Online Game: Me, with Unparalleled Comprehension

"The temporary camps can't compare to the defensive capabilities of city walls. They'll be much easier for us to deal with."

Li Hu's eyes lit up after hearing this.

"Moreover," Wu Feng continued, "when they are exhausted, we can launch a fire attack on them."

He drew a circle on the table with his finger.

"Military camps are prone to fire; tents, provisions, and weapons are all highly flammable. A single fire can burn them to the ground. But towns are much more difficult to ignite. City walls are made of stone, and houses are made of brick and wood, so fires burn more slowly, and they have water sources, making them easier to extinguish."

Li Hu nodded; he understood this principle.

Fire attacks are deadly to military camps, but they are much less effective against towns with walls and water sources.

"There's another advantage," Wu Feng said, his tone becoming serious. "Yingzhou City can still accommodate a large population. Its capacity is 500,000, but only a little over 100,000 currently live there. Bringing people back from other counties will be more than enough to accommodate them."

He pointed to the locations of those counties on the map.

"The population of those county towns combined is at least tens of thousands. Bringing them back will double the city's population. With a larger population, there will be more people available for conscription and more people who can work."

Li Hu nodded.

"Resources are the same," Wu Feng continued. "Every county town has warehouses, filled with grain, silver, cloth, timber, and stone. If we bring all these things back, our wealth will increase significantly."

After he finished speaking, he leaned back in his chair and looked at Li Hu.

"This is my current thinking. The city can be rebuilt later, but there are no troops to defend it now, so the best course of action is to plunder its resources and population."

Li Hu was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"These people and resources allow us to quickly establish a foothold here and then resist Liao attacks," Wu Feng said. "Once we hold off the first wave, we'll have the opportunity to start plundering and gradually undermine the Liao's foundation."

Li Hu nodded and leaned back in his chair.

"This is similar to the research team's strategy," he said. "However, the research team indicated that they could ask Zhao Kuangyin for some assistance. After all, they have already captured a city, which gives them some leverage in negotiations."

He paused, looked at Wu Feng, and said seriously, "The Song Dynasty is currently at its peak of prosperity. If we can obtain some assistance, it will be beneficial for its future development."

Upon hearing this, Wu Feng nodded.

He had considered providing aid. The Song Dynasty was indeed powerful at the moment, and if they could obtain some resources, weapons, and provisions from there, it would definitely benefit their development.

But the problem is not that simple.

"We can send a report of victory back," Wu Feng said calmly. "As for whether or not to provide assistance, that depends on Zhao Kuangyin's decision."

He leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest twice.

"However—" he paused, "the current troops are very pure. If the people sent over later want power and get in the way, it will actually hinder their performance."

He looked at Li Hu and continued, "So, these soldiers are optional; you can take them if they're offered, or you can refuse them if they're not. As long as they don't come to cause trouble."

After listening, Li Hu nodded.

"This is indeed a major taboo in military strategy," he said. "The composition of the Song Dynasty is somewhat complex now, and the troops that come may not necessarily be of benefit to us."

He paused for a moment, then added, "However, this was just something the research team mentioned briefly."

Wu Feng hummed in response but didn't reply.

Li Hu continued, "Occasionally reporting some good news will at least let them know the situation and understand that this is something done for the Song Dynasty. It won't make them feel that a new power is rising between Liao and Song."

Wu Feng nodded.

The good news definitely needs to be sent over. Regardless of whether Zhao Kuangyin provides assistance or not, at least he needs to know what's going on here.

The cities that were captured belonged to the Song Dynasty, and the people who were taken back were subjects of the Song Dynasty. This was an open matter, and Zhao Kuangyin couldn't really say anything about it.

"It would be good if we could get some resources over here," Wu Feng said. "But if they send people to supervise, then we'll have to handle that properly."

He paused, glanced at Li Hu, and said, "We'll discuss the specifics after we report it."

Li Hu nodded: "Okay, I'll talk to the research team about it later."

The two were silent for a moment, then each picked up their teacups and took a sip.

Wu Feng put down his teacup and pointed at the map.

"Then it's settled. We'll take them down one county at a time."

He looked at the marked locations on the map, his finger pausing briefly at the location of Yong'an County.

"I'll take a thousand veterans with me."

Li Hu looked up at him.

Wu Feng continued, "I'll take Mu Lingyun and the others with me. You stay in the city with your men to guard it."

Li Hu frowned: "Is a thousand men enough for you? Or should I go with you and leave the rest in the city?"

Wu Feng shook his head.

"Listen to me," he said, pointing to the map, his tone becoming serious. "These aristocratic families have quite a few private soldiers and second-rate experts. If there are fewer of them, I'm afraid they'll cause internal strife."

He looked at Li Hu, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth: "Moreover, my departure with the troops will be a good test to see if these aristocratic families are truly willing to submit."

Li Hu's eyebrows twitched, waiting for him to continue.

"If it wasn't genuine," Wu Feng said, "we'd trick them into revealing themselves. Eliminating them would actually remove a potential threat."

He paused, then leaned back in his chair: "If they are truly surrendering, they can be reused in the future. Feel free to use them."

After listening, Li Hu nodded, but did not interrupt.

Wu Feng continued, "The main thing is to let them make the first move. Having a reason makes it easier to strike; otherwise, if we attack them right after receiving benefits, no noble family will dare to pledge allegiance to us in the future."

He turned to look at Li Hu, his tone calm: "None of you have officially shown yourselves, and these aristocratic families don't know there are over fifty second-rate experts among you. Dealing with you will be quite easy."

Li Hu was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"That's indeed a good plan," he said. "If they rebel, we can take the opportunity to seize the resources of these two aristocratic families and strengthen ourselves. That would be a good thing."

Wu Feng hummed in agreement.

"Then it's settled," he said. "I'll set off first thing tomorrow morning to attack Yong'an County. You stay in the city and keep an eye on the Zhao and Li families. Let me know immediately if there's any movement."

Li Hu nodded: "Okay. I'll have someone keep an eye on them."

The two then exchanged a few more details.

After they finished talking, Li Hu stood up and clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"I'll be going now. Be careful over there. Although there aren't many guards in the county town, don't let anything go wrong."

Wu Feng nodded.

Li Hu turned and walked out of the front hall, his footsteps fading into the distance in the corridor.

The lobby fell silent.

Wu Feng leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and went through the plan in his mind.

With a thousand veterans, plus the three sisters Mu Lingyun, Li Fu, and Han Yufeng, they would be more than capable of taking down a county town defended by a few hundred soldiers.

The key is speed.

We need to get in and out quickly; once we're done fighting, we need to move our things and take our people with us. We can't drag it out.

Inside the city, there were over fifty second-rate martial artists led by Li Hu, along with Xiong Batian and his two companions, the two thousand newly recruited soldiers, and over four hundred veterans.

Even if the Zhao and Li families really wanted to cause trouble, they wouldn't be able to make much of a splash.