"Your Majesty, General!"
In front of the map, Chen Xun stood still, pointed at the mountains and rivers of that generation state, and talked eloquently. Obviously, he is also a good hand in the military. Opposite him, Zhao Kuo, Sun Gu, Zhou Qi and several generals from Daijun were standing solemnly. Obviously not everyone from Jie Feng could participate in such a high-level military meeting.
"In the battle of Shangdang a few days ago, our army on behalf of the land was almost completely depleted and has not been able to return to the army yet." General Chen continued: "Although there has been a slight replenishment in the past three years, due to the barbarians' repeated attacks, the loss of troops has also been considerable. It is huge, and the army that is replenished every year can barely balance the consumption. At present, the army of my county still has 60,000 horses. Among them, there are 20,000 cavalry and 40,000 infantry."
"There are 40,000 infantry, most of which are deployed in the front lines of Yima City, Sangqian City and Dangcheng. We mainly adopt the strategy of focusing on the front and light on the back to deploy our troops, striving to keep the Hu people out of Daijun." Chen Xun pointed his finger. By tapping on the map, a defensive line stretching for dozens of miles from east to west is clearly visible.
Looking at this Great Wall-like defense line, Zhao Kuo was unconvinced. However, in his heart, Zhao Kuo always believed that only those who are thousands of miles away can commit thieves, and how can they prevent thousands of miles from thieves? Now that the Hu people's combat power is weak, Zhao Jun can barely hold on based on a few cities as fulcrums. Once the Hu people's combat power increases, It would be difficult for Zhao Jun to hold such a long defensive line.
"Offense is the best defense." This is what Zhao Kuo has always believed in. Of course, the current situation does not seem to be suitable for our own attack. But the methods are all thought out, aren’t they?
Seeing that Zhao Kuo made no comment, General Chen immediately continued his introduction: "The 20,000 cavalry troops are the main combat force of our army. They are mainly deployed near Dai City. The distance between here and the three cities in front is almost the same. No matter where there is a slight difference, , with the speed of the cavalry, they can reach the front line in one day and night to coordinate the war ahead. Of course, because the county seat is located, there are still three thousand infantry guards in the city."
"In addition, there are still two thousand infantry in Pingshu City, which borders Handan County, and they have been needed from time to time. The rest of the city guards are not field troops, and their total number is only two thousand, so they are not included. ." After saying this, General Chen stood aside, waiting for Zhao Kuo's inquiry.
"What is the invasion route of the barbarians?" Zhao Kuo really started to ask.
"General: The Hu people are cunning. After three years of attack and defense, they have generally figured out our army's defense situation." General Chen said a little embarrassedly: "Since last year, the Hu people have no longer targeted our main cities. Instead, we focused on small towns. They tried several times to pass through the gap between the three towns to the north and penetrate into the interior of Dai County. However, our army discovered it in time by exploring the horse, lit the smoke, and the cavalry from Dai City came out. , and then the Hu people were driven away. This year, it is expected that the Hu people will do their same tricks again."
Three years of fighting allowed the opponent to figure out the tactics. This cannot be entirely blamed on General Chen. On the one hand, the lack of troops means that Daijun can only hold on, and on the other hand, the barren land of Daijun also means that the city cannot be defended. With so many of them, there is nothing they can do if the barbarians figure out their tricks.
"Is there any countermeasure?" Zhao Kuo continued to ask.
"In addition to intensifying the patrolling of patrol horses, our army has also built fortifications at several major passes and simple fortresses along several roads. We do not hope to be able to hold back the Hu people, but only hope that they can report the Hu people in time. There are traces of people." General Chen replied immediately.
Hearing this, Zhao Kuo also nodded with satisfaction. Obviously, this approach is the best way under the current situation. Being able to detect one's own shortcomings and find ways to improve them in a timely manner is a trait only possessed by a strong army. Even Zhao Kuo could not ask for more from them.
"Is it possible to capture the main force of the Hu people?" Zhao Kuo then asked.
Obviously Daijun's army has done a good enough job in defense, and even Zhao Kuo can hardly make another breakthrough. But he is not here to fight a defensive war, he is here to clear his own backyard and prepare for the final battle in the Central Plains.
But as soon as these words came out, the scene fell into a weird atmosphere.
It was strange that there were two completely different reactions at the scene. Sun Gu and Zhou Qi, who came from Shangdang, were gearing up and eager to try, while the generals of Daijun explained that they were like mourning their heirs, and they felt quite helpless.
It is not difficult to understand the reactions of Sun Gu and Zhou Qi, but the reactions of Daijun people really made Zhao Kuo feel a little bit.
Surprisingly, after all, if we can catch all the barbarians in one fell swoop, it will be a great thing for the soldiers of Daijun! In particular, the several generals can take off their burdens and go back to Handan to recuperate. It is better than living in Daijun here, right?
You know, at this time, the Zhao State did not have such a thing as supporting troops and respecting itself. Without him, military power was very scattered. Even General Chen only held the position of temporary general. In fact, the army he commanded was only more than 15,000 cavalry in Daicheng.
At the same time, the barren land of Dai, coupled with the bloody battle of Changping, with the barbarians constantly invading on one side, and the dwindling troops and food and grass on the other, the generals wanted to maintain their combat effectiveness, not to mention drinking the blood of their soldiers. , if it is not taken advantage of by the barbarians, it is considered good if it does not destroy the family and provide relief.
Under such circumstances, Zhao Kuo wanted to solve this problem in one fell swoop, and everyone present should have been eager! ?
Zhao Kuo then looked at Chen Xun in confusion. As the leader of the generals in Daijun, General Chen could only bite the bullet and speak out: "General: When Daijun had a strong military force, he also fought with Hu We can fight decisively and inflict heavy losses on them, but after all, the grassland is vast, and if they just want to escape, it will be difficult for our army to pursue them."
Zhao Kuo heard this but did not answer. This was obviously an excuse. It is true that the grasslands are difficult to pursue, but as long as the Hu people can be severely damaged once, even if they cannot be completely wiped out, it can bring peace to the border for three to five years at least, which should be a big temptation for everyone. When everyone heard that he wanted to take the initiative in his tone, shouldn't they react like this?
Seeing that Zhao Kuo didn't answer, General Chen knew that he couldn't be fooled, so he simply asked: "May I ask, general, if there will be a large army coming from the court later?"
After hearing this, Zhao Kuo finally knew what these guys were worried about - they were afraid that they would lose! And looking at Sun Gu's disdainful expression, Zhao Kuo finally understood the reason why the two groups of people couldn't get together: one wanted to passively protect, the other wanted to take the initiative. It's strange that they can coexist peacefully!
Zhao Kuo was also helpless! Do you look like someone who loses so easily? Isn’t the example of the Battle of Changping enough?
"No!" Zhao Kuo replied simply and calmly: "Daijun's 60,000 soldiers plus 10,000 Shangdang troops, plus the 400 personal soldiers I brought, that's all for this battle."
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