20demayo Chapter 433: A military meeting that started off well but ended badly!
Chapter 433: A military meeting that started off well but ended badly!
The words of his generals reminded him.
With an army of 500,000 soldiers huddled in a provincial capital, it would be impossible for anyone to attack by force, unless they had a groundbreaking weapon, such as gunpowder.
But this thing... Gu Jingzhi had never been involved in military affairs before, and he had not been the Minister of War for long, so gunpowder had not yet been used in the military.
There's no time to tinker with this thing right now.
and so……
Gu Jingzhi looked at the sand table and said, "Under normal circumstances, Beili's 500,000-strong army could easily defend more than a dozen important border towns. Now they are concentrated in a small area of Yunzhou. Unless we can break through their pass and then enter Yunzhou territory, we can fight the enemy head-on."
"However, this method is obviously not feasible. The three cities of Yunshan, Jin'an, and Tongji block our throat. If the army rashly advances deep into our territory, it will be a major military taboo."
"Nangong Shouyi is waiting for us to make a choice. If the army enters Yunzhou, we may be in danger of destruction. But if we don't enter Yunzhou and try to rescue from other directions, we will disregard the safety of General Li!"
"Daxia only has one of the most famous generals in the world left. If General Li is killed, and no new generals are trained, our borders will be in constant danger of an enemy invasion!"
After Gu Jingzhi's analysis, everyone understood the problem at hand.
Qiao Zhen was indeed an experienced veteran. Combining the previous and subsequent conversations, he immediately understood what Gu Jingzhi meant. He said, "So, the Marshal wants to mobilize the Beili army in Yunzhou City?"
"Not bad!"
Gu Jingzhi nodded, then looked at the others and said, "The two deputy commanders and General Lin will stay. The rest of you can disperse first. Reorganize the troops first during these few days. The general's orders will be issued soon. I hope everyone will not let you down when the time comes!"
Ok?
This first meeting ended so poorly?
The generals looked at each other, and finally left helplessly.
After everyone left, Qiao Zhen sighed slightly and said, "Jingzhi, your first meeting in the tent was so sloppy. I'm afraid it will undermine your prestige as a general. If this gets out, the morale of our army will be..."
He shook his head helplessly, but he didn't blame them in his heart. It was just that this was the first time he saw them discussing matters in this way.
Gu Jingzhi looked at Qiao Zhen and Hou Yong, and seeing that they both looked helpless, he couldn't help but smile and said, "Gentlemen, this is exactly the effect I want!"
"what?"
The two were stunned.
Hou Yong frowned and said, "Marquis Gu, you are now the commander-in-chief of the northern part of Great Xia. The lives and property of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and millions of people on the border depend on you. Acting so rashly is really..."
"Ugh!"
He was also not sure about Gu Jingzhi's leadership.
He was skeptical at first, but Gu Jingzhi was recommended by Li Ye. Out of trust in Li Ye, he cooperated with him without compromise all the way.
But now...
Gu Jingzhi understood what he meant, but he was not annoyed. Instead, he smiled and said, "You two, the court asked the three of us to lead the troops to fight. I think you two also understand the meaning."
"You two, one good at fighting and the other good at defense, are a natural and perfect pair of arms!"
"I, Gu Jing, am merely a scholar. I do have some strategies and the ability to lead troops in battle... I imagine it's not just the outside world, but you two are only cooperating with me because of the Duke of Ying's recommendation, right?"
"This……"
The two of them blushed. They didn't expect Gu Jingzhi to just speak out directly!
"Marshal, that's not what we meant!"
"It doesn't matter!"
"That's exactly what I mean!"
"what?"
The two were puzzled.
Gu Jingzhi smiled and said, "You all understand the truth, and the enemy naturally understands it too. However, this is a matter of national importance. I think even if the enemy has suspicions, they will not act rashly!"
"Especially, I am a famous official of Daxia after all, right?"
Gu Jingzhi smiled happily.
Qiao Zhen was startled when he heard this and asked, "Is the Marshal's move today intended to impress the enemy?"
"if not?"
Gu Jingzhi said sternly: "Any general who leads an army knows what it means to make a strong first push, then lose strength, and finally exhaust all strength!"
"Nangong Shouyi set up a large formation to wait for me. He knows the situation in Yunzhou very well. I have just hastily promoted him and hastily finished the matter. I don't think he will doubt me. He will only think that I, Gu Jingzhi, am just a name with no substance!"
"The situation in Yunzhou is difficult to resolve. Furthermore, I am a person with only a reputation. Should he look down on me or take me seriously?"
Ok?
That does make sense!
Qiao Zhen and Hou Yong exchanged a glance, then turned their heads and asked, "Does the Marshal know about the strategy for the siege of Yunzhou?"
"Not bad!"
Gu Jingzhi smiled and said, "We just said that the siege of Yunzhou City cannot be resolved through normal means. Right now, we have no choice but to attack their other lines of defense and force them to retreat!"
"what?"
The two were stunned. They originally thought there was some countermeasure, but they didn't expect it to be just this?
Qiao Zhen frowned and said, "Jingzhi, don't say I didn't warn you. General Li must not be in any danger. Neither the court nor His Majesty will allow him to be in any danger!"
"We only have 300,000 soldiers and horses. Even with the Beichuan headquarters, there are only 340,000 soldiers. If we send them to attack other prefectures in Beili, it will take a long time to get there!"
"Besides, the Beili defense line is not that easy to attack. Even if we break through their defense line, Yunzhou will definitely not be able to hold on."
"The purpose of this battle is not to win or lose a city or a place, but to protect Yunzhou. Most importantly, we must protect General Li and the over 100,000 troops in Yunzhou City!"
"Of course I know that. However, if the enemy troops in Yunzhou don't leave, we won't have a chance to enter Yunzhou, nor will we be able to open up the passage between Beichuan Prefecture and other prefectures. How can we rescue Yunzhou with the few people we have?"
"If we don't use our military force against other states, but instead mobilize the army within Yunzhou and open up connections between the surrounding states and Beichuan Prefecture, then not only Yunzhou and General Li, but even the borders of Great Xia might not be safe!"
"But the imperial court has ordered that the Yunzhou Army must be the primary force. If we don't follow the original plan of the Grand Council, chaos will break out!"
Indeed, Hou Yong also thought that Gu Jingzhi was right, but the order of the Grand Council was to rescue the Yunzhou Army, and even Yunzhou could be abandoned when necessary!
Gu Jingzhi said silently, "You two, a general is not bound by his sovereign's orders when on the battlefield! You two have served as generals for decades, so I don't think I need to remind you of this, do you?"
Gu Jingzhi looked at the two of them coldly, and they felt suffocated.
Qiao Zhen was fine, as he had a good personal relationship with Gu Jingzhi and didn't want to escalate the conflict, but Hou Yong didn't care.
He roared, "A general on the battlefield is not bound by his sovereign's orders... While this is true, it applies to tactics and strategies, not the purpose of this battle!"
Seeing this, Gu Jingzhi became a little angry!