Chapter 468 Victory Celebration Banquet
After their first great victory, a feast of fine wine and meat was naturally prepared for the evening. Not only was their battle going smoothly, but during the banquet, the King of Chu received news that the Shanxi gentry had specially gathered three thousand soldiers to assist them as a sign of their sincerity.
The generals at Yanmen Pass also defected to the King of Chu, and the others won the support of Yanmen Pass and the Shanxi gentry with almost no effort.
The King of Chu seemed to have known this outcome all along, and when the messenger arrived, he continued eating his meal at a leisurely pace.
The plate in front of Lin Changning had long been cleared. King Chu put down his chopsticks and paused for a moment, looking at the empty table in front of Changning. Even though he had seen it many times before, King Chu was still occasionally amazed by Lin Changning's appetite.
"Are you full, Xiao Liu?"
Lin Changning looked up at the King of Chu's concerned expression and nodded: "I'm full, Father. Is there anything you want to tell me?"
The King of Chu nodded: "Indeed, there is something that requires your errand."
Lin Changning was somewhat puzzled, but quickly stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and stepped forward: "Father, please speak."
The King of Chu then stood up, walked to Lin Changning, helped him up, and then glanced at Old Zhao, saying, "Old Zhao, you come too."
He then led the two men to the central command tent, brought them to the front and back of the sand table, and pointed to the current terrain of Niangziguan with a wooden stick, saying, "Now that Niangziguan has been captured, the next step is to move south to control Jingxing and open the passage into southern Hebei. However, there is a military commandery in southern Hebei that is undoubtedly a royalist. Xiao Liu, I need you to lead men to take Jingxing to prepare for our next step of advancing into Shunde Prefecture."
Lin Changning nodded slightly without saying anything.
As a vanguard, he did whatever the King of Chu asked him to do. He still had much to learn about military affairs, especially strategy and tactics.
Although he possessed divine power, he was certainly no match for veteran commanders who had spent many years on the battlefield leading troops.
Seeing Lin Changning nod, the King of Chu explained again: "Shunde Prefecture is an important town in southern Hebei, with flat terrain and moderate city defenses. It is a transportation hub connecting Hebei and Henan, with a population of about 10,000. However, it is not as fierce as the border military commands, its system is loose, and its soldiers are average."
Taking Shunde shouldn't be too difficult, but by then the emperor will surely know of the rebellion, the Shanxi clans' allegiance to us, and the capture of Niangziguan. He will definitely send troops to reinforce us.
"It will likely be the deputy commander of the Beijing garrison leading troops, and their numbers will certainly be considerable. Therefore, Xiao Liu, you must capture Jingxing within three days. Speed is of the essence in war; the court hasn't reacted yet, and every city we capture will be of greater benefit to us."
Lin Changning nodded hurriedly as he looked at the map on the sand table. Old Zhao, seeing Lin Changning carefully examining the map, couldn't help but say a few more words to the King of Chu.
"Your Highness, after we take Shunde Prefecture, we will head south to Handan, control the Zhanghe ferry, force our way across the Yellow River, and enter Henan Province. Once we capture Weihui Prefecture, we will be close to entering Luoyang."
The King of Chu nodded and looked at the few words that Old Zhao had suddenly added. When he saw Lin Changning looking thoughtfully at the sand table, he understood Old Zhao's intention.
Old Zhao is teaching Xiao Liu how to fight. Xiao Liu has only been in the army for two years now. Although the boy is smart, has strong leadership skills, and is quite capable himself.
He learns things very quickly, but he is indeed lacking in military strategy and tactics. Old Zhao couldn't help but say a few more words to help him understand when he saw that the child was interested in the sand table.
Seeing Lin Changning standing thoughtfully on the sand table, the King of Chu continued, "Weihui has about 20,000 troops. At that time, the main force of the Henan Military Command, plus a part of the Beijing Garrison reinforcements, will likely be personally commanded by the Vice Minister of War. We can send troops quickly. As long as we can seize Weihui and Mengjin before the court can send troops, we can go straight into Luoyang. The court will need time to mobilize troops, especially since the harvest is not good this year, so the mobilization speed will be even slower. Once we capture Luoyang, even if the court's reinforcements arrive, they will be powerless to reverse the situation."
As the King of Chu spoke, he looked at Lin Changning thoughtfully, nodding with a hint of a smile in his eyes.
Looking at the map, Lin Changning's mind split into several lines, turning the strategy mentioned by the King of Chu into routes for launching an attack.
Upon seeing the Yellow River crossing, he suddenly asked, "The Yellow River has a rapid current; it might not be easy for a large army to cross it."
The King of Chu nodded in satisfaction at Lin Changning, not expecting that Changning could see the difficulties in the battle so quickly: "Indeed, so we need to seize the beach overnight, build a wooden bridge, and let the army cross the Yellow River."
Lin Changning stroked his chin as he looked at the Yellow River estuary. The current there was exceptionally rapid. Now that the rainy season had just ended, crossing the river would likely not be easy. If there were enemy troops on the other side of the Yellow River estuary, it would be even more difficult to cross.
"Father, if we choose to cross the river at a remote ferry crossing, prepare rafts or sheepskin rafts in advance, and after the vanguard crosses, we can use ropes to build a wooden bridge, land on the beach, establish a bridgehead on the opposite bank, repel the enemy, and then bring the main army across, wouldn't that be easier?"
Both the King of Chu and Old Zhao looked at Lin Changning with considerable amazement, not expecting that this child had so quickly grasped the principles of warfare and could even apply them to other situations.
King Chu chuckled a few times, patted Lin Changning on the shoulder and said, "Changning's idea is excellent. Landing on the beach and establishing a bridgehead is indeed safer than the main army crossing the river directly. However, the enemy's forces will likely be quite large, and the vanguard that lands first will face considerable pressure."
Lin Changning's eyes lit up again: "Father, I am willing to lead the Right Guard Vanguard to give it a try."
Seeing Lin Changning's eager expression, the King of Chu patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction: "My son, very good. However, we should take Jingxing first. Time is of the essence. Xiao Liu, tonight you will lead 3,000 cavalry to Jingxing, marching day and night. We must take it within three days. Your second brother and the others will return no later than tomorrow evening. The day after tomorrow, we will lead the main army to Jingxing to join you in taking Shunde Prefecture!"
Lin Changning clasped his hands in a fist salute to the King of Chu: "Yes, Father, I will go and make preparations immediately."
After speaking, Lin Changning bowed to the King of Chu, turned and left the tent, leaving the King of Chu and Commander Zhao watching his retreating figure. After a short while, Commander Zhao suddenly sighed: "Talented people emerge in every generation."
King Chu, seeing Zhao Zhihui's感慨 (gǎnkǎi, deep emotion), pointed at him and laughed, "You old fool, the kids are still young. Don't think you can shirk your responsibilities. They have a long road ahead of them. Before that, you old fools can't abandon them!"
Old Zhao scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed: "What are you saying, Your Highness? I, Old Zhao, am still waiting to follow Your Highness and enjoy a life of luxury, and to be ennobled and appointed as a minister. I was just expressing my admiration that Changning is a talented child. I wouldn't be willing to give up my post."
After saying this, he and the King of Chu exchanged a smile.
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