Ouyang Ming stroked his fingers and said,
"Lord, in other words, you want to use 40,000 cavalry to march 120 miles tomorrow to the four easternmost forts, and then fight a defensive battle with the 300,000 troops on the opposite side? "
Ning Wushuang said immediately,
"Lord, it won't work. The fortress is not a city. It is not very tall and strong. It can be easily defeated when there are more people. Even if the opponent loses more than us, we only have 40,000 cavalry, and 40,000 people are in the four fortresses. How is it possible to defend the opponent's 300,000-strong army inside?
If you don't retreat at that time, you will suffer heavy losses. If you retreat, you will be chased and killed by the enemy, and you will still suffer heavy losses. "
Zhengchuan also said,
"We only have so many cavalry, they are used for fighting in the field and used as cannon fodder to guard the city wall. It is such a waste.
As long as there are 10,000 or 20,000 casualties, our army's field combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced.
The cost of training a cavalry is more than ten times that of training an infantry.
Iron armor, war horses, crossbows, weapons, knives, and the damage during training are all very expensive. The loss of 20,000 cavalry is equivalent to the loss of 200,000 infantry. "
Nie Chen smiled and said,
"I understand what you are saying, but who said that in a city defense battle, one must stand firm and stand on the city wall to defend against the enemy?
I have my own ideas.
Also, if we fight a tough battle with the enemy and have hundreds of forts, we will have to lose at least 200,000 people to capture them, and then we can annihilate the enemy's 300,000 troops, or even more than 200,000.
The offensive and defensive battle in the hilly terrain is a meat grinder.
If we take a detour, we can indeed save fewer lives, but it will take an extra two months to detour from Yizhou County and fight all the way down. The amount of food, grass, military pay, etc. wasted is also an astronomical figure.
Therefore, the most cost-effective way is to let 40,000 cavalry go over and hold back the enemy's main force first, while our infantry goes over and starts a bloody battle with the enemy on the plains.
This was the opportunity we had finally gained for the whole day, and we must not let it go to waste.
I have made up my mind. Early tomorrow morning, I will personally lead 40,000 cavalrymen and set off, bringing dry food with them, to the Eastern Four Forts to fight the enemy there.
You lead the infantry behind and continue to advance.
The distance of one hundred and twenty miles can usually be reached in two days of urgent marching. The mountainous roads in the hilly areas are difficult to travel, so I will give you four days.
I will hold the enemy back for four days, so you must go as soon as possible! "
"What? Master, do you want to go there in person?"
Ren Jun stood up and said in surprise.
Others immediately dissuaded him and said,
"My lord, you must not do it. If the enemy knows that you are in the army, they will definitely attack with all their strength and try to capture you alive. You are a rich man, and you must not take risks yourself."
"My lord, this is not possible. No one can be allowed in. I, Lin Guang, am willing to lead the army there. My lord, please stay and command the entire army!"
"Lord, no, think twice."
Even Ouyang Ming advised,
"My lord's tactics are a bit risky, but you can give it a try, and it might work wonders, but you can't go there yourself.
You are the backbone of our army and the commander-in-chief of our army. Once something happens to you, our army will not be able to get it back even if we kill all the enemy troops. "
Nie Chen smiled and said,
"Don't worry, I will protect myself. Only if I go into battle in person can the enemy believe that our main force is over there, so that they dare not act rashly.
Didn’t Wang Yue play an empty city strategy on us? We should follow suit and play an empty city tactic with the enemy. Our cavalry will take the initiative to attack, defeat their courage and buy time for our infantry to arrive.
Okay, the commanders of each army will continue to stay and direct the march of the army.
You don't need the fierce generals for the time being. I'll take them all away. Zhou An, Lin Guang, and Yue Dongwen will all follow me. Each of us will lead 10,000 cavalry and go to those forts.
While Lin Guang is away, Ouyang is temporarily in charge of the Tiantai Army. "
Ouyang Ming frowned and said,
"Lord, it's still too dangerous."
"Why, do you think I'm not a strong general?"
Everyone was silent and looked at Nie Chen eagerly.
Don't you know how much you weigh? Why are you still asking? If you asked, we would be embarrassed to say that Tiantian is a good person and loves to play.
Looking at everyone's expressions, Nie Chen smiled and said,
"Okay, don't say any more. You think I'm dangerous, but in fact I'm safer than you. Only you are the best among these three generals.
I have Qi Huan, Jiang Lan, Zhou Long and Zhou Hu beside me. In addition, I lead the Tiantai Army's 10,000 cavalry. The leader is Mo Chen, who is also a tiger general.
Are you right, Mo Waner? "
Mo Waner was sitting in the corner and fell asleep. Suddenly she heard Nie Chen calling her name, and she immediately stood up and said,
"Ah? Do you want me to fight? Where will I fight?"
"It's okay, just go ahead and rest."
"No, I just heard everything. If you want to take the initiative to fight and there is no general around, then you can find me. I am a general. I am very powerful. My fire marksmanship is much better than Brother Mo Chen. Lin Guangdu can’t defeat me, why don’t you come to me?”
"Your mission is more important. Just stay here and protect Ouyang Ming."
"Okay, I get it now."
Mo Wan'er sat down, lowered her head, but her big eyes flickered, not knowing what she was thinking.
Nie Chen said no more and let everyone disperse. He went back to continue arranging the army and preparing for war, while getting the cavalry ready.
In the morning of the next day, Nie Chen and others arrived at the military camp in the city. The soldiers were breaking out of camp and preparing to set off again.
Nie Chen and the others prepared dry food for four or five days and hung it on the horse's neck. No hay was prepared. There were hills and abundant water and grass. It was summer again, so the horses could eat fresh grass and reduce the weight as much as possible.
They held weapons and arrows on their backs, and set off toward the east of the city in a mighty manner.
The mountain road was difficult to travel, and they needed to reach a hundred and twenty miles away in one day, so there was no need to waste time and they had to get there as soon as possible.
Along the way, Nie Chen observed the surrounding terrain while marching. Although there was an official road here, it was also paved between hills and mountains. There were many bends, going up and down at times, making the road difficult to walk.
Those forts can also be seen on the hills along the roadside.
Nie Chen looked at the fortresses located on the steep mountain tops and couldn't help but sigh secretly.
Fortunately, I led my troops there first. Otherwise, with so many forts in such a dangerous terrain, it would be difficult for us to take down them all in a year.
In the end, the offensive and defensive war will turn into a war of attrition. Both sides will suffer losses, and the fisherman of Qi will gain.
This kind of terrain must either be occupied first, draw the enemy out to fight, or take a detour.
A forceful attack is the last resort. His logistical strength is not enough to sustain him in a war of attrition.
