Chapter 1094: Defeating the Enemy with Speed

While the Western Wei camp was preparing for war, the atmosphere in the Northern Qi camp opposite was also not relaxed.

Qi Lord Gao Yang had been in a gloomy state since he returned to the camp. This was certainly because the stubborn enemy was hateful. As for whether there were other reasons, everyone tacitly did not dare to say anything more.

"The enemy's ferocity and stubbornness are now seen. If we cannot defeat them this time, there will be endless disasters and will always be a threat!"

After returning to the camp and sitting down in the big tent, Gao Yang looked at the generals in the tent and said in a deep voice: "The situation is like this. There is nothing else to say in today's meeting. We can only make plans to defeat the enemy!"

Hearing the emperor say this, the generals also nodded in response. Li Boshan's previous provocative words were too sensitive and dangerous. They were really worried that the emperor would be obsessed with this topic, which would lead to some bad associations and personnel disputes.

Seeing that the emperor was focused on the current war, Duan Shao quickly stood up and said, "Since the bandits launched their invasion, they first surrounded Jinzhou, attacked Qinshui again, and then occupied Jianzhou and other places. It seems that the army is powerful, but in fact, the forces are divided and the divisions are exhausted. If we can defeat one route, the rest are not a concern.

Now in this situation, our army is several times larger than the enemy's army. It is the right time to defeat the bandits and show our strength! Your Majesty is going to the battlefield to invite a fight, which is very timely. It is rare that the bandits are also arrogant and accept the challenge. It is really God's will to destroy them! In the battle tomorrow, we must Build strong fortifications at the Tongdi River, and frequently harass the enemy with elite cavalry, so that it is difficult for them to attack and break through our defense, and it is difficult for them to defend and form a strong formation. If they lose their position, they will retreat after a long time. Then we can chase and kill them, intercept the enemy's rear, and the strong enemy will break by itself! "

Duan Shao also thought about the current war situation for a long time. At this time, he made a strategic summary and put forward specific ideas for fighting. It can be said to be detailed and specific, and he has a very deep understanding and stable views on the current situation.

At present, the Western Wei seems to be blooming everywhere, but in fact, so far, it has not obtained any stable strategic points. The actual and irreparable damage caused to the Northern Qi is not even comparable to Li Boshan's previous ironic and alienating words on the north bank of the Tongdi River.

As long as the enemy's seemingly unstoppable advance can be interrupted, it is not difficult to regain the lost territory before. The formation of the border between the two countries is a result of years of confrontation and war. Not only do they have their own strategic advantages, but they also have huge inertia in terms of human relations. It is difficult for the Western Wei to completely annex and digest it with just a short-term occupation.

After listening to Duan Shao's story, Gao Yang's expression did not change significantly. He just looked around the people in the tent and said, "King Pingyuan's advice is quite good. Do you have any other ideas to add?"

Although he said it was good, he hoped that others could add more. It was obvious that Duan Shao's advice was still not to his heart, so everyone in the tent also started to think about it, wanting to make further developments based on Duan Shao's preface, hoping to please the emperor.

However, Duan Shao's words were already quite profound, and for a moment, it was difficult for everyone to come up with anything more brilliant. The silence lasted for a long time. It was not until Gao Yang's face had clearly revealed an expression of impatience that a middle-aged general stood up, immediately attracting everyone's attention.

"The King of Pingyuan has profound strategies and insights. His words are thought-provoking. After listening to them, I also feel that the clouds have been cleared and the sun has been shining..."

The middle-aged man's name is Xu Yuan. After standing up, he bowed slightly to Duan Shao and praised Duan Shao's insights.

However, before he finished speaking, Gao Yang, the leader, frowned and snorted: "If you have other plans, you must present them directly, and don't make such noises to disturb people!"

After hearing this, Xu Yuan hurriedly nodded in response, and then he spoke carefully: "King Pingyuan's plan is profound, and I dare not criticize it. However, the maintenance of state affairs is not just about the Qiang bandits coming to invade, and now there are many other urgent matters in the country. The drought in Hebei Province is severe, and there is a great shortage of supplies. Our army is gathered here, and the daily consumption is huge, which is tantamount to cutting our flesh and blood to wait for the enemy. We really need to make a decisive battle as soon as possible, and it is not appropriate to think about holding on to the confrontation..."

Duan Shao's plan is indeed a safe plan from a strategic perspective, but it ignores the problem of logistical consumption, and most of the Jinyang nobles are seldom aware of this problem. After all, the Northern Qi is strong, and the abundant resources have always been given priority to the Jinyang nobles and various military operations, and they are rarely constrained by supplies.

But even the strongest country has a limit. In the past few years, although there have been few military operations, there have been many conscriptions. The Great Wall has been built on the border, and the palaces have been repaired in the capital. In addition, there have been locust and drought disasters for years. Even the richest family assets will be depleted. Not to mention that there are nearly 200,000 troops gathered here. Even in the heyday of national strength, it is a very heavy pressure to maintain such a large-scale military gathering.

Xu Yuan is familiar with bookkeeping and clerkship. As early as the period of Gao Huan's hegemony, he handled matters related to the military affairs and logistics of the hegemony. At this time, he stood up to offer advice, and he also spoke from his familiar field, pointing out the parts that Duan Shao's plan did not involve.

As Xu Yuan spoke, the other generals also spoke out to express their opinions. Their plans may not be very smart and appropriate. Even if they repeat what others say in order to cater to the atmosphere of competing for advice, they can appear to be quite cunning.

"When your Majesty led the army to fight against the barbarians, you usually marched quickly and achieved success in ten days, defeating tens of thousands of enemies and making them invincible. You kept the cost of war low and did not damage the national treasury. Now we are fighting against the Qiang bandits, and we should also win quickly!"

Seeing the crowd of followers offering suggestions, General Xue Guyan stood up and spoke.

Gao Yang listened to the crowd's speeches, and the smile on his face became more and more intense. He pointed at Duan Shao and said with a smile: "The king's plan is also very good. With the wisdom of the crowd, we will be more confident in defeating the bandits in the future."

Duan Shao stood up and nodded after hearing this, but sighed slightly in his heart. He knew that what the emperor cared about at the moment was not the real collective wisdom, but the scene of the crowd competing to supplement and refute his words.

Even if what he said was absolutely correct, he would nitpick and correct it. This was not jealousy, but just to convey a concept to the masses, that is, he, Duan Shao, was absolutely not authoritative enough for people to refute or oppose. To put it more simply, it was to deliberately argue.

Duan Shao was not angry or dissatisfied with this. This was one of the emperor's usual methods of controlling his subordinates. It was a manifestation of his reliance on them while being vigilant. If one day he was unwilling to use even such a trick, then the friendship between the monarch and his subjects would really come to an end.

After such a discussion, the tactics of Northern Qi for fighting the enemy in the future were basically established. Duan Shao's strategy itself was also retained. The Qi army first built a solid camp line on the south bank of Tongdi River, and the army advanced forward in an all-round way. However, the idea of ​​harassing the enemy with light cavalry was expanded and turned into a more proactive and aggressive large-scale attack. The tactical stalemate was changed to the idea of ​​a quick victory.

The reason for this change was not that the monarchs and ministers of Northern Qi underestimated their opponents, but that they were based on their own strength. The Qi army assembled here was several times more than the enemy, and the cavalry alone exceeded 50,000 people!

The reason why there are such a large number of cavalry is that the Northern Qi army itself has a very large cavalry organization. Secondly, a considerable number of these soldiers were directly transferred back from the border town, and the transfer order was very urgent at that time. In order not to delay the military period, they naturally had to return as fast as possible with the cavalry organization.

After arriving in Jinyang, because Jinyang itself did not have sufficient food and grass reserves, these border cavalry naturally followed the emperor to the expedition and came here.

Such a large-scale cavalry organization naturally has advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that it is strong. More than 50,000 cavalry soldiers are a powerful force on any battlefield and can firmly grasp the initiative on the battlefield.

The disadvantage is that the logistics pressure is too great. Gao Yang stopped in Wuxiang and was unable to go south to Wusu because the logistics pressure could not be solved. The overly large cavalry organization also made the Qi army consume several times more food and grass than the enemy even if it was fighting on its own. A quick battle was the most favorable solution for them.

Duan Shao was not unaware of this, but his thoughts were deeper than everyone else's. As far as he knew, Li Boshan was a commander who was very good at creating and seizing opportunities. When fighting against him, one often had to try to avoid showing overly eager and determined intentions, otherwise one would very likely fall into his trap.

It was impossible for him not to realize that the Qi army was eager for a decisive battle, but he still agreed to it. Something must have happened out of the ordinary. If the cavalry brigade came out in full force, it would be detrimental to controlling the rhythm of the battle.

But now that the public sentiment was like this, Duan Shao could not say anything even if he had any worries, otherwise it would very likely backfire. He could only observe more and beware of the occurrence of variables in the next battle.

Although what Li Boshan said before the battle had brought a lot of movement to Gao Yang's heart, when he arranged the troops for the next battle, he still chose the general of Jinyang as his backbone. In addition to leading the central army, Duan Shao and Heba Ren led the left and right respectively, and brave generals like Xue Guyan were also arranged as the vanguard of the central army. The rest of the Jinyang noble generals had their own duties.

However, there was an exception, and that was Hulugu. Before, he was summoned as a criminal general, and he had no appointment in the army. Before, because he had met and fought with Li Boshan, Gao Yang had a different impression of him. However, after returning from the front of the battle this time, I don’t know whether it was overlooked or for other reasons, Gao Yang did not summon Hulugu to the tent to discuss matters.

When all the generals were discussing military affairs in the big tent, Hulugu could only wait outside the tent. When the meeting was over and the generals left, he hurried forward. Several generals who had a close personal relationship with him briefly told him about the results of the military affairs discussion and personnel arrangements. When he heard that he was not arranged in the battle lineup, Hulugu could not hide his disappointment.

Duan Shao and Heba Ren, the two main generals, were kept by the emperor to continue to teach the emperor face to face, and finally left the tent. Hulugu, who was still waiting outside, saw the two men leaving and hurried forward. After looking at Duan Shao who was walking silently, he walked straight to Heba Ren and whispered, "Taifu, can you bring me into the army to strengthen the formation?"

Heba Ren and Hulugu Jin were also old comrades with deep friendship. After hearing Hulugu's plea, he hesitated for a moment before saying, "With Mingyue's loyalty and bravery, he should not be idle when the war is imminent. It's just that... in the battle tomorrow, if the enemy is defeated at the first blow, it doesn't matter whether Mingyue goes to the battle or not. But if the enemy is stubborn and cannot be defeated at the first blow, I will advise your majesty to give you more important positions!"

"Thank you Taifu for your care."

After hearing this, Hulugu could only bow his head and respond.