Chapter 972 – Battle on the Northern Frontier (9)
If the Central Plains were the battlefield, Jiang Pengji could defend the city walls, avoiding direct confrontation with the cavalry, and strike at the Northern Border using other methods.
But now, the Northern Border is the main battlefield. Such open terrain is a paradise for the cavalry to gallop freely and come and go as they please.
For the Northern Border to achieve this, there’s a very important prerequisite—
They have so many cavalry!
Ever since the Horse Plague several years ago, the Northern Frontier Cavalry has suffered greatly and has been sluggish ever since.
The Northern Border Royal Court colluded with the Cangzhou Meng Clan to buy mares at high prices, greatly increasing the foal output, but raising foals also takes time. Jiang Pengji took advantage of the timing and selected the most awkward moment for the Northern Border to launch her forces, forcing them into a hasty response.
At this moment, who knows how many Northern aristocrats are cursing Jiang Pengji’s ancestors eighteen generations back?
When is it a good time to go to war, and why’d she have to pick this inopportune moment?
She could have waited a little longer until the Northern Border regained some strength and then fought a proper battle.
Or she could have started earlier, so the Northern Border wouldn’t suffer such a significant loss from dealing with the Meng Clan; the funds saved could have been invested in military expansion.
Now, it’s great; the Northern Border hasn’t even recovered, and the funds they put out have gone down the drain.
“Liu Thief is being too much—”
The Ninth Prince angrily tore up the confidential report.
Damn—she actually dared to attack!
If she was going to fight, that woman actually used their Second Prince as a bait.
When has the Northern Border suffered such grievances?
When have they been slapped in the face like this?
“Dai Wang, I’m willing to lead the army to drive away the Liu Thief.”
Wu Libai is not only a sage of the Northern Border but also one of the few wise generals, with plenty of commanding experience, fully qualified to lead an army. However, the Ninth Prince is wary of Wu Libai’s master-student relationship with the Third Prince and doesn’t dare to grant full military command, choosing instead to appoint another as commander, with Wu Libai in a supporting role.
Since the Northern Border King is paralyzed from a stroke and cannot manage state affairs, the Ninth Prince has temporarily taken up the role of Dai Wang, assuming the responsibilities of the Northern Border King.
Whether Wu Libai can be the commander still needs the Ninth Prince’s approval.
The result is self-evident—Wu Libai took the initiative to volunteer but received this outcome, leaving him naturally aggrieved.
Grievance aside, now is not the time to concern oneself with personal losses; the most important task at hand is to repel the Liu Thief.
Nonetheless, when Wu Libai learned who the commander of the three armies was, his eyes went red with anger.
The commander is none other than Wu Libai’s political rival—the second major contributor to helping the Ninth Prince become Dai Wang—Halencha.
When enemies meet, sparks fly; Halencha and Wu Libai are definitely at odds.
It would be good if they didn’t hinder each other; how can they be expected to push forward together?
The Ninth Prince didn’t notice the tense exchange of glances between Halencha and Wu Libai and suddenly dropped a bombshell.
“I’m planning to lead the troops personally to boost the morale of the three armies!”
Lead the troops personally?
Oh boy—
Halencha and Wu Libai silently cursed in their hearts.
Does this brat want to stir up trouble?
Does he not know what it means—when the general is out, the king’s orders are not to be heeded?
Not to mention that as Dai Wang, when he leads the troops personally, should the three armies listen to the commander or to him? The Ninth Prince can’t even hope to lead a battle; he’s even less competent than the Second Prince. At least the Second Prince has the prestige of campaigning against tribes, but the Ninth Prince knows nothing.
To give a thousand steps back, if the Ninth Prince arrives at the front lines without taking charge and generously lets the field command to commanders without interfering with the battle—
That won’t work either; on the battlefield, danger is everywhere. If the Ninth Prince accidentally gets captured by the enemy, is he here to help or to cause chaos?
For the first time, Wu Libai and Halencha reached a consensus—to stop the Ninth Prince.
“Dai Wang, leading troops personally concerns the fate of the nation; I beg you to think twice—”
If they can win, it would be no issue at all.
But if they lose, and Dai Wang gets captured or killed, no matter what, it would deliver a tremendous blow to the morale of the Northern Border.
From any angle, the Northern Border is not at a point that requires the Dai Wang to lead troops personally at this time; if it can be avoided, it should be.
Little did they know, the Ninth Prince’s desire to personally lead the troops stemmed from his own insecurities.
If all the forces were sent to the front lines, leaving him to guard the royal court, it would mean drastically reducing the troops that protect him.
If his brothers teamed up to secretly attack the royal court, wouldn’t he be finished?
Rather than that, he might as well go to the front lines; not only could he boost the morale of the three armies, but he could also keep the various commanders in check, reducing collusion and conflicts within the army. If he could defeat Liu Xi, perhaps he could go from Dai Wang to the real Northern Border King!
A first-time personal campaign leading to a great victory—what does that indicate?
It shows he is the Northern Border King chosen by the God of the Grasslands, the one destined by heaven!
Aside from Halencha and Wu Libai, other ministers repeatedly advised him, all saying the same thing—
Just stay put in the royal court and don’t bounce around; leave the fighting to the leaders, little brat, just play in the mud.
Upon hearing this, the Ninth Prince flew into a rage, insisting on leading the troops personally, and no one could persuade him!
With his arms that can’t bend against the legs, the Ninth Prince was resolute about leading the troops, forcing Wu Libai and Halencha to answer grimly in agreement.
After all, the king has more than one son.
If there’s no Ninth Prince, there’s still a string of princes waiting for their turn.
The Northern Border spans a vast land of gentle grasslands, deserts, glaciers, marshes, and seemingly tranquil yet perilously fraught areas.
As they left the checkpoints at the Northern Border and Dongqing borders, heading further north, the terrain became flatter, and the visibility increasingly clearer.
Though Sun Wen hadn’t stayed in the Northern Border for long, he had done his homework exceptionally well, as if he had lived there for decades.
Jiang Pengji listened carefully to his suggestions, contemplating adoption or improvement.
“…Further ahead, the terrain becomes even more open, the mountains are gentle… this area is exceptionally suitable for cavalry to gather and charge… According to the scouts’ reports, they’ve already set up camp by the Huanshui River. This place has abundant water resources, and the terrain is open, making it not easy for ambushes…”
Jiang Pengji led the vanguard camp and cavalry to the destination, but the main forces and logistical support would take another day to arrive.
“Huanshui?” Jiang Pengji stared at the river on the map in a daze. “The Northern Border is camping by the water?”
Sun Wen was puzzled. He said, “According to the scouts’ report, that is indeed the case.”
Setting up camp has its rules. From the selection of camp locations to the distribution of the tent layout, this is a science.
Not only must the size and orientation of each camp be considered to prevent enemy ambushes, but how to quickly relay information to ensure swift communication on the battlefield is also crucial. Besides that, the camp vicinity also needs to have clean water sources.
Jiang Pengji knitted her brow and asked Sun Wen, “Do you know the length and width of the Huanshui and its source?”
Sun Wen is a smart man; Jiang Pengji doesn’t need to explain too much for him to guess part of it.
Beside them, Feng Zhen, with his many ideas, also figured it out, “Is your intention, Lord, to cut off their water supply from the source? That might not work; they know the distribution of the Northern Border’s water sources better than we do. If we cut off this river, they can still choose another. It’s impossible to guard against it.”
The Northern Border does not have abundant water, but it’s also not in extreme drought.
It’s just the beginning of spring; as spring and summer come, the melting glaciers upstream will only make the river flow more plentiful.
Sun Wen frowned, “Could it be poisoning?”
Jiang Pengji clicked her tongue, “We’re downstream; if we poison upstream, our soldiers will also suffer.”
