Lu Tu said loudly, "Good, very good, keep this momentum going!"
He then waved his hand, telling everyone to eat first, as he still needed to make further plans.
Although this 80,000-strong vanguard force could not be considered Zhang Chengyan's absolute main force, its skill level was definitely not bad. Although these soldiers were all thin and sallow-skinned, their morale was quite impressive.
Most importantly, Lü Tu could see from them that these soldiers had not completely broken down; at least they were still a group of people who knew honor and shame. This was extremely advantageous for Lü Tu in controlling this army in the future.
Lu Tu summoned He Yong and a group of core members for a meeting: "Tell me about Zhang Chengyan's plans and next steps."
All eyes were on He Yong. He knew that the information he had was the most important. After thinking for a moment, he said, "To be honest, Zhang Chengyan has long lost patience with me because I once opposed his massacre of the city."
Lu Tu nodded: "I understand. Just say what you know, and we'll make our own judgment."
Seeing that Lü Tu was so easy to talk to and did not make things difficult for him, He Yong then said, "Actually, we really can't take Longcheng. Otherwise, we wouldn't be in such a hurry to attack Wuchuan. It's just that Zhou Xiaowu came back and reported that you have the Heavenly Might Thunder Pipe. Once you take it, Zhang Chengyan will be confident of winning not only Longcheng, but all the subsequent siege battles."
Everyone nodded in agreement. They were all aware of the power of detonators and had even used them in actual combat against Wuchuan.
He Yong continued, "Moreover, as far as I know, many of Zhang Chengyan's subordinates, like me, have long been dissatisfied with his leadership. After all, he rose up in rebellion just like us before. Why was he able to become the Prince of Yan? Wasn't it all because he knew how to flatter and even gave his own sister to Chu He?"
Nie Yun raised the crucial question: "Who is Chu He?"
Xiang Ze explained, "The man who joined us in the uprising claimed to be a nobleman of the former dynasty, so a considerable number of people in the Red Turban Army supported his restoration. After he led the Red Turban Army to become emperor, he changed the dynasty to Great Chu."
Lu Tu sneered: "He dares to call himself emperor? And call himself the Great Chu? What a joke!"
He Yong chuckled awkwardly, "To be honest, General, please don't laugh at me, but if I hadn't met you, I would have realized that everything before was so unreal. Before this, I cared a lot about official titles and empty honors."
Nie Yun said loudly, "That's normal. Every single one of you here wants to make a name for yourselves. If you don't want to make a name for yourselves, you're not worthy to follow my elder brother."
Upon hearing this, everyone present nodded in agreement.
Lu Tu was also very satisfied that Nie Yun could say such neutral words. In the past, Nie Yun would not tolerate even the slightest imperfection and his subjective opinions were extremely strong. Even if it were just six months ago, if he had heard He Yong say these words, he would have immediately ridiculed him.
He Yong gave Nie Yun a grateful look, and then continued, "With an army of 500,000 attacking Longcheng, it seems that they have all the advantages, but in fact they are already on the verge of despair. Their food supplies are almost gone, otherwise they would not have only given our vanguard troops one meal."
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up. This was a great opportunity and a very important piece of information.
"I don't know about the rest for now. After all, Zhang Chengyan is a bit wary of me. But I estimate that they will soon find out that we have surrendered and then they will attack without hesitation."
Lu Tu nodded to him: "It seems that our best strategy right now is to defend."
Everyone nodded in agreement: "That's right, they probably don't have much food left, while we have plenty of provisions and the entire Wuchuan region behind us. Defending is the safest and most advantageous option right now!"
Lu Tu stood up and said, "Everyone, listen to my command!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"Liu Hong, Sun Kuang, Sun Meng, the three of you take 1,000 of your old troops and continue to guard the mountaintop. If the enemy dares to come, keep bombing. Don't worry about whether it's enough."
"clear!"
"Nie Yuntuoba Yuezhu Zhaozhou Xiang Ze!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
Lu Tu looked at the four men and said, "The 80,000 troops that have just surrendered will be divided among you and managed by each of you. However, you will train together on a daily basis and try to keep them on high alert!"
"Yes, sir!"
With just a few words, Lü Tu seized all military power. He Yong and the others who had just surrendered were shocked to see that Lü Tu didn't leave any men in their hands.
Anyone who dares to issue such an order and boldly hand over their troops is a commander with absolute confidence who can effectively control their subordinates.
Take Zhang Chengyan for example. He has 500,000 troops under his command, but they are all under his control. Only when there is a need for action will a small portion be allocated to other generals. As a result, the generals and soldiers are very unfamiliar with each other.
Now that the overall tactics had been decided, Lü Tu had nothing to worry about. He still consciously allowed his men to control more troops within a controllable range, giving them enough room to train.
Fortunately, Lü Tu's approach of teaching people how to fish has finally paid off. After receiving authorization from Lü Tu, Nie Yun, Tuoba Yue, Zhu Zhaozhou, and others quickly went to the surrendered soldiers and distributed their men.
Instead of letting them rest immediately, they got up and continued working, going to the side to transport wood to build fortifications.
All of this left He Yong and the newly surrendered officers completely stunned. Previously, each of them could only lead a few hundred men at most.
They looked at Nie Yun, Tuoba Yue, Xiang Ze and others who held the same official rank as them. They saw that Nie Yun was just a captain and he could lead 20,000 men, and he commanded them in an orderly manner without any chaos.
The logging, transportation, and construction were all proceeding in an orderly manner, and in a very short time, all the surrendered soldiers were able to work willingly.
To them, all of this seemed like a complete fantasy.
At this moment, the awe in their eyes when they looked at Lü Tu was even greater.
If even the captains under Lü Tu treated him this way, one can only guess just how formidable Lü Tu's military talent must be from their respectful attitude towards him.
Lu Tu looked at them curiously: "What's wrong? Is there something you want to tell me?"
He Yong swallowed nervously: "General Lü, I now understand why you looked down on our Red Turban Army before. Compared to you, we really can't even be called 'regular'!"
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