Chapter 381: The Strategy of

Western Liang observed the changes, and they were naturally happy to sit back and reap the benefits of the fisherman!

Beijiang, on the other hand, was ready in full battle array, with unprecedented importance attached to it; this was a sign of respect for Wei Xi Yuan's desperate struggle.

Regardless of how other forces reacted, Wei Xi Yuan could no longer afford to delay for too much time; every day of delay meant consuming a day's worth of grain, and when the grain ran out, that would be the moment of Da Qian's destruction!

So Wei Xi Yuan followed the original plan, taking 50,000 Imperial Guards to head north secretly, launching a lightning strike on Shuoning via the waterway.

The remaining 120,000 Imperial Guards and the 150,000 troops who had rushed from Tongguan set off north in a grand manner, without any intention of concealing their tracks!

After several days of rushing day and night by land and water, the 50,000 Imperial Guards finally arrived at Shuoning.

"Your Majesty, twenty miles ahead is a small grain transfer point of Beijiang in Shuoning. The garrison is no more than a thousand, and they are completely unprepared." A scout colonel who had scouted ahead reported in a low voice, his tone carrying excitement.

A fierce light flashed in Wei Xi Yuan's eyes: "Good! Pass the order down, rest for half an hour. One quarter of an hour before dawn, flatten that outpost for Zhen, and seize their grain! Then do not stop, strike directly at Shuoning city! If you encounter resistance along the way, kill without mercy, but do not get entangled in battle; our goal is Shuoning, is Jiang Jinshi!"

"Yes!" Several generals accepted the order in low voices and quickly went down to pass it on.

The soldiers silently gnawed on cold dry rations, but their eyes were mostly filled with a short-lived fanaticism mixed with fear, bewilderment, and the stimulation of the Emperor's "heavy reward" promise.

Wei Xi Yuan leading the expedition in person, plus the temptation of heavy rewards, indeed raised morale quite a bit, but it was unknown how long it could be maintained!

However, what they didn't know was that in a hidden mountain hollow less than five miles upstream from their landing point, several people were observing their every move through telescopes.

"The number is about 50,000, the armor style is elite Imperial Guard, there is a dragon flag... it is Wei Xi Yuan who has come in person." A scout lowered his voice, then quickly passed the news back.

Getting the news at the first moment, Jiang Jinshi, along with Han Xiao, Luo Feng, and others, stood before a huge sand table.

Currently, the court's 270,000-strong army had already converged and was in a tense standoff with the Ming Army border defense troops led by Bai Ting, Jiang Ze, and Zhang Honghong in the Hedong direction, with small-scale conflicts occurring constantly.

"They really came, taking the waterway, wanting to open a gap here." Han Xiao said in a deep voice, "Wei Xi Yuan is truly crazy, leading the team in person, going deep into enemy territory alone."

Luo Feng looked at the sand table, narrowing his eyes, "It really is a desperate gamble! The main army in the front seems powerful, but it is actually a feint to contain us; the real killing move is this surprise force of 50,000."

"If he really succeeds in the surprise attack, burns our grain, and stirs up our rear, even if he cannot take Shuoning, it will be enough to shake our army, damage our morale, and give Western Liang an opportunity."

"Lord, let this subordinate go!" Han Xiao was the first to request battle: "I will take the men in the city and set an ambush behind the outpost; I guarantee that the muddled Emperor will have no return!"

Jiang Jinshi shook his head, "No! Wei Xi Yuan has come with the whole country, seeking a quick battle, seeking to stir up the situation; we will not let him have his way. Taking the initiative to fight will play right into his hands; he wouldn't hesitate even if he had to trade three of his soldiers for one of our Ming soldiers!"

Luo Feng nodded in agreement: "That's right! If I'm not mistaken, this dog Emperor didn't intend to go back alive on this trip; the soldiers under his command, one by one, are all tools for him to be destroyed together!"

Han Xiao also understood, "270,000 troops, plus the 50,000 he leads in person, a total of 320,000 troops; if they really charge at us without fear of death, we will also suffer quite a loss!"

Jiang Jinshi's gaze was calm, "So we don't need to do anything; his grain cannot last long, and even just defending will be enough to drag him down!"

"Then are we just going to let him toss and turn in Shuoning?" Han Xiao asked.

"Of course not! Just drive him out, and try to avoid head-on clashes as much as possible!"

Jiang Jinshi ordered: "Han Xiao! Your mission is not to annihilate them all, but to trap them, to consume them. Use favorable terrain to block them layer by layer, harass them day and night, and never give them a chance for a head-on decisive battle. He wants a quick battle, we drag it out! He wants to fight to the death, we hide. Drag these 50,000 people down, exhaust their grain, and drag down their morale."

To put it more concisely, that is: the enemy advances, we retreat; the enemy camps, we harass; the enemy tires, we attack; the enemy retreats, we pursue!

"Han Xiao accepts the order." Han Xiao cupped his hands and accepted.

"Luo Feng!" Jiang Jinshi looked at Luo Feng.

"Present!"

"The 270,000 enemy troops on the Hedong front are a feint, but the pressure is not small. Bai Ting's side is mainly defensive; you lead 10,000 cavalry and linger on the two wings of the battlefield. I don't require you to rout the enemy army, but you must constantly harass their flanks and supply lines, hunt their scouts, and make those 270,000 people unable to have peace, unable to exert full pressure, and even more unable to split troops to reinforce Wei Xi Yuan. Remember, your mission is harassment and containment; preserving strength is the priority."

"Understood!" Luo Feng shouted in response.

At this moment on the front battlefield, the 270,000-strong court army was in a standoff with the Ming Army in Hedong.

The Ming Army relied on solid camps and terrain to defend without any leaks.

The court army was originally a feint and dared not attack with full force, while the pressure from the Ming Army was great, causing them to be unable to split their troops.

Wei Xi Yuan gathered his troops and launched a charge toward the outpost!

Thinking he would have a great victory in the first battle, he didn't expect that there would be no trace of anyone at the outpost, and the grain that the Ming Army didn't have time to take away was burning with raging flames!

Even if it meant burning the grain, Jiang Jinshi would not leave it for him to sustain the war by war.

Wei Xi Yuan looked at the flames and rolling smoke rising from the outpost, feeling a hint of unease in his heart.

"Your Majesty, the Ming thieves are actually so cunning, they burned the grain themselves!" The general beside him gritted his teeth.

"They calculated that Zhen would come, and didn't want to leave even a single grain of rice for Zhen!"

Wei Xi Yuan gritted his teeth, "Good, very good! Jiang Jinshi, you think burning this little bit of grain can make Zhen retreat? Dream on! Pass the order, do not stop, advance at full speed, strike directly at Shuoning city! Zhen wants to see if he burned Shuoning city as well!"

The 50,000 Imperial Guards bypassed the burning outpost and continued to rush north.

However, the road ahead became increasingly difficult to travel.

Whenever the troops relaxed slightly or the formation stretched out, sporadic cold arrows would shoot out from the depths of the dense forest, or a few rocks would roll down, causing small to medium casualties and continuous tension.

The troops sent to search often found nothing; the attackers retreated after one strike, relying on their familiarity with the complex terrain to come and go freely.

The march speed was severely dragged down, and the soldiers' physical strength was rapidly consumed in constant vigilance, detours, and clearing obstacles.

What was even more fatal was that most of the wells along the way that could provide supplies were filled in or poisoned.

Wei Xi Yuan tried to split troops to seize several hills with higher terrain to establish temporary camps, but found that small groups of Ming Army troops had already occupied more favorable positions, using bows and crossbows to suppress them, making it impossible for them to establish a foothold securely.

He finally understood Jiang Jinshi's plan; the other side would not clash with him head-on at all, but wanted to use this endless harassment, destruction, and delay to drag him to death alive!

"Your Majesty, this cannot go on!" A general said with worry, "The soldiers are exhausted, there is little dry ration left, and we cannot find water supplies. The Ming Army is clinging to us like ghosts, we can't shake them off and we can't hit them. If we go further, I'm afraid..."

"Afraid of what?"

Wei Xi Yuan turned his head abruptly and roared: "Afraid? Zhen is leading the expedition in person, who dares to speak of retreat? Shuoning is right before our eyes! Charge over and take Shuoning, and we will have everything! Pass the order, camp on the spot tonight, strengthen vigilance, and tomorrow, at all costs, break through the pass ahead for Zhen!"

Wei Xi Yuan made up his mind to lead the expedition in person, thinking it would be a passionate sacrifice, a grand charge, but he didn't expect that this full-force strike of his would hit cotton, making him feel even more stifled in his heart. ===== CHAPTER 382 =====