Chapter 873: Chapter 519: Three Days Later, Burning City in Flames (Happy Lantern Festival)
Sun Xiaozhun nodded in agreement with this judgment:
"The Secretariat Envoy has been on the Western Front for a while now, and the news of reinforcements leaving the capital surely reached Prince Jing early on, but there has been no movement on the Eastern Front, which already indicates their stance."
So this is the ugly power struggle... Zhao Douan sighed lightly and shook his head with a mocking smile.
If the two great Vassal Kings were united, the court couldn’t do anything about them, and Linfeng might have already been lost.
But the problem is that the two Vassal Kings cannot "work together sincerely;" their so-called cooperation and alliance are just a forced action.
He pondered:
"So, do you two believe that Prince Jing actually hopes we can weaken some of Mu Prince’s military strength?"
Xue Shence nodded seriously:
"I speculate that the maximum Prince Jing can tolerate is for us to reclaim the lands around Linfeng, including Ning’an County, but if we intend to go further and continue advancing towards the Huai River, Prince Jing will not stand idly by."
Zhao Douan tapped his finger lightly on the table, drawing the crowd’s attention, and he smiled:
"This is good news. The existence of a rift among our enemies allows us to exploit the gaps. A piece of fat meat has been delivered right to our mouths; there’s no reason not to eat it. Therefore, we should quickly counterattack, reclaim Ning’an County, and drive out the rebels."
Shi Meng laughed and said:
"Governor, leave the battle to reclaim the city to our Divine Mechanism Camp; it’s the perfect time for those bandits to experience the taste of firearms and artillery."
The new type of firearms... The eyes of everyone in the room lit up; they were equally curious about the new firearms that had annihilated the Qingzhou Rebel Army.
However, Yuan Feng spoke up:
"The firearms are indeed formidable, but times have changed, and the enemy is surely prepared. Using firearms now may not have the miraculous effect it once did. When it comes to fighting on land, our Five Army Camp is more skilled."
The last defeat left him with a feeling of frustration, eager to achieve merits and make a name for himself.
"The two adults have traveled from afar, and the troops are fatigued and unfamiliar with this land. It would be better if we lead the charge while you supervise."
An unfamiliar officer stood up; he was a local general from Taicang Prefecture who had been sent earlier to guard the granary and recently returned hastily.
Zhao Douan raised his eyebrows, noticing that before the war had even begun, a group of people was already vying for the chance to go to battle.
Sun Xiaozhun mediated with a wry smile:
"Everyone, there’s no need to compete; reclaiming the city is likely not that simple. Keep in mind that the enemy general Su Dan is best at city defense. Although we have troops now, reclaiming lost territory requires careful planning."
Chen Gui, the head of the Firearms Bureau seated at the center, stroked his beard and spoke:
"What fear is there of mere county walls? Just give me ten cannons, find a suitable spot, and I can blast through the city walls!"
After the Qingzhou battle, Chen Huoshen had become somewhat arrogant, eager to blast things with cannons.
Yet Xue Shence glanced at him and stated calmly:
"I don’t doubt the power of the Divine Mechanism Camp’s artillery, but what if Su Dan forces a large number of civilians against the city walls? I’ve read this man’s record; he has done similar things before."
This... Chen Huoshen, who had been full of confidence, suddenly choked, unable to answer.
If civilians were forced to the front and artillery was used to bombard the city... The outcome would be predictable. This disgusting method couldn’t subdue bandits but would instead restrain the court’s army.
If the court dared to fire, the Vassal Kings, entrenched in all directions, would start spreading propaganda crazily, shaking the legitimacy of imperial power.
As it stands, the court’s strongest "weapon" is not the army, but legitimacy.
The Empress has already declared all Vassal Kings as rebels, and if the court starts bombarding civilians, then the Empress would become a tyrant to be overthrown.
"Absolutely not! Firearms must only be used against the rebel army. We mustn’t rashly open fire on the city!"
Mo Chou, who had remained silent, spoke firmly, with a tone that left no room for refusal.
The role of the "supervisor" comes into play at moments like this.
Xue Shence immediately nodded:
"With our military strength, regaining the lost territory is only a matter of time. At most, it will require some effort; there is no need to resort to such methods."
Everyone agreed, and it seemed the meeting’s tone was about to be set.
Suddenly, a military general ran in hurriedly from outside the hall, interrupting the meeting process:
"Report! Scouts from the front sent a message that the enemy general Su Dan has ordered the preparation for burning the cities of Ning’an and Wenshui Counties. Although no action has been taken yet, they have already started stockpiling items like Tongyou Charcoal, firewood, and straw!"
What?! Preparing to burn the city?
This news was like a bomb, drastically changing the previously calm atmosphere of the meeting!
"Speak clearly! Quickly, explain clearly! Is Su Dan planning to burn the city?!" a general stood up and demanded loudly.
Xue Shence and the others looked over attentively.
The reporting military general was sweating profusely and stammered a little:
"Some of our scouts have infiltrated Ning’an County to gather intelligence, and they just returned with news saying that Su Dan issued a ’Twelve-Point Burning City Guideline’ while ordering the city’s defense today, setting strict rules.
It includes four ’signals’ that must be met simultaneously for the captured areas to burn the towns simultaneously.
Meanwhile, the enemy is busily transporting the food, money, and other goods from the two counties to the Huai River. It seems they know they can’t hold us off, so they’re ready to retreat."
The room fell silent, without a sound!
Zhao Douan’s expressionless face belied the word that jumped in his mind suddenly:
Scorched earth strategy!
Even though in his previous life he didn’t understand military affairs, he was very familiar with this strategy, which generally means:
If the enemy troops are too strong and one cannot hold the territory, then before evacuating, burn all local resources to ashes, leaving nothing for the enemy; in this way, even if the enemy captures the city, they won’t get any supplies.
This is a classic "trading space for time" strategy, and Zhao Douan had seen many successful examples of using this strategy in his past life.