Chapter 251 Lost Xiaoshuang
On the mountain road, a group of nearly a thousand elite soldiers and generals rushed past.
After ten days of acceleration, they finally stopped at a high hill near Xingyuan Prefecture.
Xu Zhenying led the team, and considering her status, she was surrounded by elite soldiers, such as Mo Jinchun, Wang Xingye, Gu Guihua, and even the soldiers with the highest overall scores in the army were assigned to her team.
If it weren't for the fact that this was a march and battle, and the strength of each team needed to be balanced, Ming Xiaoshuang, Liu Dazhuang, Xu Huijia and the others would have wanted to follow and protect her.
Xu Zhenying knew that this time when they captured Xingyuan Prefecture, the most important thing they needed to guard against was being robbed, so they had to guard the borders of Qianzhou and Jinzhou Prefectures.
Fortunately, she has vigorously promoted the construction of cement roads in the past month or two, and the transportation in the entire Jinzhou Prefecture can be said to be well-connected, and the spread of news is at least two or three times faster than before.
In this way, you can catch the other party off guard.
Mo Jinchun and his men occupied a commanding position. All of them were dressed in green military uniforms and hid quietly in the dense jungle on both sides where no sunlight could be seen.
Xu Zhenying then said, "Wang Xingye, take two hundred men and set up an ambush on the official road five kilometers ahead. If anyone from Xingyuan Prefecture emerges, report it to us. If any are missed during the encirclement and suppression, execute any lone individuals who flee."
Mo Jinchun couldn't help but ask, "City Lord, before we set out, didn't you say our target was the county town in front of Xingyuan Prefecture? Why are we attacking Xingyuan Prefecture head-on now? As far as I know, Xingyuan Prefecture is strategically located and has always been heavily guarded. There are probably tens of thousands of soldiers guarding the city, and we only have a mere thousand. How can we take it?"
Gu Guihua said, "Instructor Mo, don't worry. Since the City Lord brought us here, he must have a foolproof plan."
Xu Zhenying smiled and said, "Our team's target has always been Xingyuan Prefecture. I didn't tell you before because I didn't want the news to leak out. We don't need to attack Xingyuan Prefecture. Wait another two days and they will come out to give themselves away."
"The city lord is planning to lure them out of the city and then ambush them here? The art of war says: if your force is ten, surround it; if it is five, attack it; if it is twice as strong, divide it; if you are the enemy, you can fight it; if you are outnumbered, you can flee; if you are inferior, you can avoid it. If so, what strategy does the city lord intend to use to lure the Xingyuan Prefecture army out of the city?"
Xu Zhenying smiled and pointed in the direction of Xingyuan Mansion. "Of course we have an insider in Xingyuan Mansion."
These words immediately made people's hearts burn.
Following the city lord, you can easily gain military merits!
Wang Xingye had already ordered two hundred people to lie in ambush five kilometers ahead.
"City Lord, please tell us about the tactics this time." The remaining few people came over. Although they were in awe of Xu Zhenying, they also knew that Xu Zhenying had a good temper and often mingled with the soldiers, so they were not afraid of her.
Even Mo Jinchun and others stretched their necks and came closer.
Xu Zhenying had a sly smile in his eyes: "Haven't you learned this in the barracks? Well, since the people from Xingyuan Prefecture probably haven't come out yet, I'll test you first. If it were you, how would you plan to fight this battle?"
"ah!"
There were cries of pain at the scene. No one expected that at this critical moment when they were about to charge into battle, this evil city lord would not let go of the opportunity to torture them!
The city lord is simply a devil!
"City Lord, please stop teasing us."
"Yes, we have no idea what the known conditions are, how many people are in the city, and what the internal arrangements are. How can we fight like this?"
Xu Zhenying coughed softly, "Then you can just make do with the information you have. Sometimes you don't necessarily need to be fully prepared for a war. How about this, if he talks well, I'll let him be my deputy this time!"
Sure enough, with the reward, everyone's enthusiasm for participation was instantly aroused.
The soldiers were just chatting and waiting, so they started talking about it.
"We must first send a small team to investigate the situation in Xingyuan Prefecture, especially the guards, weapons, number of people, etc. We must also investigate the personal situation of the generals defending the city."
"That's right, that's the most basic. The city lord is asking how to win this battle. If it were me, I would buy more pots and weapons, and then hang up flags everywhere to create the impression of a massive army outside the city. This would prevent them from venturing out to fight. I would then surround them and wear them down inside."
"Your method is inappropriate. We're engaged in a long-distance battle. This tactic won't wear them out first, but will kill us first. Furthermore, we can't capture a city without civilians. This tactic will likely starve the civilians to death, and will push them against us, making them more likely to unite against us. Therefore, we can only fight quickly and decisively!"
Xu Zhenying glanced at him and asked with some interest, "What if it was you?"
"Naturally, we can either have our accomplices spread rumors that our Jinzhou Prefecture is under siege, luring them out to annihilate us and shift the focus of the battle. Alternatively, we can send people in to capture the wives and children of the generals defending the city, then use bribes to lure them into surrender and, with our help, open the city gates. Alternatively, we can patiently wait until they are training, then sneak into their camp in the dark, set it on fire, and then charge in. In short, a direct attack on the city is the most unwise approach."
Xu Zhenying was satisfied. It seemed that compulsory education had paid off. The soldiers under her command had learned to take advantage of the weather, the terrain and the people, and had initially developed a war mentality, instead of just rushing forward like reckless men.
Xu Zhenying looked at the man with a smile. He was a very young guy, not yet twenty years old, with tanned skin and a muscular body. He exuded a youthful and energetic feeling.
If this happened in his previous life, he would be a young male college student in a sports school.
"May I have your name?"
The soldier was obviously delighted, and his companions all looked at him with winks.
This is the name the city lord asked about!
Does this kid have a bright future?
"City Lord, my name is Chang Zizai. I'm nineteen years old, from the Third Brigade of Jinzhou Prefecture, number 032115!"
Xu Zhenying smiled and said, "Not bad, he's quite smart and can apply the theories in military books."
Seeing his brother being recognized by the City Lord, a nearby soldier seemed even happier than Chang Zizai. "City Lord, this guy wins every ten matches during actual combat drills! His win rate has been ranked first for three consecutive months!"
"Really?" Xu Zhenying smiled and patted his shoulder. "Very good, work hard. Maybe this time you can achieve great things with me!"
Chang Zizai was so excited that his face turned red!
Although Mo Jinchun and Gu Guihua were among the people who joined Xu Zhenying early on, they still feel like they are walking on thin ice even though they are now in high positions.
It's really because Xu Zhenying has too many talented people under him! Just like leeks, he harvests them one after another!
At this moment, they gradually understood why Xu Zhenying promoted universal education as soon as he entered the city!
The larger the educational pool, the greater the chance of talented people emerging, and it is easier to form a virtuous cycle and competition.
Officials of the Great Zhou might still be able to get angry with the emperor and use their resignation as a bargaining chip, but in Jinzhou Prefecture, if you dare to say you want to resign, someone will volunteer to take on the responsibility the next second.
There's no reason.
Even if you don’t do it, there are plenty of people who will!
Moreover, your subordinates are all eyeing you covetously, so I ask you, are you weak?
"Very good, Chang Zizai has explained the tactics very clearly. According to the timeline, the Xingyuan Prefecture's garrison will be out in full force in two days. We will occupy this high ground and launch a surprise attack."
Everyone was eager to try.
Mo Jinchun quickly asked, "City Lord, how many people are guarding Xingyuan Prefecture?"
"About five thousand."
"Five thousand?"
Xu Zhenying originally thought that with only 1,000 men against 5,000, they would inevitably be timid. However, upon hearing this, his subordinates could not hide their joy. Even the usually calm Mo Jinchun said, "Such a wealthy place has only 5,000 people. The Great Zhou Dynasty is truly doomed."
Xu Zhenying smiled and said, "Indeed, Xingyuan Prefecture is only two or three prefectures away from Bianjing. It's situated on a plain, nestled in the heart of the southwest, and boasts a uniquely advantageous geographical location. Furthermore, we're currently surrounded by a handful of rebels, and with only a mere 5,000 men, we're truly underestimating the enemy. However, it's understandable. To the imperial court, rebels like us are merely minor insurgents. Their real dangers lie with Prince Ming to the east and the Tartars to the north. Furthermore, we're fighting over remote and impoverished territories that can't shake the foundations of the Zhou Dynasty, so it's inevitable that we'll be looked down upon."
Everyone nodded as they listened, "So, the arrogant will be defeated."
"That's right. We were arrogant just now. Although Xingyuan Prefecture only has 5,000 soldiers, we can't let our guard down."
"That's right, we only have a thousand people, and we in Jinzhou Prefecture have never fought a real battle. This time, will we be able to show our strength or suffer a complete defeat? We have to fight with real swords and guns to know!"
"That's right! We are not afraid of fighting, but we will never underestimate the enemy!"
Xu Zhenying was very satisfied. "If that's the case, then everyone, get moving! We're planning a surprise attack, so get everything ready: boulders, rolling logs, bows and arrows, traps, and more!"
After Xu Zhenying's call, the people below naturally started working enthusiastically.
Mo Jinchun came over and asked, "City Lord, I heard that you used black powder when you attacked Lan County before? Although I haven't seen it with my own eyes, they say that the stuff is extremely powerful and only a little bit is enough to blow open the city gate. Why don't we use it this time?"
"It's simple. The problems of production, storage, and transportation haven't been solved. And once this thing comes out, we'll enter the era of firearms."
"The era of hot weapons?" Mo Jinchun savored it carefully, but still did not understand its meaning.
The city lord is indeed very sophisticated. Even after following her for so long, he still often cannot guess her intentions.
"Don't worry, I've got the research institute revving up its research on weapons made from black powder. They'll be ready for use in a major war soon. Right now, there's no need to use a butcher knife to kill a chicken."
Mo Jinchun understood this time.
There is no need to use such precious weapons to attack Xingyuan Prefecture.
He couldn't help but look forward to this siege.
At the same time, the thousand people led by Ming Xiaoshuang who were advancing to the left encountered difficulties.
They took the newly drawn map of the research institute, climbed mountains and waded through water, only to find that they had taken the wrong path!
This is a fatal mistake!
The group wandered in the woods for several days, seeing only mountains and not hearing any sound. An oppressive feeling of airtightness hit them in the face.
Ming Xiaoshuang's deputy, Wang Ergou, pointed to a spot on the map and said, "Damn it! This place doesn't even have an altitude mark. We should have been heading downhill! We need to go back and tell the people at the research institute that the map must be accurate! We're in a dense forest now and can't even tell which way is which!"
"We can't help it. Some areas were washed away by floods last year, and the terrain has changed a bit, so there's nothing we can do about it. Don't worry, haven't we learned how to navigate the forest? Anyway, the general direction is right, so we can always find the way!"
"It's not a question of whether we can find the way or not! We have five teams acting separately. Maybe the enemy has already started to attack the city, and we are still lost! If we tell anyone about this, our brothers will laugh at us!"
Everyone was determined to achieve great things, but they died before they could accomplish their mission. They got lost in the woods as soon as they set out.
Although they complained, everyone was used to being tempered in the army and had a good attitude. Even though they encountered such a big setback, there was no sign of morale being broken.
The army marched arduously through the dense forest for two days.
I have to say that Xingyuan Prefecture is a good place. The rolling mountains separate Xingyuan Prefecture. From then on, the plains turned into mountains, and Xingyuan Prefecture became a treasure land that can be attacked or defended.
But for Yu Ming, Xiao Shuang and the others, this is definitely not a good thing.
The army set out, but they have been trapped in the dense forest for three days and three nights. If they continue to be lost and the subsequent military supplies are insufficient, they will really fall into the desperate situation they were in last year when they were on the road of exile!
Fortunately, soon, there was a sway in the dense forest, and an alert soldier immediately grabbed the man and shouted: "General Ming, there is someone here!!"
Where there are people, there is a way!
Everyone gathered around excitedly and saw that he was a middle-aged man about thirty or forty years old, wearing a coarse linen shirt and carrying a backpack.
"General, this backpack is full of herbs. I'm afraid it's from the villagers nearby!"
The strong man had never seen so many people before, let alone in the dense forest. He had come up the mountain to collect herbs. He was so scared that he knelt on the ground, crying out "Good man, spare my life"
Ming Xiaoshuang helped him up and said, "Brother, we are soldiers from Xingyuan Prefecture. We were on a business trip to Guanghan County. We got lost on the way and don't know which direction to go."
Seeing that they were polite and didn't seem like bandits, the strong man wiped the sweat off his face with some fear. Then he seemed to remember something, his face turned pale, and he glared at them and said, "You are traitors from Jinzhou Prefecture!"
The faces of several soldiers changed. They stepped forward, handcuffed the man's hands behind his back, and kicked him in the knee. The man fell to his knees again.
Ming Xiaoshuang suppressed his peaceful smile, and a gloomy aura erupted from his entire body. "Tell me, who are you?!"
The strong man cried out in fear: "My lord, please spare my life! I am just a commoner from the nearby mountains. My child is sick, so I came up the mountain to pick some herbs to cook!"
"Then how do you know we are from Jinzhou Prefecture?"
"My God, your hair is so short, you must be from Jinzhou Prefecture!"
Ming Xiaoshuang and several soldiers looked at each other, then felt a little embarrassed.
Damn, I actually forgot the most fatal thing!
This reminded them that their hair was different from that of the soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and it was easy for others to see their flaws.
Almost immediately, a thousand people began tucking their short hair into green hats.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
