Call of the Heroes of Chaos in Another World

Chapter 2172 Li Jing Captures Two Counties in Succession, Western Front of Great Yan in Crisis

"A generous gift?" Shi Shouxin and Pan Mei were taken aback, not understanding the meaning.

"Their army of 200,000 may seem large and powerful, but in reality, there are more than 50,000 new recruits who have been in the army for about six months!"

"Up until now, I haven't actually been on the battlefield yet!"

"Wang Yu's actions are nothing more than draining my energy, disrupting my morale, exhausting my soldiers, and especially frightening these new recruits!"

"He thinks he's a burden to me? Wrong! He's a whetstone for me!"

Zhao Kuangyin suddenly waved his hand, pointing to the vast camp outside, and said, "Last night's chaos, which seemed like a great disaster, was actually a godsend!"

"Let these rookies taste what the real battlefield is like! What bloodshed is, what death is, what fear is! Good soldiers can't be raised in a greenhouse, and a sword that hasn't been wielded with blood will never be sharpened!"

Wang Yu wanted to constantly undermine the morale of these new recruits, thereby causing them to become a drag on the entire Song army.

However, Zhao Kuangyin also wanted to use the Han army to train his new soldiers.

Their Great Song Dynasty appeared to have 600,000 soldiers, an incredibly powerful force. However, a full third of them had only been in the army for about six months.

With such a large number of new recruits, the fastest way to quickly mold them into capable soldiers is through warfare. No matter how effective the training methods are, nothing beats sending them directly to the battlefield for a fight.

Being able to survive a major battle, even if you weren't a veteran before, makes you one afterward.

Wang Yu wanted to use the strategy of exhausting the enemy, so that the new army would become a burden on the entire Song army, thus forcing them to be hesitant to launch a large-scale war directly.

However, Zhao Kuangyin never intended to launch a decisive battle so quickly; at the very least, he wanted to wait for news from Lou Huan and Xie Guanying.

The battlefield they wanted to open up was not on this side, but in another direction.

Of course, whether they can ultimately open up the battlefield they want to open up still depends on whether Lou Huan and Xie Guanying's side are successful.

It will take more than two months for news to arrive from the other side.

For such a long period of time, neither side wanted large-scale clashes. So, it would be a good opportunity to use these frequent small-scale battles to train new recruits and control the casualty ratio.

If time allowed, Zhao Kuangyin would have liked to bring all the new recruits from various regions over for rotational training.

Of course, as it turns out, when one door closes, another opens.

Not long after, Zhao Kuangyin still achieved his goal of rotation training.

However, it wasn't on the Liangguan battlefield, but rather in the southwest of their Great Song Dynasty.

For this battle, Dali was once again mobilized by the Han Dynasty.

The Han dynasty originally devised this plan so that Dali could, if necessary, strike at the back of the Song dynasty.

Although Dali's national strength was limited, its influence was still considerable. However, if things came to that, even if it could only restrain a small portion of the Song Dynasty's power, it would still be useful to the Han Dynasty.

It was precisely because the Dali Duan family was finally persuaded to send troops soon after that, although this added another battlefield, Zhao Kuangyin was somewhat helpless.

However, he also took the opportunity to make it his new training ground. After all, the intensity of the fighting there was much more suitable than that at Liangguan.

"Issue my decree!" Zhao Kuangyin's voice suddenly rose, carrying an unquestionable determination.

"From tonight onwards, any sentry on duty in the recruit camp who deserts or incites chaos, regardless of rank, will be publicly beheaded at the camp gate once verified! This is to uphold military law and serve as a warning to others! Let everyone see what the consequences are for deserting in the face of battle and sowing discord among the troops!"

"Secondly, starting tonight, any battalion that is attacked and whose discipline is poorly maintained, leading to chaos in the main camp, will have all its squad leaders and platoon leaders flogged thirty times! This is to accuse them of poor command and ineffective discipline! The commanding officer will be demoted one rank and allowed to remain in office while bearing the consequences of their actions!"

"Third, effective immediately, all new recruit battalions will be organized into battalions, with experienced veterans selected from the veteran battalions to serve as captains and lieutenants! Each veteran will lead ten new recruits, living and eating together, and undergoing rigorous training! Those who fail to perform their training duties will be punished twice over!"

"Fourth, and most importantly!" Zhao Kuangyin's eyes gleamed sharply. "Every day, select battalions from the new recruit camps that have performed reasonably well, led by experienced veterans, and accompanied by some elite veterans, to take turns leaving the camp! Imitate the enemy army, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!"

However, Lian Po hesitated at this moment regarding Zhao Kuangyin's orders.

"Your Majesty, while this method can indeed train troops in a short period of time!"

"However, the new recruits are vulnerable, and a hasty attack could result in heavy losses! If we suffer another setback, morale might plummet..."

While Lian Po may not have loved the people like his own children, he was not to the point of treating his soldiers like disposable resources, as Zhao Kuangyin did.

The thought of the potential casualties among the new recruits if he did this made Lian Po feel somewhat uneasy.

After all, these new recruits should have had a more secure way to grow.

A general can abandon his soldiers for victory in war; the saying "one general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand" is no different.

However, they cannot simply push their soldiers to their deaths for the sake of training.

"loss?"

Zhao Kuangyin coldly interrupted, "What war doesn't involve casualties? What I need are battle-hardened soldiers, not hothouse flowers! If you're afraid of losses, you'll never train soldiers who can fight!"

He said firmly, "Tell the new recruits leaving the camp that killing one enemy will earn them a reward of one string of cash! Capturing and killing one 'Black Rider' will earn them a reward of five strings of cash and a promotion of one rank!"

"If a squad achieves a kill of more than level 10, the entire squad will be richly rewarded! Those who cower in the face of danger will be executed! Those who desert in the face of battle will be executed! Those who disobey orders will be executed! This order of three executions must be conveyed to the ears of every new recruit leaving the camp!"

His gaze swept over the generals, carrying a ruthless and iron-blooded air: "Use small units of the Han army to give my new recruits a taste of battle! Let them see blood in real combat, and learn how to grip weapons and how to obey orders on the edge of life and death."

"Every attack is a test of strength! Those who survive are the best steel! Those who die are the bones that pave the way for the strength of our Great Song Dynasty's army!"

"As for the losses..."

Zhao Kuangyin gazed toward the distant Han camp, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

"As long as we can eventually forge a new army that dares to fight and is capable of fighting, I can afford these costs!"

"Wang Pengfei wants to trap me with a strategy of exhausting his troops? Fine! I'll play along and use his knife to sharpen my own! Let's see who will be trapped in this cage of a cage in the end!"

Zhao Kuangyin's decree was carried out swiftly, like a cold torrent of iron.

……………… Heyang.

This was once the stronghold of Prince Jing. However, after Prince Jing gained control of Henan, this place fulfilled its historical purpose for him.

Following this, in the struggle for power among several forces south of the Yellow River, Heyang became a focal point of contention.

At its worst, Prince Jing's troops had completely withdrawn from Heyang, and Xuanyuan Huang's Great Yan had once occupied two-thirds of Heyang.

However, just when the situation in the Great Yan Dynasty was very good, the Celestial Masters Sect incident occurred, and a large number of aristocratic families, represented by the Nangong family, were persecuted by the Celestial Masters Sect at that time.

It was precisely because of this that, despite the favorable situation, the Celestial Masters Sect faced various counterattacks from a group of powerful families, represented by the Nangong family, and was thus forced to continuously shrink its battle lines.

Originally occupying two-thirds of Heyang Road, it gradually dwindled to only a quarter. Large tracts of territory were either reclaimed by Prince Jing or seized by Dongcang.

When Dongcang and Zhongcang were destroyed, Dayan took the opportunity after their defeat and took over the entire Heyang Road.

However, it is precisely because of these historical factors that Heyang Road became the road with the weakest foundation of the Great Yan's rule.

Even though Xuanyuan Huang took in the remnants of the Nangong family last year and eased relations between the aristocratic families.

However, the persecution these aristocratic families in Heyang Road suffered back then was no exaggeration!

Because of what happened back then, many aristocratic families from Heyang fled to Henan Province, and now they happen to be here in the Han Dynasty.

Li Jing commanded 150,000 Manxiong Army, 50,000 Feiyu Army, and 50,000 Central Imperial Guards, totaling 250,000 troops, and his main attack direction was Heyang Road.

In this battle, Li Jing made full use of the weakness of the Great Yan's rule in Heyang Road. He contacted a large number of former Heyang Road families in Henan Road in advance and used their local influence.

In just one month, he took control of two counties.

Li Jing's battle lines were advancing much faster than Yue Fei's.

After all, in Heyang, the Great Yan truly lacked popular support. They hadn't won over either the upper echelons or the common people.

After the persecution of the aristocratic families of Heyang, many of them were either slaughtered or forced to flee their hometown of Heyang.

However, the land and wealth obtained from these aristocratic families did not end up in the hands of the common people, or rather, only a small portion of it did.

The vast majority of it still ended up in the hands of those who had vested interests in the Great Yan Dynasty!

It's important to understand that when they were in the Tokaido, or even the Guangyangdo, it was still the early stage of their development. Although they had dealt ruthlessly with the powerful families, they had distributed most of the land and resources they acquired in order to build up their forces.

In fact, the high-ranking members of the Celestial Masters sect did not gain much benefit from these two paths.

Or perhaps, when they first started out, they still had a sincere desire to speak out for the people.

However, as they rose to high positions, the dragon-slaying youths became the dragons themselves. They were no longer part of the common people, nor were they those who rebelled against the court for the sake of the people.

Prior to this, having held high positions but not reaping any benefits, they certainly wouldn't let the Heyang region off the hook again.

Therefore, although they gave up some benefits in order to give Xuanyuan Huang an explanation, they still kept most of them.

Throughout history, both in China and abroad, the reason why peasant uprisings have rarely succeeded is that the vast majority of them were unable to overcome their own limitations.

The common people at the bottom of society not only did not receive the substantial benefits that the people of Donghaidao and Guangyangdao did, but they were also the most unfortunate group in the subsequent counterattack by the powerful families and in that economic war.

Therefore, under these circumstances, what basis could the Great Yan have for ruling here? How could the people's hearts be with them?

Perhaps given enough time, given his political skills, Xuanyuan Huang could change this situation.

But how much time has passed since Xuanyuan Huangquan occupied Heyang Road?

He didn't have time at all!
The Han army arrived too quickly, and this battle has begun far too soon.

Time is simply not on Xuanyuan Huang's side.

Since Li Jing began his advance, many soldiers in these two prefectures have defected. In fact, an entire force of three thousand newly recruited soldiers from the Great Yan state has directly and systematically surrendered to Li Jing.

Therefore, although Li Jing's forces were significantly fewer than those of Yue Fei, his advance was much faster.

Da Hong, the military commander of the Great Yan in Heyang Road, is known as the number one general of the Great Yan and a commander at the peak of the Heaven level. He is not bad in any force, and he could even make a name for himself in the Great Han.

However, Da Hong, a commander at the peak of the Heavenly level, is actually more skilled at training troops.

In terms of flexibility in battle, they are far inferior to Li Jing.

Li Jing commanded an entire Flying Feather Legion. He fully utilized the flexibility of cavalry, forcing Da Hong to defend step by step and not daring to easily counterattack.

It's important to understand that even in a defensive battle, success cannot be achieved solely through defense; when necessary, the courage to launch a counterattack is also essential. Similarly, in a defensive battle, one must be ready to draw their sword when the time is right.

However, under pressure from the Flying Feather Legion, the various units of Dahong were divided into separate entities, unable to support each other.

Under these circumstances, Li Jing naturally concentrated his overwhelming military force and easily captured one city after another.

In the two prefectures, Da Hong also lost 20,000 troops, but it did not cause Li Jing any major casualties.

Despite being on the defensive, the casualties on the Heyang battlefield were more than double those of the enemy due to various factors, which shows how disparate the situation was.

The Great Yan had a total of 120,000 troops stationed in Heyang Road, which was less than half of the fighting force under Li Jing's command.

Moreover, of these 120,000 troops, a full 40,000 were new recruits who had been in the army for about six months.

Fortunately, this minimizes the gap between new recruits and veterans in defensive battles.

Secondly, the 20,000 troops from the two counties that were lost earlier were mainly new recruits.

At least, Tat Hon still retains as much power as possible.

However, after a series of defeats, Da Hong realized that he could no longer repel the enemy on his own, and that this was not a solution.

Therefore, the only option was to seek help from Xuanyuan Huang as soon as possible.