Chapter 389 Sheng Sheng, You're So Clever

"Yes, especially since news from the imperial court won't reach Zhennanguan for a while, we must remain absolutely calm until then, and ensure that Zhennanguan maximizes its benefits with minimal losses at every step."

"We have sufficient troops on the southwestern border. Apart from the original 100,000 troops at Zhennan Pass, I can bring in 150,000 from the surrounding border areas. In terms of supplies, we have a much greater advantage over the barbarians. Although the barbarians are troublesome, I am absolutely confident that I can defeat them."

Xie Yunli said, "You must all know about the general Huert who the barbarians sent this time, right? Whether it's his ability to lead troops or his own combat strength, he is undoubtedly the strongest among the barbarians. Last time, I suffered a loss at his hands."

Xie Yun nodded heavily: "Well, since the barbarians have sent Huert with 200,000 troops, they must be determined to take Zhennan Pass."

"That's right. So, although we are 80% confident that we can wear down the barbarians through a protracted war, it also means that we will suffer heavy losses. In the worst-case scenario, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that we will suffer heavy losses ourselves."

Xie Yunli punched the person next to him. "General Lu has been kind to me. If Zhennan Pass is severely damaged, if Zhennan Pass is severely damaged, what difference is there between this and mutual destruction? How can I face him, the thousands of soldiers, and the people of Yu?"

"Brother, don't worry, let's work together to figure out how to minimize losses while still winning a great victory and forcing the barbarians to retreat."

"Um."

The two brothers then discussed the recent situation and tentatively proposed some specific and feasible solutions.

“An army cannot be without a commander, brother. Now that you have woken up, I think it would be better to use guerrilla warfare to wear down the barbarians and buy you time to recover. Once you have recovered, you can take command, and the border army will be able to unleash its full power and be fully confident in facing the barbarians head-on.”

“It’s uncertain.” Xie Yunli shook his head. “You’ve forgotten that the barbarians are already short of food and supplies, and not long ago, Vice General Li led his men to burn half of them. The barbarians can’t afford to waste this much time. Guerrilla warfare might be a good method for us, but the barbarians will definitely not sit idly by and wait for us to die, letting us delay like this.”

"Indeed." Xie Yun frowned. "Moreover, the barbarians have been sending people to harass our granaries these past few days. Although I have ordered the reinforcement of Yuncheng, the barbarians will surely find other ways. And there is something I don't understand. The barbarians are short of food, but they only harass our granaries without taking any further action. What exactly are they trying to do?"

Xie Yunli pondered for a moment, and a guess gradually came to mind.

"Perhaps their goal is not the granary, but a feint."

"Founding in the east and attacking in the west?" Xie Yunzhang was confused.

"Ah, Sheng Sheng understands!" Sheng Sheng exclaimed in sudden realization. "Everyone knows the barbarians are short of supplies. Now that they've been harassing the granaries time and again, eventually everyone will focus their attention on Yuncheng and increase their troop strength to defend the granaries. After all, without supplies, no matter how many people we have at Zhennan Pass, we have no chance of winning. Once we've focused all our attention on the granaries, if the barbarians launch a surprise attack from the front, wouldn't they catch us completely off guard?"

Xie Yunli looked at Sheng Sheng in surprise and praised her, "That's right, that's exactly what I guessed! Sheng Sheng, you're so smart."

How many more surprises does his sister hold?

Not only is she cute and pretty, but she can also tame tigers.

Not only was he quick-witted, but he also had considerable insights into military matters.

He's really growing to like this little sister more and more!

Sheng Sheng chuckled: "Sheng Sheng is just guessing. When my brother takes me to learn to read, he always reads books beside me and discusses military matters with his subordinates. Over time, I've been influenced by what I see and hear, so naturally I can imitate him and say a few words."

Xie Yunyang chuckled and joked, "Sigh, sometimes Sheng Sheng is much smarter than me, and I feel a little inferior."

"No, no, brothers, let's hurry up and continue talking about Zhennanguan."

The two immediately became serious and continued their discussion.

As the two discussed, they even had a small sand table brought over.

Sheng Sheng's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Got it!"

"Brother Crown Prince, you should be the commander-in-chief!"

"Me? But I've never been on a battlefield. Theory and practice are different. I'm afraid I'm not qualified for this position."

"Yes, Sheng Sheng knows."

Xie Yunli asked curiously, "Since you know this, why did you still do it?"

If the other deputy generals were here, they would surely think Xie Yunli was being absurd and frivolous.

How could a little girl of a few years old, though intelligent, possibly have anything useful to say about things on the battlefield?

Perhaps because she had been surprised by the little dumpling several times, Xie Yunli inexplicably felt that she could actually say something useful.

Needless to say, Xie Yun-yang knew his sister was smart.

Both of them looked at her with a mixture of doubt and anticipation.

“We know that the enemy knows that the commander-in-chief has no actual combat experience,” Sheng Sheng analyzed seriously. “In a battle between two armies, in addition to the bravery of the soldiers, there is also the command of the commander-in-chief. The opposing commander-in-chief is a veteran with a great reputation. If the Crown Prince were to lead the army against him, his chances of winning would indeed be slim.”

"Do you, the eldest brother and the crown prince, think that confidence is important on the battlefield?"

"Of course it's important. If we don't even have the confidence to defeat the enemy, wouldn't that be equivalent to losing without a fight, admitting defeat from the very beginning!"

"That's right. But... confidence can be a good thing, or it can be a bad thing."

With a slight smile, he said, "Precisely because the opposing commander is a seasoned veteran and extremely powerful, if he were to face a commander who has no real combat experience but only a reputation, he would definitely be careless. The worst thing on the battlefield is arrogance. If we can make him think that victory is certain, and then deliver a fatal blow at the most crucial moment, we can turn defeat into victory with the least casualties and the fastest speed."

The eldest prince and the crown prince exchanged a glance and asked in unison, "How can we make him arrogant?"

“That’s right, that’s what we need to consider. Knowing that the Crown Prince lacks experience, we still put him in charge, which is obviously telling him that we are setting a trap. So the problem is how to make him not suspect anything.”

Sheng Sheng frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "Let me think... To prevent him from suspecting anything, we need to make him believe. Make him believe... That's it! As long as we make him believe that we really had no other choice but to let our Crown Prince take command, wouldn't that be enough?"

"When is there no other way? For example, when the original commander-in-chief is seriously injured and unconscious, and several deputy generals are also injured and cannot be temporarily replaced, or when it is time to burn one's bridges."