Chapter 1280: Proactive Adjustments

Time is a butcher's knife. Now in middle age, the young General Ma who had once been praised and promoted by Emperor Liu had long since become a great general guarding a border region. Ma Renyu was brave and skilled in battle, tough in style, and upright in character—which was why, despite their earlier disagreements over the advance, Zhao Kuangyin still held him in considerable esteem.

Seeing Ma Renyu growing anxious, Zhao Kuangyin raised a hand to placate him, and looking at him, said in a calm tone: "Since the eastward advance began, you have led your men as the vanguard of the army. **By now, casualties have been heavy, the troops are weary and their spirit flagging, and the soldiers have worked hard—they need rest and reorganization."

The moment Zhao Kuangyin said this, Ma Renyu immediately spoke urgently: "Duke Rong, as long as you replenish my troops, I can still fight! Our casualties are heavy, but the Liao army isn't having an easy time either. If we keep up the attack, I can take Jinzhou city! We've already paid such a great price—the soldiers' blood cannot be shed in vain!"

As Ma Renyu said this, his eyes were slightly red, clearly moved by emotion. Ma Renyu's force of thirty thousand was primarily composed of the Pinglu Army, supplemented by a large number of second-line units, and the Pinglu Army was one he had drilled and trained for many years, holding deep feelings for it. In this assault on the city, its losses had also been extremely severe.

Seeing this, Zhao Kuangyin was moved, but as the supreme commander, understanding was one thing—he could not act on emotion. Therefore, Zhao Kuangyin still said solemnly: "Your unit's casualties have already exceeded thirty percent. If you insist on continuing, you'll be crippling your core strength! I know your blood runs hot, General, but Jinzhou is a hard bone to crack, and it requires a cool head.

Your soldiers, I will definitely replenish for you, but you truly need rest—go to the rear camp and reorganize! The eastward advance strategy is only just beginning. Once we fight our way into Liaodong, there will still be places for you to distinguish yourself, General. I would never set aside elite troops and capable generals!"

Zhao Kuangyin's tone was very serious as he spoke. Seeing his resolute attitude, Ma Renyu glanced at the Crown Prince, whose expression was calm, and though unwilling, still cupped his fists and replied: "As ordered!"

"Tomorrow, fresh troops will attack!" Zhao Kuangyin said, sweeping his gaze around the assembled generals.

"This subordinate requests to fight!" Almost simultaneously, Dang Jin and Li Hanqiong stepped forward to request the order.

Seeing the two of them volunteering, Zhao Kuangyin felt somewhat reassured—at least it proved the army's morale was still usable and had not been greatly diminished by the setback before the city walls. However, after letting his gaze linger briefly on Dang Jin and Li Hanqiong, Zhao Kuangyin quickly made his decision: "Tomorrow, General Li will lead the troops in the assault!"

"Yes!" Li Hanqiong was also a tough and formidable general; upon receiving the order, his face showed not the slightest ripple of emotion.

Dang Jin was somewhat displeased, but after Zhao Kuangyin gave the order, he did not dare question it and could only sit back down with his head lowered. Zhao Kuangyin had his reasons for this arrangement—Li Hanqiong was also a border general of the Yan Mountains, and the Shimen Army had been trained under his hand. Having him lead the Shimen Army in the assault would be more advantageous in terms of command.

In recent years, although the Great Han had institutionally changed the old practice of soldiers belonging to their generals, from a practical standpoint, to fully bring out the fighting power of the troops, one still had to rely on these generals who knew their soldiers well.

And although Dang Jin had been brought north on the campaign by Zhao Kuangyin, his influence was mainly within the Patrol Inspectorate of the imperial army. Temporarily assigning him troops would require considerable time for them to mesh, and attacking Jinzhou was a bitter, hard fight—a more advantageous choice was needed.

"The defenders' will is firm, the enemy general's command is quite skilled, the city walls are both tall and solid, and even gunpowder could not shake the outer city. If we continue the assault, casualties will only grow! At this rate of attrition, even if we break Jinzhou city, the price will inevitably be steep! Duke Rong, we need more careful planning!" Having settled the matter of tomorrow's attack, Gao Huaide spoke up to remind Zhao Kuangyin.

Zhao Kuangyin nodded, his expression grave. He had of course been considering this. His gaze turned to Zhang Yongde: "How is the tunneling going?"

Zhang Yongde rose, his expression equally grim, and replied: "The ground here is extremely hard, with much stubborn rock underground. Tunneling is very difficult, and progress is slow—of the ten tunnels, three have already collapsed!"

His brows knitted tightly, Zhao Kuangyin instructed: "Keep digging, think of more ways—at the very least, we must tunnel beneath the city walls!"

"Yes!" Not daring to disobey a military order, Zhang Yongde cupped his fists.

Turning to look at Han Hui, Zhao Kuangyin asked: "Minister Han, how much gunpowder has accumulated in the army?"

Han Hui rose, hunched over, and answered in a deep voice: "Approximately three thousand barrels!"

Zhao Kuangyin immediately instructed: "Set aside half for use in the frontal assault on the city, and concentrate the remainder for reserve use!"

"Yes!" Han Hui acknowledged the order, then reported: "Duke Rong, yesterday another batch of military grain came under attack by the Liao army. Half of the escorting soldiers and laborers were lost, and of the five thousand dan of grain, nearly sixty percent was destroyed!"

Hearing this news, a shadow of gloom immediately fell over Zhao Kuangyin's face. He said coldly: "Who was the junior officer in charge of the escort? Failing to protect the grain—deal with him by military law!"

Due to the harassment of Liao cavalry, Zhao Kuangyin had long since strengthened protection of the supply lines, adding more troops, and during this period, the impact of Liao raids had clearly diminished. This sudden report of such heavy losses naturally angered Zhao Kuangyin, who felt it was the fault of the junior officer responsible for the escort.

However, Han Hui remained calm and reported coolly: "The situation differs from before. In the past, the Liao roving cavalry came out in small groups; this time they concentrated their forces and struck suddenly, catching the escort off guard—hence the loss!"

Hearing Han Hui's explanation, Zhao Kuangyin's expression softened somewhat. He walked over to the sand table in the tent, stared at the long Liaoxi Corridor, and fell into thought.

"These harassing Liao troops are like flies and bedbugs—though they can hardly harm our foundation, they are endlessly troublesome. With the main army here, military supplies in transit cannot afford any mishap. We must make a determined effort to strike at these Liao troops!" Gao Huaide said seriously.

Zhang Yongde suggested: "Cavalry is useless for attacking cities—we could send the field headquarters' cavalry out to strike at the Liao bandits and protect the supply lines!"

Zhao Kuangyin approved of this and immediately made the decision: "So be it!"

Hearing this, Dang Jin became interested and volunteered: "I'll go!"

Looking at Dang Jin, Zhao Kuangyin frowned and said: "The Liao light cavalry rely on the hills and small paths of western Liaoning, moving unpredictably, coming and going without pattern. You're not familiar with the terrain and roads—how can you lead troops to counter them?"

Hearing this, Dang Jin wanted to ask Zhao Kuangyin: is this just that you don't want to give me a chance to earn merit?

And from what he said, the general would have to be chosen from among the border generals of the Yan Mountains. Zhao Kuangyin's gaze fell upon Ma Renyu and Li Hanqiong: "Do either of you two generals have a capable commander to recommend?"

Ma Renyu considered for a moment, then said: "Chief Inspector Hou Yanguang—he fights with great valor, is skilled in horsemanship and archery, and has long been stationed at Yu Pass, familiar with the mountains of western Liaoning. Though young, he has great courage and resourcefulness—he can be entrusted with an important task!"

Li Hanqiong was sparing with his words: "Hou Yanguang will do!"

With the endorsement of these two great generals, most of Zhao Kuangyin's doubts were dispelled. But troops could not be lightly given. To be cautious, Zhao Kuangyin still ordered Hou Yanguang summoned, personally assessed him, and after making his decision, gave him seven thousand cavalry and assigned him the task of striking at the Liao troops harassing the grain routes.

Hou Yanguang was the grandson of the late Duke of Lu (posthumously conferred) Hou Yi, now twenty-five years old. Hou Yi had many descendants, but Hou Yanguang was the most gifted of them all. Before his father Hou Renju died, he had said: "The one who will prosper our family is surely this son." And not long after his father's death, Hou Yanguang had removed his mourning clothes, donned his armor, and joined the northern expedition.

Seeing that Hou Yanguang was young, Dang Jin requested to accompany him, but Zhao Kuangyin once again dampened Dang Jin's enthusiasm. He feared that this old general, eager to earn merit, would overshadow and suppress Hou Yanguang—which would have a counterproductive effect. Since he had decided to use a young man, he should give him ample room to perform.

A meeting, pooling wisdom from all sides, adjusting arrangements—though the problems were not yet solved, at least a direction had been found. These old generals and veteran commanders had extremely strong adaptive abilities and would not let their mentality be affected by minor setbacks.

After the meeting dispersed, ** kept Zhao Kuangyin behind. Given their relationship, ** spoke directly: "Duke Rong, Jinzhou is so hard to take. If we remain stalled before this strong city for long, will it affect the overall situation?"

Noticing the worry revealed in **'s eyes, Zhao Kuangyin's face broke into a reassuring smile as he comforted this young Crown Prince: "Your Highness need not worry. The campaign is just entering its best phase—we have yet to commit even a fraction of our full strength. Though attacking is difficult, the Liao army is equally hard-pressed to defend! We must remain calm and composed, and respond with patience!"

Seeing Zhao Kuangyin's composed demeanor, some of the anxiety in **'s heart seemed to ease considerably. He cupped his fists and said: "I know nothing of military affairs. For making decisions at critical moments, I must rely on Duke Rong!"

Having a superior who trusts you fully is a rare thing for a commanding general. To **'s words, Zhao Kuangyin made no other response but returned the salute solemnly: "Your servant would die ten thousand deaths without hesitation!"

"If only Old General Wang could achieve a breakthrough over there!" **'s gaze turned westward, where Wang Yanchao had led troops north, the outcome still undecided.

Zhao Kuangyin said: "The terrain to the north is even more complex than western Liaoning, but the Liao defenses there are not as tough as here. Wang Yanchao is a veteran of many campaigns—even if he cannot advance, at least we need not worry about his defeat!"

Pausing for a moment, Zhao Kuangyin continued: "As for Guo Tingwei's side, after receiving reinforcements, he has already advanced toward Chen and Yao. Between our two armies, if even one achieves a breakthrough, the defensive line the Liao army has set up will collapse entirely. Therefore, the initiative in this campaign still rests in our hands!"

"It's getting late. Your Highness has been observing the battle all day and must be tired—please rest early!" Noticing the fatigue on **'s face, Zhao Kuangyin said with concern.

Hearing this, ** shook his head and sighed: "How can I rest? The soldiers have suffered heavy casualties. I should go to the wounded soldiers' camp to see them. Since I cannot bleed and die alongside the troops on the battlefield, how could I begrudge them the necessary consolation..."