Inside the tent, Jiang Yuan reached out and picked at his ear, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Chen Zhennan, do you even want to listen to what you're saying? I am the Prince Liang of the Great Yan Dynasty, second only to the emperor. Do I need to rebel?"
Hearing his words, Chen Zhennan sneered: "You are above ten thousand people, but you are still second only to one. If you are a smart man, you should know what to do now. If you do something wrong, I will help Jiang Wenyu clean house."
Jiang Yuan frowned slightly, narrowed his eyes, and looked at Chen Zhennan with a look that seemed to say he wanted to kill him right now.
"You traitor of the Wu Kingdom, speaking to me like this on the territory of my Great Yan, it seems you don't understand your place. Boy, I am not Lin Wei, you had better show me some respect."
"Respect is mutual and earned. If you deserve my respect, you don't need to emphasize it."
After speaking, Chen Zhennan slowly turned around to look at Song Yunyang.
"Since the King of Liang is willing to sit in this command tent, let's give it to him and go."
Song Yunyang naturally had no objections. Of his 300,000 troops, 100,000 had been taken away, and the King of Liang's intentions were not good. He was sure he wouldn't have a good time in the future.
As the two stepped out of the tent, Song Yunyang's face instantly darkened, filled with worry.
"Chen Zhennan, if your plan succeeds and Wu Yunyin really mobilizes troops, then let alone overthrowing her, I might not even be able to take Tianyang Pass."
Although Song Yunyang spoke cryptically, Chen Zhennan could tell that she was worried that he would be used and benefited for nothing.
"Yunyang, I have no proof that you can trust me, but Wu Yunyin wants me dead, and I will never let her go. So believe me, I will never use you, and Da Yan will get what it wants."
...
In Dawu, Lingnan, Song Xuan led an army of 400,000 men into Lingnan and stationed them near the Black Stone River.
Inside the Lingnan Prince's Palace, Lingnan Prince Zhou Xiang hesitated. Although Song Xuan had an army of 400,000, he did not take Song Xuan seriously at all.
"Your Highness, Song Xuan is completely incompetent at leading troops. His 400,000-strong army stretches for eighty miles, making it impossible for them to coordinate their attacks. We should catch them off guard and achieve a resounding victory!"
“That’s right, Your Highness. This humble general is willing to be the vanguard. Three thousand cavalrymen will suddenly attack from Shuangfeng Mountain and catch them off guard.”
His subordinates were eager to fight, their morale soaring.
Zhou Xiang has been stationed in Lingnan for more than two years. These generals are all brought back from the battlefield; they are all skilled and war-loving warriors.
After two years of silence, not only them, but even Zhou Xiang wanted to personally lead his troops into battle.
Unfortunately, that won't work. Before leaving, the commander-in-chief gave orders not to engage in direct confrontation, in order to avoid unnecessary losses.
Although he didn't want to dampen his subordinates' high spirits, Zhou Xiang still slowly shook his head.
"I also wish to send troops, but the commander-in-chief's orders cannot be disobeyed. Hou Jing, issue an order that all armies must not move out without authorization. If Song Xuan launches a major attack, we only need to put up a little resistance and then retreat into the deep mountains."
Upon hearing this, the officers in front of him all showed curious expressions, as if they didn't understand.
"Your Highness, Song Xuan is leading the troops, and we're supposed to retreat? What kind of nonsense is this? We just won a great victory over Ba Qing, and our morale is at its peak..."
"Enough!"
Zhou Xiang raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of coldness flashing in the corner of his eye.
"The commander-in-chief said that soldiers' duty is to obey orders. Now, all of you, go down."
Hou Jing and the others looked at each other, completely baffled, but they could only clasp their hands in greeting and say "Yes, sir." No one dared to disobey the order.
At this very moment, in the commander's tent by the Black Stone River, the banner bearing the character "Song" fluttered in the wind, marking the most resounding moment in Song Xuan's life.
Inside the commander's tent, the air was filled with the aroma of wine and meat. Song Xuan, holding a wine cup, swayed his body, showing no trace of a marshal.
Inside the tent were more than a dozen generals dressed in heavy armor; almost all the generals in the capital who could lead troops into battle were here.
But when they arrived in Lingnan from afar, Marshal Song Xuan showed no will to fight and instead summoned his generals to drink and eat meat every day.
"Grand Marshal, with our 400,000 troops, and with everyone struggling to feed and graze, when will we be able to attack Lingnan?"
Song Xuan seemed not to hear him, continuing to shake his head and drink, as if he were lost in his own world.
"General! The army has rested and is well-trained with ample supplies. His Majesty is still waiting for our victory report!"
After listening to the two generals, Song Xuan put down his wine cup and opened his eyes with an impatient expression.
With a straight face, Song Xuan said in a calm tone, "Our troops are well-trained and well-supplied. Last time when Ba Qing came, his troops were also well-trained and well-supplied, but what was the result? Zhou Xiang used the Empty City Stratagem, which caused Ba Qing's army to lose half of its strength. I cannot act rashly."
Although Song Xuan's words made some sense, he was not afraid to act rashly, but was waiting for Zhou Xiang to take the initiative to enter the palace.
With 400,000 men under his command, attacking Lingnan would require no tactics at all; a simple push would likely be enough to take Lingnan.
But this is not the result Song Xuan wanted. Ideally, all 400,000 people would die here, then there would be no need to return to the capital, and Wu Yunyin would undoubtedly be defeated.
"But Commander, taking the initiative will give us the upper hand. If we wait for Zhou Xiang to make his move, even though we have the advantage in numbers, we might still find ourselves on the defensive."
Song Xuan shook his head, deliberately feigning displeasure.
"General Wang, let me ask you this: Lingnan is such a high-altitude region, how can my 400,000 troops deploy? The mountain roads in Lingnan are rugged, and Shuangfeng Mountain is even more treacherous. If we are attacked from both sides, what will you do?"
Upon hearing this, General Wang stood up and said solemnly, "Then we should occupy Shuangfeng Mountain first. The mountain road to Shuangfeng Mountain is flat. As long as we take Shuangfeng Mountain, we can form a three-sided encirclement of Lingnan..."
"good!"
Song Xuan slammed his hand on the table, startling all the generals in the tent.
"Well said, General Wang. I hereby order you to lead your ten thousand men to capture Shuangfeng Mountain!"
"What?"
General Wang frowned. Had ten thousand men taken Shuangfeng Mountain?
General Wang had already sent people to investigate in the past few days. The generals guarding Shuangfeng Mountain were Hou Jing and Li Can, and the combined garrison on both sides numbered 40,000, of which 10,000 were cavalry.
"General, a siege of the mountain requires at least double the troops. My force only has ten thousand men..."
"Didn't you say you wanted to take Shuangfeng Mountain first? I order you to immediately lead your troops to attack Shuangfeng Mountain. Don't worry, I will provide you with support. Go."
"General!"
"Go! Otherwise, you will be executed without mercy!"
Song Xuan appeared angry on the surface, but he was secretly overjoyed. He had almost forgotten about the "adding fuel to the fire" tactic, a cardinal sin in military strategy.
General Wang never expected that his original intention to offer suggestions would turn him into a target for criticism.
Attacking Shuangfeng Mountain with 10,000 men is simply suicide.
"Please ensure the support from the rear, General. I will immediately gather my troops."
Song Xuan gave a heavy "hmm" and watched General Wang turn and walk out of the command tent.
Many generals stood up and clasped their hands in a gesture of respect, requesting permission to take command.
"This humble general is willing to send troops to assist."
Song Xuan raised an eyebrow slightly and said coldly, "Whoever wants to die, go ahead."
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