In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 702 Advisory Meeting, Secret Meeting with the Prince of Liao

In Qin Yuanfang's view, the battle before him could no longer be called a battle; it would be more accurate to call it a brawl.

They were using their hands and feet, even biting with their teeth, showing no signs of being elite soldiers.

However, the thought only flashed through my mind.

Qin Yuanfang witnessed the carnage on the battlefield ahead.

The body was left lying around without being cleaned up, and no one paid any attention to it.

Of these, the Jurchens made up 80%, while the Ming people made up only 10%.

The remaining 10% are warhorses.

Even so, the battle losses were staggering.

The corpses piled up beside the battlefield were merely...
There might be nearly four thousand, which greatly shocked Qin Yuanfang.

What kind of fighting spirit and determination is this?
How were these soldiers able to hold out until now despite such heavy losses?

He even had some doubts in his heart: could it be that their forward scout unit was narrow-minded and completely unaware of the elite troops in Beiping?
He scratched his head in confusion, feeling that things were not as simple as he had imagined.

His gaze swept across the towering tree canopies in all directions.
If nothing unexpected happens, there will be scouts there exploring the battlefield.

From his perspective, there's nothing new to see.

We can only hope to gain something by combining what others have seen.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Qin Yuanfang pulled himself back with a forceful tug.
At the same time, he quickly moved among the tall tree branches and soon jumped to the ground.

He glanced at the two scouts beside him and said in a deep voice:
"Make a mark, I'll return later!"

"Yes!"

An hour later, Qin Yuanfang returned to the temporary camp with the dozen or so scouts gathered by the instructor.

This was also a Jurchen camp.
The group of about 600 men was easily defeated by the vanguard scouts.

Inside the central command tent,
Lu Yunyi sat in the chair, looking at the documents one by one.

On the table beside him, a whole stack of documents was already laid out.
This includes intelligence gathered by scouts.
There are also predictions about the subsequent battle situation.
In addition, the forward scouts made ample preparations for various battle situations.

Lu Yunyi missed Black Hawk terribly at this moment.
If he were here, I wouldn't have to do this kind of work myself.

Rapid footsteps sounded outside the military tent.

Lu Yunyi immediately looked away from the documents.

When he saw Qin Yuanfang,
He immediately tossed the document aside, as if he had already rehearsed it countless times in his mind.

Qin Yuanfang was slightly taken aback upon seeing this scene.
"Your subordinate greets Your Excellency."

"You've worked hard. What did you find? Why did you come back so quickly?" Lu Yunyi asked with a warm smile.

"My lord, we have discovered the Liaodong battlefield fifteen miles east of the camp."

Based on the map, it should be Lingchuanpo, which has 30,000 guards.

The two sides in the battle should be the Jurchens and Tianjinwei.

The battle was fierce, and judging from the looks of it, it had been going on for a long time.

"Oh?"

Lu Yunyi immediately became interested, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes!

Feng Yunfang quickly took the written record.

Lu Yunyi took it and immediately began to open it.

As he read line by line, his expression grew increasingly grave.

When he saw the Jurchen camps stretching for dozens of miles through the jungle, he frowned deeply:
So many Jurchens? You're not seeing things?

"Reporting to you, sir, I exchanged information with the three reconnaissance teams before we arrived."

There are indeed military camps stretching for dozens of miles, but the extent of their territory from east to west is still unknown.

As for the number, my subordinates have estimated it to be between 30,000 and 50,000.

"There are more now."

Lu Yunyi narrowed his eyes and tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of the seat.

Initially, they estimated that the Jurchen people numbered around 50,000.

And now, even after they wiped out nearly 20,000, there are still so many left.

Does that mean the Jurchens will mobilize nearly 100,000 troops this time?

What is this doing?
Although we are getting closer and closer to Liaodong,

But Lu Yunyi's doubts did not diminish.

What enabled Liaodong to have 100,000 troops stationed there?

Are we fed enough?
Are we equipped with enough weapons?
The materials needed to build a camp stretching for more than ten miles alone
The records alone are so thick.

The Jurchens were dirt poor; where would they get so much military funding to support the war?
A series of questions arose in Lu Yunyi's mind.

Although there is no correct answer at present.

However, judging from the spoils of the three camps recently captured, collusion between insiders and outsiders may be considered a milder offense.

The camp beneath their feet,

The grain was stored in sealed boxes as used by the Ming Dynasty.

The weapons were coated and moistened with oil by the Ming Dynasty.
Even the tents standing here are made of furs processed in Beiping (Beijing).

In short, everything here...
Apart from the people inside, everything else belongs to the Ming Dynasty.

Thinking about it this way, the military camps that stretched for more than ten miles seem to make sense.

This idea also surfaced in the minds of many generals in the military tent.

They all looked utterly bewildered.

The sale of military supplies and equipment by border troops has been a persistent problem despite repeated crackdowns.

The imperial court also turned a blind eye.

But now, it can no longer be described as excessive.

This is training a private army!
Wu Fulu didn't care about these military supplies.
Rather, it was the camp stretching for over ten miles and the potential enemy troops within it.

"My lord, the enemy forces are numerous."

Should we first rendezvous with Tianjin Wei, and then seek a way to defeat the enemy?

Zhang Huai'an and Li Guangyuan stared wide-eyed at Wu Fuliu with disbelief.

They couldn't understand why, given such a vast difference in strength...

Why are you still thinking about defeating the enemy? Shouldn't the correct approach be to quickly find an opening on the left?

Inserting into Liaodong and joining up with friendly forces is the right thing to do.
Wang Xingbang seemed to be deep in thought when he spoke in a deep voice:
"My lord, I think we should not join forces with the 30,000 guards."

"The reason," Lu Yunyi said calmly.

Wang Xingbang pursed his lips and spoke in a deep, muffled voice:
"My lord, in this situation, holding the line is a good option."

However, defeating the enemy is impossible; only through offense can a small force achieve a decisive victory.

To inflict maximum damage, or even to achieve final victory.

If we were to join forces with the armies of Liaodong, we might end up like Tianjin.
They held their ground and defended the place to the death.
There's no way to move forward, and no way to retreat; the choices are too few.

Lu Yunyi nodded slightly:
"That's absolutely right. Faced with such a disparity in numbers, we absolutely cannot hold our ground."

Holding on to one's principles is tantamount to courting death and crippling oneself.

Moreover,

At this point, a strange glint flashed in Lu Yunyi's eyes:
"This time we advanced our troops without authorization."
There was neither a military order from the Governor-General's Office nor a dispatch order from the Ministry of War.
Their sudden appearance in Liaodong is hard to explain.

Even if we manage to hold on, we'll still face problems later.

Upon hearing this, many of the generals who had been looking down at documents suddenly raised their heads.
An incredulity flashed in his eyes
Is this not the imperial court's intention?
What were they doing traveling all that way to Liaodong?
The group looked at each other, but no one spoke.
Since we're already here, there's no point in worrying about this.
Moreover, even if the sky falls, tall people will hold it up, so it won't crush them.

Just as everyone was lost in thought, Lu Yunyi stood up.
"Now that we've discovered the majority of the enemy forces, we can't just sit idly by."

You generals participated in the formulation of subsequent strategies, providing valuable insights and assistance to numerous advisors.

In addition, send out all the scouts.
Find the loopholes and weaknesses in this ten-mile-long camp.
The direction of attack must be confirmed within one day! No delays!

"Yes!"

Wu Fulu was the first to stand up; he was very familiar with this kind of thing.

Soon, all the generals in the room stood up and repeatedly agreed.

But everyone's thoughts were quite different.
Zhang Huai'an and Li Guangyuan understood that Lord Lu really meant it; a fight was about to break out.
But five thousand soldiers attacked a camp of nearly fifty thousand.

It seems rather unbelievable no matter how you look at it.
The group left the central military tent. Because both men came from powerful families and were outsiders in the forward scout unit, they implicitly formed a bond.

Looking at the gradually clearing weather outside, Zhang Huai'an felt somewhat worried:

"Lord Li, you are the commander. Do you think we can win this battle?"

Li Guangyuan was taken aback, then laughed self-deprecatingly:
"As a commander, I haven't fought many battles, how would I know about such things?"
But you... didn't learn anything from Commander Zhang?
In the fourteenth year of the Hongwu reign (1380), the Battle of Baishijiang took place.
The Duke of Ying, the Duke of Liang, and the Marquis of Xiping defeated the 100,000 elite troops of King Liang, Bazalawarmi, with only 30,000 soldiers. Commander Zhang was right there in the middle of that battle!

Zhang Huai'an's expression suddenly turned strange:
"Thirty thousand against one hundred thousand, we have five thousand against fifty thousand."
"Back then, who were the people in the army? We didn't have that kind of ability."

Hearing his mutterings, Li Guangyuan was taken aback, then burst into laughter, patting Zhang Huai'an's shoulder forcefully:

"Brother Zhang, it seems we both know our place."

"What laughing?"

Seeing them laughing heartily, Wu Fuliu walked over and asked a question, his eyes filled with curiosity.

The two stopped laughing immediately, and Zhang Huai'an quickly explained:
"Lord Wu, we were discussing how to defeat a larger force with a smaller one,"
We have 5,000 soldiers, while the enemy has 50,000. The disparity in strength is quite significant.

Li Guangyuan nodded repeatedly, even though he was the commander.
However, in this army, rank is not determined by official position.

Wu Fulu laughed after hearing this:
"I almost forgot you didn't experience the Battle of Luchuan."

Don't worry, we're very experienced at fighting outnumbered opponents.

At Luchuan, the commander led over four thousand cavalrymen to break through Luchuan's rear camp.
There were over 100,000 men there, not to mention that the Marquis of Xiping led only 30,000 cavalry, yet still managed to rout Silunfa's army of over 100,000.

The two men glared at each other, clearly realizing that their official positions did not allow them access to such confidential matters.

"Sir, is the rumor true?" Zhang Huai'an couldn't help but ask.

Wu Fuliu knew what he was talking about; at that time, the imperial court was preparing to demand post-war reparations from Luchuan.
They deliberately suppressed these military reports to prevent the people of Luchuan from resorting to desperate measures.
However, since so many people participated in the Battle of Luchuan, stories inevitably circulated about it.

The imperial court couldn't manage it all, so they simply let them do as they pleased.

Wu Fulu pondered for a moment, then said softly:
"Some of the claims are exaggerated, but the story of breaking into the Luchuan rear army camp is even more mysterious than the rumors suggest."

Although we ultimately won, we also lost many brothers.

Otherwise, you wouldn't have had the chance to join the army.

Zhang Huai'an immediately understood.

Suddenly I felt incredibly lucky.

If it weren't for the need to replenish the troops of the forward scout unit, he might have ended up in some remote corner.

"Alright, stop thinking about it. The staff meeting is about to start."
Speak your mind when the time comes; it's better to say more than less.

After saying that, Wu Fuliu waved his hand and gave the two of them a bright smile.

After seeing it, a sense of peace suddenly welled up in their hearts.

An hour later, Zhang Huai'an and Li Guangyuan entered the massive camp behind the central command tent.

This was their first time attending such a meeting.
Upon arriving here, they seemed quite curious and kept looking around.

There are no utensils here, only a long table that can seat twenty or thirty people.
Chairs were arranged around the long table, and large maps stood at each of the four corners of the camp.
It contains the latest combat developments and enemy troop deployments.

Even more noticeable were the piles of documents on the square tables not far away.

At that moment, there were soldiers of various ranks there, their faces solemn as they either examined or wrote.

Zhang Huai'an recognized these people; they were all military discipline officers in charge of military law.

He usually keeps to himself and rarely appears in front of outsiders.
But he knew that these military discipline officers were highly regarded by Lord Lu.
Whether in the city of Daning or in the army on its way to war.

Soon, he saw a familiar face.
Zou Jing, who was in charge of military discipline, was also a young man.

He wasn't wearing armor, but rather a black, close-fitting outfit, standing there as steady as a mountain.

Unexpectedly, he also sat down with a document in his hand.
He was clearly a member of this staff meeting as well.

This surprised Zhang Huai'an. How could someone in charge of military discipline also fight?

However, no one explained it to him, and he quickly found his place near the head of the table.

Li Guangyuan was positioned to his side.

After they sat down, a group of staff officers who had been busy came over and sat down one after another, and the long table was soon filled with people.

Just as Zhang Huai'an was wondering why Lord Lu hadn't arrived yet,
Zou Jing, sitting opposite him, had already opened the document and said in a deep voice:

"The staff meeting is now officially open."

"Now I will state the basic principles of the staff meeting, and I ask that you all keep them in mind."

"First, the detailed deployments and operational plans of our army discussed at the staff meeting are all top secret."

Regardless of seniority or position, all attendees must strictly adhere to the ironclad rule of confidentiality.
No information shall be disclosed to those who did not attend or to anyone outside the military after the meeting.

If a leak of secrets leads to damage to the war effort, military law will be impartial and those responsible will be severely punished.

"Second, the purpose of the meeting is to gather ideas from all sources, and everyone should openly express their thoughts and opinions without reservation."

However, speeches must be based on factors such as the actual battlefield situation, the enemy's and our own situation, and the terrain.

It must be based on reason, evidence, and practical feasibility; it cannot be based on mere conjecture or nonsense.

"Third, during the meeting, all participants have the right to speak and the responsibility to listen."

When others are speaking, be sure to remain quiet, listen attentively, and do not interrupt.

Even if there are differing opinions, we should wait until the speaker has finished speaking before engaging in a rational discussion.

"Fourth, opportunities are fleeting. Meetings must focus on core issues such as the enemy's camps and our army's offensive direction, and avoid digressions and getting bogged down in trivial details."

If disagreements arise, promptly summarize them and submit them to the adults for a decision.
Ensure the decision-making process is efficient and orderly, and finalize the operational plan as quickly as possible.

Fifth, once the plan is finalized, participants must understand their own responsibilities, with each aspect, such as intelligence, logistics, and operations, assigned to a specific person.

When carrying out a mission, strictly follow orders and do not arbitrarily change the details of the operation.

Anyone who errs due to personal negligence will be held accountable according to military law.

As soon as the words were spoken, Zhang Huai'an and Li Guangyuan, who were attending the meeting for the first time, suddenly became serious.

A sense of solemnity arises spontaneously, and one's back straightens unconsciously.

Zou Jing continued:
"Now I will give a brief overview of the enemy forces our army is currently encountering. I ask all staff officers and generals to listen carefully."

As the staff meeting convened, Lu Yunyi had already donned his armor and mounted his warhorse.

He led over a hundred riders north out of the camp and disappeared without a trace.

An hour later, it began to get dark.
The moon and the sun appear in the sky at the same time.
It has both the warmth of sunlight and the coolness of the moon.

After an hour's journey, the group had already moved far away from the encampment of the vanguard scouts.

He looked up in the direction he was in, scanning the area back and forth with his binoculars.
Soon a sign appeared on the tree.
With a raised eyebrow, he charged forward, and the other soldiers quickly followed.

Before long, Lu Yunyi rode his warhorse out of the jungle and arrived at a rare, spacious area.

More than a hundred riders had already been waiting there.

Upon his arrival, the soldiers who were sitting immediately stood up.
He glanced at Lu Yunyi, then looked at the two leaders sitting by the campfire.

The two men, one old and one young, also stood up immediately, their faces showing respect.
"Greetings, Lord Lu"

Lu Yunyi sized up the two men, his gaze lingering on the old man. After dismounting, he said with a hint of teasing:
"The King of Liao has come too?"

Azashiri smiled awkwardly, cupped his hands, and said:
"I have left the garrison without orders. Please forgive me, Lord Lu."

"I've come along this time because I'm worried that my subordinates aren't doing their jobs well, so I've come to check on them."

Lu Yunyi smiled, not blaming him, but sitting down on a wooden stake by the campfire:

"Please sit down. It's urgent, and you've come at the right time."

The two men glanced warily at the hundred or so riders who had followed them.

They glanced at the jungle behind them, breathed a sigh of relief, and sat down.

"You already know the intelligence, right?"

The two exchanged a glance, their expressions grave, yet also filled with apprehension.

The enemy's troops were already right under their noses, yet they only just realized it.

This left both of them feeling a lingering sense of fear.

"My lord, these Jurchens are ungrateful and deserve no good. We must teach them a lesson this time!"

Therefore, the Yuan Liao King Azashili narrowed his eyes.

A sinister glint flashed across his aged face as he gritted his teeth and spoke.

Tuoluhuchaer's expression was also very unpleasant, his fists clenched tightly.
"My lord, this time I have led the elite of our tribe to fight the enemy, and we are determined to wipe out the Jurchens in one fell swoop!"

(End of this chapter)