He was also very concerned about the threat from the Taiyuan direction.
He has already sent men to guard the various checkpoints leading to Taiyuan.
As long as the troops from Taiyuan and other Shanxi armies dare to advance eastward beyond the Taihang Mountains.
He was fully confident that he could wipe them out on this plain.
He also asked Li Qin if he could continue south.
They crossed the Yellow River and continued their attack on the area south of the old course of the Yellow River in Henan.
He said that Henan is now extremely vulnerable, and the soldiers' fighting ability is not strong.
We are fully confident that we can sweep across the entire Henan province and take it over.
In this way, they would have occupied Zhili, Henan, and Shandong.
This great granary of the Central Plains will fall completely into our hands.
They could easily advance westward into Shaanxi, southward into Jingchu, or southeastward into Jiangnan.
It will be helpful for future southward or westward expansion.
Most importantly, Shanxi, where Taiyuan is located, will be completely surrounded by him on three sides.
They could easily try to sever the connection between Shaanxi and Shanxi by entering southwestern Shanxi.
Alternatively, they could attack Shaanxi to the west, thus hindering their ability to fully support Taiyuan in Shanxi. This would be extremely beneficial for their future attack on Taiyuan.
Li Qin looked at Li Xuanshang's intelligence report, which called for a continued attack on Henan.
He was also deep in thought.
Taking over Henan would indeed have many advantages.
But don't forget that the Taihang Mountains were under Yang Zhiyong's control.
The initial strategic objective was to capture the area north of the old course of the Yellow River, including Zhili Province.
Therefore, the resupply lines that his hundreds of thousands of troops have set up are all along the Baoding-Zhending line, but these places are too close to the Taihang Mountains.
Even when Yang Zhiyong ventured out of the Taihang Mountains, they tried to disrupt the supply lines of people in places like Zhili.
They can also quickly return to provide support.
However, once they crossed the Yellow River, the supply lines became extremely long.
These areas, including Zhili, had just been conquered, and their defenses were not yet complete, and their preparations were insufficient.
Moreover, the distance is too great; if Yang Zhiyong were to risk leaving the Taihang Mountains and disrupt the army's supply lines, they would be unable to return in time to provide support.
That would be dangerous.
However, Henan is currently vulnerable, which presents a good opportunity.
Moreover, taking over Henan would indeed be helpful for future expansion, whether southward or westward.
Most importantly, taking over Henan would expand his tax base and balance his fiscal deficit.
After careful consideration, Li Qin finally gave him instructions, allowing him to send troops to conquer the cities south of the Yellow River in Henan, provided that the supply lines were secure.
However, we must be careful to prevent Yang Zhiyong from interfering with or cutting off our supply lines.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
