coobybook Chapter 166: Conquering the enemy without fighting is the best strategy
Chapter 166: Conquering the enemy without fighting is the best strategy
The general's tent had been set up, and the two main commanders of the Yan army had also come in, followed by several trusted generals.
A stove was brought in, with a large pot of wine warming on it. The rich aroma of the wine made Zhang Yide drool.
Shen Changgong, who was sitting on the chair, looked at Zhang Yide's drooling expression and said with a smile,
"Drink if you want, but drink sparingly. Just don't get drunk and cause any disruption to military operations."
"Okay, okay, thank you, Your Majesty!"
Zhang Yide quickly stood up with the wine bowl.
Guan Shouchang, who was standing by, patted him and frowned and said,
"Go pour some wine for the two princes first. Who do you think you are? Do you think you deserve to drink first?"
"The prince asked me to drink it, you long-bearded man, don't be ungrateful!"
"Don't be so ignorant of etiquette!"
Guan Shouchang glared at him fiercely.
Although Guan Shouchang is proud, he is much smarter than Zhang Yide. He treats this simple-minded man as a real brother. If it were someone else, who would remind him?
Zhang Yide smiled gently, took two wine bowls from the table, poured two bowls of wine, and placed them on the table for Shen Changgong and Ma Ling respectively, and said with a smile,
"You two princes, drink first."
"Alright, alright, go drink your drink. How can I be in the mood to have a rough guy like you serve me drinks?"
Shen Changgong waved his hand, sent Zhang Yide away, picked up the wine bowl, looked at Ma Ling and said with a smile,
"Come, King Nan, thank you for your help this time. Let's meet."
Ma Ling had a stern face. He had never smiled before, which was completely different from Shen Changgong's natural smile. But he still picked up the wine bowl, clinked it with Shen Changgong's, and drank the wine in one gulp.
Then, he looked at Shen Changgong who was sipping from the bowl and sneered,
"Dawdling over a drink is unmanly."
Shen Changgong also sneered back and said,
"I just like to see you trying to endure the heat and still pretend to be stubborn. Tell me the truth, is it hot or not?"
"Not hot!"
The Southern King snorted coldly.
Shen Changgong continued to sip wine to warm himself up and drive away the coldness in his body, and then said,
"This time, Yuhuatian is trapped. How long will it take for your 120,000 infantrymen to reach Yaoguan?"
"It will probably take another five days. We've been marching quickly all the way, and we've already reached Qingping County."
Shen Changgong nodded and said,
"Then, when your army is about to reach Yaoguan, you will take the Zhennan Army and personally command the battle to attack Yaoguan.
Yaoguan now has 20,000 defenders, 10,000 of whom are elite soldiers and 10,000 are old, weak, sick and disabled. With your strength, you can attack them by surprise and it should be no problem to take them down in one day.
In the next few days, especially tomorrow, when Yu Huatian finds himself surrounded, he will definitely choose to break out. I don’t have many people, and I still need the Zhennan Army to help patrol outside the city to intimidate the enemy and prevent them from breaking out.
It would take about half a month for the enemy's 200,000-strong army to reach Yaoguan. By that time, we would have completely wiped out the Yuhuatian tribe.
By then, Yaoguan and Zhennanguan will be in your hands. Do you want my army to help you guard the passes?"
Shen Changgong spoke out all the upcoming tactics in one breath.
After hearing this, the Southern King sneered and said,
"I have 120,000 infantry and 50,000 Zhennan cavalry. Do I need to defend the city against an enemy force of 200,000?
I will definitely leave the city and defeat them miserably.
Your troops have been fighting for days, suffering heavy casualties and are already exhausted. After this battle, you should return to the capital as soon as possible to reorganize, recruit new soldiers, strengthen your combat power, and prepare for the subsequent counterattack against Kun Kingdom."
Shen Changgong nodded and said,
"That's fine. I'll leave the 200,000 Kun troops to you. I heard that the capital is recruiting quite a few new soldiers now, and people from all over the country are coming to join the new army.
When the time comes, after I have replenished my 200,000-man army, I will send another 20,000 garrisons to Yaoguan Pass for you, freeing up your main force to form a dedicated corps. Then, our two armies will advance in unison to counterattack Kun State."
The Southern King nodded and said,
"Okay, then we can unite with Qi and Liang and send troops together.
The Kun State suffered heavy casualties in its attack on our country. It is a time when the military force has been greatly depleted and the national strength is depleted. This opportunity must not be missed.
During this period, you have been preparing for war, developing new weapons and strengthening armaments.
We, Great Yan, can only become strong through war.
Peaceful development will only make the weak weaker and the strong stronger."
Shen Changgong smiled and said,
"Are you so confident that I can stay in the capital, control the government, expand my military power, and expand my influence?"
"So you trust me so much to guard the country's borders and command a large number of troops?"
The two looked at each other, suddenly smiled together, raised their wine bowls and clinked them against each other.
Gongsun Wan'er squinted her eyes, and a word suddenly appeared in her mind.
Embarrassing and committing adultery.
A bunch of raccoon dogs.
Bad friends.
The two chatted about some tactics, and suddenly, the Southern King Ma Ling asked,
“By the way, I heard that your divine thunderbolt is very powerful. It can blow open the city gate and blow away the enemies, killing a large number of them.
This king wants to see what it is and how powerful it is."
"Okay, tomorrow. It's raining now, so I can't use the divine thunder. I'll blow up the city gate tomorrow and let you see."
"Forget about blowing up the city gate. Such a valuable treasure should be saved for the final siege. If you use it in advance and the city gate is blown open, will you go in or not?
If we go in and fight, the enemy still has an army of over 100,000. Street fighting will only result in mutual destruction, and our main force will suffer heavy losses.
If we don't advance, the enemy will be on guard, and it will be difficult to attack the city again, as they will definitely block the city gates."
Shen Changgong nodded and said,
"Yes, that's pretty much what I thought. The enemy is now resisting stubbornly. A forced attack would only result in huge losses. I think it's better to attack their hearts and minds. The best strategy is to defeat them without taking advantage of them."
"To conquer the enemy without taking advantage of their position is a good saying, and it's similar to the opening lines of my book, 'The Southern King's Art of War.'"
"We could become soulmates, so why don't we become sworn brothers today? Under the heavens and earth as witnesses, how about we become brothers?"
Southern King Ma Ling stood up and walked out.
"Go to sleep."
"Don't go, talk for another five cents."
Looking at the determined back of King Nan, Shen Changgong chuckled.
He never regarded the King of the South as an elder, but instead felt that he was like a responsible and capable big brother.
But the flower has intentions but the water flows on without mercy. Shen Changgong truly regards Ma Ling as his elder brother, but Ma Ling only wants to be his uncle.
After the King of the South left, Shen Changgong drank with the generals for a while, then stopped talking and went back to sleep.
It was a stormy day and the weather was cold. Only the body of the little bitch Wan'er could give Shen Changgong some warmth.
It's just a pity for Gongsun Wan'er. She has to work during the day and at night. But Shen Changgong works as a secretary when there is something to do and as a secretary when there is nothing to do. He is extremely happy.