Xu Jingzong arrived at the camp in a flurry of activity. The present camp was bustling with activity. After all, the mobilization of troops wasn't something that could be done in a short period of time. The entire army was busy, either dispatching fodder, weapons, or soldiers on the move. It gave off a rather chaotic feeling.
After seeing this, Xu Jingzong understood that this was the norm, and also the most normal.
After all, the mobilization of an army of a hundred thousand was no small matter.
This wasn't an easy task at all.
Xu Jingzong didn't look at the army's mobilization. He went straight to the command tent, where he saw Xue Wanjun and Xue Wanche. Presently, the entire army was being mobilized, and the two were constantly making arrangements. They would set out for battle once the mobilization was complete.
Seeing Xu Jingzong arrive, Xue Wanjun stood up to welcome him. "Strategist Xu, you're finally here. Now that you're here, we can meet to discuss our strategy for dealing with Xia Xia's army. Fourth brother and I have discussed it, but we feel that no matter how cautious we are, we still need to break through the enemy's defenses. "
Speaking up to this point, Xue Wanjun continued, "After all, our advantage is on the water, as well as our advantage in numbers. But Du Qi is extremely cunning and difficult to deal with. "
Xue Wanche added, "Strategist Xu, you're a scholar and are best at strategizing. That's why we need you here at most. Leave the desperate fighting on the battlefield to us. But the planning and strategizing will be left to you. After all, you're the best at it. "
Xu Jingzong waved his hand and sat down with Xue Wanjun and Xue Wanche. He then said with a smile, "Commander Xue, General Xue, I do have some immature ideas about how to fight Xia Xia's army on the water."
It would be difficult to distinguish between Xue Wanjun and Xue Wanche if they were to address each other as General Xue.
It would also be inappropriate to address them as Third or Fourth General.
That was why he addressed them as Commander Xue and General Xue.
Xue Wanjun said, "Please speak, Strategist."
Xu Jingzong didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "My idea is to attack with fire on the water."
Xue Wanjun said, "How?"
Xu Jingzong said seriously, "All of our warships carry many small boats. Once they were about to meet Du Qi's warship on the water, they would arrange for the soldiers to push the small boats and directly rush towards Du Qi's warship. Every small boat was loaded with enough gunpowder. Once it gets close to Du Qi's warship, tell the soldiers to detonate it. "
Xu Jingzong's eyes flashed with anticipation. "When the gunpowder explodes, even if it doesn't destroy Du Qi's warship, it will at least be damaged. When the warships on the river were damaged, the water would leak. Du Qi's men were mainly from the north and were not used to fighting on the water. When the time comes, the warships will be damaged and unable to move forward, and the soldiers will have nowhere to run. Du Qi will naturally be defeated. "
"Wonderful, wonderful, truly wonderful!"
When Xue Wanjun heard this, his face lit up with joy. He felt that this plan was too classic.
It was simply exquisite beyond compare.
It was truly brilliant.
Xue Wanche also chimed in, "If it was on the battlefield on land, it would indeed be difficult to arrange. The reason is simple, the enemy can evade and the soldiers can scatter. But on the river, it's a different story. Du Qi's side will definitely have dozens of warships. With so many warships, there's no way to evade. "
"Once our small boats rush over, Du Qi won't be able to evade. If we don't have weapons like gunpowder, it won't be easy to deal with. But right now, it's different. This is an excellent opportunity. As long as we destroy Xia Xia's warship, this battle will be over and we'll be victorious. "
Xue Wanche said, "We'll definitely win this battle."
While speaking, Xue Wanche cast a look of admiration at Xu Jingzong. As the saying goes, once an expert makes a move, one will know whether or not he is an expert. Now that Xu Jingzong had made a move, he knew how formidable Xu Jingzong was.
Xu Jingzong stroked his beard, enjoying the looks of admiration from the two. He said neither too fast nor too slow, "Although this is the plan, we still need to catch them off guard. He had to catch them off guard in order to get close to them. Once Du Qi is on guard, the plan will be easily exposed. So, when the two sides are closer, we'll decisively release them and let the soldiers sail over. Of course, if the wind blows toward Xia Xia's warship when we meet up with him, it'll be even more advantageous for us. "
Xue Wanjun's martial arts couldn't compare to Xue Wanche's, but he was a cut above the latter in terms of strategy.
He pondered for a moment and said, "Counselor Xu, since we need the wind direction, it's actually very simple. We can just wait for them to come. After sailing for a while, we'll wait halfway. When the wind direction is suitable, we'll set off decisively and try to get close to Du Qi's army before the wind direction ends. Of course, this is only the ideal situation. Even if we can't find them, that's fine. But if we can find them, we can't let them go to waste. "
Xu Jingzong said, "Commander Xue is right. In short, we'll seize every opportunity. Once there's an opportunity, we can't miss it. We'll try our best to weaken Du Qi's advantage. "
Xue Wanjun praised, "With Counselor Xu's participation, we'll definitely win this battle."
Xue Wanche also said, "Luckily it's Counselor Xu."
Xu Jingzong smiled, "Commander Xue, General Xue, you're overpraising me. If it's someone else, they'll definitely be able to come up with this plan. In addition, we must be cautious in this battle. We can't be arrogant. The Tang Dynasty and Xia Xia have fought several times, but Du Qi turned the tables every time. So, we must be cautious. "
Xu Jingzong's heart was full of ambition.
He wanted to achieve victory.
The Tang Dynasty's previous battles with Xia Xia always ended in failure. Moreover, they always suffered heavy losses. Even at the most serious time, Zhangsun Wuji and Li Yuan both died at the front line.
So, if Xu Jingzong was the counselor this time, as long as he could plan to achieve victory in this battle, then Xu Jingzong could rely on this plan to lay the foundation for a Marquis title.
So, Xu Jingzong was very cautious.
Xue Wanjun and Xue Wanche looked at each other and nodded in agreement. The two of them also agreed with Xu Jingzong's words. And they also knew that this battle was very important. Once they won this battle, then their position in the Tang Dynasty would be very important. So, the two brothers respected Xu Jingzong very much.
As long as they could achieve victory, as long as Xu Jingzong's plan succeeded, even if the two of them served Xu Jingzong like an ancestor, the two brothers had no objection.
Everything was for the sake of victory.
Xu Jingzong, Xue Wanjun, and Xue Wanche discussed some follow-up arrangements. After discussing all the matters properly, they finally waited. It didn't take long for the army to be deployed. A group of people led the army straight out of the city and went all the way north.
After the army arrived at the water stronghold north of Jiangdu City, the army boarded the warships one after another. Then, all the materials and weapons were transported to the warships. The entire warship fleet had already set off for the north to meet the enemy.
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