Thief Emperor

Chapter 135 The famous general’s calculations!
Su Sheng is in his early thirties.

From his name, we can tell that he is the eldest son of General Su, and also the "Major General" of the army that is suppressing the rebellion this time.

Unlike other second-generation generals of this era, although Su Sheng had been practicing martial arts since he was a child and learning military books and battle formations from his old father, this time was his first time to go to the battlefield.

Because when this young general was fourteen or fifteen years old and was about to join the army and start his military career, his father offended the emperor and was sent back to his hometown by the emperor with just a piece of paper.

At that time, the young general, who was just about to join the army to make achievements, had nowhere to go, and even the imperial court was not willing to let him join the army.

After all, at that time, General Su still had many of his old subordinates.

Therefore, Su Sheng, who had learned a lot of skills, could only work as a military officer in his hometown, and he did this for more than ten years.

Now, there was no one available in the court, and His Majesty the Emperor... or rather the court, once again thought of General Su. At the same time, Su Sheng was able to escape from the local area, and was granted a fourth-grade rank by the court, and followed his father to the war.

After receiving his father's order, Su Sheng was quite excited. He almost dragged Li Zheng out of his father's tent, then hurriedly selected a hundred cavalrymen, and took Li Zheng with him, heading straight for Linshui.

Along the way, he did not stop even at night. He kept running for two days and one night. On the second night, a group of more than a hundred riders finally arrived at the foot of Linshui City.

Su Sheng looked at Li Zheng, then looked at Linshui County with its gates closed, and frowned slightly.

His right hand was already on the sword at his waist.

Li Zheng calmly got off the horse and, in full view of everyone, shouted towards Linshui County.

"I'm Li Zheng, open the door!"

Soon, torches were lit on the city wall, and dozens of torches were waved, finally illuminating Li Zheng's face.

The person guarding the city on the tower was none other than Deng Yang, who had recently been promoted by Li Yun. When Deng Yang saw Li Zheng under the city, he shouted, "Brother Monkey, where did these cavalrymen come from?"

Hearing the words "Brother Monkey", Li Zheng's face darkened, and then he gritted his teeth and said, "These are the reinforcements sent by General Su to support Linshui. Open the door quickly!"

Deng Yang said "Oh", waved his hand, and shouted: "Open the door!"

The city gate was pushed open quickly with a creaking sound. Perhaps because it had not been oiled for a long time, the sound was a bit harsh.

Su Sheng jumped off his horse and took his hand off the hilt of the knife. He patted Li Zheng on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Brother Li, I didn't expect that Linshui would be occupied by you guys!"

Li Zheng was about to reply when he heard Su Sheng say, "By the way, why did that kid on the tower call you Monkey Brother?"

Li Zheng forced a smile and said, "He was just shouting nonsense."

At this time, the city gate finally opened slowly. Su Sheng called a subordinate and whispered a few words in his ear. The subordinate then rode his horse and turned around to run back to General Su to report the news.

Su Sheng followed Li Zheng into the county town.

After the two entered the county town, it was a long time before Li Yun, who had received the news, rushed back. He looked at Li Zheng, then at Su Sheng. Li Zheng quickly introduced: "Second... Lieutenant Li, this is the son of General Su, and also a captain in the army."

Su Sheng's captain was certified by the imperial court and was a genuine fourth-rank military officer, with one to two thousand men under his command.

It is very different from a temporary captain like Li Yun.

Li Yun then clasped his fists, saluted, and said with a smile: "It seems that the general really doesn't believe me at all. For such a small matter like Linshui, he actually asked the young general to come and take a look in person."

Compared to General Su, Major General Su Sheng seemed much more approachable. He smiled and said, "Captain Li took such an important county in just a few days. Not to mention that the general doesn't believe it, I'm afraid few people in the army would believe it."

At this point, he looked at Li Yun and said with emotion: "Captain Li is truly a young hero."

Li Yun waved his hand: "It was just luck, just luck."

Su Sheng still had a smile on his face. He said with a smile: "I left later than the general and arrived at the army in the past few days. I heard that before I arrived at the army, Lieutenant Li had a fight with the general and beat him up?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the smile on Li's face froze immediately.

He coughed and waved his hand awkwardly: "Young General, don't listen to their nonsense. The general is so powerful, how can I be his opponent?"

"Besides, if I really beat the general, how could the army still have room for me?"

Su Sheng looked Li Yun up and down, and said with a smile: "That's true, but my family's followers have told me about this."

Li Yun sighed and didn't explain any further.

"It's a draw at best."

"Let's not talk about whether it's a tie or not."

Su Sheng pulled Li Yun's sleeve, walked forward, and said with a smile: "Let's fight the battle in front of us first. When the war is over, Su will ask Lieutenant Li for some boxing and kicking lessons on behalf of my father."

Li Yun also lost his temper and replied very bluntly.

"Easy to say."

The two walked all the way to the county government office. As the county town was not big, they arrived at the main hall of the county government office and sat down soon. After they sat down, Su Sheng looked at Li Yun and said, "The general asked me to come here, firstly to see the situation in Linshui, and secondly to ask Lieutenant Li what the next plan is?" Li Yun was a little surprised and said with a smile, "The general is a famous general of the time. Shouldn't he make the decision at this time?"

"Of course, the general makes the decision."

Su Sheng took a sip of water and said, "But before the general makes a decision, he should also listen to the opinions of the people below. After all, it is Lieutenant Li who is in Linshui, not the general."

Li Yun also lowered his head to drink water and said slowly: "I have been thinking about this problem these days. Now it seems that there are two ways."

"The first solution is for the Ningguo army to advance immediately and drive to Linshui. We have a large number of people. As long as we advance, the rebels will not dare to covet Linshui anymore."

"When the time comes, we can use Linshui as our base, slowly advance forward, and lift the siege of Qiantang."

"We will advance steadily step by step, then push towards Yuezhou and wipe out the Yuezhou rebels."

Su Sheng put down his teacup and said, "If the general had a normal army, he could fight like this. But Captain Li, you know that even now, the training of those new recruits has not even lasted a month."

"Some people can't even hold a knife steadily, and when they wear heavier armor, they stagger when they walk."

He looked at Li Yun and said, "Captain Li, tell me about the second solution."

Li Yun frowned and said, "Linshui City is too close to Qiantang County. After we occupy this county, it will be a huge threat to the rebels who want to attack Qiantang."

"Most likely, they will attack Linshui first."

Li Yun looked up at Su Sheng and continued, "The second method is to use Linshui as bait to attract the rebels to attack Linshui, and then our army will take the opportunity to encircle them and lift the siege of Qiantang in one battle."

Su Sheng couldn't help but give a thumbs up and said with emotion: "Captain Li, after this battle, even if the general is unwilling to recommend you as an officer, Su will definitely recommend you to the court!"

Li Yun's face darkened: "So, this is what the general meant?"

Su Sheng nodded and said, "Before I came here, the general said that if Captain Li really occupied Linshui, then we should do it this way."

Seeing that Li Yun's face was not looking good, he quickly said: "But Captain Li, don't worry, Su will not let you and your subordinates be alone in danger."

He patted his chest and said, "Su will also stay in Linshui and share life and death and hardships with Lieutenant Li's troops!"

Hearing this, Li Yun sighed silently: "I'm afraid this is also to take into account the reputation of the general?"

It is indeed inappropriate to throw a solitary troop in the deep as bait, but if you throw your own son in as well and spread the news, it will be much more reasonable.

Anyone who hears this will give a thumbs up to General Su.

Su Sheng looked calm and did not respond. Instead, he said, "Captain Li, if you don't want to, you can leave Linshui now. I will take over the affairs of Linshui and be the bait."

Li Yun shook his head and refused.

His inheritance is all here, how can he leave alone?

After taking a sip of tea, he asked, "I have another question."

"Excuse me, Captain Li."

"General Su has 20,000 to 30,000 people there. The scale is too large, and the enemy must be keeping a close eye on them. How can the general reach Linshui and kill the rebels besieging the city?"

"After I confirmed that Linshui had been occupied by Lieutenant Li, my men returned to Ningguo to inform the general."

"As soon as he returns to Ningguo."

Su Sheng lowered his head and drank tea with a calm expression.

"The general began to divide the whole into small groups and dispatched people from Ningguo to Linshui little by little."

"Captain Li also knows that the rebels' fighting power is not that strong, and they can't send all their men to Linshui. Therefore, the general estimates that as long as they can quietly send out 3,000 to 4,000 men, they will be able to inflict heavy damage on the rebels."

"Major General, how long will it take to break up the whole into smaller units and quietly send out three to four thousand people?"

"Ten days."

Su Sheng thought about it and scratched his head again.

"Specifically, I'm not very clear."

Li Yun took a deep breath and gritted his teeth.

"The general is really thoughtful!"

Su Sheng smiled.

"After this is accomplished, Captain Li will immediately have a great achievement in the credit list!"

(End of this chapter)