New and dark light years

Chapter 384 Applying Pressure to the Enemy
It has to be said that the result of this skirmish made Li Lin wonder if there was something wrong with his eyes when he read the battle report.

He pondered for a moment, then said to the captain beside him, "Pass on the order: It seems the enemy is a supply convoy, and their main force is weaker. Order Ji, Zhang, and Mu to attack them as the opportunity arises. First, launch a feint attack to probe their strength, but be wary of their deceptive tactics. Be cautious!"

The captain nodded and immediately went out to organize the messengers.

Inside the command tent, Li Lin looked at the battle report, still somewhat incredulous, and subconsciously touched his head.

Guo Yuan, standing beside him, chuckled and said, "The Grand Commander hasn't seen many of the local militias or township militias from other counties, has he?"

Li Lin nodded.

He operated around Yulin County, and the farthest he went was Xiangjun. At that time, he encountered demon-slaying officials, not regular troops.

Guo Yuan smiled and said, "Whether an army can fight or how powerful it is depends on two things. First, it must be well-fed, and second, it must have sufficient weapons and equipment. Our Jin County Army has achieved both of these. Of course... this is thanks to you, Commander-in-Chief."

Guo Yuan had seen many corrupt officials, but he had also seen officials who weren't corrupt.

But this was the first time he had ever seen someone willing to share the money they had embezzled with everyone.

Based on Guo Yuan's experience, he believed that the Jin County government troops were very capable.

Li Lin nodded thoughtfully.

Although he was unfamiliar with the combat capabilities of other local armies, he had been in this world for over two years and had spent more than a year in the officialdom, so he had a certain understanding of the operating rules of the officialdom in this world.

Corruption is a very normal thing.

Moreover, he had seen the former local militia, and they were indeed dirt poor and never had enough to eat.

He had initially thought this was only a problem in Yulin County, but now it seemed that similar situations existed throughout the entire Daqi.

If this is the case in most areas, then only the main force and personal guards of the Tang family army will have sufficient combat power.

The number is estimated to be no more than 50,000.

In other words, the so-called 200,000-strong army is essentially just a gimmick.

Li Lin sat back down in his command seat, looking at the map written on the table.

Several captains nearby kept bringing up maps, and as Li Lin observed, they quickly removed another batch.

Li Lin looked at it, pointed to a certain spot on the map, and said, "There is a narrow strip of land here that leads directly to southern Yunnan, which can threaten the Tang family army's supply line. I think we can give it a try."

Guo Yuan looked over, shook his head, and said, "But there's a county town and two checkpoints along the way... It will be very difficult to break through."

“We don’t need a breakthrough, we just need an attitude,” Li Lin said with a smile. “I want to give the Tang family army the feeling that they are about to fight on two fronts.”

Guo Yuan nodded: "Leave this to me. The other three departments all have tasks, but I don't. I feel a bit out of place."

Li Lin smiled and said, "Be careful."

"Don't worry, Chief Commander, I'm best at maneuvering around the enemy."

Guo Yuan cupped his hands in greeting and left.

After Guo Yuan took away his 10,000 troops, only the original 500 soldiers and Li Lin's 1,000 personal guards remained in the entire Xilin military town.

He originally had three thousand personal guards, two thousand of whom were stationed in Green Mountain Pass, which was his most important 'foundation'. Naturally, he wouldn't just pull them away.

Xiao Chunzhu, who was serving as Li Lin's personal guard captain at the time, stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Chief Commander, you only have a thousand men by your side now. Isn't that too few?"

Li Lin laughed and said, "That's quite a lot, and we're in the rear, so it's almost impossible to engage the enemy here."

Xiao Chunzhu wanted to say something more, but ultimately didn't.

While looking at the map, Li Lin asked, "Do you want to make a name for yourself on the front lines?"

Xiao Chunzhu chuckled but didn't say anything.

But that's the default.

Li Lin shook his head helplessly: "You're only in your early twenties and you've already become a commander. If you want to rise further, you'll need to take some time to mature."

Xiao Chunzhu looked at Li Lin with a strange expression.

Li Lin knew what he was thinking and said, "I am different from you. I have a powerful and influential figure like Taishan who is paving the way for me. But if I want to pave the way for you, I need to go a step further."

Xiao Chunzhu nodded, indicating that she understood.

Li Lin thought for a moment and said, "Actually, it's not difficult for you to achieve great things."

Xiao Chunzhu's eyes lit up, and she said, "Please enlighten me, sir."

Li Lin said, "Ever since the Red Mist incident, people in the martial arts world have also benefited. As the saying goes, when people have weapons, they should rise up. Now, people in the martial arts world are starting to show signs of becoming increasingly aggressive."

Xiao Chunzhu nodded. He himself came from a background in the martial arts world and knew these people's personalities all too well.

The struggle for strength and courage often boils down to just one word.

name!
Fame can sometimes be more appealing than profit.

"So after this matter is over, I plan to establish a special organization specifically to deal with people from the martial arts world."

Xiao Chunzhu was taken aback, and said with some reluctance, "Sir, it's not a good idea to start a war against people from the martial arts world."

Li Lin smiled and said, "I don't intend to completely eradicate the martial arts world, but rather to regulate their behavior. Let's start from within my own county and strive to ensure that the martial arts world operates within the bounds of law and regulations, resolving their conflicts to avoid harming civilians. In addition, we will also eliminate some notorious martial arts figures and minor sects to maintain social order."

Xiao Chunzhu thought about it for a moment and realized that this organization seemed to have a lot of power.

Most importantly, he is also a member of the underworld, so he seems very suitable to be the head of this organization.

"My lord, I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse," Xiao Chunzhu said loudly, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

He looked very energetic. Li Lin nodded in satisfaction: "After the Tang Family Army matter is over, I will start thinking about and preparing for this. You should also think about how you should act if you are really put in charge of the new organization."

"Yes!" Xiao Chunzhu replied eagerly.

Several captains around them listened to the conversation between the two and looked at Xiao Chunzhu with envy in their eyes.

Li Lin commanded a total of just over 40,000 soldiers. Now, the four commanders have all gone out into battle, dividing their forces into four groups and attacking the flanks of the Tang family army.

It's already difficult to hide even 100 people under normal circumstances, let alone 40,000.

The people of Daqi did not have the strange, silent marching methods of the southern barbarians, so the movements of the four armies were immediately noticed by the other side as soon as they set out.

Forty thousand men may not sound like much, but if they are all elite troops, then it's a big problem.

Moreover, the family army had already suffered a loss before.

Therefore, Tang's army immediately became anxious and began to retreat, guarding the county towns along the four marching routes and relying on the city walls for defense.

The four armies of Jin County did not advance hastily, but instead stationed themselves outside the county town, seemingly intending to wear each other down for a long time.

Such commotion naturally reached the command center of the Tang family army.

In Tuodong County, Tang Qi sat in the county government's courtroom.

The table in front of him was also covered with maps.

Around him were a dozen or so captains who served as his staff.

At this moment, Tang Qi's face was extremely ugly, and his gaze was fixed on the border between Dian County and Jin County, extremely sharp.

After a long pause, he said through gritted teeth, "You mean that we lost a battle against the weak garrison of Jin County, which has led to that good-for-nothing from Jin County looking down on us and starting to attack us, blocking our movement space on the left flank?"

The dozen or so captains stood with their heads down, not daring to speak.

Seeing this, Tang Qi angrily rebuked, "You are the border army, the strongest border army in the southwest, yet you have lost to a prefectural army. What kind of nonsense is this!"

He slammed his hand on the table with a loud thud.

At this moment, a young military officer not far away stepped forward, clasped his hands and said, "Father, I am willing to lead five thousand men to kill the enemy and restore honor for our Tang family army."

This man was none other than Tang Song, who had recovered from his injuries.

"What's it to you?" Tang Qi was even angrier. "You're just a lowly captain, not qualified to lead five thousand men. Besides, there are forty thousand men on the other side. Do you think you're invincible?"

Tang Song said, "The Jin County government troops are just a bunch of rabble."

"A rabble, you think you can rout our flank soldiers?" Tang Qi scoffed, "A rabble, you think you can burn you to the bone and kill thousands of your elite troops?"

Tang Song blushed, but dared not refute.

"Return to the ranks."

Tang Song returned to the group and stood there, but then snorted heavily through his nose in displeasure.

Very unconvinced.

Some people want to laugh, but dare not.

After all, whatever quarrels are between father and son is a family matter, and those who dare to interfere will only suffer.

Tang Qi rubbed his forehead with his hand, feeling deeply unhappy.

His rebellion was already somewhat hasty.

There was nothing he could do. Jin County had investigated and eliminated his accomplices, and he also sensed that the imperial court seemed to have discovered his intentions.

The amount of military rations and supplies being sent over recently has been decreasing.

If we don't take action now, we'll just be slowly worn down and driven to poverty, eventually dying out.

Therefore, he had no choice but to head north and attack Dian County.

However, they were not adequately prepared for the Dian Prefecture, so when they made their initial advance and reached central Yunnan, they were stopped by the enemy's garrison commander who used the terrain and the city walls of the county as a barrier.

He looked at the map for a while, then at the marked pieces on the flank, and said helplessly, "Withdraw the troops of Tang Bai, Tang Huai, and Tang Li from the front line and attack the flank, while ensuring the safety of the flank and its space for maneuver."

The officers looked at each other.

Finally, someone cupped their hands and asked, "General, in this way, there will be nearly 50,000 fewer troops at the front, which will greatly reduce the pressure on the Yunnan Prefecture Army."

"The Yunnan Prefecture Army is a bunch of cowards, nothing to fear. If Jin County dares to make a move, I'll chop off their hands first, so that the world won't think that my Tang Family Army can bully any cat or dog."

Seeing that Tang Qi seemed genuinely angry, the others stopped trying to persuade him.

With nearly 50,000 Tang troops withdrawing from the front lines, this naturally attracted the attention of the General Commander of Dian Prefecture.

Hua, the chief military commander of Dian Prefecture, was named Yi'an and was a purely military officer.

Standing on the city wall, watching a large group of enemy soldiers retreat into the distance, he asked, "It seems a portion of the Tang family army has fled. What happened? Is it some kind of trick to lure the enemy outwards? Do they think I would fall for it? They underestimate me."

The captains surrounding him remained silent.

No one can figure it out either.

Just then, a messenger ran over and shouted, "Chief Commander, fantastic news!"

"Say it."

Xiao Qi knelt down and said happily, "The Jin County government troops have been mobilized and have launched an attack on the flank of the rebel army from the west. That's why the Tang family army withdrew some of its troops."

(End of this chapter)