Chapter 263: A Bold Idea

After Tu Tu Kesiluo had pursued and annihilated the scattered Liu army, Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled leisurely and said, "Zhang Zhang Jiaqi, let us enter the city."

By the time Jiang Jiang Mingyu arrived at the Taojiang Inspector's Mansion, the last remaining soldier in the city had also been slain by Tu Tu Kesiluo. Jiang Jiang Mingyu gave orders in a loud voice: "Zhang Zhang Jiaqi, you go to take command of the city defense. General Fang, go and tally our army's casualties. Send a messenger to scout for the whereabouts of Zhu Ge Yu and Goudan. Tu Tu Kesiluo, follow me inside to discuss the matter of attacking Jingcheng."

The crowd dispersed upon hearing the orders to get busy, and Jiang Jiang Mingyu stepped forward into the main gate of the Inspector's Mansion.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu glanced around this former enemy residence, his eyes calm and confident, showing not a trace of arrogance. He waved his hand to summon his trusted attendant and spoke in a low voice: "Immediately deploy defenses around the four sides of the Inspector's Mansion, set up checkpoints every one li for defense, and patrol day and night. Send people to monitor the situation in the city to prevent collusion from within. Actively gather grain and supplies to connect with the main army for transport."

After the attendant received the order and departed, Jiang Jiang Mingyu then strolled into the main hall and took his seat in the primary position.

The Liu family's official residence was magnificent like an imperial palace, covered in gold and jade brilliance. The floor of the great hall was carved from a single block of ivory, and even the window lattices and curtains were inlaid with various colored gems. The walls were hung with priceless famous paintings and catalogs, the tables and chairs were all made of rare purple sandalwood and tortoiseshell, and rare treasures were piled like mountains; just one jade pot was worth a thousand gold. The plates and bowls Liu Liu Jiayi used for daily meals were also forged from gold and silver, the table was filled with delicacies from mountains and seas, and he was domineering.

This extremely luxurious life left Tu Tu Kesiluo wide-eyed and speechless, marveling at it. He sighed and said, "Liu Liu Jiayi's official residence is simply as grand as an imperial palace! His daily consumption of food and drink is more luxurious and comfortable than even the Emperor's."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu said indifferently, "The money Liu Liu Jiayi accumulated by exploiting the common people is what gave him the capital to live such a luxurious life. But such a waste of people and resources, if we had not come, even Heaven would have been blinded by their deception!"

After speaking, he ordered his subordinates to take all these luxuries to the treasury for safekeeping, to be used as military supplies in the future.

Tu Tu Kesiluo understood Jiang Jiang Mingyu's character; hearing these words, he immediately grasped the meaning—it seemed Big Brother had already received replies from Goudan and Mr. Zhu Ge, which meant they would soon launch an attack on Jingcheng. So he asked in pursuit, "Big Brother, are we going to attack Jingcheng? I see you have been waiting for this day for a long time!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu said with certainty, "Correct, we have all waited for this day far too long. Finally, we can wipe out past humiliations and seek blessings for the common people."

Tu Tu Kesiluo looked at the map of Jingcheng on the wall and asked, "Jingcheng's defenses are strict, and the defending troops are of excellent quality; it is not easy to achieve victory easily. What strategy should we use to break through?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu sat down and pondered for a long time, then slowly said, "Success is on the verge of failure; we must be cautious. Even though our forces reach 150,000, the enemy army is deep within the city with ample grain and supplies, enough to sustain a prolonged war. Fei Hou will definitely not come out to fight but will hold firm and wait for reinforcements. If we attack by force, we will inevitably pay a heavy price."

"Therefore, we must find a way to make the enemy collapse from within and throw their own ranks into chaos. For example, cut off their grain supply to force the defending troops to lose their fighting spirit. We can also spread rumors to cause the people in the city to complain loudly, shaking Fei Hou's authority. In short, we must think of a foolproof method to win by cleverness."

Tu Tu Kesiluo frowned and said, "You spoke at length but didn't mention any trump card. Is there no determined countermeasure yet? Just say it straight, so I can offer suggestions?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu laughed heartily and slapped his shoulder boldly: "To tell the truth, I do not have a sure-fire wonderful plan right now either. That is why I called you here to discuss countermeasures; only by making a careful decision can we achieve great success!"

Tu Tu Kesiluo was somewhat at a loss, not expecting Jiang Jiang Mingyu to seek his opinion. Knowing his own strategic abilities were inferior to Jiang Jiang Mingyu's, he humbly said, "Big Brother, my strategy is definitely not as good as yours; I hope you will offer more valuable opinions."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu waved his hand and said, "You and I usually exchange strategies; for this capture of Jingcheng, we must cooperate fully, pool our wisdom, and only then can we succeed."

Thus, the two sat together and carefully studied the map and military situation of Jingcheng. Jiang Jiang Mingyu pointed at the map and said, "Jingcheng is surrounded by water on all four sides, with only four city gates in the east, west, south, and north, allowing the defending troops to concentrate their forces for defense. If we attack head-on, we will be at a disadvantage."

Tu Tu Kesiluo thought for a moment and said, "Then why don't we split our forces into four routes to launch surprise attacks on each city gate, forcing the defending troops to respond separately?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu pondered slightly and said, "Given the elite nature of the enemy troops, they will surely be able to resist our split attacks. Such a direct confrontation would likely cause our army to suffer a great loss."

The two discussed the possibility of using fire attacks and other means again, but all were vetoed by Jiang Jiang Mingyu.

Seeing that Tu Tu Kesiluo was somewhat discouraged, Jiang Jiang Mingyu was just about to say something when Fang Hang walked in quickly.

"My Lord, in this battle our army lost 15,000 men; the living strength capable of continuing to fight is at most only around 80,000."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's smile dimmed and became somewhat bitter. Now they couldn't even gather 150,000 troops; the situation was severe.

He sighed, turned to Fang Hang, and asked, "General Fang, what are your insights on capturing Jingcheng?"

Fang Hang smiled awkwardly and said, "My Lord, to speak frankly, I am ashamed; in the past, I always tried every way to protect Jingcheng and never considered how to capture it."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu knew Fang Hang used to be under Fei Hou and did not mind his background; he smiled and said, "In that case, then from the perspective of defending the city, tell me where the key points of Jingcheng's defense lie?"

This was typical reverse thinking. After thinking seriously, Fang Hang said, "The city walls of Jingcheng are solid, and grain supplies are ample; the only thing that needs guarding against is the Great Fenghe River outside the city."

"The Great Fenghe River?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu looked at the map and asked in pursuit, "Please explain specifically."

Fang Hang pointed at the map and said, "My Lord, General Tu, look; the terrain of Jingcheng is low and swampy, relying entirely on the Great Fenghe River water vein for maintenance. When the capital was first established, the reason for choosing this location was precisely because the Great Fenghe River had abundant water and was convenient for drawing."

"But the Great Fenghe River flows rapidly; if the dam breaks, the floodwaters will pour down, and Jingcheng will face a catastrophic disaster. Therefore, rulers of past dynasties attached extreme importance to the maintenance of the Great Fenghe River dam, almost reinforcing it comprehensively every few years. This is the soft spot of Jingcheng."

After hearing this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes lit up, as if he had thought of a wonderful plan.

He pondered for a moment, then said to Tu Tu Kesiluo and Fang Hang, "I have a bold idea; I do not know what you think?"

Tu Tu Kesiluo hurriedly said, "Whatever high opinion Big Brother has, just speak and let us hear it!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu asked in pursuit, "Since Fei Hou ascended the throne, has he ever reinforced or renovated the riverbanks?"

Fang Hang shook his head and said, "My Lord, how could you forget? As soon as Fei Hou ascended the throne, righteous armies from all directions surged up. Fei Hou was already overwhelmed dealing with the righteous armies; where would he have the energy to manage these river dams?"

Tu Tu Kesiluo suddenly realized and said excitedly, "Big Brother, if we just destroy the Great Fenghe River dam and release the water to flood the city, even if Fei Hou has 100,000 troops, they will be completely wiped out! This is simply a winning strategy!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded with a smile: "Correct, in this way, Fei Hou's army morale will surely be chaotic. Moreover, June is the height of the dog days, with frequent rainfall; if the Great Fenghe River water level rises a bit more, flooding Jingcheng will be even more hopeful. After flooding the city, military grain will rot and mold, Fei Hou's army will lose combat effectiveness, and our army can take advantage of the void to enter."

Having spoken, he slapped Fang Hang's shoulder heavily: "General Fang, you have achieved great merit! If we can win by this plan, Jiang Mou will definitely reward you heavily!"

Fang Hang hurriedly humbly declined a few words, then withdrew to prepare for action.

Seeing that the plan to breach the city was settled, Tu Tu Kesiluo also felt much relieved and said, "In that case, we need not wait any longer for Zhu Ge Yu and Goudan; let us fight quickly and decisively. How about setting out tomorrow morning to destroy the Great Fenghe River dam?"

But Jiang Jiang Mingyu shook his head and said, "We must not act rashly. What we have thought of, Fei Hou may have thought of as well. If he sends people to repair the dam, our plan will be ruined. Furthermore, our army has only 80,000 remaining; with few people and weak strength, launching an attack too early is prone to failure. We should still wait for the allied army and act only when our strength is abundant."

Tu Tu Kesiluo pondered repeatedly and also agreed with Jiang Jiang Mingyu's cautious move. Finally, he nodded and said, "Good, then let us temporarily hold our troops and wait for Zhu Ge Yu and Goudan to arrive. We can set out when we have many people and strong forces, which can also ensure a foolproof outcome."