Chapter 1117

Chen Wuji told Xu Zengyi and the others what Xie Fengxian had done in the Huihe lands, which delayed the report by several days.

He was not pretending to forget; he had simply spent half a month in leisure and truly forgotten.

Everyone loves power, but the price of power is exhaustion, and there is still no free time.

Others may become regional lords without knowing how, but here Chen Wuji truly feels both body and soul exhausted, his brain cells seemingly doomed to die each day.

"If General Xie can stabilize the Huihe lands, his designation number will surely be his alone," Guo Shuhan murmured.

"In the weather of heavy snow sealing the mountains, he actually launched a surprise attack on the enemy's military fort, and the other two forts were not discovered until several days later; if not for limited forces, I would even suspect General Xie would have taken those two forts as well."

Xu Zengyi's pupils flashed with a slight contraction, "He did it on purpose!"

"On purpose? What do you mean, Mr. Xu, that General Xie used a lure-the-snake-from-its-hole tactic?" Guo Shuhan asked, "This tactic is not as good as a surprise attack, is it?"

"The Huihe people invested great effort in those three military forts; our army can succeed with one surprise attack, but a second would bring variables, so Xie Fengxian dared not gamble on that uncertainty," Xu Zengyi explained.

"Our army lacks siege equipment, so Xie Fengxian could only use a feint east, strike west, small-force surprise attack followed by internal-external coordination to seize the fort; this tactic is too complex. One fort might work, but another might not; luring the snake from its hole, though our army shifts from active to passive, the decision of whether to fight and how to fight remains in Xie Fengxian's hands."

"Over ninety percent of our army's warhorses come from the Qiang lands, and in this harsh winter month, they are comparable to the Huihe's warhorses, while Xie Fengxian excels in open battle. Luring the snake from its hole, he sacrificed a little initiative, but what remains is entirely his advantage."

Guo Shuhan nodded slightly, "I see. General Xie truly has great courage; though I have some clever ideas, if the same warfare fell to me, I would never dare use his method."

"If I were to go, I would probably just roam the Huihe southern lands, seeking gaps to exploit!"

Xu Zengyi smiled, "No surprise, Xie Fengxian will likely do the same afterward."

"Is he testing the waters?" Lv Ji asked.

"Probably." Xu Zengyi said.

"These three military forts are the Huihe's current westernmost forward outpost beyond Buzhou Mountain; destroying them is both a test and a way to open our army's rear route."

"Considering defeat before victory, what Xie Fengxian first considers is surely how he would fare after his own defeat. These three Huihe forts lie there; if he suffers defeat in the Huihe heartland, only the eastern path remains."

"Once these three forts are removed, the rear route opens instantly; whether he seeks aid or retreats then, he will have no rear worries. If General Cao Mu could station troops to guard these three forts, it would be even better."

Chen Wuji said at the right moment: "If Xie Fengxian truly can take these three forts, the army's forefront will surely advance forward; having painstakingly taken this place, how could we return it to them? I am no great benevolent who only kills but does not occupy land."

"As long as General Xie succeeds in this battle, he will surely roam the Huihe southern lands, seeking gaps to exploit, prioritizing the destruction of the enemy's living forces, and only then proceed to attack cities and seize land," Xu Zengyi said.

Chen Wuji, seeing the situation, joked: "You three might as well each voice your opinions, then make a small bet for fun? I'll set the stakes!"

Guo Shuhan spoke first, shaking his head, "My lord, my ideas have already been stated; compared to Mr. Xu's, they are merely less thorough, but overall not much different; I currently have no other ideas."

Lv Ji pondered for a while, "My lord, my mind is now full of what Mr. Xu just said; I cannot think of other tactics..."

"You two useless ones, how can Old Xu alone dominate your thoughts!" Chen Wuji disparagingly shook his head.

As they spoke, Zhangye City arrived.

Gazing at the magnificent city wall, Chen Wuji's pride welled up instantly.

This is the city he ordered to be built.

Ma de, awesome!

As long as this city does not collapse, Chen Wuji's name will endure forever with this city.

In a certain sense, this is also a form of immortality.

Do not believe it? Just look at the Great Wall, the Grand Canal, the Forbidden City.

When the thought reached this point, Chen Wuji suddenly had a slightly crazy idea.

It seemed he could also, after conquering the Huihe, build a Great Wall on the frontier.

The Huihe people betrayed the Zhongyuan Dynasty; let them all go reclaim wasteland and farm, which also carries great risk and hidden dangers; better to make use of waste.

This matter seems worth researching.

Replicating our ancestors' glory in another time and space is a lofty endeavor.

"There are still some characters missing on the city gate; my lord, if you have time, would you write them?" Lv Ji asked.

Chen Wuji waved his hand, "Leave the three characters 'Zhangye City' to me; the names of the city tower and what else to inscribe, Lv Ji decides. The inscriptions on the drum tower and bell tower, in this Northern Campaign battle, whoever earns the first merit, whoever has the greatest merit, gets to keep them."

"The names of all city gates are to be taken by Mr. Xu and the assistant officers under him; you two allocate them yourselves, and the remainder goes to the foremost few soldiers who earn the greatest merit in the upcoming battle."

Xu Zengyi's mouth twitched slightly; this man was again buying people's hearts.

Just ask: with such a lord, which subordinate would not fight desperately?

"My lord, do the inscriptions on the drum tower and bell tower belong to the general?" Guo Shuhan understood, but fearing misunderstanding, he confirmed again.

Chen Wuji nodded, "Yes."

"My lord, this tactic is truly excellent," Guo Shuhan said admiringly.

Inscribing a character on a city wall may seem trivial, but for the officers and soldiers below, it carries entirely different meaning.

It differs from designation numbers and honorific titles of the present age; rather, it can endure for hundreds or even thousands of years.

Just for this, when old, boasting to descendants will require drinking an extra two taels.

Each character behind it corresponds to glorious military achievements; how could it be as simple as merely inscribing a character?

Guo Shuhan could even imagine himself later, holding his grandchildren, telling them: he could proudly point to a certain city's name and tell his grandchildren, "Do you see the inscription on that city's wall? In the year the city was founded, I repeatedly achieved great feats; my lord specially bestowed the inscription, to last through all ages; if you few grandchildren cannot become accomplished, you owe an apology to that plaque on the city gate."

Admirable!

He truly admires Chen Wuji's spontaneous, timely ideas that yet completely grasp his subordinates' minds; this reward is incomparable to gold and silver estates, and moreover more enduring.

"My lord, you have fixed the inscriptions for other places, but here you let us share two slots; this might easily lead to quarrels!" Xu Zengyi sighed.

Chen Wuji laughed, "You all have great merits I know well in my heart, but the contributions you made in the past I am not entirely clear about; how could this still cause you worry?"