knife

Chapter 598 A Full-Force Attack is Necessary

When Xiang Ying heard He Zudao's light but not heavy contempt for Na Wei, saying that he came from a poor and remote area and did not know the heroes and valiant men of the Central Plains, he couldn't help but want to laugh.

He Zudao was a man of exceptional talent, but ultimately he lacked magnanimity. This may be related to his childhood environment, as he came from a humble family and was inherently lacking in generosity. Later, he suffered too much humiliation during his growth, which ultimately shaped his personality.

When one is down on one's luck, one must be resilient; when one is successful, one will be vengeful and vindictive.

This also limited his growth.

In fact, Na Wei is not much better than He Zudao. Just look at the ridiculous tests that his wolf soldiers have made against him during this period.

However, it was precisely because of this that Xiang Ying dared to confidently unite with them and use them.

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Xiang Ying preemptively asked, "I have always admired General He's military talent. In your opinion, how many troops would we need to mobilize if we wanted to wipe out that witch in one battle?"

Without hesitation, He Zudao replied, "On land, we need to mobilize at least 100,000 troops that are no less capable than the Tiger Legion. On water, to ensure victory, we need at least 200 warships!"

"So many?" Xiong Yi shook his head in surprise. "General He, it's impossible for us to muster so many troops in such a short time."

"General He, have you forgotten that it was our two families who joined forces to wipe out that witch? Judging from your attitude, you're planning to let us take on the burden alone while you watch the show from the sidelines?" He Zheng laughed.

Na Wei simply sneered and remained silent.

"Everyone here knows very well how strong the 30,000 Tiger Warriors are in Yong'an!" He Zudao said coldly. "Each of the two prefectures has more than 10,000 soldiers, which are enough to fight. Ke Wuji and He Yiming have more than 20,000 troops under their command, of which 3,000 to 5,000 are elites. And I estimate that there should also be some elites sent by Li Dachui mixed in!"

“How come you see?”

"Because Yang Lixin had a Green Forest Cavalry under his command, whose combat strength was quite good, but in this battle, they were all wiped out by the enemy's cavalry fighting cavalry. Three thousand Green Forest Cavalrymen, just like that, gone! Do Yong'an and Ruyin have such powerful cavalry?" He Zudao asked rhetorically.

"Weren't you from Shu Commandery?"

"When did Shu County become famous for its cavalry?" He Zudao shook his head: "It's obvious that these people were secretly brought in when Li Dachui and Wei Zhengdao were still colluding together. Now we have to add troops from Shu. I don't know the others, but I do know Wu De! Gentlemen, if you want to decide the outcome in one battle and not give the opponent a chance, is 100,000 elite troops too many?"

Xiang Ying took a deep breath.

According to He Zudao's calculations, the enemy's elite force numbered as many as 40,000 to 50,000. Moreover, since it was a battle fought on their home turf, and the imperial army had to travel a long distance, they would indeed need several times the number of troops to have any chance of winning.

"Shu County has nearly a hundred warships, but they have only been in service for a little over a year and their combat power is limited. However, Wang Dao has over a hundred warships under his command. Together, the two sides have more than two hundred ships." He Zu said, "I said you should send at least two hundred ships because the imperial navy is generally more skilled in naval warfare than the other side, and the naval commander Chen Yan is more experienced than Wang Dao."

Xiang Ying pondered for a moment and said, "General He's words are not without reason. It's just that we really can't come up with an elite force like the 100,000 Tiger Warriors right now. It's not that we don't have them, but we can't gather them in a short time. They all have their own missions and can't get away at all. To be honest, I can only send out no more than 40,000 men right now, and that includes the private armies of various families."

"Where are the Southwest Wolf Soldiers?" He Zudao asked, looking at Na Wei. Na Wei sneered, "General He, do you think you can look down on us barbarians from this poor, remote place?"

"Lack of experience doesn't mean you can't fight well. Sometimes, savagery is a rare fighting force!" He Zudao glanced at Na Wei.

That great man was furious. "What a fool you are! Don't think that just because you're some kind of innate genius you can insult me ​​at will. This isn't your Jiangnan Eight Towns!"

"Alright!" Xiang Ying said, "We're all prominent figures with well-known names throughout the land. What's the point of this verbal sparring? As for the military governor, I'm quite uneasy about sending a large number of elite troops from the provinces. The only option is your Southwest Wolf Army. How about sending out all 30,000 Wolf Army soldiers who have entered the capital this time?"

"All of them?" Na Wei was taken aback.

“All of them!” Xiang Ying nodded. “General He, your 30,000 elite troops should be more than enough, right?”

"By gathering all the veterans, we can still manage to muster 30,000 men!"

“Alright, now we have a total of 100,000 troops!” Xiang Ying said, “One force will set off from Tong’an County to attack Yong’an County as a feint, while the main force will set off from Lujiang County to join your troops in a fierce attack on Ruyin County. Once we take Ruyin County, we will be able to unite and support each other more easily.”

"We must also prepare for a decisive battle with Chen Yan's navy. If the navy fails, even if we achieve a temporary victory on land, we will face great difficulties in the future! The longer the battle goes on, the stronger the enemy's navy will become. We must not give them a chance to regroup!"

Xiong Yi asked, "If we were to fight the demoness and Li Dachui in Yong'an, how would Linghu Ye react?"

“In the early stages of the war, Li Guohua, who is entrenched in Luoyang, will inevitably plot against Nanyang!” He Zudao analyzed. “If he succeeds in Nanyang, he will then want Xiangfan!”

“If Li Guohua gets Xiangfan, wouldn’t we be doing all the work for someone else?” Zhou Zheng said.

"Therefore, we must fight as quickly as possible! As long as we are fast enough, we can at least secure Xiangfan. As long as we can hold Xiangfan, the Jianghan Plain will be safe and the Jingxiang Plain will be peaceful!" He Zudao analyzed. "Moreover, at this time, Li Guohua and his men will definitely try to befriend us. Li Dachui leading his troops into the pass is already a matter of time. If he cannot easily seize Xiangfan, he will not risk fighting on both sides."

Xiang Ying and Xiong Yi exchanged a glance and said, "General He, please rest well in Danyang for a few days. These are not trivial matters, and we need to discuss them carefully before making a final decision. It will only take three to five days, and it won't delay things. What difference will three to five days make?"

He Zudao nodded. As long as the other side could send troops quickly, he didn't care too much about other things.

"We have another joyous occasion in Danyang in the next couple of days. It's better to meet by chance than to invite someone. Since General He is here, he is naturally our honored guest!" Xiang Ying said with a smile.

"What happy event?"

"The royal family will form a marriage alliance with that strategist, and his youngest daughter will become the Empress of our Great Chu!" Xiang Ying said.

He Zudao was taken aback, turning to look at Na Wei with a complicated expression. No wonder this guy could bring out tens of thousands of wolf soldiers at once; this must be his entire fortune. So he's the emperor's father-in-law. Is he going to risk his life for his son-in-law?

However, judging from Xiang Ying and Xiong Ying's forced smiles, they seem to have ulterior motives!
(End of this chapter)