Nine dragons fight for the throne, I don't want to sit on this throne

Chapter 1823 Chu Ning's Plan

The opinions of the two generals represented two completely different strategic directions, which immediately caused heated discussions in the tent.

"I agree with General Zhao! Defeat Huo Guang first and eat this piece of fat meat!"

"Otherwise! General Ran is right. We should seize Hongdu in one fell swoop! With the city, everything will be easy!"

"The casualties from the siege are too high! We should first fight in the field and annihilate the enemy!"

"If we can't win a quick victory in the field, what will happen if the defenders in the city come out and attack us?"

"We can send a part of our troops to monitor Hongdu, and concentrate our main force to encircle and annihilate Huo Guang!"

"The troops are already insufficient, further division is a big taboo!"

There was a sudden commotion in the tent, with the generals expressing their opinions and arguing endlessly.

Some supported Ran Ming's siege plan, some supported Zhao Yu's strategy of attacking the reinforcements, and some proposed a compromise plan, but it seemed that none of them could perfectly solve the current core dilemma of insufficient manpower.

All the voices eventually died down, and everyone's eyes were once again focused on Chu Ning, who had been silent on the throne, waiting for his final decision.

This strategic decision, which concerns the fate of the country, falls on his shoulders alone.

Chu Ning's cold snort was not loud, but it was like a cold wind with icy chips, instantly sweeping through the entire noisy tent.

All the generals who were arguing fiercely seemed to have their throats strangled. The noise stopped abruptly, and everyone's eyes were focused in awe on the stern-faced young emperor sitting on the throne.

Chu Ning slowly stood up, his hands resting on the edge of the sand table. He swept his cold gaze over the generals who had just argued fiercely, and a mocking sneer curled up at the corner of his mouth: "Attacking Huo Guang? That's easy to say! Are the 50,000 defenders in Hongdu City wooden? Will they watch us encircle and annihilate their vanguard reinforcements and remain indifferent?"

"Once our main force is attracted by Huo Guang, the defenders in the city will surely rush out in full force to attack our flanks! By then, our army will be in a desperate situation, attacked from both sides!"

He changed the subject and pointed his finger heavily at the model of Hongdu City on the sand table:

"Then attack Hongdu City first? Humph, Ran Ming, tell me, with our current 60,000 troops, how long will it take to capture this fortified city with 50,000 defenders and ample food and supplies?"

"One day? Two days? Or ten days or half a month? By the time your side has suffered heavy casualties, your divisions are exhausted, and you still haven't been able to break through the city, Huo Guang's 30,000 fresh troops will arrive and join forces with the defenders inside and outside the city!"

"What will become of our army then? Won't we suffer an even more crushing defeat?!"

This calm and cruel analysis was like a pour of cold water on one's head, instantly leaving Ran Ming, who had been the most aggressive in the fight, speechless and blushing.

He stamped his foot and said urgently, "Your Majesty! This won't work, and that won't work! We can't just sit there and watch Liu Xiu's 200,000-strong army come and engulf us, can we? You have to make a decision!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"We can't just sit there and wait for death!"

Other generals also spoke up, their faces showing anxiety and unwillingness.

Passive waiting is indeed a way to death.

In this tense atmosphere, the sneer on Chu Ning's face suddenly transformed into a confident arc, as if everything was under control. He looked around at the generals and said in a steady and powerful voice, "Don't worry. Since I have summoned you here, I have naturally thought everything through. How could I be helpless?"

His words instantly attracted the attention of all the generals, and you could hear a pin drop in the tent.

Chu Ning drew a large circle on the sand table, eventually encircling both the direction Huo Guang came from and Hongdu City. He said in a firm tone, "Huo Guang, I want to eat him!"

"I will take Hongdu City too! I won't let go of either of these two pieces of meat!"

"what?"

Zhao Yu's expression suddenly changed when he heard this. He even suspected that he had heard it wrongly.

"Your Majesty! Our army is already at a disadvantage. If we divide our forces and attack two places simultaneously, this... this is too risky!"

"If we encounter any setback along the way, everything will be lost! Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

Chu Ning suddenly waved his hand, interrupting Zhao Yu's advice with an unquestionable attitude:

"My decision is made! I won't split my forces blindly, but rather deploy them in an orderly manner and coordinate the attack, leaving them unable to take care of each other!"

He stopped keeping the secret and began to clearly issue a series of orders, showcasing his superb tactical planning: "First, pass on my order: From now on, abandon the defense of Changjian and other surrounding cities, and only maintain a minimum defense force."

"Order all scattered troops to converge on the main camp outside Hongdu City as quickly as possible, at all costs!"

"I must restore the military strength here to 100,000 in the shortest possible time!"

The generals were encouraged and decided that concentrating their forces was the first smart move.

"When the army has gathered..."

Chu Ning cast his gaze towards Zhao Yu, "Zhao Yu, listen to my orders!"

"The general is here!"

"I grant you 30,000 elite cavalry! Your mission is not to attack the city, nor to confront Huo Guang head-on!"

"Instead, we used the cavalry's mobility to bypass Hongdu's sight and advance to a dangerous spot on the road Huo Guang's army had to pass through. We then used the terrain to set up an ambush!"

"Attack them relentlessly. We don't seek complete annihilation, but we must inflict as much casualties as possible and delay their forces, pinning them firmly in place so they can't successfully approach Hongdu City! Is it possible?"

A gleam of light flashed in Zhao Yu's eyes, and he instantly understood the emperor's intention.

This is not a simple war of annihilation, but a classic strategy of "siege the point and attack the reinforcements", except that they have to attack the "point" and "reinforcements" at the same time!

He immediately clasped his fists and said confidently, "I will obey your orders! I will not fail you!"

Chu Ning nodded and turned his gaze to Ran Ming, who was already rubbing his hands in anticipation: "Ran Ming, listen to my orders!"

"I'm here!"

Ran Ming roared excitedly.

Chu Ning said in a deep voice: "When General Zhao attracts and entangles Huo Guang, it is time for you to take action!"

"I place the remaining 70,000 troops under your command! Spare no expense, attack Hongdu City day and night!"

Chu Ning's voice was tinged with coldness: "I don't want you to take the city immediately, but I want you to show your momentum and exert pressure!"

"We must make the defenders in the city feel unprecedented pressure and feel that the city is about to fall! We must make it impossible for them to be distracted and dare not allocate troops to rescue Huo Guang!"

He looked at the generals and explained, "In this way, although our army may appear to be divided, we are actually coordinating operations under the same strategic goal."

"Zhao Yu's troops have tied up Huo Guang, preventing him from entering the city and providing effective support."

"Ran Ming's troops attacked Hongdu fiercely, leaving the defenders unable to take care of themselves and unable to leave the city."

"If both sides exert enormous pressure at the same time, they will be unable to support each other and will have to fight on their own!"

Chu Ning's eyes flashed with calculation. "Even if you, Ran Ming, fail to capture Hongdu City immediately, as long as Zhao Yu can successfully defeat or even completely annihilate Huo Guang's 30,000 vanguards, it will be like cutting off an arm of Liu Xiu and greatly dampening the morale of the Han army!"

"When the news gets back to Hongdu, the defenders inside the city will learn that the reinforcements have been annihilated and that external support has been cut off. Their morale will inevitably collapse!"

He clenched his fist and raised his voice, "When that happens, our two armies will unite and, with the momentum of a great victory, storm this isolated city where the people are in a state of panic!"

"Let me ask you, how long can Hongdu hold out? How can it not be conquered?"