coobybook Chapter 355: Does his grandson have such a powerful force?
Chapter 355: Does his grandson have such a powerful force?
You could hear a pin drop in the hall, and the ministers in the court looked tense, no one dared to be careless.
This is a battle that concerns the fate of the State of Yan.
If they fail, the Yan army will be destroyed, and Yan will no longer have the power to fight against Beimang in the future.
The newly developed Yan State would face the disaster of destruction like a broken wood and rotten wood.
But if the Hu Lu are not dealt with, the northern border of Yan State will be frequently attacked by the Hu Lu, and Yan State will never have peace.
At this moment, General Yan Peng, who often fought against the Hu Lu on the northern border, stood up.
"Your Majesty, I believe it is time for us to have a major battle with the barbarians."
Yan Peng directly stated his attitude and then began to explain.
"I have been fighting against the Hu Lu for a long time. The main feature of the Hu Lu is their strong horse riding and archery skills. They come and go quickly. If we defend the city, we will always be in a passive position and it will be difficult to fight against the Hu Lu.
"But if we can catch them by surprise and capture their lair, it will deal a heavy blow to them and prevent them from invading Yan in the future."
Yan Peng was a military general and had fought against the barbarians for many years, so it was expected that he would advocate fighting.
Queen Mother Yan was silent for a moment, then looked at another general, Yan Wen: "General Yan Wen, what do you think?"
Yan Wen slowly stepped out and spoke calmly, "Your Majesty, I believe this plan, while risky, has a high chance of success."
Yan Wen frowned. Although he was inclined to go to war, he also had some concerns.
The King of Liao and the Duke of Xia looked at each other and saw disapproval in each other's eyes.
The King of Liao was the first to step forward and raise objections.
"Your Majesty, I believe this move is somewhat risky. Our Yan State has finally cultivated an elite force. If we lose them on the Hulu grasslands, how will we resist the Northern Mang State in the future?"
Duke Xia stepped forward immediately afterwards.
"Yes, Queen Mother, our greatest enemy isn't the barbarians in the north, but the Beimang Kingdom to the west. The Beimang Kingdom is extremely ambitious, and Crown Prince Di Yulin is training his troops extensively, hoping to invade the Central Plains. When that happens, they will first target our Yan Kingdom. We must not allow the Yan army to take risks and blindly advance deep into the Mobei grasslands."
The King of Liao and the Duke of Xia were two senior and prudent ministers of the State of Yan, and their opinions carried considerable weight in the court.
Although the two of them also admired Si Yan, especially the rumor plan proposed by Si Yan this time, which successfully delayed the Hu Lu and prevented the Hu Lu from attacking the Yan State for two months.
However, if the army rashly advanced into the Mobei grasslands and could not return, the State of Yan would be finished.
They still preferred traditional border defense methods. Even if they had to go to war with the Hu Lu, they would do so on the northern border of Yan State rather than deep in the Mobei grasslands.
Si Yan smiled and looked gently at King Liao and Duke Xia.
"My Lords, we are attacking the Hu Lu people proactively. We are not going into battle blindly, nor are we risking the Yan army. The King of Yan and I have carefully considered this battle, and we have a great chance of victory."
King Liao raised his eyes and looked at the young woman opposite him. Although he knew that she was very capable, there were some things he had to say.
"Although Lord Si Yan has made great military achievements, he is from Daxuan and has never dealt with the barbarians. I'm afraid he doesn't know much about them."
Daxuan and the Hulu were separated by the Beimang Kingdom and the Yan Kingdom. The Hulu could not rob Daxuan, and Daxuan had never fought with the Hulu.
"The Hu Lu claim to have 200,000 soldiers under their command, while the Yan State can only muster an army of 100,000. Moreover, they are going deep into the Mobei grasslands, which we are unfamiliar with. This is tantamount to a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth."
When the King of Liao was young, he was also a warrior on the battlefield. He was well aware of the dangers of advancing alone into deep territory.
Si Yan did not understand the Hu Lu people, and a rash advance would only destroy the Yan army.
Si Yan straightened his back and said, "Lord of Liao, the Hu Lu claim to have 200,000 soldiers, but in reality, they only have 100,000. We don't need a 100,000-man army to advance into Mobei. Only 50,000 will be enough. The other 50,000 will only be deployed on the border of Yanbei."
The King of Liao couldn't help but be slightly stunned. Si Yan was so confident?
Duke Xia stood up again and said, "Even so, if our army goes deep into the Mobei grassland alone without knowing the whole situation, we could still be annihilated. Fifty thousand troops are only half of the Yan army. We cannot afford to make any mistakes."
"Your Excellency, the Duke, Master Boya's caravan has already traveled extensively throughout the Hu Lu region and is extremely familiar with the Mobei grasslands. This time, Master Bo's men will serve as guides for the Yan army, leading them into Mobei."
"Lord Si Yan is probably too hasty. Caravans travel along trade routes. With this marching route, I'm afraid they'll be exposed before they even enter Mobei."
When merchants trade goods, they naturally look for places where there are many people.
If the army marches along the caravan route, it will be dead.
Si Yan smiled faintly: "Duke Xia underestimated the caravan under Master Boya. They are very familiar with both trade routes and uninhabited roads."
The caravans under Boya established intelligence routes, not just traded goods with the barbarians.
They knew where the Hu Lu lived, the water sources on the Mobei grasslands, the places the Hu Lu rarely went to, and even the deserts interspersed in the Mobei grasslands, as well as the directions in which the Hu Lu migrated following the water and grass.
They also knew more about the living habits of the Hu Lu people. Who was their leader? How many factions were there? Where were they located?
In this war, Boya's intelligence advantage will be fully utilized.
Duke Xia stammered and didn't say a word for a long time.
Could it be that his grandson had such a powerful force?
No wonder His Majesty looked up to him and rushed to confer the title of King Bo on him.
Everyone stopped talking, and the only one who still insisted was the King of Liao.
The King of Liao's eyes were heavy: "Master Si Yan, have you ever thought about what would happen if you failed in this battle..."
"Anything could fail, but Yan State has no choice."
The girl's voice was cold and crisp, like the sound of jade colliding in the hall.
She glanced at the King of Liao and said, "We have already held off the Hu Lu for two months. What's next? How much longer can we hold off? Sooner or later, the Hu Lu will return and attack the border again. A war between Yan and the Hu Lu is inevitable.
"If we can take advantage of the Hu Lu's lack of reaction and their horses' weakening strength to launch an offensive, then there will be hope for peace in Yan State."
The hall was silent for a moment, and Prince Yan strongly supported Si Yan: "My opinion is consistent with Ah Yan's."
"However, I believe that Yan should still focus on resisting the Northern Mang Kingdom. If the barbarians attack northern Yan, Yan will not be in danger of extinction. However, if the Northern Mang Kingdom invades Yan, Yan will be doomed."
"The King of Liao is very thoughtful." Si Yan looked up at the worried man across from him, "But has the King of Liao ever considered what will happen if Beimang resolves its internal rebellion and the Hu Lu people react? If Beimang and the Hu Lu people join forces and attack Yan together, what will Yan do?"
Si Yan's voice was gentle and soft, yet it revealed a tenacious strength.
The King of Liao opened his lips but was speechless for a moment.
Si Yan glanced around and said, "If we can take advantage of the fact that Beimang State is busy with internal strife and the Hu Lu are confused now, and deal with them first, it will also be a form of resistance to Beimang State. At least, it will block the possibility of Beimang State and the Hu Lu joining forces to destroy Yan State."
Upon hearing this, Queen Mother Yan spoke up: "Ayan's words are truly enlightening. We must fight this battle."