Chapter 186: If the enemy can go, I can go too

"Enough! Stop pulling the calf's tail, damn it! As for reporting achievements to the court, this Lord has his own plan!"

"This time the Lord leads the campaign in the northwest to achieve glory together with you and the soldiers, not to let you boast about the Lord!"

"Moreover, although this battle is a victory, it only leaves the Northern Yuan royal court bruised and broken, far from the Lord's intended goal."

Jia Jing's expression hardened, and he said in a deep voice.

As the commander of this battle, his contributions are inevitable; there is no need to compete for credit with the troops under his command.

"May I ask, what is the Lord's expected target?"

Yu Shiyong clasped his hands and asked, his heart a little stirred; under a heroic commander like Jia Jing, how could they not rejoice at the prospect of battle!

This military merit is like picking it up off the ground; in his whole life he has never had such a smooth campaign!

Jia Jing looked around, seeing the generals all wearing delighted expressions, recognizing the morale was usable, paused briefly, then said solemnly:

"Since the founding emperors of the Da Han Empire, Taizu and Chengzu, over a hundred years ago, the northwestern border troubles have never been fully resolved."

"The Northern Yuan repeatedly invades, treating our Da Han lands as a backyard, repeatedly breaching our border towns, killing our people, acting with impunity, which is utterly hateful!"

"On this journey, I have seen many border forts where the civilians were slaughtered and humiliated—so tragic it is unbearable to behold!"

"They regard Da Han civilians as inferiors, slaves, even two‑legged sheep, utterly depraved and committing every evil."

"Now that this Lord has arrived, from now on this situation will be completely reversed."

"In this battle, the Lord will not be satisfied merely by repelling those eighty thousand; we must return blood for blood, tooth for tooth, and finally settle the century‑long blood feud between the Da Han and the grasslands."

"Through this battle, the Lord will plainly tell the world and the grassland barbarians that from now on, offense and defense are fundamentally changed!"

"The grasslands will no longer be their private preserve, and superb horsemanship will no longer be their lifeline. If the enemy can go, I can go too!"

Jia Jing, saying this, cast a commanding gaze over the crowd, his face full of severity.

The generals were stirred by his words, their faces brightened, and boundless zeal rose in their hearts.

Ma Guocheng even stood up and shouted in cheer:

"Lord, you are mighty!"

Jia Jing waved his hand, signaling him to sit, his expression solemn as he continued:

"The Lord has never employed a passive defensive tactic; the best defense is offense."

"Therefore, this time the Lord not only intends to annihilate all invading enemies, but also to press forward in one surge into the grasslands."

"If the Northern Yuan dares to invade our border towns without cause, I will strike all the way to their royal city! Following the deeds of the late champion Lord, we will level their sacred Wolf Mountain, sweep the southern and northern deserts, and restore the Da Han's majesty!"

"Thus, the Lord's expected goal is simple: to destroy the Northern Yuan royal court, completely pacify the grassland frontier, and secure a hundred years of peace for the Da Han's northwest!"

Upon hearing this, Niu Jizong, Feng Tang and the others flushed with excitement, their expressions immensely uplifted.

If Jia Jing had said this before the battle, they would have questioned his shameless bragging, dismissed it as empty talk, and worried about excessive aggression and heavy casualties on our side.

But after the previous battle, they already regarded Jia Jing as a celestial being, only lamenting that his ambition could not be even greater!

With Jia Jing as their commander, not only would they dare to charge into the grasslands, but even into the Western Regions and level Liaodong; they would risk their lives to follow him.

If they could indeed wipe out the Northern Yuan royal court and the grassland tribes in one stroke, it would be a glorious feat recorded in the annals, an unparalleled honor for the ages.

The eight characters "Feng Lang Ju Xu, Le Shi Yan Ran" are simple, yet for a warrior there is no one who does not yearn to achieve such deeds.

The generals instantly rose, clasped their hands and shouted loudly:

"We swear to follow the Lord to death; Lord, give the order!"

Jia Jing spread out the map in the hall and examined it; the safest route from Yu Lin Wei Cheng to Wolf Mountain follows Hongshi Gorge, Baotouwu, and Latian Qianqi.

Then cross the Yin Mountains, straight to Wolf Mountain, the whole distance about 600 li, with the Yellow River and its tributaries providing water along the way, avoiding a direct crossing of the desert.

Jia Jing looked at the crowd, his expression solemn and imposing, and slammed his fist onto the commander's desk, declaring:

"Speed is of the essence in warfare! This time the Northern Yuan Crown Prince has been captured by us; he is fierce outward but cowardly inside, timid and afraid of death, so we can have him guide us."

"After a brief rest today, we will head straight for Wolf Mountain, while they have not yet received news of the frontline defeat, using Ba Ya'er to deceive and open their camp gates."

"We will directly annihilate the Northern Yuan royal court, capture the Northern Yuan Khan alive. Then we will mobilize the northwest army together with the Bashang Daying reinforcements from Shenjing, sweeping away the other grassland tribes."

Speaking, Jia Jing turned to Zhou Yingyuan and said:

"At this moment, how many cavalry remain in the city? Within seven hours, how many cavalry can be gathered at the nearby border forts?"

"Reply, Lord! Currently the South City has only a thousand men left, each of the other three gates has five hundred, about half of whom can ride."

"Within seven hours, at the nearby Changle Fort, Shuangshan Fort, Baoning Fort and other seven camps, we can muster roughly 2,800 cavalry."

Zhou Yingyuan was evidently very familiar with the surrounding situation and gave Jia Jing the precise numbers without hesitation.

Jia Jing pondered briefly and said:

"Adding the two thousand men from Shenjing, that makes about six thousand, more than enough!"

The twenty thousand cavalry from Shenjing would need at least three more days to reach Yu Lin, and Jia Jing had no intention of waiting for them, as that would surely miss the opportunity.

Jia Jing looked around at the generals on his left and right and spoke in a deep voice:

"The matter must not be delayed! First send someone to block the news, and let the troops rest a bit; we will dispatch forces after seven hours."

"This campaign is to level Wolf Mountain and destroy the Northern Yuan royal court!"

"Generals, obey!"

Upon hearing the command, the few gathered in the hall immediately clasped their hands and said:

"Junior officer present!"

In each of their eyes flickered excitement and fiery spirit.

Even the more composed Feng Tang, Han Wu, Zhou Yingyuan and others could not fully restrain the restlessness in their hearts.

Because they all knew that if this campaign truly leveled Wolf Mountain and swept away the Northern Yuan, the military merit would be immense.

The Northern Yuan, as the Da Han's ancient nemesis since its founding, has always been a serious threat in the Da Han's northwest.

In the early days, Taizu and Chengzu, constrained by the False Qing in Liaodong, could not completely eradicate their royal court.

If they achieve this, then granting titles, granting wives and heirs, and even opening a new family genealogy will be no problem!

This is not only Po Tian's military merit, but also the supreme glory they can boast about for a lifetime!

Zhou Yingyuan, dispatch people at once to gather the cavalry from each fortress, and at the same time strictly order the remaining troops to hold the camp fortress tightly; they must not launch unauthorized attacks, and anyone who dares to disobey shall be beheaded on the spot without pardon!

You Shiyong, send people immediately to Red Mountain Fortress and Zhenbei Platform; Red Mountain Fortress is the unavoidable route for Northern Yuan broken troops to exit the frontier.

Order the gates to be closed, allowing entry but forbidding exit; not a single Northern Yuan broken soldier may be let out.