Li Qin looked at Zhou Wentong in front of him and listened to his plan.
He frowned, however, because he knew it was a risky move.
Because although he said it was a two-pronged attack, this generation doesn't have telephones.
If the two armies separate and go deep into the mountains where transportation is inconvenient and communication is slow, then it is essentially equivalent to losing contact.
If an army is delayed on its journey due to problems such as rain, it will be affected by the fact that...
It cannot appear where it should appear.
A two-pronged attack would then turn into a direct confrontation between one army and the Tatars.
With a large number of people in his own force, he was confident that even if he faced the Tatar army, nothing serious would happen.
Even if we can't defeat the Tatars, we can still retreat as a whole.
However, if something happens that delays my journey, such as the Tatars cutting off western Liaoning, then I might be delayed.
Zhou Wentong and his 20,000 cavalrymen were then sent to cross mountains and valleys to face the 200,000-strong Tatar army on their own.
That would basically mean a nine-out-of-ten chance of death.
And the most crucial question is, how do we resupply the army while it's marching through the mountains?
The reason I insisted on leading a large army through western Liaoning, and why I did not agree with Zhou Wentong to lead a large army over the mountains and take this route to fight the Tatars, was because I was determined to do so.
That's because the entire route through western Liaoning was within his sphere of influence, with cities along the way, allowing his army to obtain supplies locally.
However, if his nearly 100,000 troops were to march through the northern mountains without prior preparation and without any supplies along the way...
Then the Tatars didn't even need to attack them; they all collapsed on their own due to lack of supplies.
However, if I were to lead a large army to Liaodong, I would indeed be being led by the nose by the Tatars.
Li Qin waved to the other generals, signaling them to continue reorganizing the troops.
Li Qin looked at Zhou Wentong in front of him and asked:
"You've been through countless battles, you should know how risky this move is."
And you said you were going to lead an army of 20,000. How would you supply these 20,000 cavalry?
If you encounter the Tatar army, it will be because we have not arrived.
Can you evacuate safely?
Zhou Wentong bowed to the inside and replied:
"Duke, during my time in Jizhou, I also studied the roads in the north."
The ten thousand Jurchen cavalrymen that the Duke allocated to us were also one person and one horse, which was more than enough to carry supplies.
There is absolutely no problem in supplying the 20,000-strong army.
Moreover, our 20,000-strong army is also cavalry, with good mobility, and we unexpectedly crossed the mountains north of Jizhou to launch a surprise attack on the Tatar army.
They must be completely unprepared, while we will be prepared, and they will be unprepared.
We can conduct reconnaissance first, and if the situation is unfavorable, we can also take advantage of the cavalry's superior mobility to retreat quickly.
This should be sufficient to ensure the safety of 20,000 troops.
Li Qin listened to Zhou Wentong's risky plan and pondered for a long time.
Because he knew that if Zhou Wentong's plan succeeded, the two of them, one leading the army to face the enemy head-on and the other launching a sneak attack from behind, could actually repel or even defeat the Tatars.
However, although Zhou Wentong's words were very good, if they failed, those 20,000 cavalrymen would really not be able to return.
But if he didn't take his advice, he would lead the entire army to Liaoxi to deal with the Tatars.
They were basically being led by the nose by the Tatars.
It can be said that the Tatars had calculated that they would come from western Liaoning, and they must have made preparations.
I will then lead an army of 100,000 against 200,000 Tatars in a place chosen by the enemy.
Not only were they outnumbered, but the terrain for the battle was also decided by the enemy, meaning they had the advantage of terrain.
It would be extremely difficult for me to defeat the Tatars head-on on the battlefield chosen by them.
In reality, we are now at a disadvantage in terms of military strategy.
The Tatars are attacking a place where the enemy must defend.
They have already mobilized their troops.
He had to lead his army on an urgent journey to the battlefield he had set up for him, where he could take advantage of his numerical superiority and wait for the enemy to tire themselves out.
This is really difficult to defeat.
If we adopt Zhou Wentong's suggestion to advance along two routes, one of which will go to western Liaoning to attract the attention of the Tatars.
They traversed mountains and launched a surprise attack on the Tatar army from behind.
It can produce some unexpected effects.
But if they fail, the 20,000 cavalrymen might really be wiped out.
I may not be able to recover for several years.
Faced with Li Qin's hesitation, Zhou Wentong stepped forward and said directly:
"Duke, at such a moment, we must make a decisive decision. There is no military campaign without risk."
Li Qin sighed as he listened to Zhou Wentong's advice.
Good heavens, those 20,000 cavalrymen are his elite troops! Aren't you worried about them?
However, if he were to take all 20,000 cavalry with him, and given that he was at a disadvantage in every aspect, he really had no confidence in defeating the Tatars.
If given to him, it might really have this miraculous effect.
Finally, Li Qin took a deep breath, made his decision, and said to Zhou Wentong in front of him:
"Alright, I'll allocate these 20,000 cavalry to you, but you must bring them back to me."
Upon hearing Li Qin's order, Zhou Wentong was delighted and said to Li Qin in front of him:
"This humble general will certainly live up to the Duke's high expectations and bring back these 20,000 troops."
Li Qin walked over and patted Zhou Wentong on the shoulder, saying:
"Now that you've made the decision, act quickly. The Tatar army won't stop."
Go and prepare the necessary supplies for the army's march.
"Duke, regarding the necessary supplies, I have been preparing them during my time in Jizhou. With a little more preparation, we should have enough."
The army will need some time to prepare before they can depart. The road has been traversed several times, so there are no issues with the decision.
In response to Li Qin's question, Zhou Wentong immediately replied.
Li Qin looked at Zhou Wentong in front of him and was speechless.
It seems that after I assigned him to Jizhou, he hasn't been idle at all. He's been making preparations, wanting to go out of the pass to fight the Tatars.
However, given Zhou Wentong's thorough preparation, Li Qin felt somewhat more confident.
At least he had been preparing and planning for some time.
The worst-case scenario is that he made the decision on a whim.
Li Qin nodded in response to Zhou Wentong's answer, and then immediately led Qi Duchen, who was standing beside him, into the army.
After the army was ready, he handed over the 10,000 Liaodong cavalry and the 10,000 Jurchen cavalry, a total of 20,000 cavalry, to Zhou Wentong.
Peng Jiahu was appointed as the vanguard of the army, leading the main force eastward through Shanhaiguan, then through the Liaoxi Corridor to Liaodong to relieve Liaodong.
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