The Prodigal Son

When news of the fall of Rock Fortress arrived, Qin Fumeng and the others breathed a sigh of relief.

The last nail in their supply line has finally been removed!

Now, they have absolutely no worries!

That evening, Qin Fumeng summoned his generals for a meeting.

Even Xiong Quhu, who was still injured, was summoned over.

"The Yan army at Panshi Fortress has been annihilated; our army has no more worries about its rear!"

"Yan Wujiu has now led his troops to withdraw from Luzhou Prefecture and fully occupy Xiaxing. Yan's reinforcements are also continuously converging on Xiaxing!"

"According to reliable sources, 50,000 troops have been assembled around Xiaxing. Among them, 20,000 troops are stationed at Laohukou, which leads from Xiaxing to Huzhou, and another 30,000 to 40,000 Yan troops are gathering in Xiaxing and are expected to arrive within ten days."

"We've rested enough. Now, we need to figure out how to deal with Yan Wujiu!"

"Judging from the current situation, Yan Wujiu will not be attacking Xing in the short term."

"Everyone, share your thoughts on the upcoming battle, regardless of whether they are right or wrong, speak freely..."

Qin Fumeng explained the purpose of gathering everyone simply and clearly.

Hearing Qin Fumeng's words, everyone's eyes fell on the sand table.

Although Xiaxing's geographical location is not as advantageous as Shangxing's, it is situated at the junction of Luzhou, Pangzhou, and Huzhou.

The Xinghe River, which runs through the three prefectures of Lu, Pang, and Yan, is shallow and has many shoals, so it is not difficult to bypass Xiaxing and go straight to Laohukou.

But the same logic applies: if they don't occupy Xiaxing, their supply lines will be threatened by the enemy forces there.

Moreover, the Flying Fang Cavalry of Xiaxing are known for their bravery in battle and their swiftness in action.

Even if you want to bypass Xiaxing, you have to be wary of the Flying Fang Cavalry.

Yuan Dingguo stared at the sand table for a while, then looked up and asked, "Does the Duke of Wei believe that Yan Wujiu's actions mean that Yan is going to abandon Luzhou?"

"Won't!"

Qin Fumeng answered affirmatively: "The reason Yan Wujiu withdrew from Luzhou Prefecture to Xiaxing was simply to distance himself from us and avoid being ambushed by us when their follow-up forces were gathering."

Not only Luzhou, but also Wangzhou, which they have completely occupied, Yan Wujiu will not give up!

Right now, Yan Wujiu is mainly on the defensive, but if he has the opportunity, he will definitely attack!

Yuan Dingguo thought for a moment, then asked, "How long until our follow-up troops arrive?"

Qin Fumeng replied, "The advance force will take at least seven days! The main force will take at least half a month!"

Hearing this result, many people were secretly disappointed.

There's still so much time left.

At present, their primary task is definitely to ensure that Shangxing is not lost and to rejoin the main force behind them.

Moreover, Yan Wujiu had previously forcibly opened all the granaries along the line from Wangzhou Prefecture to Xiaxing, taking some for himself and distributing the rest to the people.

Now, if they were to launch a major offensive, they couldn't possibly carry only a small amount of dry rations as before.

We must advance with our supplies!

They also had to be wary of Yan Wujiu's sneak attacks.

As a result, their progress will definitely be slower.

They're all cavalry now!

The cavalry could not fully utilize their advantages, and they always felt somewhat constrained in battle.

Seeing everyone deep in thought, Qin Fumeng continued, "The Yan Kingdom officially enters winter from late October to early November each year, so our optimal time for battle is only about one and a half to two months!"

Even in the dead of winter, it is not impossible to wage war.

However, winter operations present even greater challenges.

Qin Fumeng's idea was to expand their advantage as much as possible and strive for greater results before the arrival of winter.

When winter comes, their primary task will shift from fighting to winning over the hearts and minds of the people. If there is an opportunity or an opportunity is created, they will continue to fight.

If there is no opportunity for combat, then a period of rest and recuperation will begin.

However, even if they continue fighting the Yan army in the dead of winter, they should try to avoid large-scale troop movements and minimize logistical pressure.

In winter, the main combat methods were steady advance and short-distance cavalry raids.

After a moment's thought, Yuan Dingguo said, "In my humble opinion, we shouldn't rush into battle now. The Yan army is more anxious than we are! We should create opportunities for the Yan army to attack during our advance, and then find a way to wipe out the Yan army that is attacking us!"

Unable to advance quickly, they allowed the Yan army to advance in the opposite direction!

"This humble general agrees!"

Han Chong and Pei Xiao nodded simultaneously.

According to the intelligence they received, famine had already begun to occur in some parts of the Yan state, but it was not yet too severe.

But in at most another month, Yan Kingdom will be hit by a full-blown famine.

At that time, all the internal conflicts within Yan will erupt.

Yan Wujiu should be eager to fight and try to defeat them before winter, so that they can free up their hands to deal with internal problems.

"The idea is good, but there's one thing I must remind you of."

Qin Fumeng looked up at the generals and said, "We are waiting for the rear guard, and Yan Wujiu is also gathering his troops."

"By the time our main force arrives, Yan Wujiu's troops should have also completed their assembly!"

"Yan Wujiu certainly desires war, but he would never intend to defeat us before winter arrives!"

"He knows perfectly well that he doesn't have the ability!"

Similarly, we don't have the ability to wipe out Yan Wujiu's army of 80,000 or 90,000 in one fell swoop!

This is a battle of offense and defense between 200,000 troops, not a duel like martial arts masters where both sides set up their formations and find a place that can accommodate 200,000 to 300,000 people.

No one can eat anyone else in one bite!

He had to remind these generals lest they become arrogant after conquering Wangzhou.

You can eat meat, but you also have to be able to drink porridge!

We can't all be so ambitious, always thinking about how much victory we can achieve in a single battle.

Accumulate small victories to achieve a great victory!

"Why don't we keep going and see who outlasts whom!"

Xiong Quhu said casually.

"No!"

Qin Yu immediately rejected the idea, saying, "Yan cannot afford to waste time, and we may not be able to either!"

"what?"

Xiong Quhu was puzzled.

They have completely opened up the supply lines, so why can't they afford to wait?

Qin Yu shook his head and explained, "This is not just a war between Da Ning and Yan, it will also involve Bei Qi! Our goal is to expand our advantage as much as possible before winter, at least to occupy Pangzhou..."

The Yan state could not afford to wait out the crisis because of a deadly famine within its borders.

They can't afford to waste time; they don't want to be the ones to benefit Bei Qi!

Delaying is a last resort!

It's too early to talk about a prolonged conflict!

If we're really going to have to fight it out, it'll be in Pangzhou with the Yan people!

By occupying Pangzhou, they could choose to attack Huzhou or Yanzhou, forcing the Yan people to divide their forces for defense and preventing them from concentrating their superior strength, thus gaining greater initiative.

Pangzhou held significant strategic importance for both the Yan state and for them.

If they can capture Pangzhou before winter, they will have won half the battle!

"So, how do you think we should attack Xiaying?"

Qin Fumeng asked Qin Yu with a hint of testing in his voice...