Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World.

Chapter 196 Marching into Lezhou! (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets)

November, the fourth year of the Zhiping era.

Lezhou, Leling County.

In the suburbs, in a dried-up river valley.

More than 3,000 Western Xia soldiers temporarily set up camp here.

Of course, while it's called setting up camp, it's really just a few tents that are only a few feet long. It's not a real long-term camp, but more like a temporary resting place.

Hundreds of soldiers took turns patrolling and keeping watch, many of whom were wounded, their limbs covered in bright red blood, and the bleeding had only been stopped with simple measures.

It's not hard to imagine that this was a defeated and remnant army.

Otherwise, it would be absolutely impossible to have the disabled stand guard.

The autumn wind is chilling, and the sound of wind and cranes is eerie.

Around dusk.

Suddenly, the sound of thunderous hooves echoed through the valley, causing the riverbed to tremble.

A large banner with the character "Zhang" stands tall, fluttering in the wind.

"not good!"

The Western Xia general was startled. He quickly ran out of the tent, grabbed the reins, mounted his horse, and shouted, "Go to meet them!"

Having said that, he rode off in the opposite direction and fled, not daring to linger for even a moment.

Less than thirty breaths.

"call out!"

An arrow was fired, and Zhang Ding, the left-wing general, drew his bow and shot down a man, shouting:
"The commander-in-chief has decreed that anyone who beheads a first-degree enemy will be rewarded with ten strings of cash and five bolts of silk!"

"Those who are beheaded three times will be granted twenty mu of land."

"Whoever captures the enemy chieftain will be promoted to general, and his descendants will be exempt from military service!"

"kill!"

In a single sentence, morale soared.

"kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

Infantry and cavalry stretched as far as the eye could see.

The incident happened so suddenly that the Western Xia soldiers had no time to escape.

In an instant, the sounds of battle filled the air, and blood flowed like rivers.

Blood and flesh flew everywhere, limbs and bodies were scattered all over the place.

In the era of cold weapons, if the difference in momentum and weaponry was not significant, the one with more people was destined to win.

About half an hour later, the valley began to tremble again.

A large banner with the character "Jiang" on it was very brightly colored.
Shaanxi Road, Weizhou.

The Chinese military tent.

Supported by pillars, a geomantic map of the Zhou, Western Xia, and Tubo dynasties hangs on a wooden frame about ten feet long, spreading out below.

Gu Tingye, clad in armor and carrying a sword, stood with his hands behind his back, observing the scene.

A few steps away, there were two more people.

The man was broad-shouldered and burly, and appeared to be in his twenties or thirties.

Judging from his age, one can tell that he must be an outstanding figure among the younger generation of noble families.

In fact it is.

This person was actually the eldest son of the Earl of Yongchang, named Liang Zhao.

The remaining person had a scar on his face, was about forty years old, and was in his prime.

This person's name is Jing Sili.

His father, Jingtai, once served as the deputy commander of the Shaanxi Road military forces.

Since Gu Yankai rose to power, Jing Sili has followed Gu Yankai in battles, making him a typical military general who relies on the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion.

Gu Tingye's entry into Shaanxi to command troops not only made it easier to gain the support of the commander-in-chief, Marquis Zhongjing Zheng Shun, but also gave him a significant advantage in inheriting some of the older generation's manpower left by his father, Gu Yankai.

This has always been an advantage for the sons of top noble families.

Once someone truly becomes capable and goes to the border to fight and take power, "wherever they go, there are former officials who all submit to their authority and are subdued by their prestige."

Apart from Gu Tingye, Liang Zhao, and Jing Sili, there was no one else in the tent.

Gu Tingye looked around for a while, then turned back and said, "Recently, the main force of Xihe has moved north along Hezhou, cleared Lanzhou, and arrived at Lezhou."

"This campaign against the border involves 300,000 troops, and involves not only the Western Xia, but also the Tubo regime."

Gu Tingye slowly said, "Once the main force enters Lezhou, a real battle will begin." "A battle involving hundreds of thousands of troops is a massive undertaking, and the outcome could change in an instant."

"The main force of the army entered Lezhou, and Wang Shao defended against the Tubo."

“The 30,000 border troops assigned to Gu by the commander-in-chief cannot be idle.”

As he spoke, Gu Tingye pointed towards Weizhou, and then upwards along Weizhou, pointing towards Xiping Prefecture and Xiliang Prefecture.

(As shown in the picture: the black box indicates Lezhou. Shaanxi Road and Xihe Road are adjacent to each other, with only three or four prefectures or counties in between.)
"Xiping Prefecture is close to Xingqing Prefecture, the capital of Western Xia, and its importance is self-evident."

"Xiliang Prefecture is actually the auxiliary prefecture of Western Xia, that is, the secondary capital. It connects to the vast desert and controls the throat of five prefectures."

Gu Tingye said slowly, "Both of these places are extremely important."

“Once border troops enter Western Xia territory and head towards these two places, Western Xia will surely be shaken.”

"Thus, it is not a surprise attack, but it has the effect of one."

An army of 30,000 is a force that cannot be ignored, no matter where it is deployed.

The Western Xia's 100,000 border troops were scattered along a considerable length of the border.

At a single border point, the number of troops stationed is not large.

Shaanxi Road and Western Xia were locked in a long-term standoff, not exactly evenly matched, but not by much.

With 30,000 soldiers launching a sudden attack, it wouldn't be too difficult to seize the opportunity and break through.

The real challenge is capturing a city and then holding it.

just
Both Liang Zhao and Jing Sili were surprised.

Attacking Xiping Prefecture was a common occurrence, as it was located directly north of the Shaanxi battlefield and was also close in distance.

Xiliang Prefecture?
"You're right if you can't guess it."

Upon seeing the astonished expressions on their faces, Gu Tingye couldn't help but clap his hands.

The two core generals couldn't guess the strategy, and no one else could either!
"In war, one cannot focus on one place; one must focus on the entire battlefield," Gu Tingye admonished.

This is the difference between a commander-in-chief and a general.

The gap lies in mindset, planning, and overall coordination!
The difference between a general and a commander may seem to be only a fine line, but in reality, the gap is enormous.

A narrow perspective is the biggest obstacle.

"Let's train the troops!"

Gu Tingye waved his hand: "We will hold a rally on a chosen day. General Zhongjing will lead troops to attack one area and assist us."

Liang Zhao and Jing Sili clasped their hands in a salute and withdrew.

After the two left, Gu Tingye looked heavily towards Xiliang Prefecture.

Indeed, he was on Shaanxi Road.

Many people believe that he intends to fight on the Shaanxi battlefield.

Even Zhongjinghou, Liang Zhao, and Jing Sili believed that he was going to attack Xiping Prefecture, north of Shaanxi.

Little did they know, Xiliang Prefecture could also be attacked.

South of Xiliang Prefecture lies Lezhou.

Whether they were to attack Xiliang Prefecture or turn south to attack the north of Lezhou, thus joining forces with the main force of Xihe to launch a pincer attack, it would be a highly strategic move.

Xining Prefecture, the capital city.

Chief Dongzhan sat on the throne and glanced at the geomantic map.

After pondering for a moment, he gave the order: "Raise an army to attack Lanzhou and Diezhou."

"The people of Muzheng will attack the land of Hezhou."

General Rendo Hochō bowed respectfully and said, "Yes."

Dong Zhan sighed and silently gazed into the distance.

Mu Zheng and he have been fighting for several years.

But now they have no choice but to unite.

There's no way around it; if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold too!
The Western Xia was besieged and unable to unite with the Tibetan Empire to resist other regimes.

Little did they know, the Tibetan Empire was no different.
Despite the fact that the Great Zhou Dynasty signed two unequal treaties, the Treaty of Shanyuan and the Peace Treaty of Qingli, and appeared weak and vulnerable, it was still a formidable force.

In reality, the Great Zhou was a first-rate behemoth regime.

Otherwise, it would have been impossible to seize the Hehuang region so quickly.

If the Western Xia were to be gradually annexed, Tibet would not fare much better.

For the sake of the overall situation, he had no choice but to temporarily negotiate peace with Mu Zheng, join forces to invade the Great Zhou, try to reclaim the Hehuang region, and establish contact with the Western Xia.

Hopefully, everything will go smoothly.

Dong Zhan stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance.

(End of this chapter)