Chapter 901: Divide the forces and choose one of the two
Di Shuangcheng had also seen the Long Yuling with his own eyes. He held the token in his hand and listened to Hang Li's affirmative words beside him, and all his previous doubts disappeared.
If it was just a so-called "oral order" and a ghostwritten letter asking him to mobilize troops for a desperate battle with Beiling, which would determine the life and death of hundreds of thousands of troops in the northwest, Di Shuangcheng would never easily believe the person in front of him. However, Zhan Meng held half of the Dragon Jade Order as a token of trust.
This item has always been kept in Xiao Yan's hands. Xiao Yan is even more aware of its importance to the Northwest Army. If it weren't for him ordering Zhan Meng to deliver the letter, this item would never have fallen into the hands of outsiders.
Di Shuangcheng was determined in his heart and reached out to help Zhan Meng: "I don't doubt you and General Yin, but this matter is of great importance."
"I understand."
Zhan Meng stood up and said, "Your Majesty originally wanted to give this to my general, but it will take time for the southern army to mobilize and march north. Beiling has already learned of Southern Qi's defeat. Your Majesty is afraid that they will retreat prematurely when the situation becomes unfavorable. Therefore, you took the risk of sending a letter to the northwest, asking General Di to keep the Beiling people at all costs."
"Your Majesty has ordered that this battle involve the entire nation's strength. We must annihilate the barbarians outside Luoyan Pass, accept their surrender, and put an end to future troubles in Beiling."
Everyone in the room was moved by Zhan Meng's words, even veterans like Di Shuangcheng and Wen Xinhou couldn't help but show emotion on their faces.
The Great Wei and Beiling have been fighting for so many years, and the northern barbarians have been invading every year. Every year, countless soldiers and civilians have died in wars big or small. Countless of their comrades have died on the battlefield. How could they not want to destroy those northern barbarians and drive them out of Tianling Mountain like Emperor Taizu did in the past?
However, in recent years, the Wei Dynasty has emphasized culture over military affairs and has become weaker year by year, while the Beiling Dynasty has become stronger and stronger year by year. It is not easy to defend Luoyan Pass from being breached by the Beiling Dynasty, but now there is a chance to annihilate the Beiling army and force them to surrender, and make the Beiling barbarians submit to the Wei Dynasty.
Such an unprecedented achievement that will go down in history, how could the generals present not be excited?
Di Shuangcheng's heart surged, but he didn't agree immediately. Instead, he suppressed his emotions and looked at Shi Changan: "Mr. Shi, you know Beiling and Xiahou Ling best. Do you think we should take action now?"
Shi Chang'an stood beside the sand table with white hair hanging down his shoulders and wearing a cloak. He was quite impressed that Di Shuangcheng could still think calmly at this time.
He glanced at the others and then spoke, "Beiling has been making frequent moves recently. Sending troops to raid Linping, Hexin, and other places is particularly unusual. Xiahou Ling is definitely not such a reckless person. Moreover, he doesn't have the final say in the Beiling army. If there weren't a reason, Ji Rongqing alone would never agree to let Xiahou Ling play with the life and death of the entire Beiling army."
"Beiling has held the upper hand in the past two months of fighting between the two armies, yet they are so anxious, ready to storm. Besides being short of food and supplies, they've probably learned that Southern Qi is struggling to contain Wei's remaining forces. If we wait until Your Majesty and General Yin lead their troops north and bring in food and supplies, Beiling will no longer have the upper hand."
Shi Changan's voice was not loud, but everyone held their breath and concentrated.
"I'm familiar with Xiahou Ling. Although he's ambitious and greedy, he's also sharp and decisive. If given the chance, he's daring enough to do anything that defies fate. However, once he sees the situation getting tough and realizes there's no chance of success, he becomes like a rat in a ditch, prioritizing his own life and refusing to give up."
"He's sending troops to raid various locations because he wants to take advantage of the fact that the southern army hasn't yet marched north. If they can break through the northwest border, that would be the best. Once they can encircle and capture Luoyan Pass, Your Majesty won't be afraid even if they reinforce Beiling. But if they can't capture the northwest within the deadline, the army outside Luoyan Pass will be enough to tie down the Wei forces, while Beiling can use its cavalry to plunder and immediately retreat, which will not only make up for some of the losses in the major battle, but also preserve the elite troops in the Beiling army."
"All of you generals have fought against Beiling for many years. You should understand that as long as Beiling's 100,000 cavalrymen survive, even if some of the troops outside Luoyan Pass suffer casualties, they can still retreat to the grasslands and no one can do anything to them."
Di Shuangcheng and others all changed their expressions.
Beiling's most powerful force is the cavalry, and the open grasslands are their home turf. Now they can be limited a little because of the mountains near Luoyan Pass, but if they are forced to retreat to the grasslands, the 100,000 cavalry will not be inferior even if they face an army of 200,000 or even more.
What's more, the grasslands in the north are extremely vast, and it is simply unrealistic to lead troops on long-distance raids. Those cavalry come and go like the wind, and unless hundreds of thousands of troops enter Beiling together, they will not be able to do anything to them. But if so many people want to enter Beiling to fight.
Food, troops, subsequent logistical reinforcements, and even the soldiers' adaptation to the soil, water and climate are all huge problems.
Shi Changan said calmly, "If we want to take Beiling in one go, we must keep them outside Luoyan Pass before they withdraw their troops. It's no surprise that Your Majesty has issued this order. As long as we succeed, we can completely conquer Beiling and eliminate the barbarians forever."
"only……"
He hesitated for a moment, "The risks are great."
"Our forces are smaller than Beiling's to begin with, so it's impossible for us to deal with them all at once. If we take the initiative and use all our strength, we should be able to hold back those outside Luoyan Pass. But if we do that, we won't have time to take care of the 100,000 cavalrymen who have scattered out. If we want to hold back those cavalrymen, we'll have to send half of our forces out from Luoyan Pass."
Marquis Wenxin frowned upon hearing this: "It's impossible for us to attack at the same time!"
Xiahou Ling and his men are not fools. There have always been spies in Fengcheng and Beiling inside Luoyan Pass. Once they divide their troops, the news will definitely not be concealed. I am afraid that as soon as the troops here are sent out, Xiahou Ling will order the army outside Luoyan Pass to launch a sudden attack.
However, if they did not divide their forces to directly fight those people outside the Great Wall, the garrisons in the border towns would never be able to stop the cavalry from Beiling.
If the Beiling cavalry is not destroyed, there will be endless troubles.
Everyone present understood Marquis Wenxin's intentions. Di Shuangcheng's expression turned grim. "The reason Xiahou Ling dared to risk dispersing the cavalry is probably because he was certain we wouldn't split up before the southern army came north to reinforce us."
Shi Changan nodded: "Yes, so if you want to take action now, you can only choose one of the two."
He looked up at the people in the room.
"I mean, divide the troops."
Di Shuangcheng and the others were all shocked. Hang Li blurted out, "But if we divide our forces, what will happen to Luoyan Pass?"
It is impossible to keep those cavalry and send out tens of thousands of people. Setting ambushes, sneak attacks, and using various means to capture those people will probably require the elimination of most of the troops in Luoyan Pass. How many people can be left in Luoyan Pass, and how can they stop the Beiling army outside the pass?
Shi Changan said in a deep voice, "Luoyan Pass is a dangerous place. With sufficient food and weapons, even tens of thousands of people can hold out for half a month thanks to the terrain. The reinforcements from the south are already heading north. As long as we can hold out until they arrive, we won't have to worry about those people from Beiling."
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