Honglou: This bastard is too persuasive.

Chapter 651 New Goal
In the main tent, the wine and food were removed, and Jia Changsheng sat upright, his eyes sweeping over the generals under his command. The map on the table clearly marked the mountains, rivers and cities of Goguryeo. Among them, Fengyu City and Liubian City were like two key chess pieces, placed in front of everyone, and the choice was related to the direction of the subsequent battle.

Jia Changsheng tapped the table with his fingers, breaking the brief silence: "Everyone, now that September City has been conquered, our army's morale is high, and we should seize the opportunity to pursue the victory. There are two roads in front of us. Fengyu City is located on the main road and is a military stronghold; Liubian City is a prosperous commercial city and a gathering place for materials. In your opinion, where should the next stop be?"

The vanguard general Zhao Meng stood up suddenly, his armor clashing with the sound of a bell, "General, I think we should attack Fengyu City first. This city is strategically located and is easy to defend but difficult to attack, but it is the military throat of Goguryeo. Once it is captured, the enemy's defense line will be in chaos, and our army can take advantage of the situation and march straight in! Moreover, our army is in high spirits now, so it is suitable for attacking and catching them off guard."

"General Zhao's words make sense," counselor Qian Wen gently waved his feather fan and slowly stood up. "But Fengyu City is a military stronghold, and the enemy must be heavily guarded. If we attack it, our casualties may be difficult to estimate. On the other hand, Liubian City, although its defense is not weak, it is a commercial city, and people's hearts are unstable, so there may be gaps in its defense. If our army pretends to attack Fengyu City and the main force raids Liubian City, we can catch the enemy by surprise, and secondly, we can seize the supplies in the city to replenish military supplies. This is the best strategy."

Zhao Meng frowned and clasped his fists, saying, "Mr. Qian, although there are opportunities to take advantage of these six border cities, they are not military strongholds after all. Even if we take them, the impact on the overall situation may not be as great as that of Fengyu City. Moreover, if the main force of our army is transferred away from Fengyu City and the enemy reinforcements arrive, our army will be attacked from both sides."

Jia Changsheng nodded slightly and turned his gaze to the calm veteran general Sun Fu: "General Sun, you have fought for many years and have rich experience. Tell me what you think."

Sun Fu stroked his beard, thought for a moment and said, "General, in my opinion, Fengyu City and Liubian City are actually very dependent on each other. We can send a special force to besiege Fengyu City first, cut off its external support, and make it an isolated city. At the same time, the main force will attack Liubian City with all its strength. Once Liubian City is broken, Fengyu City will be isolated and helpless, and the army will be in chaos. At that time, it will be easy to take Fengyu City."

"General Sun, this is a brilliant plan!" Jia Changsheng's eyes lit up. "However, the selection of this special force needs to be carefully considered. It must be able to hold back the enemy forces in Fengyu City, and be good at maneuvering to preserve its own strength."

"I am willing to lead my troops to besiege Fengyu City!" Zhao Meng stepped forward, "I will fulfill my mission and make sure the enemy troops in Fengyu City dare not take even a single step forward."

Jia Changsheng shook his head and smiled, "General Zhao is brave, so I trust him. But the task of siege requires more than just bravery, it also requires strategy. General Li Xin, you are thoughtful, how about leaving this matter to you?"

Li Xin stood up and saluted: "I obey your orders! I will be careful and cautious and firmly contain the enemies in Fengyu City."

"Okay!" Jia Changsheng's eyes were firm. "Then I will personally lead the main force to attack Liubian City. Mr. Qian, you will go with me so that I can give you advice at any time. General Sun, you will lead the rear army and be responsible for transporting food and supplies to ensure that our army has a continuous supply."

"Yes!" Everyone obeyed in unison.

"This battle is of great importance. Our army must fight quickly and decisively to reduce casualties." Jia Changsheng said solemnly, "Six-border City has frequent trade and the people in the city are mixed. After our army enters the city, we must strictly enforce military discipline, not disturb the people, and win their hearts. The materials in the city must be properly stored and reasonably distributed, and must not be looted or wasted."

"General, rest assured, our soldiers will strictly abide by military discipline!" The generals expressed their opinions one after another.

"In addition, we must beware of reinforcements from Goguryeo. Although we will besiege Fengyu City, the enemy will certainly not sit idly by and watch Liubian City being attacked." Jia Changsheng paced to the map and pointed along the possible routes of reinforcements. "We need to set up sentries along the way to give early warnings. Once we find enemy reinforcements, report them immediately so that we can make countermeasures."

"General, if the enemy has a large number of reinforcements, should we confront them head-on or adopt a roundabout tactic?" Qian Wen asked.

Jia Changsheng thought for a moment and said, "If the number of reinforcements far exceeds ours, we cannot fight head-on. We can use the terrain advantage to set up an ambush to slow down their march and buy time for attacking Liubian City. At the same time, send people to the court to request support, attack from both inside and outside, and defeat the enemy reinforcements."

Everyone discussed the details of the battle in depth, from the deployment of siege equipment and troops to the measures to keep the people safe after entering the city and the plan to deal with the enemy's counterattack. It was not until late at night that everyone dispersed and returned to their camps to prepare for the upcoming battle.

Jia Changsheng sat alone in the tent, looking at the flickering candlelight, knowing that the outcome of this battle would affect the entire war. But he had strong soldiers and talented generals under his command, and a carefully planned strategic layout, so he was full of confidence in the future battle. In his mind, a grand picture of pacifying Goguryeo and defending the country was slowly unfolding, and Fengyu City and Liubian City would be the key chapters in this picture.

Gao Meng looked anxious, his voice low and majestic: "Park Sheng, tell me the latest intelligence again in detail. Don't miss any action of Jia Changsheng's army, not even the slightest sign. The situation is critical now, we can't afford to make any mistakes."

Pu Sheng straightened up quickly and answered respectfully, "Yes, General. Jia Changsheng's troops have been active in the border area recently, and there are obvious signs of mobilization. According to our spies, the number of their tents has increased significantly, and a large amount of food and supplies are transported to the camp every day. All signs show that they are making full preparations for a large-scale military operation. At present, their main force has assembled at our southwest border, but their specific marching route and combat intentions are still like a fog, making it difficult to understand."

Cui Xian tapped his fingers lightly on the map, frowning and deep in thought. After a moment, he slowly spoke: "Judging from Jia Changsheng's previous combat style and tactics, he is cunning and changeable, especially good at surprise attacks and roundabout tactics, and often strikes the enemy unexpectedly. In my opinion, his large-scale troop assembly on the southwest border this time is most likely just a cover to confuse us. His real purpose is probably not to launch an attack from the southwest." Gao Meng nodded slightly, revealing a hint of agreement in his eyes: "Well, Cui Xian, what you said makes sense. In your opinion, where is his real target? Is it our eastern coastal cities, relying on their rich resources to replenish military supplies? Or is it the military stronghold in the north, intending to break through our inland defense line?"

Cui Xian stood up and walked slowly to the map, pointing the bamboo stick in his hand at the eastern coastal cities: "Although the eastern coastal cities have prosperous trade, rich economy, and abundant reserves of materials, they are undoubtedly very attractive to Jia Changsheng's army. However, these cities have been our key defense targets for many years. The fortifications are extremely solid, the walls are high and thick, and they are equipped with a large number of city defense equipment and elite soldiers. If Jia Changsheng rashly attacks there, he will inevitably fall into a protracted battle, which runs counter to his usual pursuit of a quick battle. In addition, the eastern coastal areas are the sphere of influence of our navy. Once the war is stalemate, our navy can attack them from the sea, cut off his retreat, and put him in a dilemma of being attacked from both sides. Therefore, I don't think he will easily choose the eastern coastal cities as the target of attack."

Gao Kuan crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes following Cui Xian's bamboo stick, and then asked, "What about the important military town in the north? It is strategically located, surrounded by mountains and many passes, and is easy to defend but difficult to attack. If Jia Changsheng can successfully take it, it will have a huge impact on our inland defense line, and may even advance straight into our hinterland and endanger our hinterland."

Cui Xian shook his head, his eyes revealing a firm look: "Although the strategic position of the northern military town is crucial, the terrain conditions around it also greatly restrict the movement of the army. The roads are rugged and difficult to travel, which is not conducive to the march of large-scale troops and the transportation of supplies. Jia Changsheng's army is large in number, and once the logistics supply line is extended, it will become very fragile. In addition, we have also deployed a considerable number of garrisons in the northern region. They are familiar with the local terrain and rely on the pass for defense. It is not easy for Jia Changsheng to break through. Therefore, I think it is unlikely that he will choose the northern military town."

At this time, there was silence in the conference room. Everyone was thinking about Cui Xian's analysis, and everyone had a solemn expression on their face.

Gao Meng broke the silence, his voice slightly anxious: "So which city do you think he will attack? Cui Xian, the situation is urgent now, don't keep us in suspense, tell us quickly."

Cui Xian took a deep breath, then pointed his bamboo stick heavily at Pyongyang City on the map: "I think Jia Changsheng's most likely target is Pyongyang City, the transportation hub in our central region."

As soon as these words came out, the meeting room exploded, and everyone whispered to each other, with expressions of shock and disbelief on their faces. Pyongyang, as the capital of Goguryeo, was the country's political, economic and cultural center. Once it was breached, the consequences would be disastrous, and the entire Goguryeo would fall into a huge crisis.

Gao Meng's face became extremely serious, and his eyes were fixed on Cui Xian. "Do you have any evidence? Pyongyang City is well defended, Jia Changsheng can't be unaware of this. How could he easily choose such a hard bone to chew?"

Cui Xian began to explain calmly, his eyes gleaming with wisdom: "General, it is precisely because of the extreme importance of Pyongyang that we will concentrate most of our forces in the surrounding cities for defense. Jia Changsheng is good at seeing through people's hearts. He is likely to take advantage of our deployment and send a small force to feint to other cities, deliberately creating a chaotic situation to attract our forces to disperse, thereby disrupting our defense layout. His main force will hide in it, and take advantage of the opportunity when our attention is distracted to quietly advance towards Pyongyang along some hidden paths or valleys. In this chaotic situation, our intelligence personnel are likely to be confused by his illusions and ignore his true intentions."

Pu Sheng raised his question with a puzzled look on his face: "However, Pyongyang is far away from Jia Changsheng's current assembly point, and there are large areas of mountains and wilderness in between. How can he ensure that his troops will not be discovered by us during the long march? Moreover, it is almost impossible to completely conceal the whereabouts of such a large-scale troop mobilization."

Cui Xian smiled slightly, as if he had expected such questions. "This is how cunning and clever Jia Changsheng is. He will definitely use a series of confusing means. First, he may send out multiple small troops, pretending to attack in different directions, to create the illusion that his army is about to launch an attack in multiple locations. These small troops will deliberately expose their whereabouts to attract the attention of our intelligence personnel and troops, making us mistakenly believe that his attack direction is scattered. In fact, his main force will choose some rarely traveled paths and quickly advance to Pyongyang under the cover of night or bad weather. In addition, he may also raid and block villages and strongholds along the way to prevent news leaks and ensure that his marching route is not detected by us."

Gao Meng clenched his fists tightly and paced back and forth in the conference room, thinking about Cui Xian's words: "Although Cui Xian's analysis has some truth, it is only our speculation after all. The safety of Pyongyang City is related to the fate of the entire Goguryeo. We can't make decisions based on speculation alone. Generals, what do you think about this?"

An old general stroked his beard and said seriously, "Advisor Cui Xian's analysis is indeed unique, but we cannot ignore other possibilities. Jia Changsheng is a man of many tricks, and he may have a trick we can't imagine. However, no matter what, the defense of Pyongyang City must not be relaxed at all."

Another general stood up and said loudly: "General, I think we can strengthen the defense of other cities while secretly dispatching some elite troops to support Pyongyang City, just in case. After all, if Pyongyang City is lost, we will lose our foundation and it will be difficult to hold on to other cities."

Gao Meng stopped and nodded slightly: "Well, you have a point. But we can't lose sight of one thing while focusing on another. The defense of other cities is equally important. Park Sheng, you continue to strengthen the surveillance of Jia Changsheng's army. Once you have new intelligence, report back immediately. There must be no mistakes."

Park Seung quickly responded, "Yes, General, I will do my best to obtain the most accurate intelligence."

Gao Meng looked at everyone again, his eyes revealing a firm determination: "Generals, from now on, we must comprehensively strengthen the defense of each city, especially Pyongyang City and the surrounding important strongholds. We must increase the number of garrisons on the city walls, inspect and repair all defensive fortifications, and store enough food and arrows. At the same time, we must also be prepared to respond to Jia Changsheng's attack at any time and formulate a corresponding battle plan. Once Pyongyang City is attacked, the garrisons of the surrounding cities must quickly support it, forming a pincer attack from both inside and outside, and we must not let Jia Changsheng's conspiracy succeed."

Everyone responded in unison: "Yes! General, we will defend Goguryeo and Pyongyang to the death!"

(End of this chapter)