Chapter 23: Settling on a Plan (Part 1)

  Thanks for the reward from running pants friend!

  Yu Yunwen was startled when he heard that Han Shizhong had asked him to come over and discuss a strategy, he secretly thought to himself that he was just a poor scholar, and he had only come to Chu State to find Xu Shuwei to treat his father's illness. Being able to rely on Yue Yun's good fortune to temporarily stay in the Han residence was already an extremely surprising thing for him. Unexpectedly, Han Shizhong still wanted to come and discuss important military matters with him, which made him feel somewhat nervous and uneasy.

  However, a man under another's roof cannot but lower his head. When Han Shizhong summoned him, he was someone who did not dare to refuse no matter what.

  When he sat down in the hall, Han Shizhong hastily bowed to him and said: "Mr. Yu, you must also know that the Jin army has approached the Huai River bank, and now Chu State is facing a life-and-death crisis. Just now, General Yue recommended you to me, saying that you are a man of great talent, with a way to help Chu State pass this difficult pass. Now most of the soldiers in my city cannot fight, how can I keep the city from being lost? Please teach me!"

  Yu Yunwen only then knew that it was the ghost of Yue Yunshi, and he couldn't help but feel a little frightened and uneasy. Yue Yun had the intention to recruit him, and he naturally understood in his heart. Although he may not necessarily go into officialdom, he was still very grateful for Yue Yun's appreciation of himself and the many helps he gave him. He also guessed that Yue Yun wanted him to show off his talent a bit.

  Yu Yunwen coughed dryly twice, then bowed and said: "General Han, I am just a scholar, I don't know much about military affairs compared to you and the other generals. But since you have asked for my opinion, I will give you some suggestions. However, I don't know the current distribution of our army's and the enemy's forces, the characteristics of the enemy commanders, or the terrain and water conditions nearby..."

  Yu Yunwen's words immediately made everyone look at him with new eyes, because his questions all hit the nail on the head. From this, it can be seen that he indeed has some real talent and learning.

  Han Yanzheng and several generals of the Han family army immediately told him about the current situation in Chuzhou, the situation of the nearby friendly forces, and the general situation of the Jin army.

  Yu Yunwen listened very carefully and occasionally asked a few questions back to clarify some unclear situations.

  Yu Yunwen finally let out a breath and said: "General Han, I have roughly understood the current situation. In my inference, Wanyan Liang and Xieli Zhining are only nominal commanders-in-chief, while the real person in charge should be someone else, with a higher status than both of them!"

  Yu Yunwen's words shocked everyone in the room.

  Han Shi Zhong furrowed his brow and said: "Wanyan Liang is the son of Wanyan Zonggan, the Left Chancellor of the Jin State. Xieli Zhengning is even more so the son-in-law of Wuzhu. Their status is not only extremely noble in the Jin army, but also throughout the entire Jin State. In the front lines, there are only two people whose status can surpass theirs: Wuzhu and Salindai. But isn't Wuzhu still in Bianjing? And Salindai is even more so in Shaanxi, how can they come to Huainan?"

  As soon as Han Shizhong said this, everyone nodded in agreement.

  Yu Yunwen smiled slightly and said, "Although Wanyan Liang and Xieli Zhining are of noble status, they are extremely respectful to Wuzong and do not dare to take the initiative to deploy troops without his order. Moreover, although the two men are on good terms, there can be no dual commanders in the army. Their identities, positions, and abilities are all similar. If they were to join forces and fight together, it would be a major problem as to who would be the main commander and who would be the deputy. Furthermore, I heard that you mentioned earlier that when fighting against these two men, they could not have come up with the plan to throw diseased horses into the canal, causing the people of Chuzhou to contract the plague. The person who can devise such a sinister plan, mobilize the two men to deploy troops together, and make them coordinate their attacks must be a high-ranking official of the Jin Dynasty who is more cunning and ruthless than the two men."

  Yu Yunwen said so, and everyone felt that his words were reasonable.

  Who is the mastermind behind the scenes? Those present are deep in thought, yet still cannot figure it out.

  Han Yan thought for a moment and then said, "Could it be that Wuzhuo played a trick of the golden cicada shedding its shell? He pretended to still be in Bianjing, but secretly came here to set things up?"

  Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, thinking it made sense. However, Yu Yunwen shook his head slightly and continued to analyze: "I think it's not that simple. Currently, our Song Dynasty is negotiating with the Jin State, although we haven't stopped fighting yet. Except for the stalemate between the Yue family army and the Jin army in Henan, the two armies along the Huai River have already lost contact. Our army has mostly retreated to the south of the Huai River, while the Jin army dares not attack again. Both sides are waiting for the result of the negotiations. At present, General Yue's army is only tens of miles away from Bianjing (汴京). If Wuzhuo leads his army to Chu State and starts fighting again, Bianjing will be empty, and I think General Yue will not miss this opportunity and will immediately send troops to recover Bianjing."

  After a pause, he continued: "And if Bianjing is recovered, it will cause a great shock. Last year, Wuzhuo killed Han Yanhui and other pro-peace ministers, monopolized power, tore up the peace treaty, and attacked our Great Song again, which has caused great dissatisfaction in the Jin country. If he wins this battle, he will naturally be at ease, but if he fails, especially if he loses Bianjing, a city with such a huge impact, he will become the target of criticism from all sides in the Jin court... The emperor of the Jin country may not be able to protect him either... So, in my opinion, this time the Jin army's attack on Chuzhou is definitely not ordered by Wuzhuo!"

  Yu Yunwen's words made Yue Yun extremely delighted, secretly thinking that he had really found a treasure. It seemed that Yu Yunwen was not only outstanding in military strategy but also had sharp political vision. Moreover, his understanding of the Jin Dynasty's court situation was so clear that he must have done his research a long time ago.

  However, the generals of the Han army did not think so deeply. But most of them understood that it was impossible for Yuwen Huaji to come to Chu State to command the attack.

  At this time, Geng Zhe asked somewhat puzzled: "If it wasn't Wuzhu who gave the order, then who would have the identity and status to persuade Wan Yanliang and Xishi Lijing to send troops privately?"

  Geng's question suddenly reminded Yue Yun of someone.

  I remember the first day I arrived in the big account, a black-faced general like an iron tower said: "What does that official mean? The Jin thief has not retreated yet, and according to the scout's report, the Jin thief's Jiuhuang Shu is still in the front-line military camp, laboring for the army, without any sign of withdrawal. But instead, we are called back? What kind of reason is this?

  It was only later that he learned that this man was Niu Gao, also the father of his own general Niu Tong. He was also a high-ranking general in the Yue Family Army.

  Then, Yue Yun immediately said: "Mr. Yu's words reminded me of someone, that is the current King Jin Guo Jiu Wangye Wanyan Zongmin who is currently serving in the front line. He was in Bianjing some time ago, but if he came to Huai Bei, counting the time, it would be just right..."

  "Wanyan Zongmin?" Han Shizhong's expression changed slightly as he said, "I fought against this guy a few times ten years ago, but I haven't seen him leading troops in battle for several years now. It seems he has shifted to behind-the-scenes manipulation! This man is suspicious and cunning by nature, if he is the mastermind, it is highly likely that he would come up with a poisonous plan like spreading the plague. Moreover, he has a very good relationship with Wanyan Liang's father Wanyan Zonggan, so it shouldn't be difficult to persuade Wanyan Liang!"

  Yu Yunwen smiled slightly and said, "Since we know who the person in charge is, and General Han knows his character, then we can come up with a few strategies based on his character and try to drag it out until the reinforcements arrive!"

  "Ah! Are we still going to seek reinforcements?" Geng Zhe couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

  "This... General Geng, this is also an unavoidable situation. If we don't find reinforcements, among the 30,000 soldiers in the city now, only a few thousand can fight... With just a few thousand soldiers to fight against the enemy's 50,000 troops, it's absolutely impossible to win." Yu Yunwen sighed.

  "Actually, the situation is not that bad. I think that as long as we can hold on for three or four more days, those sick soldiers will be able to join the fight!" Yue Yun said with a smile, explaining the various epidemic prevention and control measures he had taken, and according to his experience, if they persisted in implementing them, the sick soldiers should be able to recover their combat effectiveness within three or four days.

  Yu Yunwen was overjoyed and said, "In that case, I have a few more points of confidence! The most critical part of this battle is the first three days. As long as we can hold out for the first three days, I'm sure we'll be able to successfully defend Chu State!"

  "What plan does Mr. Yu have to deal with this crisis?" Han Shizhong heard that Yu Yunwen had a way, and his heart suddenly became overjoyed, and he asked eagerly.

  ——————————————————————————————

  Want to know what clever plan Yu Yunwen has? Then please ask friends to vote for the recommendation ticket, and help Xinchen collect "Surprise Song" -_-