It's not accurate to call it a decisive battle, because the conflict between the Tatars and the Dayu Dynasty never ceased.
However, it can also be called a decisive battle—a war initiated by the third prince of Adachi, during a time when both sides should have been at peace.
“Anda’s old Khan is dying.” Jiang Jizu tapped the table. “The three princes are using all sorts of methods to fight for the throne. The eldest prince is trying to win over the royal family, the second prince is working with important officials, and this third prince is taking a different approach, wanting to take over the border defenses to gain more influence.”
For example, the Kwan Kam Line, which is currently under reconstruction.
"I have a question for you." Jiang Jizu turned around and looked at the two young generals. "Why is the Tartars targeting the Guan-Jin line instead of the other three lines?"
If the distance between the Datong Line and the Xuanji Line is too remote, then the Guanjin Line and the Guyuan Line are not far apart, and the number of troops stationed there is about the same.
The only difference is that the Liaodong region behind the Guanjin Railway is more fertile, more prosperous, and more affluent.
Think about the habits of the Tartars, think about how they killed, burned, looted and committed all sorts of atrocities every time they entered the pass, and think about the cities they destroyed, which will take hundreds of years to recover.
Fang Heng and Jiang Chengyuan's faces turned pale at the same time.
The Third Prince has his eye on the abundant resources behind the Guan Jin Line.
If it weren't for the desperate resistance of 100,000 soldiers, if they hadn't ambushed under cover of darkness, if they hadn't been able to drive away the Tartars... the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"The 100,000-strong Tartar army suffered two setbacks on the Guan-Jin line, and the Third Prince's prestige among the Anda tribes has plummeted. He must do something to restore his prestige." Jiang Jizu frowned. "Attack the headquarters is the best way to boost his prestige."
Why is it called a decisive battle? Because the weather is getting hotter and hotter, and well-equipped soldiers may die of heat in their armor before they even reach the battlefield.
It was a tacit understanding among all soldiers that no battles should be fought in the summer.
"But... it's understandable that the Third Prince attacked Guan Jin Line, since they have Father's array diagram. What makes them think they can attack the headquarters?" Fang Heng asked, puzzled.
Speaking of this, we must mention the entanglements between the Dayu Dynasty and the Tartars over the years.
During the reign of the late emperor, he was ambitious and warlike, expanding the territory almost to the point of exhausting the country's resources. He also fought fiercely with several foreign tribes, eventually forcing them to retreat to the Western Regions to survive.
When the imperial family took over, the national treasury was nearly depleted. They couldn't even afford one warhorse for each border guard, let alone armor and weapons. They could only focus on building defenses and shift from offense to defense.
The Tartars were few in number but naturally fierce and brave. Relying on their excellent horsemanship and archery, they roamed the border, plundering innocent villages from time to time and waging guerrilla warfare against the soldiers of Dayu.
Conversely, the Dayu people worked hard to build defenses, and over the years they have become quite sophisticated. Without General Fang's battle formation, the Tartars would never have been able to break through the Guanjin Line.
Even if brute force could break through, cavalry would lose their original combat advantage in front of city walls, making raiding villages far more profitable.
Even if the Third Prince had gone mad for the Khan's position, he would never sacrifice 100,000 elite troops just to attack the Jiang family army's headquarters.
“With the city walls and defensive structures in place, even if the Jiang family army only has 60,000 men left, they can still hold off an attack by 100,000 Tartars,” Jiang Chengyuan said, his voice tinged with skepticism.
These two children.
Even though he had already analyzed the answer, he dared not be sure of himself because of the old general's prestige.
Jiang Jizu shook his head and sighed, "You must trust your own judgment. Given the current manpower and national strength of the Tartars, they really will not take the initiative to attack the city."
"Does the general mean they will feign an attack while actually besieging the city?" Fang Heng's eyes brightened. "That way, the gimmick of the Third Prince attacking the headquarters will spread, and their prestige will be enhanced."
Jiang Jizu nodded approvingly, "The approach is right, but it's not enough."
Fang Heng's lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something more, but Jiang Chengyuan interrupted, "Is the next step to besiege the city and attack the reinforcements?"
Both being young players and sharing the same younger sister, it was inevitable that they would develop a competitive spirit.
They stared at each other, a defiant glint in their eyes.
Jiang Jizu couldn't help but burst into laughter, "You two are both quite good, and you both guessed correctly. The Third Prince is very likely to surround the headquarters and harvest the heads of the reinforcements."
This is actually somewhat similar to the night battle on the Guanjin Line.
The same ambush was set up inside the city, and the same reinforcements were outside, though not many in number. The third prince of Anda suffered because he did not have a clear understanding of the situation, which is why he had no choice but to flee in a sorry state.
Now, they have launched a preemptive attack on a clear day, with 100,000 troops surrounding the entire headquarters, and the 60,000 Jiang family troops will certainly not dare to leave the city.
The nearby border defenses also could not send out all their troops to provide relief; at most, they could send 30,000 to 50,000 reinforcements, but due to distance and information gaps, they were difficult to gather and were eventually defeated one by one.
"Could we get reinforcements to arrive at the same time and launch a coordinated attack?" Fang Heng asked thoughtfully.
Jiang Jizu shook his head. "Difficult, too difficult."
The reason why the battlefield is so unpredictable is that information is difficult to transmit.
Even a long distance, a difference of half an hour, can be fatal.
“Then we’ll go and get reinforcements ahead of time,” Jiang Chengyuan said. “As long as both sides can fight to a draw, we can always go out and meet them in battle.”
This can be considered a solution.
But it's not the best approach.
Jiang Jizu stood up, determined to teach the two young generals a lesson. "Deputy General, listen to my command: of the 60,000 Jiang family troops, 50,000 have left the camp. Do the remaining 10,000 men have the confidence to defend this front line?"
The soldiers closest to the camp chorused, "We have confidence!"
The two young generals in the tent looked at each other, their initial shock giving way to understanding, and their understanding eventually turning into reverence.
They already understood Jiang Jizu's strategic plan.
The 50,000 Jiang family soldiers who left awaited reinforcements to jointly annihilate the Tartars, while the 10,000 Jiang family soldiers who remained guarded the city gates.
Everyone is under a lot of pressure, and everyone's road ahead is fraught with difficulties.
However, in order to curb the arrogance of the Anda tribe and revitalize the morale of the Dayu soldiers, this battle was imperative.
Both sides want to rise up by stepping on the other's head, and both sides want to severely damage the other's vitality.
Before we knew it, the day had arrived when the enemy was at the gates of the city.
As expected, the Third Prince of Anda made no attempt to hide his intentions. He brazenly led 100,000 cavalry to surround the headquarters' city defenses and sent Tartars who were fluent in Mandarin to declare war.
Round after round, they forced Jiang's army to leave the city to meet the enemy.
The Tartars were outspoken, throwing out all sorts of things, which enraged the soldiers defending the city. Even Fang Heng and Jiang Chengyuan gripped their sword hilts tightly.
But they cannot go out, nor can they fight.
The city's defenses were the strongest armor of the Great Yu; cavalry could not breach them, and the Tartars could not take them.
In other words, if they could attack, why would they waste their breath here?
Seeing that the three strategists who understood Mandarin were struggling to speak, and the Jiang family army inside remained unmoved, the Third Prince of Anda turned his gaze slightly and landed on Zhu Changyu and Fang Yuan not far away.
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