Chapter 94
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For Han Jiao, who was used to the “I am the greatest, fearing neither heaven nor earth” aura of the big boss, Xie Duo’s panic in this moment was truly suffocating.
But he restrained himself, afraid of interrupting Xie Duo’s thoughts, so he quietly waited.
After examining one point on the sand table, Xie Duo walked around, looking for the next target, stopping five times and circling half of the sand table before suddenly realizing that the little child prodigy standing in place was looking at him with a worried expression.
“What’s wrong with you?” Xie Duo asked him.
Han Jiao, as if regaining his breath after suffocating for a long time, took a deep breath and answered, “I also want to ask you, is this battle difficult to fight?”
Xie Duo cast his eyes over the entire sand table and said in a low voice, “I’ve already told you, I don’t know how to wage war. The terrain and defense points here are much more complex than I imagined.”
Han Jiao opened his mouth and calmly responded, “It’s definitely more complicated than the time with the refugees.”
Xie Duo lowered his eyes, looking at the mountains and waterways around each pass. “It’s on a completely different level.”
“Do you think capturing Luozhou is very difficult? Will it take longer than expected?”
Xie Duo shook his head slowly. “I don’t know. Thankfully, I’m not the one leading the troops.”
Han Jiao was surprised. “What do you mean?”
“What?”
Han Jiao suppressed his impatience and forced a smile. “I… I really want to hear your detailed analysis of the situation, just say whatever comes to mind.”
Xie Duo couldn’t help but smile at this. Normally, the little child prodigy was preoccupied with the trivial matters of his Sixth and Seventh Brothers, often leaving this number one cuju master behind. However, when it came to military matters, he displayed an unusual reliance on this young man who had never set foot on a battlefield, showing remarkable insight.
Xie Duo could have made up a story to earn the admiration of the little child prodigy, but he refrained. With honesty, he pointed to the defensive fortification he had carefully examined first. “See that sand dune with the yellow flags? Our vanguard will launch their attack from there. Now, look at these blue and green flags in a few other places. They represent the marching routes for the navy and the army, planning to encircle this pass.”
Han Jiao followed Xie Duo’s pointed direction closely and felt that the ambush route seemed quite concealed. He looked up and asked Xie Duo, “Do you see any flaws in this strategy? Is it underestimating the enemy?”
Xie Duo, deep in thought, shook his head.
“But when you were looking at the first pass just now, you seemed a bit tense. Did you spot some lurking danger there?”
“The commander of this battle, General Chen Yingguang, and the main leaders of each army are all renowned Generals transferred from the northwest and southeast. They will know how to deal with potential dangers.”
“But they aren’t here, and they won’t patiently explain to me,” Han Jiao, with a determined face, softly pleaded, “I just wish to seek Your Highness’ guidance.”
Those peach-blossom eyes that gazed at him, so similar to the expression he had when he sought help in his dreams, suddenly filled Xie Duo with inexplicable excitement. He didn’t care about being an amateur anymore. He walked straight to the little child prodigy, pointing at the first defensive point. “I find something odd about this defensive point. Look, the fortifications from the southeast corner to the northwest have a hidden purpose, and only this isolated fortification seems unusual. At first glance, it’s like a masterful chess player making a risky move, tempting the enemy to advance. But this pass is inherently weak, with limited defensive capabilities.”
Han Jiao understood. “So, the first battle shouldn’t be too difficult. Why were you looking worried earlier?”
“The terrain makes me uneasy.” Xie Duo furrowed his brow instinctively. Every time he saw the full layout of the terrain, he couldn’t help but think about the best fortifications for defense and how the defending army would prepare, along with the strategies of the attacking force.
When he first saw the sand table, Xie Duo was quick to notice the weakest point of defense. Seeing the yellow flag placed there confirmed that the commander shared his perspective. Xie Duo felt a sense of pride.
But as he began to simulate the attack and defense strategies in various ways, the actual conditions of the terrain in the sand table sent shivers down Xie Duo’s spine.
Hence, he had said, “Thankfully, I’m not the one leading the troops.”
Xie Duo felt relieved not because he didn’t care about Prince Yan and the soldiers but because he believed that the commanding general leading the troops must be much more capable than him. As an outsider, he wouldn’t be surprised if he struggled with such terrain.
Han Jiao, however, understood well that when Xie Duo found the terrain “uneasy,” it meant a major problem had arisen.
Xie Duo was still unaware of the formidable military skills hidden within him.
In the novel, during his first ever battle, the big boss held a similar position as Prince Yan did now. He was like a mascot, meant to boost morale and represent the Emperor on expeditions.
Later on, an unexpected encounter battle occurred, and Xie Duo surprisingly remained calm. He swiftly deployed four thousand elite soldiers into a vanguard unit, used the advantage of high ground, coordinated crossbowmen with cavalry, harassed the enemy on both flanks, disrupted their formation, and then fought while retreating. He kept changing formations, luring the enemy of twenty thousand into a legendary “Heavenly Gap” situation. Eventually, he switched from defense to offense, resulting in a battlefield littered with enemy corpses and the capture of a prominent Tatar General!
This battle made Xie Duo realize that he possessed an exceptionally sharp and precise judgment of rapidly changing battlefield situations.
Consequently, in the following battles, he officially began to participate in training, formation setting, strategic planning, and even frontline command.
The results? The evaluation of this emerging War God by Great Chu was concise: “Always victorious in battle, always successful in conquest!”
As for their former formidable foes, the Tatars, they avoided the Great Chu Prince who appeared like a figurehead but was, in reality, ruthless.
We’ll stop provoking, can’t we just back down and apologize?
Xie Duo quickly gave them an answer: No.
Seeing the Tatars quiet for several months, Xie Duo, feeling the itch for action, had a border commander from Liaodong use a large cannon to damage their own city gate in the middle of the night. Then he shamelessly accused the Tatars of a midnight raid. Finally, he became renowned for resuming the assault on the enemy that had plagued the border people for centuries. It was safe to say that he had a deep-seated grudge.
It wasn’t until then that Xie Duo’s perception shifted from “Why are these people so inept?” to “How am I so skilled?”
So, at this moment, the big boss couldn’t be considered modest. He genuinely had no idea about this particular advantage.
Han Jiao was currently the only person in the know, so he had to take the big boss’ “unease” seriously and continue to coax the big boss to explain further.
Xie Duo didn’t hide anything and began by expressing his biggest concern. He pointed to a mountain road surrounded by water, highlighting that the only viable approach in this area was through a deep offensive. “Just by looking at the sand table, it’s impossible to gauge the steepness of the terrain. If the enemy’s navy sets up an ambush, our forces are likely to be cut into several segments, unable to form a defensive formation. Artillery also won’t be able to accurately target the enemy vessels, severely limiting our ability to leverage our advantages and putting us at a significant disadvantage.”
Upon hearing this, Han Jiao felt a lump in his throat. “Is this a crucial marching route?”
Xie Duo furrowed his brows in thought. “It’s not a mandatory route, but we must capture the northern pass from here. Otherwise, our supply lines could be easily blocked. If we take a detour, our military expenses would at least double.”
Han Jiao turned pale.
What else could be done?
No wonder the Chieftain of Luozhou had been causing trouble for hundreds of years, and no Emperor dared to deal with him decisively. Most likely, there had been lessons from past mistakes. It was not something that could be resolved simply by having more people and superior weapons.
However, the novel didn’t mention this war because the narrative began several years later. Prince Yan in the novel was still undercover due to suspicion of conspiring with border commanders, and he hadn’t participated in this battle. But now…
Han Jiao, who had been solely focused on preserving the lives of Xie Duo and Xie Xiu, suddenly realized that Prince Yan might be in jeopardy. Memories of Prince Yan’s appreciation, trust, and respect for him flooded his mind, leaving a bitter taste in his heart.
These three brothers really don’t make it easy for anyone.
Seeing the little child prodigy looking distressed, Xie Duo furrowed his brow. “What’s there to be afraid of? As I’ve said, I’m not skilled in warfare. General Chen will surely have a solution to the crisis.”
“Even Your Highness couldn’t come up with a plan?”
Faced with the trusting gaze of the little child prodigy, Xie Duo felt somewhat uncomfortable.
He bent slightly, with his hands on the edge of the table, and replied in a low voice, “Han Jiao, you can’t expect me to be good at cuju and also fight in battles. Seventh Brother excels only in crafting weaponry, and I’m already quite good.”
“I asked for your guidance precisely because I know how capable Your Highness is. You don’t need to be nervous. Consider it a casual discussion with me.”
Xie Duo took a deep breath, braced himself, and once again looked at the sand table. After studying one area, he moved to another, and Han Jiao quickly stepped back to give him space.
After circling the sand table three times, Xie Duo returned to the perilous area he had pointed out earlier and said to Han Jiao, “I believe we can take a calculated risk by launching a surprise attack on these two fortresses to the south, then land on this isolated hill and destroy both bridges on either side. The river here is narrow, and the artillery in this position is sufficient to cut off any naval assault from the south. Even though we might be vulnerable to flanking, we’ll have captured both fortresses. If they attempt an assault, our reinforcements are swift, and we can leverage our numerical and equipment advantages. We won’t have to worry much about transporting supplies in the future.”
After saying this, Han Jiao remained silent, not expressing his opinion, and just looked at the big boss.
Xie Duo felt a bit uneasy under the scrutiny. “I’ve never been in a battle, so this is the best I can come up with. Otherwise, you should call General Chen and ask him.”
“It’s just not fair,” Han Jiao said with an irritated expression.
“What?” Xie Duo was puzzled.
“Your Highness, how can you…” Han Jiao turned his anger into a grin. “Be this… impressive!”
Xie Duo’s eyes brightened. He grinned back, showing off his sharp little tiger teeth. “You think this is impressive?”
“Absolutely!” Han Jiao now finally understood why the big boss of the novel was such a hit with female readers. Despite appearing in the story for a significantly shorter time than Prince Yan, his overwhelming power made him a sensation!
Xie Duo beamed with satisfaction. Thank goodness this little child prodigy is easily impressed. He can’t even see how much we’ll struggle with this initial assault on those two fortresses.
“We can’t wait!” Han Jiao exclaimed with joy. “Let’s quickly inform Prince Yan and General Chen of this battle strategy!”
“Hold on.” Xie Duo’s happiness instantly froze on his face. He didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of General Chen. He quietly reminded the little child prodigy, “General Chen will surely think of such minor tactics. Who knows, he might have a more suitable strategy.”
“That’s impossible,” Han Jiao said firmly. “No one understands warfare better than you!”
Xie Duo: “???”
Under the rainbow farts from the little child prodigy, Xie Duo really went out to find the commander in a daze but couldn’t locate him.
The soldiers informed him that General Chen had gone to inspect the armaments in the weapons camp. Han Jiao had no choice but to bring Prince Yan to the main camp and listen to the guidance of the War God boss.
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