One hundred thousand troops is not a small number, especially in the Liao Kingdom. Even if Youzhou is not too far from Zhuozhou, it is impossible to capture such a strong city without everyone's eyes and ears. What's even more terrible is that in this day and night battle, many Liao soldiers must have escaped. Soon, both the Youzhou area and the main force of the Liao army that was still confronting the main force of the Song army will know the results here, and they will inevitably There will be targeted defense.
In other words, there is not much time left for the Shandong Army to make a surprise attack on Youzhou, and judging from the speed of action of a hundred thousand troops, it is completely impossible to reach the gates of Youzhou City before this time point.
After figuring out all the difficulties, the excitement on everyone's faces has been wiped away, leaving only unwillingness and helplessness. Some people below whispered: "Isn't there a way to get the best of both worlds?"
Only a few close confidants who knew Sun Tu well still looked at him with some confidence in their eyes, waiting for him to decide on a strategy. After Wu Yong was silent for a moment, he also laughed and said: "Since the general has considered all this, he must have a good strategy to deal with it, right?"
Immediately, Song Jiang and others also understood and looked at Sun Tu expectantly, waiting for his response. And Sun Tu did not disappoint them. He looked at Wu Yong with a smile and said: "Zhiduoxing is Zhiduoxing after all. He is really careful and observant. Yes, if we want to take down Youzhou City, we can always come up with a way. It's just that But you need to take some risks.”
"I wonder what the general has in mind?" Dong Ping asked quickly.
"If a hundred thousand troops marched together to attack Youzhou, it would probably be too late, and they would be easily noticed by the Liao people, so they would be fully prepared. But what if we only select a few thousand elite soldiers and pretend to be Liao people to break up and go to Youzhou?" "Sun Tu said his countermeasures, and his eyes quickly swept over the subordinates in front of him.
These generals all looked stunned, and then they all reacted: "Wonderful! In this way, we can not only rush to Youzhou as quickly as possible, but also use this disguise to hide from the defenders there. As long as we can lead the army If you enter Youzhou, great things will happen!"
"And what's even better is that now we happen to have many Liao army flags, armor, and even horses in our hands, so we can easily pretend to be defeated by the Liao army."
"They definitely didn't expect us to make such a move. As soon as the city gate is opened, Youzhou will definitely change hands. After all, the defenders of Youzhou must be left with old, weak and remnant soldiers, without the city to rely on. Even if they have more troops, they will definitely not be able to rely on them." They are no match for the elite of our Shandong Army..."
Everyone became interested again and expressed their opinions one after another. But this time, even Yue Fei agreed with this surprise attack strategy. Perhaps there is something wrong with this plan, but compared with the huge benefits of taking Youzhou, the risks that need to be taken are nothing.
So soon, Dong Ping was the first to stand up: "General, I am willing to lead this elite force to go north to Youzhou and capture this city!"
"General Dong, you have made a lot of achievements over the years, why don't you give this opportunity to our brothers? General, I would like to issue a military order. If I fail to lead the army to capture Youzhou City in this battle, I will take the initiative. Come and see me!" Wu Song immediately spoke out his invitation.
"Erlang, you have just made great achievements in Zhuozhou City, why should you treat this time
Give me the opportunity to wait. General, Song Jiang is willing to lead his brothers on this trip, and they will surely win Zhuozhou smoothly! "
As these few spoke, other generals followed suit. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a name for themselves. Who would be willing to miss it in vain? Since Youzhou City was ceded to the Liao people by Na Shi Jingtang more than a hundred years ago, this city has become an eternal pain in the hearts of all Han people. As long as Youzhou can be recaptured in this battle, even if the court does not grant a reward, it will be the best in history. , in the hearts of future generations, they will inevitably be regarded as great heroes, and it is not an exaggeration to say that their names will last forever.
Even though he was as humble and low-key as Lin Chong, and as young and virtuous as Yue Fei, even though he didn't say anything, he still looked at Sun Tu expectantly, hoping that he would entrust this important mission to him.
Facing the expectant looks of everyone and the fierce competition, Sun Tu laughed again. This is exactly what he hopes to see in the army. Everyone is vying to go to war and not fearing hardships and dangers. This is the key to the longevity and invincibility of an army.
But this time, Sun Tu was going to disappoint everyone. He first stretched out his hands and pressed down, causing everyone to stop the quarrels for orders, and then said: "Everyone is determined to serve the country in the war. Of course, I, Sun Tu, can completely understand. However, after all, the battle in Youzhou is of great importance, and I dare not use anyone unless I am 100% sure. All in all, my decision this time is..." At this point, his eyes turned from Dong Ping Song Jiang, Lin Chong, Yue Fei and others quickly glanced at each other's faces, causing everyone's breathing to tighten, and then slowly said the final decision: "I think it's better for me to lead the troops in this battle myself!"
"General..." The expressions of all the subordinates suddenly changed. Even Yue Fei said anxiously: "Is this too risky?"
Just now, everyone only mentioned how big the opportunity is in this battle, and only thought about how much contribution they can make if it succeeds. But in fact, one thing is still unavoidable, that is, this trip is also extremely dangerous!
You must know that the key to the so-called surprise attack is a strange word. You must catch the Youzhou defenders off guard, which means that there is a high level of luck. In addition, for the sake of speed, they must have only a few soldiers and horses, only a few thousand. Therefore, once the enemy sees through the truth, the situation of this lone army in the hinterland of the Liao Kingdom will become extremely dangerous, and they will also face threats from the enemy. Besieged by soldiers from all sides.
Moreover, even if they really use a surprise force to capture Youzhou City, the main force of the Shandong Army will not be able to arrive in a short time to rescue them, but the Liao Army will definitely come before then. During this period, they had to defend Youzhou City on their own. It can be said that capturing Youzhou City is not only a huge honor that is rare in a century, but it is also a huge risk-taking act. The victory or defeat can be said to be only on a thin line.
As Sun Tu, there was no need to take this risk personally. Because even if Youzhou was captured by someone else, he was still the chief general in terms of credit.
Faced with everyone's persuasion, Sun Tu's expression became serious and resolute: "I know what you are worried about. Yes, no matter which of you leads the troops on this trip, I will get the credit for success, and I will have nothing to do with failure. Big loss. But because of this, as the general, I cannot stay out of the matter. If this is the case, I, Sun Tu, am not worthy of being the general of the Shandong Army, so I will order you to wait.
"Youzhou, yes
I, the Han people, have suffered for a hundred years, and this is the city that I have been dreaming of taking back with my own hands for many years. Now that I am so close to this goal, how can I just let it pass me by? If this is true, even if I achieve great success in the future, I will definitely have regrets throughout my life.
"Furthermore, only in this way can we inspire the fighting spirit of our soldiers. In addition, when it comes to means and strategies, I am more confident than many of you here, so no one is more suitable for this journey than me. .”
Having said this, Sun Tu's face showed another smile: "In addition, you don't have to be discouraged. It is precisely because of me leading the army that you have the opportunity to accomplish this immortal feat. I have decided that this The second general selects the most elite soldiers in our Shandong Army to go with him. This not only refers to ordinary soldiers, but also generals such as you. Lin Chong, Dong Ping, Yue Fei, Wu Song..." Every time he reported the name of a person, the body of that general was He was shocked, and his eyes immediately showed an unconcealable energy.
Yes, for such a big event, which passionate military man wouldn’t want to be there for it? However, these generals have their own subordinates, so it is indeed difficult to reach an agreement in the face of war. Only Sun Tu, the commander-in-chief of the three armies, could guide them and make everyone obey orders.
At this moment, almost everyone couldn't come up with any more reasons to object. After a while of silence, they finally clasped their fists and said, "I am willing to follow the general to the north and recapture Youzhou to satisfy our Han family's century-old wish!"
"Okay!" Sun Tu smiled with satisfaction, and then turned his attention to Song Jiang: "Brother Gongming, after all, there needs to be a person in charge in the army, so I can only ask you to lead the army and then slow down. But I also ask you Don't be discouraged. In truth, your contribution is not small, and your responsibility is even greater, because you must rush to Youzhou as quickly as possible while avoiding the eyes and ears of the Liao army to help us defend Youzhou. state!"
Naturally, a look of disappointment flashed across Song Jiang's eyes. But he quickly cheered up: "What did the general say? Is Song Jiang one of those people who doesn't understand priorities? I should do my best to support the general!"
"Okay, with your words, I feel relieved." Sun Tu smiled with satisfaction, "Then let's finalize the relevant details."
Whether or not you can successfully capture Youzhou is not only related to the final direction of the decisive battle between Song and Liao, but also closely related to whether the Han people can rise again. Therefore, even Sun Tu and the others do not dare to be negligent. Naturally, they must have a comprehensive consideration in order to Seeking for nothing.
This discussion lasted for more than half an hour. Everyone expressed their opinions and considered almost all possible changes before ending the topic. Then, everyone just dispersed at midnight and decided that at noon tomorrow, Sun Tu would lead five thousand elites straight to Youzhou. If everything goes well, they would be able to reach Youzhou City in less than two days!
Just when Sun Tu thought everything here had been settled, an angry voice suddenly sounded outside the garrison mansion: "Let me go! I want to see Sun Tu! I want to ask him why he treated him like this. Me! It’s in vain that Dong Kuang treats him as a friend without any reservations. I didn’t expect that he would take advantage of me in this way. Does he still have the face to see me? "
Dong Kuang, a man who had been almost forgotten by Sun Tu, came to ask for justice at this time.