Chapter 237 Perhaps It’s a Feint
Zhao Yulin felt that the military situation was changing rapidly and it was hard to say, maybe it was just a feint.
Because Yang Xingyun's Southern Group now has nearly 100,000 troops, it will not be easy for the Mongolian army to gain an advantage in Xixia. They must at least gather more than 200,000 troops.
Comprehensive analysis shows that if the Mongolian army advances southward in large numbers, it is very likely that it will go east.
Miao Gui nodded and said nothing more.
Zhao Yulin thought that there was a more difficult problem at the moment: Li Yunqing might encounter trouble when attacking Queer Mountain, because the Dali Kingdom was also invading Tubo, which would inevitably attract the attention of the Grand Zamp in Tubo. If they joined forces to deal with the Western Expedition Army, then Li Yunqing would appear to be outnumbered with only 30,000 troops.
If the Dali Kingdom withdraws its troops ahead of schedule, the Western Expedition Army will inevitably be forced to fight alone, which would be very dangerous.
Miao Gui immediately became nervous. The soldiers in the central army tent had done some simulations and had the same concerns as Zhao Yulin.
Miao Gui asked him what we should do?
Zhao Yulin came from the later generations and knew very well that going west over Queer Mountain would lead to Dege and Beiyu counties, and crossing the Jinsha River would lead to the Qamdo area. This Qamdo was the core area of the Eastern Women's Kingdom, and was also called Kangyanchuan. It was still the era of the tribes with tents.
Nujiang River, an important river in Chamdo, was not yet called Nujiang River. Because of the high mountains and deep valleys and the black water flowing through it, the Tibetans still called it the Black Water River.
He thought about it and said that we should go all out and take over the eastern part of Tubo directly.
He asked Miao Gui to take people to find Hao Xiaoming immediately, and dispatched Cao Yong from the Western Group to lead troops to attack Kang Yanchuan and go straight to the Heishui River to meet Li Yunqing.
Logistics increased their supplies.
He believed that the double-sided attack would make it impossible for Tubo to take care of both ends, allowing Li Yunqing to successfully complete the strategic goal of advancing westward.
Miao Gui had complete faith in Zhao Yulin’s arrangement, but he asked him with some concern what to do in the east.
Zhao Yulin said that he would go to Xixia personally, and his brothers would handle the situation in Chang'an on their own initiative.
Zhao Yulin told him that the priority for the brothers heading west to Kangyanchuan was to keep warm and ensure logistical transportation. Winter on the plateau can come suddenly, so the troops must bring enough cotton clothes and quilts before setting off to avoid getting cold.
After the two men had reached an agreement, Miao Gui said goodbye and left.
Turning around, he asked Xiao Yan to notify Gao Jin and Lai Chuanfang to come back immediately to discuss the matter.
The next day, Zhao Yulin went out of the city to see Miao Gui off and entrusted the war in the west to his brother, telling him not to worry, as the Shenwei Army was no longer afraid of failure and to let the brothers do their best.
Miao Gui was excited, bowed and said goodbye, then rode straight to Baoji.
At Queer Mountain, Li Yunqing's vanguard Changji Nima has arrived at the foot of the mountain and set up camp.
Zhao Yulin's father-in-law Tuva Pencuo watched the Shenwei Army grow rapidly like a snowball and his son had not achieved anything, so he went to pester Li Yunqing for a drink and insisted that Yunqing give Changji a vanguard officer position so that he could make achievements in this Western Expedition.
Li Yunqing was very helpless. On one hand, Tuva was Zhao Yulin's father-in-law, and on the other hand, he was also the first governor of Tubo State recovered by the Shenwei Army. He had to do both favors.
Seeing his embarrassment, Tuva said that he had organized serfs to join the vanguard army. If Changji died in the battle, it would be his bad luck and he would not be blessed enough to enjoy a peaceful life in the future. He would never blame Commander Li.
Since Lao Tuva had said so much, Li Yunqing had no choice but to agree. He transferred a thousand special forces members from the Partridge Mountain Column to join the advance team and let Changji Nima lead them first. Before they set off, he repeatedly reminded them to report any situation immediately and to discuss military intelligence collectively.
Unexpectedly, the vanguard troops in Changji made unusually smooth progress and reached Queer Mountain with almost no major fighting.
The biggest reason for this is that the Shenwei Army's policy of liberating serfs has penetrated into the hearts of the Tibetan brothers, and they were happy when they knew that the Shenwei Army was coming.
Secondly, the advance team led by Changji was composed almost all of the liberated Tibetan serfs. They were hardworking and had no language barriers. The herdsmen along the way welcomed them.
In addition, Old Tuva taught Changji a trick, telling him to find the chiefs, the Zamps and the abbots of the temples along the way to publicize the policies of the Shenwei Army, discipline the soldiers and keep them in strict accordance with the rules, and then they jogged all the way to the foot of Queer Mountain.
However, the merchants who came down from the mountain told Changji that three hundred troops of the Great Zanpu from the opposite side were stationed at the pass of Queer Mountain, and all of them looked ferocious.
Changji had to consult with someone who knew about military affairs. When the brothers met, they thought that the camp at the foot of the mountain was too far away from the pass, so they had to build another forward base on the mountainside. The serfs suggested that it would be best to sneak up at night and kill the wolves that blocked the road.
The captain of the special forces team used to be Zhao Yulin's bodyguard. He thought it was too risky at night. He remembered that the third young master said that the Tibetan soldiers were weaker the further in they went and could not withstand a fight.
Don't be fooled by their arrogant look. We have cannons. When the time comes, the vanguard officer will make contact from afar to persuade them to surrender, and their special forces will prepare for a strong attack. If they fire a few shots, they might scare away those Tibetan soldiers who have never heard the sound of cannons.
Li Yunqing is still stationed in and occupying castles in various places. They are all planning to seize control of Queer Mountain.
In Chang'an City, Zhao Yulin and Wu Yuqi had a good sleep, and then came to the meeting room in high spirits. Lai Chuanfang was already waiting inside.
Zhao Yulin asked him with a smile: You run fast? When did you set out?
Lai Chuanfang smiled innocently and said: Master, just give the military order. I feel so aggrieved and panicked.
He took a sip of tea, and Xiao Yan and the guards had already pushed the battle map in. Zhao Yulin pointed at Hangu Pass and said that he had returned empty-handed last time, and if he failed again this time...
He dragged out a long note and said nothing else.
Lai Chuanfang was already excited. He took off his hat and slammed it on the table, saying: Bring me the head.
Zhao Yulin laughed and said that he should keep the head for himself.
He pointed to the map and said that the central army tent predicted: the Mongolian army intends to attack our Song Dynasty from the east, so we also attack from the east, cooperate from the south, and attack from both directions to take down Hangu Pass and overlook the Central Plains. At the very least, we must contain the Mongolian army and prevent them from advancing south easily.
Then, the two began to plot, and they were busy until noon, when Lai Chuanfang left without even eating.
Zhao Yulin went to the restaurant to eat and saw Xiao Yan sitting with Ma Ling and the others. The girl stood up immediately when she saw him come in. Zhao Yulin gestured for her to sit down and said that his family didn't have so many rules.
Ma Linger said with a laugh that Yan Zi really listened to her brother and had eaten two eggs this morning. She will definitely grow some weight. If you don't believe me, you can touch her.
Zhao Yulin was drinking soup and almost spit it out.
The little girl's face turned red.
Zhao Yulin said that we soldiers deal with death all day long, how can our bodies survive without eating?
Ma Linger said to Xiao Yan with a smile, "That's right, that's right. We will have to feed the baby in the future. Two people will consume the food from one mouth. How can we be in poor ? Eat more."
Then she handed a large piece of meat to Xiao Yan.
I can’t stand this anymore, Immortal Banban.
Zhao Yulin knew that three women were a big deal, so he decided to run away. He ate a few mouthfuls of rice and went out for a walk in the yard.
After he had only walked around twice, the guard captain Feihu came to find him and said that General Cao had arrived and saw Inspector Xiao in the mansion with a very bad look on his face.
Zhao Yulin didn't take it seriously and followed Feihu to the small living room. He heard General Cao scolding Xiao Yan while still outside the door.
Zhao Yulin smiled and said that the general came so quickly, arriving in just a few days.
Lao Cao said that the military situation was urgent, so he rushed over without stopping.
Zhao Yulin told him that it was okay for Yan Zi to follow him in casual clothes.
Lao Cao complained to him, saying that brother didn't think he had enough troubles, and that people in the court were eager for his death.
Zhao Yulin knew that Lao Cao was protecting him, fearing that he would be implicated. He also had no idea how the emperor in Lin'an would deal with Xiao Yan, so he deliberately did not tell Lao Cao about Xiao Yan's identity as an illegitimate daughter of the royal family, in order to take all the responsibility.
He waved his hand and said let's talk about business.
After making a brief analysis of the current enemy and our situation, Zhao Yulin said: At present, the Shenwei Army is advancing westward, resisting northward, and attacking eastward. He plans to let Yang Xingyun and Lai Chuanfang's two groups cooperate to capture Hangu Pass and contain the Mongolian army's surprise attack on Lin'an.
When Lao Cao heard that Zhao Yulin was concerned about the safety of the officials in Lin'an, he was happy and volunteered to go to the east to supervise the battle.
Zhao Yulin said with a smile that he couldn't let the general run away, so he went to the east. He asked the general to stay in Chang'an and stabilize the rear. The brothers knew that the general was supporting them from behind, and they felt at ease.
The two were still arguing when Gao Jin arrived. When they met, he shouted for a mission just like Lai Chuanfang did.
After Zhao Yulin told him about the military situation, he said that there might be no battle to fight, but Guyuan was at the core of the Shenwei Army and was the most critical node, so he must not be careless.
Once the war breaks out, strategic support must be provided on both the east and west ends.
Gao Jin sat on the chair in disappointment like a deflated ball, drinking tea listlessly.
Lao Cao said with a smile that the northern barbarians were powerful and there was still enough war to fight, so what was there to worry about? This time, my brother asked me to just stare blankly in Chang'an.
Zhao Yulin and Gao Jin laughed immediately.
He said that the general was in Chang'an, commanding the central military tent and coordinating all directions.
Zhao Yulin analyzed to them that Lai Chuanfang's troops had a difficult task. They had to resist the attack from the Mongolian army in Yan'an Prefecture and attack the east to complete the campaign objectives. If the enemy got the upper hand and resisted both sides, they would be under great pressure.
Therefore, Gao Jin's Guyuan had to carry out a diversionary feint against the Mongolian army.
Gao Jin immediately became interested when he heard this and asked the young master for instructions with great interest.
Lao Cao said it was a feint, not a fight, so why should he be happy? He was worried that Gao Jin's feint would become a real move, which would drag the war into an unforeseen direction.
Zhao Yulin told him to pretend to be real and pretend to be real. The feint in the direction of Guyuan should be launched immediately after Lai Chuanfang's action. The best action is to make the enemy confused about the direction. The specifics of how to do it depend on the orders of the headquarters, but the deployment of the front line must be based on the situation.
Gao Jin seemed to understand what was said and immediately stood up, saluted and said goodbye to them.
Lao Cao looked at Gao Jin who was leaving and exclaimed: They are all brave generals. With such generals, the Song Dynasty has no worries about defeating the northern barbarians and attacking Huanglong.
