"My lord, you were looking for me?"
"These are clothes Hongyu just sent over. You should take off your current ones first. With this much rain, the rebels shouldn't be attacking the city again tonight!"
Seeing Han Shizhong's armor dripping with water, Han Mo smiled and immediately had someone bring over a set of clothes.
"Yes!"
Upon hearing that the clothes were from Liang Hongyu, Han Shizhong's face immediately broke into a simple, honest smile.
"It's already completely dark. You've rendered a great service this time!"
After Han Shizhong had changed, Han Mo smiled and poured him a cup of hot tea.
"My lord flatters me. If not for your strong support, with my meager abilities, how could I have accomplished this..."
Being praised by Han Mo, Han Shizhong became a little embarrassed.
Although this was self-deprecation, Shao Bowen understood that Han Shizhong's words weren't entirely flattery. After all, if Han Mo hadn't first helped him stabilize the morale of the troops and then subsequently assisted him with many plans, it would have been a pipe dream for him, a minor officer without any backing, to achieve such a great feat.
"Alright, at this point, you don't need to be overly modest. You must be hungry after a day's work. This map shows the strategy I discussed with General Wang. They will sneakily land here tonight and deliver a fatal blow to the rebels from their rear!"
As Han Mo spoke, he took out a map from a sealed brocade box.
After unfolding it, he pointed to the route on the map and began to explain, bit by bit, the plan he and Wang Bing had devised.
"But my lord, why don't we send people to guard this place? If we block it here, won't they become trapped like fish in a jar?"
After Han Mo finished explaining, Han Shizhong hesitantly pointed to the location of Xikou Town.
"What you say is indeed correct. If we were to block this place, they would be trapped. But have you considered that if we were to do that, they would have no choice but to fight to the death? How many of our own brothers would be killed or injured? Our objective is to cripple them as much as possible, not to annihilate them!"
As Han Mo said this, a wry smile appeared on his face. In truth, he wished he could completely eliminate these people, but the problem was that most of the soldiers under Han Shizhong were new recruits. Even though they had gone through the siege, and each of them was beginning to transform, actual combat effectiveness could not be forged overnight.
A defensive battle and a field engagement were entirely different. With the city walls as a barrier, as long as the rebels couldn't climb up, they were always fighting against a superior force.
However, fighting in the open field was different. In warfare of the cold weapon era, the number of troops often determined the victory of a war.
Some might say that there were countless examples of fewer defeating more throughout history.
But if you were to put these examples into the context of all the wars that had ever happened, you would realize that "fewer defeating more" was truly a result of survivorship bias.
Beyond these examples, more often than not, the outcome of war was that the side with more troops defeated the side with fewer, and the stronger nation defeated the weaker nation.
Even Sun Tzu said, "Engage them with what is strategic and unexpected."
Given the current situation, even with the significant losses suffered by the rebels, Han Mo and his men still did not have a numerical advantage.
If those rebels had no escape and were determined to fight to the death, then even if Han Mo's side managed to win, it would be a pyrrhic victory.
Furthermore, these battle-hardened soldiers were incredibly precious for what Han Mo intended to do next.
Most of these soldiers were locals from Mingzhou. As locals who lived by the sea, their swimming skills were naturally not bad.
With a little training, they would become excellent sailors.
Whether it was for dealing with the Japanese pirates or the indigenous tribes of the Nanyang region, they would be indispensable.
Under such circumstances, how could Han Mo bear to risk their lives in such a gamble?
"Your subordinate understands!"
Han Shizhong was a very intelligent person. After hearing Han Mo's explanation, he naturally grasped Han Mo's intentions.
"Study the details on this map carefully, and then you can go back and rest. Tonight, at midnight, when the fires start outside, that will be your time to earn glory! Also, this is a set of vermilion lacquered mountain pattern armor that I had someone prepare for you. It's a bit cumbersome, but you should wear it!"
As Han Mo spoke, he gestured towards a large wooden chest beside him.
"Thank you, my lord!"
Upon hearing Han Mo's words, Han Shizhong was overjoyed.
Vermilion lacquered mountain pattern armor was truly a good thing. The armor he was wearing before was the standard leather armor for Song dynasty officers.
However, this vermilion lacquered mountain pattern armor was something that only high-ranking generals could possess. It was truly invaluable.
This had originally been Li Yueyang's prized possession, but after Li Yueyang fell into misfortune, this item was sent to Han Mo by his men.
If it weren't for the fact that this item was very useful to Han Shizhong and his men, given Han Mo's meticulous nature, he would never have accepted it.
"Alright, I have nothing more to say. I'll just say one thing: come back alive!"
After patting Han Shizhong on the shoulder, Han Mo's eyes were a little red.
On the battlefield of the cold weapon era, once one stepped onto it, nothing was ever completely certain.
Even Emperor Taizong, on the banks of the Gaoliang River, was not spared an arrow to his backside amidst tens of thousands of soldiers, let alone in tonight's situation where Han Shizhong and his men were to fight outside the city!
"Yes!"
Taking a deep breath, Han Shizhong, his eyes also red, carefully studied the map.
Only after he had memorized it all did he pick up the chest and turn to leave Han Mo's tent.
"My lord, you are truly very fond of Captain Han."
Seeing Han Shizhong leave, Shao Bowen said sincerely.
"I'm counting on them to fight for the country in the future, so I naturally cannot let them make any mistakes in other areas!"
Han Mo forced a smile, trying to appear relaxed, and said.
"After tonight, I'm afraid this young man will soar to great heights!"
After taking a sip of tea, Shao Bowen waved his feather fan and suddenly said again.
"I know what you're saying is true, and I know you're a master strategist, but can you please put away that darn fan? It's already November, and I'm cold if you're not!"
"Pfft—"
As soon as Han Mo finished speaking, Jiang Yan, who was standing outside the door, couldn't help but chuckle.