xymnovel Chapter 497 Hengzhou Strategy
Chapter 497 Hengzhou Strategy
Mu Jin Baiyi says: Read this book!
Meanwhile, as turmoil raged within the capital of the Great Qian Dynasty, Su Ye's Cangzhou army began its conquest of Hengzhou.
This time is different from the time when Li Jing conquered Qizhou.
Li Jing's time was a perfect storm of favorable timing, location, and popular support.
The victory was achieved in one battle, which crushed the Qi King's army and all the resistance forces in Qizhou.
Even the Silver Feather Flying Cavalry, Qizhou's trump card and a symbol of Qizhou's spirit, were wiped out by the White Horse Cavalry that suddenly appeared in that battle.
Along with Prince Qi, he was also captured alive by Li Jing.
In this situation, most of the resistance forces in Qizhou were wiped out along with King Qi.
Even Prince Qi himself was in Li Jing's hands.
They directly coerced the "Prince of Qi" to command "Qizhou".
Having lost most of its resistance forces, Qizhou surrendered without hesitation when faced with the royal decree of its leader, "King Qi."
It can be said that Li Jing's method involved many coincidences.
Now, Su Ye faces an even more complex and volatile situation.
Hengzhou, a land of fertile soil and fierce people, has been a strategic location fought over by the Eastern Lands against the Central Regions since ancient times.
Su Ye knew that it would be difficult to replicate Li Jing's glory with just bravery and military strength.
What he needs is wisdom and patience, a steady and gradual approach, rather than a rushing, turbulent one.
Therefore, as early as when Luzhou and Wuzhou were fighting the Yellow Turban Army, Su Ye had Guo Jia and others send spies to infiltrate Hengzhou to gather intelligence. From the terrain to the customs and traditions, from troop deployment to the will of the people, everything was taken into consideration.
True conquest is not merely a military victory on the battlefield, but also the submission of hearts and minds.
Therefore, when facing Hengzhou, we must adopt a policy of appeasement, first to appease the people, and then to plan military operations, proceeding step by step and steadily.
Under the careful planning of Guo Jia and Xun You, the Cangzhou army did not rush to launch a full-scale attack. Instead, it first used a small force to conduct probing harassment of the Hengzhou border. This not only exhausted the Hengzhou army's energy but also put pressure on the people of Hengzhou without provoking a full-scale resistance.
This strategy, like spring rain nourishing all things, is silent yet remarkably effective.
Differences began to emerge within Hengzhou, with some forces dissatisfied with the status quo secretly contacting Su Ye in search of cooperation.
Just as the people and soldiers of Hengzhou were in this delicate balance, the Cangzhou army suddenly launched a well-planned surprise attack.
After discussing with Su Ye and Guo Jia, Tie Shiwen, who was disguised as a part of the Yellow Turban army that had retreated from Qianyuan County, chose an important granary in Hengzhou as his target. Taking advantage of the cover of night and the terrain, he led an elite force to silently cross the Hengzhou army's defenses and strike at the heart of the enemy.
This battle not only directly burned a large amount of military supplies in Hengzhou, but also cleverly left the marks of the Yellow Turban army, making the Hengzhou army mistakenly believe that the Yellow Turbans who retreated from Qianyuan County had launched a full-scale attack on Hengzhou. For a time, the people of Hengzhou were in a state of panic and the morale of the army wavered.
However, this was only the beginning of Guo Jia's plan.
To completely conquer Hengzhou, a decisive battle is needed to utterly crush the morale of the Hengzhou army.
Therefore, they directly chose the most proud defensive line of Hengzhou—Tianqian Pass—as the site of the decisive battle.
The Tianqian Pass, with its strategic location, is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and has always been a natural barrier for Hengzhou to resist foreign enemies.
At the same time, Tianqian Pass is also the last line of defense for Hengzhou, like a giant dragon stretching between the Eastern Lands and the Central Region.
Once the Tianqian Pass falls, Hengzhou will be like a tiger without its fangs, with no more strategic locations to rely on.
Next, the Cangzhou army only needs to proceed slowly and gradually to completely incorporate it into the territory of Cangzhou.
Su Ye and the Cangzhou army dared to face the formidable Tianqian Pass head-on and were full of confidence in planning this decisive battle.
Behind this, there were naturally some preparations.
In addition, there was the planning done by Guo Jia and others during this period.
Currently, many of the generals guarding Tianqian Pass have been secretly infiltrated by Guo Jia and his associates using the Luo Wang network.
Their hearts no longer belonged to Hengzhou, but secretly tilted towards Cangzhou.
These generals who were turned to the side are like venomous snakes lurking in the heart of Hengzhou, waiting for the moment to deliver a fatal blow.
On the surface, they remained loyal to Hengzhou's military orders, but deep down they were already plotting how to deliver a fatal blow to Hengzhou at a crucial moment.
With this strategy in place, the Cangzhou army's attack on Tianqian Pass was not only a military contest, but also a battle of wits and strategy.
The real battlefield lies not only between the steep cliffs and raging rivers of Tianqian Pass, but also in the hearts of the people.
Meanwhile, the Cangzhou army, under Su Ye's command, began to closely monitor and meticulously plan the Tianqian Pass.
Like a patient hunter, quietly waiting for the best opportunity to strike.
The goal is to ensure a decisive victory while simultaneously causing the psychological collapse of the Hengzhou army and people, thereby subduing them without a fight.
Of course, the "main force" attacking Tianqian Pass this time was not the Cangzhou Army under Su Ye's command, but the "Yellow Turban Army" that Tie Shiwen was currently leading.
As for Su Ye's Cangzhou army, they were there to relieve the siege of Hengzhou!
In the end, he was recognized as a great hero who saved the entire Hengzhou from the brutal Yellow Turban Army.
Given that the court of the Great Qian Dynasty is preoccupied with its own problems, it is quite reasonable for them to temporarily take over Hengzhou, right?
However, Su Ye's attention is not currently focused on this formidable pass in Hengzhou.
Under the planning of Jia Xu of the Luo Wang organization and his associates Guo Jia and Xun You.
The Cangzhou army's campaign against Hengzhou proceeded steadily without any unexpected incidents.
In general, Su Ye is no longer needed. Even without him, under the coordination of Guo Jia, Xue Rengui, Lian Po, and others, things are much easier.
There will be no surprises regarding the strategy towards Hengzhou.
Therefore, Su Ye could only focus his energy on the various intelligence reports about the Dayong Dynasty that had just been sent up by Luo Wang.
At this time, the Dayong Dynasty was in complete chaos.
The Great Qian Dynasty was shattered.
The situation wasn't much better in the Dayong Dynasty.
The three or four prefectures of the Dayong Dynasty that are close to the Daqian Dynasty have completely become a land of chaos and war.
The alliance of vassal kings led by Cao Cao and Sima Yi, Shangguan Lie and Lu Wang, the Nine Heavens Army representing Yunzhou Yunwang Mansion, the Sparrow King Army led by Long Junzuo representing the Southern Sparrow King of the Dayong Dynasty, and the Dayong Dragon Sparrow Army.
During this period, the various factions fought each other almost every three days, with minor skirmishes occurring every five days.
In particular, Prince Jing, Shangguan Lie, of the vassal kings alliance, had a deep-seated blood feud with Cao Cao.
The hatred for the murderer of one's father is irreconcilable.
Cao Cao's rise to power was achieved by stepping over the head of the previous King Jing.
Under these circumstances, as long as Cao Cao lived, the Prince Jing's mansion would never be able to hold its head high.