Chapter 692 The Prime Minister’s Concerns!
Yunbing, Jinyang

A high-level military meeting of the Luoan court was being held in the Governor's Mansion. However, the person sitting in the main seat was not Feng Han, the Governor of Yunbing appointed by the Luoan court, but an old man with a dignified appearance and awe-inspiring manner...

After looking around at all the generals in the hall, Shangguan Hongyuan, the chief minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty, fixed his gaze on Feng Han, who was standing first on his left, and asked:

"How's the war going on the front line?"

Hearing Shangguan Hongyuan's question, Feng Han quickly bowed and introduced:
"Reporting to the Prime Minister, Commander Ma Chongyang, who is on the northern front of Jinzhong, has led 50,000 Xuanwu Imperial Army troops to surround Lingyuan County and Pingyun County. He has locked more than 20,000 soldiers of the 8th Division of the Second Army of the Fengwu Army in these two counties, making the enemy unable to move and can only passively fight. At present, General Ma is leading the Xuanwu Imperial Army to intensify the attack and strive to recapture these two counties from the rebels as soon as possible."

"On the southern front of Jinzhong City, Commander Tang Peng led 70,000 Tiger Guards to attack Pingrong County and Wankang County. Commander Tang reported yesterday that the Tiger Guards had killed and wounded more than 5,000 people from Peng Ce's 4th Rebellion Division. The enemy army has shown signs of collapse in Pingrong County. Commander Tang is leading the Tiger Guards to fight bloody battles and pursue the enemy!"

"In the Sanchuan River area, General Wang Muzhi organized several crossings of the river, firmly attracting the main cavalry of the rebel Third Army to the east bank of the Sanchuan River. In order to prevent General Wang from crossing the river, the enemy army directly attacked Jinzhong City. They could only watch our army surround the four outer county towns!"

Although Feng Han’s words sounded very nice, about capturing the city, pursuing the victory, and finally surrounding the entire city, he made himself look rosy-cheerful, as if the Imperial Army’s defeat of the Fengwu Army and the capture of Jinzhong City were just around the corner...

However, Shangguan Hongyuan, who was sitting in the main seat and had been a soldier for half his life, was not so easy to fool. He snorted coldly and said:
"You told me these things seven days ago. Seven days later, you are still saying these things. Is there no progress on the front line?"

Shangguan Hongyuan was very dissatisfied with the progress of the Yunbing war. He had originally planned to have a decisive battle with Ye Mingsheng in Yunbing to decide the winner. However, to his surprise and delight, Xu Zhaojie, whom he had originally planned to use to restrain Ye Mingsheng, actually gave him a surprise and attracted all of Ye Mingsheng's attention.

According to the news from Yijing, Zhang Meng's troops of the 7th Division of Fengwu Army have already gone to Qilu, and the newly formed and reorganized 9th Division is also going to be deployed to the battlefield of Hebei and Henan. It should be noted that before the station, the more than 30,000 people of these two divisions were always believed to be sent by Ye Mingsheng to join the Yunbing battlefield. And now these more than 30,000 people were attracted away by Xu Zhaojie. This is of course a complete surprise for Shangguan Hongyuan!
When communicating with Xu Zhaojie in front of the station, Shangguan Hongyuan repeatedly asked Xu Zhaojie to send troops to Hebei and Henan, and even used cutting off the supply of firearms as a bargaining chip. However, Shangguan Hongyuan actually understood that he and Xu Zhaojie were not truly allies.

The two sides only came together temporarily to fight against Ye Mingsheng, a common enemy, so Shangguan Hongyuan did not expect too much. He just hoped that Xu Zhaojie could tie down a part of Ye Mingsheng's forces in Hebei and Henan, so that Ye Mingsheng would not be so calm in transferring troops from Hebei and Henan to Yunbing...
Shangguan Hongyuan never expected that his move would be so effective that it actually caused Ye Mingsheng to change his strategy and mobilize heavy troops to deal with Xu Zhaojie first.

When he first learned about this unexpected surprise, Shangguan Hongyuan was extremely happy and elated. Not only did he drink a pot of good wine, but he was also so excited that he used his old body to fight against two phoenixes like a dragon, and the fight was so intense that the sky was dark and the earth was shaking!

Shangguan Hongyuan felt that Ye Mingsheng was out of his mind. The two armies of Hebei and Henan had less than 100,000 troops, which was not enough for Shangguan Hongyuan. However, since Ye Mingsheng was willing to give him this big gift, he naturally would not be polite to Ye Mingsheng. He directly divided the 170,000 troops into three groups and attacked with all his strength, for fear that Ye Mingsheng would react.

Just when Shangguan Hongyuan thought that this battle was a sure win, that he would wipe out all the counties outside Jinzhong in ten days or half a month, and take over Jinzhong in a month to completely control the entire Yunbing territory, and then he would head straight to Hebei and Henan, and launch a surprise attack on Yijing to drive the damn Fengwu Army back into the ice and snow outside the Great Wall!

However, Shangguan Hongyuan never expected that the Fengwu Army was so tough. He didn't even see the shadow of Jinzhong City. He encountered the blockade of the Fengwu Army in the four outer counties. The original plan was to sweep through the four counties in half a month, but now it has been more than half a month, and he didn't take down a single county!
There is no doubt that the current progress of the imperial guards under his command will never satisfy Shangguan Hongyuan...
Seeing that Shangguan Hongyuan realized the truth, Feng Han felt helpless. This battle was not fought by him, Feng Han, so why was the old man angry with him? Commanders like Ma Chongyang, Tang Peng, and Wang Muzhi were not easy to mess with. If he directly said that they had no progress, they would remember it severely.

Seeing Feng Han remained silent, Shangguan Hongyuan asked coldly:
"Not talking? Are you dumb?"

Feeling the chill in Shangguan Hongyuan's heart, Feng Han's expression also became serious. He knew that the old man was really angry. If he didn't speak up, it would be difficult to pass this level. He immediately organized his words and said sincerely:
"Master Prime Minister, the firearms of the Fengwu Army are really powerful, and I don't know where the Fengwu Army got so many cannons from. According to the battle reports from the front line, whether it is Pingyun and Lingyuan on the white line, or Pingrong and Wankang on the southern line, each county has deployed at least 20 of their red cannons!"

"Also, nearly half of these deployed red-coated cannons are heavy artillery in the Fengwu Army. Their power far exceeds the Zhengdong cannons equipped by our army. Even if they are considered catapults, our army's firepower cannot suppress them at all!"

“As for the other muskets and tiger squatting guns, the Fengwu Army is equipped with several times more than ours. Our soldiers have to brave the firepower of the Fengwu Army to advance the siege. The fighting on the front line is very difficult, and every step forward will cost huge casualties…”

After listening to Feng Han's heartfelt words, Shangguan Hongyuan was silent for a moment, and then continued to ask:
"How many casualties are there on the front line every day?" Feng Han sighed and narrated:
"The 4th Division of the Fengwu Army, led by Peng Ce, is deployed in Nan County. Its combat effectiveness is not strong among the divisions of the Fengwu Army. Therefore, the casualties on the southern front of Commander Tang are not that large, with only about 500 to 600 casualties every day. However, the casualties on the northern and central fronts are not small, especially the casualties on the Sanchuanjiang front of Commander Wang. The total casualties have exceeded 10,000. In general, as long as our army is attacking the city, the casualties will be at least 2,000 per day, and up to 3,000 at most!"

After saying this, seeing Shangguan Hongyuan's face darken even more, Feng Han quickly added:
"Master Prime Minister, our army has suffered so many casualties, and the Fengwu Army has also suffered quite a lot. According to reliable information, the enemy's 8th Division deployed on the white line and the 4th Division on the southern line have both suffered nearly 30% casualties, with the 4th Division suffering the most casualties. Under the fierce attacks of the Tiger Guards day and night, their defense line is no longer solid. Commander Tang emphasized in yesterday's battle report that he is very confident that Pingrong County can be captured within ten days!"

"Ten days?"

Shangguan Hongyuan snorted coldly and gave the order directly:

"Where are the ten days left for him to waste? Tell Tang Peng that I want to see our army's flag planted above Pingrong County before the 17th. If he fails to do so, he will be beheaded!"

"yes·····················"

After talking about this, Shangguan Hongyuan shifted the topic to another issue that he was very concerned about.

"Have you killed all the Fengwu Army bastards causing trouble in the rear?"

As a warlord who has been dominating the world for decades, Shangguan Hongyuan naturally understands the importance of logistical supplies. Moreover, one's own business knows one's own business. He is also very aware of how difficult it is for the Luoan court to bear the expenses of more than 200,000 troops on the Yunbing front. He knows that after defeating the Southern Tour Court, he should recuperate and accumulate some capital before going to war with the Fengwu Army to unify the north!
However, watching the Fengwu Army's drastic reforms under the leadership of Ye Mingsheng and its rapidly growing strength, Shangguan Hongyuan felt envious but also fearful. If he were twenty years younger, he would definitely refuse to admit defeat and would follow Ye Mingsheng's reform methods, step by step attacking the aristocratic families and gentry and taking power into his own hands!
But not now!

Shangguan Hongyuan is already 67 years old this year. Although he still refuses to admit defeat, he knows in his heart that he no longer has the energy and drive he once had. The complicated relationships in the court also restrict his hands and feet!
What's more, the injuries accumulated from years of fighting have made Shangguan Hongyuan feel that his health is getting worse. Although there are no problems for the time being, Shangguan Hongyuan also understands that he doesn't have much time left. In one or two years at the shortest, or three to five years at the longest, he may pass away.

Such a short period of time is not enough for him to complete the reform. If the reform is not completed by then, the entire gentry class will be offended. While he is alive, he has his prestige and nothing may happen. But when he closes his eyes and stretches his legs and passes away, his family and descendants will inevitably be liquidated...
So taking all this into consideration, Shangguan Hongyuan gave up on following Ye Mingsheng's example and carrying out reforms. Since he had given up on reforms, Shangguan Hongyuan had to take advantage of his limited time to have a quick battle with Ye Mingsheng. After all, time was on the side of the Fengwu Army. Not to mention that Ye Mingsheng was young and strong and could outlast him.

Let’s say that after the Fengwu Army completes the reform, its strength will be greatly enhanced. By that time, relying on the Fengwu Army’s advanced firearms, when Ye Mingsheng is ready and marches westward, our side will be unstoppable!
With this idea in mind, Shangguan Hongyuan, despite opposition from many court officials, insisted on raising an army of 200,000 to fight a decisive battle with Ye Mingsheng. However, what he did not expect was that Ye Mingsheng not only did not accept the challenge, but instead played dirty tricks on him, arranging a large number of assassins to sneak into his rear, kill officials and burn down granaries!

Although these actions did not seem to cause much damage to the Luoan Imperial Guards, they obviously caused some problems with the Imperial Guards' logistics supply, resulting in significant delays in the transportation and delivery of firearms, medicines, food and other supplies.

Shangguan Hongyuan also attached great importance to this and ordered Chen Jingyu from the Supervisory Department to resolve the matter to ensure the safe and stable transportation of materials from the rear to the front. Chen Jingyu also attached great importance to Shangguan Hongyuan's order. During this period, he had been concentrating on mobilizing troops and wanted to wipe out this small force sent by Fengwu Army...
Listening to Shangguan Hongyuan's question, Feng Han said with some helplessness:
"With Commander Chen leading the team personally, we wiped out many small units like the Fengwu Army, killed more than 200 people, and prevented dozens of assassinations or sabotage operations. However, the Fengwu Army seemed to have identified our logistics supply and sent more people!"

"The unit in charge of this mission under the Fengwu Military Control is called the Flying Tiger Battalion. They specialize in doing this kind of dirty work. They even call it special operations! They are so shameless and despicable, just like that bastard Ye Mingsheng!"

"But these people are indeed very powerful. They have all undergone special training. They are Ye Mingsheng's captive warriors. Each of them has poisonous fangs in their mouths. They would rather die than be captured when the situation is bad. So far, we have only captured one alive. It took a lot of effort to pry open his mouth and get this information!"

"Commander Chen has mobilized all the manpower of the Supervisory Department to ensure that food supplies can be transported to the front line in an orderly manner. However, these Fengwu Army bastards are in the dark after all, so the pressure is still very great. I have also ordered the patrol department around Jinyang to provide as much help as possible to colleagues in the Supervisory Department, resolutely prevent trouble before it happens, and not give the Fengwu Army any chance!"

Listening to Feng Han's assurance, Shangguan Hongyuan said nothing, but looked towards Pingrong County on the map. The only thing he could hope for now was that this bastard Xu Zhaojie could delay Ye Mingsheng a little longer, allowing Tang Peng time to take over the southern line of the Fengwu Army and thereby completely disintegrate the defenses of the Fengwu Army in the four outer counties. Only in this way could he have some chance of winning the Yunbing Battle!
After recognizing the difficulties before him, Shangguan Hongyuan no longer had the ambition to drive the Fengwu Army back outside the Great Wall. In his eyes, taking over Jinzhong would be a victory.

(End of this chapter)