Chapter 14 Autumn

Xinghe Year 14, autumn.

The imperial court's 400,000-strong army marched into Huyang in several routes. Among them, the commander-in-chief of three armies was Ma Zhen, the Defense Commissioner of Puzhou, who led one of the main forces. The other troops were led by elite generals transferred from the imperial court, either a Pacification Commissioner or a Commander, all holding important positions, cooperating with Ma Zhen.

As soon as they entered Huyang, the imperial court's troops occupied prefectures and counties, guarding key passes and forming a mutually supporting strategic position, stretching the battle lines and forming a broad encirclement, confronting the Dragon King Stronghold's various water fortresses, without rushing into immediate attacks.

To avoid a complete blockade, the Dragon King Stronghold could not hold its main stronghold, so it naturally divided its forces to guard various places. Seeing this, it also temporarily held back, with each unit not taking the initiative to attack.

Only Zhou Jing, personally leading an army, traveled by water, taking advantage of the opponent's unstable foothold, heading straight for one of the main army's fortresses, intending to provoke them and assess the situation.

The waterborne march was quite fast. There were only small groups of enemy troops blocking the way, and Zhou Jing easily broke through, smoothly reaching the destination, a fortress by the lake, where he met the main force of the imperial court.

On the water around the fortress, the imperial navy's warships stretched endlessly, various types of warships forming squadrons, guarding the waterways around the fortress.

Although the Dragon King Stronghold also had an elite navy, the imperial court's warships were of higher quality in terms of craftsmanship and larger in number.

It could be seen that the imperial court had indeed invested heavily in this bandit suppression, and the level of support was not comparable to that of Lu Longchuan's invasion.

Because there were many enemy ships around the fortress, Zhou Jing did not order his troops to attack, but confronted them across the water, focusing his gaze on the fortress's tower.

On the tower of the fortress, a military flag embroidered with the character "Ma" fluttered.

Soon, he saw a group of armored generals appear on the tower, the leader being Ma Zhen, also observing this side from afar.

And "Ling Fengzi" Bill, currently in a placed state, followed Ma Zhen's side.

"This scene seems familiar..."

Zhou Jing muttered to himself.

Months ago, when Lu Longchuan attacked, they also provoked across the lake. Although not at the same pass, the scene was quite similar, himself on the water, the other on the tower.

The difference was that he had changed his upper body object.

Zhou Jing composed himself, mustered his inner strength, and laughed loudly:

"Last time your imperial court came to conquer, you ended up in a crushing defeat and complete annihilation. That Lu Longchuan was like a homeless dog, chased all over the place by us. It's only been a little time, and the imperial court has sent you fools to die again. Could it be that you think we didn't kill fast enough?!"

As soon as the words fell, the many warriors of the Dragon King Stronghold laughed, their morale soaring.

Ma Zhen looked serious and righteously said:

"Rebellious thieves, stop being arrogant! Chen Feng, the state has its laws, you openly plot rebellion and revolt, the crime is unforgivable. Now the imperial court has sent heavenly soldiers to destroy the rebels, and will surely turn you into ashes."

Zhou Jing stared at him, knowingly asking, "Are you the commander sent by the imperial court this time? Report your name!"

"This commander is the commander-in-chief of the three armies appointed by the Holy Emperor, Ma Zhen, descendant of the Duke of Yi."

"So, you are a descendant of the founding general, a scion of a noble family... Heh, good, I will use your head to offer a sacrifice for our uprising."

Zhou Jing shouted loudly.

Ma Zhen remained unmoved and said in a deep voice, "It is useless to say more to a thief like you. If you have the ability, come and try. If you can defeat this commander, then you have the skill."

After exchanging a few verbal blows, Zhou Jing stopped talking, took a spear from a soldier beside him, and used the same trick, throwing the spear from the bow of the ship.

Whoosh!

The spear streaked across the air, heading straight for the tower, making a sharp whistling sound.

Ma Zhen's expression did not change, and he calmly moved a few steps to the side. The spear passed through the position where he had originally stood, and was deeply nailed into the gatehouse, trembling non-stop.

"As expected of a master who can shake the world with martial arts, his arm strength is indeed extraordinary."

Ma Zhen did not even blink, casually commenting, without any fear.

Zhou Jing narrowed his eyes and nodded secretly.

This man's bearing and courage were stronger than Lu Longchuan's. He was a formidable figure.

After all, the imperial court was orthodox, with a rich foundation, attracting talents to serve, and there were always true talents under its command, far above the average greenwood heroes.

Because Ling Fengzi was beside Ma Zhen, Zhou Jing did not continue to throw spears, but moved his gaze over, raised his eyebrows and said:

"Ling Fengzi! Some time ago, you and I fought more than a dozen times, it was very enjoyable, but unfortunately you left without a fight in the end. I heard from the people of Tianwang Stronghold that you were poisoned by people from the imperial court, and had to retreat. How is it that you are now serving the imperial court?"

Ling Fengzi smiled slightly, and did not speak to defend himself.

Instead, Ma Zhen spoke on his behalf, saying loudly, "Thief Chen, the Real Person is wholeheartedly helping the Holy Emperor, with unparalleled loyalty, how can you mock him?"

Zhou Jing ignored him, and continued to shout loudly, "You and I have not yet decided the victor, would you like to get intimate today?"

Hearing this, Ling Fengzi was about to step down from the city wall.

At this moment, Ma Zhen held Ling Fengzi back and said solemnly:

"Real Person, there is no need to pay attention to this scoundrel. If he charges the formation, it will not be too late to deal with him then. If he retreats, then don't bother, lest you shake the morale of the army."

Ling Fengzi paused, nodded, and retreated to the side.

In his placement mode, Zhou Jing had specifically set up a plan to allow Ling Fengzi to act in a low-key manner in public. If it was not an important matter, there was no need to disobey Ma Zhen's orders, as long as he silently collected the content of military discussions and secretly transmitted them.

Seeing this, Zhou Jing did not insist on calling Ling Fengzi out to fight, provoked for a while, and then led his troops away.

He had only come to probe and did not intend to attack strongly.

"Indeed brave and extraordinary, difficult to eliminate..."

Ma Zhen narrowed his eyes.

He watched Zhou Jing leave, without sending anyone to pursue, but ordered the garrison to be vigilant to prevent the other side from making a sudden comeback.

Immediately, Ma Zhen and Ling Fengzi returned to the central army tent, summoned the high-level officers under their command, and convened a military meeting.

Ling Fengzi also listened in on the sidelines, which had been agreed upon in advance, and Ma Zhen had no objection.

When everyone was present, Ma Zhen opened his mouth and said:

"Now that the bandits are powerful and difficult to eliminate, do you generals have any suggestions?"

As soon as the words fell, Yuwen Yan, who had also been appointed to lead troops, stood up and cupped his fists:

"The strength of the bandits lies in three aspects. First, Chen Feng is brave and unstoppable, maintaining military morale and boosting morale. Second, the water network in Huyang is dense, and the bandits have the advantage of the terrain. Third, the bandits have been bewitching the people's hearts for many years, and are deeply supported by the villagers of Huyang... This general believes that to defeat the bandits, we must first start with one of them."

Ma Zhen nodded in agreement.

Before the expedition, he had analyzed the advantages of the bandits, the most prominent of which were these three points. If it were not for these three advantages, the Dragon King Stronghold, even with hundreds of thousands of troops, would be nothing more than a rabble in his eyes.

Yuwen Yan paused, and then smiled:

"Chen Feng's bravery is difficult to match, and cannot be broken for the time being, but he is only one person. If we spread out the battle line and attack on several routes, he can at most gain an advantage on one route, so we don't need to worry about it for the time being. And the other side has been entrenched in Huyang for a long time, and is familiar with the terrain, which is difficult to break, so let's not talk about it for the time being, so we must start with the third point.

As the art of war says, attacking the heart is the best strategy, and governing bandits is even more so. This general is willing to offer Marshal five strategies to defeat the bandits."

Ma Zhen raised his eyebrows: "Speak then."

Yuwen Yan responded, restrained his smile, and said solemnly:

"The first is the ten-household responsibility system. The local villagers in Huyang have mostly joined or assisted the bandits, and need to supervise each other with the responsibility system. If one household joins the bandits, ten households are responsible, mutually involved, in order to temporarily reduce the people's hearts to help the bandits, and deter the cunning people who attempt to collude with the bandits.

The second is to arrest the people whose family members have joined the bandits, or arrest the bandits' fellow villagers. These are all criminal people, and can be called rebel accomplices. According to the law, they should all be beheaded, but we will not kill them, but give them the opportunity to atone for their sins. During the battle, we will drive them to the front, forcing the enemy's army to be panic-stricken and demoralized, so that the bandits are tied up. If the bandits disregard it and kill and cut down, they will be internally unstable, buried hidden dangers, and will also lose the local support in Huyang.

The third is to pacify the people, and take a gentle approach to the obedient people, temporarily distributing land to appease them, and even temporarily pardon some of the criminal people, so that they can go to persuade the relatives or fellow villagers who have joined the bandits, so as to shake the people's hearts and make more people know that there are benefits to be gained by being obedient people, and the disadvantages of being bandits outweigh the advantages.

The fourth is to divide public opinion. In Huyang, villages and counties are dotted, and because of Chen Feng's atrocities, most of the gentry fled, and no one manages them. We can temporarily promote some local wealthy households, give them benefits, help our army govern the local area, and supervise who is colluding with the bandits in each household. Only when the imperial court wins can they keep their positions and continue to benefit, so that the villagers cannot unite as one. At the same time, we can drive the villagers from various places to live together in one place, and clear the fields in other places.

The fifth is to alienate the enemy's generals, promising some leaders in the bandits official positions and rewards in order to lure them.

... Although Chen Feng and the top-ranked leaders will not surrender, Chen Feng inherited the power of the Three Jiao of Huyang, and his subordinates are mixed, and may not be of one mind. For example, among those leaders who once belonged to the Three Jiao, there are naturally those who are not firm enough, who can be persuaded to surrender and alienated. They are unable to oppose the rebellion set by Chen Feng, so give them a way to be recruited, especially those original water bandit groups, which are easier to recruit.

These five strategies can be implemented in a multi-pronged approach, which can lead to fluctuating hearts of the enemy army and gradually split... But it takes enough time to implement. As long as we drag on through a winter, we will see initial results by next year, and at least five out of ten villagers who support Chen Feng will remain, and the longer the time, the better the effect."

After listening to the generals, they all showed astonished expressions and whispered to each other.

Ma Zhen pondered for a while, and nodded in appreciation: "This five strategies to defeat the bandits can dig up the foundation of the bandits. This marshal is very happy to hear it, and can act according to General Yuwen's strategy. No matter how strong that Chen Feng is, we will destroy his wings, divide his accomplices, and the bandits will naturally be defeated."

Everyone responded.

Ling Fengzi's eyes moved slightly.

Most of these five strategies are relatively practical. If the imperial court's army really does this, it can indeed cause a lot of trouble. These three of Ma Zhen are much more difficult to deal with than a reckless man like Lu Longchuan.

Everyone discussed for a while, and Ma Zhen let the generals disperse, and Ling Fengzi had to bid farewell and leave.

But after a while, the curtain of the central army tent was lifted again, but it was Yuwen Yan and Huang Ping who returned.

Ma Zhen beckoned the two to sit down, and then asked the guards to guard the vicinity, not allowing anyone to approach.

The three of them were the core decision-making level, the highest responsible persons for this trip, and had already formed a small circle, avoiding other generals for discussion, not wanting others to eavesdrop on the most important secrets.

Ma Zhen said in a deep voice: "Before the expedition, Privy Councilor Pang once hinted that we should try to fight for a longer time. The longer the time, the more benefits there will be. The bandits are not easy to deal with, but it is convenient to act."

The other two nodded.

Because Privy Councilor Pang Hong offered advice to the emperor and recommended them, the three of them were able to get this job, so they naturally had to sell Pang Hong's face, and as nobles, they also had the same interests.

The "benefits" that Ma Zhen said, the two of them knew what it meant... The longer the delay, the more military expenses the imperial court gave, and the more share they could embezzle.

Of course, the bulk of it had to be given to Privy Councilor Pang, who had worked so hard to find this money-making opportunity.

Therefore, the three of them had no intention of quickly defeating the bandits. Even though there were many troops under their command, they did not want to attack eagerly, but planned to drag it into a long war. Yuwen Yan's proposal was both a strategy to defeat the bandits and a hidden interest in himself.

"Let's not talk about this matter for the time being, let's deal with the bandits first, otherwise if we lose the battle, then these are all empty talk." Yuwen Yan smiled and pulled the topic back to the main point.

Ma Zhen narrowed his eyes and said, "The strategy you just offered, in my opinion, is still missing one."

"Oh? I would like to hear the details."

Ma Zhen slowly said: "Thief Chen claims to be rising up for the people, so we will let some soldiers pretend to be bandits, looting villages and oppressing the villagers, tarnishing Chen Feng's reputation, so that he can lose the hearts of the people faster and lose the foundation of his uprising."

"Marshal is right." Yuwen Yan smiled and complimented, seemingly not surprised.

Huang Ping said in a deep voice: "This matter will be handled by my department."

Ma Zhen nodded in agreement.

Among the three of them, Huang Ping's military management was the strictest, and he would basically not leak any information.

At this moment, Ma Zhen paused, and suddenly his eyes showed a cold light, and said:

"However, the war is changing rapidly, and our army has no chance of winning. If things cannot be done, we will send people to dig the river channel upstream, causing floods to flood Huyang and kill the thieves with water."

Yuwen Yan and Huang Ping were slightly shocked.

"This plan may be too ruthless. Huyang has always been prone to floods. If we cause floods again, countless people will be killed and injured. I am afraid that Huyang will be empty in the future..."

Yuwen Yan frowned and said.

Ma Zhen was expressionless: "Kindness does not control soldiers. If our army is defeated, the imperial court will be greatly damaged, and it will be difficult to contain the bandits. In this case, what is wrong with exchanging the peace of the country with one place in Huyang? Besides, Huyang has always been plagued by bandits, and there are many who join the bandits, so it is not a pity to die."

"Well... Marshal is right, but this is a plan to kill the family. It should not be used until it is critical, and it must not be revealed, otherwise there will be many incidents."

Huang Ping slowly opened his mouth, without explicitly opposing it.

He also meant the same thing. If he was defeated, he would definitely be blamed when he returned to the imperial court. It would naturally be better to maintain victory and future with the lives of a group of common people.

What if the people are not living well, I am going to lose, why should I care about you?

Yuwen Yan worried: "If this plan is known to the Real Person, it will not be good. The Real Person does not want to kill too much, saying that it will interfere with the harmony of heaven, will we ruin his Taoism by doing this?"

"Then don't let him know. When the matter is a foregone conclusion, it will be useless even if he is unwilling."

Ma Zhen waved his hand, not paying much attention.

Although he respected Ling Fengzi and knew that he also had to rely on the Real Person in this battle, he would not change his decision as a commander because of this.

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