Start with a red name

Geng Xuan's words startled Liu Mu for a moment, and then he began to think about them carefully.

Just then, standing beside Liu Mu, a man named Tan Ze, who possessed the cultivation of the third realm at its peak but had always remained silent like an echo chamber, suddenly spoke:

"Have!"

His sudden interruption drew Geng Xuan's attention away from Liu Mu.

Even Liu Mu, who was deep in thought, stopped thinking when he heard his answer and turned to look at him.

"Oh, are there Xuanyou Iron Cavalry stationed there as well?" Geng Xuan asked.

Tan Ze shook his head and said:
"No... Before I was transferred to 'Huangwei Island', I was specifically in charge of the post road area, so I have a good understanding of the ins and outs."

Based on my understanding of this area, the number of Xuanyou Iron Cavalry gathered on both sides of the waterway is not small.

Hearing Tan Ze say this piqued Geng Xuan's interest even more.

"What's the secret here? Tell me in detail."

“Under normal circumstances, because there is a special ‘Water Gate Army’ in charge of this area, only one large-scale garrison post is set up on each side of the waterway.”

The post station was manned by fifty Xuanyou riders, and was also equipped with three to four hundred Xuanyou horses.

The purpose of this was to ensure that messengers frequently traveling between the two states of Xuanyou could immediately obtain well-supplied Xuanyou horses at the post station after crossing the waterways by boat.

"Fifty Xuanyou riders were assigned to protect these Xuanyou horses."

...If it's just to save trouble, handing these Xuan You horses over to the 'Water Gate Army' would be the most appropriate course of action.

However, the Iron Cavalry did not want anyone else to have their hands on the Xuan You Horse, which led to this situation.

Geng Xuan nodded slightly, indicating his understanding of the situation Tan Ze described.

If those two riverside post stations still only have fifty riders, their threat can be almost negligible as long as they are prepared.

However, this is clearly inconsistent with what Tan Ze just said.

Tan Ze looked at Geng Xuan and said:

"...This is the troop strength situation at the two riverside post stations under normal circumstances."

But the current situation is clearly abnormal.

"On the one hand, the correspondence between Xuanyou and Erzhou will be far greater than usual."

Even without seeing it with my own eyes, I can imagine that there are now ten times, or even dozens of times, more messengers traveling frequently between the Xuan You and Xuan You states.

Of these messengers, at least 90% would choose that waterway.

The three to four hundred Xuanyou horses that were always kept at the two riverside post stations could no longer meet the booming demand.

We must bring in more Xuanyou horses from elsewhere!
According to the rules of the Iron Cavalry Army, no one else is allowed to interfere with matters involving the dispatch of Xuan You horses.

The simplest and quickest solution is to dispatch a contingent of cavalry to these two post stations to ensure a sufficient supply of Xuanyou horses for future use.

"The other one, Brother Liu also mentioned."

At this point, Tan Ze glanced at Liu Mu, then looked at Geng Xuan again, emphasizing:

"That waterway is extremely important."

This is especially true in the current situation.

Even if no one could have predicted that we would target the 'Water Gate Army' and have a plan to cut off that golden waterway, the Iron Cavalry Army would certainly have strengthened all the important post road nodes.

These two waterfront post stations are of paramount importance.

Geng Xuan listened attentively and nodded gently.

After Tan Ze finished explaining the situation, he immediately asked:

"Based on your assessment, how large is the cavalry force at these two post stations?"

Tan Ze stared into the void, as if his mind was wandering beyond the heavens.

He had already put himself into his former role, mimicking the troop movements and the rapid movement of cavalry between various garrison posts.

In some areas, the number of cavalry units is rapidly decreasing, and some areas are even completely deserted.

In some areas, the size of the cavalry is rapidly increasing, and the strength of the troops is growing rapidly.

"...I estimate that, up to now, the number of cavalry at these two riverside post stations is between eight hundred and one thousand."

As time goes by, the size of the cavalry will increase rapidly.

This continued until the number of cavalry at these two post stations reached between two and three thousand.

This massive cavalry force, coupled with the now-alerted "Water Gate Army," further solidified the situation.

Only with such a troop deployment can those watching this area sleep soundly.

Tan Ze stopped speaking.

Geng Xuan narrowed his eyes and fell into deep thought.

At this moment, he was not weighing whether to fight the "Watergate Army" or cut off that golden waterway.

This is not something that requires weighing the pros and cons.

This is something that must be done.

What he was weighing was how to fight, and how to fight.

According to Tan Ze, the number of cavalrymen at the two riverside post stations would increase every quarter of an hour.

The supporting characters will gradually become the main characters.

Therefore, the earlier you act, the fewer troops the enemy has, making it easier to defeat them and at a lower cost.

After removing the four thousand men who were arranged to go north, there are now more than eleven thousand troops available on Huangwei Island.

Compared to the 13,000 elite troops who raided Huangwei Island at night, they were inferior in both number and strength.

If the "Water Gate Army" and those Xuanyou Iron Cavalry were also concentrated on an island surrounded by water on all sides.

With him personally leading the team, this number of people is more than enough to completely wipe out the enemy.

But the reality is quite the opposite; the other side is not only on the shore, but also guarding both sides.

If the goal is simply to cut off the waterway, then of course one can immediately take all the troops on the island and head south.

By taking them by surprise, it was enough to inflict heavy damage on the "Water Gate Army" and the ever-growing number of Xuan You Iron Cavalry, and completely seize control of the "Golden Waterway".

But Geng Xuan wanted more than just that.

In Geng Xuan's mind, eliminating as much of the enemy's manpower as possible was even more important than cutting off the "golden waterway".

So far, the reason why the "Black Wind Army" has achieved such amazing results is that...

Not only did they benefit from being "prepared to fight the unprepared," but they also reaped the rewards of "fast against slow."

However, this window of opportunity will not remain open to the "Black Wind Army" indefinitely.

Before this window of opportunity closes, every attack must be launched with the aim of achieving a "total annihilation" or "whale swallowing" victory.

Such requirements are somewhat insufficient given the limited troop strength on Huangwei Island.

Having clearly calculated the situation, Geng Xuan looked at Yang Qian, Liu Mu, Tan Ze, and the other three.

With the complete change in the five people's attitudes, without going through a formal recruitment ceremony, under his witness, the five people also became true "one of us".

Because all five people were of very high quality, they brought Geng Xuan eighty points of luck.

This means that more misfortunes and calamities are brewing and gestating.

The 150 points of bad luck brought by the previous recruitment haven't even settled yet.

This made Geng Xuan feel an even greater sense of urgency.

"I plan to establish a new General Staff Department, and the director will be..."

Geng Xuan then looked at Liu Mu and said, "You do it!"

Then, he looked at Yang Qian, Tan Ze, and the other three. "All four of you will be appointed as deputy directors."

"The General Staff?"

Liu Mu, Yang Qian, and the others murmured to themselves, looking at each other, somewhat confused about what this "General Staff Office" arrangement was all about.

Some people couldn't help but wonder if this so-called "General Staff Office" was just a new "framework" created specifically for them.

It sounds very formal, but in reality, it's still just an "unofficial member."

How can they expect to exploit their value without giving them real power?
This eagerness to surrender did not achieve the desired effect.

This speculation left several people feeling somewhat gloomy.

Geng Xuan seemed oblivious to these changes in people's hearts.

However, it still gave a general introduction to the responsibilities of the "General Staff Department".

After listening, the gloom in their hearts dissipated considerably.

But it hasn't completely faded away.

In their minds, this "General Staff Office" is positioned as a "cowardly strategist".

While it certainly has value, compared to a military leader who commands troops and wields real power, its value seems rather insignificant.

Although they were somewhat disappointed, the group had no bargaining power in this matter and could only passively accept the outcome.

After setting the major arrangements, Geng Xuan looked at Liu Mu, Tan Ze, and the other three, and said:
"Now, I will give you the first task."

Develop a detailed battle plan.

The objective is to wipe out the 'Water Gate Army' stationed on both sides of the waterway, as well as other military forces, including the Xuan You Iron Cavalry.

The term "eat up" means either annihilate them or capture them alive, with the aim of preventing anyone from escaping.

As a matter of instinct, after hearing the first task given by Geng Xuan and the requirements of the task, Liu Mu, Tan Ze and the other three began to think at high speed in their minds.

Liu Mu immediately frowned and asked, "With just over 11,000 troops on the island?"

Although he already had a judgment in mind, Geng Xuan still asked, "Is it possible?"

Liu Mu, deep in thought, gently shook his head and said:
"If we rely solely on this force of just over 11,000 men, and concentrate all our strength to launch a joint attack on one location, we might be able to achieve your goal."

Given the current frequency of information exchange between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, if we join forces in one area, the other side will receive the news very quickly.

Therefore, we must divide our forces and at least hold both sides at the same time.

"If that's the case, 11,000 troops will be far from enough."

If we split our forces, we won't be able to control either side, and the outcome could very well be worse than a combined attack.

Geng Xuan nodded slightly. What Liu Mu said was not much different from the situation he had imagined.

He looked at Liu Mu and smiled:

“You guys make a plan first, and I will get more troops in a day… When making the plan, assume that the ‘Black Wind Army’ has 20,000 troops.”

Liu Mu paused for a moment, then immediately replied, "Yes."

Then he raised a new point.

"What you need is not just a battle plan on paper, but a battle plan that can be put into action immediately, right?" Liu Mu asked.

"Is there any difference?" Geng Xuan asked.

"If it's the latter, the four of us alone are not enough. We need to get more people involved, especially those who will be involved in front-line combat command. It would be best if they joined from the very beginning."

Only in this way can our operational plans be put into action immediately.

Geng Xuan nodded and said:

"Sure, if you have any needs in this regard, you can always tell Tielang and Xiang Jinxiu, and they will cooperate unconditionally!"

Liu Mu nodded and said nothing more.

Just then, a voice that sounded aggrieved rang out from the side.

"My lord... what about me?"

It was Yang Qian who said these words in a wronged tone.

He also had reason to feel wronged, since he was the first to express his opinion!

Liu Mu, Tan Ze, and the others were all following behind him, "picking up the bargains".

But now he's been overlooked. Was this intentional or accidental?
Geng Xuan smiled and reassured him:
"Don't worry, you have your own important mission... I will take you north to meet up with Song Mingzhu and the others."

At that time, you will cooperate with them.

Utilize those Dark Night spies to complete the integration of Xuanqinghai's forces as quickly and extensively as possible.

"...Don't be discouraged. In my opinion, this matter is even more important than cutting off that 'golden waterway.'"

Although Geng Xuan said this to appease Yang Qian, it was also somewhat sincere.

Heading south to attack the "golden waterway" is equivalent to attacking the enemy's "health bar".

The Black Wind Army, by sweeping across the Xuanqing Sea and integrating its forces for its own use, is essentially increasing its own "health bar".

……

After the agreement was reached, Geng Xuan did not delay.

He immediately handed Liu Mu, Tan Ze, and the other three over to Tie Lang, Xiang Jinxiu, and others, and informed them of the next strategic plan and his arrangements for Liu Mu and the others.

Then, Geng Xuan instructed them to guard Huangwei Island well, be prepared to launch an attack at any time, and wait for his return.

After making these arrangements, Geng Xuan picked up Yang Qian and threw him into the Xuanqing Sea.

At this moment, it is around noon on the tenth day of the lunar month.

Less than two hours had passed since Ruan Ruizhe, Hu Yuan, and others led 109 vehicles and boats northward.

We set off nearly two hours late, carrying a heavy burden.

Not only is its speed greatly affected in the water, but it also has to surface occasionally so that Yang Qian can breathe and not suffocate.

Even so, Geng Xuan caught up with the other party about two hours after they set off.

It is located in the waters about 350 to 360 miles north of Huangwei Island.

Geng Xuan did not stop to meet and greet Ruan Ruizhe, Hu Yuan and others. Without their knowledge, he passed the large fleet underwater and continued northward.

Continuing north, Geng Xuan reunited with Song Mingzhu and the others two or three hours later, thanks to the connection of numerous exclusive contracts.

The large number of sand wolves tamed by Geng Xuan using the "dog-hunting technique," as well as the large number of Azure Blue Horses and Dark Nether Horses tamed by him using the "horse-judging technique," were his "exclusive coordinates" for locating the positions and movement trajectories of Song Mingzhu and others.

Only a day and a few hours have passed since they separated from Song Mingzhu and the others.

Geng Xuan's side achieved fruitful results, and Song Mingzhu and the others did not stay in place.

The most obvious example is that the core group, led by Song Mingzhu, sailed more than 100 miles south from a small island about ten miles from the north shore.

Compared to his rapid movements, this speed was as slow as a tortoise crawl.

But considering that this was accomplished under extremely limited ship numbers, one can understand how difficult it was to achieve this.

Geng Xuan handed Yang Qian to Song Mingzhu and told him the next "strategy".

At the same time, he was reminded to check on Ruan Ruizhe, Hu Yuan and others who were about to arrive to join him, as well as the most important 109 vehicles and ships.

Song Mingzhu was naturally overjoyed by these successive pieces of good news.

"Are you having any trouble here?" Geng Xuan asked.

Song Mingzhu, who had been beaming with joy, instantly stopped smiling.

"Yes." (End of Chapter)