Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 387 What Lu Ziming can do, I, Lin Zihou, can't do?
"Brother Zihou~"

Zhang Yongde, the commander of all the armies of the Palace Guard, invited Lin Dao to take a seat with a smile.

"Just do what you need to do; there's no need to tell me everything."

"I'm just here to lend my name; you're in charge of the military operations."

Later, the Imperial Guards were reorganized, with the main military forces concentrated in the Palace Guard Division and the Imperial Bodyguard Division.

The supreme commander of the Palace Guard is the Commander-in-Chief of all the Palace Guard troops.

Chai Rong assigned this position to his brother-in-law, Zhang Yongde.

As for the supreme commander of the Imperial Guard, his nephew Li Chongjin was appointed as the commander.

This shows that Chai Rong was well prepared.

Over the years, the unsuspecting emperors and military governors have long since lost their nerve.

"The inspection is an overstatement."

Looking at the military supervisor sent by Chai Rong, Lin Dao's smile remained unchanged: "Since you are in the army, you should obey military orders."

The main force in this attack on Shu was the troops of the Palace Guard.

The general in charge of the battle was Lin Dao, but the nominal commander-in-chief was Zhang Yongde.

Chai Rong explained, 'Your seniority is still relatively low, and it may be difficult for you to command respect in the army. Therefore, I have specially dispatched Zhang Yongde to support you.'

This is the literal explanation.

In reality, Zhang Yongde came here to exercise the authority of military supervisor.

In an era dominated by warriors, betrayals and backstabbing are rampant.

Decades ago, even the famous general Li Cunxiao betrayed his adoptive father, Li Keyong.

Lin Dao was merely Chai Rong's brother-in-law; how could he possibly be at ease with him leading a large army on a campaign?

Let alone the fact that Lin Dao doesn't have any offspring yet, even if he did have offspring and relatives staying in Bianzhou City, what difference would it make?
Several years ago, Chai Rong's entire family was held hostage in Bianzhou City and was all killed, but in the end, he still ascended the throne.

Therefore, Zhang Yongde's role as military supervisor was indispensable.

"Zihou, you may go."

Zhang Yongde is a smart man.

He knew he wasn't as good at fighting as others, so he was just there to nominally serve.

Therefore, he did not interfere in military affairs and left everything to Lin Dao himself.

If they really had any designs on him, the first person they would kill would be the military supervisor!
It should be noted that this is different from the Imperial Guard, which was mainly composed of various departments.

The Palace Guard, which mainly recruits new soldiers and selects elites as its backbone, was almost entirely created by Lin Dao.

Most of the military generals, from top to bottom, were personally selected and recommended by Lin Dao.

Zhang Yongde was so incompetent that he couldn't even recognize all the military officers from different units.

Not competing or fighting is what he should do.

"Commander-in-Chief."

Shi Shouxin, the Right Wing Commander of the Iron Cavalry of the Palace Guard, saw him come out of the tent and immediately went up to report, "The spies have all returned."

"Go back and talk."

Back in his temporary main tent, Lin Dao beckoned his scouts to come forward and report.

“Commander, the Baoxie Road is heavily guarded, with numerous camps along the way and strict inspections.”

"Commander, the Chencang Road is heavily fortified, with five large stockades and thirteen smaller stockades, all blocking the road at steep sections."

"Commander, the Luogu Pass is well-defended, with Shu army camps in every valley."

"Commander, the defenses along the Ziwu Road are lax, with only a few Shu soldiers patrolling."

"You've worked hard." Lin Dao gestured, "Record your military achievements, go have a good meal, collect your reward and rest."

The weary scouts were overjoyed and bowed before departing.

Shi Shouxin stepped forward and said, "Commander-in-Chief!"

Meeting his probing gaze, Lin Dao did not hide anything.

Do you know what the purpose of this battle is?

"I am at a loss. Please enlighten me, Commander."

Lin Dao gestured for him to sit down and said, "This battle serves two purposes: training the troops."

"His Majesty has many grievances against the Imperial Guards, but holds high expectations for the Palace Guards."

"However, the Palace Guard is mainly composed of newly recruited soldiers, who need sufficient battles to temper them."

"The Shu Kingdom is weak, making it a suitable place to train troops."

Shi Shouxin, Wang Shenqi, Han Zhongyun, Li Jixun, and others who belonged to the Iron Cavalry Army inside the tent all nodded upon hearing this.

It is certainly true that newly recruited soldiers need combat experience in addition to training to form combat effectiveness.

"Secondly, it is to eliminate the threat from the Shu Kingdom and prepare for the subsequent conquest of the Southern Tang."

Lin Dao smiled slightly and said calmly, "Compared to the rugged terrain of Shu, Southern Tang is the real target."

"To prevent the Shu Kingdom from causing trouble when they are conquering the Southern Tang, we need to teach them a lesson first and make them behave themselves."

Sitting upright in his chair, Lin Dao continued, "Given the terrain of Shu, this campaign can only target the Qin and Feng prefectures."

"The reason for dispatching the Iron Cavalry is that His Majesty admired my bravery in breaching the city during the Battle of Jinyang."

Upon hearing this, all the generals burst into laughter.

Then came the praise of Lin Dao's divine power and invincibility.

The core of the Iron Cavalry Army consisted of over a thousand cavalrymen who had previously defeated the Northern Han.

They once followed Lin Dao, abandoning their horses to attack the city and capturing Jinyang City in a single battle.

Chai Rong sent the Iron Cavalry over with the same idea in mind.

We hope that the Iron Cavalry will create another legend and quickly conquer Qin and Feng prefectures.

"That's not what I think."

Lin Dao's expression was solemn. "My plan is to annihilate Shu in one battle!"

These words immediately caused an uproar inside the tent.

These officers, who were previously only mid- to low-ranking officers but had been promoted by Lin Dao, looked at him in disbelief.

"Destroy Shu?!"

The Shu Kingdom was not weak, after all, the Shu region was a land of plenty, with a dense population and abundant resources.

The problem is that the roads in Shu are extremely difficult to travel.

When Deng Ai conquered Shu, he took a risky tactic by secretly crossing Yinping. Later Shu wasn't stupid; they wouldn't give them that opportunity, and Yinping must have already been heavily fortified.

Thinking of the spies he had sent out before, Shi Shouxin asked uncertainly, "Commander, do you intend to take the Meridian Road?"

"Exactly!"

"What Wei Yan failed to do, I will do in reverse!"

The Ziwu Valley is difficult to traverse, but it is not impossible to walk through.

Lin Dao learned that seven hundred years later, a man named Gao Yingxiang led an army of 50,000 through the Ziwu Valley.

He did indeed manage to traverse the Ziwu Valley, but upon exiting the valley, he was defeated by the most capable civil official of the Ming Dynasty, who had been waiting in ambush.

If Gao Yingxiang's 50,000 troops could move, then Lin Dao's 10,000-plus iron cavalry could certainly move as well!
"Qinzhou and Fengzhou."

Lin Dao instructed, "Let Zhao Kuangyin go and fight."

The opportunity to reorganize the Imperial Guards and establish the Palace Guard was originally Zhao Kuangyin's, but it was taken away by Lin Dao.

At this time, Zhao Kuangyin was the Deputy Commander of the Palace Guard and concurrently the Commander of the Crane Control Army, which consisted mainly of infantry.

As for Lin Dao, he was the Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Guard and concurrently the Commander-in-Chief of the Iron Cavalry.

The head of the Palace Guard is the Palace Guard Inspector.

The second position is for the Deputy Commander of the Palace Guards. This position is currently vacant and is likely intended to be used to reward Lin Dao or Zhao Kuangyin.

It mainly depends on their achievements in this battle.

It was precisely for this reason that Zhao Kuangyin devoted himself to training his infantry and preparing military supplies, heading straight for Qin and Feng prefectures.

What he didn't expect was that Lin Dao, who had stayed in Chang'an, actually wanted to undermine him.

The third and fourth officers of the Palace Guard were the Commander-in-Chief and the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Guard.

At this moment, Lin Dao's suggestion to take the Ziwu Valley to destroy Shu stirred up waves in the hearts of the Iron Cavalry generals.

"I disdain to take Qin and Feng prefectures step by step and compete with Zhao Kuangyin."

Lin Dao declared with high spirits, "Since we're going to fight, let's fight a war of annihilation!"

"We will destroy their country in one battle!"

The generals were so excited that they all stood up and raised their arms.

"Destroy the nation! Destroy the nation!! Destroy the nation!!!"

Having determined its strategic objectives, Lin Dao began taking action.

He first sent Zhang Yongde to the front line to urge Zhao Kuangyin to launch a fierce attack on the Qin and Feng prefectures.

Undoubtedly, this will greatly attract the attention and military strength of the Shu Kingdom, providing a strategic feint for Lin Dao's next move.

To maintain secrecy, he kept the matter a secret from everyone except his trusted generals, not even from Zhang Yongde.

The spies that Shu had arranged in Guanzhong also relayed the news back to Chengdu that Lin Dao's iron cavalry was stationed in Chang'an.

In the Shu Kingdom, from Emperor Meng Chang down to the civil and military officials, no one paid much attention to it.

In their view, this was meant to guard against a surprise attack from the Shu Kingdom; they didn't think of anything else at all.

Troops were drawn from various places and dispatched to various parts of Qin and Feng to fight against the Crane Control Army.

The troops on several routes remained stationary, but the troops in Hanzhong were almost entirely withdrawn.

Lin Dao is also making intensive preparations here.

He even disguised himself as a merchant and entered the Meridian Road, launching drones along the way to scout the environment.

He marked some key points and then returned to Chang'an.

Upon returning to Chang'an, Lin Dao issued an order.

"All units of the army carried only horses, weapons, and ten days' worth of dry rations and water."

"No other supplies shall be taken."

"The laborers will remain and carry the banners of the Iron Cavalry to mislead the spies of Shu."

"Zhao Kuangyi," Lin Dao called out, referring to Zhao Er, whom he had specially arranged to join the army, "I'm entrusting you with an important task."

Zhao Er, the commander of the army's first division commander, immediately raised his head and puffed out his chest, his voice booming, "Please give the order, Commander!"

Lin Dao stepped forward and looked at his young face, gently instructing him, "You will lead a group of men, disguised as merchants, to launch a surprise attack on Shiyang Pass."

Shiyang Pass is also known as Ziwu Pass.

This is the most important pass on the Meridian Road.

It is located in a dangerous section of the Fenghe Gorge on the northern slope of the Qinling Mountains.

The pass is flanked by cliffs, with the Feng River flowing through it, forming a natural barrier where the sky appears as a thin line and the land forms a gorge.

It is known locally as the "Gate of Hell".

The Later Shu's defenses along the Ziwu Road were very lax because the roads were difficult to traverse and supplies were hard to obtain.

But only at Shiyang Pass were heavy troops deployed for defense.

As long as this point is secured, the entire Meridian Road will be safe and sound.

"The garrison commander was greedy for money."

Having previously visited the forest route, I naturally also went to Shiyang Pass.

He told Zhao Er, "Don't be afraid to spend money. As long as we can get through the pass, it doesn't matter how much it costs."

"We've captured Shiyang Pass, this is a record of your achievement!"

Overwhelmed with emotion, Zhao Er nodded repeatedly, "This humble servant obeys!"

"We must present the stone sheep to the Commander-in-Chief!"

This operation is undoubtedly a replica of Lü Meng's crossing of the river in disguise.

They pretended to be merchants and launched a surprise attack to seize key locations.

If Lu Ziming can do it, why can't I, Lin Zihou?
That doesn't make sense!
"All departments, prepare."

Lin Dao's gaze swept over the group of people inside the tent.

"Don't bring anything extra, not even a single piece of food."

"Once we reach Hanzhong, we can go straight into the Shu Kingdom."

"Once you arrive in Shu, you'll have everything!"

Knowing that the Shu Kingdom was wealthy, the generals raised their arms and cheered, their morale soaring.

The experienced forest ranger looked down on the battles for control of several states in the mountains.

Since we're going to fight, let's fight a war of annihilation!

(End of this chapter)