Chapter 425: Chapter 221: The Plan of Surprise Attack – 2
Translator: 549690339
However, among these 330,000-strong army, 200,000 are civilian workers from the Southsea and Ninghai countries, and their fighting power is weak. They could only serve as cannon fodders to consume the enemy’s strength, and could not really play a major role.
Of the remaining 130,000 troops, 80,000 are directly under Lu Yuan. Previously, when he was not around, Bai Mengyang, acting as the commander of the United Army, could command them.
But now that Lu Yuan has arrived, the command authority of these 80,000 troops would naturally be returned to the hands of the King of Changsha himself.
The same applies to the other countries, Southsea and Ninghai.
That is to say, at this point, the only troops that Bai Mengyang could truly command are the 50,000 imperial soldiers.
However, these 50,000 imperial soldiers, staying in the main camp and cooperating with the United Army to fight a war of attrition against the current Danyang enemy forces, might not be a big problem.
But to rely on these 50,000 people to break through Guining Mansion and launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang City hundreds of miles away would be too difficult.
Heading north from Guining Mansion and passing through Fangling Mansion, they would travel downstream along the water route.
Along the way, there are many mountains and rivers, requiring them to cross mountains and ridges, and traverse rivers. The journey spans over 600 miles, all in enemy territory. Without enough strength, how could they accomplish such a feat?
Moreover, going all the way, any accident could lead to the complete destruction of the entire army.
To carry out this mission, they need an army that is good at crossing mountains and ridges, fighting in the mountains, enduring hardships, and having a certain level of water skills.
Upon considering the united army, the only viable option would be the troops under Lu Yuan, many of whom hail from the Mountain People and have often traversed across mountains and waters.
So to carry out this plan, no one else but Lu Yuan could do it.
After looking at Lu Yuan for a while and seeing that the King of Changsha still did not express his stance, Bai Mengyang couldn’t help but stand up, come to his side, and salute earnestly: “This plan is very risky and requires a strong army.
The soldiers under the King of Changsha have always been elite and are used to crossing mountain ridges, making them the best choice for carrying out this plan.
I know that this might be a bit excessive.
But for the sake of the united front and defeating the Zhou People, please, King of Changsha, take command and lead your troops to attack and break through Xiangyang.”
At the end of Bai Mengyang’s words, he bows down to Lu Yuan.
Behind him, the other officers of the court look at each other and also stand up, bowing to Lu Yuan and saying, “Please, Your Majesty, give priority to the overall situation and take command.”
Upon witnessing this, Yan Wangqiu and Su Xuange couldn’t help but feel astonished, looking at the court camp and Lu Yuan not knowing what to say.
Fortunately, at this moment, Lu Yuan, who was being pressured by Bai Mengyang with greater good, finally had a response.
“Ha!”
With a light chuckle, he stood up, helped Bai Mengyang up, and then smiled, “Why so serious, Wuan Marquis? Isn’t it just commanding an expedition? I accept this task.”
Overjoyed to hear this, Bai Mengyang quickly replied, “Your Majesty’s noble intentions are truly admirable. Please rest assured, I…”
As Wuan Marquis was about to say something as a guarantee, Lu Yuan interrupted him, “Don’t talk about that yet. I can lead the troops on this expedition, but the Wuan Marquis must agree to a few conditions first.”
Bai Mengyang hesitated, but since he had expected this, his reaction was quick, and he directly nodded: “Your Majesty, please state your conditions. As long as they are achievable, I will not shirk.”
Lu Yuan nodded and then said, “First, relying only on the troops under my command, it would be too thin. Therefore, this expedition must have at least 100,000 elite troops.
So the remaining 20,000 people must be provided by the court, and the Martial Proclamation Marquis must lead them to follow along.”
He was actually asking Bai Mengyang for hostages.
Although they are now allies with the court in name, Lu Yuan knows deep down that his previous collusion with Yan Wangqiu and others has been resented by the court.
Now, with this expedition, he does have some concerns, fearing that Bai Mengyang might intentionally sabotage him and try to annihilate his 80,000 troops.
Therefore, to be on the safe side, he needed to involve Yang Jing and the other side’s 20,000 elite soldiers to use them as hostages.
Having these hostages with him, he could go on the expedition with peace of mind.
Bai Mengyang understood that trust was limited between their side and that of Lu Yuan, and so he thought about it for a while and nodded: “This can be done.”
Hearing the agreement to this condition, a smile appeared on Lu Yuan’s face, and he continued with the next one: “Secondly, I will personally take risks in this expedition, as will the soldiers under my command who will bear the danger of losing their lives.
With such sacrifice, there must be a reward.
So, in this expedition, the cities and towns that I conquer along the way should be owned by my Changsha country after the war.
Is this possible?”
Lu Yuan knew that if he could really carry out this surprise attack and arrive at Xiangyang City.
Then it’s highly likely that Zhou Country would lose Xiangyang Prefecture.
Xiangyang is a major prefecture located in Jianghan, with fertile land, 600,000 households, and is a top-ranked wealthy land.
If such a vast territory were to fall into the hands of the court, after a few years of rest, it could raise a 100,000-strong army based on this land.
Moreover, with its geographical location, situated to the north of Dongting Prefecture,
Thus, they could surround Lu Yuan from three directions: western Xichuan, northern Xiangyang, and eastern Yuzhang.
He couldn’t tolerate such a dire situation.
Therefore, at this point, it’s necessary to clarify the post-war distribution of Xiangyang Prefecture beforehand.
Lu Yuan didn’t ask for much, only wanting to take over a few poor mountain counties on the west side of Xiangyang Prefecture. By taking advantage of their geographical location, he would cut off the connection between the court and Xichuan Prefecture, preventing the two sides from cooperating with each other.