It was already dark outside, but the tent was still as bright as day because there were more than a dozen torches and candles lit.
Sun Tu and the other major generals under his command were gathered in front of a somewhat rudimentary map of the Jiangnan area, discussing the next use of troops. After he explained Zhu Meng's order clearly, he placed his finger on Danyang and said solemnly: "I always feel that this matter is a bit strange. With sufficient troops, it can be said that the rebels let Jinling go." We are afraid that there are more than 100,000 troops stationed here, but what about Danyang? There are only 10,000 soldiers and horses there. They even dare to attack Changzhou and Wuxi, so why did they let this place alone?"
"Perhaps the city's terrain is critical and it is easy to defend but difficult to attack?" Song Jiang frowned and said. As a northerner, he is still quite unfamiliar with the city terrain here in Jiangnan.
Sun Tu glanced at Shi Qian who was standing aside: "Has the scout camp found out all the geographical conditions around these cities?"
Shi Qian hurriedly replied: "Although there are some undulating hills near Danyang, there are plains inside and outside the city, and there are no dangerous points to defend. In addition, according to the investigation, the city's garrison strength does not exceed 10,000 as Qianjia said. However, their defenses are quite tight, and even our scouts who went to investigate were almost taken down by them as a spy."
"Oh? This is interesting. None of the scouts we sent to Changzhou and Wuxi encountered such a situation. Why is Danyang, which is closer to Jinling, so nervous?" Sun Tu's question is one that no one can answer for the time being. He could only return to the previous topic: "So this makes Danyang look a little weirder."
"What Qianjia means is that Danyang is also a target of the rebels, but we haven't received relevant news yet?" Dong Ping asked solemnly.
"Exactly, but what I'm more worried about is not just this, but the fact that they went to such great lengths to send out several groups of troops to attack the cities. Their real intention is to take advantage of my unpreparedness and capture Danyang!" Sun Tu clenched his fists. He hammered hard on the map where Danyang was: "If this is really the case, we will be passive."
"Show them you can't do it if you can, show them you can't attack if you attack. This is a plan to attack the east and attack the west!" Zhu Wu nodded in agreement: "You really have to be on guard. After all, Danyang is only two or three days away from Jinling. Once here, If it falls, Jinling will be in danger, there will be risks at all times, and the morale of the people and the military will be affected."
"Having said that, will the rebels really spend such a high price just for this reason? If there is a mistake, not only will Danyang not be able to win, but it may also lose troops and generals, dampening the spirit of the previous great victories." Qi Desheng also frowned slightly and expressed his opinion.
Song Jiang followed up and said: "What Commander Qi said is reasonable. Although what Qianjia said is somewhat consistent with the art of war, it is just speculation after all. Those rebels may not think so much. It is just because Danyang is too close to Jinling that they don't Dare to send troops to attack. If we really dwell on this, it will only disturb our thoughts."
There is some truth in Song Jiang's words. At least until they find out that Danyang has other more important values and functions, many people cannot believe Sun Tu's judgment. This made Sun Tu's brows furrow deeper. Their concerns were indeed justified, and he couldn't come up with any more clues for the time being.
After all, leading troops to fight is not a child's play. You must assess the situation and choose the most correct way to use troops. Otherwise, if you make a mistake, not just one or two people will die.
So simple. Even though Sun Tu had absolute say as the commander-in-chief of the three armies, he had a strong premonition at this time and still could not act arbitrarily and force the soldiers to go to Danyang.
At this time, Zhu Wu spoke again: "Qian Ju, I thought we could ask someone for advice to see if this Danyang has any other more important qualities."
"Huh? Who are you talking about?"
In the doubtful eyes of everyone, Zhu Wu smiled and said: "Isn't there Xie Mo in our camp? He is a well-known person in Jiangnan. I believe that as long as it is about Jiangnan, nothing can be hidden from him, and Danyang is no exception. .”
"That's right, invite Xie Mo quickly." Sun Tu perked up after hearing this and hurriedly ordered. He had really forgotten about this person. As long as Xie Mo could give some concrete explanations, the matter would be concluded. If Danyang is really nothing special, then even if the rebels use tricks to capture it, it won't be a big problem.
After a while, Xie Mo was invited into the tent by the soldiers. After listening to Sun Tu's explanation, he quickly began to think. After a long while, he said slowly: "If I remember correctly, just a month or two ago, when Suzhou fell and Zhu Meng led his army to retreat north, he settled in Danyang, and therefore left an elite group of his men there. Also, it is said that he secretly transported the grain and grass baggage from Jinling and surrounding official warehouses to Danyang for storage, trying to turn it into a logistics granary!"
"Is this true?" As soon as he said this, everyone's expression changed. If it is true, the status of Danyang City will be very different immediately. Once it is lost, the blow to the government and army will be huge.
Xie Mo nodded solemnly: "My sources have always been reliable and should not be wrong."
Sun Tu also frowned and thought for a moment: "Shi Qian mentioned before that it was heavily guarded, maybe it was because there was a large amount of military rations hidden in the city. But there is one thing I still can't figure out. Why did Zhu Meng do this? Wouldn’t it be safer to store the grain in Jinling?”
"Is it to make it easier to transport troops to the front line when quelling chaos?" Song Jiang explained casually, but Sun Tu shook his head and denied: "If you really have this intention, you can store the food in Changzhou."
Wu Yong suddenly said: "Perhaps he is guarding against various officers and soldiers, right? Qianjia has mentioned before that he has been keeping the food and grass of all the army horses. I am afraid that he will be worried about someone snatching it, so he simply hides it elsewhere. The city. As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows, so be prepared."
Sun Tu nodded slightly: "This makes some sense, but it is not enough."
At this time, Shi Qian spoke again: "Qian Ju, our scouts in Danyang not long ago found many carriages and horses heading towards the Yangtze River at night. I wonder what they were loaded with. Could it be food?"
"It makes sense for them to send food to Jinling or other cities, but why does it make sense to send it to the riverside..." Dong Ping just shook his head and said he couldn't understand. Sun Tu had already clapped his hands, and a light flashed in his eyes: "That's right. Yes. Why do you think Zhu Meng took all the army’s food in his hands and did not send it out?”
"To control these armies?"
"No, just relying on food is not enough. If we really run out of food, these officers and soldiers will not give him face. I am afraid that Aurous Hill will be in chaos in an instant."
"Could it be..." Zhu Wu thought of something in an instant and changed his color: "
Is he taking these grains to Jiangbei and selling them to make a profit? "Just these words made everyone present change their expressions again, some were disdainful, and even more angry.
Sun Tu's face also became gloomy: "If the information we have collected is good, I'm afraid that's what happened. The reason why he secretly hoarded food to Danyang was partly because of the cunning rabbit's three caves, but more importantly, he wanted to make profits from it. This When more than 100,000 troops came to the south of the Yangtze River, the imperial court must have allocated a large amount of military rations, and he focused on this food. In order to cover up others' eyes, he hid the food in Danyang and sent a team of his trusted followers to guard it... "
"Zhu Meng deserves death!"
"You really deserve to be killed!"
All the soldiers immediately became angry and started shouting and cursing. This really touched the bottom line of everyone. When the soldiers were going through life and death for the sake of the Song Dynasty, Zhu Meng, the sinner who caused the chaos in the south of the Yangtze River, not only did not want to atone for his sins, but actually went even harder to steal military rations. He was really crazy.
Sun Tu had a sneer on his face: "He thought he was doing a good job, and he did hide it from all the troops, but he didn't expect that what he did would be traced by Fang La's rebel army. That's why they set up a trap. Today's plan is to capture Danyang and seize the large amount of food stored in the city. Once all the military food is in the enemy's hands, I am afraid that hundreds of thousands of officers and soldiers will have no fighting spirit. They can also win without a fight and capture the entire Jiangnan area. Got it!"
After listening to Sun Tu's final analysis, everyone's expressions became more solemn. Only then did they realize that Danyang had become the key to winning or losing this battle, and they no longer dared to be as careless as before.
"Qian Ji, what should we do? Now Zhu Meng only asks us to save Changzhou. We can't disobey orders, right?" Song Jiang was still a little uneasy and said: "If our judgment is wrong, the enemy really only wants to take Changzhou, and We went to Danyang again, I'm afraid the consequences would be serious."
This is also the most difficult problem to solve at present. All of this was Sun Tu's and his others' inferences, and no one could be 100% sure that the rebels wanted to capture Danyang. It can be said that from his own perspective, it was the most correct choice for Sun Tu to lead his army to rescue Changzhou and ignore Danyang, because in this way he would definitely be blameless.
Xie Mo could no longer hold back: "Sun Qianji, please put the overall situation first and send troops to rescue Danyang! If Danyang is lost, I am afraid that Jiangnan will be completely lost, and more innocent people will suffer." As he spoke, he even bent down and handed over his hands, almost falling to his knees before Sun Tu.
As for the other generals, they didn't have many ideas and were just waiting for Sun Tu to make the final decision. For a moment, everyone in the tent focused their attention on Sun Tu, and all the pressure was on him.
Sun Tu's eyes quickly scanned Changzhou and Danyang on the map, weighing in his mind. Finally, after a while, he suddenly raised his head: "Dong Ping, Song Jiang, and Qi Desheng obey the order. The three of you will lead my 17,000 Shandong Army and the Huainan Army to rescue Changzhou-"
After speaking for a while, he stood up: "And I will lead the elite Qingzhou Army to divide the troops and go to Danyang to prevent any unexpected events!"
Although everyone still had doubts about this strategy of dividing the troops, after meeting Sun Tu's firm eyes, everyone still swallowed what they said. Sun Tu's prestige in the military is extremely high, and his subordinates do not dare to question it, especially after he has made the final decision.