RPAGF Chapter 7208 Divergence
Chapter 7208 Divergence
Chapter 7208 Divergence
That evening, Xu Shu returned from his inspection of the rear and, at the invitation of Yu Jin's personal guards, immediately went to Yu Jin's residence in Balayaka.
"General Yu," Xu Shu said somewhat stiffly. There was no way around it; compared to the rather arrogant Guan Yu, the rather rough-tempered Zhang Fei, or the gentle and refined Zhao Yun, for some reason, Xu Shu had always been relatively average with Yu Jin.
Logically speaking, these two have seen each other for so long, and both are high-ranking civil and military officials under Liu Bei, so they shouldn't be so estranged. But in fact, when Xu Shu and Yu Jin interact, it's mostly businesslike.
The simplest point is that, as the Chief of Staff of the Ganges, Yu Jin notified Xu Shu of such a major event by holding a meeting, but issued the order before Xu Shu could return. Although the commander-in-chief does have this authority, this action shows that he did not take Xu Shu seriously.
Of course, a large part of the reason for the current situation between the two sides is that they have great differences of opinion regarding the military orders issued by Chang'an.
Xu Shu was more in favor of a retreat. Of course, this retreat did not mean abandoning Prayaga, but rather withdrawing the main force to the east of the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, and deploying the main force to block the river channels. If the situation became unfavorable, they would retreat quickly and avoid fighting the Kushans in such a place surrounded by water on three sides.
After all, it was Xu Shu who gave the advice on how to solve the psychological problems of his officers in the previous round. Therefore, Xu Shu had a clear understanding of the officers' mentality and the current state of the Han Dynasty and the Kushan Empire. However, Xu Shu's suggestion was rejected.
Therefore, when Xu Shu received the message from Yu Jin that there were unusual movements on the Kushan side, he rushed back immediately, wanting to have a detailed discussion and preparation with Yu Jin.
"Yuanzhi, you're back." When Yu Jin saw Xu Shu arrive, he pointed to a spot to the side, then took out a map and spread it out in front of Xu Shu. Although he didn't get along with Xu Shu, he could still handle official business. After all, they were both serving the country, and they had that much integrity.
"What's the situation on the Kushan side now?" Xu Shu asked directly after taking his seat.
"The intelligence we've received so far indicates that there's been clear troop buildup in Qunu City, and it's estimated that Oswin is about to launch an attack. I've discussed it with the officers and generals, and we've decided to continue reinforcing the defensive fortifications around Baloyagar. We won't engage Oswin head-on; we'll buy time, disrupt his supply lines, and wait for him to retreat so we can be at his best," Yu Jin explained quickly to Xu Shu, pointing to the map.
"This?" Xu Shu was completely baffled by Yu Jin's plans on the map. This was completely different from the situation he had suggested many times before.
“Oswin dares to make a move now, which means he must have been promoted to commander of a large army. General Yu should have seen Oswin when he was in Northern Europe. Based on our records of Oswin’s performance at that time, it is absolutely impossible for him to launch a strong attack now.” Xu Shu frowned and tried to persuade Yu Jin.
Xu Shu consistently disagreed with Yu Jin's insistence on holding Prayerga because the morale of the Han army was currently in serious trouble. A short-term, explosive victory was possible, but once a stalemate and attrition ensued, the current mental state of the Han generals and officers would be exposed. And how could such a major battle between empires be won quickly? If a quick victory was not possible, and the problems were exposed, it would be fatal.
Therefore, after Liu Bei and Chen Xi clearly gave the strategy of retreating and accepting the loss of territory while preserving people, Xu Shu suggested that Yu Jin move the main force across the river to the east of Balayaka for deployment. Even if he was unwilling to give up, he should still deploy some forces in the east to guard his rear.
“We also anticipated this, but even if Oswin is promoted to commander of a large army, what then? Given his situation, he can only command a maximum of 200,000 troops.” Yu Jin nodded, first agreeing with Xu Shu’s assessment, and then pointing out the core of his strategy.
That is Yu Jin's 80,000 troops in Baloyajia. If they defend, relying on a large number of fortifications, and do not take the initiative to attack, Oswin will suffer heavy losses if they try to take it by force. After all, the advantage of defending a city is not to be underestimated, not to mention that the city has a full reserve of supplies, and even the supermodel cloud has accumulated to a considerable scale.
"To put it another way, even if Oswin, who was promoted later than me, has really gone further on this path than me, he would suffer heavy losses if he wanted to take over Baloyagar. I just need to hold onto Baloyagar. If Oswin really wants to waste his time here, I'm happy to do so." Yu Jin said very directly. He wasn't stupid; on the contrary, he had considered many things!
At this point in time, who would joke about their own life? Besides, the fiefdom is just around the corner, so does Yu Jin not want to become a prince?
Therefore, Yu Jin's defensive strategy took into account the possibility of Oswin's promotion to commander of the large army from the very beginning. To be honest, if it weren't for this consideration, given Yu Jin's talent and the composition of his army, he would definitely have engaged in open battle with the enemy first to assess their strength.
Knowing that Oswin was highly likely, or rather, absolutely certain, to become the commander of the large army, Yu Jin obediently defended, stalled for time, and waited for his teammates to gather before attacking the commander.
Xu Shu probably didn't know that Liu Bei had said he was coming in person, but Yu Jin did!
Yu Jin was known as "Fifth Brother Yu," and that was no joke; he was a true leader. So Yu Jin had no intention of fighting Oswin; he planned to drag things out for three months.
It's pointless to fight Oswin now. We should stall and wait for Liu Bei to arrive. Not to mention the likely Zhang Fei, Wei Yan, and Guan Ping he'll bring, just the presence of Huang Zhong and Chen Dao on the small hill by the Ganges, and Gan Ning, Taishi Ci, Xu Sheng, and others at sea, will be enough to give Oswin a hard time.
Other generals might have won a battle before Liu Bei arrived to show their lord what they could do, but Yu Jin's level was long past that. He didn't need that; he just needed to maintain the front line.
If they were lucky, Liu Bei would still let Yu Jin take command. After all, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Gan Ning, Huang Zhong and others had owed him favors for so many years, and it was time to repay them. With Liu Bei in charge, how could Yu Jin, leading his old brothers, possibly lose a group battle against Oswin?
Even if Oswin were promoted to commander of a large army, with Liu Bei in charge of the camp and Yu Jin commanding the fierce generals of the Han Dynasty, how could he possibly lose? What a joke! Do you think Oswin is Huangfu Song?
So Yu Jin's strategy can be summed up in one word: stalling!
"This..." Xu Shu frowned, looking at Yu Jin's explanation of the map, and finally gave his suggestion, "General Yu, I think we should divide the army into two groups on the east side of the river to guard our rear. I am worried that Oswin will surround us without attacking, and directly cross Prayaga to attack Varanasi. In that case, Prayaga's rear will be cut off."
“Oswin led his elite troops away from here, so the opponent I face is none other than Kusroy, and you should know Kusroy very well.” Yu Jin shook his head. He had thought about all of this. “Although Kusroy is also a commander of a large army, and even a very excellent one, most of the officers and generals of the Northern Nobles do not respect him at all, and the newly arrived officers and generals of the Southern Nobles are even less convinced of him.”
Kusroy's background meant that the officers and soldiers of the Southern Nobles would certainly not treat him as a human being. Even if a few sensible officers were willing to follow Kusroy's orders, it wouldn't change the minds of the majority. The simplest point is that the middle-ranking officers and soldiers had doubts about Kusroy, this lowly commoner.
In other words, if Kusroy were to command the large army, the internal problems within the entire army would be no less than those of the current Han dynasty. At least the soldiers of the Han dynasty did not have any mental problems; only some officers and generals had issues. However, if Kusroy were to command the large army, even the soldiers from the southern nobility would have doubts.
Of course, this problem is not unsolvable; Kusroy could be promoted to Kshatriya. However, if Kusroy were willing to be promoted to Kshatriya, he would no longer be Kusroy, and the hope would be lost.
This is also why the generals and officers of the Han Dynasty and the Kushan Empire who had some command experience had a high opinion of Kusroy's command ability. This guy was still able to command despite such a debuff, which was truly heaven-defying. But it was also for this reason that Kusroy's level was limited to dealing with Yu Jin, especially when both sides were on a large scale, which made things very difficult for Kusroy.
“I’m worried that Oswin might launch a surprise attack,” Xu Shu said with a sigh.
“I can probably command around 100,000. Even if Oswin rises to the top and commands 200,000, he still can’t just come back and attack whenever he wants.” Yu Jin stated the facts. “Moreover, Oswin also has a garrison on the west side of Varanasi after he passes Prayerka.”
"I have already written to General Huang and General Chen, asking them to mobilize manpower to strengthen the defenses in the northwest and southwest of Varanasi." Xu Shu pursed his lips. His biggest problem now was that the information he had was not enough to convince Yu Jin, and the secret order from Chang'an only permitted the preservation of people and the loss of territory; how to fight still depended on the front lines.
“In that case, it’s not a problem at all.” Yu Jin was slightly taken aback when he heard this. He really hadn’t expected that Xu Shu would have the ability to adjust the legion’s defense zone. It should be the commander-in-chief who has this ability. In other words, at this stage, only Yu Jin can do it on the Ganges side.
This is also why Yu Jin transferred his own army, Zhao Yun's army, and Zhang Fei's army to Prayaga. Well, Zhao Yun's army was already here, Zhang Fei's defense zone was south of Prayaga, and Yu Jin was originally in Ayodhya, but due to the pressure of the defense line, he also retreated to Prayaga. This is why there are a total of 80,000 main forces here.
Before Yu Jin, Huang Zhong and Chen Dao's legions were stationed east of Balayaka and west of Varanasi to secure their own rear and prevent the infiltration of Kushan scouts.
As for Guan Yu's army, they were scattered in Varanasi, Vaishali, and Sylvanas. Since Guan Yu was the commander-in-chief of the Ganges, Yu Jin did not move Guan Yu's army when he mobilized them, but instead ordered them to strengthen their defenses and garrison there.
Unexpectedly, during his inspection tour these past few days, Xu Shu specifically instructed Huang Zhong and Chen Dao to strengthen defenses along the Varanasi line. Clearly, even without receiving any intelligence, Xu Shu's keen senses detected the impending danger.
"General Yu, I think that if Baloyajia really can't spare two legions, it would be better to mobilize General Huang and General Chen to each send one legion to the east to guard our rear. That way, whether we fight or retreat, we will be more at ease." Xu Shu frowned, extremely worried about the current situation.
Although he felt there was nothing wrong, Xu Shu's war instincts, honed over many years on the battlefield, still made him feel that he should be more cautious.
“If Oswin cannot cross this place, then the side that takes the initiative will definitely concentrate its main force on Prayaga. With the manpower of the Kushan Empire, it would not be a problem to pile up two or three hundred thousand here.” Yu Jin shook his head. “It’s not that I don’t want to make arrangements here, but if I don’t let Oswin waste his time, he will focus on launching a decisive battle here. Even if Prayaga does not fall, the losses will be extremely heavy.”
Defending a city is indeed easier than attacking it, but in the first battle commanded by Oswin's army, the manpower and resources the enemy will mobilize will be absolutely terrifying. Under such circumstances, instead of leaving the enemy an easy path to wear them down, we must fight them to the death. The 80,000 men on Prayaga's side will probably lose 10,000 to 20,000!
More importantly, this loss seems utterly meaningless to the ban.
"General Yu, it seems that all your thoughts revolve around winning?" Xu Shu suddenly realized the problem at this moment. Everything he was thinking about was how not to lose too badly in case of an unexpected event, but Yu Jin seemed to be thinking about how to win. This is not right!
“I know you’re saying we should aim for an invincible position and then seek victory later, and I understand that. But right now we’re defending the city. As long as we don’t fall, that’s enough.” Yu Jin shook his head and said, “Oswin’s attack on this city, which has a lot of fortifications on the outside, is basically impossible. There are 80,000 people, and they are all veterans who have been on the battlefield.”
"I request to lead a legion across the river to guard our army's retreat route," Xu Shu said to Yu Jin with utmost seriousness. "The intelligence I currently possess is insufficient to convince the public, but the secret order from Chang'an is that we can abandon Baloyajia if necessary. Therefore, our army must have a legion to guard our retreat route. This is Chang'an's order!"
Upon hearing this, Yu Jin's expression darkened, but he said nothing. He wanted to reason with Xu Shu and appeal to his emotions, but since Xu Shu had brought up the secret order from Chang'an, there was really nothing more to say.
"You're personally leading the legion?" Yu Jin asked Xu Shu after a moment of silence.
"Only when I personally oversee that place can I feel at ease." Xu Shu showed no hesitation. He knew very well that he could only suppress Yu Jin with the secret order from Chang'an. After all, he was not qualified enough in terms of seniority or status. If the commander was willing to listen to you, you were an advisor; if the commander was not willing to listen to you, you were just an idle person!
"You choose a deputy general, and I will allocate three thousand Shield Guards, one thousand Cavalry, and two thousand archers," Yu Jin said after a while. Although he didn't like hearing Xu Shu say this much, since he couldn't stop him, he shouldn't dwell on it. Besides, Yu Jin had other unspoken plans from the beginning.
"Sun Guan," Xu Shu said directly. The manpower and troops that Yu Jin had arranged for him were more than enough to build a pontoon bridge if necessary. As for why they weren't being built now, well, there was a pontoon bridge on the river, but it was uncertain whether it would be cut off after the war started.
“Okay, I’m at ease letting you guard the rear.” Yu Jin nodded to Xu Shu. “If Oswin really chooses to bypass Prayaga and launch a strong attack on Varanasi, then you should abandon the ferry crossing and retreat directly to join General Huang and the others. Whether it’s delaying Oswin’s offensive or bypassing Oswin and joining forces with me, it’s all fine.”
Xu Shu raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled by Yu Jin's judgment, but said nothing. Even Xu Shu felt that as long as they secured their retreat, the worst that could happen was that they would lose Prayerka, preserve their people, and then make a comeback.
"I actually have some questions," Xu Shu said, finally unable to resist asking after taking the transfer order that Yu Jin had written.
“I know you’re wondering why I insist on staying here. It’s because this is also an opportunity, an opportunity to solve the problem. Alright, you can go do your thing.” Yu Jin waved his hand and said. It wasn’t that he didn’t value Xu Shu, but Yu Jin had better options.
Xu Shu seemed to be thinking about what was said, but after hesitating for a few moments, he still didn't speak.
"Tsk, they wanted to ask but didn't. These strategists are not straightforward at all." Yu Jin shook his head as he watched Xu Shu leave with the transfer order, then called to the guard beside him, "Li Ping, take my letter and go fetch the Marquis of Dongcheng."
Li Ping, who had been lurking in the shadows and had no presence whatsoever, suddenly appeared in front of Yu Jin, bowed to Yu Jin, and took the jade folding fan from Yu Jin's hand, which should have belonged to some important figure.
Before Xu Shu went to see Sun Guan, he went up the city wall and looked at the soldiers who patrolled all night and were very careful and serious. He nodded slightly. In any case, the vast majority of the soldiers were still the same soldiers as before. If we talk about pests, they are only a minority. Or to put it more directly, the system ensures that only after leaving a certain level can one start to realize their potential.
"Military Advisor Xu, what brings you to the city wall so late at night?" Zhu Ling, who was patrolling the city wall, asked Xu Shu with some surprise.
"Take a look at the city defenses. After all, there's going to be a big battle soon. Speaking of which, were the outer defenses like this before?" Xu Shu looked at the defenses, which were fairly clear under the moonlight, with some doubt. Why did these defenses seem to be constructing some kind of Xuanxiang formation, only this large?
I'm going to be stuck here. It's almost the end of the month. I'm afraid the author is doomed this month.