kingnovel Chapter 1822 Everyone Wants to Achieve Success
Chapter 1822 Everyone Wants to Achieve Success
Li Shiming listened quietly to Changsun Wuji's analysis, his fingers still tapping lightly on the table, his eyes flashing with a gleam of weighing the pros and cons.
After a long pause, he slowly nodded, a look of determination on his face. "What the Prime Minister said is exactly what I want! Liu Xiu wants to use me, so why can't I take advantage of this opportunity he created?"
"Wei is a rich land with an extremely important strategic location. If it can be incorporated into our territory, the strength of our Tang Dynasty will be greatly enhanced. In the future, whether dealing with Chu or... other countries, we will have the initiative!"
He sat up straight with all his might, his imperial dignity fully revealed, and said in a deep voice, "Draft an edict!"
The Hanlin scholar standing beside him immediately stepped forward to prepare ink.
Li Shiming recited his decree in a clear and powerful voice: "From this day forward, Duke Weiguo Li Jing is appointed as the Grand Commander-in-Chief of the Southwest Road Army. He is granted the authority to command the entire Eastern Front and all participating troops of the Tang Dynasty and the Scorpion Clan!"
"Once he receives this order, he must not wait any longer and immediately seize the opportunity to launch a full-scale offensive against the Chu army in Wei! I want him to defeat Feng Anguo as quickly as possible and capture the entire Wei territory for me!"
"Tell him that this battle concerns the fate of the nation; victory is a must and defeat is not! I am in Chang'an, awaiting his victory!"
"Sir, obey the order!"
Changsun Wuji bowed and accepted the order with a smile on his face.
He knew that a huge storm sweeping the world had officially begun with this decree.
And the Tang Dynasty will surely gain the greatest benefits from this storm.
The decree was quickly written and sealed, then sent out of the palace on a galloping horse, galloping towards the eastern border.
Just as the Tang Emperor Li Shiming made the decision and sent an edict to the eastern front.
Thousands of miles away outside the city of Hongdu, the Chu army camp was shrouded in an unusual calm.
The continuous camps were built according to the terrain, with flags fluttering, but compared to the vigor at the beginning of the siege, there was now a bit more caution and dormant atmosphere.
Inside the central military tent, Chu Ning was standing in front of a huge sand table, gazing deeply at Hongdu City and its surrounding terrain.
In recent days, the Chu army has not launched a large-scale and fierce attack on Hongdu City. This is not because of cowardice, but because of some unspeakable reasons.
Footsteps sounded, and Zhao Yu opened the curtain and entered. With a solemn expression on his face, he quickly came up behind Chu Ning, bowed and clasped his fists: "Your Majesty, the Jinyiwei has an urgent secret report from 800 miles away!"
Chu Ning didn't look back, but just said "hmm" lightly.
Zhao Yu took a deep breath and reported clearly, "Emperor Liu Xiu of Han has mobilized all the troops he can from Chang'an and its surrounding areas. He claims to have an army of 200,000 men and is personally leading the charge. They are heading towards Hongdu City!"
"Their vanguard general, Huo Guang, has led 30,000 elite troops, marching day and night. We expect to reach the outskirts of Hongdu before dusk tomorrow at the earliest!"
He paused, his tone becoming graver: "If Huo Guang's 30,000 fresh troops are allowed to successfully enter Hongdu City and join forces with the 50,000 existing defenders, the total strength of the Han army in Hongdu will suddenly increase to 80,000."
"And Liu Xiu's main force of over 100,000 troops will also arrive shortly. By then, the total enemy strength will reach over 250,000!"
This number instantly made the atmosphere in the tent grow heavy. Zhao Yu then stated a more severe reality: "Conversely, although our army currently has a total strength of 120,000, we need to divide our forces to guard the rear supply routes and the already captured key cities like Changjian. The number of troops capable of mobile combat is no more than 100,000 at most."
"Among these 100,000 men, some are still needed to guard the surrounding cities to prevent harassment from the Han army."
"Currently, there are only a little over 60,000 troops actually assembled outside Hongdu City, available for Your Majesty to directly dispatch for the siege."
This is the main reason why Chu Ning ordered to suspend the siege in the past few days - the balance of military strength has quietly reversed and is even at a disadvantage!
Using 60,000 men to attack a fortified city garrisoned by 50,000 men is like hitting a rock with an egg. Even if they can win, they will have to pay a heavy price and will then be unable to deal with the reinforcements of the Han army.
Upon hearing this, Chu Ning's eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp, hawk-like color. He slowly turned around, a cold arc curling up at the corner of his mouth: "Liu Xiu is gambling the fate of the country and wants to achieve success in one battle. Let's fight with me here in Hongdu City to decide the outcome!"
"He knew full well that the Han Dynasty had little capital left to expend, so he had no choice but to send out all his forces and resort to such a risky move!"
He immediately gave a deep order outside the tent: "Pass on my order. All generals above the rank of captain of a thousand men are to immediately come to the central army tent to discuss matters! No mistakes!"
"Yes!" The guards outside the tent responded loudly, and the footsteps quickly faded away.
Three quarters of an hour later, all the Chu army generals at all levels - from the fierce vanguard generals to the calm rear army grain supervisors - had gathered in the spacious but solemn atmosphere of the central army tent.
Everyone was fully armored and bowed in unison facing the throne, "Your Majesty, we pay our respects!"
Chu Ning sat upright, his eyes sweeping over his battle-hardened generals. He nodded slightly, discarding formalities and getting straight to the point. His voice was steady yet carried an invisible pressure: "We've just received a secret report from the Embroidered Uniform Guards. Emperor Liu Xiu of the Han Dynasty has mobilized all his troops. Two hundred thousand strong have left Chang'an and are heading towards Hongdu."
"Their vanguard, Huo Guang, will lead 30,000 elite troops and will arrive soon."
He paused, observing the generals' reactions, and continued, "Huo Guang came here in a hurry, he must be worried that our army would seize Hongdu before his main force arrives."
"It seems that Liu Xiu is determined to fight a decisive battle with our Great Chu outside Hongdu City."
"The situation is now clear. Generals, if you have any good strategies for defeating the enemy, please feel free to speak freely."
As soon as Chu Ning finished speaking, the fiery Ran Ming was the first to lose control and took a sudden step forward. He stroked his shiny bald head and laughed loudly like a bell, asking for a fight: "Your Majesty! How difficult is this? The Han army reinforcements have arrived just in time, saving us the trouble of going after them!"
"I am willing to be the vanguard. With our current 60,000 brothers, we will seize Hongdu City before Liu Xiu's army arrives! We will swallow up the 50,000 Han people in the city!"
"Then we will hold the city, rest and wait for the enemy to tire. Let's see what Liu Xiu's 200,000 men can do to us."
But as soon as Ran Ming finished speaking, Zhao Yu immediately stepped forward to refute him. He was a calmer and more thoughtful person:
"Your Majesty, I believe General Ran's plan is too risky. Hongdu City is high and the moat is deep, and the defenders number 50,000. Even if our army storms it, even if we can capture it, we will inevitably suffer heavy losses, and it will definitely take more than a day or two to complete the task."
"If we can't take the city after a long siege, or if our troops are tired and exhausted just after we break into the city, and Huo Guang's 30,000 fresh troops happen to arrive and join forces with the remaining troops inside, our army will be in danger!"
He changed the subject and offered a different suggestion: "I believe that the most urgent task is to concentrate our superior forces and, with lightning speed, annihilate Huo Guang's lone vanguard!"
"Huo Guang came in a hurry, his soldiers were exhausted, and they were eager to enter the city, so they must have neglected the defenses."
"I am willing to personally lead 30,000 elite cavalrymen to set up an ambush at the strategic point they must pass through. We will surely annihilate them in one fell swoop!"
"First cut off Liu Xiu's arm to dampen his fighting spirit, then we can turn around and calmly deal with his main force!"