Dongpango was originally an island nation, but through a series of wars of expansion over the past few centuries, it has completely occupied the peninsula on the other side of the strait.
"Drive them back to the peninsula, then build an invincible navy to cross the sea and completely eradicate this cancer!" Lin Mo swore silently as he looked into the distance.
Dust filled the sky, like a soft, gray snowfall.
Lin Mo rode his warhorse, stepping on the dry pine needles and black soil, to the edge of the sparse pine forest.
In the far distance of the open field, in the nearby forest, flames swirl and rise, and hot winds blow in your face, carrying the strong smell of blood and roasted meat.
The campfire burned all night, at times roaring and making loud noises, and the ground beneath our feet seemed about to crack.
The enemy of Dongpango is there; their main force has been fully assembled.
Due to Kato Hiroaki's crushing defeat, Dongpango's commander-in-chief, Uesugi Kenkatsu, had to overturn his initial plans and recall all three armies to deploy them at Kitaeiyama in order to stop Hayashi Mo from attacking Dongpango's homeland.
"Your Highness, everyone has arrived and is waiting for you to take charge!" a subordinate reported.
"knew!"
Lin Mo left the mountainside and walked to the camp, into today's tent.
The generals under his command all stood up and saluted.
"No need!" Lin Mo replied, waving his hand. "Let's begin!"
Tang Feng bowed again and then said, "Your Highness, I personally went to the enemy camp to investigate and learned that the enemy, Kuroda Hanbei, is leading 100,000 men and has deployed them north of Mount Kitae."
At the core of the enemy's formation was its commander, Uesugi Kenkatsu, whose troops numbered over 84,000.
The troops stationed on the flank and rear of the Uesugi army, on the Kitaeyama Highlands, were 5,100 men under the command of Sanada and 23,000 men under the commands of Usami and Naoe.
The northernmost commander was Masakatsu Fukushima, whose forces numbered over 76,000 and were stationed on the southeastern plateau of Mount Kitae.
Judging from the enemy's main deployment, it was centered on Beirui Mountain, with the north and south as the two wings, slightly contracting back in the middle, and spreading out to the left and right without any restraint, forming a crane wing formation.
Meanwhile, another unit is currently stationed west of Beirui Mountain and has not taken any further action.
It seems they're trying to get behind our troops!
Finally, I would like to emphasize that most of the enemy troops are stationed on the mountain. In front of their lines, to the east, there is a relatively flat and open area. The mountain road in the middle connects the north and south, like a huge crossroads.
According to the enemy commander's plan, our army was to be annihilated at this crossroads.
After listening to Tang Feng's report, Huo Tong couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose. "Your Highness, they have a complete geographical advantage," he said. "What should we do?"
"The Crane Wing Formation, they know how to use military strategy!" Lin Mo laughed.
Having already fought many battles, the bandits in Shu (Sichuan) occupied fortified towns and villages, so they did not need to set up battle formations.
The Dos people are brave, but they lack strategists who can lead armies.
This new head coach is arguably the strongest opponent Lin Mo has ever faced!
If we cower in Wuzhong City now, we'll likely suffer a great loss!
"My lord, you must have a plan to defeat the enemy, right?" Xu Chu asked.
Lin Mo nodded. "I have a solution, but I'd like to hear General Xiang's thoughts!"
Upon hearing this, Xiang Yu stepped forward and apologized, "My lord, in my humble opinion, our army can set up camp here in the woods three miles north of Beirui Mountain, where we will set up our 30,000 troops to repel the central army commanded by the enemy's commander."
This unit will be led by this humble general.
Following behind were three detachments of troops, each with 3,000 men, lined up in a row to the north of the commander, facing the enemy forces of Fukushima Masakatsu, and General Huo with 20,000 men, lined up on the Kitaei Hills to the south of the commander, to ensure the safety of the flanks.
Once the vanguard has entered the crossroads, Your Highness, as the commander-in-chief, must naturally follow closely behind.
You must be stationed here, at "Nanpei Mountain," about four miles away from my residence. This mountain hugs the mountain path, located to the south. Firstly, it serves to prevent enemy forces from encircling us from the west; secondly, it can act as reinforcements, ready to support the front lines at any time.
After hearing Xiang Yu's words, Huo Tong repeatedly praised him, "I admire you!"
Huo Tong, who was well-versed in military strategy, naturally knew that the most important thing on the battlefield was the transmission of information.
Once a battle begins, if the main general is too far from the vanguard, it will inevitably lead to poor communication and delayed orders. Xiang Yu's decision to have Lin Mo establish his main force at "Nanpei Mountain," less than four kilometers away from him, demonstrates his extensive experience in field battles.
However, Lin Mo saw the drawbacks.
Because for our side, this is not a perfect choice.
Because the Dongpan Ge people had already stationed troops in the vicinity of Beirui Mountain, and their overall deployment had been repeatedly studied and reviewed over several days, while Xiang Yu's deployment was relatively hasty and highly arbitrary.
Overall, Daxia remains at a disadvantage.
"My lord, do you have any objections?" Xiang Yu asked after seeing Lin Mo's expression.
"Judging from the current situation, General Xiang's deployment is quite reasonable," Lin Mo said. "My thoughts are not much different from yours. However, there is one point that I believe needs improvement."
"Where?" Xiang Yu asked in surprise.
"Our army's left flank!" Lin Mo pointed out. "I want General Xu Chu to lead the army!"
Xiang Yu frowned, because according to Lin Mo's plan, it was equivalent to letting Huo Tong lead troops to fight against the smallest and relatively easier-to-defeat forces of Fukushima Masakatsu to the north of Dongpango.
Xu Chu, on the other hand, would face the enemy general Kuroda Hanbei, who led 100,000 troops deployed southeast of Kita-ei Mountain.
It's important to know that Kuroda Hanbei was a renowned "strategist" on the opposing side! He possessed exceptional military talent and strategic abilities!
He followed Emperor Dongpango in countless battles, and was especially skilled in ingenious strategies, which made him famous throughout Dongpango.
Now that Emperor Ashikaga is old and unable to go to the front lines in person, he appointed Kuroda Hanbei as "military advisor" to assist Uesugi Kenkatsu.
"Your Highness, this humble general wanted to speak about General Xu, he..."
What he really wanted to say was, "Can Xu Chu handle this? This guy seems a bit simple-minded!"
“Xu Chu is perfectly capable of leading troops in battle!” Lin Mo replied. “General Xiang can rest assured!”
Lin Mo had already figured it out; Xu Chu was just a bit low on emotional intelligence, or rather, he didn't like to use his brain.
Seeing Xiang Yu's expression, Lin Mo stepped forward and whispered something in his ear.
Upon hearing this, the latter abruptly raised his eyes and scanned everyone in the tent, then nodded, "This subordinate understands!"
At this moment, Lin Mo looked at Tang Feng and continued, "Tang Feng, this battle is no small matter. You must be on your toes! Once the battle begins, information between the various armies and the enemy's movements must be transmitted accurately and promptly!"
"Yes, sir!" Tang Feng replied.
Lin Mo clasped his hands in a fist salute, "Gentlemen, this battle is not only about my life and death, but also about the lives of millions of ordinary people in Great Xia, and the fate of the Great Xia nation. Here, I entrust my fate to you all!"
"We will do our utmost to annihilate the enemy and uphold the prestige of our Great Xia!" Huo Tong replied.
"Great Xia is mighty!" Xu Chu shouted.
"Great Xia is mighty!" the crowd echoed.
Lin Mo nodded, then stepped out of the tent and looked towards the location of Dongpango's army not far away.
"The crucial battle has arrived!"
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