Chapter 447: Ordering Others About vs. Riding High on Ambition

With a light "pa," a black stone landed on the board. The black formation was already complete, like a flood dragon churning the seas, its ferocious aura towering to the heavens.

Murong Yanzhao sat across from him, staring at the board, studying it for a while, pondering a way to break the position. Seeing his bitter contemplation, a restrained smile of smug satisfaction bloomed at the corners of Wang Jun's mouth.

Glancing at Wang Jun, Murong Yanzhao also gave a light smile, his face full of magnanimity, and directly conceded the game: "The Commander's skill at go is superb; this subordinate is no match!"

"Haha!" Wang Jun beamed with joy at this: "General Murong is too modest. Looking at this position, you could still fight this Marshal for several more rounds!"

"The defeat is already sealed; there's no need to persist and waste time!" said Murong Yanzhao.

Nodding, Wang Jun had his old attendant who accompanied the campaign bring over freshly brewed hot tea, and said to Murong Yanzhao: "This is imperial tea bestowed by His Majesty before we set out. This old servant of mine has followed me for many years, and his tea-making skill is first-rate. General, please have a taste."

Wang Jun's every word and gesture carried a kind of "celebrated general's elegance." Seeing this, Murong Yanzhao could only play along, while also complimenting Wang Jun's refined tastes. There was no other choice—he knew Wang Jun's temperament well; one had to stroke his fur in the right direction, or else it would easily breed discord between commander and subordinate. Now that he served as Chief Inspector of the field headquarters, he had to consider the greater good.

Sipping his tea, Wang Jun said slowly: "This game of ours is finished, but this great game of Huainan has only just begun!"

"Now that our troops are at the gates of Shouchun, what does the Commander plan to do next?" Seeing Wang Jun bring it up on his own, Murong Yanzhao asked.

"While the false Tang's relief army has yet to arrive, we'll launch an attack first and test Shouchun's defenses. That Zhao Kuangyin said the defending general He Jingzhu knows warfare—this Marshal would like to see just how capable a doddering old man of sixty can be!" Wang Jun thought for a moment, then said: "Use all those dozens of thunderbolt catapults we brought along, and let the Directorate of Armaments test their real combat power!"

The thunderbolt catapults Wang Jun spoke of were counterweight trebuchets developed by the Eastern Capital's Directorate of Armaments after the pacification of Hezhong, based on Liu Chengyou's directives. They took a full year to complete, and were subsequently refined and improved continuously.

Though the manufacturing cost had gone up, the manpower required to operate them had greatly decreased, and their mobility had greatly increased. Though they had been tested several times, and their power combined with fire-oil bombs and stone projectiles was truly fearsome, this was the first time they would be used in actual combat. When Wang Jun marched south this time, he had been allocated thirty machines and over a thousand fire-oil bombs, intending to try them out at Shouzhou.

"The Fengguo Army will lead the attack. Directing operations beneath the walls—I'll trouble you, Yanzhao, to make the trip personally!" Wang Jun looked at Murong Yanzhao again.

Nodding, Murong Yanzhao acknowledged the order: "As commanded!"

"Does the Commander seem to have no intention of quickly taking Shouzhou?" Seeing Wang Jun's expression, Murong Yanzhao asked.

"Heh heh..." Wang Jun chuckled, pointing outside the tent: "Look at Shouchun's walls—truly a formidable fortress of Huainan, solidly built and well-stocked with provisions. A head-on assault would only waste soldiers' lives; this Marshal won't do it. After the beating they took when we crossed the river, the defenders probably won't dare sally out again easily. In that case..."

Murong Yanzhao also gave a slight smile and echoed: "So the Commander has set his sights on the Tang army's reinforcements!"

Hearing Murong Yanzhao's confident tone, Wang Jun stroked his long beard, looking at him with some surprise, and nodded: "Correct. No wonder His Majesty thinks so highly of you—you truly have some general's talent and insight!"

Smiling modestly, Murong Yanzhao replied: "The Commander flatters me!"

"Hasn't His Majesty already said it? The lands, cities, and people of Huainan will be ours sooner or later. We should kill and capture the Tang army's soldiers, weaken their strength—those words are well spoken. Now that the weather is cold, it's not favorable for besieging cities. This Marshal can only act according to His Majesty's edicts, but how this war is fought still depends on us..."

"This Marshal has already ordered the Military Intelligence Office and the Wude Office to have their spies and scouts keep a close watch on Jinling's reactions!" Wang Jun looked like he had everything under control, saying confidently: "As long as Shouzhou hasn't fallen, the false Tang absolutely won't give up. This Marshal reckons that within two or three days, Huai bandit reinforcements will surely cross the river and march north!"

"The main camp must also be strictly guarded. If the defenders dared to sally once, they might well attempt a second sneak attack!"

While Wang Jun and Murong Yanzhao were discussing military matters, a burly military man walked in without being announced. This man was named Shen Shihou, who had an especially close relationship with Wang Jun. After Wang Jun gained power and led the army south, he made him Army Adjutant.

Shen Shihou reported to Wang Jun: "Commander, Husheng Army Commander Li Chongjin reports that he has broken Xiabei city, annihilated the entire garrison, and captured three hundred prisoners!"

Hearing this, Wang Jun shook his head, somewhat dissatisfied: "Too slow. Xiabei is a small city with fewer than a thousand troops. Why did his entire Husheng Army take so long?"

Murong Yanzhao spoke up beside him, defending Li Chongjin with a few words: "Commander Li led the attack on Xiabei as a diversion to draw the Tang army's attention. He only received the order to take the city after our main force had already marched south to Shouchun. Taking the city in a single day is hardly slow!"

Glancing at Murong Yanzhao, Wang Jun let it go as a courtesy to him. After a moment's thought, he said: "Send word to Li Chongjin: leave three battalions of troops to guard Shouchun, build a pontoon bridge, and secure our army's line of retreat. Send word to Xiang Xun: detach a portion of the navy to coordinate the defense of Xiabei, to guard against a strike from Shouzhou's river fleet."

"Also, have Xiang Xun detach another portion of the navy to cooperate with the Suzhou Militia Army in holding the Wokou crossing, to guard against the Huai bandits of Hao and Si. All remaining warships, civilian boats, and laborers are to be placed under his command. Have him and Provisions Commissioner Wang Qiwu speed up the transport of follow-up supplies and military equipment to the front lines."

"Yes!"

"Commander, the Jingjiang navy was already insufficient to begin with, hard-pressed to contend with the Huainan river fleet. If it's split three ways, won't that only further weaken its strength?" Hearing Wang Jun's arrangements, Murong Yanzhao couldn't help but remind him.

His brows shooting up, Wang Jun said: "Even if we concentrated it all, could it defeat the Huai bandits' river fleet? So this Marshal is using infantry to support the defense of the crossings, doing our best to avoid our weakness. Moreover, the navy's purpose is to cover our infantry and cavalry operations, to prevent the Huai bandits' fleet from sailing down the Huai River to harass our rear and pin down our forces. Pass this Marshal's order—tell Xiang Xun to overcome the difficulties as best he can!"

Seeing Wang Jun's stubborn expression, Murong Yanzhao duly suppressed his words of counsel. What he had wanted to say was that Wang Jun's attitude toward everyone was one of utter contempt—just drive them as he pleased. Coordinating with such a commander truly required swallowing a great deal of frustration...

"Not going to deliver the orders? Is there something else?" Seeing Shen Shihou still in the tent, Wang Jun asked.

Shen Shihou reported cautiously: "Yingzhou Militia Commissioner Si Chao reports that the Huai bandits' remaining fifty warships from Shouzhou have once again sailed downstream, attacked the Zhengyang pontoon bridge, and destroyed our floating bridge!"

Originally, Shouzhou had a river fleet of several thousand men. When the Han army crossed the river, they had fought with the Jingjiang army, then retreated. But sailing upstream and passing Xiabei, they were intercepted at the Zhengyang crossing. Xiang Xun led his forces in fierce battle, and the Tang army was finally routed, with sixty or seventy ships breaking through the incompletely constructed Zhengyang pontoon bridge and fleeing south.

Yingzhou Militia Commissioner Si Chao, acting on Wang Jun's orders, continued building a pontoon bridge at Zhengyang to block the remnants of Shouzhou's river fleet.

Glancing at Murong Yanzhao, Wang Jun said: "See that! The Huai bandits' river fleet is a big problem. We must use pontoon bridges and fortified positions in coordination with our navy to guard against them."

After considering for a moment, Wang Jun instructed Shen Shihou: "Send someone to tell Si Chao: gather boats, bamboo, and timber, rebuild the pontoon bridge. No matter what methods he uses, before the Xiabei pontoon bridge is completed, he must block the remnants of Shouzhou's river fleet south of there. If he fails, I will deal with him by military law."

"Yes!"

This order from Wang Jun was clearly intended to use the Yingzhou Militia troops and the Zhengyang pontoon bridge as bait, buying time for opening the Xiabei passage.

"Also, send scouts to contact Guo Rong. Have him lead the armies of Xuzhou and Yizhou south to pin down the Huai bandits of Hao and Si—they must not be allowed to affect things here at Shouzhou!" Wang Jun added.

As he spoke, Wang Jun couldn't help muttering a few words: "His Majesty too—since he's entrusted me with command of the Huainan forward camp, he should let me coordinate the overall situation. Why let that Guo Rong command an army on his own? Has he ever fought a battle?"

"Commander, His Majesty's arrangements have their own purposes. You should be careful with your words!" Hearing this, Murong Yanzhao's expression turned serious as he said to Wang Jun.

His face stiffening for a moment, Wang Jun looked Murong Yanzhao up and down, then smiled slightly, gently stroking his beard, and said with amusement: "This Marshal was just speaking offhand—it won't reach His Majesty's ears, will it?"

Meeting Wang Jun's gaze, Murong Yanzhao's brows furrowed slightly. He shook his head and said with neither humility nor arrogance: "The Commander worries too much! It most certainly will not!"

Seeing this, Wang Jun burst into laughter for no apparent reason, sounding especially hearty and confident, the sound carrying all the way out of the main tent.

While the Han army at Shouchun was gaining a foothold and beginning probing attacks on Shouchun city, here in Jinling of the Southern Tang, thirty thousand imperial troops, under the command of the main general Liu Yanzhen, were crossing the Yangtze northward, advancing on Shouzhou with formidable momentum.

Liu Yanzhen, as Wei Cen had said, was indeed a scion of a military family—brave, skilled in horsemanship and archery, and well-versed in military texts. He had also served in local posts, but during his time in the prefectures and counties, his governance disturbed the people, and his reputation was poor. In the army, he was also fond of grand talk, sounding perfectly reasonable, but it was all just armchair strategy.

Of course, the reason he had gained considerable fame at court, with praise and honor heaped upon him, was that this man was willing to spend money, and had a group of Southern Tang ministers vying to build his reputation. Thus, at just over thirty, he was already a senior general of the Southern Tang imperial army, and was able to serve as commander, leading a great force into battle.

Of course, Liu Yanzhen also considered himself a talented general, but had simply never had the opportunity to prove it. Now that he had been appointed commander, he harbored ambitions of establishing merit and achievement.

While Wang Jun was scheming against the Southern Tang relief army, Liu Yanzhen, as the relief commander, was also scheming against the Han army beneath Shouchun's walls, having long since sent men to scout the Han army's movements and dispositions in the Huaiyin area.

After gaining a rough understanding, before crossing the river, he gathered his subordinate officers to discuss his ambitions and set the operational strategy. Essentially, advancing on three routes—he would lead the main force in the east, the Baoxin Army in the west, plus the river fleet on the Huai. His appetite was great; he intended to coordinate with Shouzhou's defenders, strike from within and without, encircle them, and swallow up the Han army beneath the strong walls in one gulp...

The Southern Tang army had not truly fought a major battle against the northern army in far too long. In Liu Yanzhen's view, the civil officials at court were weak and overly nervous. With the Great Tang's military strength double that of the Han forces, and with the advantage of a river fleet, why should they fear the Han army?