Chapter 829

Chen Wuji knew that units such as the central army, Chen Wu Yin's cavalry, and Yang Pojun's troops could be considered elite, but the word 'elite' did not apply to all.

Especially Hu Bu Gui's unit.

This unit was formed from a small number of Hu Bu Gui's former troops, plus Qingzhou Conscripts.

The combat effectiveness of the Qingzhou Troops is extremely uneven, a clear divide.

Xie Fengxian and the Lu Halberd Unit's forces are like Lu Ping'an's beloved sons, receiving preferential treatment in all aspects, and both Xie Fengxian and the Lu Halberd Unit are skilled at managing troops.

The rest, however, is truly hard to describe in a single word.

Quite unfortunately, what Hu Bu Gui brought are exactly those things that are hard to describe.

Although after reorganization they underwent large-scale adjustments and training, compared to other units they still lagged considerably.

Yet such a force managed to sweep away half of the land of Indu in just half a month.

Although Xu Zengyi's statement is also factual, whether it's armored troops or crossbow equipment, Hu Bu Gui's unit is somewhat inferior to other units. However, this is not because Chen Wuji deliberately targeted him; it's simply because Hu Bu Gui joined Chen Wuji's group relatively late.

The arms and equipment of all units, as well as other rewards, are determined entirely by military merit.

Chen Wuji never imposed his slight unease about Hu Bu Gui onto the entire unit.

The arms were not issued to all soldiers, and the troops were not of high quality, yet Hu Bu Gui, relying on such a hand, managed to slaughter half of Indu's land in just two months.

Given such achievements, Chen Wuji felt it could not be attributed to excellent arms or ferocious troops; the true main reason must be Hu Bu Gui himself.

Chen Wuji did not argue with Xu Zengyi about this, but asked, 'Sir, have you reached a conclusion?'

"General Hu Bu Gui should guard the front line of Sanjiang Valley; the seven cities already captured must be placed under garrisons and controlled by the Training Officer of the garrison farms." Xu Zengyi said solemnly, 'My lord, this opening must not be made; once opened, it will bring changes, orders shifting morning and evening—this is a major taboo!'

Chen Wuji nodded, 'Then I'll follow your advice.'

Xu Zengyi stared for a moment.

He didn't expect Chen Wuji to agree so readily.

He had prepared a basketful of arguments, intending to thoroughly analyze the pros and cons for Chen Wuji from every angle, yet there was no occasion to use them?

"My lord, is it really decided like this?" Xu Zengyi asked uneasily.

Chen Wuji nodded, 'What you say makes sense; I was momentarily confused.'

Xu Zengyi said, 'My lord, your consideration is sound; with the Court's 400,000-strong army marching south, the Uyghurs and Qiang People will surely stir, and if General Hu Bu Gui and Commander Yang Jinglve encounter any further mishap, Nan Jun will face a situation of being surrounded on all sides.'

"Such a situation is indeed dire; a little carelessness would render all prior efforts wasted, turning to ashes and smoke."

Chen Wuji chuckled, 'In such a predicament, do you still insist on advising me to be less cautious about Hu Bu Gui?'

"Yes!" Xu Zengyi said with absolute certainty.

"Setting a precedent for Hu Bu Gui will likely make other generals feel uneasy; they won't understand your concerns. If later someone voluntarily raises the issue, will you agree or refuse? If you agree, the lords will rise in unison; if you refuse, hearts will scatter."

Chen Wuji's pupils contracted sharply, 'Damn, my vision is truly narrow.'

He truly hadn't considered this; he had completely overlooked it.

At that moment, as Xu Zengyi spoke, a cold sweat instantly broke out on him.

Compared to the consequences of opening the matter for Hu Bu Gui, the situation of being surrounded on all sides is indeed somewhat lighter.

The external predicament still allows us to think of solutions.

But if such trouble truly arises internally, Chen Wuji would be digging his own grave.

"Let's settle it like this, sir, and discuss what comes next." Chen Wuji said solemnly.

Half of Indu's land is vast; I have two ideas. First, establish garrisons—such a large area would need at least three or four garrisons to administer it. Second, establish a Protectorate to oversee the garrisons.

Xu Zengyi pondered briefly and said, 'My lord, it would be more stable to first transition with garrisons.'

"Establishing a Protectorate requires someone capable of holding the overall situation in command, but with the Court's great army about to march south, our manpower is truly stretched."

Furthermore, Indu differs greatly from our Da Yu; the biggest trouble lies in Indu's populace. We must give them rules to turn them into governable people, but I have no idea how to establish those rules—I need to try.

"Try?" Chen Wuji asked doubtfully.

Xu Zengyi's expression turned solemn; he gave a slight nod and said, 'Yes!'

"Let each garrison try a different method; whichever yields the most outstanding result will be adopted thereafter."

Chen Wuji nodded and readily agreed, 'Then let's try!'

"Second, Hu Bu Gui proposed in his memorial to use the natural barrier of Sanjiang Valley to temporarily stalemate with Indu and cease southward expansion; I agree with that. However, how to defend this line still needs discussion. Moreover, I am considering granting Hu Bu Gui authority to act at his discretion."

Xu Zengyi's expression showed slight astonishment, 'My lord, you were just saying we must guard against General Hu, yet now you want to grant him authority?'

Chen Wuji's sudden remark left him truly bewildered for a moment.

Chen Wuji paced slowly two steps, his eyes scanning the Indu region on the map twice, and said, 'Guarding against is guarding against, but Hu Bu Gui fighting in foreign lands—if he does not have certain discretionary authority, this war will be hard to win!'

Xu Zengyi asked, 'How to build and garrison forts and beacon towers—this should naturally be left to General Hu to arrange at his discretion!'

Chen Wuji shook his head, 'You misunderstand; I mean that when to defend and when to attack should be decided by Hu Bu Gui himself. If he deems the timing right, he can continue advancing south without needing to seek my orders—he can march directly south.'

"Now I understand!" Xu Zengyi nodded, 'But he must report and explain it promptly.'

"That is natural."

Chen Wuji pressed his finger firmly on the vast Qiang Land on the map and said, 'Sir, three months is tight; we must, in this short span, pacify as many of the enemies who could aid the Court as possible.'

Xu Zengyi stared for a moment, then suddenly chuckled.

Chen Wuji spoke today with extreme speed; after finishing a few brief sentences, he swiftly moved on to the next topic.

This made Xu Zengyi feel a little unaccustomed.

He quickly shifted his mindset and said, 'I too was about to bring this up to my lord.'

"Now, the troops in the west must advance swiftly without regard to cost. There's no need to wrangle with the Qiang People's settlements; everything should aim at achieving results, driving the Qiang People farther west."

"The largest settlements of the Qiang People, though utterly stripped of their foundations by your and Commander Yang Jinglve's joint assault, still leave Qiang Land so vast that we do not know how many Qiang settlements remain on this land; these settlements remain a tremendous threat to us."