Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

The Prince of Nan'an turned around, his deep-set eyes like an eagle's, and slowly swept over every face present, saying solemnly:

"Our opportunity lies with this Lan Yu. He was previously unknown, but has suddenly taken command of a large army. His officers and soldiers must be resentful."

"If we can seize the opportunity and win this battle decisively, the situation will turn around instantly!"

Jia Jing might not be able to defeat him, but the Prince of Nan'an was fully confident that he could defeat this unknown Lan Yu!

Qi Jianhui hesitated for a moment, then slowly said:

"Your Highness! That may be true, but Jia Zijie is also a man of considerable courage and strategy! He dared to let an unknown person command an army of 140,000; perhaps this man truly possesses extraordinary talent..."

He himself didn't seem very confident saying this, so his voice got softer and softer as he spoke!

Before he could finish speaking, Xie Qiong interrupted, letting out a cold snort:

"Where did all these extraordinary talents come from! In my opinion, Jia Jing has just become arrogant after a few victories and doesn't take us seriously! He thinks he can scare us off by sending an unknown nobody!"

"Even if we assume he does have some talent, are you saying that His Highness and we are made of paper?"

"Your Highness is a seasoned warrior, the foremost general of our Han Dynasty. Even if Jia Jing himself came, I doubt he would win more battles than he would lose, let alone a mere Lan Yu whose name I've never even heard of!"

After a pause, Xie Jing's eyes flashed, and he changed the subject, continuing:

"And we have every reason to fight this battle..."

Everyone's expressions turned serious as they looked at him, puzzled.

Xie Jing stood up, walked to the wall covered with maps, pointed heavily between Tongzhou and Jizhou, and said in a deep voice:

"Jia Jing and the court's greatest confidence in promoting military reform came from the 180,000 new troops of the Twelfth Battalion. These new troops were all trained by Jia Jing himself, and the officers and soldiers in charge were all his confidants."

"If we cannot subdue and incorporate this army, even if we take control of the capital, the consequences will be dire!"

"...To be honest, I was a little worried when Your Highness devised this surprise attack plan!"

"Because these twelve battalions are right next to the capital, if they support Jia Jing or another member of the imperial clan, even if we surround the palace, we will be doomed!"

"But the situation is different now. The 12th Regiment has been scattered and dispersed, which is the perfect opportunity for us to defeat them one by one!"

"As long as Your Highness seizes the opportunity and quickly deploys your troops to defeat Lan Yu's central army, dealing with the other two flanking forces will be much easier!!"

"If this army of 140,000 is defeated by the prince, the court will surely lose face, and Jia Jing, the so-called undefeated military genius, will no longer be able to stand firm!"

"By then, the imperial court and Jia Jing will be nothing but empty shells without a backbone. Who will be afraid of them then?"

Xie Jing turned around, a long-lost rosy glow appearing on his sallow face. His tone became increasingly resolute, his voice even trembling with a hint of fanaticism as he said:

"You should know that there are quite a few civil officials, nobles, and members of the imperial family in the capital who hate Jia Jing. As long as we can dampen his spirits on the battlefield, all those people in the capital will be mobilized."

"The memorials impeaching him could pile up in the Office of Transmission, and there will be people in the palace speaking on our behalf. At that point, the court will be in chaos on its own, and won't have time to send troops to fight again."

"And what about you, Your Highness? At that time, who in the entire garrison will not look on with admiration? Who will not be loyal to you? Those opportunists who are still watching now will surely flock to you when they see Your Highness's great victory."

"Our forces aren't fifty thousand or one hundred thousand, but two hundred thousand or three hundred thousand! There's no need to fight at all; the civil officials who oppose the new policies and the officers who oppose the military reforms will push Your Highness forward!"

He took a deep breath, clenched his fists sharply, and his voice was as deep as a drumbeat:

"In this way, as long as we win this crucial battle, it will not be a pipe dream for the Prince to quell the rebellion, execute Jia Jing, purge the court of corrupt officials, seize control of the government, and even rule the world and change the course of history!"

"Those of us who followed the Prince in this uprising have also rendered unparalleled service, rebuilding the nation. We will share wealth and glory with the Prince, generation after generation!"

These words were like a fire, igniting all the fear, resentment, and ambition that had been building up in the room over the past few days.

Chen Ruiwen abruptly stood up, his face flushed, and hurriedly asked:

"Brother Xie is absolutely right! We've come this far, what's the point of being so timid? Let's get to the bottom of this!"

Ma Shang slammed his fist on the table and gritted his teeth, saying:

"Let's fight! If we win, we'll be kings and generals; if we lose, we'll just die! It's better than waiting here for that brat Jia Jing to come and ransack our homes and exterminate our clan!"

Mu Chen's gaze was sharp, and he said firmly:

"If we plan this battle properly and launch a surprise attack, there is no doubt that the advantage lies with us!"

Qi Jianhui didn't speak, but his cloudy eyes lit up, and an unusual flush appeared on his thin face.

The other founding officers and generals also clamored for battle!

The Prince of Nan'an slowly swept his gaze over the generals present. Seeing that everyone was indignant and full of fighting spirit, and that the morale of the army was high, he nodded in satisfaction.

I really misjudged Xie Jing before; he is a man of great talent!

The Prince of Nan'an walked to the map, his gaze sweeping over the mountainous terrain outside Jizhou City. After a moment of silence, he said in a deep voice:

"Very well! Since you all share this ambition, then I will today devise a strategy: concentrate all our forces, go all in, and break through Lan Yu's central army. The first battle will be the decisive one, and the outcome will be decided in one fell swoop!"

The victor will be king, the loser will be villain; it will all be decided in this battle!