knife

Chapter 775 Opportunities are earned through one's own efforts

In Luoyang, the eastern capital, Chang Lei put down the urgent report he had just received and sighed.

When it rains, it pours; when the boat is broken, it encounters a headwind.

Of the nearly three hundred warships that were planned to cooperate with him in the battle, overnight, some defected, some sank, and some burned, leaving only fifty or so ships, which are now trapped in the harbor and unable to get out.

Clearing the waterway would take months, and what good would a few dozen ships do? They'd just be driven into hiding by the enemy.

"It's all over, it's all over!" Cui Cheng paced anxiously around the room, repeating this over and over. Without the support of warships, the difficulty of heading south to attack Xiangfan had increased many times over.

"Commander Cui!" Chang Lei's face darkened, and he slammed his hand on the table. "The commander is the courage of the army. You and I are the commanders-in-chief and deputy commanders of the Southern Expedition. We should remain calm even if Mount Tai collapses before us. What are you panicking about? Do you know that any change in our emotions can cause a huge uproar if it gets back down to the lower ranks?"

Cui Cheng glanced at Chang Lei, who had no expression, and sat down dejectedly.

"You're the commander-in-chief, you make the decisions!"

Chang Lei snorted and said, "Anyone who knows about this matter, up to the rank of lieutenant general, should inform the people of Wolf Castle that anyone who spreads rumors or leaks information can be dealt with directly!"

Cui Cheng sighed and said, "General Chang, this is only a temporary measure. We can't keep it a secret. Hundreds of ships have been burned to ashes. The entire Han River, no, not just the Han River, but the entire river basin has become the enemy's domain. How are we supposed to fight this battle?"

"Without Butcher Zhang, would I still be eating hairy pork?" Chang Lei sneered. "We can still fight without a navy. On the water, I can't do anything to him, but he won't dare to come ashore. As long as he dares to come ashore, I'll make sure he can't leave. Of course, the news can't be kept secret for long, but all I need is to keep it hidden before I go to war. That way, some people won't have any ulterior motives!"

"Understood!" Cui Cheng said.

"Commander Cui, cheer up! For Commander Linghu, this is indeed not the main battlefield, and you could even say it's just a smokescreen for his strategic deception. But for us, it is the main battlefield that determines our fate. No matter what, we must find a way to win. If we win, our future will be bright!" Chang Lei stared at the dispirited Cui Cheng with some annoyance.

This guy, despite being the eldest son of the Cui family, has been utterly devastated by a series of setbacks, and now he seems to have given up entirely.

However, it was precisely because of this that he, a general without any troops, was able to successfully take over all command from this guy after arriving in Dongdu, and the price was only killing less than ten people.

This is completely different from what I expected before I came.

So sometimes even a useless person isn't entirely without purpose; at least this guy is quite useful to me right now.

No wonder Cui Min, the head of the Cui family, looked down on his eldest son Cui Cheng and handed over the position to his second son Cui Shu. Just look at what Cui Shu did in Boling, and you'll know that he is a ruthless person.

Based on the available intelligence, after the defeat at Yangguan, this guy immediately colluded with Li Dachui, then unhesitatingly overthrew his own father, seized power in the Cui family, and then completely betrayed Li Guohua.

Although Cui Shu can indeed be described as shameless and unfilial, as the leader of a large family, he at least secured a chance for the family to survive.

Unlike Cui Cheng, who, after suffering repeated setbacks, has become like this, truly repulsive to look at.

How unbearable were the days when I was abandoned by my family!
Thinking back to when they entered the pass, the entire Chang family defected to Li Dachui, leaving him behind. From that time on, he had been constantly suspected by Linghu.

He fought bravely and always strived to be the first in everything. He made great contributions in the process of Linghu Ye clearing the Central Plains. It can be said that in terms of military achievements, even Li Guohua could not compare with him.

It was precisely because of this that he had opened up another path for the Chang family members who followed him. Although he was still excluded from the final battle between Linghu Ye and Li Dachui, entrusting the South to him demonstrated the value of his hard work over the years.

The South is seen as a liability or a smokescreen by many, but Chang Lei sees it as an opportunity.

No one took the war in the South seriously.
They felt it didn't matter even if they lost.

As long as we win the final battle against Li Dachui, we can get back everything we lost in the south.

But Chang Lei doesn't think so.
Everyone felt that this decisive battle with Li Dachui was a sure thing.

After all, it mobilized 200,000 infantry and cavalry!

This was the largest mobilization of troops for the war outside the Great Qin Dynasty since its founding.

Even when facing the Northern Yuan in the past, it was mainly the Beiting Protectorate at that time.

No one had considered losing.

But what if we lose?

Therefore, in Chang Lei's view, his southern expedition this time was not optional, but rather to create a retreat for Commander Linghu.

We don't lose everything just because we lost the war in the north.

If they were to lose in the north, but win in the southern campaign, then with the continuous supply from the south, Chang'an would have plenty of opportunities to hold out against Li Dachui.

Opportunities are earned through one's own efforts.

Based on the combined intelligence from various sources, Jiang Qian and the others in the Eight Towns of Jiangnan should have seen through Linghu Ye's true schemes. Therefore, they didn't care about the pressure from the north at all, but instead devoted all their energy to the war in the south.

Commander Linghu wanted to solve the problem once and for all, while Jiang Qian was also plotting to take advantage of this opportunity to conquer the entire Chu Kingdom in one fell swoop.

Jiang Qian didn't take herself and Cui Cheng seriously at all.

And that is the opportunity.

Although Chen Yan's defeat and the loss of his entire navy is a great loss, perhaps because of this, the enemy will look down on him even more.

For Chang Lei now, the opponent's underestimation is the best gift.

Who says I'm definitely going to attack Xiangyang?
Chang Lei walked up to the map and carefully examined the huge map hanging on the wall. Suddenly, he punched a spot hard.

Huaiyang Prefecture!
(End of this chapter)