spend time

Yu Chong transported a large amount of military rations to Sizhou, which was enough for the border troops to eat for half a year. Even when the Rouran cavalry approached the city and defended it, the border troops did not panic, precisely because of this batch of military rations.

Just for this reason, General Fan had to accept the favor of Princess Nanyang and was naturally extra polite and courteous to Chong.

Furthermore, the 4,000 Nanyang troops had shown their strong combat capability in several battles with the Rouran cavalry. Although the overall battle situation was unfavorable, the Nanyang troops had repeatedly made military achievements.

The iron must be strong before it can be forged. With strict military discipline and valiant fighting power, the Nanyang Army was able to quickly gain a foothold in Sizhou and also won the respect of General Fan.

"At the moment, the war situation is at a stalemate. The Rouran cavalry has been divided, and half of them are wreaking havoc in the counties near Sizhou. Six counties have been occupied. I don't know how many people have died in vain. As the commander of the border army, I am really ashamed of the court and the people!"

General Fan appeared calm on the surface, but he was actually extremely anxious and hadn't slept well for several days. He opened his mouth in a hoarse voice, asking for advice: "General Yu, do you have any ideas to break the impasse?"

Yu Chong was a little hesitant. Should he tell the truth or say something nice to appease General Fan?
"There is no one else here. They are both my confidants. General Yu, feel free to say whatever you want to say!" General Fan said in a low voice, seeing Yu Chong's concerns.

Yu Chong calmed down and lowered his voice: "Since this is the case, I will be bold and speak out my thoughts."

"Let's talk about fighting first. The Rouran cavalry are skilled in riding and archery, and they come and go like the wind. In terms of combat power, they are indeed far superior to the border troops. The border troops can barely hold the city, but once they leave the city and engage in a head-on confrontation with the Rouran cavalry, they will be defeated."

To say that they were defeated is an understatement. The fact is that every time the border troops took the initiative to attack, they were almost always routed, with heavy casualties, which was no different from sending themselves to death. After several times, the border troops had lost their courage and were terrified when they heard about going out of the city to fight.

General Fan has been defending Sizhou as his only option out of desperation.

After hearing this, General Fan was filled with bitterness and sighed: "General Yu is right. Even during the days of defending the city, there were many casualties. The weakness of the border troops is beyond my expectation."

Military generals are not as cunning as civil officials and speak directly.

Yu Chong said, "General Fan has been stationed in the capital, and his soldiers have enough pay and food to eat, and they train every day. The border troops are guarding a bitter cold place, and I heard that they only received 70% of their pay in the past, and their food was often deducted, and they didn't pay much attention to training. Moreover, the border troops are short of war horses and weapons. In this cold winter, the soldiers are wearing old clothes from two years ago, and they don't even have new warm cotton clothes. Under such circumstances, it's lucky that there are no deserters in the border troops."

General Fan was speechless and had to admit that what Yu Chong said was true.

One of General Fan's confidants couldn't help but interrupt, "Every soldier in Nanyang has a warhorse, their armor and weapons are all brand new, and everyone has thick cotton-padded clothes and shoes. You guys are still living a good life."

Yu Chong puffed out his chest proudly: "The military pay of our Nanyang Army all comes from the Nanyang Palace. The princess not only keeps us well fed and clothed, but also provides us with good meals on weekdays, with meat to eat every day. Only when we are well fed can we have the strength to train, and it is only natural that we are more powerful in battle."

General Fan perked up and said with a smile: "More than just stronger. Compared with the border troops, every soldier in the Nanyang Army is an elite and fearless person."

Another confidant took over the conversation: "In my opinion, even compared with our former Shenwu Camp, the Nanyang Army is no less inferior."

You have to know that the Nanyang Army is a garrison. Among the Daliang army, the strongest are the troops in the capital, followed by the border troops. It is hard to say about the garrisons in various places, as their strengths vary. On weekdays, it is barely enough to suppress mountain bandits and maintain local peace. If they really go to the battlefield and encounter the Rouran cavalry, they are basically a piece of cake.

The Nanyang Army was a tough nut to crack, as it was a team of elite troops. Not only did the border troops admire them, but even General Fan and his two confidants praised them.

Yu Chong was very modest and said, "The Nanyang Army has been training for a few years, and it's just barely passable. In terms of elite troops, our Nanyang Army is far inferior to the Princess's personal guard camp."

Everyone in the Royal Guard Battalion rides two horses, and their weapons and armor are the latest and best. Their military formations are well-trained, and their individual combat power is even more formidable.

General Fan had heard Yu Chong praise the Imperial Guard several times, and he couldn't help but feel envious: "Is the Imperial Guard really that powerful?"

Yu Chong responded as a matter of course: "If they are not powerful, how can they be worthy of being the princess's personal guards!"

The pride and admiration he showed when talking about Princess Nanyang were definitely not fake.

General Fan felt something strange in his heart. As a military commander, he led troops to fight and risked his life. Once he decided to follow someone, it was not impossible for him to raise the flag of rebellion... Forget it, at this moment, he had no time to worry about the future.

General Fan calmed himself and whispered, "Defending the city like this means we can only wait for the Rouran cavalry to attack, which is a bit passive. The imperial reinforcements are on the way and will take more than half a month to arrive. I would like to ask the Nanyang Army to quietly leave the city from the north, detour for two or three days, and sneak to the rear of the Rouran camp. Set fire to the Rouran cavalry's food and grass! Perhaps the Rouran will retreat without a fight!"

"This is a dangerous move. However, it is the best strategy I can come up with to defeat the enemy. I wonder if General Yu is willing to take this risk and leave the city?"

Yu Chong was indeed a tough guy, not afraid at all, and accepted the task immediately with a salute: "I am here to deliver food on the orders of the princess, and these 4,000 Nanyang troops are also here to support the border troops. I am willing to obey General Fan's orders!"

General Fan was greatly encouraged and patted Yu Chong on the shoulder: "Good! Good! Good!"

He said three good words in a row.

The two trusted generals looked at each other and felt grateful towards Chong.

The Nanyang Army sent rations and could have left long ago. But the Nanyang Army stayed in Sizhou and took the initiative to support the border army. The Nanyang Army ate and drank their own food and never took a penny of the border army's military pay. Even if there were wounded soldiers, they did not use the border army's military doctors - the main reason was that there were too few military doctors in the border army, and they were not enough when the war started.

The Nanyang Army brought with them more than 20 military doctors, several carts of wound medicine and various medicinal materials. This wealth was extremely enviable.

Now, Yu Chong accepted such an important and dangerous military order without saying a word. He is so brave and courageous, and is truly worthy of respect.

General Fan was thirsty for talent and could not help but think of poaching him: "After this battle, I will personally write a memorial to ask for merit for General Yu. A man should fight on the battlefield and make achievements while he is alive. It is meaningless to stay in Nanyang County all day, why not come to the border army? I will guarantee that you will be promoted three levels!" (End of this chapter)