Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 478 Conquering the World
Inside the tent, a beautiful maid squatted in front of Yuan Shu's bed, using her white fingers to wash and massage Yuan Shu's large feet.

"Your Majesty, General Huang has returned from scouting the military situation and is now waiting outside the tent," the attendant reported.

"pass!"

Yuan Shu said lazily.

A short while later, Huang Zhong, wearing a helmet and armor, pressed his sword and charged straight in, bowing deeply to Yuan Shu.

"Hansheng, how is the situation at the Tang camp?" Yuan Shu asked.

Huang Zhong ignored the maidservant and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, as Zu Lang reported, Zhang Yu is not in Yu County, but has led his troops to Yongqiu. Judging from the banners and smoke signals, the Tang camp has a force of 40,000."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shu grinned and said, "Zhang Yu is a skilled commander, but he is too trusting. Now that Zu Lang is an inside man, it will be easy for him to break through the Tang camp!"

As he spoke, Yuan Shu called out, "Hansheng, on my behalf, summon all the generals. I have military matters to discuss."

"promise!"

After Huang Zhong took his leave, Yuan Shu was overjoyed. He lifted the maid's face with his hand and said with a smile, "I have defeated Zhang Yu and swept across the Central Plains. I will make you my concubine to reward you for your service."

The maid wiped Yuan Shu's feet and said with a shy smile, "I wish Your Majesty a swift victory over Zhang Yu. I would like to express my gratitude for Your Majesty's kindness."

"it is good!"

With the help of his maids, Yuan Shu put on wooden clogs and looked at the map on the tent, his joy barely concealed.

He knew the situation was unfavorable, so he did not easily resort to force, but patiently confronted Zhang Yu. Now, Zhang Yu could no longer hold back, moved his army to Yongqiu, and naively trusted Zu Lang, truly giving him an opportunity!

As Yuan Shu was feeling triumphant, Chen Jun's civil and military officials entered the tent one by one. Upon seeing Yuan Shu with a smile on his face, they felt inexplicably relieved.

"Your Majesty, is there any joyous occasion today?" Cai Mao asked with a smile.

"Ok!"

Looking at his assembled confidants, Yuan Shu smiled and said, "The military situation is as Zu Lang said. Zhang Yu is leading his elite troops northward with a main camp of 40,000 infantry. Now that Zu Lang is an inside man, our army can launch a surprise attack, break through their camp, and overwhelm them with superior numbers. We may be able to achieve a great victory over the enemy!"

"Your Majesty is deeply loved by the people, making those who have surrendered yearn to return home. I admire you greatly," Cai Mao flattered.

Yuan Shu suppressed his joy and pressed his hands down, saying, "The matter at hand now is to defeat the enemy. If Zhang Yu discovers this, our army will find it difficult to win. Therefore, I hope that all of you will work together with one heart and one mind!"

"Your subject is willing to give his life for the Great Chen Dynasty and vow to defeat the Tang traitors," said Ji Ling, Zhang Xun, and other generals, expressing their loyalty.

Yuan Shu nodded in satisfaction and said, "Zhang Yu led his troops north and mobilized the strongest troops of the Protectorate. Their camp is somewhat weak, and Zu Lang has feigned surrender to the rebels. We have now thoroughly investigated the strengths and weaknesses of the Tang army. Our forces number 100,000. If we launch a full-scale attack and have internal collaborators, we can defeat the enemy."

Few knew that Zu Lang was an inside agent, but now that Yuan Shu had leaked military intelligence to everyone, it has surprised many.

As the general, Ji Ling took the lead and said, "Your Majesty, please give your orders!"

Yuan Shu pointed to the layout of Chen's army camp and said, "According to Zu Lang and the scouts, the Tang army has stored its supplies and weapons in Yu City, and set up four camps, namely the East, Central, South and North Camps, distributed in a triangular shape. Each camp is heavily guarded and spaced apart, so if one camp is in turmoil, it will be difficult to affect the others."

Glancing at the generals who were listening attentively, Yuan Shu continued, "Zu Lang has been placed in the southern corner of the camp, so our army can attack the southern camp first, cutting off one of the Chen army's arms and blunting the enemy's advance. Later, when the enemy comes out of the camp, our army will engage them in battle and can defeat most of the Tang army."

"Then how should we cooperate with Zu Lang today?" Zhang Xun asked.

Yuan Shu said, "I intend to send a valiant general as the vanguard, with Zu Lang as the inside agent, to attack the southern camp at dawn and disrupt the Tang troops there. I will lead the main army behind, and when the southern camp is in turmoil, the Tang army will be unable to hold their ground. With most of our army approaching, the enemy will have no choice but to fight us. Once we have thwarted the Tang army's advance, we can also take advantage of the situation to defeat Zhang Yu and relieve the siege of Yongqiu!"

Zhang Xun had intended to achieve great merit, but upon learning that he needed to lead the vanguard to attack the southern camp, he immediately hesitated. Although he had Zu Lang as an inside agent, he was not confident that he could throw the Tang camp into chaos.

After much deliberation, seeing that Huang Zhong was the most skilled in martial arts among the crowd, Yuan Shu asked, "Hansheng, can you lead three thousand elite troops alone to launch a surprise attack on the Tang army's southern camp?"

“What is there to be afraid of!” Huang Zhong stepped forward abruptly and said in a deep voice, “This battle concerns the rise and fall of Your Majesty, and I am willing to do my utmost to repay Your Majesty.”

"color!"

Yuan Shu laughed and said, "Han Sheng has made a great contribution in defeating the enemy in this battle."

Ji Ling pondered for a moment and asked, "Besides the three thousand elite troops as the vanguard, how should the follow-up troops be deployed?"

Yuan Shu paced back and forth, saying, “At 3:00 AM, the drums will be beaten. At 4:00 AM, all the troops will assemble and advance. First, we will cross the Honggou Canal. When we reach the outside of the Tang camp, it will be slightly bright. At that time, Han Sheng will have already attacked the southern camp. At that time, all the troops will line up in formation, with the Danyang army as the vanguard, and slowly advance. We must break through the Tang army in the city as soon as possible.”

Logically, with an inside agent, a night raid should be suitable. However, due to environmental factors, night raids require highly skilled soldiers, and only a few elite troops can carry them out. Therefore, if Chen's army were to advance in a single charge, let alone succeed in the night raid, even escaping unscathed would be difficult.

Therefore, the best time to launch a night raid on the enemy is generally at dawn, when the area is between day and night. Elite cavalry can then raid the enemy camp, creating chaos in the darkness. As dawn breaks, infantry can then reach the battlefield and join forces with the cavalry.

Then Yuan Shu asked, "Where is Ji Ling?"

"The general is here!"

"I hereby appoint you to accompany me to command the army and coordinate the various units to defeat the enemy."

Yuan Shu understood the crucial nature of this battle very well. To ensure success, he chose to act as a figurehead, letting Ji Ling command the army.

"promise!"

Where is Qiao Rui now?

"The general is here!"

"I hereby order you to lead 20,000 troops as the left flank, to observe the movements of the Tang camp, and to form ranks to defeat the enemy."

"promise!"

Where is Zhang Xun?

"You and Qiao Rui lead the same troops. You will lead your troops to form a battle line on the right flank to cover our main army."

"Accept the order"

As he spoke, Yuan Shu looked at Cai Mao, Kuai Yue and other scholars and said, "Now that we are going to war, it will be difficult to distinguish friend from foe with swords and spears. You may all sit in the camp and wait for my news of victory."

"promise!"

After the generals withdrew and returned to their camps to prepare for the expedition, several strategists were left behind.

Yan Xiang said worriedly, "Although Huang Zhong is brave, he may not be able to withstand a surprise attack on the main camp with three thousand elite troops. I wonder if we should send more troops?"

Yuan Shu shook his head and said, "I intend to give Han Sheng three thousand elite cavalry to charge into battle, with Zu Lang as an inside agent to provide cover. Even if Han Sheng cannot break through the southern camp, he can still cause chaos in the southern camp."

After a pause, Yuan Shu added, "Zhang Yu has led a large army to Yongqiu, intending to make contact with Cao Cao and Liu Bei. Now that we have defeated the Tang army, how should we deal with Cao Cao and Liu Bei?"

Kuai Yue pondered for a moment and said, "If Your Majesty defeats Zhang Yu, Zhang Yu will retreat to the Yellow River, and the siege of Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang will be lifted. With the support of troops from various tribes, you can send a general across the Huai River to attack Shouchun, forcing Cao Cao to return to defend it. Cao Cao will then be unable to launch a western expedition, and Liu Bei will be no threat."

"rational!"

Yuan Shu nodded slightly and said with emotion, "Whether I can conquer the world depends entirely on this battle!"

P.S.: This chapter is not in good condition.

(End of this chapter)