Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Chapter 302 The Great Encirclement Tactic! Commonly known as "Dumpling Wrapping"

Meng Ying and Lin Rui walked on the main street of Xianning City.

hiss--!
They were completely stunned by what they saw.

Generally speaking, when the people in the city saw the government troops of the Great Qian Dynasty, they would scatter like birds and beasts, trembling with fear.

Every commoner fears the government troops!
but,

At this time, the scene inside Xianning City was quite different.

The soldiers of Ximentang walked down the street, and the surrounding people were grateful to them.

Many ordinary people even kowtowed to the government troops.

Ximentang's practice of opening granaries and distributing grain in Xianning Prefecture to win people's hearts was extremely effective.

The two had never seen anyone like Chen Jie before, who actually opened the granary and distributed grain directly.

It will be several more months before the grain harvest is complete.

Now we open the granaries and distribute grain, and the army is stationed in Xianning Prefecture. What should we do next?
to be frank,
Not to mention that Meng Ying and Lin Rui couldn't understand Chen Jie's actions.

Even Li Qiong, who was far away in Ezhou, found it unbelievable.

After entering the government office of Xianning Prefecture, the garrison headquarters of Ximen Hall is located here.

at this time,

Upon seeing the two commanders arrive, Chen Jie sat down in a chair and gestured for them to find a chair to sit on.

"Commander Meng, Commander Lin, your marching speed is quite good. You arrived in Xianning several hours faster than I expected."

Hearing Chen Jie say this, the two felt flattered.

to be frank,
Chen Jie was the Governor-General of Shandong, and his status was on par with that of Li Qiong, the Grand General of the Ministry of War.

The two commanders were surprised that Chen Jie actually praised them as "not bad"!
Lin Rui stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting to Chen Jie, saying:
"Your Excellency, we have not been delayed on the road, but compared to the elite troops of Ximentang, our speed is indeed too slow."

"In the coming period, we will intensify the team's training."

"I never expected that Ximen Tang would be able to capture Xianning Prefecture in such a short time!"

"I hope that Your Excellency will provide me with more guidance in the future!"

Lin Rui said with a sincere expression.

In the past, he might have felt jealous.

but,

With Ximentang easily capturing Xianning Prefecture, Lin Rui was completely convinced.

Meng Ying quickly said:

"Your Excellency, we actually wanted to join Simon's group and arrive in Xianning City as soon as possible!"

"Unfortunately, the quality of the soldiers is too poor, so they can't march fast at all."

"We originally thought that it would take Ximen Tang more than three days to capture Xianning Prefecture."

"Fortunately, we didn't have any delays along the way, otherwise we would have missed it."

"Ximen Hall truly lives up to its reputation as the leader of the renowned righteous groups in the Great Qian Dynasty; its fighting prowess is truly admirable!"

The two people's attitudes have changed drastically.

They now hold Chen Jie in high esteem and admiration.

Without losing a single soldier, they easily captured Xianning Prefecture in less than an hour.

This is not something an ordinary army could accomplish.

Chen Jie nodded and said with a calm smile:
"You two commanders don't need to be so polite. There was a bit of luck involved in defeating Zhang Datong's rebel army."

"We didn't expect them to leave the city to fight."

"However, you two have come at a good time. Xianning Prefecture is about to face a tough battle."

Upon hearing this, both commanders were immediately startled.

"What? A tough battle!?"

Chen Jie nodded and smiled, saying:
"That's right. We just received news that Sun Zhong, a general under Prince Li Ben of Han, along with Wang Shikang, Zhou Fu'an, Ma Nanshan, and other elite troops, are leading an army of 50,000 to retake Xianning Prefecture!"

"Their army of 50,000 has now reached Tongshan County!"

"Within five days, Sun Zhong's army will arrive in Xianning Prefecture."

"Now that the two commanders have arrived in Xianning, they can join forces to fight the enemy and cut off the left and right arms of Prince Li Ben of Han."

hiss--!
After hearing Chen Jie's words, the expressions of the two commanders changed.

Damn it——!
Sun Zhong's army is actually coming to attack?

Did they abandon their support for Huangshi Prefecture, change their location, and come to Xianning instead?

Although the two of them had missed the siege because they arrived a little late, they were somewhat disappointed.

If we could arrive in Xianning Prefecture a day earlier, we could gain a lot of military merits together with Ximentang.

but,

At that moment, they heard that Sun Zhong was about to arrive with his attack.

A sense of fear unexpectedly arose in the hearts of the two commanders.

Over the years, the soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty have hardly won any battles.

Whether it was facing the Prince of Ning in the Northwest, the Prince of Shu in southern Sichuan, or even the Prince of Han.

Defeat after defeat!

Most importantly, Sun Zhong was a right-hand man under Li Ben, the Prince of Han, and one of the most valiant generals.

He had an army of 50,000, which was much more powerful than Zhang Datong's 20,000.

The three groups combined now only number 25,000.

With a significant numerical disadvantage, how can we fight?
Lin Rui and Meng Ying felt their scalps tingle when they heard that Sun Zhong's army was coming.

They feared their troops would become cannon fodder!
Indeed, given the fighting strength of their respective armies, they would only become cannon fodder in the face of Sun Zhong's massive army.

but,

Now they faced Chen Jie, but didn't know how to start a conversation.

therefore,

Both of them lowered their heads and remained silent.

Chen Jie, seemingly oblivious to their fear and unease, calmly stated:

"The 200,000-strong army under Prince Li Ben of Han is now colluding with the Japanese, and their power is growing stronger and stronger!"

"The weapons of the Japanese are extraordinary, not much worse than those of the Westerners."

"Although we, the Ximen Hall, do not belong to the same camp as you two, we share the same goal."

"The most urgent task is to work together to have even the slightest chance of winning."

Upon hearing this, Meng Ying quickly replied:

"Your Excellency, the elite troops under Sun Zhong's command are formidable in combat."

"In my humble opinion, we must not leave the city during this battle." "We will remain within Xianning Prefecture, holding the city gates and simultaneously request reinforcements from Ezhou!"

He was already panicking.

Facing Sun Zhong's 50,000-strong army, a direct confrontation would definitely be unwinnable.

Only by defending the city can we have a chance to stop Sun Zhong's offensive.

of course,

Safety is the most important thing.

If they were to engage in open battle with the rebels outside the city, the chances of winning would be far too great.

Chen Jie shook his head and said calmly:

"Defending the city is not an option, and it's even more unrealistic to expect the army from Ezhou to come and support us!"

"The best way to defeat the rebels in one fell swoop is to go out of the city and fight them."

"I have a detailed plan. We will fight to the death against Sun Zhong's rebel army at Tongshankou Fortress!"

"Ximentang is engaged in direct combat with the rebels, while your troops are flanking from both sides to form an encirclement."

"After our artillery fire stops, you will attack from the flank and catch them off guard!"

"Furthermore, I must remind you two that if you want to reap the benefits without sowing, you can go back now!"

At this point, Chen Jie's tone became serious.

The meaning is simple: if you don't put in the effort but want to claim credit, forget it.

Commanders Meng Ying and Lin Rui exchanged a glance.

Next,
The two stood up and said to Chen Jie in unison:
"This humble general is willing to obey the Governor's orders."

What can you do if you disagree?
Chen Jie held the power of "immediate execution" in his hands; if the two didn't cooperate, he would kill them without any recourse.

of course,

The two of them naturally had their own little schemes.

It's fine not to defend the city; we can just flank it from both sides and retreat quickly if things go wrong.

As for engaging in a direct confrontation with Sun Zhong's elite troops, that's impossible.

Chen Jie nodded and said:
"Alright, from now on, you all need to prepare well. I've allocated some grain from the granary, enough for ten days' worth of your needs!"

"Before Sun Zhong's army arrives, you should go ahead and ambush on both flanks of the Tongshankou Fortress, and make preparations in advance."

After the two left the government office.

Xu Xiaodao and Liu Ergou came in, smiling, and said:
"Young master, these two guys turned pale with fright when they heard that Sun Zhong was coming."

"After they left Xianning Prefecture, it was unrealistic to expect them to encircle and annihilate Sun Zhong."

Chen Jie smiled and said:

"All the generals in the Ministry of War of the Great Qian Dynasty have their own interests and factions!"

"There is virtually no chance of uniting them to quell the rebellion."

"We finally managed to capture Xianning Prefecture, how could we possibly let them garrison it?"

"You two should prepare yourselves well. We're going to have a tough battle in the next few days."

"You all performed well when we captured Xianning City. Next up is Sun Zhong's elite troops!"

"If we can defeat Sun Zhong's elite troops, we will have succeeded halfway."

"Also, everyone be careful. The intelligence department has already given us information that the Kwantung Army has landed in the southern Fujian area and infiltrated the Hanzhong region with a considerable number of troops."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiaodao and Liu Ergou stood at attention and said:

"Please rest assured, young master, our elite special operations team (team one (two)) will guarantee the completion of the mission."

in fact,

Chen Jie never intended to defend the city.

Passively defending the city and waiting for the enemy to attack is a very foolish tactic.

To know,
For some time now, Chen Jie has been studying tactics and strategies for the era of firearms.

To remain undefeated on the battlefield, one must seize the initiative and adjust one's tactics at any time.

Especially when outnumbered, it is necessary to maximize the advantages of artillery.

Offense is the best defense; take the initiative!
The strongest defense is offense!

Therefore,
When formulating his tactics, in addition to setting up defensive fortifications around the entire city of Xianning, he also...

He also mobilized troops from the flank, using special operations regiments to conduct flanking maneuvers and infiltrate, forming an encirclement.

of course,

The goal is to use a flanking maneuver to encircle and surround the enemy.

Therefore, it is essential to possess overwhelming firepower.

Tongshankou Fortress!
This is the only route from Tongshan County to Xianning Prefecture.

When Chen Jie formulated the annihilation plan, he did not take Lin Rui and Meng Ying's forces into account at all.

Incompetent bungler!

The officers and soldiers of the Ministry of War of the Great Qian Dynasty were far inferior in combat effectiveness.

If Ximentang goes out of the city to fight, the defenses of the entire Xianning Prefecture will be completely exposed.

but,

Even so, Chen Jie never considered having Lin Rui and Meng Ying's troops stationed in Xianning City.

To put it bluntly, Chen Jie looked down on them completely.

These seasoned veterans are quick to act when there's something to gain.

When there is danger, they run even faster.

It's better to let the people of Xianning Prefecture defend the city than to let them do it.

Therefore,
Chen Jie arranged for two men to lead 10,000 troops away from Xianning Prefecture and to ambush at Tongshankou Fortress.

but,

The current situation is indeed very serious.

Sun Zhong, a general under Li Ben, the Prince of Han, received the Xianning Prefecture after it was captured by Ximentang.

Instead of continuing to Huangshi Prefecture, they went to Xianning Prefecture.

in addition,

He did not lead an army of only 50,000, but 80,000.

That's right,

Fifty thousand elite rebel troops and thirty thousand newly recruited rebels.

The 80,000-strong army marched in a mighty force toward Xianning Prefecture.

Prince Li Ben of Han gave him a death order: he must retake Xianning Prefecture!
(End of this chapter)