knife

Chapter 750 Decision-making
Upon hearing Jiang Qian's pronouncement, the people in the room hesitated, unable to make a decision.

This is no easy task. A misjudgment will inevitably lead to a flawed decision, which in turn will result in the overall collapse of the situation.

This is something that affects the whole situation.

Ke Wuji looked at Zhang Qingyun: "Dean Zhang, is the source of this intelligence truly reliable? If it's convenient, could you explain it to us in more detail?"

Zhang Qingyun glanced around at the few people in the room, including Jiang Qian sitting at the head of the table, Kang Zhen, Ke Wuji, He Jiong, and Lin Yunqi on either side, and said, "Of course there is no problem, but it is only known to the people here. The intelligence was provided by Zhu Chi, and what he is doing now is trying to raise supplies for Na Wei's army."

"So it was him!" Even Kang Zhen and Ke Wuji were somewhat moved. Although this man had some connections with the Northern Protectorate, he was now one of the most powerful people in Southern Chu. They hadn't expected him to have joined Li Dachui's ranks. "Could this man be intentionally deceiving us?"

“No!” Jiang Qian interjected, “Na Wei, Xiang Zhuang and their ilk are probably really preparing to fight us. This is one of Linghu Ye’s tactics. I even believe that a considerable number of Linghu Ye’s subordinates are also certain about the upcoming southern expedition. They won’t know the truth until the final order is given. If Linghu Ye wants to deceive us, he must first deceive these people.”

Ke Wuji said, "Holy Maiden, this matter is of great importance. What if? What if Linghu Ye really intends to harm us?"

Jiang Qian said calmly, "That would only mean losing Nanyang."

Ke Wuji suddenly looked up at Jiang Qian, wanting to say something, but finally shook his head and didn't continue.

For Ke Wuji and his ilk, Nanyang was the heart and soul of their nation, but for Jiang Qian, it was merely a corner of the bigger picture. What Jiang Qian truly valued was Xiangyang. Now, the valiant general Li Xiu was stationed in Xiangyang, and Wang Dao's main naval force was also on the Han River. Even if Nanyang were lost, Xiangyang's natural defenses would still be enough to hold off the advancing Northern army.

"What did Headmaster Zhang say?" Ke Wuji turned to look at Zhang Qingyun, hoping to get some support from her.

Now, in the room, whether it's Kang Zhen, Lin Yunqi, or He Jiong, they are all Jiang Qian's confidants and will inevitably follow in Jiang Qian's footsteps. Only Zhang Qingyun can provide him with support.

Zhang Qingyun shook his head and said, "The Zhiqiu Academy has always only provided intelligence from various aspects and tried its best to ensure the reliability and authenticity of the intelligence. As for making judgments based on this intelligence, that's up to you. What I can say is that both Danyang and Chang'an are indeed mobilizing troops and requisitioning supplies on a large scale, which is fully reflected in the rising prices of various commodities among the people. Therefore, war will definitely break out, but it's hard to say in which direction the focus will be!"

“Linghu Ye couldn’t possibly be unaware of my influence in Danyang!” Jiang Qian said. “He knows very well that no matter how secretly he tries to do this, I will eventually find out. So all this pretense of secrecy is just a cover-up, a show for us to see. What he needs is for Na Wei to put enough pressure on us so that we have no time to attack him while he is heading north. At the same time, he can use this opportunity to lull the Northern Protectorate into a false sense of security. All of this intelligence is absolutely certain. Linghu Ye’s purpose is to mislead us with this undeniable information.”

"Holy Maiden, what should we do now?" Lin Yunqi never questioned Jiang Qian. In front of Jiang Qian, he always obeyed her cleanly and decisively.

Although Kang Zhen was not as completely subservient to Jiang Qian as Lin Yunqi, he had been quite impressed with Jiang Qian's strategic judgments over the years and naturally had no objections.

Having failed to gain Zhang Qingyun's support, Ke Wuji knew that he had no choice but to obey. "Since we're going to fight, why should we stay home and wait for them to attack?" Jiang Qian laughed. "Linghu Ye went to great lengths to make us think we're about to be attacked from both sides, so we'll just stay home and prepare for a full-scale defense. But we'll take the initiative and strike."

"Strike first?" Lin Yunqi's eyes lit up. He had just returned from beyond the Great Wall and was already facing a major battle, which excited him immensely. If he were to launch an offensive, the rear guard stationed in Tong'an County would naturally be the vanguard.

“Good!” Jiang Qian nodded: “Nanyang Zhan Zhao’s troops, prepare to retreat. If Linghu Ye really issues a large-scale attack order, retreat to Xiangyang immediately!”

"Are we going to abandon Nanyang again?" Ke Wuji's face showed bitterness. "The prestige we just built up there is going to be lost in one fell swoop!"

Jiang Qian ignored Ke Wuji. "The rear army and the front army together have nearly 30,000 troops, plus the navy. They will be able to defend Xiangyang without any problem. Of course, this is based on the premise that my judgment is wrong. In my opinion, this will not happen. Even if the enemy attacks, it will only be that good-for-nothing Cui Cheng. Chang Lei will definitely not come."

"I hope so!"

"The rear army under Lin Yunqi and the left army under Fang Xiaomao will attack from Tongan County and Ruyang County respectively!" Jiang Qian said. "As for the navy, Wang Dao will lead two-thirds of the navy down the river to support the land forces, while Yao Dali will lead the remaining navy to assist in the defense of Xiangyang! Kang Zhen's central army will provide support from the center."

"understand!"

"Qingyun, the eight towns of Jiangnan alone will definitely not have enough food and supplies. You also need to coordinate with Shu County to provide us with strong support!" Jiang Qian said.

Zhang Qingyun said, "Alright, after I go down there, I will immediately send someone to Shu to contact Zhang Songlin, Wu De and others. Since we have made up our minds to strike first, Zhi Qiu Academy will also coordinate our forces that are lurking in Chu to exert their strength at the same time."

"Once we officially launch our attack, will we be able to force Zhu Chi to take action against Xiang Zhuang?" Jiang Qian asked. "This way, we can create even greater chaos in Chu, making Xiang Zhuang and Na Wei suspicious of each other, which will make things easier for us. Zhu Chi is wavering back and forth, trying to have the best of both sides. In the past, it didn't matter, but now that both sides are about to reveal their true intentions, we can't allow him to continue like this. He has to make a final choice!"

Zhang Qingyun smiled and said, "Of course. I will handle this matter. To be honest, the reorganized Qinglong Brigade has already departed from Xuanwu Prefecture Wharf."

"After compiling our decisions, send them to the Beiting Protectorate outside the Great Wall!" Jiang Qian said. "At the same time, tell Beiting our predictions that Linghu Ye will definitely launch a fierce counterattack against them in three months at most!"

"Yes!" Zhang Qingyun, who was in charge of liaison with the area outside the Great Wall, replied solemnly.

"Gentlemen, this battle is crucial to our future!" Jiang Qian said to everyone. "It is also an important guarantee of your future standing in the new court. I won't say anything more, let's work together!"

(End of this chapter)