Chapter 887: Thunder Decides Life and Death

Two hundred miles south of Tongzhou, the six-thousand-man Divine Machine Camp campsite.

After Jia Cong finished these words, the expressions of the military officers in the camp were different, and doubts and worries arose in their hearts.

The six-thousand-man Divine Machine Camp had only been out for two days, yet they encountered such a thorny matter, but they would not feel that Jia Cong's judgment was alarmist.

Because this Regional Commander, although surprisingly young, was a rising star in the Great Zhou military and was known as a natural famous general.

Before he was twenty, he had already made a name for himself in Liaodong, planning strategies, winning several great victories, pacifying the Jurchen Three Guards, and expanding the Great Zhou's territory by a thousand miles.

And because of this, he was granted a hereditary Count title, which could be said to be the most dazzling and eye-catching figure in the military in recent years.

Although the military ranks by seniority, brilliant military merit can cover everything.

The military officers of the Love Shenjing Camp present were not stupid enough to look down on Jia Cong's words and actions because he was young.

Not to mention that Jia Cong's being a military general was just a matter of convenience, and the current Emperor esteemed him too much, which was why he was allowed to lead the army on the expedition.

His official path was still in the civil service; he was the second-place winner of the previous Spring Examination and the youngest Hanlin academician since the founding of the Great Zhou.

The Great Zhou continued the atmosphere of the previous Song Dynasty, and for nearly a hundred years since its founding, the style of valuing civil officials and belittling military generals had become a trend.

Civil officials often looked down on military generals as vulgar, but military generals dared not look down on civil officials, at least not daring to show it.

Jia Cong was not only a young famous general, but his civil service path was even more brilliant; in the eyes of these rude military generals, he was a star of literature descending to earth.

Civil officials could decide a military general's future with just a few words at many critical moments; such things had long been common.

Military people who want to get ahead have no choice but to fight and win merit; whether this expedition against the Mongols can win merit depends on a word from the young Regional Commander.

And the commander of this expedition against the Mongols, Liang Chengzong, was Jia Cong's former superior and had the kindness of promotion; it is said that the two had a close private friendship.

The power and interests involved are a thousand miles apart; even if you are brave enough to be the champion of the three armies and can make great combat achievements, it is not as good as a few words of praise from your superior.

Anyone who has rolled in the military camp and obtained a military position is not a confused fool.

These military generals, regardless of their considerations, would not do those ridiculous actions, such as looking down on Jia Cong's youth and giving birth to any disobedience.

Not to mention flattering and fawning, but strictly observing military discipline and etiquette, and leaving a good impression in Jia Cong's heart was truly of vital importance.

Moreover, Jia Cong was not only a noble of the Hanlin Academy but also a legitimate descendant of the Rongguo military nobility, sharing the same roots as them.

For such a young Regional Commander with a prominent status, any officer who didn't get along well would definitely be ridiculed by a group of colleagues, and if they were unlucky, no one would help them.

Assistant Regional Commander Lin Zhen had only heard of Jia Cong's prestige; years ago, when Jia Cong returned to the capital from Liaodong, he was the one who led the Five-Army Honor Guard to welcome him.

But after following the army on the expedition this time, he had a real and personal experience of Jia Cong's ability to lead the army.

The method of camping that Jia Cong ordered yesterday, the theory of layered vigilance and accumulating power, were all different from the conventional way of using troops, and no previous military theory had ever involved them.

Jia Cong was not only good at researching firearm divine weapons but also good at operating the firearm army of generals; this was already clear to Lin Zhen.

Following such a Regional Commander with deep military strategy on an expedition could not only greatly reduce the probability of defeat and death but also greatly increase the opportunity for winning merit and promotion.

So Lin Zhen didn't dare to ignore Jia Cong's words at all, asking, "My lord, do you mean that Anda Khan has another trick?"

Jia Cong said, "The way of leading troops has constant principles; the Regional Commander affects the whole body with one move; Anda Khan leading the army south intends to covet the Great Zhou's rivers and mountains and restore the glory of the former Yuan ancestors."

"If I were Anda Khan, if I wanted to succeed in one battle and shake the world, the only strategy would be to take the Love Shenjing directly; other things are just paths."

"Yaoshan Station, which has only three thousand garrison troops, is not worth mentioning to the Remnant Yuan's nearly one hundred thousand-strong army; why waste military strength on it?"

"If I were Anda Khan, I would definitely lead the army to bypass Yaoshan Station and take Yuanzhou and Tongzhou directly; only by opening the gateway of the Northern Three Passes can I achieve success."

"However, Yaoshan Station with three thousand garrison troops is not enough to make the Remnant Yuan suffer from the enemy on both sides; as long as I lead heavy troops to attack Yuanzhou and cut off the connection between Yaoshan Station and the Northern Three Passes."

"At that time, Yaoshan Station will be an isolated city, and it will be broken without attacking; not fighting to seize the momentum and taking the middle road directly is the common strategy of the military."

"Anda Khan is an unparalleled hero of the grassland, suppressing the various tribes of the Northern Desert with the power of one tribe; the imperial court has repeatedly sent heavy troops to conquer him, winning but not cutting off, and the scourge is difficult to eliminate."

"I checked the Ministry of War documents before the expedition; Anda Khan has repeatedly invaded in the past, with outstanding strategy, cunning and changeable, and difficult to deal with."

"I can think of this, so how could he not think of it? Gathering heavy troops and being confined to one place is really not a good strategy for the military."

"If Remnant Yuan scouts do not appear in the hinterland, all this can be covered up, but now there are clues."

"Anda Khan gathered tens of thousands of heavy troops and formed a stalemate with the Three Pass garrison; I am afraid it is a false appearance; he must have another plan!"

Lin Zhen asked, "My lord, do you mean that Anda Khan's stalemate at Yaoshan Station is just a feint to contain our army?"

Jia Cong nodded and said, "The Remnant Yuan broke through the Xuanfu Town, seized the Donggang Town military grain depot, and marched south like a broken bamboo; the imperial court has already regarded it as a major enemy."

"Yaoshan Station can actually block the Remnant Yuan army; the eighty thousand-strong army of the Northern Three Passes must spare no effort to continuously gather heavy troops to contend with it."

"Anda Khan can maximize the containment of our army; in this situation, the appearance of slackness and emptiness inside the pass is something that is difficult to avoid due to the imbalance between inside and outside."

"At this time, if he sends another army along the eastern mountain forest, hiding during the day and moving at night, opening another path, dodging the scouts along the way, he can take the Love Shenjing in a few days!"

The military officers in the camp were horrified when they heard Jia Cong's words; the war had just begun, and they were already stabbed in the core, a dangerous situation for the military."

Lin Zhen said, "My lord, the Love Shenjing is the capital of the Great Zhou, with high walls and deep moats, guarded by heavy troops; even if the Remnant Yuan steals tens of thousands of elite troops, they cannot easily break it."

Jia Cong said, "General Lin is right; the Love Shenjing is the capital of the Great Zhou and has been the capital since the former Yuan, a giant city managed for hundreds of years."

"Zhongjing Marquis commands sixty thousand elite troops of the Five-Army Camp, tens of thousands of imperial guards in the imperial city, and soldiers of the guard commands under various government offices, totaling nearly one hundred thousand troops."

"It cannot be easily captured by tens of thousands of elite troops, but if the Remnant Yuan soldiers steal into the pass, they don't need to attack the Love Shenjing directly."

"As long as they lead the army to harass everywhere, attack the towns around the Love Shenjing, and cut off the Love Shenjing's grain route, they can stir up chaos in the hinterland."

"The Love Shenjing has more than thirteen Battalion Commander and nearly sixty thousand people; even if the grain storage is sufficient, it cannot withstand long-term chewing."

"The Remnant Yuan soldiers who stole into the pass, as long as they cut off the Love Shenjing's grain route or burn the grain entering the capital along the way, the Love Shenjing will definitely be in chaos."

"The troops of the four prefectures around the Love Shenjing have mostly been gathered to the Northern Three Passes, and the number of soldiers is stretched, making it difficult to support the Love Shenjing for a while."

"Once such harassment spreads, it will become a trend that is difficult to get rid of; the Love Shenjing will fall into a critical state, and the Northern Three Pass garrison will be unable to look after both ends."

"Military morale is chaotic, a taboo in war; the war against the Mongols has just begun, and the Three Pass army is already in a state of decline, with endless future troubles."

"After that, no matter how many elite soldiers and good generals there are, they will become exhausted; this is a taboo in the war between the two states, and the deterioration of the situation is unimaginable."

"Anda Khan is indeed not to be underestimated; this plan is quite spicy and vicious..."

Lin Zhen looked surprised and asked, "My lord, in the current situation, how should our army respond?"

Jia Cong said solemnly, "If the scouts enter one hundred and fifty miles to the southeast and really find the Remnant Yuan's large elite army, the six-thousand-man Divine Machine Camp will absolutely not sit idly by."

"I was appointed by the Emperor to lead the Divine Machine Camp and am under the command of the Regional Commander, Pingyuan Marquis, but when a general is outside, the military orders may not be accepted."

"Once the scouts confirm the enemy's traces, I am determined to lead the army to return and do my best to break the Remnant Yuan's intention, so as not to cause unexpected events in the major matter of the expedition against the Mongols."

"All officers and soldiers, you must work together to help me pacify this battle!"

Lin Zhen said resolutely, "Your subordinate will definitely go through fire and water, and live and die with you."

The officers in the tent all agreed with a roar, and Jia Cong let each army check their luggage and wait for his order to set off.

He opened his leather bag, took out the Four Treasures of the Study, and prepared to spread paper to draft.

Ai Li stepped forward to help him grind ink and asked, "Yuzhang, why are you still writing articles at this time?"

Jia Cong smiled, "I am not going to write articles; the third batch of scouts has not yet reported back, but it is certain that the Remnant Yuan elite has stolen into the pass."

"I want to write a memorial to the Emperor in advance to state the pros and cons, and also write a letter to the Zhongjing Marquis; once the incident occurs, the Love Shenjing can respond accordingly."

"The whole army will set off rapidly later, so naturally, I have to write it in advance; once the enemy situation is confirmed, I will let the scouts send it back to the capital urgently." ===== CHAPTER 888 =====