"Mr. Fan is truly understanding! I, Pei, am deeply grateful! All that has happened in the past was due to my greed for credit and my dissatisfaction with you! From now on, I will do my utmost to stand by General Zhao!"
With Zhao Muyun's strong mediation, the grudge between the two was resolved, and they made peace. The tense atmosphere in the tent eased slightly.
Next, the topic turned to how to respond to the imperial court's decree.
Fan Nan spoke first, his tone cautious, "General, although the Prince of Jin holds the Emperor hostage to command the other princes, he is still nominally the legitimate ruler. As a newly appointed Jiedushi, it would be inappropriate for you to openly disobey orders."
"However, our army has just experienced a great battle and suffered heavy casualties. We urgently need to rest and recuperate. Moreover, the Northern Di have retreated and may come back again."
"I believe that under the pretext of immense pressure on border defense and limited manpower, we can only symbolically dispatch a detachment with a small number of thunder bombs to the south to assist in the battle."
"This way, we can save the imperial court's reputation, protect our army's foundation, and explain ourselves to the King of Jin."
"Prince Jin's current focus is on defeating Li Jingang and retaking the capital, so he shouldn't be too serious."
Many civil servants and some prudent generals nodded in agreement, believing that this was a safe strategy.
Han Zhong frowned and objected: "Mr. Fan, this is wrong!"
"Sending a small force to join the battle is like a drop in the bucket. Not only will it not help the situation, but it may also lead to casualties and a waste of strength."
"In my opinion, if you're going to fight, you have to hit the vital points!"
"If Li Jingang goes all out, Xijing will be left empty. Why don't we emulate the strategy of Han Qinlong, the former military master of Dayin, and attack from the east while making a feint to the west?"
"General, please allow me to lead a group of elite troops to secretly advance westward from Xiazhou, take them by surprise, and directly attack Xijing! We will destroy Li Jingang's lair!"
"This way, we can not only greatly support King Jin and lift the siege of the Central Plains, but also expand our territory and achieve unprecedented achievements!"
Han Zhong and other generals have followed Zhao Muyun for so long that they have been infected by Zhao Muyun's combat ideas.
At the beginning, they contacted the Wuhuan tribe to launch a surprise attack on the royal court of King Zhelan, and then took advantage of Li Jingang's army heading south to Xijing to seize Xiazhou.
Now that Li Jingang has mobilized all his forces again, it is a good opportunity to attack him from behind.
This plan was bold and radical, and there were mature battle examples. The Shuozhou army was familiar with it, and it immediately caused a commotion in the tent.
Young generals such as Tian Qing, Shi Yong, Zhong Meng, and Wu Shangzhi's eyes lit up and they all voiced their support.
Tang Yanhai was even more excited. Only Lin Feng frowned and thought for a while before saying:
"Sima Han, this plan is brilliant, but it's too risky! The journey from Xiazhou to Xijing is long, and supply is difficult."
"The person stationed in Xijing is Yang Yan. He is a man of both civil and military talents and a master of strategy. Furthermore, there are still 100,000 rebels in Xijing. If Han Sima marches deep into the enemy territory alone, he may be completely annihilated!"
As soon as Lin Feng said this, he was immediately echoed by Guo Luo, Xi Sheng, Liu Yi and others:
"Yes! If Han Sima is caught in a dilemma in Xijing, we will have to deploy a large number of troops, thus turning a sneak attack into a major war."
"If our main force goes south to fight in Xijing, what will happen if Shuozhou is left empty?"
“…”
The tent was immediately divided into two factions, arguing endlessly, and neither side could convince the other.
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