"Good instructor, you know that the mountain under our feet belongs to Yao Mountain, which is the largest mountain range on the Weibei Plain, and runs northeast and southwest." Liu Xi, who was standing beside him, rushed to reply. "As for the mountain in the northeast that the instructor pointed out, it is called Jinsu Mountain, which is where the remnant of Wulong Mountain is faintly visible behind it. The most famous thing about Jinsu Mountain is that the Tai Mausoleum of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang is right behind Jinsu Mountain!"
Zhao Jiu waited quietly for the other party to finish speaking, then laughed: "I've already told you, don't call me your master, and don't call me your subject. Otherwise, if the soldiers hear it and spread it widely, and then we are captured by Lou Shi, it will be a waste of cover-up. If you must call me by a name, you can call me deputy commander, but you have to call me Grand Marshal Liu."
Liu Xi quickly pleaded guilty.
Zhao Jiu didn't take it seriously, and just continued his casual conversation. Looking at the hill in front of him, he sighed: "From the Wei River to here, there is Suli Town first, and then there is Jinsu Mountain. It can be seen that the land north of the Wei River is fertile and rich, and it is indeed a beautiful land."
The people around him naturally agreed quickly.
"Official...Deputy Commander."
After everyone calmed down, Wu Jie hesitated for a moment, but finally pointed to the northeast and continued to tell the military situation seriously. "Yao Mountain stretches for about thirty miles. We have entered Yao Mountain for several miles, and Loushi is ten miles northeast of Yao Mountain. Then there is a camp facing a water marsh, which is also thirty miles away from here... If nothing unexpected happens, once the Jin army comes to fight, the victory or defeat should be decided on the plateaus between Yao Mountain and Jinsu Mountain."
Zhao Jiu nodded slowly, and his expression became a little more serious.
"Deputy Commander... Marshal." Hearing this, Liu Xi hesitated for a moment, then suddenly interrupted. "I see there is also a large area of water under the plateau over there. Why not imitate the layout of the Jingyao camp before and set up camps next to the water..."
Zhao Jiu finally took the attitude of asking about military affairs. He turned his head and looked at Wu Jie seriously. His meaning was very simple - you are the commander-in-chief, and you are familiar with the surrounding terrain. You came to a place only thirty miles away from the enemy to set up a camp. This place may be the camp before the decisive battle. Don’t you have a strategy for setting up a camp?
As expected, Wu Jie frowned slightly, and immediately looked at Liu Xi sternly with his sallow face: "Didn't I already order the entire army to quickly set up camp on the high ground along Yao Mountain? The auxiliary soldiers and civilians have been ordered to cut wood in the mountains, why do you want to change the strategy of setting up camp?!"
Zhao Jiu said nothing and went to see Liu Xi again.
Liu Xi hesitated for a moment, then bowed his hands earnestly, "Deputy Commander, Marshal, I am not disobeying military orders. My troops have already cut down trees according to military orders... But I really think that the best way to deal with the Jin cavalry is to go to the water! Although Yaoshan is only more than 30 miles long, the middle part is a steep mountain where the army cannot pass or station. The so-called camp along the mountain is just to set up camps on the gentle slope in front of the mountain. However, such a camp may not be as useful as a summer water marsh to stop the cavalry. Instead, we should be careful of the Jin people's fire attack."
This was a serious attitude towards reasoning. In fact, many people were moved by this statement. But when the topic progressed to this point, Zhao Jiu stopped participating and turned his head to look at the scenery. It was obvious that the official was still prepared to respect Wu Da's authority unconditionally.
However, Wu Jie knew very well that if he wanted to convince everyone, he couldn't just rely on the official prestige again and again. It would be better to come up with a reason, so he immediately responded:
"What Liu Jinglue said is very true. I also think that swamps are more useful against cavalry... But don't forget that in summer, the water level rises and the ditches overflow. Most of the gullies and depressions between the plateaus have become swamps. The Jin army has tens of thousands of cavalry. Once a battle begins, it will probably take more than ten miles to spread out. As long as there is a swamp, no matter if our camp is in front of the swamp or at the foot of the mountain, some of the Jin army cavalry will inevitably fall into it. In comparison, although we have to be careful about setting fire to the camp in front of the mountain, there is a huge advantage that cannot be compared to setting a camp in front of a swamp..."
Liu Xi glanced at the back of Emperor Zhao's head, who was looking down the mountain, and frowned as he bowed to Wu Jie: "Please give me some advice, Marshal."
"Our army is numerous and complex!" Wu Jie said with a serious face. "Once the troops engage in battle, I'm afraid they will fight on their own. At this time, only from high ground can we observe the overall situation and then coordinate the response and support of the troops! If, as Liu Jinglue said, we covet the benefits of the water and marsh and only set up camps in front of the water and marsh, once we are attacked, they will fight on their own. Even I, the commander-in-chief, will only be able to fight the troops in front of me and it will be difficult to coordinate. On the contrary, the Jin cavalry can rush to the surrounding high ground to observe the battle at any time and make timely adjustments..."
Liu Xi remained silent, and no one among the generals around him responded to Liu Xi.
"It's not just that." Wu Jie continued to keep a straight face, pointing to a white marsh in the distance and speaking. "Liu Jinglue, you and I are both from Guanxi, don't you know why this marsh is formed? It's nothing more than that the loess plateau in Guanxi can't hold water, but it's wrapped in yellow mud and easily clogged, so it can't flow out. Then once it rains heavily in summer, it will overflow from the ditch and flow back into the gullies between the plateaus to form a marsh... This kind of marsh will rise once it rains heavily, but if it doesn't rain for a few days, it will become a muddy land, and if it doesn't rain for a few more days, it will simply dry up... Although there is probably rain in the summer, do we really have to bet on astronomy? If it really doesn't rain for a few days, and the Jin army doesn't fight for a few days, what should we do if we just wait for the marsh to dry up?"
Liu Xi glanced at the back of Zhao Guanjia's head again and could only bow his hands and say: "I am short-sighted."
"It doesn't matter." Wu Jie sneered. "It's all for the country!"
After hearing that the argument was over, Zhao Jiu was about to turn around to speak, but at this moment, a cloud of dust rose in the distant northeast, which immediately made all the generals on Yaoshan Mountain become completely solemn, because without waiting to see it clearly, everyone could guess that it was definitely a team of no less than several thousand Jin cavalrymen, coming from the northeast along Yaoshan Mountain.
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