Chapter 23: Zhu Ying Offers a Strategy!

Seventy li from the border of Daning Prefecture!

This is where the Great Ming has set up camp.

This land was originally the territory of a Jianzhou Tartar tribe.

Inside the main camp!

All officers have gathered.

All battalion commanders and above have come here to deliberate.

Bu Wan sat in the central seat, with Chen Heng and Liu Zhen on either side.

As a civil official, Bu Wan had endured much hardship on this march, but for the sake of this victory, he endured it all.

“My lord.”

“This is the outcome of our campaign.”

“Our forces have pressed northward, while the Tartars have continuously retreated. Though we’ve caught and slain many, we have yet to locate their ancestral stronghold.”

“However, according to reconnaissance cavalry reports, a Tartar tribe has been spotted thirty li away, with considerable forces stationed there,” Chen Heng reported to Bu Wan.

“From General Chen’s perspective, what is the Tartars’ intention?”

“They won’t fight,” Bu Wan asked Chen Heng.

“It’s simple.”

“The Tartars are waiting for the Northern Yuan to send reinforcements, so they’re deliberately delaying and retreating, luring us deeper into the northern frontier,” Chen Heng said without hesitation.

“So, according to General Chen, we should not continue advancing further?” Bu Wan frowned.

“Your Excellency.”

“The northern frontier is vast; the farther we go from Great Ming territory, the harder it becomes to transport grain and supplies.”

“If we press deeper, and the Northern Yuan mobilizes troops from Liaodong, our army will be in grave danger.”

“Perhaps the Northern Yuan has already mobilized,” Chen Heng said with a serious expression.

“Hmm.”

Bu Wan nodded.

As Prefect and Regional Military Commissioner, he understood civil affairs, but he truly knew little about military command.

Yet he had one virtue: throughout this campaign, he never meddled, leaving all marching and troop matters entirely to Chen Heng and Liu Zhen.

“Then what should we do now?”

“Continue pursuit, or hold our ground?” Bu Wan asked Chen Heng and Liu Zhen.

“What suggestions do the other generals have?”

Chen Heng smiled and looked around at the officers in the tent.

“This…”

Many officers exchanged glances, unsure what to say.

The current outcome was this: advance, and we might gain more victories—but risk being lured into an ambush, for supply lines would be stretched thin beyond Great Ming borders; retreat, and all our recent gains would be lost.

“Your Excellency, Commander.”

Zhu Ying spoke up.

“Captain Zhu.”

“What is your opinion?”

Seeing it was Zhu Ying, Bu Wan smiled and asked.

There were many battalion commanders in the army, but Bu Wan held a strong impression of Zhu Ying.

“If I may venture a guess,”

“The Northern Yuan has already mobilized—but they will not directly reinforce the Tartars,” Zhu Ying said.

“Not reinforce the Tartars?”

“What do you mean, Captain Zhu?” Liu Zhen asked in surprise.

Chen Heng’s expression turned thoughtful, as if he had just realized something.

“The Northern Yuan will attack Daning Prefecture, cutting off our route of retreat.”

“They’ll only force the Tartars to hold us in place until our supplies are cut off, leaving us surrounded—then we’ll be utterly crushed,” Zhu Ying said with certainty.

Hearing this,

Bu Wan’s face darkened.

“Daning Prefecture still has tens of thousands of troops stationed, and Daning City stands as a stronghold—the Northern Yuan has no easy chance of breaching it,” Chen Heng said.

“General.”

“Though the Northern Yuan has been driven out of the Central Plains, its strength remains formidable. Naha Chu has amassed hundreds of thousands of troops in Liaodong and has long sought to reconquer Great Ming.”

“They won’t miss such a perfect opportunity,” Zhu Ying said firmly.

“Captain Zhu, if your view is correct, what should our army do?” Bu Wan immediately asked Zhu Ying.

“Abandon the pursuit of the Tartars. Leave a small force to harass and delay them, then withdraw while fighting, and lead the main army eastward to attack Liaodong, under Naha Chu’s control,” Zhu Ying said without hesitation.

Hearing this,

Every officer in the tent stared at Zhu Ying in shock—they had never expected such a strategy.

“Captain Zhu.”

“You just said Naha Chu commands hundreds of thousands of troops. How can our Daning frontier garrison possibly oppose him?”

“Indeed.”

“With our current force of less than twenty thousand, attacking Naha Chu is like a moth flying into a flame—suicide?”

“I believe Captain Zhu’s proposal is unsound.”

“The Emperor has already ordered a major campaign to destroy Naha Chu. We can simply withdraw from Tartar territory, defend Daning Prefecture, and if Naha Chu sends troops, we can hold our ground.”

“Correct.”

“I agree—retreat is the best course.”

“I second that.”

“At this moment, retreating to Daning is the safest path—it avoids being surrounded and prevents Daning from falling.”

…

Many officers spoke up, most opposing Zhu Ying’s dangerous plan, insisting retreat to Daning Prefecture was the prudent choice.

Seeing this,

Bu Wan did not decide immediately, but turned to Chen Heng and Liu Zhen: “What do you two think?”

“I believe Captain Zhu’s proposal is worth trying.”

“The Yuan court will surely attack Daning. If Daning falls, our offensive against Liaodong will actually ease their pressure, tie down their forces, draw their attention, and buy time for the main Great Ming army to arrive,” Chen Heng said with a smile.

“I think the same.”

“We cannot continue advancing north.”

“Better to follow Captain Zhu’s plan—reverse course and catch the Yuan court off guard. This way, we won’t disrupt the court’s grand campaign to destroy the Yuan, and we’ll tie them down,” Liu Zhen declared loudly.

Hearing this,

Bu Wan nodded.

With both his deputy commanders in agreement, he had no reason to object.

“Then so be it.”

“How many troops should we leave to harass and delay the Tartars?” Bu Wan asked directly.

“Your Excellency.”

“The northern frontier is vast and unsuitable for infantry. Only a small cavalry force is needed to delay them. If the Tartars launch a major attack, we retreat immediately toward Daning; if they don’t, we can linger among their tribes, as long as we have sufficient dried rations.”

“Of course, the ultimate goal is to pin down the Tartars so they cannot move south or reinforce the Northern Yuan,” Zhu Ying added quickly.

“Which general is willing to take on this mission and hold the Tartars?” Bu Wan immediately looked around the tent.

But for this task,

The officers glanced at each other—no one stepped forward.

A few thousand men facing a Jianzhou Tartar population exceeding a million—even if that population was a mere fraction of Great Ming’s—meant total mobilization. If they launched a full-scale assault, a few thousand soldiers would be crushed like meat between teeth.

“No one willing to take this mission?”

“Whoever succeeds in holding the Tartars will earn great merit,” Bu Wan said again.

But this merit seemed hardly worth the danger.

Then!

Zhu Ying immediately stepped forward and declared loudly: “I volunteer for this mission—to hold the Tartars.”

“A young bull fears no tiger!”

Seeing Zhu Ying accept the task, many officers in the tent secretly thought, some even with mockery.

The mission sounded simple—just retreat if the Tartars move. But in truth, once the Tartar cavalry latches on, and especially if Northern Yuan cavalry reinforcements arrive, capture means almost certain annihilation.

…

PS: Uh, could use some votes, anything you’ve got.

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(End of Chapter)