Xie Shi was from.
As Xie An's younger brother, Xie Shi's meteoric rise was naturally not surprising.
Therefore, in terms of real ability to command troops, Xie Shi was far from the other generals of the same level in history. He was not worthy of Ouyang Shuo's discerning eyes.
Of course, Xie Shi was not completely useless.
Otherwise, how could Xie Shi stand out among the countless descendants of the Xie family of Chen Commandery?
In the battle of Fei River, the main force of the East Jin Kingdom was the 70,000 North Mansion Army. At that time, Xie Shi led ten thousand navy along the Huai River and Fei River, blocking the route of the former Qin army to the south.
Xie Shi's plan to wear down the Qin army was not unreasonable. Fu Rong was trapped in Shouyang and could not advance further because he had to cross the Fei River.
However, Xie Shi's navy had already arrived and could not seize the advantage on the water. It was difficult to cross the Fei River. Although Xie Shi's navy could not pose a threat, they were blocked at the Fei River, so Fu Rong could not solve the problem of breaking the navy. Xie Xuan quickly advanced and in less than twenty days, the army arrived at Shouyang, ending the stalemate between the two armies at the Fei River.
Therefore, Xie Shi's navy was quite successful. However, Xie Shi's role in the Fei Water battle had always been neglected, because Xie Xuan had been shining so brightly in this battle. He had outshone everyone else.
Xie Xuan, courtesy name Youdu, was Xie An's nephew. He had the ability to govern the country and was good at managing the army.
In the early years, Xie Xuan was a general under Grand Sima Huan Wen. In the second year of Taiyuan, in order to resist the invasion of the former Qin, Xie An recommended Xie Xuan to be the General of Jianwu, the Governor of Yanzhou, and the Prime Minister of Guangling, overseeing the military in Jiangbei.
Xie Xuan recruited the brave men from the north and formed an elite troop, called the 'Northern Legion'. In the fourth year of Taiyuan, he led his troops to defeat the attack of the former Qin army. He was given the title of Champion General and was promoted to the position of Provincial Governor of Xuzhou.
Xie Xuan also had an elder sister who was rather famous. She was the talented woman of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Xie Daoyun. She was also the wife of Wang Xi's second son, Wang Ningzhi. Unfortunately, Wang Ningzhi was not only mediocre, but also incomparably inflexible. Talented Xie Daoyun fell into desolation, and in her later years, she became a widow for the rest of her life.
During the Fei Water battle, Xie Xuan was the Vanguard Commander. He sent his subordinate Liu Laozhi to launch a night attack on Luo River, achieving victory in the first battle. Then, he seized the opportunity to cause the Qin army to retreat and create chaos. He seized the opportunity to launch a ferocious attack, achieving victory despite being outnumbered.
Compared to his uncle Xie Shi, Xie Xuan was still the real deal. He was a rare military talent, and the only person Ouyang Shuo paid attention to.
Similarly, Xie Xuan's steady rise in rank was closely related to his family background.
The Eastern Jin Dynasty implemented a 'nine-rank system', which meant that there were no poor families among the upper ranks, and no landowning families among the lower ranks. In the society of that time, scholars from poor families had almost no chance of standing out.
… …
In the central tent, Ouyang Shuo met with Xie Shi and Xie Xuan.
Xie Shi was fifty-six years old, a white-haired old man. He had passed away six years ago due to illness. In ancient times, he could already be considered a very old man.
Xie Xuan just happened to be forty years old. Ironically, he had passed away a year before Xie Shi. In ancient times, those who spent most of their time on the battlefield would usually carry a body full of illnesses. Those who could live for a long time were few and far between.
"How can a mutant be without clothes? Greetings, Governor." Ouyang Shuo bowed.
"Dispense with the formalities." Xie Shi waved his hand and asked, "How strong is the mutant army?"
Ouyang Shuo gave a brief introduction.
When Xie Shi and Xie Xuan heard this, they looked at each other in surprise. The size of the mutant army was enough to crush the North Prefecture Army.
After all, no matter how strong the North Prefecture Army was, it could not compare to the elite troops of the various territories.
It was awkward for a weak army to lead a strong army.
Fortunately, Xie Shi was experienced and thick-skinned. He asked, "What do you think about this battle?"
Ouyang Shuo did not have stage fright. He took the opportunity to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of both sides. In the end, he said, "If the Former Qin did not have the support of the 400,000 mutant army, this would be a good opportunity for us to attack first and win the battle. But now that the enemy has 400,000 mutant soldiers, we can't act rashly. "
"Moreover, the enemy has the support of the navy. If we force our way across the river, it will be difficult. Now that both sides have stationed troops on both sides of the Fei River, whoever attacks first will be at a disadvantage. "
When Xie Shi and Xie Xuan heard this, they looked at each other, speechless.
A trace of depression flashed across Xie Xuan's face. To think that he was so proud of the victory at Luojian. He said, "So, the Qin army will not agree to my suggestion to retreat?"
Ouyang Shuo shook his head. "If I were Fu Jian, I would definitely agree."
"Hmm?" Xie Xuan did not understand.
Ouyang Shuo said lightly, "Even if the Qin army agrees, do we dare to cross the river?"
"…" Xie Xuan was speechless.
Ouyang Shuo said, "Our advantage now is that we are fighting on our own territory, which is convenient for logistics. On the other hand, the Qin army has increased by 400,000 soldiers. For them, logistics will be a huge problem. "
As mentioned before, in ancient times, when a large number of troops were stationed in one place, it was a huge challenge for logistics. At the moment, there were 550,000 soldiers stationed on the west bank of the Fei River, which was beyond the Qin army's ability to supply.
Xie Shi asked, "You mean, we should just drag it out like this?" It was Xie Shi's idea to drag the Qin army out, but he was persuaded by Zhu Xu to take the initiative to attack.
Unexpectedly, because of the appearance of the mutant army, they returned to the original strategy.
Ouyang Shuo nodded and said, "For now, this is the safest way."
Xie Shi glanced at his nephew, who was still in a daze, and said, "I will consider your suggestion carefully."
"Then, I will take my leave first."
Ouyang Shuo did not expect Xie Shi and the others to agree immediately. Marching was not a child's play.
At the same time, in the camp of the Former Qin army.
Di Chen was also paying a visit to Fu Jian and Jalong, explaining his views on the war.
If Xie Shi and Xie Xuan were speechless after listening to Ouyang Shuo's analysis, then Fu Jian and Jalong were scared out of their wits.
Fu Jian was secretly breaking out in a cold sweat.
According to Di Chen's analysis, without the help of the mutant army, the defeat of the Former Qin army would be right in front of them.
Thinking of the sudden defeat of the 50,000 Qin army in the battle of Luo River, and the glory of the Jin army, even if Fu Jian didn't want to believe it, he had to believe it rationally.
A person's confidence was often destroyed step by step like this.
Fu Jian was obviously not as confident as he was at the beginning, but at the same time, he had a whole new level of respect for Di Chen. Fortunately, Fu Jian had millions of soldiers, and was not afraid of the 400,000 mutant army.
Fu Jian said, "In that case, what suggestions do you have?"
Di Chen smiled, apparently already prepared, and said, "My first suggestion is to behead the traitor, Zhu Xu, and send his head to the other side of the river. First, it will deter the generals, and second, it will weaken the enemy's morale."
During the battle of Fei River, Zhu Xu not only used the opportunity to persuade Xie Shi to surrender, but also revealed the Qin army's layout to him.
When the Qin army moved back, the Jin army crossed the river, and Zhu Xu shouted from behind the Qin army, "The Qin army at the front line has lost!" This caused the Qin army to be in chaos.
Therefore, Zhu Xu was a hidden danger in the Qin army, a time bomb. Looking at the situation, Di Chen wanted to use Zhu Xu, a key figure in the war, as a sacrifice.
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.
