Chapter 1442 - 348: Good!

Chapter 1442: Chapter 348: Good!

"Prince, why have you returned?"

"The Chu army at West Forest Fort has retreated, so I have come back."

"The Chu people have withdrawn?" Lord Zheng immediately sensed the change in situation, "What about the other forts and strongholds?"

"We have to wait for the scouts to report back, but in my opinion, the Chu are preparing to pull back."

Yangshan Village, this pivotal point, was breached by Lord Zheng in one swift move amidst the trade-off situation between the two armies, with the village set aflame and captives taken;

After the most solid gates at East Mountain Fort and West Mountain Fort were also breached, the remaining forts and strongholds fell into a position of being divided and ready to be devoured.

In the past month or so, the Yan Army’s pace of "toppling cities and strongholds" has been extremely rapid.

The defense system north of Town South Pass by the Chu people, having been severely damaged, can no longer uphold the strategies of "defending beyond the borders" and "wearing down the edge of the Yan troops";

Even though further hindering the Yan’s progress to increase their logistical pressure would seem advantageous, when compared to the losses the Chu would have to endure, it is just not worth it.

Hence, the Chu chose to retreat.

To save the people and lose land is to preserve both; this can be considered a timely loss mitigation by that Grand Marshal Nian Yao of the Chu State.

One can imagine the pressure Nian Yao must bear because this strategic approach was laid down by him, and for this, the Chu domestic also labeled him the "Local Method" Grand Marshal.

This implies that this Grand Marshal, when facing the Yan people, only knows how to keep his head down and build fortifications again and again.

Slapping oneself in the face and admitting the failure of the initial strategic layout, without a doubt, delivers a huge blow to his prestige.

Most importantly,

Lord Zheng understands,

that Nian Yao’s political status domestically can’t compare at all to Old Tian’s in the Yan State.

In this period, Lord Zheng has been handling and reviewing these memorandums, from military discipline to logistical supplies, army affairs; with Prince Jingnan’s absolute prestige in the army, handling them smoothly without any hindrance, just like earlier, those two generals had to kneel down and admit their mistakes and accept punishment.

Logistics has been smooth and steady as well;

This is quite comforting.

Because throughout history, the most bothersome thing about dispatching large armies on expeditions is the logistical issue.

The Yan Army is well aware of their heavy logistical pressure because the army is fighting across the entire Jin State, and the Chu side also comprehends this pressure, hence initially they planned to drag and delay the battle.

However, what Lord Zheng "sees" is that the logistical pressure might be considerable, yet all the officials behind the scene are actively contributing to organizing and operating.

Some memorandums request for an extension of a few days, which also has objective reasons;

The smooth operation in the general direction is indeed comforting.

Once, the Yan Emperor’s trampling of the influential families was heavily criticized, wondering how to fill the void in the Yan State’s officialdom after their downfall?

The turmoil of war in the Jin land was prolonged, the Situ Family had dealt with traitors, the Helian Family, and the Wenren Family, being the first to offend the Yan State, were exterminated completely by the Yan Army, and the involved officials from these deep-rooted families were implicated as well.

But the facts proved that, in just a few years, not only the operational order of the Yan region was restored, even the Jin land’s order showed... it can’t be called highly efficient, but can truly be said to be quite stable at the moment.

Of course, beneath this facade of stability lies the reality of the Yan and Jin people’s oppression.

For now, the victories and expansions won by Yan in the past few years still support this, so the people’s endurance, especially the old Yan people, can still hold on;

Yet, if the warfare drags on for a prolonged period or experiences setbacks, then truly there will arise poets lamenting "How many returned from battles of old", "In prosperity, the people suffer; in downfall, the people suffer".

However, the current situation is that the Chu people have voluntarily pulled back, which implies that the Yan Army can clear the area north of Town South Pass more swiftly and effortlessly.

At the same time...

Prince Jingnan looked at Zheng Fan,

Said:

"You probably don’t have time to train the new soldiers."

We have to initiate the campaign earlier.

First, to deal with the scenario of the Chu people drawing back voluntarily, any further delay would merely be for the sake of delay;

Secondly, for the sake of the larger domestic situation, for the people’s sake, and also for the sake of His Majesty’s health;

The original plan was for Liang Cheng’s side to absorb and train new recruits, the best scenario would be not only to make up for the previous losses of his own army before entering Chu, but also to inflate like a balloon;

Now, given the time constraints, there’s no longer time.

"Your earlier choice was quite good, I permit you to draw five thousand men from various troops to join your central army."

Five thousand men are numerous, but in the context of an army of hundreds of thousands marching against Chu, it really isn’t much.

Of course, relying on one single source won’t do, equitably drawing troops from all, every general drawing two or three hundred men.

Fully armored, well-trained, experienced in battle formations, well-integrated elites ready to fight at a moment’s notice.

Furthermore, given Lord Zheng’s prestige today, no officer would dare to act against Lord Zheng, in fact, the majority would genuinely be willing.

Lord Zheng didn’t decline this time nor show any pretense, directly saying;

"Yes, Prince."

"Return to East Mountain Fort and make early preparations, the situation by Wang River should be about settled, whether we can quickly complete the campaign against Chu depends on you."

"Rest assured, Prince, I will not fail the mission!"

......

After exiting the military tent,

Lord Zheng walked to the water station and washed his face.

A Ming came over, handing him a towel.

A Ming was wearing patterned long boots, while Tian Wujing underfoot had battle boots matching his armor.