Xiao Min’s plan is not just about attacking the city.
Bian Chunliang stayed in Yuezhou for nearly a year, allowing his army to plunder and squander at will, slaughtering a large number of civilians. When the army arrived, they destroyed most of the grain fields. The barbaric behavior of fighting to support the war made them accustomed to consuming but not generating when faced with supplies.
This has resulted in the situation where the stored grain in Yuezhou City has been completely consumed by them, and it is no longer possible to support Bian Chunliang's 100,000-strong army.
Bian Chunliang had an army of 200,000, of which about 100,000 were stationed in Yuezhou City, and the remaining 100,000 were scattered in several captured cities in the rear, continuing to recruit soldiers and incite the people.
Xiao Min secretly found out that the grain stored in Yuezhou City had been emptied two months ago. Bian Chunliang ordered Tanzhou in the rear to transport grain for supply, but Tanzhou's grain storage was not much. Daozhou had suffered a severe drought before, and the granaries in several nearby states were empty. After that, refugees were everywhere, and wars broke out. Most of the fields were uncultivated, and this year's new grain had not yet been harvested.
Therefore, in the face of Bian Chunliang's demands, Tanzhou could only raise money from everywhere to barely maintain Yuezhou's food and salary problem. Because the money was raised in succession, it took time to gather the required amount, so grain was transported to Yuezhou once every half a month.
Xiao Min had already found out about two secret grain routes for transporting military rations from Tanzhou to Yuezhou, and was preparing to send people to take a detour from Langzhou in the west to attack the enemy from the side and intercept their food and pay.
The next grain shipment from Tanzhou will be in two days. Xiao Min has made all preparations for this matter. In his words, there is a 90% chance that the grain interception operation will succeed.
Once the grain transport is intercepted, it will be difficult for Tanzhou to gather enough food and wages in a short period of time. What's more, transporting grain is labor-intensive and time-consuming. As a result, there will inevitably be a food shortage in Yuezhou City. The Bian army is accustomed to being tyrannical and extravagant, no different from ruffians and bandits. Even if they only starve for one or two days, the people's morale will be shaken.
At that time, Xiao Min would lead 120,000 troops and attack Yuezhou City again.
"This strategy is feasible." Chang Suining said: "By then, the Bian army will either defend Yuezhou to the death, or abandon Yuezhou and retreat to Tanzhou in the rear -"
As for leaving the city to fight to the death and attack Jingzhou, Bian Chunliang should be aware that he does not have the conditions to do so at present.
Instead of defending Yuezhou to the death, Chang Suining believed that Bian Chunliang was more likely to retreat to Tanzhou. Although Bian Chunliang was brutal and cruel, and acted extremely violently, he was also good at judging the situation. Unless he was forced into a corner, he would not rashly choose to fight to the death.
After Chang Suining explained his speculation, he said, "If this plan goes well, General Xiao will be able to take back Yuezhou smoothly."
And at the lowest cost.
After receiving this affirmation, Xiao Min breathed a sigh of relief, as if his academic work had been affirmed by the teacher, and he felt much more at ease.
Chang Suining's eyes became more stable. She looked at Xiao Min and said, "General Xiao loves his soldiers like his own sons. This is admirable."
Although Xiao Min failed to recapture Yuezhou in the first two battles, each battle was not fought in vain. He fought steadily and step by step to know himself and the enemy, and at the same time made careful plans. Every step showed the patient planning and love for his soldiers of a commander.
Although there is a saying that a kind person cannot command an army, loving soldiers and being good at using them are often not in conflict. It is a great fortune for Dasheng to still have such a good general.
Xiao Min said: "Envoy Chang Jie said that soldiers can die, but they must not die in vain, and it is best not to die."
These words touched Xiao Min deeply, and he always kept them in mind.
After parting ways in Jiangdu, Xiao Min fought several more battles and suppressed several rebellions. After arriving in Jingzhou, he witnessed Li Xian's military tactics and felt he could not agree with them. After thinking about it, he gradually developed his own style of being a general that he wanted to stick to.
"We can certainly take back Yuezhou City this time, but we can't wipe out Bian Chunliang's army in one fell swoop." Chang Suining said bluntly: "General Xiao, when you pursue the victory, remember to stay alert and don't rush too deep, so as not to provoke the anger of the trapped beast, or become the trapped beast yourself-"
"The Bian army is powerful and deeply rooted, and they use the people's hearts as their weapon. After Yuezhou is Dongting and Tanzhou, which are Bian Chunliang's retreat and cover. It will take more than one day to kill them all."
Chang Suining said this not to look down on Xiao Min. Bian Chunliang's power was already strong and could not be compared with an ordinary rebel army, or even with Xu Zhengye at the beginning. If she were to fight this battle, there would be no possibility of winning it in one battle.
Xiao Min nodded: "Yes, Xiao Min will remember it."
Chang Suining picked up the teacup and said with a smile, "But I believe that General Xiao's taking back Yuezhou this time is the beginning of turning the situation around."
"I'd like to thank the envoy for his good words!" Xiao Min drank tea like wine and drank it all in one gulp.
Next, Chang Suining reminded Xiao Min of several details that needed to be paid attention to, and asked emphatically: "I wonder if there are factions in the army now?"
This is equivalent to asking about the current relationship between Duke Hanguo Li Xian and Xiao Min.
It would have been fine if he hadn't asked, but once he asked, it was like the dam in Xiao Min's heart had been broken, and a vast ocean of bitterness suddenly rushed in.
Being in the officialdom, how can everything go smoothly? As a mature adult, you can just try to deal with it and solve it. There is no need to talk about the word "grievance" with others.
But facing Chang Suining at this moment, Xiao Min couldn't control his inner grievances. He even felt like he was about to break because of the grievances.
He talked about Li Xian's overt and covert dissatisfaction with him and the many difficulties he had caused him.
Chang Suining frowned when she heard this. She had little contact with Li Xian, so naturally she didn't know much about him. Her deepest impression was that he massacred the nobles in Luoyang last year and wanted to sacrifice her prisoners of war to the gods.
This was certainly not a good impression, so she paid attention to asking Xiao Min about Li Xian's attitude.
After hearing what Xiao Min said, Chang Suining's already bad impression of Li Xian became even worse.
Xiao Min finished his speech and finally said: "During this attack on Yuezhou, he did not make things difficult for me. All the important matters were left to me to decide..."
"Things are out of the ordinary, so perhaps they deserve more attention." Chang Suining said, "Now that the good plan has been decided, we must be extra careful of possible changes."
Most of the changes occur in people’s hearts, and human hearts are always the most difficult to control.
This is one of the reasons why we cannot just talk about military strategy on paper. In reality, people's hearts often do not execute every step as closely and strictly as set out in military books.
Especially when Xiao Min's army is divided, we must be more careful about unexpected events.
Chang Suining thought about it and said bluntly: "General Xiao, it would be best if you have people secretly keep a close eye on everywhere, especially the movements of Duke Hanguo."
Seeing Xiao Min's expression, she said, "This is indeed a means to deal with the enemy, but at this critical moment, for the sake of the overall situation, it is better to be cautious and wait until Yuezhou is recovered before doing anything else."
Xiao Min heard this and agreed without hesitation: "Okay."
Even though this action would lead to Li Xian's discovery and questioning, and even intensify the conflict, he still wanted to seek safety as much as possible.
After making this decision, Xiao Min felt visibly more at ease. Most of the time, he was a person who stuck to the rules, so he would always set many restrictions for himself due to environmental reasons, and there would often be blind spots that he could not take into account. But when he temporarily jumped out of that environment and got a reminder from others, he would feel suddenly enlightened and everything was possible.
He has always known that as a person of average talent, it is important to remain humble. He has always been someone who needs advice from others, of course, provided that the advice is from someone he can trust.
And the girl in front of him, who was extraordinary in every way, was the person in the world who deserved his most trust.
After everything was settled, Chang Suining said, "If General Xiao needs anything in the future, please send someone to send a message to Huainan Road at any time."
These words made Xiao Min feel warm in his heart, but also a little flustered.
The reason for the panic was simple: this statement sounded like a conclusion.
"... Envoy Chang is going back?" Xiao Min hurriedly tried to persuade him to stay, "It is not easy to meet him, Envoy Chang, can you stay for a while?"
God knows how long it has been since he felt so relaxed, happy, and cheerful. Woo! Xiao Min wiped a tear in his heart.
In his opinion, Chang Jieshi had a very rare ability, as if as long as he stood with her, no matter how difficult the road ahead was, he would not feel oppressed or suffocated. That was a solid and positive ability, and anyone who was around her would be affected.
Although the war was filled with suffering and killing, when I think back to the days when I fought side by side with her, I feel more at ease, calm and fearless.
This is also a reflection of Xiao Min's mood at the moment. He really hopes to stay in this state of mind for a while to heal himself.
Chang Suining came here after he had dealt with all the affairs in Anzhou. There was no urgent matter, so he continued to sit down and talk with Xiao Min.
Xiao Min had a strong desire to express himself and listen, and he talked about the overall situation, family matters, Huainan Road and the capital. It was not until the east was bright that he reluctantly stood up and said goodbye.
She Cai led people to put away the mats and tea stove.
Before leaving, Chang Suining suddenly asked Xiao Min: "General Xiao, do you remember that you and I made a bet about whether Xu Zhengye would change his route to Luoyang, and General Xiao owed me something after he lost the bet?"
Xiao Min was stunned for a moment, thought about it, and then smiled: "Xiao remembers!"
At that time, he made a bet with Madam Chang, and they agreed that the loser would have to agree to one of the winner's requests. He also said that after he won, he would ask Madam Chang to teach him how to use a sword...but he lost.
But in the end, Envoy Chang Jie still gave him serious instructions.
Recalling this incident, Xiao Min couldn't help but sigh that a person's affection for another person is never born out of thin air. Thinking about it carefully, Chang Jieshi has done too many things that are worthy of others' sincerity.
Xiao Min smiled sincerely and said, "If Envoy Changjie needs my help, just tell me what you want, no matter if it's just one thing."
He believed that Chang Jieshi's requests must be reasonable.
"I haven't thought about it yet." Chang Suining said with a smile: "So after this farewell, General Xiao must take care of yourself, otherwise I will regard it as General Xiao breaking his promise."
Xiao Min was deeply moved. After all, it turned out that Envoy Chang Jie was still concerned about his safety.
The girl in front of him is much younger than him, but the burden on her shoulders is much heavier than his, and she has much more things to do. She braved the night to cross the Han River, not only for the war in Yuezhou and the people of the world, but also for the safety of him, Xiao.
Xiao Min's eyes turned red unconsciously, and he clasped his fists tightly: "Envoy Chang Jie, please take care too!"
After saying goodbye to each other, Chang Suining got on his horse.
Xiao Min insisted on staying there and watching her leave.
Strands of golden light burst out from the clouds. The girl rode her horse, facing the rising sun, and left along the golden banks of the Han River. As she went farther away, her cloak fluttering behind her seemed to connect with the sky.
…
The news that Anzhou Governor Cao Hongxuan was plotting treason and conspiring with Bian Chunliang to seize Jingzhou reached the capital. While the court officials were shocked and angry, they were also relieved that there was no danger of any disaster.
If Cao Hongxuan was allowed to attack Jingzhou, there would be chaos... Fortunately, Chang Suining stopped this from happening in time.
Although it was indeed her job, Chang Suining's action made some officials who usually suspected her of having ulterior motives doubt their own suspicions.
If this woman really had ulterior motives, why would she be so active in preventing the chaos in Jingzhou? Although we should not be easily fooled by appearances, this appearance is also worth pondering.
Wei Shuyi, who was standing next to Master Chu, noticed the "reflective heart" of the official next to him and smiled without saying anything - people always have misunderstandings about her, but it is easy for one misunderstanding to lead to another.
The urgent report from Anzhou also included the confessions of Cao Hongxuan's subordinates.
There is a sentence that explains the reason why Cao Hongxuan plotted rebellion, saying that he "was unwilling to submit to the female governor."
When the empress heard this, she sneered in her heart.
These people always like to act under the guise of being dissatisfied with women, as if this can make their selfish actions more justifiable, but people in the world just like it, because in the eyes of most people, this is also a kind of "fighting for the dignity and interests of the group", which is enough to arouse their resonance and empathy.
But what if she "did not want to be humbled"? In the end, wasn't there only a foolish head left, sent to the capital before her, the female king?
Sure enough, it was the right decision to let Ashang take over as the governor of Huainan Road.
As expected, A Shang never let her, his mother, down.
At the morning court session on the same day, the battle report on Yuezhou sent back by Li Xian on express horseback was also presented to the empress.
He reported that after killing more than 10,000 Bian troops, they would be able to retake Yuezhou City in a few days.
Master Chu scoffed at this. Why not wait until Yuezhou City is recovered before reporting? Ka sent back this unnecessary "victory report" at this time, which was clearly an attempt to cover up his oversight of the danger in Jingzhou.
After the morning court session, officials left in groups of three or four.
The Minister of Revenue, Zhan Mian, sighed softly, "The envoy Chang Jie is serving the court with all his heart..."
He had thought before that how bad could a little girl who was always thinking about saving money for the Ministry of Revenue be? Master Chu did not say anything.
Is that loyalty that she is guarding? It is clearly her own Dao heart.
The teacher and the student stepped onto the straight palace road and were talking when they suddenly saw a fast horse galloping towards them in the front.
Zhan Mian hurriedly protected the tutor and moved to the side.
That was a horse carrying an urgent message. The soldier who was delivering the message was dusty and had a tense look on his face. He galloped all the way to the gate of the Forbidden Palace, then abandoned the horse and ran away.
"Report!"
"Urgent news from Longyou Road!"
"Northwest border, Beidi is making unusual movements!"
"The Northern Di cavalry has invaded from the western defense line and has already broken into Yizhou!"
The Holy Ce Emperor suddenly stood up from the dragon throne and immediately asked, "Where is Cui Jing?"
The soldier who reported the news said, "General Cui led his troops from Anbei Protectorate to rush to the rescue and has reached Yumen Pass!"
The Emperor of the Holy Ce closed his eyes slightly for a moment, and slowly sat back. This was still timely, at least Yumen Pass had not been lost yet!
The emperor tightly grasped the relief on the dragon throne with one hand, his eyes oozing with cold anger: "... You Northern Di villains, your intention to destroy our Great Sheng is indeed not dead!" (End of this chapter)
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