If the unprecedented Qi Family Army is already this formidable, then the nine legions that made the Great Liang famous must be even more terrifying. This battle will not be easy.
Nan Ke's heart skipped a beat, and a sense of foreboding rose in his mind.
Having traversed the southwest for over forty years, he hadn't felt this way in a long time—a heart-pounding, soul-deep fear.
If this battle is lost, the consequences will be unimaginable; Zhennan will follow in the footsteps of the Jackal Kingdom.
He forced himself to calm down and began to think. He absolutely couldn't panic now, otherwise Zhennan would lose his backbone.
But now there's a problem!
With Lu Donghongri's 200,000-strong army cut off, the question of whether to protect himself or not became a major one.
A single move can have far-reaching consequences; if all 200,000 regular troops were to be lost at Pingyu Pass, it would be a tremendous loss.
But if a rescue is needed, a counter-offensive must be launched in advance. This is a matter of great importance, and he is somewhat undecided.
Taking a deep breath, Nan Ke looked at Lu Donghuchen beside him and said in a deep voice, " Huchen, if we launch a counterattack now, what do you think our chances of winning are?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Donghuchen instantly understood that His Majesty was reluctant to abandon the 200,000 troops and wanted to launch the rescue plan ahead of schedule.
He couldn't help but ponder the pros and cons of this situation.
According to the original plan, Zhennan intended to use a million-strong army to blockade Flying Hero Pass and completely trap the Great Liang army Flying Hero Pass.
Then, by leveraging the combined strength of the Zhennan nation, they Great Liang army of Daliang here.
The reason for this is that Flying Hero Pass is the only location that allows a large army to enter and exit the heart of Zhennan. Therefore, if Great Liang were to send a million-strong army to attack, they would inevitably have to pass through here.
The terrain of Zhennan is mostly mountainous and riverine, with some Hengduan Mountains, so many places that appear to be connected are actually not interconnected.
Pingyu Pass appears to be a flat plain, but in reality, it is impossible to directly enter the heart of Zhennan because a huge canyon separates this boundless plain. To cross it, one must go around the canyon.
Dalang Valley is bisected by a raging torrent; the Inner River is so rapid that crossing it without paying a price is impossible.
The only option is to Flying Hero Pass.
Flying Hero Pass has a very unique terrain; viewed from above, it resembles a gourd that has been cut open. Once an enemy enters, they will be completely trapped inside.
When the million-strong army of Zhennan is mobilized, along with the overwhelming number of Zhennan people, even the Great Liang will be worn down here.
This was originally a good idea, but the personnel arrangements are not yet finalized. If we launch it prematurely, all our efforts may be in vain.
This put him in a difficult position, after all, Lu Donghongri was one of his men. If he could be rescued, that would be a great thing, but the key question was whether the man was still alive.
If they survive, they might still have some value; after all, there are 200,000 people, and surely some will survive.
However, if they die, all their efforts will be wasted, the plan will be completely ruined, and they could even suffer heavy losses.
The cost is too high.
After hesitating for a moment, he made a difficult choice and said bitterly, "Your Majesty, we currently have no specific news about Pingyu Pass, and we don't even know if Hongri is still alive."
In my opinion, we should send someone to gather information first, and then take action!
Upon hearing this, the entire camp fell silent, and some even breathed a sigh of relief.
Everyone understands the significance of Lu Donghuchen's decision; in effect, it meant abandoning the effort to save Lu Donghongri.
At a time like this, every second can determine victory or defeat. There's no time to investigate. To put it bluntly, Lu Donghuchen chose to prioritize the overall situation.
call!
Nan Ke closed his eyes in anguish. Lu Donghuchen knew the risks involved, and so did he.
He said bitterly, "This is all we can do for now, but once the Flying Hero Pass plan is completed, I will definitely avenge Lu Donghongri and the others!"
His heart was bleeding.
Originally, Zhennan had the potential to annex the surrounding small countries and enter the ranks of superpowers, but Great Liang ruined it all.
When the Great Liang army enters Gourd Mouth, I will refine them all into blood before I can feel some of my hatred.
Upon hearing this, Nan Yiming frowned. Revenge was one thing, but the plan had a flaw: the personnel weren't in place yet.
He said in a deep voice, "Father, although most of the enemy's army is at Gourd Mouth, there are still Qi Family Army and Zhang Liao's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry outside."
Now that Pingyu Pass has fallen, we probably need to be wary of the Qi Family Army, and Zhang Liao might also attempt to cross Dalang Valley!
The plan is good, but if they don't play by the rules, that could be a big problem; things could go wrong.
If Zhennan were to die before he had even inherited the throne, it would be absolutely tragic.
Forehead!
Nan Ke's expression stiffened; that was indeed a problem.
Whether it was Zhang Liao's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry or Qi Jiguang's Qi Family Army, their combat power was extremely formidable, and they certainly could not be underestimated.
He looked at Zan Rihong and said in a deep voice, " Zan Rihong, what do you think?"
Zan Rihong frowned. This was indeed a very real problem; the other side couldn't possibly have missed such an obvious plan on their side.
If the opponent doesn't play by the rules, they will inevitably find another way, which will ruin Zhennan's plans.
However, neither the canyon at Pingyu Pass nor the rapids at Dalang Valley are easy to cross, so this possibility is unlikely.
Rather than guarding against this, the most crucial thing now is to stabilize Great Liang and prevent it from launching an attack prematurely.
After thinking for a moment, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he said excitedly, "That's right, it seems that these two days are the birthday of Emperor Lin Yi of the Great Liang Dynasty, and he has invited kings from various countries to be his guests."
We might be able to use this opportunity to propose peace talks and perhaps temporarily halt their offensive.
Everyone looked at him strangely upon hearing his words.
The Great Liang are all like hotheads; you can't just negotiate peace with them as you please. The Western Regions were destroyed because of those negotiations.
If we were to do that, the risks would be even greater.
Nan Yiming said irritably, "Minister, is this peace talk reliable? It seems that Great Liang doesn't like to negotiate with others!"
"Normally, we wouldn't talk, but what if we take the initiative to offer our allegiance? Would he talk then?" Zan Rihong said with a smile.
The attack on Zhennan by Great Liang would result in the loss of at least several hundred thousand men. If Great Liang would have no reason to refuse.
Since they've achieved their goal, there's no reason for them to fight to the death against Zhennan.
Huh!
Nan Ke's eyes lit up, and he nodded, saying, "A free lunch is no reason to refuse; that's a good idea."
As long as we keep them calm and get everything in place, the outcome of these negotiations will be completely irrelevant. That's a good thing!
You wanted to fight, so we just offered to surrender the whole country. Isn't that giving us enough face?
Based on that alone, you have no reason to take action.