The Da Qian army left only two thousand scouts on the front line and recalled all vanguard troops.
Upon learning that the soldiers of Jiaozhou had been massacred by the Tian Ri cavalry, Nan Jiyun and others were filled with righteous indignation.
"The white devils are brutal, an outrage to gods and men!"
The Da Qian soldiers regarded the people of Jiaozhou and Daliang as their own kin.
This was because Liang Xiao and Xiao Qing had resolved to incorporate these two regions into the Da Qian territory, and the three regions shared common ancestry and would eventually be part of the Qian clan.
However, in the face of the Tian Ri tribe's cruelty, they now had to consider the safety of the Jiaozhou populace.
Liang Xiao said, "Originally, our army's objective was to pin down the enemy forces on the mountain, then use a surprise attack on the enemy's grain stores to ambush their inevitable retreat. This would lure the enemy into deploying their troops to defend, allowing us to defeat them, force them to a desperate defense in the mountains, and then dispatch elite cavalry south for a surprise attack on Jiaozhou. Now that the Tian Ri cavalry has occupied the eastern mountain pass, our army cannot make a large-scale detour. We must use our main army to tie down the enemy, then use cavalry to bypass them, forcing the enemy to deploy their troops and chase them until they are exhausted, allowing us to defeat them one by one."
Zhuo Ying proposed, "Could our army send people to instigate mutiny among the Jiaozhou soldiers in the mountains?"
Liang Xiao pondered this.
"The enemy will naturally consider this possibility, which is why they have implemented a harsh policy. It is impossible for our envoys to be received, and they might even be executed. We cannot risk our soldiers. The Tian Ri tribe has a strict military system, and it is equally difficult to send spies in. However, we can dispatch archers skilled in archery and horsemanship to continuously shoot surrender letters into the mountains."
"But the real key is to annihilate the Tian Ri forces as soon as possible, not allowing a single soldier to escape back to Jiaozhou. At the same time, we must recapture Jiaozhou with all due speed to avoid further complications. Once Jiaozhou is recovered, our army can proceed to annex the farmlands and pastures south of Jiaozhou, rendering the Peacock Dynasty incapable of invading Da Qian ever again."
"Of course, burning or even capturing their grain supplies is also crucial. As the saying goes: 'Consuming one stone of enemy provisions is equivalent to twenty of our own.' After occupying Jiaozhou, we may not be able to quickly acquire more food, and we may even need to provide some relief to the suffering Jiaozhou people. Therefore, the key to this battle is to first secure the grain supplies."
"However, we must also guard against the enemy's crossbows. In open warfare, while the Huihui siege engines are formidable, crossbows are also sufficient to kill heavily armored soldiers and breach frontline defenses."
The generals all agreed, leading Liang Xiao's orders and going to mobilize.
The 250,000 strong Da Qian army marched south. On the first day, they advanced forty li, and on the second day, they advanced thirty li, reaching a position thirty li northeast of the mountain range. They set up camp, the sprawling encampment stretching for dozens of li from north to east.
Concurrently, Shi Liuyun led a cavalry detachment, split into dozens of teams, to circle around the southwest and head towards the south of the mountain range...
"The enemy army has mobilized in large numbers, only thirty li from our position? This is practically a declaration of war!"
The leaders of Jiaozhou received the news and were restless, unable to eat or sleep.
"Liang Xiao's strategy is clearly to block our northward path and simultaneously force us to deploy troops to the east to intercept them, preventing them from taking a light cavalry route to surprise Jiaozhou and cut off our retreat. We must not let them bypass us, no matter what!" Dugu Qun gritted his teeth.
"The Tian Ri soldiers have high morale and are poised to strike, capable of crushing the enemy and avenging Achilles! Keep an eye on General Tian; once he appears on the battlefield, bombard him with crossbows!" Hannibal said coldly.
The two sides faced each other near the great mountains. The Da Qian army adopted a posture of readiness for immediate attack, yet did not strike immediately.
Twenty Shenwu cannons and one hundred Huihui siege engines were divided into two groups, deployed simultaneously in positions northeast and east-northeast, ready to support any camp.
The 250,000 troops, burdened with a large amount of logistical supplies, created a visual impact on the enemy. However, they were also unable to contract their camps and had to avoid large-scale enemy raids.
The number of Da Qian scouts increased to four thousand, spread out across various locations. They also established sentry posts along the route within ten li south of the camp and prepared specially made Da Qian beacon fires, which could quickly alert the rear in case of a sudden enemy attack.
"The Da Qian army has truly come!"
The Jiaozhou soldiers in the mountains were all filled with unease, lacking any will to fight.
Xiao Chang had already foreseen this problem. Considering the previous deaths of five thousand Jiaozhou soldiers, further pressuring them to fight would likely lead to defection and desertion. Therefore, he chose to appease them.
"By order of the Southern King! All soldiers will be rewarded with five liang of silver each!"
When the news spread, the Jiaozhou soldiers were filled with surprise and doubt.
The previous Xiao Chang had never been so generous.
To restore morale, Xiao Chang reluctantly produced 2.5 million liang of silver to reward the entire army.
"Jiaozhou local soldiers will receive five liang each, Tian Ri infantry eight liang each, Tian Ri cavalry ten liang each, and Tian Ri elite cavalry ten liang each!"
After the news spread, the Jiaozhou soldiers were dejected.
They were clearly the direct forces of Jiaozhou, yet they were treated as inferior.
By the time the military pay was distributed, after layers of deductions, each soldier actually received only two liang!
Looking at the two liang of silver in their hands, the Jiaozhou soldiers wore embarrassed expressions.
"Be content with what you have, understand?"
The officers responsible for distributing the silver, upon noticing the soldiers' dissatisfaction, publicly reprimanded them and ordered twenty strokes of the cane.
Although they did not receive the promised five liang, two liang was better than nothing, and the Jiaozhou soldiers complied meekly.
It was only when the Tian Ri soldiers were flaunting their handfuls of silver that these Jiaozhou soldiers felt even more disheartened.
The officers distributing the silver only dared to deduct from their own troops, but they bowed and scraped to these golden-haired, blue-eyed Tian Ri soldiers, giving them their full rewards and even "personally sponsoring" a few extra liang?
Corruption in the Jiaozhou army had long been the norm, even becoming an unwritten rule.
The soldiers usually endured in silence, but the Tian Ri soldiers' blatant ostentation and the differential treatment by the officers severely damaged their confidence.
The Jiaozhou soldiers did not dare to mention retreat again, nor did they dare to show fear, but they still lacked the will to fight.
"Let those 'lords' of white devils charge into battle, since they're getting the most anyway!"
This was the common sentiment among the soldiers.
"What? Deducting rewards?"
When Xiao Chang learned of the situation, he was both shocked and enraged. He ordered that the officer involved be summoned.
This man was his brother-in-law, a core member of the Helian family, Helian Chang.
"Brother-in-law, we must spend money sparingly." Helian Chang, after smilingly explaining the situation, proposed, "I won't take this money, Brother-in-law. I'll save it for you!"
Xiao Chang silently looked at Xiao Che, who had a grim expression.
"Eldest Brother, if we cannot give the soldiers an explanation, I fear this matter of rewards will backfire," Xiao Che said in a deep voice.
Xiao Chang had no choice but to order Helian Chang to be taken outside the camp gate and publicly beheaded.
"Helian Chang, for deducting rewards, has been executed today. The soldiers will be compensated with the full five liang each, not one word less!"
When the rewards were actually redistributed, after further deductions, the Jiaozhou soldiers ultimately received only two liang and five qian...
This time, Xiao Chang was helpless.
This large group of officers were all his and Xiao Che's trusted subordinates; the law cannot punish everyone!
"Alas, three liang of silver is enough to be content; it's better than nothing."
Xiao Chang and Xiao Che's confidants, who had been planted among the soldiers, stepped forward to comfort their "comrades," which finally stabilized morale slightly.
For these soldiers, who came from poor peasant backgrounds, three liang of silver was indeed a generous reward.
As the two sides remained in a stalemate, and war was on the verge of breaking out, a troop of swift horses arrived from Yuzhang at Liang Xiao's camp, their faces beaming with joy.
"The Ministry of Works has fulfilled its mission!"