Despite a bad feeling, Dong Zhonglou still gestured for his advisor to continue.
After all, no matter how vicious the scheme was, he should first deal with the pursuing army of 50,000 and ensure his own safety before worrying about anything else.
"Tell me your plan."
"Yes, Commander. Since the goal of these 50,000 troops is Kaifeng, we might as well give up Kaifeng."
Let Li's 50,000-strong army enter Kaifeng. Then, we will use water as our weapon, breach the Yellow River dikes, flood Kaifeng, and completely annihilate Li's 50,000-strong army that has entered Kaifeng.
Even if they cannot be eliminated, the flooded area after the Yellow River breaches its banks can completely block Li Qin's pursuers.
Protect the safety of the remaining prefectures and the commander-in-chief in Henan.
After speaking, the strategist bowed to Dong Zhonglou in front of him.
When Dong Zhonglou learned of the strategist's scheme, even the usually carefree Dong Zhonglou was taken aback.
Dig open the Yellow River?
You must understand that the Yellow River has become a suspended river above ground; if it were to breach its banks, it would be an unprecedented disaster.
It's completely out of control.
Moreover, he will forever bear this infamy.
After thinking for a moment, Dong Zhonglou decided to follow the strategist's advice.
If this plan were implemented, it could successfully annihilate Li Qin's 50,000-strong army.
Li Qin will immediately fall into a state of decline, or even face destruction, and then I will be the first person to quell Li Qin's rebellion.
Even if they don't annihilate Li Qin's 50,000-strong army, they can still slow down their advance and buy time for their own escape.
He's not at a disadvantage either way.
As for the disasters caused and the infamy they incurred.
He didn't care at all; he was a remnant of Wang Zhen's faction, and his reputation was already ruined.
I wouldn't recommend making it any smellier.
If he really cared about his reputation, he wouldn't have sided with Wang Zhen in the first place.
Most importantly, he has also come to a clear understanding of the current situation.
The two dynasties, North and South, had governors-general who held military power and were responsible for these things.
As long as I still have an army, they won't do anything to me.
After a brief moment of thought, Dong Zhonglou immediately decided to do just that.
He then ordered his trusted men to occupy Kaifeng after Li Qin's 50,000-strong army took over.
Immediately use water as your weapon, breach the Yellow River, and flood Li Qin's army.
After making the arrangements, he immediately covered his backside and, limping, directed the man to move his property.
After the army and his family property were settled, Dong Zhonglou immediately led his army away from Kaifeng, preparing to flee to Nanyang.
After seeing Dong Zhonglou lead his army to abandon the city, the people of Kaifeng immediately began to flee to avoid the ravages of war.
Shortly after Dong Zhonglou fled Kaifeng, Li Xuanshang's vanguard cavalry appeared around Kaifeng.
At this time, the gates of Kaifeng were wide open, and the defending troops had long since fled without a trace.
The cavalrymen were used to this situation; after all, they had seen far too many officials abandoning their cities and fleeing.
I never expected that Kaifeng, the capital of Henan, would be like this.
He then immediately entered the city and captured some of the people who remained there.
They immediately sent someone back to the rear of the army to report the situation to Geng Zhixiang, the vanguard of the main force.
After being reported through multiple levels, the news eventually reached Li Xuanshang's army stationed on the north bank of the Yellow River.
"Dong Zhonglou abandoned Kaifeng with his army and fled?"
Li Xuanshang smiled as he looked at the intelligence report.
At this time, he was still leading his army on the north bank of the Yellow River and had not yet crossed it. He had only sent Geng Zhixiang with more than 10,000 troops as the vanguard to cross the Yellow River and test the waters.
Unexpectedly, the other party simply abandoned Kaifeng and ran away.
What a pleasant surprise!
"General, Dong Zhonglou's tens of thousands of troops were utterly routed by General Zhou Wentong's eight hundred men."
He's terrified at the mere mention of our names now, how could he possibly dare to resist?
Hahaha. "
At this moment, a general named Wang Xinzhi stepped forward from the military tent and spoke.
After he finished speaking, everyone present immediately burst into laughter.
Even Li Xuanshang, who was sitting in the main seat, had a smile on his face.
There was no way around it; their journey south had been far too smooth.
Without a single fierce battle, they seized control of Zhili and northern Henan, and the area north of the old course of the Yellow River.
How can we prevent them from becoming arrogant?
Looking at their arrogance, Liu Chenghui, who was sitting in the passenger seat and had been appointed by Li Qin as Li Xuanshang's deputy, frowned.
He had actually realized long ago that the journey had been too smooth.
They easily seized all the land north of the old course of the Yellow River, making them an arrogant force.
Their current state is a major taboo for military strategists.
Then he stepped forward and said:
"General, our previous goal was to take over the area north of the old course of the Yellow River, so the intelligence we collected was mainly focused on the area north of the old course of the Yellow River, and we didn't have much intelligence about the area south of the old course of the Yellow River."
War is a matter of great importance to the nation, so it is best to be cautious and take a steady approach to conquering Henan. It is advisable to first gather detailed intelligence about Henan, understand the strengths and weaknesses of various regions in Henan, and then make deployments.
After all, unlike the empty and chaotic Zhili, even Henan had tens of thousands of troops under the nominal command of Dong Zhonglou.
If they fight to the death under Dong Zhonglou's call, it will be quite difficult for us to take over Henan.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
