Chen Huai'an made a decisive decision to bypass Mozhou and attack Yingzhou directly.
He ordered, "Send messengers to convey my military order: summon all generals to the central command tent for a meeting!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Soon, a group of generals, led by Chang Yuchun, the deputy marshal of Longcheng, hurriedly came from their respective tents to the Prince of Jin's tent to discuss matters.
General Pang Xianchu, thinking that His Highness Prince Jin was about to attack Mozhou City again, was the first to report to Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin on his reconnaissance outside Mozhou City over the past few days:
"Your Highness, I have been surveying outside Mozhou City for the past few days and have discovered several suitable locations for digging tunnels to breach the city. If Your Highness does not mind, I am willing to personally lead my troops to dig tunnels to assist the army in breaching the city!"
Following Pang Xianchu's lead, the other generals were not to be outdone, and they all offered suggestions and advice to His Highness Prince Jin:
"Your Highness," this humble general said, "I believe that while Mozhou City's walls are high and easily defended, a water-based attack would surely result in the annihilation of the enemy forces within."
"This humble general has already inquired and learned that around the Dragon Boat Festival in previous years, the Ying and Mo prefectures experienced abundant rainfall, often resulting in floods and waterlogging."
"If our army can take the initiative to build dams and dikes on the Qinglong River upstream of Mozhou, and store water when it rains during the Dragon Boat Festival, and then use the water to launch an attack, it will surely have a miraculous effect!"
"Your Highness..."
For a time, the generals of Longcheng in the central command tent were all talking at once, explaining their strategies for defeating the enemy.
Clearly, the scene a few days ago where the enemy's commander-in-chief, Wu Sanjia, took the initiative to lead his troops out of the city to fight, provoking His Highness Prince Jin's imperial might and the honor of the Longcheng army, has thoroughly enraged all the Longcheng generals.
Whether it was the former Tiger Legion faction that advocated besieging the city without attacking, or the Po Lu Army faction that insisted on a strong attack on Mozhou City, they were now on a united front, sharing a common hatred for the enemy.
We must conquer Mozhou City and eliminate Wu Sanjia, that arrogant and domineering fellow who has no respect for the Prince of Jin.
"Everyone, please quiet down!"
Finally, Chen Huai'an waved his hand, signaling the generals to quiet down.
brush!
The generals of Longcheng indeed quieted down and all turned their gazes toward His Highness Prince Jin, who was seated in the main seat of the tent.
Chen Huai'an said, "Gentlemen, I am very pleased with your efforts and preparations for conquering Mozhou City. All the strategies for defeating the enemy will be compiled into a report after the meeting and submitted to Vice Commander Chang."
"The main reason I have summoned you all for this meeting is to assign troops to march south and launch a surprise attack on Yingzhou."
Will they divide their forces and march south to launch a surprise attack on Yingzhou?
Upon hearing this, all the generals from Longcheng present looked puzzled.
Even Chang Yuchun, the deputy marshal of the army, asked with some confusion and doubt, "Does Your Highness mean that the army will split into two routes, one of which will bypass Mozhou and go straight to Yingzhou?"
Um!
Chen Huai'an nodded and said, "Vice Commander Chang, that is exactly what I meant!"
Forehead--
Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Chang Yuchun immediately looked troubled and asked, "Your Highness, how many troops do you plan to send to launch a surprise attack on Yingzhou?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Huai'an smiled and held up two fingers and waved them in front of Chang Yuchun and the other generals.
Chang Yuchun tentatively asked, "Twenty thousand?"
Chen Huai'an shook his head and said, "Vice Commander Chang, it's not 20,000, it's 200,000!"
hiss--
When Chang Yuchun heard that His Highness Prince Jin was going to send 200,000 troops to attack Yingzhou, he couldn't help but gasp, his eyes filled with disbelief.
The other generals were also astonished, staring intently at Chen Huai'an, who sat in the main seat, with puzzled looks on their faces.
In the eyes of the generals, Mozhou City was home to 250,000 elite troops of the imperial army, with the outstanding military commander Wu Sanjia in command.
In essence, the 350,000-strong Longcheng army attacking the city did not have a significant numerical advantage over the 250,000-strong Imperial Tiger Army defending it.
If 200,000 troops were to be separated, leaving only 150,000 Longcheng soldiers to besiege the city, and Wu Sanjia inside the city noticed something amiss, then the 250,000 Tiger Warriors would all come out, and the remaining 150,000 Longcheng soldiers might be wiped out in one fell swoop.
Despite their doubts, the generals of Longcheng believed that Prince Jin's idea of sending 200,000 troops to launch a surprise attack on Yingzhou City was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.
Therefore, the generals suppressed their doubts and waited quietly for Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin to say what he would say next.
At this moment, Chen Huai'an said with a smile, "Vice Commander Chang, I will not only lead an army of 300,000 south to Yingzhou, but also take with me the most elite troops, the Dragon City Iron Pagoda and the Xuanjia Army;"
"All I can leave you are 150,000 troops!"
Chang Yuchun frowned, but still stepped forward without hesitation to accept the order: "Your Highness, this humble general Chang Yuchun accepts the order!"
Chen Huai'an smiled and looked at Chang Yuchun, who had a deep expression, and continued, "Vice Commander Chang, aren't you curious why I'm sending 200,000 troops south to Yingzhou?"
As he spoke, he glanced at Chang Yuchun and the other generals of Longcheng.
In the end, he decided to reveal his battle plan and all his generals.
Chen Huai'an said, "Alright, I won't keep you in suspense any longer!"
"In fact, Mozhou City is already in the hands of my Dragon City army. If I'm not mistaken, the Imperial Tiger Warriors in Mozhou City have already been secretly transferred away by Wu Sanjia."
"I dare say that the Tiger Warriors in Mozhou City right now do not number 250,000!"
"Vice Commander Chang, take a look at this!"
After speaking, Chen Huai'an handed the top-secret letter he had just received, which had been sent back from the Imperial Guard in Longcheng, the capital, to Chang Yuchun, who had a furrowed brow and eyes full of doubt.
The other generals in the tent also craned their necks with curiosity, as if they could see the contents of the letter in Vice Commander Chang's hand.
Chang Yuchun took the letter and quickly read through it, word by word.
A moment later, the brows on that strong and rugged face relaxed and a smile appeared.
Chang Yuchun said, "Your Highness, are you saying that Wu Sanjia has already secretly mobilized troops from Mozhou City to rush to the aid of Jinling City and go to the capital to rescue the emperor?"
Um!
Chen Huai'an nodded and said confidently, "If the current Empress Dowager Su Wan'er didn't need Wu Sanjia to come to the capital to defend the emperor, how could she have insisted on granting Wu Sanjia the power to control all the troops in the country when the war on the front line in Mozhou was so intense?"
"This move is merely to facilitate Wu Sanjia's smooth entry into the capital to defend the emperor!"
After a pause, Chen Huai'an continued, "Therefore, I conclude that the majority of the Tiger Legion in Mozhou City must have been transferred away by Wu Sanjia;"
"It seems that the Great Xin Dynasty has made up its mind to abandon Ying and Mo prefectures, give up its northern territories, and prepare to defend the Yangtze River to the death!"
"What I and the Longcheng army need to do now is to block Wu Sanjia's Tiger Warriors in Ying and Mo prefectures before he leads his troops to retreat;"
"All generals, heed my command—"
"Your subordinate is here!"
Chen Huai'an sternly ordered, "Vice Commander Chang Yuchun, I hereby order you to lead the 150,000-strong Longcheng Expeditionary Army to continue defending Mozhou City. Vice General Liu Ziyu will assist Vice Commander Chang in seizing the opportunity to attack the city. There must be no mistakes."
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Chang Yuchun and Liu Ziyu immediately accepted the order.
Chen Huai'an then said, "Pang Xianchu, Fan Wuji, I order you two to lead the Dragon City Iron Pagoda and Xuanjia Army to Yingzhou City first. If you encounter the Tiger Legion en route, you are to annihilate them without my order, and there must be no mistake."
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Pang Xianchu and Fan Wuji both accepted the order in unison.
Finally, Chen Huai'an continued, "The rest of the army will be personally commanded by me, and we will set off for Yingzhou early tomorrow morning!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
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