Chapter 462 Attacking Niangziguan

In the central command tent, Lin Changning stood in front of the sand table with the King of Chu and his entourage, surrounded by several commanders and Commander Yan, who was under his command.

The King of Chu kept his word. He made Commander Yan a common soldier under Lin Changning. However, this man did know a lot about the court, so during the discussion, he called him over and asked about the troop deployment of several cities.

"Old Yan, how many people did you have when you passed through Niangziguan on your way to Pingding City?"

A few days ago, Lin Changning and his men had already captured Pingding. Niangziguan is not far from Pingding City, so the imperial court must have received the news long ago, and therefore would definitely send more people to guard Niangziguan.

Normally, the troop strength at Niangziguan Pass is around five to eight thousand men. If the imperial court were to send an additional two thousand men, Niangziguan Pass would likely be difficult to take.

Niangziguan Pass is an important pass in the Taihang Mountains. Its terrain is treacherous, easy to defend and difficult to attack. It is the only way for Shanxi to advance south to Hebei and Henan. If they want to enter the Central Plains and attack Luoyang, Niangziguan Pass is an indispensable pass. The longer it drags on, the more disadvantageous it will be for them.

Now that the grain supply routes around the imperial court have been washed away by heavy rains, and it is the annual season for distributing grain, it is likely that the grain will be extremely difficult to reach other garrisons, and troop deployment will naturally be difficult as well.

An army cannot move without supplies; if supplies cannot reach the capital, there is no way to fight a war. Therefore, the area around Luoyang must be vulnerable.

However, this wasn't the first or second time the court had delayed things. Moreover, if it weren't for the poor harvests of the past two years, the court's revenue and expenditures not being plentiful, and the fact that the third brother had rebelled this year, consuming a large portion of the army's provisions, the King of Chu would have really hesitated several times.

He really had to thank the heavens. If it weren't for the poor harvest and the fight with his third brother this year, the imperial court would probably have already besieged Taiyuan by now, and he wouldn't have the chance to climb over the emperor's head.

Yan Datoubing, abandoning his usual carefree demeanor, pondered for a moment, then pointed at Niangziguan Pass, glanced around, and said in a deep voice, "Niangziguan Pass is garrisoned by 7,200 troops. The current commander inside should be Li Jing. I have also been imprisoned for some time, and Pingding City has been captured by the Prince. Presumably, the court will send more people to garrison it. I have roughly calculated that the other cities can only spare a maximum of 3,000 men."

Yan Datoubing said earnestly, counting on his fingers, "When I came, I brought light cavalry. This year's grain has not yet been transported to the various garrisons. Apart from the garrisons on the border, Shanxi and Henan have had poor harvests for the past two years, and the various garrisons are in dire need of supplies. Relying solely on farming will not last long. Before I came, I received news that Niangziguan had run out of grain. I just don't know if it has been transported yet. But even if it has been transported, if more troops are sent, it probably won't last many days."

Old Yan pondered for a moment, then looked at the King of Chu and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "If Your Highness wishes to take Niangziguan, block the grain supply route, flank the rear, and surround the city, the people inside will surely surrender within a month!"

Lin Changning listened to what Lao Yan said and thought about it carefully. If the granaries were not sealed, the soldiers in Niangziguan would not be able to hold out for long. However, within a month, unless the people had stored grain at home early in the morning, the other people, especially those with little surplus grain, would probably suffer as well.

The King of Chu listened to what Lao Yan said and shook his head slightly, pondering: "It's not appropriate. A month is too long. We must take Niangziguan within a week at most and advance towards Henan. If we give the court too much time, we will easily get bogged down in a stalemate when supplies run out!"

As the King of Chu spoke, Old Qian chimed in, "That's right. Even if the court reinforces its troops, it will only be 10,000 men. Taking Niangziguan should not be a problem, even if it's a direct assault."

Lin Changning watched the group discuss in silence. Qi Rong also remained silent. In war, speed is of the essence, and the sooner the victory is achieved, the better.

After a brief debate, the King of Chu tapped the table and declared, "Alright, stop arguing. Lao Qian, take three thousand cavalry to seize grain from the surrounding granaries. Lao Qin, take your men to blockade Yanmen Pass to prevent the northern border troops from interfering in the south. A Rong, you and Ming Xiu go to Shanxi to find those powerful families and issue a proclamation there to gain their support."

After everyone accepted their orders, King Chu turned to Commander Zhao and Lin Changning: "Old Zhao, Xiao Liu, you and Mingde will join me in attacking Niangziguan. The paths in the Taihang Mountains are rugged. Xiao Liu and Mingde, each of you will lead two thousand light infantry, find local villagers to guide you, and outflank the pass at night to sabotage the defenders' water supply and cut off their supply lines. Old Zhao, you will lead the main force in a frontal attack tomorrow! We must attempt to take Niangziguan within three days!!!"

The group of people quickly accepted the order and went down to their posts. Lin Changning and Li Mingde each organized their own men. Tonight, they wanted to bypass Niangziguan and needed to organize their men and set off immediately.

Fortunately, Lin Changning had often driven his men on long-distance cross-country runs while they were in Taiyuan, so reaching the back of Niangziguan before nightfall should not be a problem.

Lin Changning also prepared a complete set of supplies for everyone, including ropes, short knives, and simple ziplines that he had made, which were very useful during the forced march.

Lin Changning and Li Mingde, along with Wan Jin and a few others, rode horses and led infantrymen to circle around behind the Taihang Mountains. Lin Changning went to cut off the supply lines, while Li Mingde found local villagers to guide them to destroy the water source.

As soon as night fell, Lin Changning and his men laid an ambush along the grain route.

Wan Jin patted the mosquitoes off his body, spat a few times, and whispered to Lin Changning, "Goodness, Assistant Commander, there are so many mosquitoes in the Taihang Mountains. I'm almost bitten to death. It's so itchy. Aren't you itchy?"

Lin Changning glanced at Wan Jin indifferently and shook his head slightly. He was joking. If he had known that they would be crossing the Taihang Mountains, where the mosquitoes were big and poisonous, his family would have prepared mosquito repellent sachets for him before they came. He was carrying them in his arms right now. Although he had been bitten a few times, he should be much better off than the others.

Just as Lin Changning was about to tell Wan Jin that he was carrying a sachet, he vaguely saw flickering lights appearing ahead of the grain route. Lin Changning's heart tightened, and he pressed Wan Jin's raised head down.

"Don't speak, someone's coming, prepare to ambush!"

As soon as Lin Changning finished speaking, rustling sounds came from the woods. Lu Shan, holding the flag tightly, looked at the scattered firelight in the distance and told the rest of the men to be on high alert.

He waved the flag to signal Old Ma across the way, and after hearing a faint sound from the other side, it fell silent.

As Lin Changning watched the people getting closer and closer, he slowly gripped his knife and propped himself up.

As soon as he saw the people escorting the supplies slowly enter their ambush, Lin Changning suddenly stood up, grabbed his knife, and charged downwards, shouting, "Charge!!! Kill them all!!!"