Chapter 740: Military Strategy

"Your Majesty!"

Golden sunlight spilled down from the sky, shining upon the colored glass.

The main hall was dyed in colorful brilliance by the light.

The King of Gaoli knelt below the steps, holding a contract in both hands.

At this moment, Gaoli, which had been separated from Great Song for over a hundred years, once again submitted to Great Song.

Liang Kai took the contract and presented it to Zhao Heng.

Glancing at it, Zhao Heng nodded to Zhao Xu and immediately announced the end of the morning court.

After Zhao Heng left, Zhao Xu had officials from the Court of State Ceremonial take charge of hosting the King of Gaoli and Yin Boming, leaving only generals like Chang Wei behind.

"This time, let the one hundred thousand troops of the Prince's Personal Army stationed in the Ningjin Regional Military Commission enter Gaoli to fight, and deal the Eastern Earth Allied Forces an unexpected blow," Zhao Xu said.

The King of Gaoli had signed the contract, and next, they would have to send troops into Gaoli to fight the Eastern Earth Allied Forces.

This time, the Eastern Land Alliance invaded Gaoli with the goal of using Gaoli as a springboard to embarrass him and the Northern Di.

But the Eastern Land Alliance clearly had not considered one thing.

That was that he would intervene in the Gaoli war.

After all, in the eyes of the Eastern Land Alliance, Gaoli was a vassal state of the Northern Di and his enemy; it was impossible for him to save his own enemy.

If he were a pure man of the past, their judgment would have been correct.

Any emperor of a Central Plains dynasty would only be responsible for his own vassal states and would not go to save a vassal state that had betrayed him, wanting only to gloat over their misfortune.

But for Zhao Xu, he could not think about problems so narrowly.

Now he had to make decisions based on the entire world's landscape.

If he allowed Gaoli to be occupied by the Eastern Earth Allied Forces, it would be equivalent to the opponent setting up cannons at his doorstep.

Although with his strength, he did not fear the Eastern Land Alliance at all.

However, it was unbearable for them to fire cannonballs into his home and smash his flowers and plants.

Moreover, they could rush in at any time to burn, kill, and loot, spreading the flames of war to the Ningjin Dusi.

This was the principle of the lips being gone, the teeth being cold.

"Does Your Highness mean that you want us to conceal our movements?" Chang Wei asked.

"Correct. After you cross the Donghe, Gaoli will provide you with guides," Zhao Xu nodded.

The one hundred thousand troops of the Prince's Personal Army stationed in the Ningjin Dusi were there for the purpose of deterring the Northern Di.

Now they could just enter Gaoli to fight.

The Eastern Earth Allied Forces, who were currently advancing triumphantly in Gaoli, would certainly not expect him to suddenly send troops.

In this way, he could catch them off guard.

At the same time, although this war would be led by the Prince's Personal Army, it did not mean that Gaoli could stand by and watch.

He would have the King of Gaoli make Gaoli generals and officials serve them, such as the guides he mentioned, as well as providing grain, fodder, and reconnaissance.

"Yes, Your Highness," Chang Wei replied, "This general will order the main army to march by night and hide by day to enter Gaoli."

"Hmm. Before you enter Gaoli,

I will travel by warship to Ancheng, and then rendezvous with you," Zhao Xu pondered.

The war in Gaoli was his first direct confrontation with the Eastern Land Alliance, so he could not afford to be careless.

Especially regarding Dongying.

This time, Dongying was the main force attacking Gaoli, having dispatched one hundred and fifty thousand troops.

They had the ambition to occupy Gaoli for a long time, and he would absolutely not let Dongying succeed.

Furthermore, the enemy generals Chang Wei would face this time were no longer feudal military generals like those of the power clans.

The British would certainly participate in commanding the Eastern Earth Allied Forces.

This war would be the most difficult one the Prince's Personal Army had fought since its inception.

By commanding on the front lines, he could reduce the casualties of the Prince's Personal Army and also use the war as a practical example to instruct his generals.

He would let them become familiar with the combat methods of Western Lands commanders.

"Hahaha... With Your Highness personally present, the morale of the soldiers will surely soar," Chang Wei said with excitement.

Although he was not worried about the Western Lands generals at all.

But by fighting alongside Yan Wang, the generals could always learn many things, which was of great benefit to them.

Having settled this matter, Zhao Xu let Chang Wei go back to prepare.

He also ordered someone to notify Wang Ying to have all the howitzers in the warehouse sent to the Ningjin Dusi.

Chang Wei exited the main hall and went to the General's Mansion in the outer palace to mobilize troops and dispatch generals.

Three days later, he set off for the Ningjin Dusi.

Three more days passed, and Zhao Xu, along with the King of Gaoli and Yin Boming, went to Jinghai and boarded a warship to arrive at Ancheng.

Next, he ordered the King of Gaoli to dispatch guides familiar with the terrain of Gaoli to wait on the east bank of the Donghe for the Prince's Personal Army and take charge of leading the way.

He also ordered Gaoli scouts to collect information on the battlefield and provide it to Chang Wei at any time.

At the same time.

Chang Wei arrived at Jincheng and brought Zhao Xu's orders to Yang Zhen.

After one day of preparation, that night, Chang Wei led the army to set off.

"After the Prince's Personal Army crosses the bridge, the Ningjin Army is responsible for guarding the west side of the bridge; you must not let the Northern Di take the opportunity to launch a sneak attack." At night, with only a crescent moon in the sky and bright starlight, Chang Wei spoke sternly to Yang Zhen before departing.

Yang Zhen smiled lightly, "Your Prince's Personal Army are good men, and our Ningjin Army are no cowards either. Rest assured, as long as I, Yang Zhen, am alive, I will never let a single Northern Di soldier cross the Donghe."

Upon hearing this, Chang Wei gave Yang Zhen a military salute and followed the long procession as it walked out of the city.

When all the Prince's Personal Army had left the city, Yang Zhen led thirty thousand Ningjin Army troops to follow closely behind.

Ningjin City has high walls and thick ramparts, and it also has Mo Yu stationed there.

The Northern Di have suffered great losses in sieges before; unless they have gone mad, they would not attack the Ningjin Dusi.

Therefore, he can focus all his efforts on intercepting the Northern Di army without worrying about Ningjin City.

Hiding by day and marching by night, after two nights of travel, the two arrived at Qingbo Bridge, which leads from Donghe to Koryo.

At this time, there were Koryo guides to meet the Prince's Personal Army, and Chang Wei continued to lead the troops eastward.

Watching the Prince's Personal Army depart, Yang Zhen said, "Immediately dig trenches in front of Qingbo Bridge, dig them deep."

In front of Qingbo Bridge, the land is flat as a plain, without any cover.

He was not learning from the Western Lands generals' method of using trenches to defend against the enemy.

Because this was precisely the method of battlefield defense that generals must learn at the Military Academy.

In addition to digging trenches, he also had the soldiers sharpen logs and drive them into the ground at an angle in front of the trenches, forming rows of slanted spikes.

The Northern Di excel at cavalry, so this was naturally to deal with the Northern Di Cavalry.

On the ground between the trenches, he also deployed Field Artillery and Howitzers.

With such an iron-clad defensive position, he would like to see how the Northern Di attack.

……

Rang City.

At the moment the Prince's Personal Army entered Koryo, the Eastern Earth Allied Forces successfully captured this place.

Koryo Royal Palace.

Dressed in red and black armor, Yamada Haruno sat on the Koryo King's throne, the corners of his mouth tilted upward in an evil smile.

In order to quickly take Koryo, Watanabe had him, an Assistant General, personally command the Dongying army.

And ever since the Eastern Earth Allied Forces landed in Koryo, the war had been exceptionally smooth.

The Koryo Army holding swords and blades were simply as fragile as infants when facing them.

At first, they still attempted to resist, but after they quickly captured three major coastal cities.

The Koryo Army lost their morale; basically, it was a case of them chasing and the others running.

Afterward, they arrived at Rang City, this Koryo royal capital, as if they were just on a march.

Six days after the vanguard of eighty thousand troops arrived at Rang City, he, along with the noble general Xie An and the Western Lands general Carter, arrived here.

And at this moment, the vanguard army had already pursued them to the banks of the Dongjiang, preparing to wipe out the remnants of the Koryo Army in one fell swoop.