Chapter 1151: First Volume, Chapter 1151: The Night Only Grows Busier

First Volume, Chapter 1151: The Night Only Grows Busier

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhenhai's expression grew even darker.

He shoved the remaining biscuit into his mouth, gulped down several swallows of water, and forcibly swallowed it.

As he rose and donned his armor, he muttered curses at the ancestral spirits of Gusu City.

"Damn it, even during the New Year, they won't let us rest."

"There are already fifty thousand defenders inside Gusu City, yet they're still stockpiling troops—so many people, just their daily food, drink, and waste are astronomical."

"Could it be that Gusu City's resources are even richer than Beixi County's?"

"I wonder who the main general of the defense is—if it's the Jiangnan Governor, that fool's usual antics might explain it."

"But if it's Lin Wenwan, the former Imperial Consort, then her motives might be worth pondering."

"But…"

Zhao Zhenhai stopped speaking, for he had vaguely spotted Gusu City's weak point.

Gusu City was heavily garrisoned; if these fifty thousand were ordinary civilians, it would be manageable.

But these fifty thousand were all soldiers and officers—their material consumption alone was staggering.

Once Gusu City was besieged and reinforcements couldn't arrive, internal chaos was inevitable.

Thinking of this, Zhao Zhenhai tore off the armor he had just put on.

Seeing this, the Deputy General beside him couldn't help asking.

"General, what's the reason?"

"Our mission here is to intercept Gusu City's reinforcements and cut off their continued troop buildup."

"The enemy has only a thousand men—they're desperate to enter Gusu City for the holiday, surely anxious and lax in defense; if we strike now, we'll surely score a victory."

In response to the Deputy General's question, Zhao Zhenhai shook his head.

He frowned deeply, rested his chin in his hand, and fell into thought.

"If Qin Feng were here, how would he decide?"

After much deliberation, he slapped his thigh: "Enough!"

"Cancel the attack. Send a messenger to the Brocade Guard—report to Qin Feng at the fastest speed, informing him of the massive troop buildup inside Gusu City."

The Deputy General obeyed, but his doubts grew deeper.

"General, why?"

Zhao Zhenhai bore risk himself—battlefield conditions changed rapidly; if he misjudged the situation and let these thousand men pass, he would be held accountable later.

But for the sake of a smooth spring campaign, Zhao Zhenhai was willing to take the risk.

"Gusu City is the key fortress of Nan Jing; it holds vast troops and supplies. To break it, besides throwing lives at it, there's another way: siege."

Upon hearing this, the Deputy General frowned sharply—he clearly disagreed with Zhao Zhenhai's view.

"If we could besiege it, we wouldn't have sent the vanguard to apply pressure in the first place."

"Gusu City is a gate fortress; behind it lie countless connected towns and fortresses."

"If we bypass Gusu City and strike deep into the rear, we'll be surrounded and annihilated."

"Even elite secret infiltration can't evade their eyes and spies—once discovered, trapped in an ocean of enemies, destruction is only a matter of time."

"Thus, we can only send reinforcements."

"And Gusu City can continuously dispatch troops to ambush those reinforcements—exactly what the enemy wants."

Zhao Zhenhai nodded at the Deputy General's argument.

"You're right—not just you, everyone thinks this way."

"Precisely because of this, no one ever considered a siege from the start."

"The massive troop buildup inside Gusu City is both an advantage and a disadvantage."

"More men mean they can sustain a consumption war—but if logistics collapse, Gusu City instantly becomes a dead zone."

"Though crippling Gusu City's logistics is harder than climbing to heaven."

"But this opportunity is far greater than directly attacking Gusu City."

The Deputy General understood Zhao Zhenhai's intent, yet still harbored doubts.

After all, Zhao Zhenhai was a Tianji Camp Guard by origin—skilled in small-unit operations and rear infiltration.

The Beixi Light Cavalry, however, had always been one of the Northern Border's main forces, excelling in large-scale strategic battles.

Zhao Zhenhai's thinking must be limited by Tianji Camp tactics.

"Even if Qin Feng came, he could only attack the city."

Since Qin Feng allowed dissenting opinions before battle, Zhao Zhenhai wasn't angered by the Deputy General's constant rebuttals.

"Let me tell you how Qin Feng would fight."

"If there were no other options, Qin Feng wouldn't send his main army to charge the walls."

"He'd bombard Gusu City with every catapult he had, smashing until their military morale cracked."

"But the precondition for artillery siege is still encirclement."

"You must ensure the enemy can't launch large-scale sorties, and that enemy reinforcements can't strike by surprise."

"If you still don't agree, I'll have to use my authority as Main General to override you."

Since he'd said this much, the Deputy General fell silent.

Yet he still doubted—letting those thousand reinforcements pass seemed unwise.

But Zhao Zhenhai's thinking was entirely different.

Right now, he hoped the defenders inside Gusu City would grow even more numerous.

The more troops they amassed, the greater Gusu City's resource consumption would become—and the fewer troops would remain available in other towns and fortresses.

This would be immensely beneficial for future Beidi Siege Assaults on Logistics.

Although their opinions differed, Zhao Zhenhai reached out and patted the Deputy General on the shoulder to put him at ease.

"It's the New Year—why fight? Wait until the Zhongying arrives; we comrades will eat our fill and drink our fill first."

"Sun Bo's side has already turned dog brains into pig brains—do you want to go join the chaos?"

Upon hearing this, the Deputy General's grim expression gradually softened.

He shrugged.

"True! It's the New Year—why fight?"

"You're the Main General; we Shu Xi merely follow orders."

"Although I disagree with you on handling Gusu City, on cursing the Zhongying, I fully support the General."

"Those bastards in the Zhongying still haven't shown up—when they arrive, I'll pin them to the ground and beat them senseless."

Zhao Zhenhai threw back his head and laughed loudly.

Nowadays, the Zhongying had become a pariah; every Northern Border Troop member cursed the words "Zhongying" the moment they were spoken.

Meanwhile.

On the Huang Ye, just thirty Li from Zhao Zhenhai, the Zhongying—composed of ten Horses and fifty men—was fighting desperately.

This was still Nan Jing's territory, with eyes everywhere.

Even though the Zhongying had been extraordinarily cautious, their trail had still been exposed.

At this moment, over Two Hundred light cavalry were surrounding the Zhongying and launching fierce attacks.

The Zhongying soldiers, in turn, defended themselves behind the Horses.

Though they were Logistics troops, their archery skills were no less impressive than those of frontline soldiers.

Once they took aim, every Arrow struck true!