The Emperor Takes the Field
Ministers such as Bi Gan, Yang Ren, and Shang Rong were indeed quite anxious.
Although they were not military generals and did not understand the art of war, they still knew some of the basic principles.
When it comes to attacking cities, they understand the principle of "if the enemy's strength is twice that of the city, surround it; if it's five times, divide it; if it's ten times, attack it."
These generals are now spouting wild claims, boasting numbers of 100,000 or 200,000, yet their troop strength is even inferior to that of Jizhou. Wouldn't this mean certain defeat?
If we were to attack Su Hu of Jizhou and not only fail to win, but instead suffer a defeat, wouldn't that be the most ridiculous thing in the world?
Even if we were slightly slower in this battle, it would still be considered a loss, and the situation is not optimistic.
Just then, another military officer stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, I only need 50,000 elite troops; I can conquer Jizhou in five days. Otherwise, I am willing to offer my head!"
This person was none other than Zhang Guifang, the general of Azure Dragon Pass.
Since he had returned to Chaoge to visit his family during this period, His Majesty summoned his ministers to discuss important matters, and he naturally came along with them.
"This------"
Upon hearing these words, Bi Gan almost fainted. How could these people be so arrogant?
When Ye Xuan saw Zhang Guifang in front of him, he chuckled.
Zhang Guifang is indeed quite capable, and is one of my future key generals.
She was extremely loyal, and Ye Xuan quite liked Zhang Guifang.
Ye Xuan glanced at General Heng Zheng Lun, then at Lu Xiong, before turning his gaze to Zhang Guifang.
All three are suitable.
Grand Wen Zhong Grand Tutor Wen, the pillar of the nation, is still suppressing the Seventy-Two Feudal Lords in the North Sea.
King Wucheng, Huang Feihu, currently commands tens of thousands of elite cavalry and War Elephant Cavalry, and is located near Jizhou.
Sending any one of these three generals would be acceptable.
However, after much deliberation, Ye Xuan finally decided to lead the expedition in person.
Since Bo Yikao appeared in Jizhou, it means that they had actually been in contact for some time.
Perhaps this rebellion was Xiqi's way of testing the waters of Chaoge by using Jizhou as a test.
If Chaoge performs poorly, Xiqi may soon rebel.
We absolutely have to perform exceptionally well in this match.
After thinking for a long time, he finally spoke.
"My dear ministers, cease your arguing. This time, I have decided to lead the expedition personally."
"This matter should be handled sooner rather than later. Zheng Lun, as the deputy commander, will lead 30,000 troops. We should set out at 3:45 noon. The necessary troops will be personally selected by everyone. Everything should be lightly equipped. What I want is a long-distance raid. We must reach the vicinity of Jizhou within three days and join forces with Huang Feihu."
"Then we wait for news of Su Hu's rebellion in Jizhou. Once the news of Su Hu's rebellion is released, we immediately attack the city, regardless of life or death!"
Upon hearing these words, the ministers were immediately taken aback.
No one expected that His Majesty would actually decide to lead the expedition personally.
And only 30,000 troops were dispatched?
That's far too little!
These 30,000 troops, plus Huang Feihu's troops, totaled less than 100,000 soldiers.
How could such a small force possibly capture Jizhou City?
How dare Your Majesty be so presumptuous?
It should be noted that Jizhou City is a formidable pass in the land, with its high walls and impregnable defenses.
There are as many as 80,000 to 90,000 soldiers in Jizhou in the open. Since he dared to rebel, he must have secretly trained a lot of men, at least 200,000 Jizhou soldiers.
How can a force of less than 100,000 possibly besiege a city? Especially since they are lightly armed, consisting entirely of cavalry.
How do cavalry attack cities?
Many ministers were discussing the matter.
They wanted to stop it but didn't dare to speak up; it was frustrating to watch.
Ye Xuan, however, had no time to pay them any attention.
Now that he had decided to personally lead the expedition, he had to take this opportunity to demonstrate his military might to all the feudal lords in the land.
It's also a time to showcase your personal charm.
At times, a leader with exceptional personal charisma is clearly of paramount importance.
He also remembered that in later generations, in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of Huaxia, the country was also in a precarious situation.
It was thanks to a charismatic leader with a tough style who intimidated all the powerful figures in the world that they finally weathered that difficult period.
Heroes are needed in every era, and this time he is going to be one.
He wanted to show the world who was a coward and who was a hero, to see who was a mule and who was a horse.
If we can't do something earth-shattering, how can we deter those petty scoundrels?
Wen Zhong Grand Tutor Wen has been suppressing the North Sea Seventy-Two Feudal Lords North Sea a long time, but he still hasn't been able to subdue them.
It is believed that Xiqi's forces are also providing support behind the scenes.
What Xiqi wanted was to cripple the last vestiges of the Yin Shang's strength, paving the way for Xiqi's future rebellion.
Ye Xuan clearly understood these matters very well.
Judging from the current situation, the military strength of the Yin Shang is relatively weak, so it would be more appropriate to only lead some of the more elite troops.
At this time, many civil officials were still desperately advising against Ye Xuan's personal campaign, on the one hand, to stop him from personally leading the expedition, and on the other hand, to send more troops.
Looking at those rather old-fashioned men below, Ye Xuan felt a surge of disgust.
No wonder those honest and upright officials who Qingfeng and those who dared to remonstrate in history easily incurred the emperor's displeasure.
Although these people Qingfeng and upright, they can be quite annoying at times. Perhaps the legendary Liu Luoguo and the famously eloquent Ji Xiaolan are representative examples?
Ye Xuan shook his head.
"My dear ministers, there is no need for further words. My mind is made up to leave. The world is on the verge of chaos. If Su Hu rebels and we cannot subdue him in a short time, the world will surely descend into chaos."
"Since Su Hu have not yet declared rebellion, I will take advantage of this time difference to go to Jizhou, determined to achieve a classic case of winning a swift and decisive victory with fewer troops."
"Sending too many troops would be extremely cumbersome, and information would be easily leaked. It could even lead to other troubles. As the saying goes, speed is of the essence in war. If there are too many troops, the marching speed will inevitably slow down, and that would be troublesome."
Hearing the Human Emperor's extremely displeased words, the group of pedantic old men finally fell silent.
The conference concluded once all matters were discussed and resolved.
General Heng Zheng Lun was quite excited. Although this was an attack on his former master, his former master was suspected of rebellion. Rebellion was a heinous crime that no one would tolerate, so he couldn't be blamed.
They went down to select men early on.
Although the number of 30,000 cavalrymen was very small, it made it easier to select elite warriors.
They quickly selected 30,000 extremely powerful elite cavalry.
Under the leadership of General Heng Zheng Lun, 30,000 elite cavalrymen galloped away.
Zheng Lun once studied under the master Du'e Zhenren and learned miraculous skills.
He had an extremely fierce appearance, a burly physique, and Wushuang strength.
His weapon is Demon-Subduing Vajra, and his mount is the Fiery-Eyed Golden-Gazed Beast, which is extremely famous in the Primordial World.
The Fiery-Eyed Golden-Gazed Beast resembled a lion somewhat, but was many times more handsome and majestic.
Its entire body is covered in crimson scales, which look fierce and majestic under the sunlight.
His eyes were like copper bells, and a hint of smoke or fire would occasionally escape from them; his appearance was quite frightening.
Its limbs were extremely thick and its sharp claws, gleaming with a cold light, were terrifying.
It was clearly a terrifying and unparalleled divine beast.
General Heng, Zheng Lun riding this Fiery-Eyed Golden-Gazed Beast is truly a divine general.