Chapter 1462 – Attacking Nie Liang and Yang Tao, Aiming for the World (Part 2)
“Thankfully, the Lord loves to build roads; otherwise, this batch of supplies would have taken a few more days to arrive.”
Upon learning that the first batch of supplies had reached the front lines, Feng Zhen and the others quickly sent people to welcome it, rushing to tally the supplies and verify the accounts without pausing for even a moment.
Once everything was confirmed accurate, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Their Lord was a bit temperamental, changing plans at the last minute, which had left them worried about insufficient defensive equipment at the front lines. If they adopted a defensive formation, it would surely lead to great losses.
Feng Zhen and the others had been on tenterhooks for several days, afraid the enemy would catch on, and they barely slept.
Now that the supplies had arrived, they felt much more confident.
Yang Si’s haggard face broke into a faint smile, and he said, “The Lord always says, ‘To get rich, one must first build roads.’ It may sound rough, but it holds truth.”
On normal days without a war, well-maintained roads made it easy for the Common People to travel.
Once the battle started, the supplies could reach the front lines faster.
This was incredibly important for the ever-changing front lines.
After tidying up the supplies, Fu Wang gathered everyone to discuss strategies.
Zhangzhou was Yang Tao’s stronghold, and the water routes were well-developed, making it very difficult for unfamiliar outsiders to launch an attack.
Of course, even familiar terrain wouldn’t help if one was not skilled in naval warfare.
Feng Zhen remarked, “Our Lord is a master of preparation; she had the foresight to bring Qi Kuang from Yang Jian’s side early on, or this battle would be quite challenging.”
Back at the Huanshui Alliance years ago, Feng Zhen had recommended Qi Kuang to Jiang Pengji.
Since it wouldn’t be appropriate to directly request people from Yang Jian, she had used the excuse of ‘borrowing him for observation’ to ‘borrow’ Qi Kuang, and to this day, she had no intention of returning him. Qi Kuang had diligently trained the navy for Jiang Pengji for many years. As a true doer, he only focused on training and never sought recognition, thus his presence had always been low.
However, that didn’t diminish Qi Kuang’s contributions; his efforts over the years were indeed valuable.
Without him, the naval battle against the Northern Frontier back then wouldn’t have been such a breeze, let alone establishing dominance over the North.
Now, in the water-rich Zhangzhou, naval battles were unavoidable.
Sending a bunch of landlubbers onto ships to fight a naval battle would be handing the enemy an easy victory—what a ridiculous move!
Even with last-minute preparations, casualties would be tremendously high.
Yang Si chuckled, “I’m not one to disagree with that.”
Qi Kuang humbly commented that he didn’t consider this to be his sole achievement; without the Lord’s trust and support over the years, he wouldn’t be where he was today. After all, most of Jiang Pengji’s territory was in the North, where naval warfare seldom came into play, so training a navy was seen as a waste of time and energy.
Training a navy was no easy feat, and the energy costs were unimaginable for outsiders.
Qi Kuang was very much aware that there were already complaints regarding the navy, with some deeming it useless and accusing it of consuming too many military resources.
“This is thanks to the Lord and all the soldiers; it cannot be attributed solely to one subordinate!”
Qi Kuang showed a slightly shy smile, and then he shifted the topic, “In Zhangzhou, where the water routes are developed, years ago, water bandits were rampant. Yang Jian led a cleanup, and things quieted down for a while. However, during the ensuing chaos, the number of bandits only increased. Yang Tao is currently focused on the region of Nansheng, so he likely can’t spare the troops to deal with the water bandits in Zhangzhou. I have an idea, but I’m not sure if it’s feasible.”
Fu Wang responded, “Why don’t you share it and let the strategists help assess?”
Qi Kuang said, “Though I’m a local of Zhangzhou and have dealt with water all my life, I can’t claim to be more familiar than those water bandits. If Yang Tao hasn’t completely subdued them, we might consider sending some of our navy to capture a few, and from them, ascertain details about the waterways.”
Some areas had deep waters and rushing currents, while others were shallow and prone to rocks.
Even having grown up by the water, Qi Kuang wouldn’t dare to say he knew every waterway in Zhangzhou.
He had experience in naval battles, having participated in hundreds of skirmishes against water bandits alongside Yang Jian, and he had summed up a set of tactics for dealing with bandits.
If they were to send the navy to capture bandits, it shouldn’t require much effort.
Fu Wang and the others agreed with this suggestion.
They had Kunyu maps in hand, but the maps were exceedingly simplistic, offering only a rough layout of water routes without much detail. If they were to wage war against Yang Tao, such maps would be useless. If they could find some knowledgeable water bandits, they wouldn’t have to worry about getting lost in the waterways.
Of course…
If they could capture those bandits and their water strongholds, that would be even better.
More than half a month before the armies clashed, Yang Tao eagerly awaited Yan Lin’s return.
“How’s our army’s preparation?”
As soon as Yan Lin arrived, he rushed to find Yang Tao to inquire about the situation without even stopping to change his clothes.
Before he went to Zhong Zhao, he had prepared a backup “external brain” for Yang Tao, a strategist named Qian Su.
Qian Su had been childhood friends with Yan Lin, sharing similar interests, and they had kept in touch over the years. Back then, when Yan Lin assisted Yang Tao in seizing power from the false Emperor Changshou Wang, he wouldn’t have succeeded without Qian Su’s covert support and the aid of family power.
During the time Yan Lin was gone, Qian Su helped Yang Tao manage the internal affairs with great efficiency, ensuring the logistics preparation was flawless.
“It’s all ready,” Qian Su said. “Should Shaoyang go and check?”
“Do you think I wouldn’t trust you, Lin?” Yan Lin replied. “What’s the Lord’s stance on this battle?”
Qian Su said, “The Lord seems highly motivated for battle, but… those beneath her have their own hidden agendas.”
Yang Tao’s command structure was quite complex; some were veterans brought from Zhangzhou, while others came from the reclaimed or defected forces in Nansheng. Compared to the unwavering loyalty of the former, the latter were more like opportunists. Seeing Jiang Pengji’s powerful presence, especially with over 200,000 elite troops pressing in, they were already losing their nerve before the fighting even began, and morale was low. Qian Su had been troubled by this for some time.
Yan Lin stated, “I anticipated this.”
Those people didn’t care whether Yang Tao won or lost; they only cared about whether their own interests would rise or fall.
Qian Su asked, “What do you think of our chances in this battle?”
Yan Lin didn’t hold back, “Our forces are somewhat weaker, but it won’t be easy for Liu Xi to win either.”
Yang Tao had suffered significant losses at the Nansheng battlefield, with supplies consumed nearly to the last grain, and before he could catch his breath, Jiang Pengji’s troops were already at his doorstep, placing him at a severe disadvantage. However, Yan Lin didn’t believe that these setbacks would inevitably lead to Yang Tao’s defeat.
Zhangzhou boasted a unique terrain, with waterways crisscrossing its entirety; to take it, naval warfare was essential.
Qian Su remarked, “Indeed, most of Liu Xi’s troops are Northerners, not skilled in navigating water.”
Yan Lin forced a smile, and he said, “That’s not entirely the case.”
“What do you mean?”
Yan Lin explained, “You may not know, but back during the Huanshui Alliance, Liu Xi borrowed a Centurion from the former Lord. This Centurion seemed inconspicuous, but I’ve watched him for quite a while and found him quite capable. In the right situation, he could be put to good use. Unfortunately…”
Unfortunately, he was borrowed and hasn’t been returned ever since.
“If nothing unexpected happens, Liu Xi has a navy at his disposal, so we cannot afford to be complacent.”
