Chapter 401

Jiang Jinshi listened quietly to everyone's reports, his gaze always fixed on the huge map of Guanzhong.

"Xiliang's strategy truly grasps the essence of 'you fight yours, I fight mine.'"

Jiang Jinshi slowly opened his mouth, "Wei Wenlie and Si Wushuang intend to trade space for time, harassment for respite, diplomacy for internal turmoil."

They have figured out that our army has newly established Chang'an, with main forces concentrated; sending troops in four directions would spread us too thin, while holding a single point would let them nibble away at vital surrounding locations.

He stood up, walked to the map, and his finger first pointed to Shangluo: "Helian Bobo occupies Shangluo, threatening Lantian, aiming to lock our southeast, block any possible connection with Jingxiang, and restrain Zhang Honghong's forces, preventing us from fully developing the Wei Bei region."

His finger moved toward the Hanzhong direction: "They then made a feint toward Hanzhong, a move to attack and force us to rescue. If Hanzhong falls, the gate to Bashu will be wide open, and our army will find itself under attack from two sides. This is an open ploy, forcing us to divide our troops."

His finger traced the Luo River valley: "Murong Ke's small-scale harassment is a plan to exhaust our troops, ruin the Ming Army's supply lines, chaos in our rear, preventing us from finding peace."

Finally, his finger swept over the various commanderies of Guanzhong: "As for the wavering of local magnates, it is even more like pulling the fire from under the cauldron. The new policies touch their fundamental interests; Xiliang offers them preservation, so naturally some are swayed."

If we cannot swiftly implement the benefits of the new policies among the people and win grassroots support, then the foundation of our rule will be unstable; even with a large army, it would be like building a tower on sand.

He looked around at the civil and military officials in the tent, his voice very firm: "Xiliang wants us to have fires on all sides, exhausted from running, ultimately trapped in the isolated city of Chang'an. Then we will do the opposite!"

"Send a message to Zhang Honghong." Jiang Jinshi looked at Wang Hou.

"Yes!"

"Order her to lead her own cavalry of ten thousand to reinforce Lantian."

"Her mission is not to clash head-on with Helian Bobo in the Shangluo mountains, but to ensure the safety of the Lantian line, firmly blocking Helian Bobo's forces south of Liuling and Yingguan!"

"If necessary, she may take the initiative to strike and harass their supply lines, but she must absolutely avoid reckless battles; holding the line is paramount."

"At the same time, strengthen control over the areas around Lantian, implement the new policies, win popular support, investigate those colluding with Xiliang, and eradicate internal threats."

"Yes!" Wang Hou clasped his fists and accepted the order.

"Also order Han Xiao to immediately mobilize twenty thousand elite infantry and cavalry, bring some siege equipment, and rush south to reinforce Hanzhong, stabilizing the situation there."

"Against the Xiliang army, the focus should be on defensive deterrence; there is no need to seek annihilation."

"The focus is on rectifying Hanzhong's defenses, eliminating local magnates secretly in league with Xiliang, accelerating the implementation of the new policies, and stabilizing popular sentiment."

"We must let Xiliang know that Hanzhong is an unshakable territory of our Beijiang!"

"At the same time, order Bai Ting to increase the sweeping operations in Hebei, ensuring our northeastern flank is secure; if necessary, send reinforcements to the Taihang Mountain passes, make an eastern advance posture, and pin down Xiliang's forces in the Heluo region."

"Yes!"

"As for the harassment in the Luo River valley and the undercurrents within Guanzhong!"

"He Chou, Wang Hou, your people must be fully mobilized."

"In the Luo River valley, set up ambushes to counterattack; we must ensure that Murong Ke's harassment teams have no return, and try to map their infiltration routes; if necessary, we can proactively infiltrate the Tongguan area to retaliate."

"Within Guanzhong, tighten surveillance and division of wavering forces; for those obstinate and with solid evidence of collusion with Xiliang, let Huang Yan confiscate their property as a warning to others!"

"Mr. Xiao, Elder Feng, the implementation of the new policies must be accelerated, especially the land grants, tax reductions, promotion of education, and encouragement of industry and commerce; we must quickly let the people of Guanzhong see and obtain these benefits!"

"We must make the people under our rule feel that life is better than under Xiliang's rule; this is the strongest weapon to undermine Xiliang's political offensive and solidify our foundation!"

"We understand!" several people replied in unison.

"I will hold Chang'an, integrating our forces. Luo Feng will be responsible for Guanzhong's defense, military training, and new recruit recruitment, etc."

"We will build in Chang'an a solid core base that can advance to attack and retreat to defend."

"At the same time, after Han Xiao opens the Fen River valley, he must immediately begin constructing a stable supply line and relay station system from Shuoning to Chang'an, ensuring rear logistics flow smoothly."

"Jiang Jinshi took a deep breath, "Does Xiliang want to compete with us for space and wage a war of attrition?"

"Then let's see whose foundation is more solid!"

"They win over the magnates, while we win over the common people!"

"Wang Hou then hurried away, needing to deliver the news to the frontline commanders as soon as possible."

"Upon receiving Jiang Jinshi's order, Zhang Honghong did not hesitate and immediately carried it out."

"Zhang Honghong led the charge, with over ten thousand elite Beijiang cavalry behind her, galloping along the rugged official road toward the southeastern Lantian City."

"Lantian City, this important county that guards the southeastern gateway of Guanzhong and shields Chang'an, now has a solemn atmosphere."

"The garrison commander is an old soldier who once followed Luo Feng into the rear of the Xiongnu, surnamed Chen, his face still bearing an unhealed scar."

"Upon seeing Zhang Honghong's army arrive, he hurried forward: "Junior Commander Chen Da, I greet General Zhang! If the general does not come again, this Lantian... I truly do not know how many more days I can hold out!"

"Zhang Honghong dismounted, and Tang Lin behind her also dismounted and stepped forward."

""Commander Chen, please rise! What is the current situation? Where is Helian Bobo now? How many troops does he have? Please tell me the details of the harassment." Zhang Honghong exchanged no pleasantries, getting straight to the point."

"Chen Da quickly rose to report: "General, the main force of Xiliang's Helian Bobo numbers about twenty thousand cavalry, currently occupying Shangluo City, with a vanguard of about three thousand that has advanced to the Liuling and Yingguan area, less than thirty li from Lantian."

"Their raiding cavalry are extremely rampant, scouting close by several times a day, even bypassing sentry posts to kill our supply and patrol teams."

"When I sent troops out of the city to drive them away, they relied on their horses' speed to flee into the mountains."

"The day before yesterday, a force of about five hundred Xiliang cavalry attempted a sneak attack on a southern grain depot; my troops repelled them, but we lost over a hundred men."

"Their tactics are elusive, coming and going like the wind, always striking at our weak points while avoiding direct confrontation, making them very troublesome. Panic spreads among the townspeople, and grain transport is severely affected."

"Entering the simple county hall, a rough map of the surrounding Lantian area hangs on the wall."

"Zhang Honghong and Tang Lin walked up to the map, their eyes firmly fixed on the mountainous area around Liuling and Yingguan."

"Helian Bobo is a famous fierce general of Xiliang, and a thoroughgoing Qianghu person!"

"Or rather, since Wei Wenlie rose to power in Xiliang, his troops naturally contain more Qianghu than Han people."

"Seeing Zhang Honghong silent, Chen Da continued: "He holds Shangluo; advancing, he threatens Lantian; retreating, he can rely on the strategic passes of Wuguan. If we do not chop off his outstretched claws, Lantian will never have peace, and our lord's southeastern gateway will always lie open."

"Zhang Honghong directly replied: "Since our great army has arrived, why stand on ceremony with him? Let me lead five thousand elite cavalry straight to Liuling, first devouring that three-thousand vanguard! Give Helian Bobo a blow to knock him off his horse!"