Chen Sanshi led his men away. After another fifty miles, they stopped at a fork in the official road in the wilderness.
"Xu..."
The name had become too habitual for him to call out, making it difficult to correct himself at once. "Bring me the map."
"Who has a map? Hurry!"
Zhao Kang and the others rummaged through their things, but after quite a while, nothing turned up.
"My lord, I have one here."
Xia Cong had come prepared. He immediately brought over a map and respectfully presented it before him. "This subordinate has a few humble thoughts. I do not know whether I should speak them."
Along the way, he had noticed that the general had clearly wanted to call for Lord Xu, the man granted the title of Mr. Sleeping Dragon. That meant the general lacked a right-hand man. Xia Cong could fill that role, learn more at the general's side in the future, and become one of his trusted confidants.
Chen Sanshi studied the map without raising his head. "Speak freely."
"Thank you, my lord!"
Xia Cong cupped his hands and bowed. "This subordinate believes that even after releasing the surrendered soldiers, directly urging surrender will still be ineffective. We must first use arms, then courtesy—take down a city first, then lead by example through action."
"Mm, your thinking is not wrong."
Chen Sanshi glanced at him. "Continue."
Having received approval, Xia Cong was delighted. He poured out all the analysis he had long prepared in his mind. "There are still eight thousand defenders in Zhaotong Prefecture. Two thousand are local garrison troops, while six thousand are Elite Camp soldiers transferred in from elsewhere. With the commoners aiding them as well, attacking Zhaotong directly is certainly not feasible.
"So this subordinate thinks we should first attack Songlin