Chapter 1169: First Volume, Chapter 1169: Snatching a Moment of Leisure to Admire Jiangnan

First Volume, Chapter 1169: Snatching a Moment of Leisure to Admire Jiangnan

Imposing a total blockade on the Gusu City region is the first step in launching a Consumption War.

Although Qin Feng knew full well that he had only seven thousand men total, and after subtracting nearly three thousand Infantry, his actual Cavalry numbered just FourThousandBorderTroops.

Relying solely on these FourThousandBorderTroops to fully seal off Gusu City was nothing short of fantasy.

Yet he still firmly issued the blockade order.

Moreover, of these FourThousandBorderTroops, another eight hundred Light Cavalry had to be withdrawn, and twelve hundred Light Cavalry retained to coordinate with the Infantry in defense.

Thus, only two thousand Light Cavalry were truly available for deployment.

This inevitably further increased the difficulty of the blockade.

Qin Feng abandoned all minor paths entirely and focused solely on blocking the six main roads leading to Gusu City.

Considering that two of these main Official Roads led north, they were excluded from the blockade; only the remaining four main roads needed to be sealed.

These two thousand men were divided into four battalions, each five hundred strong, with each main road assigned as their sector.

As for how to enforce the blockade, Qin Feng did not care—he gave them only one Military Order: not even a single fly could fly through their sector.

These main roads were the flattest and most convenient routes to Gusu City.

According to Qin Feng's estimation, anyone wishing to reach Gusu City who abandoned the Official Roads would drastically increase their travel cost.

Qin Feng knew that achieving a hundred percent blockade was unrealistic; as long as he could raise the "cost" of support to Gusu City from all sides, he had already achieved his initial goal.

Although Qin Feng now had only Five Thousand Men left, the generals inside Gusu City held little regard for these five thousand.

First, because their commander was Qin Feng.

Second, to inflict casualties on these five thousand, the enemy would need to deploy nearly double their numbers.

The Garrison had no desire to risk another engagement.

The longer the Standoff and Consumption lasted, the more advantageous it became for Qin Feng, because the Northern Border Army would arrive on the Battlefield soon.

With the arrival of this ten thousand strong Light Cavalry force, Qin Feng could truly implement a comprehensive blockade of Gusu City.

If the delay continued, and the subsequent Elite Troops arrived, Qin Feng's advantage would expand further.

At that point, the vast garrison inside Gusu City would dare not step out of the City even a single step.

As the Cavalry dispersed and the vanguard camp began rebuilding Defensive Fortification, Qin Feng did not idle—he left the ZhuZhen outright to experience the customs and scenery of Jiangnan.

Qin Feng held a very favorable impression of Jiangnan: first, because life here was prosperous; second, because of its green hills and clear waters.

Although this month was the coldest season in Jiangnan, it could not obscure the region's beautiful scenery.

Liu Ming and Zhao Zhenhai accompanied Qin Feng, and for safety, eight Light Cavalry rode with them.

Liu Ming understood Qin Feng's heart best; seeing his radiant expression, he knew Qin Feng felt no hesitation about this Southern Campaign—on the contrary, he was enjoying it.

"Your Majesty, you seem to truly like Jiangnan?"

Qin Feng made no secret of it; he shrugged and said casually, "The water towns of Jiangnan are beautifully scenic—even in the coldest season, the mountains and rivers resemble a painted scroll."

"By contrast, the North, once winter arrives, becomes barren and desolate."

"Jiangnan is an excellent place to retire."

Hearing this, Zhao Zhenhai burst into loud laughter.

"Hahaha, Your Majesty is still in your prime, yet you've already begun planning for retirement after victory—truly far-sighted."

"Still, seeing you so relaxed, our burdens feel considerably lighter."

"Does Your Majesty believe this Southern Campaign is already certain to succeed?"

Although Qin Feng had repeatedly emphasized that they must not underestimate the enemy, that this Southern Campaign was of great importance and highly likely to provoke fierce retaliation,

in truth, Qin Feng did not regard the Southern Border troops as worthy adversaries.

His repeated warnings to "boost the enemy's morale and diminish our own" were merely to remind his officers and soldiers that Jiaobin Bizheng would lead to defeat.

The Southern Border soldiers' overall Combat Effectiveness was no lower than the North's, but they had one fatal weakness: they lacked the spirit for aggressive, frontal assaults.

Earlier, Sun Bo's vanguard nearly got wiped out—only because Lin Wenwan was present.

Lin Wenwan had once been an Imperial Consort and lived in the North for over a decade; she understood the Northern troops' combat style intimately.

She knew that in Siege Warfare, the defending side relying solely on "defense" merely delayed defeat.

To win, one must launch Offensive Action, combining attack and defense.

Sun Bo's Heavy Infantry was nearly exhausted, yet the enemy, despite superior numbers, failed to annihilate him.

Merely this fact confirmed Qin Feng's inference: Southern troops were poor at fierce assaults.

In a prolonged Consumption War, Northern soldiers might not even hold an advantage over the South.

But in short, high-intensity assaults, the North held a relative advantage.

The enemy's refusal to sortie and fight meant Qin Feng was already in an invincible position.

His reason for considering Gusu City difficult to capture had never been the City itself, but his concern for the people of the Southern Border.

Ultimately, this great war was an Internal War.

How to minimize civilian casualties was the true challenge Qin Feng faced.

If he did not care about civilian deaths, Qin Feng was confident he could take Gusu City and advance into the Southern Rear Area within three months.

There was no City in the world that could not be breached.

Qin Feng merely needed to construct fortifications outside the City, then… hurl massive quantities of corpses into it.

Even if Qin Feng did not do this, Southern cities suffered one or two plagues annually; if a plague broke out inside Gusu City, its collapse was merely a matter of time.

But Qin Feng could not do this, because plagues would continue to spread.

If it spread across the entire Southern Border, it would be a catastrophe for the Southern people.

"Internal War is always harder to fight than external War."

Zhao Zhenhai and Liu Ming exchanged a glance and simultaneously understood the crux of Qin Feng's dilemma.

Liu Ming hesitated for a long time, then cautiously brought it up.

"General Zhao Yulong, it seems…"

Before Liu Ming could finish, Qin Feng waved his hand to interrupt.

Zhao Yulong is utterly loyal to Shedynasty; as long as internal unrest can be quelled, even significant losses would not concern him.

If command authority over the army is given to Zhao Yulong, Nan Jing will soon be bathed in blood and suffering.

"Yuxiong is a born general; once on the Battlefield, he becomes an almost perfect commander, determined to achieve his goal at all costs."

"Yet the purpose of war is to benefit the people; if one goes too far, then there is no need to wage such a war at all."