During the previous report, he and Ju Wuba had already fulfilled their agreement by placing both brilliant plans on the strategist's friendship.
He readily accepted the friendship with a mere raise of his eyebrows, and at the same time gave Xiang Yu a kind smile, thus acknowledging Xiang Yu's kindness.
"General Wang is humble and composed, which is truly commendable! In the next battle to capture Kunyang, we will need General Wang and everyone else to continue their efforts. I'll drink this first as a sign of my respect!" Wang Yi said, then downed the wine in his cup in one gulp.
Yan You and the other officers all looked on with envy. To gain the trust and appreciation of the Grand Minister of Works meant that their future was limitless.
However, Yan You did not support besieging Kunyang, and had already come up with a good plan to defeat the enemy. He would bring it up at the banquet to show off and let Wang Yi know who was the best fighter in the new army.
"Your Excellency, I believe that we should not use our forces on Kunyang, a small city that is both fortified and does not pose a threat to the overall situation. The army should head straight for Wancheng, defeat the rebels besieging Wancheng, and Kunyang will fall without a fight," Yan You said, clasping his hands in a fist.
Wang Yi glanced at Yan You with disdain and said arrogantly, "When I besieged Zhai Yi before, I was criticized for not being able to capture him alive."
Now I command a million-strong army, and when we encounter an enemy city, we simply detour around it. Where is our face? If we don't capture Kunyang, how can we demonstrate our might!
I believe we should first capture Kunyang, slaughter all the soldiers and civilians in the city, and then advance with our entire army, singing and dancing, treading on their blood. Wouldn't that be exhilarating!
“Well… please reconsider, Grand Commandant. Wancheng has been under siege by rebels for a long time. If we don’t send troops to rescue it soon, Wancheng may fall.” Yan You advised again.
"What do you think we should do, Mr. Jiao?" Wang Yi felt that Yan You's words made some sense. If Wancheng were to fall, it would be a significant blow to the new dynasty. The Green Forest Army rebels clearly intended to take Wancheng and make it their capital.
"Reporting to the Grand Commandant, I believe your suggestion is more reasonable. We should capture Kunyang first before proceeding to Wancheng. Kunyang is not a small city that can be insignificant in the overall situation. If our army goes directly to Wancheng without attacking Kunyang, our main force and supplies may be harassed by the rebels in Kunyang at any time, which is a major taboo in military strategy."
As for the critical situation at Wancheng, I believe we should attack Kunyang swiftly, regardless of the cost. With generals like General Wang and General Ju, taking Kunyang quickly should not be a problem. Why doesn't the Grand Minister of Works ask these two meritorious officials?" After saying this, Jiaoyou smiled slightly at Xiang Yu.
"Are you two generals confident that you can quickly take Kunyang?" Wang Yi asked, looking at Xiang Yu and Ju Wuba.
"Rest assured, Grand Commandant, what is there to fear from Kunyang, a mere place!" Ju Wuba drank until his face was flushed and he was swollen with pride.
Xiang Yu quickly took over the conversation, saying that if Ju Wuba continued, they would have to sign a military pledge. However, the problem was that, according to historical records, Liu Xiu was not in the city when Wang Yi's army besieged Kunyang.
"The Grand Commandant has given the order, and I will certainly do my best. However, there are many in the army who are more skilled in attacking cities than I and General Ju. We have just made great contributions, and we should give others a chance to show their abilities."
However, I think it's better not to take it too quickly. Wancheng is a truly large city; the rebels won't be able to capture it in less than a month. The Grand Commandant only needs to relay the news of our army's siege of Kunyang to Wancheng, which will greatly boost the morale of the Wancheng defenders.”
Wang Yi pondered for a moment, "I understand what General Wang said later, but why did you say earlier not to take Kunyang too quickly?"
Xiang Yu smiled slightly, "Dingling and Yancheng near Kunyang are also occupied by rebels. We need to give them some time to send reinforcements, otherwise how can we wipe them out in one fell swoop?"
Wang Yi clapped his hands and laughed loudly, "Hahaha... Brilliant! What a brilliant move to wipe them all out! It's settled then!"
Chapter 247 Kunyang City
Since the news of the new dynasty's million-strong army arrived, Kunyang City has been shrouded in gloom.
When Song Tiao led nine warriors back to Kunyang, the city was thrown into chaos.
If one out of a hundred men dared to fight, that would be considered good; and none of the generals agreed to defend Kunyang.
After all, the disparity in strength between the two sides was enormous. Anyone would find it hard to have confidence in defending Kunyang. It's already quite good that they didn't abandon the city and flee now.
Many officers and soldiers cited concerns about their wives and children as reasons for wanting to go home in order to protect themselves.
However, when Liu Xiu and two soldiers arrived in Kunyang City, bringing news that the vanguard of 3,000 troops had been almost completely wiped out, the Gengshi army in Kunyang was on the verge of collapse.
"The new army is powerful, and even with strong cities in our hands, our army will find it difficult to resist. Some have suggested that we go back to our homes and break up into smaller groups to temporarily avoid the new army's sharp edge. Others have suggested abandoning Kunyang and retreating to Wancheng. What do you all think we should do?" Shanggong Wang Feng looked around at his generals.
“If we go to Wancheng, we’ll still have to face a million-strong new army. Besides, Wancheng hasn’t been captured yet. Fighting the new army there is worse than defending Kunyang.” Song Tiao was the first to speak.
"General Song is absolutely right," the generals echoed.
"So you've chosen the first path?" Wang Feng sighed inwardly, just as he had predicted.
"We are willing to obey the orders of our superior officer." The generals all expressed their willingness, as the order still had to come from the highest-ranking officer.
Everyone knows that holding Kunyang can buy time for the main force to attack Wancheng. After capturing Wancheng, the main force of the Green Forest Army can head north to support Kunyang.
But the question is, can Kunyang hold out until the time when Wancheng is captured?
Wang Feng was the first to disbelieve it!
In comparison, it seems much safer to avoid direct confrontation, since the anti-new rebels are not limited to the Green Forest faction.
The rebel armies in the north, such as the Red Eyebrows and the Bronze Horse, were very powerful. Wang Yi's million-strong army had defeated Liu Xuan, who had declared himself emperor, and would naturally head north, not spending too much time searching for the scattered bandits.
As for Liu Xuan's life or death, many people didn't care much. After all, Liu Xuan was just a puppet elected by the Green Forest Army. If things got really bad, they could just hand Liu Xuan over.
Three-legged toads may be hard to find in this world, but there are too many members of the Liu imperial bloodline. Within the Gengshi army, there are a large group of candidates qualified to succeed to the throne, such as Liu Yan, Liu Xiu, and Liu Ji.
Moreover, Liu Yan and his two brothers should have been quite happy to see Liu Xuan die.
Therefore, Song Tiao and other generals of the Chunling Army naturally supported Wang Feng's decision to withdraw from Kunyang.
However, Wang Feng himself did not really want this to happen. If Liu Yan were to become emperor in the future, he might not be able to become the Grand Duke, a position above the Three Dukes.
The problem is that Wang Feng has no reason or confidence to let these people hold Kunyang to the death. He himself wishes he could leave now. The new dynasty has a million troops to fight against their ten thousand. Why bother fighting?
After Kunyang falls, a million-strong new army can march straight to Wancheng in Nanyang. Where can Liu Xuan retreat to? Back to Green Forest Mountain?
The new army chased them all the way to the Green Forest Mountain! Where else could they run to? If they ran any further, everyone would be homeless.
Therefore, the best course of action at that time was to fight a decisive battle against the New Army in Wancheng. The main force of the 100,000 Green Forest Army would fight against the million-strong New Army. If they won, they would seize the world; if they lost, Liu Xuan would die, the Green Forest Army would disband, and they could start over after the main force of the New Army went north.
In this situation, Wang Feng can't even convince herself, so how can she expect others to?
"If that's the case, then..."
"I object!" Liu Xiu stepped forward at this moment.
Song Tiao frowned. "Uncle Wen, now is not the time to act impulsively."
Wang Feng's eyes lit up. "What brilliant idea does the Grand Master of Ceremonies have?"
Liu Xiu clasped his hands and said, "Currently, our army is short of food and supplies, and we face a powerful enemy. Only by concentrating our forces to fight the enemy can we have any chance of victory. If we disperse and return to our respective posts, none of us will be able to survive."
Why would the Red Eyebrows, Bronze Horse, and other rebel armies launch a major offensive to save us, forcing the main force of the new army to embark on a northern expedition? They would rather see the Gengshi army fail so they can establish a new emperor.
With a million-strong army, how could Wang Yi possibly give up halfway and fail to eliminate the threat completely?
Moreover, my brother Liu Yan and others have not yet succeeded in attacking Wancheng. Once Kunyang falls, Wancheng will be difficult to conquer. If Wancheng is not breached, the Gengshi army will be annihilated by the Xin army from both inside and outside. Once the main force of the Gengshi army is destroyed, you can escape back home and rest easy.
The soldiers of the Gengshi Army may be safe, but Wang Mang will certainly not let the generals of the Gengshi Army go!
By then, the main force of the Gengshi Army will have been annihilated. Who will be able to save us? How can we rely on the mere thousand or so soldiers we have left to fight against the million-strong Xin Army?
I'm afraid it won't be long before the scattered units are defeated and annihilated one by one by the enemy!
Now, instead of working together, sharing weal and woe, and achieving great things, we are clinging to our lives and fearing death, only concerned with protecting our own wives and possessions, waiting for the enemy to come knocking on our door. Is this the behavior of heroes?
Upon hearing Liu Xiu's words, the generals' expressions became somewhat unnatural. In particular, Wang Chang, the Grand General of Justice, pointed at Liu Xiu and angrily said, "How dare you, a mere lieutenant general, lecture us generals!"
Liu Xiu smiled and sat back down, knowing that his words would not be in vain.
Because Wang Chang was a benefactor to the brothers, helping them to successfully ally with the Green Forest Army during their most difficult time, joining as allies instead of being directly annexed.
Not long ago, when the Han emperor was being elected, Wang Chang also stood up to support Liu Xiu's elder brother, Liu Yan, proving he was definitely one of their own.
Historically, the victory of the Gengshi army in the Battle of Kunyang was largely due to the efforts of General Wang Chang, who was responsible for defending the city. If the city could not be held, Liu Xiu's strategy would have been utterly ineffective.
It was precisely because Wang Chang was present that Liu Xiu was able to have some say and put his ideas into practice.
Just then, a scout came to report, "Your Excellency, Wang Yi's army of 100,000 has arrived north of Kunyang City, and the main force of Wang Xun's new army is not far from Kunyang. The army stretches for hundreds of miles without any rearguard visible. Even if it is not a million, it is not far off."
"Hiss... The new army of 100,000 has already arrived in the north of the city? How could it be so fast!" Wang Feng was shocked. He originally thought that the new army would take at least two more days to reach Kunyang.
If he had known this would happen, why would he have hesitated and not given the order to abandon the city?
If we abandon the city now, we will be pursued by the new army. Even if we are not completely wiped out, we will suffer heavy losses!
The generals all understood the implications, and it was already too late to run away.
"What should we do?" Wang Feng became increasingly flustered, but she inadvertently noticed that Liu Xiu was different from the others, and was not afraid at all.
Could it be that Liu Xiu, who is usually timid and useless, is actually a reliable person in critical moments?
"Uh, does General Liu Xiu have a plan?" Wang Feng asked tentatively.
Upon hearing this, everyone turned their gaze to Liu Xiu. What he had just said did indeed make some sense; it was truly a case of "a scholar should be looked at with new eyes after three days of separation."
Liu Xiu smiled slightly, "Are the Grand Duke and the Minister of Justice willing to listen to a mere Lieutenant General of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices?"
“Well, the situation is critical. Any feasible method is worth trying,” Wang Feng replied.
Wang Chang snorted coldly and didn't say anything, which was taken as tacit agreement, but in his heart he was cursing Liu Xiu for daring to tease him.
Song Tiao quickly stepped in to smooth things over, "Uncle Wen, if you have a good plan, please tell us quickly, the military situation is urgent."
Liu Xiu clasped his hands and said, “Given the current situation, it is certain that we must hold Kunyang City, but we cannot simply defend it to the death. I would like to have the Grand Duke and the Grand General of the Court of Justice lead the troops to hold Kunyang City, while Zong Tiao and I will go out of the south gate of Kunyang City to mobilize troops and prepare to launch a pincer attack on the New Army from both inside and outside.”
Wang Feng pondered for a moment, "Hmm, that's one way, but..."
Wang Chang spoke first, "However, you won't leave Kunyang and never come back, will you?"
Liu Xiu smiled and said, "If Your Excellency is worried, you may send a trusted confidant to accompany me."
"This humble general is willing to go!" General Li Yi, the Five Mighty General, jumped out and said.
Wang Chang and Wang Feng exchanged a glance. Li Yi was quite suitable. "Well then, the three of you will have to make the trip. Take ten elite guards and set off immediately before the new army surrounds you!"
Chapter 248 A pincer attack
Li Yi is not Li Tie, and this person is not iron at all.
When the brothers Li Yi and Li Tong saw that the world was in chaos and wanted to start a rebellion, they lacked the strength to do so. Therefore, they joined the brothers Liu Yan and Liu Xiu in the uprising.
However, the Li brothers, who should have been part of Liu Yan's Chunling army, joined forces with the Green Forest Army and sought other connections.
At that time, the Green Forest Army was quite powerful, while the brothers Liu Yan and Liu Xiu were relatively weak. Li Yi then abandoned the friendship of raising an army together and began to desperately curry favor with Green Forest Army generals such as Zhu Wei.
Historically, Liu Yan was killed by Liu Xuan, which was actually related to Li Yi.
Therefore, Wang Feng and the others were quite at ease having Li Yi monitor Liu Xiu. Moreover, Li Yi was not exactly Wang Feng's confidant on the surface, so outsiders wouldn't see it as surveillance, which would save face for both sides.
In the end, Liu Xiu brought two attendants, who were naturally the two surviving soldiers. One was Xiang Ji, the nameless scout possessed by Xiang Yu's divided soul, and the other had a rather domineering name: Wang Ba!
Ahem, make sure your pronunciation is perfect, Dad's "bad"!
This man has a powerful name and is equally skilled; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to keep up with Liu Xiu's breakout attempt.
Liu Xiu's conquest of the empire was largely due to the contributions of the Twenty-Eight Generals of Yuntai, who corresponded to the Twenty-Eight Constellations. Wang Ba, who was just a common soldier at the time, was one of the future Twenty-Eight Generals of Yuntai!