Chapter 278

"These five thousand are for no other purpose than to drive the cattle and sheep into the Hulun Grasslands!"

"In this way, we cut off their supply lines!"

"Building on this, we will slowly scout this area and open eight passages leading to the Hulun Grasslands from eight directions!"

"Once our encirclement shrinks to a certain range, they will have no choice but to come out and fight us!"

"However, with Li Cunxiao and Li Yuanba, plus the cannons!"

"Even if they have four hundred thousand troops, they cannot defeat us!"

"No matter how many come, they will die!"

"In this way, annihilate them all!"

Wang Jian spoke these words.

This battle plan made all the generals nod immediately!

Fan Kuai was the first to declare: "I will lead five thousand men to cut off the north!"

Zhou Bo said: "I will take five thousand men to cut off the south!"

The generals shouted their pledges one by one!

However, while everyone discussed so fiercely, Han Xin still did not say a single word!

"Han Xin, what are you thinking?"

Facing Ying Su looked toward Han Xin!

Han Xin bowed to Facing Ying Su and said: "Your Majesty, I am thinking that since Fan Zeng suffered such a great loss, will he still fight this battle?"

"Hmm?"

Upon hearing these words, Wang Jian's expression changed; he looked at him in disbelief: "Do you mean... he will run?"

Han Xin said: "There is this possibility, but... I cannot guarantee it!"

"After all... they have four hundred thousand troops in hand, and the Hulun Grasslands are so important, almost concerning the entire Xiongnu's lifeline of rivers!"

"Would Chanyu Modu Chanyu Chanyu Modu be willing to give up this territory?"

"Moreover, even if they really want to run, how should we stop them?"

"Four hundred thousand troops within a range of nearly one thousand li!"

"And within this one thousand li, they can break out from any direction!"

"We only have one hundred thousand men; how can we stop them?"

He spoke these words, and Facing Ying Su's eyebrows knitted tightly!

Wang Jian's eyebrows also knitted tightly!

Han Xin said: "Your Majesty, I wish to dispatch ten thousand men riding Ma Pi to wander first on the outermost edge of the Hulun Grasslands to observe their movements!"

"If we see them leaving and learn their direction of retreat, we can find a place to set an ambush!"

"And if they do not leave, then we will use the old General's method to encircle them!"

He spoke these words, and Facing Ying Su nodded, saying: "Very well, do as you say!"

"Additionally, I have two edicts to announce!"

"First, send someone to deliver my edict to the Hulun Grasslands. I will wait here. For any Great Qin subject, for anyone who still considers themselves a subject of the Central Plains, listen well: whoever captures any one of Fan Zeng, Seeing Xiang Yu, or Chanyu Modu Chanyu Chanyu Modu and brings them before me shall have their crime reduced by one degree!"

"Whoever captures two of Fan Zeng, Seeing Xiang Yu, and Chanyu Modu Chanyu Chanyu Modu and brings them before me shall have their crime reduced by another degree!"

"If one can capture all three—Fan Zeng, Seeing Xiang Yu, and Chanyu Modu Chanyu Chanyu Modu—and bring them before me, they shall be a meritorious servant of Great Qin, enfeoffed as a Marquis within the Passes, with an estate of ten thousand shi!"

"What?"

"What?"

Upon hearing these words, Wang Jian and Han Xin both widened their eyes!

This... what is this?

A scheme of discord?

They were utterly shocked; at this moment, their scalps all went numb!

However, what Facing Ying Su said next shocked them even more:

"Send an edict to Prince Prince Fusu, General Meng Tian, Tell Meng Wu, and Wang Ben!"

"The Xiongnu situation is urgent; do not just stand there with your five hundred thousand troops. Order Tell Meng Wu, General Meng Tian, and Prince Prince Fusu to lead four hundred thousand men here to take orders from Han Xin!"

"Wang Ben will take fifteen thousand men to guard the Great Wall to prevent the unexpected!"

128. Body Inspection!

On the grasslands!

In the tent!

After Facing Ying Su issued this edict, the first person to get excited was Han Xin!

He had already told Facing Ying Su that if he could borrow two hundred thousand troops from General Meng Tian, then the Xiongnu could be completely destroyed in at most a year, or at least half a year!

And Facing Ying Su indeed did just that.

He had asked General Meng Tian for troops more than once!

But the first time he wrote to General Meng Tian, General Meng Tian played the blind man and did not pay attention!

The second time, he even sent Wang Jian to ask General Meng Tian for men, but... he was rejected on the grounds that the First Emperor had not issued an order.

The third time, Facing Ying Su wrote to General Meng Tian again, and General Meng Tian still played the blind man, paying no attention!

It was precisely because General Meng Tian refused to lend troops that destroying the Xiongnu became difficult!

Yes!

Even with Li Yuanba, it was difficult!

After all... this is to destroy the Xiongnu, not merely to defeat the Xiongnu!

To annihilate the Xiongnu, one needs not only powerful military strength and deployment, but most importantly, people!

No matter how well you can cut off a river, someone still needs to garrison the area after the river is cut!

No matter how well you can fight, if the Xiongnu play a war of maneuver against you, fleeing when they see you and running when they don't, what will you do?

If hundreds or thousands act this way, you can still hold your ground; but if tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even a million people all act this way, what can you do?

Killing is easy; chasing is hard!

Especially the steppe people; every one of them has a horse, every one of them has a fine steed. Even if Li Yuanba's Wanli Yanyun Zhao wanted to catch and kill so many people, it would still take a very long time!

But if a great army is present, then it is completely different!

Four hundred thousand people! They can absolutely carry out a carpet-sweeping tactic along the rivers and pastures!

Under such a carpet-sweeping tactic, no Xiongnu can hope to employ any war of maneuver.

They will all be driven north, to beneath the snow-capped mountains, where a grand, fierce final battle will take place!

Han Xin was extremely excited; he desperately longed for the arrival of those four hundred thousand people!

In contrast to Han Xin's excitement, Wang Jian showed signs of worry.

Because he had heard clearly: this time, Facing Ying Su did not send a letter, but an imperial decree!

Once an imperial decree is issued, if Meng Tian and the others do not obey it, it is treason and rebellion!

This is a capital crime!

Even Prince Prince Fusu would be the same!

Anyone who dares to rebel or commit treason will face a capital crime!

In that moment, he could not help but tremble: was Facing Ying Su planning to move against Prince Prince Fusu?

His heart panicked to the extreme!

Yet at the same time, he also felt a measure of gratitude toward Facing Ying Su!

Because... the imperial decree issued by Facing Ying Su ordered Wang Ben to take fifteen thousand people to guard the Great Wall!

In this way, it avoided a direct conflict between Wang Ben and Meng Tian, Tell Meng Wu, and the others!

It even avoided the question of whether to obey the imperial decree!

Facing Ying Su still showed leniency toward their Wang family!

In that moment, he truly felt relieved!

Relieved that he had chosen the right side at the critical moment; only thus could he avoid the destruction of his family!

But... what about Prince Prince Fusu, Tell Meng Wu, Meng Tian, and the others?

Will they obey the imperial decree?

Wang Jian was very worried; at this very moment, he frowned deeply!