Chapter 1616: Chapter 1616: The Shift in Power
"Let them go to war." Shangguan Jian responded, understanding Ye Shikai clearly referred to the reinforcements outside the city.
"We took Wan City; they contributed nothing, so at least they cannot just stand by when it comes to defense." Ye Shikai said indifferently, "The lord has already sent word. She ordered the entire army that if anyone shows any signs of reluctance or avoidance of battle, even slightly, they can be dealt with under military law." Ye Shikai was quite proud, with Mi Wen supporting him from behind, he wasn’t worried about these people becoming cowards.
"Now these troops are outside the city, they dare not retreat nor advance. The only way is to stay with us, ensuring the Qin Army won’t easily head south. They may only try to capture counties near Wan City, but Wan City has convenient transportation and waterway transport; the Qin Army cannot starve us by siege. On the contrary, they might be called back within two months due to insufficient military strength." Ye Shikai explained, currently, the situation favors them, and this is a good thing.
"So that’s it." Shangguan Jian realized suddenly.
"But the Qin Army is numerous and formidable, and in terms of fighting prowess, they surpass us, so we mustn’t be careless." Ye Shikai certainly won’t take chances; he had seen the combat strength of the Qin Army. Even though the insurgency was widespread, their overall power was still strong.
"Transmit the order, have the camps below dig deep trenches, build tall fortress walls, intensify patrols, and prevent Qin Army raids. Additionally, expedite the restoration of Wan City’s defenses. Not only must we repair them, but also make them taller and thicker. Ensure the city garrison has ample arrows and boulders; if the Qin Army dares to come, we will fight them to the end."
"I understand."
"If we can hold Wan City for two months, the Qin Army must retreat. Then this campaign can be considered a great victory." Since the onset of the war, Ye Shikai had estimated the scale of the Qin Army, including the amount of supplies they could gather in a short time and how many days these supplies could last. He had calculated all of this; coupled with intelligence from team members, the results were often not far off from reality, making people mistakenly believe Ye Shikai was a "Prophet." In truth, it was just the use of intelligence.
In two months, Ye Shikai didn’t know whether other insurgents would "capture" the counties in the Central Plains, but in two months, their supplies would surely be exhausted. Holding steady without retreating would mean sending their large army to its death in vain.
"Wan City has waterway transport. We have fought our way here, taking most of Nanyang and seizing countless supplies and military equipment. The supplies accumulated in Wan City alone are enough for the army’s consumption for half a year. I am eager to engage with the Qin Army."
"Old Ye, we just captured Wan City. This news will quickly reach the court, and His Majesty will surely learn of it. We might become the number one enemy of the court, and our threat level might surpass that of the Wolf Clan in the north."
"Shangguan, what exactly are you trying to say?"
"Old Ye, our opponents now are merely the garrison from various counties and temporarily recruited soldiers. Although their combat power is not weak, they pale in comparison to the border guard corps in the north."
"You are worried that His Majesty, in his anger, might have General Meng Tian deploy the border guard corps to eliminate us, right?" Shangguan Jian’s implication was clear to him. Though Mi Wen could be considered an "Overlord," she mostly took advantage of the Northern Wolf Clan’s assaults on the borders, leading to the counties deploying troops northward to fight the enemy, thus leaving internal vulnerabilities for uprising against the Qin. It felt somewhat like "monkeys ruling in a mountain without a tiger."
"Exactly."
"Actually, you can speak more openly. There’s no need for General Meng himself to make a move. The court only needs to send an experienced general. No need to deploy the entire border guard corps; merely extracting one hundred thousand elite soldiers from it could easily push us back to Southern County or even Changsha. We’ve been to the borders and know their combat power well." Ye Shikai spoke bluntly, but it was the truth. The border guard corps was the court’s ace card, with a scale of three hundred thousand. Meng Tian had seen countless battles, and most importantly, the border guard corps fought the Wolf Clan day in and day out. Those battle-hardened veterans couldn’t be matched by the insurgents.
"Not just the border guard corps, but the Qin Army from other places as well. Although there are many insurgents, we are the largest force. For the court to ’kill one as a warning to others,’ they will surely go all out against us. After all, the world still belongs to the court; the Qin Army’s strength is still many times ours. If we continue fighting like this, can we really win?" Shangguan Jian expressed rare concern.
"Perhaps."
The collapse of the Qin Dynasty was swift; the destiny of the world was consensual after being long divided and unified. Overthrowing such a large empire wasn’t something a single force could achieve.
At least, Mi Wen couldn’t.
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The governor’s mansion.
"Your place is quite nice; very impressive. The governor’s mansion truly has a grand atmosphere."
"My Lord." Ye Shikai greeted the visitor personally.
"There are no other people here. We’ve agreed not to be so formal." Mi Wen gently patted his shoulder and proceeded to the governor’s position.
"Things are different now. In a high position, many eyes are watching us. We’ve caused quite a stir by capturing Wan City. This is both an opportunity and a challenge."
"The heroes of the world will take notice of us, and it’s best if they join us. This way, our influence won’t be confined to the south alone." Mi Wen continued, "Didn’t you tell me you wanted to capture Ba County and Shu County as bases? I’ve recently received many letters from insurgents there."
"What do they want from you?"
"Of course, to join us. Ba County and Shu County’s defenses are inherently weak. If they can act as guides and support us, capturing them won’t be difficult."
"I’ve decided that after defeating the Qin Army and stabilizing the situation, we will dispatch Great County to capture Ba County and Shu County."
"Wait, absolutely not."
"Why?" Mi Wen was very shocked; she hadn’t anticipated that Ye Shikai would be the one to oppose her this time.
"You were the one who advised me to seize Ba Shu’s two counties as a base initially. Why are you against me now?" Mi Wen retorted.
"But you didn’t listen to my advice back then." Ye Shikai rolled his eyes, "At that time, we almost argued over this."
"Cough, cough, then I’m following your advice now. Why do you still oppose it?"
