The Demon Lords-Chapter 611 - 101: Expedition_2

"On this expedition, I will take Li Fusheng's garrison with me, and Li Bao's unit will join us as well. With that, we'll already have one hundred thousand cavalry. That's sufficient."

"How much of this one hundred thousand cavalry is just for show? Both these garrisons suffered enormous losses in the previous war, fighting all the way to the imperial capital. Less than a year has passed. Even if their numbers have been replenished, are they still the same Zhenbei Army cavalry they once were?"

"Against the wild people, it's more than enough."

"That's what Situ Lei thought initially too. Eldest Brother, don't try to pull rank on me. You've led troops for many years. Even if you haven't actually fought a war, you should understand some of the principles of warfare."

"Are you here to lecture your elder brother?"

"Oh, I wouldn't dare! Absolutely not. Regarding this expedition, little brother has a suggestion: you should try to take more troops. Li Bao's garrison has to defend Quhe; at most, you can only draw twenty thousand cavalry from there. Li Fusheng's entire unit *could* be mobilized, but there's no real need for that. Announcing one hundred thousand, only to immediately withdraw fifty thousand—that's too blatant a move. Taking thirty thousand should be about right.

Gather fifty thousand Zhenbei Army cavalry, then set out from the capital. We still have some imperial guards in the capital who weren't moved out last time, don't we? Great! This time, clear them all out, take them all to Jin land. You should be able to scrape together another twenty or thirty thousand that way. Time to scrape the bottom of this rice barrel.

Along the way, the county soldiers from Tiancheng Prefecture and the other prefectures—take any you deem fit. You should be able to pull together a force of seventy or eighty thousand like that. When the Eldest Prince of Great Yan personally leads an expedition, he should have an army of at least one hundred and fifty thousand to make a show of strength, shouldn't he?"

The Eldest Prince looked at his sixth younger brother.

This calculation seemingly turns my planned one hundred thousand into one hundred and fifty thousand, but the actual combat effectiveness would be diluted by more than just a little.

Local county soldiers, the remaining imperial guards in the capital... the combat capabilities of these troops simply can't compare to those of the Zhenbei Army or Jingnan Army.

However, the Eldest Prince knew, of course, that his sixth brother wouldn't make such suggestions just to tease him. After pondering for a moment, he asked,

"What's your reasoning?"

"Father didn't use Lord Jingnan this time. Let's set aside the matter of suspicion between ruler and subject—frankly, there's not much to discuss there. We need to look at this from another angle.

Crushing the powerful clans was about cleansing the realm—the land, the imperial court, the populace. To put it plainly, it was about clearing out the local powers and the court. After that major war, Father has indeed consolidated his control over the situation. So, naturally, the next thing to be dealt with is... military authority."

"You really dare to say anything, don't you?"

"Heh, if Father truly wanted to have me executed by roasting, would he really need the excuse of 'gaining guilt through words'?"

"This is an expedition, a war. If court matters interfere too much with military affairs, it will..."

"Zheng Fan once said that war is the continuation of politics by other means.

Eldest Brother, in Beifeng Prefecture, the Zhenbei Army's original strength of three hundred thousand has already been reduced by half. Although you brought imperial guards as reinforcements, in the local areas, hasn't the Zhenbei Army already started conscripting local elites to replenish its own ranks?"

"They have."

"Exactly. The disarray in Great Yan's military system... Eldest Brother, as a commander, you understand it better than I do. Tiancheng Prefecture is relatively stable, but the military commanders in some of the other prefectures have been living a bit too comfortably. It's time to sort them out.

This time, on your expedition, take this group with you. If they fight well, they can be forged into new elite troops. Even taking a step back, for some of them, it might be better to find an excuse to... eliminate them."

The Eldest Prince picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"Is that a hint for me to leave?" the Sixth Prince asked.

"I was thirsty."

"Oh, heh heh."

"So, you came to remind me of this?"

"Yes. There are some things Father can't conveniently say to you. We, his sons, must figure them out for ourselves. Perhaps this is also a test from Father for you, Eldest Brother."

"I only know how to lead troops. Nothing else."

"Eldest Brother, you're being too modest."

"If Father were to discover that I could discern his intentions, what do you think he would imagine?"

Throughout history, a prince who becomes a great general either ends up as emperor or dies a terrible, terrible death.

"Eldest Brother, do you think I'm digging a pit for you?"

The Eldest Prince shook his head. "Not to that extent."

"Indeed. If I were to dig a pit, it would be for our Second Brother."

"Heh heh, if our Second Brother heard you say that, who knows how furious he'd become."

"If I don't anger him now, will that mean no trouble from him in the future?"

Such heart-stabbing words.

"I know our Second Brother fairly well. But enough about him. Rest assured, Eldest Brother, Father won't become suspicious of you because of this."

"Why not?"

"Didn't you go and spirit away the Old Barbarian King's youngest daughter and bring her back to the capital?"

The Eldest Prince's gaze sharpened as he stared at the Sixth Prince.

"That little cook in your residence—I'll take him with me when I leave later, alright?" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"The one who makes crusty pancakes?"

"That's the one."

"Leave him. She likes the crusty pancakes he makes."

"Eldest Brother, you don't mind?"

The Eldest Prince shook his head. "We both know I'll never sit on that throne."

"Eldest Brother, you are truly magnanimous."

"It's just that the next time Father decides to deal with you, I won't have to feel any sympathy for you."

"Alright then. Eldest Brother, there's a deputy steward in your gatehouse. You might want to pay some attention to him too."

"Heh, so all of you have been planting your people in my residence?"

"Well, who asked you to be the first to establish your own princely residence? We younger brothers have always lived together, side-by-side in the Princes' Conclave. If we wanted to plant people elsewhere, there was nowhere else to plant them!"