Chương 212: Strategist's Ingenious Plan, Grassland Ambush Team

Liu Ce finished the last bite of rice, put down his bowl, wiped his mouth, and said seriously, "Let's get down to business. 80, 000 Xianbei and 20, 000 Goguryeo, that's 100, 000 in total. The operation is scheduled for July... It's mid-June now, we still have half a month to prepare."

He looked at Lu Bingdao: "Is the information reliable?"

"Absolutely reliable!" Lu Bing patted his chest.

"Our brothers from the Embroidered Uniform Guard infiltrated the Xianbei royal court's cooks and overheard their discussions. We also have people in Goguryeo who witnessed Kisu's troop mobilization."

Liu Ce nodded.

Liu Ce had the food removed and a sand table brought out—this was made based on the latest intelligence from the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The mountains, rivers, cities, and passes of the grasslands, Youzhou, and Liaodong were clearly visible, and even the encampments of the various Xianbei tribes were clearly marked.

"Gentlemen," Liu Ce tapped the edge of the sand table, "80, 000 Xianbei cavalry and 20, 000 Goguryeo soldiers will attack in July. How should we entertain these 'guests'?"

The strategists' eyes lit up: there were battles to fight, merits to be earned, and meat to eat!

Guo Jia was the first to speak, grinning slyly, "My lord, these two are a classic 'steppe wolf + peninsula money-grubber' combination, bound together solely by mutual benefit! The best way to deal with this kind of temporary gang is—to let them fight amongst themselves!"

He leaned closer to the sand table, pointing with his finger, and said, "Let's spread some false information first, saying that the Xianbei have secretly made an agreement with us to exchange the heads of Goguryeo people for ironware and salt from Youzhou. Then we'll have the Imperial Guards disguise themselves as Goguryeo spies and 'accidentally' leak this information to the Goguryeo leader, Jixu."

Guo Jia chuckled and said, "Let them fight amongst themselves before the battle even begins! Even if they don't fight amongst themselves, they'll have to be wary of each other, greatly reducing their fighting strength! Most importantly, this plan costs us nothing; it's just spreading a rumor!"

"Brilliant!"

Xi Zhicai immediately chimed in, adding, "And there's the internal situation within the Xianbei! Kui Tou and Qian Man are already outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds. Let's spread some rumors that Qian Man is planning to secretly seize Kui Tou's pastures and tribes while he's heading south. Let's set the Xianbei's backyard on fire! Even if it doesn't actually ignite, it'll make them wary of each other and disrupt their command structure! This plan is a sure win!"

Xun Yu said earnestly, "Your plans are all brilliant, but logistics and the hearts of the people are the foundation. I will make the arrangements now. Have all the border counties of Youzhou implement a scorched-earth policy, move all grain and ironware into the cities, and either seal off the wells or add some croton seeds to them, leaving them not a single grain of rice or a drop of clean water!"

He paused, then continued, "Furthermore, have the local school teachers post notices and go door-to-door, informing the people that the Xianbei are coming to rob us of grain, women, and children. The people will surely be of one mind with us, and they'll defend the city even more fiercely than our soldiers!"

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui exchanged a glance, and Fang Xuanling spoke up: "My lord, we can still organize the local militia to dig pits and set up tripwires outside the city. When the Xianbei cavalry arrive, they'll be sent sprawling face-first into the mud!"

We also need to consider post-war governance. What should we do with the Xianbei prisoners? If Goguryeo is defeated, should we accept our losses and withdraw, or seize the opportunity to take it over? These are all things that need to be planned in advance.

Du Ruhui nodded and said, "The autumn harvest is imminent. We can organize the people to rush the harvest, and then transport the harvested grain directly into the city's granaries. Also, Xuanling is right, especially about Goguryeo—if we only repel them, they will come again next year or the year after. We might as well take this opportunity to take them down in one fell swoop and eliminate future troubles!"

Xun You remained silent, his eyes fixed on the sand table wall. Suddenly, he spoke up: "My lord, we can still go for something big—we can strike at the heart of the problem!"

Everyone looked at him.

Xun You pointed to the location of the Xianbei royal court: "While the main force of the Xianbei is heading south, send an elite light cavalry force to sneak into their stronghold. Burn their winter fodder, and take control of their tribal families and elders..."

He laughed and said, "When the Xianbei cavalry at the front hear that their homeland has been captured, their fodder burned, and their wives and children in our hands, their morale will surely collapse! We can subdue them without a fight!"

"Excellent!" Liu Ce exclaimed, slapping the table in admiration.

"Gongda's plan is insidious! No, it's brilliant!"

Xu Shu was thrilled and couldn't help but interject, "We can even set up an ambush on the Xianbei's inevitable route! They come from the grasslands, so they'll definitely take those routes. Let's lay an ambush in advance."

Chen Gong said coldly, "It's time to bring out those Wuhuan prisoners from the Guiyi Camp and let them see some blood. Let them lead the charge; it will both deplete the Xianbei forces and test their loyalty."

Cheng Yu said in a sinister tone, "Goguryeo is even easier to handle. They want to 'scavenge' the scraps, right? We'll prepare some 'scraps' for them. We'll set up a few fake granaries on the border, fill them with hay, and sprinkle some grain on top. When the Goguryeo people come rushing to loot, we'll burn them down. They won't even have time to cry!"

Just as everyone was chatting away, Guo Jia suddenly curled up a sly smile, his gaze sweeping over the crowd and precisely locking onto Jia Xu, who was slacking off.

Jia Xu, huddled behind the crowd, squinted his eyes, nodding his head as if he were about to fall asleep—a typical example of someone taking a paid break.

Jia Xu, who was already half-closing his eyes to observe people's expressions, suddenly felt a malicious gaze fixed on him. He instantly snapped out of it, turned his head and met Guo Jia's amused smile. His heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself: "Damn it, this Guo kid has his eye on me! Don't look at me, don't look at me, I haven't thought of any ideas yet, you come up with your own!"

Before he could pull his head back, Guo Jia turned to Liu Ce with a sly smile and said in a mischievous tone, "My lord, look at the commotion here, Wenhe has been silent the whole time, he must be plotting something big. Why don't you let him say something?"

As soon as he said this, the room fell silent, and everyone turned to look at Jia Xu.

Jia Xu was so angry that his teeth itched, and he cursed Guo Jia eight hundred times in his heart: Guo Fengxiao, you are a disgrace! It's not enough for you to show off yourself, you have to drag me down with you. You're practically a murderer!

Liu Ce smiled and looked at Jia Xu, his eyes full of anticipation, saying, "Wenhe, look, everyone here is speaking freely, but you've been keeping quiet. You must be pondering a brilliant plan. Don't keep it to yourself, speak up and let's all discuss it!"

Jia Xu put on a gentle, harmless smile, waving his hands and repeatedly declining, his tone extremely polite: "My lord is too kind. I have no brilliant ideas whatsoever. What you all said just now was all very insightful and comprehensive. Compared to you, my humble thoughts are nothing but scraps, completely identical. It would be a waste of breath to speak of them, so let's not say anything!"

As he spoke, he shrank back, looking like he was saying, "I'm just here to make up the numbers, don't bother me," as if he wanted to disappear on the spot.

Xi Zhicai, standing to the side, was trying so hard not to laugh that his shoulders were shaking, and he was secretly winking at Guo Jia... Xun You stroked his chin and chuckled, having long seen through Jia Xu's reluctance to take the lead... Even the usually serious Tian Feng twitched his lips.

Liu Ce chuckled at Jia Xu's expression, then gave him a "friendly" smile and said, "Tell me about it!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Xu looked at Liu Ce's smile and then said something similar: "Burn their pastures directly. It's June now, the grass is lush. Burn it down, and the Xianbei's warhorses will have no grass to eat. Let's see how they fight then. Also, the policy on prisoners of war needs to be adjusted. Leave no survivors on the battlefield. Build a mound of heads and arrange the corpses in the shape of 'Those who offend our mighty Han, though far away, will be punished.'

Let the word spread throughout the grasslands: 'Those who provoke Youzhou will die without a complete corpse.'"

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