Volume 1: Zhu Xian Town Crisis Chapter 22: War Council Meeting

  It was late at night, but the city of Chuzhou was even more heavily guarded. Most of the soldiers in the city who were not ill had gone up to defend the city walls. Key areas such as granaries, armories, prisons and government offices had strengthened their defenses.

  As the core area of Chuzhou City - the main hall of Hanfu was also brightly lit.

  Han Shizhong had summoned all the officers above the rank of controller and the military staff who followed the army to discuss how to respond to the sudden attack by the Jin army.

  "It has now been revealed that the troops attacking are those of Jin General Wanyan Liang and Xieli Zhining, with Wanyan Liang's troops numbering over 30,000 and Xieli Zhining having around 20,000. They combined their forces, totaling over 50,000 soldiers. Fortunately, among these 50,000 soldiers, only 5,000 were true Jurchen troops, while another 15,000 consisted of Khitan, Jie, and Bohai armies, whose combat strength was relatively strong. The remaining 30,000 were Han soldiers from the former pseudo-Qi dynasty, with relatively weak combat strength."

  A burly general in his thirties was briefing the crowd on the situation of the Golden Army. He was a robust man, wearing a suit of white silver chain armor, with a short beard under his chin, each hair as thick as a steel needle, and had a pair of thick eyebrows and a wide mouth, giving off an air of heroism.

  He was Liu Bao, a general under Han Shizhong. He was in charge of the vanguard and water troops of the Field Army (also known as the Han family army). He was extremely loyal to Han Shizhong and handled matters with great care and attention to detail.

  "Liu Bao, how many of our troops can still take up arms and fight? Can we stop the Jin army from crossing the Huai River?"

  Han Shizhong's face turned increasingly pale as he listened to Liu Bao's introduction. Although the Han family army had a total strength of over 800,000 men, only 300,000 were truly elite and were all in Chu State. The other 500,000 were mostly garrison soldiers scattered throughout the towns and counties under Chu State, who could only collect taxes, catch thieves, and maintain law and order besides farming. If they were sent to fight against the Jin army, they would likely collapse at the slightest touch.

  "Now the water army can only put in more than a thousand people, and can barely start the warship. Moreover, a big problem has been found now, I'm afraid the water army won't be able to play much role!" Liu Bao said with a difficult expression.

  "What's wrong?" Han Shizhong asked anxiously.

  Due to the drought of nearly two months, the water level of the Huai River has dropped a lot. According to reports from soldiers on the riverbank, many places in the riverbed are less than four feet deep and can be waded through.

  Liu Bao's words left everyone silent. If the Jin army set up a pontoon bridge on one side and forded the river on the other, with their superior military strength and excellent archery skills, they would soon be able to break through the Huai River defense line. At that time, they would directly start the siege war. If it were in the past, everyone would not be afraid. But now, most of the defending soldiers in the city are ill, can they still withstand a big battle?

  A moment later, one of Han Shizhong's generals, Hu Zhen, had an idea and suggested: "General, the situation has already deteriorated to this point. I suggest that we take advantage of the fact that the Jin army has not yet crossed the river, and our army retreats overnight, temporarily avoiding them, and then returns to retake Chu State."

  Han Yanzi heard this and opposed: "Chu State's grain and grass are abundant, the city wall is solid, once lost it will be difficult to take back. Now although relying solely on our army it is already very hard to defend Chu State, but as long as our army sends a messenger to ask for help from several friendly armies, hold out and wait for reinforcements, we may not necessarily lose this battle!"

  Everyone's eyes were now focused on Han Shizhong, waiting to see how the commander-in-chief would make his decision.

  Han Shizhong hesitated for a moment, but still made up his mind: "Chu State cannot be lost! This is not only the main base of our Han family army, but also the strategic location that controls the Huai River. If Chu State falls, the Jin bandits will gain control of the southern bank of the Huai River, and from there they can march southward without any major rivers or mountains to block their way. They can reach the Yangtze River directly, capture Guazhou, Yangzhou, Caishi and other places, and occupy our key ports on the north bank of the Yangtze River. To the west, they can outflank the rear routes of Lu'an and Shouyang. Who knows, the entire Jianghuai region may collapse because of this! At that time, we will become sinners of the Great Song!"

  "General, with the current strength in the city, I'm afraid we can't hold on to Chu State! Moreover, seeking help is like trying to put out a fire with water from afar. Besides, even if we send someone to ask for help, will Zhang Jun be willing to save us?" Hu Fen added again.

  Everyone present knows that several years ago, Han Shizhong was demoted and Zhang Jun wanted to take the opportunity to buy out a few of Han's generals and annex his troops. Fortunately, Yue Fei discovered it in time and notified Han Shizhong. Han Shizhong also made a decisive decision, replacing those bought-out generals, otherwise the Han family army would have been surnamed Zhang by now. After this incident, Yue Fei and Han Shizhong's relationship became even closer, while Zhang Jun's relationship with both of them became more strained.

  Han Yan said somewhat discontentedly: "Seeking help doesn't necessarily have to be from Zhang Jun! We can also ask for Liu Qi and Yang Yizhong generals! They are definitely not the kind of people who see someone die without saving them!"

  Hu Zhen immediately shook his head and said, "General, General Liu Qi's troops are still in Shouchun, and General Yang Yizhong's troops are in Mozhou. If they come to Chuzhou, it will take at least ten days for them to arrive. By the time they get here, Chuzhou may have already fallen."

  Han Yanzhi listened, still wanting to refute, but his face flushed and he couldn't say anything. Although he had also participated in several battles, he was definitely not as experienced as Geng Zhuo, Hu Bo, and Liu Bao, who were all seasoned generals.

  Han Shizhong was also in a difficult situation at this time. The consequences of withdrawal were too severe, and it would be extremely difficult to retake Chu State after losing it. Moreover, it would also affect the friendly forces and the situation in the entire Jianghuai region. At that time, when the officials investigated the responsibility, he would be the first to bear the brunt.

  But if they were to fight, it would be clear that they couldn't win. Wanyan Liang and Xieli Zhining, the two Jin generals, had clashed with him several months ago, and he knew that although these two young generals were young, they were also clever and capable, known as the rising stars among the Jin army leaders. If his own troops were in good order, they might still be able to put up a fight, but now that most of his soldiers were unable to engage in battle, having him lead just a few thousand men to clash head-on with 50,000 Jin soldiers would be no different from hitting a stone with an egg.

  "Yue Xian nephew, do you have any good ideas?" Han Shizhong couldn't help but cast a seeking gaze at Yue Yun, intentionally seeking help from Yue Fei, and thought to test the waters.

  Yue Yun heard Han Shizhong ask himself, and a wry smile also appeared on his face. He only had 500 cavalrymen by his side, which was just a drop in the bucket on this battlefield of tens of thousands of people. The main force of the Yue family army was still 800 miles away in Zhuxiantown, even if he sent someone to inform Yue Fei now, it's likely that the reinforcements would arrive after Chuzhou had fallen.

  Facing this situation, he couldn't think of a good idea either. Even Han Shizhong, the great general who had repeatedly defeated the Jin army, was helpless, and this military ignorant outsider was even more at a loss.

  Although Yue Yun couldn't think of a way, he believed that someone would definitely be able to come up with a solution, and that person was Yu Yunwen.

  Yu Yunwen made history by leading 25,000 low-morale soldiers to defeat tens of thousands of Jin troops and won a great victory against the Jin emperor Wanyan Liang at Caishi, showing that he had some experience in fighting strong enemies in unfavorable situations.

  Moreover, it is interesting that the main general of the Jin army they are facing now is also Wanyan Liang, only the battlefield has changed from Chizhou to Chu State.

  Although the current situation is vastly different from that of the Battle of Red Cliffs, Yu Rongguang is also much younger than his historical counterpart. But what if he can come up with a plan? Even if they can't win, dragging it out for a bit longer would be good.

  Yue Yun knew that after implementing his epidemic prevention and treatment methods, in just three or four days, the soldiers who had fallen ill would be able to recover. At that time, not to mention defeating the Jin army, at least defending Chu State wouldn't be a problem. Moreover, this could also test whether Yu Yunwen was as formidable as history said.

  Yue Yun thought of this and saluted Han Shizhong with his hands: "Uncle Han, I'm still decent at fighting on the battlefield, but I'm not good at plotting strategies. However, I did think of someone who is talented and might have some ideas about the current situation."

  "Oh, who is that person? Is he in Chu State?" Han Shizhong exclaimed with great joy.

  Yue Yun hastily replied, "It's the very same scholar Yu Yunwen that Uncle saw just now! Although I've only just met him, I know he's a talented individual who has done extensive research on military strategy. Perhaps Uncle Han can hear his ideas?"

  Han Shizhong was overjoyed when he heard this and immediately sent someone to invite Yu Yunwen.

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  It's Monday again, rushing to the new book list, and soon it will be the first big ** of this book. I hope everyone will vote for "Surprising Song" with your recommendation tickets! Friends who haven't collected it yet, please collect it too! Yue Xiaoge said: If you don't vote, you won't be able to issue a ticket!