Chapter 253: Deep into the Heartland
"Then they won't dare to do it."
Chen Zhao's eyes were filled with coldness. "Once we enter the heart of Xijue, Boda will not abandon his home. He will definitely come back to support us. We will press forward. Apart from Boda's army, no one can tear through our defense line. Therefore, the Chihe River behind us does not need a large army to garrison there at all."
"You are such a pipe dream!" Xiao He said sarcastically, "You are a good brother. The predicament of Yanliang Pass has been solved, but what about our soldiers? Once Boda comes to help, we will be trapped and die in the heart of Xijue."
Shen Zhao glanced at him lightly, "What if my sister leads the troops to pursue when Boda withdraws?"
Xiao He was stunned for a moment. He didn't think of this for a moment.
He turned to look at Xiao Changfeng, wanting to say something, but seeing that Xiao Changfeng was thinking with his head down, he did not dare to interrupt.
Chen Zhao said: "The total strength of all the troops along the northwest line is not much different from that of Boda. It is only because the battle line is stretched too long that they are dispersed. We have been too passive in recent years. When they invaded, we fought back and had to defend here and there, but we never thought of concentrating our forces to fundamentally solve the problem."
Xiao He argued with him without giving in, "The way we fight deep into the hinterland of Xijue is different from our current way of fighting. It will cost a lot more to mobilize troops, food, and armaments, which one doesn't cost money? Your father is famous, and every year's funds are allocated to you first, and then it's our turn. The military funds allocated by the court are not enough. My father has been paying money every year, and he has sold all his farms. You know nothing about the difficulties of the Xiao family army!"
Xiao He was so excited that he spoke without any emphasis and glanced at Xiao Changfeng quickly.
"Who doesn't have difficulties?" Shen Zhao said sarcastically, "Maybe you can tell me that since the thirteenth year of Tongxu, the food and wages that the Shen family army lacked were supplemented by my sister's dowry. How old was she in the thirteenth year of Tongxu? She was only eleven at that time!"
Xiao He was speechless for a moment, and threw the armbands in his hand to the ground, "What the hell is this border we are guarding!"
"Xiao He!" Xiao Changfeng shouted harshly.
Xiao He was feeling angry and had no place to vent, so he lifted the curtain and left the tent.
There was silence in the tent for a moment.
Shen
Zhao said: "I know that General Xiao and my father have the same strategy, which is to defend strictly and minimize the losses. The people of Da Zhou have been living in poverty these years, and there is no money for us to go deep into the country. Before I left, I had discussed with the Lu family in Hezhou. This year's military expenses will be borne by the Lu family. The cotton-padded clothes made by the Lu family are on the way, and 40,000 pieces will be allocated to Chihe."
Xiao Changfeng glanced at Chen Zhao, "Are you trying to bribe us with this? What if I don't agree?"
"Whether we can form an alliance this time or not, the cotton-padded jacket will still be sent. This is a gift my grandmother gave to the general after hearing about Chihe's situation. It has nothing to do with me."
Now that things have come to this, there is no point in talking any more.
Shen Zhao waited quietly. After a while, he seemed to have known the answer while waiting, and he raised his head and drank the cold tea in the cup.
After a long time, Xiao Changfeng raised his head and said, "The plan you mentioned is feasible, but the risk is too great. I can't let the soldiers follow you to take this risk."
Shen Zhao had guessed from Xiao Changfeng's attitude that he would not agree.
He said: "The Zhou Dynasty has been declining. The Western Jue have been a threat to the Zhou Dynasty for decades, and they are growing stronger day by day. They are eyeing the land of the Zhou Dynasty. There are already enough soldiers buried in this place. Why not attack in one fell swoop? At least we can buy ten years of peace."
"Ten years." Shen Zhao said word by word, "Ten years can give us a lot of time to catch our breath. By then, our troops will be strong and our horses will be strong. How can foreign enemies dare to invade us again?"
"Young man," Xiao Changfeng said in a deep voice, "You think too simply. We don't know the topography of the hinterland of Xijue, but the people of Xijue are very familiar with their territory. How can you solve this problem?"
"I can't guarantee that we can break it." Shen Zhao said honestly, "But does General Xiao have any other better ideas at the moment? Or we can wait for reinforcements from Beilin. If they arrive, everyone will be happy. If not, we can wait for the Western Jue people to flatten Yanliang Pass and enter the hinterland, and we will have to give up Chihe to reinforce. By then, Yanliang Pass will be destroyed and people will die, and we won't have the 80,000 troops on both sides now."
Seeing Xiao Changfeng remained silent, Shen Zhao said, "General Xiao, my sister is the Princess of Beilin. Yanliang Pass is not her responsibility. She is in Shengjing to clear the
The rebels received only a piece of paper, but she did not retreat. When Yanliang Pass was in trouble, she still rushed thousands of miles to support. To put it bluntly, she is a woman, but she tied her head to her belt like a man. I don’t need to explain why. We men should not end up being worse than women.”
Shen Zhao thought of Shen Yu, and his eyes suddenly turned red.
He raised his head slightly. "Since ancient times, who has been able to win every battle? Who isn't fighting? She dares to risk her life, but we have to stay in the camp. My sister and I were both brought up by my father. We are from the same family. She is willing to fight, so naturally, as her brother, I will not back down."
Chen Zhao stood up and said, "I understand General Xiao's doubts, and I won't force you. I will leave with my soldiers tomorrow. Sorry for bothering you. I'll take my leave."
Shen Zhao bowed respectfully to Xiao Changfeng, then turned around and left without looking back.
The cold air whistled in through the gap in the door curtain.
Xiao Changfeng looked at the swaying door curtain and did not move for a long time.
…
Cao Guangjin got off the sedan chair at the city gate and walked towards the temporary meeting room.
The snow on the ground was frozen after being trampled down. He walked so quickly that his fat and bloated body staggered and he fell to the ground with one foot.
As soon as he was helped up, he pointed at the soldiers and cursed.
"You don't even know how to shovel the snow. Who will be responsible if the princess falls? Send someone to shovel the snow!"
After saying that, he hurried forward again, and when he got closer, he shouted, "Princess, Princess, it's bad, something big has happened."
Approaching the meeting room, Chang Liu at the door stepped aside to block Cao Guangjin, "What do you want to see our princess about?"
Cao Guangjin knew that this boy was disrespectful in his words, but Chen Yu spoiled him a lot. Since Chen Yu didn't care, Cao Guangjin naturally didn't dare to overstep the line.
"I have something urgent to discuss with the princess."
"There's an urgent matter inside." Changliu said.
The door behind Chang Liu opened, and Chen Yu walked out, "What's the matter?"
Cao Guang hurriedly said, "Princess, Lord Jiang came with an imperial edict to negotiate peace, but the peace hasn't been negotiated yet, Lord Jiang suddenly said he wanted to go back to Shengjing, I can't stop him, Princess, please go and persuade him."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
