Luo Xin looked at the city wall of Shanhai Pass with a faint smile.
After eight days of travel, he finally reached his destination. As the Army Commander of the Shenji Army’s 1st Army, he was ordered to lead his three divisions to rendezvous at Shanhai Pass.
Ordering his troops to enter the city, Luo Xin went ahead with his personal guard to the base of Shanhai Pass. By this time, Lu Fei, having received the news, was already at the gate.
Seeing Luo Xin, he couldn’t help but laugh, “Luo Xin, why is your army so dragging like a bunch of women? You’re only just arriving.”
“Go to hell, you speak nothing but garbage.” Luo Xin cursed directly. Although the two often bickered, their relationship was extremely close.
Because they belonged to different army corps, the two now rarely saw each other.
Lu Fei, instead of getting angry, laughed heartily when he was cursed. He said to Lei Ming, “Look, this is a scholar who’s ‘drunk on ten years of ink,’ yet I see no difference between him and us rough folk.”
Lei Ming smiled wryly, “As the saying goes, ‘near cinnabar, one turns red; near ink, one turns black.’ This is all thanks to Army Commander Lu.”
Lu Fei glared, lifted his foot, and kicked Lei Ming’s backside. “Alright, your wings have gotten hard now, you dare to mock me.”
Luo Xin dismounted and snorted, “Now you can only bully Lei Ming. But he’s an Army Commander, after all; what you’re doing is improper.”
Lei Ming said with a grin, “You two Army Commanders should save your bickering for the drinking table. It’s already noon; it’s time to eat.”
Luo Xin’s stomach rumbled at the opportune moment. Lu Fei, seeing this, laughed loudly and pulled Luo Xin to the Shanhai Pass grand camp for a meal.
Upon arriving at the military camp, the three had a few small drinks, not getting drunk. At this point, Luo Xin said, “This northern expedition is truly gratifying. His Majesty’s ambition is unprecedented among past Emperors.”
“That goes without saying. When I followed His Majesty back then, I could already tell that the then-King Qi was no ordinary person,” Lu Fei said proudly.
Compared to Luo Xin and Lu Fei’s relaxed demeanor, Lei Ming had a serious expression. Because he was stationed at Shanhai Pass and regularly engaged with the barbarians, he knew very well that this war would not be easy.
Taking a bite of food, Lei Ming said, “You two Army Commanders arrived at Shanhai Pass one after another. I haven’t had time to tell you about the current situation in Pingzhou City.”
Luo Xin glanced at Lu Fei, then realized that this fellow had simply arrived early.
He said, “You are more familiar with the territory outside the pass than we are. Tell us about the current enemy situation.”
Lu Fei also put away his unruly expression at this point, his face serious.
After a moment of contemplation, Lei Ming said, “You two generals must surely be aware of the terrain outside the pass. Compared to the plains, hills, and mountains within the pass, the land outside the pass is truly flat, a vast expanse of grassland with even very few forests. Such a place is very suitable for large-scale cavalry operations, and this is precisely the barbarians’ advantage. And judging from the small-scale skirmishes between our hunter cavalry and barbarian scouts over the past few years, our cavalry probably has no advantage.”
Luo Xin nodded. In fact, they hadn’t been carried away by victory. The reason for their continuous victories over the years was actually multifaceted.
In Jizhou, it was because Beishan was wounded by artillery. Other victories were based on city defense. Even the recent Bashu battle was only an opportunity to eliminate the barbarian cavalry because they were dispersed for plunder.
But this time was different. This was a regular war between two nations, and both sides would concentrate all their efforts to deal with this conflict.
Lu Fei said, “Therefore, this time we cannot waste precious cavalry in frontal combat with the barbarians. That would only deplete our limited cavalry. Last time, although Qi Guangyi pursued and eventually defeated the remaining cavalry, he also lost over three thousand men, and that was when the barbarian cavalry were exhausted.”
Luo Xin deeply agreed. He said, “You are right. Our advantage is artillery and firearms. Cavalry is our weakness. So, our limited cavalry can only be used to pursue routed soldiers, not for attrition. I believe this march should follow the sea. The first step is to establish a fortified village twenty
li outside Shanhai Pass, so that even if our land supply route is cut off, we can still receive supplies from the sea.”
After a pause, he continued, “Pingzhou City is only a hundred
li from Shanhai Pass. This distance is neither too near nor too far. Establishing just four such fortified villages would be enough to secure the grain and fodder we need when fighting in Pingzhou.”
“I think so too. Juehua Island is between Pingzhou City and Jinzhou. There’s quite a bit of grain stored on the island, which can fully supply us. But it’s a pity that the two divisions on the island need to directly attack Liaozhou with Ye Qingyun; they can’t be used by me,” Lei Ming said.
All three had received orders from the Grand Council and knew their respective plans. Lu Fei said, “There’s nothing to regret. Didn’t Qi Guangyi already go to the island? According to orders, his mission is to feign an attack on Jinzhou, leading his cavalry to disrupt the barbarian rear. It’s currently the barbarians’ spring plowing season. Even if we don’t win this war, by winter, the barbarians will be driven mad.”
“You’re right. His Majesty probably saw this point, which is why he launched the northern expedition during the spring plowing season. The barbarians are currently relying on the grain cultivated by the people in the six cities to alleviate famine. If their spring plowing is disrupted now, many people will starve to death this winter,” Luo Xin also laughed.
“If that’s the case, when do you two Army Commanders plan to depart?” Lei Ming’s eyes gleamed with excitement.
Lu Fei mused for a moment, “We still have to wait for the Grand Council’s appointment. Our three armies gathering will need an Army Corps Commander, after all.”
Luo Xin and Lei Ming nodded. Before the appointment came down, they still needed to make pre-war preparations, including inter-communication between the three armies.
Seven days later, along with a large number of chariots entering Shanhai Pass, orders from the Grand Council also arrived at Shanhai Pass.
To the surprise of the three, the Army Corps Commander this time was not any one of them, but Niu Ben, who had arrived from Qingzhou Province.
Xiao Ming also arrived at the same time.
“We, your humble servants, greet Your Majesty!”
The generals at Shanhai Pass, having received the news, all gathered outside the city gate to welcome the imperial carriage.
“All you beloved ministers, rise!”
Xiao Ming rode on horseback, clad in military attire. After gathering the troops at Shanhai Pass, he brought some personnel from the Grand Council and the General Staff Department to Shanhai Pass.
This northern expedition was a matter of national importance. His decision to personally lead the expedition was to boost morale.
At the same time, the symbol of any strong emperor was built on military achievements. His constant enjoyment of peace in Qingzhou City made it difficult to establish prestige in the army.
Moreover, this war was extremely important, and various unexpected situations might arise during the war. At such times, Lu Fei and others might have to appeal to Qingzhou Province for instructions.
This long process of transmitting messages would cause trouble for the war effort, but with him here, it was different. He could adapt to the situation at any time.