Chapter 1175 – Attacking Xu Pei, the First Kill of the Lords (Part 45)
Cheng Jing lowered his eyelids, gravely stating, “Previously, our lord dispatched the old Captain Yuan to ambush the grain line in Hujun’s Xincheng. Although he successfully burned five thousand stones of enemy grain, it also alerted the enemy. Would Liu Xi take this lightly? Using the same trick again now seems unlikely to yield results.”
Cheng Jing was not optimistic about Xu Pei’s request.
While Xu Pei and Jiang Pengji were waging war on the Qichuan Plain, indeed attracting most of the troops, it didn’t mean Huang Song could easily infiltrate enemy territory without risks. Long-distance marching was one concern; the real fear was Jiang Pengji reacting swiftly and cutting off Huang Song’s main force’s retreat.
Hujun was a major grain-producing area; it was also Jiang Pengji’s main supply route for her army, so how could it lack any defenses?
True, Huang Song and Xu Pei had formed an alliance, but it wouldn’t put themselves in a dire situation for a mere ally.
This matter seemed like an easy job, but in reality, it was backbreaking work with little reward.
Whoever gave Xu Pei such an idea was really throwing his ally under the bus.
Huang Song understood what Cheng Jing was saying but to push back against Xu Pei on their first collaboration as allies felt wrong.
Their alliance was built on interests and positions, lacking any real trust. Though this relationship looked solid, it was quite fragile in essence.
Without a foundation of trust, it meant external interests could easily drive a wedge between their alliance.
Even if they couldn’t be fractured, the so-called alliance was akin to a house of cards.
“That’s true, but how do we refuse this matter without harming our friendship?” Huang Song asked.
Cheng Jing replied, “Either tell the truth or feign an attack on Hujun, putting on a show.”
“Tell the truth?” Huang Song was momentarily taken aback.
Cheng Jing explained, “Naturally, about Captain Yuan’s grain seizure.”
Huang Song had already raided their grain route, and doing it again in a short time? Wouldn’t that be just asking for trouble?
This wasn’t an ambush; it was practically putting his head on a platter.
Huang Song frowned in distress, but he didn’t outright say yes or no.
Meanwhile, the Qichuan Plain was ablaze with activity.
Jiang Pengji had taken control of the Northern Frontier and Cangzhou, and with a wealth of resources, she was hastily forming a cavalry unit.
The terrain of the Qichuan Plain was wide and open, extremely suitable for cavalry maneuvers or heavy cavalry charges.
She was known to generously spend from her treasury; not only her living expenses, but she even dug into her coffin fund to strengthen her army.
Once both armies clashed, Xu Pei undeniably found himself at a disadvantage, be it in a direct confrontation or a skirmish, he was no match.
Hearing this news, Han Yu, who had been holed up at home, couldn’t sit still any longer.
“Liu Xi has control of both the Northern Frontier and Cangzhou’s stables, so who gave you the courage to fight her on the Qichuan Plain?”
When Han Yu received the news, he was in the courtyard brewing tea, and in his anger, he knocked over the tea stove, nearly burning his hand.
Upon detailed inquiry, it turned out this foolish idea was actually suggested by a certain strategist under Xu Pei.
If they could defeat the enemy’s army head-on, their morale would undoubtedly soar.
This strategist was known to Han Yu; while solid in theoretical knowledge, he had almost zero practical experience, basically another paper strategist.
While he proposed the idea, he also laid out his reasoning.
At first glance, those reasons seemed quite reasonable.
Though the strategist considered the cavalry issue, Jiang Pengji had taken Cangzhou less than half a year ago and claimed the Northern Frontier just about a year ago. How strong a cavalry force could she have built in such a short time? The costs of training cavalry were immense—not just financially but also time-consuming.
Furthermore, no matter how powerful a cavalry team was, if there weren’t many of them, they wouldn’t pose much of a threat.
Discounting the advantages of cavalry, the combat power of both sides should be fairly close. The Qichuan Plain was their main battlefield, so it wasn’t impossible for them to win.
Xu Pei and the others thought of everything, except the time Jiang Pengji spent training her cavalry.
To deal with the Northern Frontier, she had started forming cavalry regiments years ago, not just the year or half a year people assumed.
In the first battle at the Northern Frontier, the number of cavalry under her command wasn’t small, not out of hiding her strength, but because she lacked enough war horses.
After claiming the Northern Frontier and Cangzhou, her number of war horses skyrocketed, and her cavalry regiment suddenly expanded multiple times.
After the loss in the initial battle, Xu Pei was compelled to send for Han Yu, who had been hiding at home growing mushrooms.
Once Han Yu arrived, he instructed Xu Pei to retreat, choosing to defend the mountain passes to curb the cavalry’s advantages.
Cavalry are not all-powerful, but ordinary infantry need ample preparation and the right terrain to combat cavalry effectively. For example, mountains, woods, and canyons would significantly reduce the cavalry’s combat effectiveness and survival capabilities.
The Qichuan Plain’s vast terrain was like a paradise for cavalry; not to mention, Liu Xi had heavy cavalry regiments under her command. Even with their defenses tightly secured, they wouldn’t withstand the charge of countless heavy cavalry. Instead of opting for a direct confrontation, retreating and utilizing the terrain to stabilize military morale was a wiser choice.
Han Yu was naturally cautious. If this battle was placed under his command from the start, even without knowing the enemy’s strength, he would choose the safest strategy, stabilizing first before seeking to expand their victories. Greed alone could lead one to disaster.
His choice really slapped that previous strategist’s face.
Unfortunately, Xu Pei currently valued Han Yu too much, so he couldn’t even make any snarky comments.
Unaware of his counterpart’s feelings, Han Yu was only concerned with the battlefield situation, such as the losses from the previous battle.
As Xu Pei’s side retreated, Yang Si recognized this guy Han Yu was back in action.
“Wasn’t he at home refusing visitors, locked up or something?”
Han Yu specialized in targeting Yang Si’s weaknesses; encountering him, Yang Si truly felt he had no chance to express his frustrations.
Qin Gong said, “Han Yu is Xu Pei’s most trusted strategist. They had a small quarrel, but it won’t last. Even ordinary couples can fight and make up quickly, let alone with this battle being so significant. No matter how much resentment Han Yu feels, he shouldn’t sit idly by.”
Originally fuming, Yang Si found himself speechless.
Qin Gong’s straightforward analogy made him feel a bit uncomfortable to watch.
Yang Si fell silent, and Qin Gong straightforwardly asked, “Military adviser, did I say something wrong?”
“No—” Yang Si put down his hands and cleared his throat, “That makes sense.”
Qin Gong asked, “So what should we do now? Xu Pei’s army has retreated, and the surrounding area is all hills and forests.”
With Xu Pei and the others hiding there, the cavalry’s combat power would be practically nullified unless they figured out a way to draw them out.
Of course, another option would be a forced assault, which would undoubtedly raise casualties.
Just as Yang Si was hesitating, a Messenger arrived with news that their lord was dispatching troops to the front lines.
Yang Si: “…”
Wait—
How did their lord go from being settled for a moment to suddenly rushing back to the front lines?
If their lord wanted to showcase her skills in a siege battle, how was he supposed to persuade her not to!?
“It’s over, it’s over—”
Yang Si muttered.
Qin Gong asked, “What’s over?”
“I’m over!”
With his resolve firm, Yang Si decided to set aside other matters and went to welcome their lord first.
