To achieve immortality, I cultivate using Qi Luck-Chapter 832 - 357: The Second Strategy Against Chu

Chapter 832: Chapter 357: The Second Strategy Against Chu

Xiangyang, Ning Army Camp.

“Look at this, what kind of battle have Yang Jing and Shangguan Ming fought!”

In the conference hall, Shen Qiu slammed the war report from the northern and southern front lines onto the ground, his face seething with anger: “I entrusted the army and state affairs to those two, gave them full authority, which was the greatest of favors.

Is this how they repay me?

Yang Jing has lost cities and territory, Shangguan Ming has lost soldiers and officers, my two hundred thousand troops have been humiliated by the Chu bandits, leaving the battlefields in the north and Lingnan in shambles. Have they lived up to my trust?”

In the hall below, the civil and military officers of Ning Country stood on both sides, trembling as they watched their sovereign’s furious face and the war report on the ground, all bowing their heads in silence, not daring to speak.

Only Bai Yian couldn’t help but sigh internally upon seeing this.

He did not cower like the others, but instead stepped forward, picking up the war report from the ground.

Glancing briefly over it, the information within was indeed the same as the news he had received, which only added to his bitterness.

However, now was not the time to assign blame to the front-line generals.

With the collapse of battles in both the north and the south, Ning Country was already at a strategic disadvantage in this struggle for Yangzhou supremacy against Chu State and could fall at any moment.

The most urgent matter was to consider how to reverse the decline.

At the very least, they must ensure their own side would not suffer a crushing defeat.

Compared to these issues, the losses suffered by Yang Jing and Shangguan Ming were insignificant.

Therefore, Bai Yian took two steps forward, bowing as he said, “Your Majesty, in the battle to the north, although the Martial Proclamation Marquis commands one hundred thousand troops, constrained by the Chu navy, he can only remain defensive in his water forts, unable to move freely.

The actual forces the Martial Proclamation Marquis can command only amount to the fifty thousand infantry and cavalry of Xiangyang Prefecture.

On the other hand, the Chu forces not only employed eighty thousand of their forbidden army but also had tens of thousands in their naval force, more than double the number of the Martial Proclamation Marquis’s forces. They also have open water and land routes, allowing them to easily land troops and attack our northern rear.

The reason for the battle was a sneak attack by the Chu navy on our rear, which led to the loss of Anlu Prefecture.

This is not a fault in combat, but a disadvantage in our naval forces.

And apart from that prefecture, Jingmen and Jingling, the two prefectures, are still under the control of our forces, with Ning bandits unable to advance further.

The Martial Proclamation Marquis has done all that he could.

As for the battle in Lingnan, the Wucheng Marquis’s command had no errors. In the early stages of the great battle with the Chu forces, there were wins and losses, and we were not at a disadvantage.

The reason behind the major defeat in Lingnan lies with the Nanhai Army’s incompetence; they were not only unhelpful, but they also sabotaged the Wucheng Marquis.

Furthermore, the Chu forces of Nanhai Country fielded a force of one hundred and sixty thousand, which also greatly outnumbered the ten thousand troops under the Wucheng Marquis.

This led to the Wucheng Marquis being outnumbered and inevitably seeking assistance from Nanhai Country, ultimately culminating in this defeat.

In both battles, north and Lingnan, it was not a fault of combat but indeed, both the Martial Proclamation Marquis and the Wucheng Marquis were simply outmatched.

In both battlefields, the Chu forces were stronger, and our forces were weaker. Being weaker and attacking strong foes, the eventual defeat is normal and cannot be faulted.”

Bai Yian provided some defense for Yang Jing and Shangguan Ming and subtly hinted that the main reason for Yang Jing’s defeat was the sovereign’s major defeat in naval command, leading to the loss of control over the waterways in the northern battlefield and giving the Chu forces an opportunity to seize Anlu Prefecture.

If one were to discuss fault, with the loss of over seventy thousand soldiers in both land and naval battles, Shen Qiu’s mistakes were even greater.

But alas, Shen Qiu was the sovereign, and they were his subjects.

Subjects cannot speak of their sovereign’s faults, so at this moment, Bai Yian could only subtly hint, reminding his own sovereign not to forget his mistakes, the primary reason for the rapid deterioration of the battlefield.

After all, the strategy of Chu State was now quite clear.

That was to focus on the north and Lingnan while neglecting the central heartland of Dongting.

Most of Chu State’s forces were deployed in those three secondary battlefields, which is why they were able to achieve advantages so quickly, causing the United Army to suffer defeat after defeat.

In contrast, the United Army, which concentrated nearly half of its forces on the main battlefield, despite possessing a two-to-one advantage over the Chu forces, not only failed to secure a victory but also suffered consecutive setbacks.

In terms of embarrassment, nobody could compare to Shen Qiu, it was just that no one dared to mention it.

Indeed.

At that moment, hearing Bai Yian’s words with an implied criticism of himself, Shen Qiu’s expression instantly darkened.

But even as his anger grew, he stopped blaming Yang Jing and Shangguan Ming.

Shen Qiu himself knew that the biggest mistake in this battle was indeed his own. The officers below were also clear about this fact.

Yet no one dared to say it out loud, except for the Bai Yian standing before him.

And Bai Yian dared to raise this issue because he is an Inborn Grandmaster, and he also comes from one of the six aristocratic families. In terms of status and position, he was not much inferior to the emperor himself.

Under the elective abdication system that provided stability and harmony within the high-level, it also meant that the highest authority was not as absolute as that of a singularly despotic dynasty’s emperor.

Just like now.

When Shen Qiu’s decisions went wrong, leading to damage to the collective interests of the empire, Bai Yian, whose own interests were affected, started questioning Shen Qiu’s capabilities without the customary respect.

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

The slight sarcasm at the moment was just the beginning of the probe.

If Shen Qiu continues to make more errant decisions, leading to continuous decline of Ning Country,

Then those aristocratic families of the six names and seven clans might just join forces and replay the incident of Emperor Hongdao from before.