Chapter 432 Yuan Song’s Thoughts!
On the evening of November 13, the camp of the First Division of the Fengwu Army was located fifteen miles southwest of Ruishan County, the capital of Gongdu.

Although it is not the coldest time of winter yet, the cold wind is still howling at night. Although Liaoyang's finances are still not very good, Ye Mingsheng knows the importance of logistical supplies when marching and fighting...

Even though he had to piece together supplies from all over, Ye Mingsheng still equipped each soldier with a set of three pieces of clothing: a cotton coat, cotton shoes, and a cotton hat. He also dispatched thousands of civilian laborers from Fengzhou to push wheelbarrows to deliver food, ammunition, and charcoal for heating to the army entering the palace.

At this time, the charcoal in the brazier in the central army tent was sizzling, releasing heat to drive away the cold wind. Under the illumination of the orange-red light of the candle, Yuan Song, with a solemn expression, was sitting alone on the commander's seat with his eyes closed, as if he was waiting for something.

Yuan Song did not have to wait too long. After a cup of tea, hurried footsteps were heard outside the tent. Hearing the footsteps, Yuan Song, who had his eyes closed to rest, immediately opened his eyes and stared at the tent door with anticipation.

According to the previous plan, Ye Dong's vanguard troops should have reported the situation an hour and a half ago, but now there is no news at all. Although he has confidence in Ye Dong and the soldiers of his First Division, Yuan Song couldn't help feeling a little worried.

Under Yuan Song's gaze, Ma Zhongjun, deputy general of the First Division, walked into the tent. Seeing Yuan Song staring at him, he knew what Yuan Song was waiting for, so he bowed and reported:

"Report to the Lord, news has arrived from Ye Dong's vanguard troops!"

“They encountered the advance team of the new army of Gongdu outside Ruishan County, and the two sides fought a skirmish, so it took some time. At present, Ye Dong has defeated the enemy, but the remaining enemies also took the opportunity to enter Ruishan County…”

Hearing Ma Zhongjun's words, Yuan Song felt relieved and happy at the same time. He deliberately slowed down the progress from Hamheung County to Ruishan County just to wait for the new army from Gongdu to come out, and now the fish has finally taken the bait!

"Where is the person sent by Ye Dong?" Yuan Song immediately asked:

"I am waiting outside the tent for your summons at any time!" Ma Zhongjun replied:
"Let him in!" Yuan Song said without hesitation:

"Yes!"

At Yuan Song's command, a man in military uniform with a very tired face walked into the tent. When he saw Yuan Song, he immediately bowed and said:
"I, Commander Ye Dong's sentry chief Zhu Gaoping, greet you, General!"

Yuan Song waved his hand and went straight to the point:

"No need to be polite! How strong are the new troops of Gongdu that you are fighting? Do you know how many people there are?"

In response to Yuan Song's inquiry, Zhu Gaoping thought for a moment and said:
"Your Excellency, according to the prisoners we captured, they sent out a total of 5,000 troops this time. However, based on my experience, I believe that the other side should not have 5,000 troops. The specific number should be around 4,500..."

"As for the combat effectiveness of the new Gongdu army, it is far stronger than the Gongdu army we encountered before, but it is still not enough to face our army!" As Zhu Gaoping said this, a hint of confidence appeared on his face.

After he finished speaking, he seemed to remember something and continued:
"Oh, sir! During the battle with our army this time, some firearms appeared in the new army of Gongdu, such as three-barreled guns, bird guns, and Japanese pirates' iron cannons. These firearms caused some casualties to our army."

“When I arrived, the battlefield had not been cleaned up yet, and the specific casualties had not been counted yet. But according to Commander Ye Dong, our army had less than 200 casualties and 300 wounded, while the enemy had more than 300 deaths, and we don’t know the number of wounded. In addition, our army also captured more than 100 prisoners of war…”

Hearing this number, Yuan Song's expression gradually became serious. A battalion of Ye Dong's troops had about 3,000 people. 200 people died and 300 were injured. The total number of casualties was 500, which was less than 20% of the casualties.

According to convention, if the enemy had 300 deaths, then the number of injured would be between 300 and 800. Taking a middle number of 600, and adding the more than 100 captured prisoners of war, the enemy's losses would be around 1,000.

This means that the ratio of casualties between the enemy and us is about two to one. Although this is undoubtedly a victory, the casualties are unprecedented in the Gongdu army we encountered before!

Previously, his First Division had been unstoppable in Gongdu, and the ratio of casualties between the enemy and us had remained at five to one, or even ten to one. This was enough to prove that the new army of Gongdu was indeed quite powerful!

"What other information have you dug out from the prisoners?" Yuan Song continued to ask:
Zhu Gaoping shook his head and said:
“The prisoners we captured are ordinary soldiers who have never been officers. They know very little information. At present, we only know that this unit is an advance unit of the Gongdu New Army. It is not clear whether the main force of the Gongdu New Army will be behind them...”

Although a little disappointed, Yuan Song glanced at Zhu Gaoping's tired expression, nodded and ordered:
"Go down and have a rest, eat something and take a nap. Get up early tomorrow and tell Ye Dong that I will arrive with my army at noon tomorrow!"

Zhu Gaoping declined politely:
"Thank you for your kindness, General. However, as the head of a sentry post, I should return immediately after reporting to you. I will go back after I have something to eat!"

Although he was rejected by Zhu Gaoping, Yuan Song was not angry. Seeing that Zhu Gaoping had made up his mind, he nodded and said:

"Alright!"

"General, I'm leaving now!"

"Yeah! Go ahead!"

After Zhu Gaoping left, Yuan Song focused his attention on the sand table in the tent. After a while, he suddenly asked Ma Zhongjun beside him:
"Any news from the Coordination Office?"

Ma Zhongjun nodded and said:

“After Wang Xuecheng took Li Xuanren away, I heard that he had a good chat with his father, Ruiyang Jun Li Zaitong. Wang Xuecheng even let Li Xuanren go back…”

Upon hearing this, a smile appeared on Yuan Song's dark face.

"This villain Wang Kangxin can't sit still anymore. He wants to leave the city to fight me!"

After hearing this, Ma Zhongjun seemed to understand something and said:

"General Yuan, are you saying..."

"Yes! It should be the people from the Coordination Office who fanned the flames in their backyard and made them restless, so that bastard Wang Kangxin finally came out of his tortoise shell!" Yuan Song said with a smile:

Ma Zhongjun nodded and asked:
"In that case, General Yuan, what are you going to do next?" Yuan Song did not answer Ma Zhongjun's question but smiled and asked:
"Zhongjun, what do you think?"

Feeling Yuan Song's expression, even though he didn't say anything, Ma Zhongjun knew what he was thinking!
After hesitating for a while, Ma Zhongjun reminded:

"Before leaving, the commander-in-chief reminded us not to underestimate the enemy..."

When Ma Zhongjun finished speaking, the smile on Yuan Song's face faded a little and he said calmly:

"But the Lord also told me to bring back the heads of Shen Jianzhong and Wang Kangxin!"

Seeing that Yuan Song was very determined, Ma Zhongjun frowned, not knowing what to do.

Seeing Ma Zhongjun like this, Yuan Song said in a deep voice:

"Zhongjun! I, Yuan, joined the army at the age of fifteen and have been in the military for more than twenty years. I know when to advance and when to retreat. Don't worry, I won't do anything rash or do something I know is impossible!"

Hearing Yuan Song say this, Ma Zhongjun was also somewhat tempted. After all, Yuan Song was the commander-in-chief of the First Division. Given Yuan Song's status in the Fengwu Army and in the First Division, being able to discuss this with him was already a great respect for the deputy general.

If it were someone with a domineering and overbearing personality, I would tell him that he could make the decision without asking for his consent or not.

Therefore, if he had disagreed earlier, it would have been somewhat shameless and ungrateful!

And the most important point is that although the combat power of the new Gongdu army is stronger than the ordinary Gongdu army, it is still within the range of the First Division. There are risks for sure, but if you calculate carefully, it is not that big. After all, there are still 30,000 troops supporting Guo Zhiping and others...

Seeing that Ma Zhongjun's attitude was somewhat shaken, Yuan Song's expression eased a little and said in a deep voice:
"Zhongjun! Our Fengwu Army is now in financial difficulties in Su Ri'an, and we have been forced to reduce our forces to only five divisions!"

At this point, Yuan Song paused, bowed, pointed to the direction of Dongning and continued:

"But with your great talent and military achievements, our Fengwu Army will definitely have more soldiers in the future. Zhongjun, your ability is known to everyone in our Fengwu Army. You are just a transition here, and you will definitely be able to take charge in the future.

"But... Zhang Meng, Zhao Han, Xun Ke and the others are not pushovers either. If you don't make some achievements, I'm afraid that when the opportunity comes, you may not be the top priority in the governor's mind!"

When Yuan Song said this, Ma Zhongjun's face changed slightly. He was 27 years old. Although he was very young, he was promoted to the deputy general of the First Division and became one of the few senior generals in the Fengwu Army.

However, as a young and promising general, what he wanted was not to be someone's deputy general or assist others, even if that person was Yuan Song, who was known as the best general of the Fengwu Army.

What Ma Zhongjun wanted most was to form an independent army, be able to take charge of things on his own, lead his subordinates on the battlefield, and kill all enemies for the grand cause of the commander-in-chief. Sometimes at night, Ma Zhongjun would dream of himself leading the army alone.

If Yuan Song really succeeds, as he is the main general, the lion's share of the credit will definitely belong to him, but as the deputy general, I can also share a lot of the credit. It will be easier for me to gain the favor of the governor-general, and then I can be one step ahead of others when the army is expanded...

Thinking of this, Ma Zhongjun gritted his teeth, bowed to Yuan Song and said:

"I will follow General Yuan's orders!"

Seeing this, Yuan Song patted Ma Zhongjun on the shoulder and said with a smile:

"Zhongjun, you are right. As warriors, our job is to live on the tip of a knife and lick blood!"

"If you don't have some courage, how can you earn the credit?"

After deciding on the general strategy, Yuan Song pulled Ma Zhongjun to the map and said:

"If nothing unexpected happens, Wang Kangxin will lead the main force of the new army of the palace to Ruishan County tomorrow. He is now eager to eat me up in order to relieve the pressure inside their palace, so in order to save time, he will definitely rush in and attack fiercely right away!"

"I plan to set up camp at Wushupo, five miles south of Ruishan County. In this way, in order to completely entangle us and prevent me from running away with my troops, Wang Kangxin will not be stationed in Ruishan County. He will set up camp not far from me and keep a close eye on me!"

"Zhongjun, I will hand over the 3,000 soldiers from Sun Lei's battalion to you, and I will also transfer 500 cavalry from Cai Zhongyuan to you. You will hide in the valley in the west tonight and wait for three days!

"After three days of attacking Wang Kangxin's palace, the morale of the new army will definitely be damaged, and the soldiers and horses are tired. The most important thing is that they will only have me in their eyes at that time, and they will relax their vigilance against others..."

"So when the time comes, Zhongjun, you will take advantage of the night to launch a surprise attack with your troops from behind him. If you can disrupt his camp, that would be the best. If not, you must burn his food and grass for me. Without food and grass, his army will surely fall apart. So as long as you succeed in this mission, then Wang Kangxin's head will be in our pockets!" Yuan Song said firmly:

Yuan Song’s plan made Ma Zhongjun excited. He thought Yuan Song’s plan was crazy and adventurous, but now it seems that Yuan Song’s plan is much more reliable than he thought...
"General Yuan, don't worry. Leave this matter to me. I won't let Wang Kangxin get away with it!" Ma Zhongjun's eyes flashed with a gleam, and he said confidently:
Seeing Ma Zhongjun so confident, Yuan Song nodded and said:

"Go do it!"

"Yes!"

Looking at Ma Zhongjun's hurriedly leaving back, a faint smile appeared on Yuan Song's dark face.

Although after the disarmament and reorganization, some of Yuan Song’s old subordinates in the Fengwu Army, such as Zhang Meng and others, were transferred to other places, but out of trust in Yuan Song, Ye Mingsheng still retained about half of Yuan Song’s old subordinates in the First Division. Therefore, Yuan Song’s prestige in the First Division is still very strong...
Therefore, although he could obviously rely on his own prestige to make the First Division his own one-man show, not allowing others to have other voices, and making Ma Zhongjun, the deputy general who was transferred here to be a hindrance, become a decoration, Yuan Song never did so. On the contrary, he respected Ma Zhongjun very much both openly and secretly!

(End of this chapter)