Chapter 1591: Chapter 1591: Divergent Decisions
"Mi Wen, I understand your thoughts. The large-scale Qin Army in the central region has not yet begun to converge. Relying solely on Nanyang County, at most there are seventy to eighty thousand Qin Army. This time they have assembled fifty thousand troops by the Zhao He. You want to annihilate them in one go, then seize the entire Nanyang in one fell swoop, is that right?" Ye Shikai retorted.
"Isn’t that what you said? If we don’t take Nanyang within a month, we’ve lost."
"But if we act too hastily, we will lose even before the Qin Army’s reinforcements march south." Ye Shikai shook his head.
"Then tell me, what’s your plan."
"Let me first ask you, who is the Qin Army commander in Nanyang?"
"Zheng Lang. I’ve investigated him. His talents are average, quite mediocre, but there are important court officials in his family, so he became a general in Nanyang. Over the years, he has eliminated a few rebel groups, and by virtue of his military merits, he has become the top commander in the Commander Mansion of Nanyang County." Mi Wen said coldly, "At the end of the day, he’s just a spoiled rich kid with no real skills, commanding tens of thousands of soldiers to eliminate a few hundred rebel groups that can’t even get proper weapons. Even a pig could win that battle."
"That’s indeed a factor in our favor." An excellent commander can face multiple enemies with inferior forces, and the reverse is true. Ye Shikai relaxed a bit when he heard Mi Wen’s evaluation of Zheng Lang.
"Back to the main topic, since you’re against the idea of fighting Zheng Lang head-on, do you have any other methods?"
"It’s quite coincidental. Earlier, while drinking tea, I suddenly thought of an idea." Ye Shikai took a sip from the hot tea in front of him, appearing relaxed.
"Hurry up, what’s the plan."
"Do you see this river?"
"Obviously, we’re on this river right now." Mi Wen rolled his eyes and mumbled.
"This river stretches tens of zhang wide. Though it’s not considered a large river, it can absolutely transport armies with ferryboats." Ye Shikai continued, "This river can directly reach Wan City. More crucially, it can bypass many of the garrisoned cities along the way."
"You mean... a surprise attack on Wan City?" Mi Wen tentatively asked.
"Exactly."
"That’s impossible. I’ve been to Wan City personally. The walls are tall and strong, easy to defend and hard to attack. Even with tens of thousands of troops sieging, there’s no guarantee of taking it down." Mi Wen directly refused. This plan, at first glance, seemed like an adventure, more precisely, a "gamble".
"If your plan fails, you and your subordinates will be encircled, and the entire army will be wiped out."
"That was before, but now it’s different. The Qin Army in Nanyang has already assembled. The defenders in Wan City are definitely not many, I estimate at most a few thousand. And among them, there are certainly young men temporarily conscripted; the regular army has set out, and the governor will naturally conscript strong men to guard the city."
"Wan City is the seat of the governor. The governor’s mansion is there too. If we can take it in one strike, the entire Qin Army in Nanyang will be leaderless, and we can capture Nanyang within a month."
"No, I disagree." Mi Wen’s tone was very firm, directly rejecting it.
"I would rather first fight a decisive battle with the Qin Army, deplete their forces, and attack city by city, rather than choose such a risky strategy." Mi Wen said coldly, "A surprise attack on Wan City is suicidal."
"The difference between suicide and surprise troops lies in the plan’s feasibility. Actually, I’m not completely confident of success, but right now, I believe this is the most suitable strategy."
"I will consider your plan." After saying this, Mi Wen stood up and poured him another cup of hot tea.
"Alright, let’s stop talking business for now. Every time we meet, we seem to never argue until we’re red in the face. This time, let’s calmly have a cup of tea, shall we?" Mi Wen forced out a smile. Although Ye Shikai verbally agreed, both of them were preoccupied with their worries, without the leisure to enjoy tea.
.................................
Deng County.
After returning to the county town, Ye Shikai kept recalling Mi Wen’s words in his mind. The map on the table had been altered beyond recognition by him. Dispatching an elite force, bypassing the Qin Army via waterways, and reaching Wan City was indeed risky.
"What are you thinking about?" At this moment, the voice of the Sword Soul suddenly sounded.
"Of course, it’s the matter of warfare."
"It’s just a bunch of ordinary people poking each other with sticks, what’s there to think about. You, being a cultivator, should think more about matters concerning cultivators." The tone of the Sword Soul was very disdainful, appearing indifferent to the lives of ordinary people.
"Of course, considering yourself a god, you naturally don’t care about the lives and deaths of regular people. But you overlook human emotions."
"I’m not as cold-blooded as you say. It’s just that those people aren’t related to me, so I don’t care. On the contrary, if you die, in a way, I would also be dead."
"Don’t worry, I’m not so easy to kill." Ye Shikai joked.
"Old Ye, what are you looking at?" Suddenly, Shangguan Jian walked in from outside, looking at the map on the table, puzzled.
"Nothing." Ye Shikai temporarily wasn’t planning to tell Shangguan Jian about the plan. He currently belonged to Mi Wen, and any troop movements had to have Mi Wen’s consent, so even if the plan was feasible, he couldn’t act without permission.
"Let’s continue recruiting troops in Deng County. I believe it won’t be long before a major battle breaks out." Ye Shikai instructed.
"Rest assured, Old Ye, everything is under control." Shangguan Jian turned his head and suddenly said, "Old Ye, I have good news for you."
"What news, that makes you so happy?" Ye Shikai asked curiously.
"Just received military intelligence. Our army has captured two cities today. Including Deng County, we’ve conquered three cities in the two days since entering Nanyang. Now, the three cities form a triangular defense to handle the Qin Army’s counterattack."
"Then you should know that Zheng Lang, with an army of fifty thousand, has set up positions by the Zhao He and is taunting us for a decisive battle, right?" Ye Shikai retorted.
"Of course. I heard General Huo Ziqing has already led ten thousand cavalry to circle around the left side of the Qin Army. This Zheng Lang is truly a madman, positioning his forces by the river. If they lose the battle, they won’t even have a retreat!"
"A desperate battle. They truly want to fight to the death with us." Ye Shikai looked solemn. Fifty thousand Qin Army, if they brought enough provisions and water, and constructed camps, would be like a hedgehog. Even dozens of thousands of rebel troops would find it hard to deal with. Zheng Lang isn’t mad, nor is he foolish. He wants to stall the momentum of the rebel army. Although Zhao He isn’t wide, it stretches for hundreds of miles. If we were to go around it, it would take at least half a month’s journey.
"I finally understand now."
