Chapter 367: Trading space for time!

In the study of the general's headquarters, Ye Mingsheng sat on the armchair in deep thought. He Jingyun and Gu Sansi sat on his left and right. None of the three spoke, but they all had similar thoughts in their minds...

There is no need to think about who sent the assassin!

It must be the Supervisory Department under Shen Jianzhong!

Not only these three people understand this, but anyone with a little bit of common sense will understand it!

After Ye Mingsheng, the supreme leader of the Fengzhou Army, was assassinated, the Fengzhou Army naturally could not remain silent and had to make a statement!

Otherwise, it would appear weak and vulnerable, which would undoubtedly be fatal to a new political force without any foundation!
This is where the problem arises!
How to fight back?

Should we send troops directly to retaliate militarily, or should we take other measures?

Looking at Ye Mingsheng with a calm expression, Gu Sansi could not guess Ye Mingsheng's thoughts. According to his expectation, with Ye Mingsheng's usual strength, he should be furious after being attacked by the assassin, and gather troops to go to the front line to fight a decisive battle with the Zhenwu Army...

Gu Sansi was even more prepared to offend Ye Mingsheng and to risk his life to give advice. As Ye Mingsheng's adviser, he couldn't just stand by and watch Ye Mingsheng take such a big risk when he clearly had a sure-fire way to win!

However, Ye Mingsheng is calm now, and it seems as if nothing has happened!
Although Gu Sansi was relieved by Ye Mingsheng's calmness, the most taboo thing for a superior is to lose his composure due to anger and start a war. Although the Fengzhou Army is developing rapidly and actually controls half of Liaoyang's territory, they still have a shallow foundation and once they encounter a failure, they are likely to be defeated in one battle.

Although he couldn't guess what Ye Mingsheng was thinking at the moment, Gu Sansi knew very well that once Ye Mingsheng made a decision, it would be difficult to change it. So just in case, he had to give Ye Mingsheng some advice in advance before he made a decision.

"Your Excellency, I have a sure-fire way to defeat the Zhenwu Army!" Gu Sansi took a deep breath, bowed to Ye Mingsheng and said:

As soon as these words came out, Ye Mingsheng and He Jingyun's eyes were focused on him. Ye Mingsheng said without hesitation:

"Mr. Gu, since you have such a good plan, I am all ears!"

After getting Ye Mingsheng's permission, Gu Sansi narrated:

"Sir, my method is very simple. It can be summed up in eight words - fortify the walls, clear the fields and hold out!"

Before Gu Sansi's words fell completely, He Jingyun's expression changed slightly. He understood what Gu Sansi meant...
Although Gu Sansi's words seemed to have nothing to do with the current stabbing incident of Ye Mingsheng, he was actually expressing his views to Ye Mingsheng.

Thinking of this, He Jingyun couldn't help but look at Gu Sansi with some worry. If he persuaded Ye Mingsheng not to launch a military counterattack at this time, Gu Sansi would most likely have to bear Ye Mingsheng's wrath.

He Jingyun and Gu Sansi, one a scholar and the other a military officer, are recognized as Ye Mingsheng's right-hand men in the Fengzhou army, but they have basically no personal relationship with each other. In order to avoid rumors, both of them deliberately avoid contact with each other.

However, He Jingyun still admired Gu Sansi's talents, and he certainly didn't want Gu Sansi to do anything unwise.

After all, we are all in the same boat now, and all our net worth is tied up in Fengzhou Army, this "startup company". Only when the company is doing well can everyone do well. If we want the company to develop, Gu Sansi is an indispensable helper...
Thinking of this, He Jingyun started thinking quickly in his mind, wondering how he should plead for Gu Sansi if Ye Mingsheng was angered!
Looking at Gu Sansi who was determined in front of him, Ye Mingsheng said lightly:

"continue!"

After getting Ye Mingsheng's consent, Gu Sansi had nothing to be shy about. He walked directly to the sand table in the study and said:
"The situation in Liaoyang is now very clear. Our army and the Cui family have occupied the four prefectures of Lelang, Xuantu, Posha, and Guangning, while the Zhenwu Army has controlled Changqing and Dongning!

“Although Dongning Prefecture is the richest prefecture in Fengzhou Army, due to Song Wenhui’s excessive military spending and waste of money during his tenure, Dongning Prefecture actually does not have much money and grain that can be used by Zhenwu Army now…”

"Now the total number of soldiers and horses of the Zhenwu Army is around 100,000. The daily expenditure of money and food for such a large army is an astronomical figure. In addition, the Jizhou promised to the Shiwei people by the Zhenwu Army is now in our hands, so the conflicts and rifts between the Shiwei people and the Zhenwu Army are inevitable!"

"There is no doubt that what the Zhenwu Army wants most now is a quick victory over our army and transferring their internal conflicts to our army!"

"Otherwise, with their current size, they won't be able to sustain it for long, and they will have problems internally!"

"This time, the Inspectorate's assassination attempt on you is the best proof! For them, the best thing would be to succeed in the assassination. They would make our army leaderless and fall into chaos. Then they would divide and unite our army and defeat them one by one!"

"Even if they fail, they can still use this to anger you, sir, and make you fall into their trap!"

"There is no need for our army to engage in a head-on battle with the Zhenwu Army. We have the financial support of the Cui family and control of so many cities. We can adopt a defensive strategy and make every city a fortress. Even if we have to fight hard, we can wear down the Zhenwu Army under the strong city!"

After saying this, Gu Sansi looked earnestly at Ye Mingsheng. Under Gu Sansi's gaze, Ye Mingsheng roughly understood Gu Sansi's idea. To put it simply, it was to trade space for time, not to engage in a head-on battle with the Zhenwu Army, but to use a war of attrition to slowly wear down the Zhenwu Army...
Ye Mingsheng had mixed feelings about Gu Sansi's plan. After the assassination attempt last night, his idea was of course to take revenge as soon as possible and make Shen Jianzhong and Chen Dechang pay the price for their actions.

However, as the leader of Fengzhou Army, he should consider the future of the company and be responsible for the lives of thousands of soldiers under his command and their families. He cannot act on impulse. After thinking about Gu Sansi's method briefly, Ye Mingsheng felt that what Gu Sansi said was indeed a good idea, but there were several problems with this plan.

The first problem is the Khitans. If they hold their ground and fight a war of attrition with the Zhenwu Army, then the Zhenwu Army will definitely ask the Khitans, who have close relations with them, to send troops from Fengzhou and Posuo Prefecture to cooperate with the Zhenwu Army in the two-pronged attack. Faced with the double-pronged attack from the Zhenwu Army and the Khitans, will the Fengzhou Army collapse completely under the pressure on two fronts?
The second problem is that the Fengzhou Army had the confidence to fight a war of attrition with the Zhenwu Army because they had the support of the local rich family, the Cui family. And if they wanted to win this war of attrition, they would most likely have to empty out the accumulation of decades and generations of the Cui family. The Cui family had already paid you 500,000 taels of silver and 500,000 shi of grain before. Why would the Cui family empty out their family fortune for you this time?
Or the question can be put this way: what is Ye Mingsheng willing to pay to get the financial support from the Cui family?

With his eyes flickering slightly, Ye Mingsheng asked Gu Sansi:
"How do you plan to deal with the Khitans and the Cui family?"

Hearing Ye Mingsheng's question, Gu Sansi turned his head to look at He Jingyun, and then said in a deep voice:
"General He has rich military experience and is very familiar with our army, the enemy army and the current situation. Therefore, it is most appropriate for General He to answer the Khitan people's questions. I will not interfere..."

Seeing that Gu Sansi actually pushed the ball to He Jingyun, Ye Mingsheng was a little surprised, but after thinking about it, he felt that it made sense. He Jingyun was the chief of staff of the Fengzhou Army, and he undoubtedly had a lot of say on this issue!

Therefore, Ye Mingsheng also looked at He Jingyun and said:
"In that case, General He, please tell me what you think."

As for Ye Mingsheng, Gu Sansi handed the problem to himself, and He Jingyun did not shirk it. As the second-in-command of the Fengzhou Army after Ye Mingsheng, he had to speak on behalf of the military and provide reliable opinions to Ye Mingsheng on issues concerning the life and death of the Fengzhou Army.

Facing the gazes of Ye Mingsheng and Gu Sansi, He Jingyun did not rush to give a direct answer. Instead, he pondered for a moment and then introduced the current deployment of Fengzhou military forces.

"According to the deployment before the lord sent troops from Fengzhou, Commander Xun Ke is currently in charge of the task of defending Fengzhou against the Khitans. He currently has about 5,000 troops under his command. If a war breaks out, he can recruit local militias and militias. It is estimated that the maximum number of troops can reach 10,000! This is our army's first line of defense against the Khitans!"

"As for our army's second line of defense, Fengzhou City, it is under the command of Commander Ye Tie. Fengzhou City currently has about 3,000 soldiers. Similarly, if we encounter a war, we can recruit local militias and militias nearby. The maximum number of soldiers can reach 12,000!"

"As for Posuo Prefecture, it is now under the command of Chen Chuanwu, with a total of more than 5,000 troops. Because Posuo Prefecture has just been established, there is no time to establish a militia system. In addition, there are still sporadic bandit problems in the area, so the 5,000-man garrison in Posuo Prefecture is already the minimum. With less than this number, our army cannot maintain its rule over Posuo Prefecture."

"General Yuan and General Guo have already joined forces in Lelang Prefecture. They have a total of about 23,000 troops under their command. These troops, together with General Lin's more than 10,000 troops in Xuantu Prefecture, are the main force of our army!"

“In addition to the above-mentioned troops, the Cui family also provided our army with about 50,000 able-bodied men in accordance with the agreement with our army. However, only about half of these people can be trained as new soldiers. The remaining half need to become laborers to build fortifications for our army, transport food and grass to the rear, and undertake logistical support work…”

"Our army's current strength, including the militia in the rear, is close to 100,000. Although there are many people, nearly half of them have only been trained for a period of time. They are even farmers who have just put down their hoes and sleds. It's okay for them to defend the city, but it would be really difficult for them to go out of the city and fight the enemy."

"The Khitans are a nomadic people and all their people are soldiers, so although their population is small, their total military strength is not small, probably between 20,000 and 30,000!"

"The Zhenwu Army has finished resting, and the 100,000 troops that have joined forces with the Shiwei people are going out in full force. Then our army's more than 30,000 main forces in Lelang and Xuantu will all be tied up."

"Not only that, the more than 20,000 new soldiers provided by the Cui family should also be deployed in the battle. In this way, our army should be able to stop the offensive of the Zhenwu Army, at least to ensure that the city is not lost. However, it will be difficult to provide any support and protection to Fengzhou and Posuo Prefecture!"

"If we want to resist the Khitans' offensive, we can only rely on our colleagues in Fengzhou and Posuo Prefecture. If the Khitans only send about 10,000 troops, our army should be able to control the enemy in Xinfa County. If 20,000 people are controlled in Fengzhou, or if they go out in full force like the Zhenwu Army, then I will not be able to predict..." He Jingyun made a calm and comprehensive analysis.

After listening to He Jingyun's analysis, Ye Mingsheng had a rough idea in his mind about the two-pronged attack by the Zhenwu Army and the Khitans. The Zhenwu Army would definitely go out in full force, but the Khitans would probably hold back. If they attacked in full force, it would be like throwing all the old, weak, women and children in Songmo, their hometown, to the Luobi people.

In Ye Mingsheng's opinion, even if the Khitans and Shen Jianzhong were on good terms, twenty thousand troops would be the most they could send.

Assuming that the Khitans sent out 20,000 troops, according to He Jingyun's analysis, they could be controlled within Fengzhou and prevented from continuing to invade southwards. And if the red cannons made by the artisan camp were added, it would not be impossible to stop the enemy in Xinfa County.

If there is really a chance of destroying the Zhenwu Army, then Ye Mingsheng is definitely taking this risk!
In this way, the problem of the Khitans was temporarily solved, and the only problem left was how to empty the Cui family's assets...

After thinking it over silently in his mind, Ye Mingsheng raised his head and asked Gu Sansi directly:

"What are you going to give to the Cui family?"

Hearing Ye Mingsheng's question, Gu Sansi said four big words with a serious expression.

"Governor of Liaoyang!"

Ye Mingsheng couldn't help but frown when these words were spoken, and He Jingyun was also shocked, shocked that Gu Sansi was so bold.

The position of Governor of Liaoyang was originally held by Song Wenhui, but now that he committed suicide by burning himself, the position naturally became vacant. If Ye Mingsheng promised this title to the Cui family, it would be equivalent to promising to let Cui Shao be the boss after victory in the war!

"Your Excellency's so-called Governor of Liaoyang is nothing but an empty title. As long as we can cheat the money and food out of the Cui family now, when the war is won, you will have the military power over hundreds of thousands of troops. With a single order, will the Cui family dare not return the position?" Gu Sansi said with a smile:

(End of this chapter)