Zhu Ying Offers a Strategy!

Seventy li from the border of Daning Prefecture!

The Ming Dynasty's encampment was located here.

This place had originally been home to a Jianzhou Tatar tribe.

Inside the main camp!

All the generals had gathered.

Everyone above the rank of Thousand Household Commander had come here for the council.

Bu Wan sat in the seat of honor, with Chen Heng and Liu Zhen to either side.

As a civil official, Bu Wan had endured no small amount of hardship from the jolting journey, but for the sake of this victory, he had borne it.

"My lord."

"This is the extent of the results."

"Our army has continued advancing north while the Tatars have continued retreating. Although we caught up with and killed quite a few of them, we ultimately failed to find the Tatars' lair."

"However, according to reports from the scout cavalry, a Tatar tribe was discovered thirty li away, with what appears to be a considerable force stationed there." Chen Heng reported to Bu Wan.

"In General Chen's opinion, what are the Tatars plotting?"

"They will neither fight nor withdraw." Bu Wan looked at Chen Heng and asked.

"It is very simple."

"The Tatars are waiting for the Northern Yuan to send reinforcements. That is why they are deliberately stalling and retreating, luring our army deep into the Northern border." Chen Heng answered without hesitation.

"By General Chen's meaning, our army cannot continue advancing any deeper?" Bu Wan frowned.

"In reply to my lord."

"The northern frontier is vast. The farther we are from the Ming Dynasty, the more difficult it becomes to transport provisions and supplies."

"If we continue deeper, and the Northern Yuan moves its forces and sends troops from Liaodong, our army will be in grave danger."

"Perhaps the Northern Yuan has already dispatched its troops." Chen Heng said solemnly.

"Mm."

Bu Wan nodded.

He was a prefect and concurrently a Commander. He understood civil affairs, but when it came to marching and commanding troops, he truly did not know much.

Yet he had one virtue: throughout the journey, he never spoke out of turn. All matters of marching were left to Chen Heng and Liu Zhen.

"Then what should we do this time?"

"Continue the pursuit, or hold our position?" Bu Wan looked to Chen Heng and Liu Zhen.

"What suggestions do the generals have?"

Chen Heng smiled and looked toward the gathered generals in the camp.

"This..."

Many of the commanders looked at one another, unsure of what to say.

The results of the battle were as they stood. If they advanced, they could gain further victories, but they risked being lured deep into enemy territory. After all, being so far from Ming lands made maintaining logistics difficult. But if they withdrew, they would be unable to consolidate the gains of these past days.

"Reporting to the Commander."

Zhu Ying spoke up at that moment.

"Thousand Household Commander Zhu."

"What are your thoughts?"

Seeing that it was Zhu Ying, Bu Wan asked with a smile.

There were many Thousand Household Commanders in the army, but Bu Wan had a particularly deep impression of Zhu Ying.

"If this subordinate's assessment is correct."

"The Northern Yuan has already mobilized its troops, but they will not directly come to reinforce the Tatars," Zhu Ying said.

"They will not reinforce the Tatars?"

"What do you mean, Thousand Household Commander Zhu?" Liu Zhen asked in surprise.

Chen Heng, meanwhile, wore a thoughtful expression, as though he had realized something.

"The Northern Yuan will certainly attack Daning Prefecture and cut off our army's route of retreat."

"They will only have the Tatars hold us fast. In the end, once our provisions and supplies are cut off, we will be attacked from both front and rear and inevitably suffer a crushing defeat." Zhu Ying spoke with absolute certainty.

Hearing this.

Bu Wan's expression changed.

"Daning Prefecture still has tens of thousands of troops stationed there, and Daning City stands as its stronghold. The Northern Yuan should have no chance of taking it easily," Chen Heng said.

"General."

"Though the Northern Yuan was driven from the Central Plains by our Ming Dynasty, its national strength remains formidable. Naha Chu has troops stationed in Liaodong and commands hundreds of thousands of soldiers. He has always wanted to strike back at our Ming Dynasty."

"We can't possibly let such a good opportunity slip away," Zhu Ying said with certainty.

"Commander Zhu, in your view, what should our army do?" Bu Wan immediately turned to Zhu Ying and asked.

"Abandon the attack on the Tatars. Leave behind one contingent to keep them tied down and fight while retreating. The main force will head east and attack Liaodong, which is under Naha Chu's control," Zhu Ying said without hesitation.

At this—

Every general in the command tent stared at Zhu Ying in astonishment. Clearly, none of them had expected him to propose such a strategy.

"Commander Zhu."

"You just said that Naha Chu commands several hundred thousand troops. How can the border army of Daning Prefecture possibly deal with them?"

"Exactly."

"With fewer than twenty thousand men, wouldn't attacking Naha Chu be like a moth flying into a flame? Seeking our own deaths?"

"I believe Commander Zhu's proposal is inappropriate."

"Since His Majesty has already issued an edict mobilizing the armies to wipe out Naha Chu, we can withdraw from Tatar territory and return to defend Daning Prefecture. Even if Naha Chu sends troops to attack, we can still hold our ground."

"Indeed."

"I believe retreating is the better course."

"I second that."

"At this moment, withdrawing to Daning is the safest course. It would prevent us from being attacked from both front and rear, and it would also keep Daning from falling."

The many generals spoke up one after another. Most of them opposed Zhu Ying's dangerous plan, believing that retreating to Daning Prefecture was the safer option.

Seeing the generals' reactions, Bu Wan did not make an immediate decision. Instead, he looked toward Chen Heng and Liu Zhen. "What do you two generals think?"

"I believe Commander Zhu's proposal is worth trying," Chen Heng said with a smile. "The Yuan Court will certainly send troops to attack Daning. If Daning falls, our attack on Liaodong could instead slow the Yuan Court's offensive, hold them back, draw their attention, and buy more time until the Ming Dynasty's main army arrives."

"That is what I think as well," Liu Zhen said loudly. "Under the current circumstances, we cannot continue attacking northward. We might as well follow Commander Zhu's plan and do the opposite of what they expect, catching the Yuan Court off guard. That way, we will not disrupt the court's grand strategy of destroying the Yuan, while still holding the Yuan Court back."

Hearing this—

Bu Wan nodded.

Both of his Commanders of the Thousand Households were in agreement, so naturally he had nothing more to say.

"Since that is the case, how many troops should we leave behind to keep the Tatars tied down while fighting and retreating?" Bu Wan asked directly.

"My lord," Zhu Ying immediately replied, "the northern frontier is vast and unsuitable for infantry. We need only leave behind some cavalry to delay them. If the Tatar army launches a major attack, they can immediately retreat toward Daning. If the Tatars do not come, our troops can roam around the Tatar tribes, needing only sufficient dry rations."

"Of course, the fundamental goal is still to keep the Tatars pinned down, preventing them from heading south or rushing to reinforce the Northern Yuan."

"Which general is willing to take on this grave responsibility and hold back the Tatars?" Bu Wan immediately looked at the generals within the tent.

Yet when it came to this assignment—

The generals looked at one another, but no one stepped forward.

A few thousand troops would have to face the Jianzhou Tatars, whose population exceeded a million. Though their population was but a tiny fraction of the Ming Dynasty's, every one of them could fight. Once they launched a major assault, those few thousand soldiers would be nothing more than a piece of meat easily chewed to bits.

"Is no one willing to take on this task?"

"Whoever completes this task and holds back the Tatars will have rendered a great merit," Bu Wan said again.

But compared to the danger, that merit did not seem worth it.

At that moment!

Zhu Ying immediately stepped forward and declared loudly, "This subordinate is willing to take on this task and hold back the Tatars."

A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger!

Watching Zhu Ying accept the task, many of the generals in the tent thought this to themselves, some even with a hint of mockery.

The assignment sounded simple enough—retreat whenever the Tatars mobilized—but in truth, once they were bitten down upon by Tatar cavalry, there might even be Northern Yuan cavalry coming to reinforce them. Once they were caught, it would most likely be a dead end.

PS: Well, asking for some votes—asking for everything.