Sheng Tang: What is Liu Jianjun going to do today?

Chapter 223 Liu Jianjun's Method and Xue Qian

Liu Jianjun ignored Li Xian and managed to leave a muddy handprint on his sleeve.

Li Xian thought to himself that Liu Jianjun must be remembering something very important right now.

From the Thunder Guard's camp to the Governor's Mansion, Liu Jianjun's palms were clean, but the already distinct black and white line between his palms and the backs of his hands became even more pronounced due to the dried mud.

Li Xian looked at his sleeve; the part that Liu Jianjun had grabbed was now a mess, and even the handprint was no longer visible.

"Luckily, I was wearing a cotton-padded coat," Li Xian thought to himself.

Since Liu Jianjun produced cotton cloth, Li Xianru has rarely worn silk or brocade clothing in informal settings. Firstly, it was to "advertise" for his cotton cloth, as Liu Jianjun suggested, and secondly, it was cheap, so he wouldn't feel bad if he just threw it away when it got dirty.

Just like this moment.

While Li Xian was still in a daze, Liu Jianjun had already rushed into Xue Ne's study and said urgently, "General Xue, I have a plan!"

After saying this, without waiting for Xue Ne's response, he walked to the huge map of Liaodong, pointed to the Yalu River and said, "General Xue! Look here! This place on the upper reaches of the Yalu River!"

Xue Ne looked over in confusion.

Li Xian also looked in the direction Liu Jianjun was pointing.

That's the upper reaches of the Yalu River, about ten miles from the domestic city.

Liu Jianjun continued, "The Yalu River suddenly makes a bend here. If I'm not mistaken, this place should be the kind of terrain where the river channel narrows slightly and the mountains on both sides are steep, right?"

At this moment, Xue Ne looked at him with a slight surprise and said, "I didn't expect that Chief Secretary Liu would also have some knowledge of feng shui and terrain."

Liu Jianjun didn't say anything, he just stared at him.

“Indeed, the river is relatively narrow here, and the banks are mostly rocky mountains.” Xue Ne turned back to examine the map again and nodded. “But what does this have to do with attacking the city?”

"This is a huge deal!" Liu Jianjun pointed heavily at that spot. "We don't need to go to great lengths to get the catapults across the river, nor do we need to build those catapults with insufficient range! We can change our approach—let's use the Yalu River for our own purposes!"

Seeing the lingering doubt in Xue Ne and Li Xian's eyes, he explained quickly, "My idea is to take advantage of the fact that it's winter now and the Yalu River's water level is relatively low, and send a highly skilled team to secretly infiltrate upstream! We don't need too many people, but they must be reliable engineers and guards!"

He made a "cut off" gesture with his hand at the narrow section of the river: "Here, we will use the terrain to build a temporary dam! We don't need to use mud like children do; we can use explosives to blast rocks, obtain stone, mix it with giant logs and sandbags, and quickly build it up! The goal is not to permanently block the water, but to accumulate a large amount of water from upstream before the snow melts and the rains become plentiful in late spring and early summer, forming a constantly rising temporary reservoir!"

Upon hearing this, Xue Ne's eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp light. He seemed to have grasped Liu Jianjun's thoughts, and his breathing became rapid.

Liu Jianjun continued, "Then, at the moment of our chosen final assault, such as a stormy night when the river is already turbulent, we will use a small number of bombs to precisely detonate and blow open the weakest part of this temporary dam!"

His finger suddenly slashed from the upstream point down the river channel towards the downstream city of Guoniang: "Imagine, General Xue, Your Highness! The massive body of water, which has been accumulating for months, is suddenly freed from its restraints, like a prehistoric beast breaking free of its cage, rushing down the river channel and heading straight for Guoniang!"

At this point, Liu Jianjun looked at Xue Ne and Li Xian, his eyes sharpening: "This sudden flood, several times stronger than usual, might not be able to directly breach the city's tall main walls, but it will absolutely destroy the docks, water fortresses, drawbridges, and all the low-lying fortifications along the river! Its immense force, along with the silt and rocks it carries, will severely erode and destroy the foundations of the city walls, potentially causing partial collapses! More importantly…"

Liu Jianjun paused for a moment, then emphasized, "It can create enormous chaos and panic! In the dead of night, a sudden, devastating flood and thunderous roar will make the defending troops think that a natural disaster has struck, and their morale will inevitably be thrown into chaos!"
"Their attention and troops will be drawn to the riverside and the disaster-stricken areas!"

Finally, he pointed to the relatively flat area to the east of the city: "At this time, our main force has been resting and preparing for battle, and can take advantage of the chaos to launch a fierce attack from the east! Under the cover of the chaos and loud noise caused by the flood, we can even use the Thunder Guards, carrying thunderbolts, to take advantage of the situation to blow open the city gates or bombard the defenders on the city walls!"
"Beset by internal and external troubles, and with their morale shaken, even if there are 20,000 troops defending the city, how much of their fighting strength can they actually muster?"

After Liu Jianjun finished speaking, he let out a long sigh of relief, sat down on the couch next to him, and ignored Xue Ne and Li Xian, who were still in shock, grabbed the water bottle next to him and took a big gulp.

The study in the governor's mansion was completely silent.

Li Xian silently exchanged a glance with Xue Ne, his heart already filled with shock.

At first, when Liu Jianjun mentioned blocking the Yalu River, Li Xian immediately thought of the dam games Liu Jianguo played and assumed that Liu Jianjun was planning to use the flood to destroy the domestic city. But soon, he realized that something was wrong.

How could a city be so easily breached?
But Liu Jianjun's next words made him understand the subtlety of it all.

This plan does not rely on floods to directly breach the city, but rather uses floods to create chaos, weaken defenses, and divert enemy troops, thus creating an excellent opportunity for the real killing move!
Xue Ne stared intently at the map, clearly mentally rehearsing this extremely audacious plan.

Li Xian was also thinking about it.

If this plan succeeds, it will undoubtedly minimize the casualties of the Tang army and allow them to conquer this formidable city in an almost legendary manner!

The Yalu River has always been a natural barrier for the domestic city. Everyone was thinking about how to cross or avoid the Yalu River to launch an attack on the domestic city, but Liu Jianjun did the opposite and used the Yalu River to launch an attack on the domestic city.

This idea... is simply out of the ordinary!

He looked at Xue Ne nervously.

At this moment, Xue Ne finally let out a long sigh of relief and said, "Good! What a brilliant plan to flood the seven armies! No, it's to boost the army's morale with water! Chief Secretary Liu, although this plan is risky, it perfectly embodies the principle of 'using orthodox tactics to engage and unorthodox tactics to win' in military strategy! I believe it is entirely feasible!"

……

When Li Xian left the governor's mansion, he knew he would be busy for a while.

If the goal is to flood the city, the water storage method mentioned by Liu Jianjun is obviously of paramount importance. Xue Ne selected a group of scouts and experienced river workers familiar with the Yalu River to conduct a detailed survey of the terrain at the location designated by Liu Jianjun, and to be ready to carry out blasting at any time.

The original plan was for Liu Jianjun to go along, but Li Xian felt he should do something too, so he applied to go with them.

Considering that this was merely a hydrological survey and posed no danger, Xue Ne nodded in agreement.

Secondly, although the method of water storage will be much simpler with the use of thunderclap blasting, it is still necessary to prepare the huge timbers, ropes, ironware, sacks and other materials needed for dam construction. These tasks happen to be the responsibilities of Li Xian, the "Deputy Commissioner of Grain and Machinery Transportation".

Finally, and most importantly.

Although the water attack was the most important part of the operation, it was the army on the east side of the city that ultimately conquered the city. Among them, the Thunder Guard's deterrence and assault work were particularly important.

Although the Thunder Guards were nominally under Xue Ne's command, they were actually Li Xian's personal guards. All their deployments and training required Li Xian's approval. Since speed was of the essence, Xue Ne directly assigned this task to Li Xian.

Therefore, Li Xian now has three tasks: first, to survey the Yalu River; second, to prepare the materials needed for dam construction; and third, to train the Thunder Guards.

When the Thunder Guards were in Chang'an, Xue Da was in charge of training them. However, Xue Da now holds an important position and it is unlikely that he will come to Yingzhou with the Thunder Guards. Therefore, the Thunder Guards are now mostly trained on their own, or Wang Bo will keep an eye on them when he is not busy.

Li Xian originally intended for Wang Bo to completely abandon his work at the cotton mill and concentrate on training the Thunder Guards, but the next day, someone unexpected came to the Thunder Guards camp.

Xue Qian.

Li Xian still had a good impression of Xue Qian and felt a little guilty about it.

Last time, he was ordered to assist in transporting supplies for the attack on Wugu City. He almost single-handedly took on all the transportation work, but in the end, he and Liu Jianjun were punished by Xue Ne.

"Captain Xue? What brings you here?" Li Xian stepped forward, somewhat puzzled and embarrassed. He looked at Xue Qian, who was moving freely, and asked, "How is your injury healing?"

"This humble general thanks Your Highness for your concern, but I am already fine."

Xue Qian remained as respectful to Li Xian as ever, and then asked, "Where is Military Advisor Liu?"

Because Liu Jianjun held the rank of military advisor under Xue Ne, Xue Qian always referred to Liu Jianjun as military advisor.

"Aiguo is busy working on his catapult model over at the reservoir. Do you need to see him?" Li Xian asked.

Xue Qian suddenly realized, "Oh, it's nothing. It's just that I usually see Military Advisor Liu and His Highness inseparable, but he's not here today, so I was a little curious." Li Xian thought to himself, "How am I inseparable from Liu Jianjun? We still eat, sleep, and use the toilet separately, don't we?"

But then, Xue Qian clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This humble general has come on General Xue's orders."

Li Xian, no longer caring about their inseparable bond, asked in surprise, "Did General Xue send you?"

Xue Ne did not inform him in advance.

"Yes." Xue Qian nodded, then turned his gaze to the Thunder Guards who were conducting their daily training on the training ground.

At this moment, the Thunder Guards are conducting group coordinated throwing training, as well as using various obstacles for concealment and rapid maneuvering, in accordance with the rules set by Liu Jianjun and Wang Bo.

In Li Xian's view, these movements were synchronized and quite impressive.

But Xue Qian frowned as he looked at it.

After a long pause, he turned to Li Xian and said bluntly, "Your Highness, please forgive my bluntness, but the individual skills and obedience of the Thunder Guard brothers are all superb, and their throwing ability is truly astonishing. However..."

He changed the subject abruptly, his tone turning serious: "What they practice is 'tactics,' not 'combat'!"

Li Xian was taken aback, not quite understanding.

Xue Qian then pointed to the soldiers on the drill ground and said, "The real battlefield is not the drill ground! There are no marked areas, no fixed targets! There, arrows fly like locusts, swords and spears are like a forest, corpses lie everywhere, and blood flows like rivers! You hear the screams of your comrades, and you see the ferocious faces of the enemy! What you need is to maintain your formation amidst the deafening shouts of battle, to dare to thrust your spear amidst flying blood and flesh, and to unleash the courage to die with the enemy in desperate situations!"
"These skills cannot be acquired simply by throwing stones or crawling through tunnels!"

"They need to experience real bloodshed and get used to the chaos and pressure of the battlefield!"
"In my humble opinion, their training is skillful but lacks ferocity! If they are thrown into a meat grinder-like battlefield like the domestic city in this state, they may collapse if they encounter setbacks or if their 'heavenly thunder' is exhausted! This... this is simply child's play!"

Li Xian was somewhat taken aback, not expecting Xue Qian to belittle the Thunder Guards' training to nothing... Oh, at least he praised their throwing skills.

In Li Xian's view, although it was an indisputable fact that the Thunder Guard had been established for a short time and lacked combat experience, they should not be as bad as Xue Qian said. Their daily training was extremely arduous, their discipline was strict, and their morale was high.

"Is Lieutenant Xue exaggerating?" Li Xian couldn't help but defend the Thunder Guards. "They train extremely hard, obey orders without question, throw with precision, and their squad coordination is quite disciplined. Even if they are not as good as the veteran border soldiers in close combat, they are by no means helpless..."

Xue Qian didn't speak, but suddenly clasped his hands and said in a deep voice, "If Your Highness doesn't believe me, this humble general is willing to demonstrate on the spot. Please select ten elite Thunder Guards to fight this humble general alone in hand-to-hand combat. If this humble general cannot make them all fall to the ground within thirty breaths, then consider everything I just said to be nonsense, and immediately apologize to Your Highness and never mention the training again!"

Li Xian was taken aback and looked at Xue Qian with some surprise.

Xue Qian was not particularly tall; he was slightly taller than Xue Ne, but shorter than himself. Although his muscles looked solid, they were by no means exaggerated.

He can take on ten people by himself?

And they still want to win completely within thirty breaths?
This is a little too unbelievable.

Li Xian's competitive spirit was aroused by him, and he also wanted to see the true strength of the Thunder Guard with his own eyes, so he nodded and said, "Alright! As Commandant Xue would like to do!"

……

Soon, a clearing was created in the center of the training ground.

Li Xian personally selected ten of the most robust-looking soldiers from the Thunder Guards who were training, and who also had the best performance in daily squad coordination exercises.

Upon hearing that they would be fighting against Captain Xue, and that it would be ten against one, the ten men showed some resentment on their faces. However, military orders were paramount, and they quickly lined up, their eyes fixed intently on Xue Qian, who stood alone in the arena.

Xue Qian took off his military jacket, leaving him in only a neat set of shorts and pajamas. He stretched his hands and feet, making a slight cracking sound.

He shouted, "Come on!"

Seeing that Xue Qian was ready, Li Xian immediately gave the order: "Begin!"

The ten Thunder Guards gave a low shout and did not rush forward all at once. Instead, they quickly dispersed and formed a semi-encirclement, approaching Xue Qian in pairs with a well-organized manner. They clearly intended to use their numerical advantage to restrain and launch a combined attack.

However, Xue Qian acted even faster than them!

Almost the instant Li Xian finished speaking, he moved!

Instead of retreating, they lunged forward like cheetahs, their target the seemingly weakest pair of two on the right!
His speed was astonishing. Li Xian only saw a blur before Xue Qian cut between the two men.

Immediately, Xue Qian's left hand moved like lightning, parrying the arm of someone trying to grab him, and with a quick pull, the person lost his balance and fell forward.

At the same time, Xue Qian's right elbow struck another person's ribs with precision and ruthlessness, like an iron hammer.

The man groaned, the intense pain causing him to instantly curl up and fall to the ground. The man who had been knocked down earlier, before he could even get up, was kicked in the back of the knee by Xue Qian and also fell to the ground.

In a single exchange, both men fell to the ground!

The whole process took only two or three breaths!
The other eight were shocked and immediately tightened their encirclement, but Xue Qian did not give them a chance to close in. His figure moved like a ghost, always appearing at the junctions or weak points of their formation.

His moves were devoid of any frills, consisting entirely of the essence of military combat techniques: simple, direct, and effective! Grappling, tripping, elbow strikes, knee strikes—each strike was accompanied by a Thunder Guard's cry of pain as they fell to the ground. He seemed to anticipate everyone's movements, always managing to evade attacks at the last second and deliver a fatal counterattack.

Most importantly, he seemed to have a ruthless streak and was exceptionally brave.

Li Xian couldn't describe the feeling, but he had a feeling that Xue Qian wasn't there for the fight, but rather to... kill these ten people!

The Thunder Guards' coordinated tactics seemed utterly pale and powerless in the face of Xue Qian's unreasonable bravery and rich combat experience.

In the ninth breath, the seventh Thunder Guard was knocked down by Xue Qian's swift sweeping leg kick.

By the fifteenth breath, only three Thunder Guards remained standing in the arena. They stood back to back, their faces filled with horror.

In the twenty-first breath, Xue Qian, like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, forcefully broke through their defenses, using both fists and feet. In the end, the three of them fell to the ground one after another, curled up in pain, and for a moment no one was able to get up immediately.

In the center of the training ground, Xue Qian, slightly out of breath, straightened up again. He had taken a few blows, but they obviously did not affect the overall situation.

His gaze swept over the Thunder Guards lying scattered on the ground, then turned to Li Xian, who was already dumbfounded, and clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your Highness, this humble general was fortunate enough to survive within thirty breaths."

The entire arena was deathly silent, save for the suppressed groans and heavy breathing of the Thunder Guards on the ground.

Li Xian was utterly shocked by what he saw.

He finally understood the difference between "tactics" and "warfare" that Xue Qian had mentioned.

The Thunder Guards are trained in skills and teamwork, but in front of veterans like Xue Qian who have crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, they lack the fierce spirit of charging forward and fighting to the death, as well as the ruthless decisiveness to adapt to changing circumstances.

They are like meticulously crafted weapons, but they lack the indomitable spirit of those who wield them.

Just as Li Xian was about to praise Xue Qian's extraordinary skills, Xue Qian suddenly walked up to Li Xian and knelt down on one knee.

"This humble general requests to join the Thunder Guard!"

……

(End of this chapter)