When it comes to the ability to play the good guy, Man Chong can be said to be the best in Wei.
Before the battle, the generals of the central army, foreign army, and prefecture and county troops were mentally lashed out by Man Chong. According to Man Chong's idea, this anger would eventually be vented on the enemy.
After finishing their speeches, the generals, military officers, and chief clerks walked out of the tent and returned to their camps. The cavalry camp was located at the foot of Yiwulü Mountain to the west of Wuliu City, more than three miles away from the east side of the city wall.
Wen Qin led a few people westward, and Sun Li rode his horse to Wen Qin's side.
"General," Sun Li said in a low voice, "Where does General Man get so angry? The extent of his reprimanding of everyone today seems to be a bit excessive."
Wen Qin sat on a magnificent brown horse, glanced left and right, raised his head and sneered, "Who cares where his anger comes from? He is an important official in the Western Court, and we are his subordinates. What can he do if he really scolds us?"
"Is it you, Sun Deda, who dares to talk back? Or is it me, Wen Qin, who dares to talk back?"
Sun Li whispered, "Tian Guorang and Xianyu Bonan have indeed been wronged. The night battle was ordered by General Man, and the deadline was tight, so heavy casualties are inevitable."
Wen Qin didn't care. He folded the whip in his hand and squeezed it in his hand, then whipped it in the air: "This matter has happened to the two of them, so it's their bad luck."
"This is the first battle in the Liaodong campaign. How dare they fail to win? It's better to be scolded if more soldiers die. If Your Majesty waits all night but still fails to conquer the city, I'm afraid someone will lose his head."
"Deda, no matter how General Man feels, he is always right about one thing." Wen Qin looked at Sun Li and said, "That is, Tian Yu and Xian Yujing are both trash!"
Sun Li was stunned, his eyes slightly widened as he looked at Wen Qin, not knowing what this General Zuo Yulin meant.
Wen Qin snorted and looked forward: "Tian Yu's life achievement is to fight against the Hu people on the grassland. When he met the Han people, he didn't know how to fight. He just relied on his seniority to show off in front of Your Majesty. Xian Yujing is even more incompetent. He relied on his father's favor to become a general. He can't even attack a city."
Sun Li opened his mouth slightly, wanting to advise his general, but in the end he couldn't speak and could only sigh in his heart.
They were all generals, how could they change because of someone else's words? Even His Majesty and Man Chong knew about Wen Qin's arrogant character, so what could I do to persuade him?
Since the expedition against Shu, the Jian'an generals represented by Self-Defense General Cao Hong and Wuwei General Xu Chu retreated to the second line. General Cao Zhen left several capable generals such as Fei Yao on the western front. Wen Qin was promoted from the position of the commander of the five camps to the position of General Zuo Yu Lin, becoming the commander of the strongest central cavalry of the Wei Dynasty.
Wen Qin has such a high position at the age of just forty. Why shouldn't he be arrogant?
According to the current emperor's consistent statement, it does not matter if a general is a little greedy or arrogant, as long as he obeys orders, is loyal and can fight.
Very pragmatic.
Sun Li sighed, "In any case, the Wei has the upper hand in this battle. We just hope to quickly pacify Liaodong and return before winter comes."
"Deda is right!" Wen Qin put away his arrogance, "My father once followed Emperor Wu to conquer the Wuhuan, and I have heard about the climate in Liaodong. The temperature in September is still bearable, but in October it is frozen and difficult to march."
"At that time, Emperor Wu collected more than 200,000 Han and Wuhuan people and delayed his return until the end of September. On the way back, he had to kill horses for food because there was no water or food. Some soldiers had their fingers and toes broken."
"It has always been harder to finish a battle than to start it." Wen Qin sighed, put the whip into the bag on the right side of the saddle, and counted with his fingers: "It will soon be the end of May, and the real battle with Gongsun will probably be in June. It would be best to set off and return in September. The real battle will only last for more than three months, and we also have to consider floods and other disasters."
Sun Li replied solemnly, "Liaodong is farther away than Liucheng. It took more than three months to conquer Liaodong, Xuantu, Lelang, and Daifang, four counties covering a thousand miles. Your Majesty also wants to wipe out small countries such as Goguryeo, Buyeo, and Baekje. It is indeed a bit difficult."
"General, do you remember the incident at Jieshi, when His Majesty asked the Xiongnu to recite "Viewing the Sea"?"
Wen Qin nodded.
Sun Li said: "Emperor Wu wrote five poems at that time, collectively known as "Stepping Out of Xiamen". "Viewing the Sea" is just one of them. There is also "Different Soils" describing winter."
Among all the officials under Wen Qin, Sun Li was the one most valued by His Majesty. In addition, he was both civil and military, had led troops and served as a governor, and was the most respected by Wen Qin. Therefore, Wen Qin always treated Sun Li with special courtesy.
Wen Qin said, "I have never heard of this poem. Please recite it to me."
Sun Li replied: "A needle cannot penetrate the ground, but a reed can grow deep and deep. Water will not flow if it dries up, but ice can be walked on. A hermit is poor, while a brave and chivalrous man is not worthy of justice. He always sighs and complains, and is filled with sorrow and sadness."
"The difficulty of marching in winter is all in this poem."
Wen Qin sighed, "It seems that when your Majesty spoke about "Viewing the Sea" in public, he also had some intention of guiding the crowd, but Generals Man and Guanqiu didn't hear it."
"Deda is still careful."
Sun Li shook his head and said, "I just thought of it today."
Wen Qin said, "I don't know why, but ever since I can remember, winter seems to be getting colder every year."
"Deda, do you remember how Jiang Zitong got the emperor's will?"
Sun Li chuckled, "How could I not remember? Jiang Zitong was able to become the governor of Yangzhou thanks to his achievement in bringing back all the boats in Guangling in the sixth year of Huangchu."
Wen Qin continued, "I remember that year, the Huai River froze in late October. It was unheard of."
"I hope this advancement will go smoothly. Let's work hard!"
Sun Li nodded and said, "General, you are right. I hope everything goes well."
…Just as Generals Wen Qin and Sun Li were discussing military strategy, Cao Rui saw Man Chong returning to the county hall in the city and asked:
"General Man has returned from his meeting with the other generals? How are the people's spirits?"
Man Chong bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, I just used the incident of Tian Yu and Xian Yujing yesterday as an excuse to reprimand and criticize all the generals, in order to reduce their arrogance and underestimation of the enemy."
Cao Rui nodded and said, "You and I are the good guy and the bad guy respectively. Managing the army is like managing the officials. Simply rewarding will only feed their appetites, while simply punishing will only frustrate the people. It is impossible to completely avoid the arrogance of the officers and soldiers, but it is good to be able to play some role."
"Please take your seats. I and the other ministers are waiting for General Man."
"As you wish." Man Chong bowed slightly and slowly sat down at the upper right hand side of the emperor.
At this time, among the ministers in the hall, Man Chong, Xu Shu, and Guanqiu Jian were sitting on the right, and Sima Yi, Pei Qian, and Lu Yu were sitting on the left, waiting for Man Chong to discuss military strategies.
Cao Rui said softly, "The army set out from Youbeiping County on April 21st and it took more than 20 days to reach Wuliu."
"It also took Liu Ye's detachment five days longer than expected to travel from Lulong Pass to Changli. He planned to travel thirty days, but I gave him ten more days. Now it seems that I was right."
Sima Yi cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, Liu Ye's arrival a few days later will not affect the battle situation of the army."
"For now, the army needs to go east along the road south of Liaoze and advance to the Liaosui City area. There is a risk that bandits will block the 200-li route."
Cao Rui looked at Man Chong from the side and said, "General Man, how many days does the army need to rest in Wulv City?"
Man Chong said firmly, "If it is a normal march, we can set out tomorrow or this afternoon. But if we want to attack a stronghold, we need to rest for at least three days. While waiting for logistics, we also need to wait for scouts to investigate the military situation ahead."
Cao Rui nodded and said, "Three days is three days. That means we will set out on May 20th? Can we reach Liaosui on the 25th?"
"That's right." Man Chong said.
Cao Rui looked at his ministers and said, "Emperor Wu had never been to Liaodong. The Privy Council has only made a rough outline of how to fight. The specific details will change with the times."
"How do you think Gongsun Yuan will respond?"
Sima Yi smiled and said, "Your Majesty, the geography of Liaodong is clear, and I have also made a rough guess."
"Tell me!" Cao Rui waved towards Sima Yi.
Sima Yi said: "There are five main points in military affairs: if you can fight, you should fight; if you can't fight, you should defend; if you can't defend, you should flee. The other two options are surrender and death."
"If you were in Gongsun Yuan's situation, you would have three strategies to use: the best, the middle, and the worst."
Cao Rui smiled and said, "Three strategies again?"
Sima Yi nodded and said: "The best strategy is to abandon the city and flee, heading north to Buyeo and east to Goguryeo, using the steep mountains and terrain to hold back the imperial army, and then return when the weather gets cold and the army retreats."
"The middle strategy is to hold the Liao Tunnel and the Liao River, hoping to delay the imperial court's advance until autumn or winter."
"The worst option is to defend the city and wait for Wei to attack."
Cao Rui seemed to remember something and asked with a smile, "Which strategy do you think Gongsun Yuan will choose?"
Sima Yi cupped his hands and said, "This is a matter of national importance. I dare not speculate. The Wei Dynasty should respond to all three possible decisions of Gongsun Yuan."
Cao Rui also put away his smile: "What Sikong said is very true."
"If he defends the Liao River and Liao Tunnel, we can attack him with our army. If he defends the city, it will be similar to what his cousin Gongsun Zan did. No matter how he defends, it is a military matter, and we will just deal with it."
"It would be more difficult for him to escape."
Xu Shu bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I think it is a little early to discuss this matter now. Why not wait until the army reaches Liaosui before discussing it?"
Cao Rui nodded: "Well, let's discuss it later."
"I remember the Privy Council once said that ships from Qingzhou and Jizhou could reach Liaokou?"
Man Chong cupped his hands and replied, "Your Majesty, the grain and fodder logistics from all over Jizhou are gathered in Quanzhou, Yuyang County through the canal transport, and are under the unified management of Xin Shizhong."
"The ships requisitioned by Qingzhou and Jizhou will also sail from Quanzhou along the northern coast of Bohai Sea to Liaokou to provide supplies for the army."
"Liao Tunnel is difficult to attack, but Liaokou is just a flat place at the mouth of a river, without any strategic locations, and is very easy to capture. After the army reaches the west bank of the Liao River, the first thing to do is to capture Liaokou."
Cao Rui asked: "It seems that sea transportation is already reliable?" (End of this chapter)
