Chapter 199: Before The Decisive Battle, Retreat Three Times First
Tong Zheng Calendar Year 1, August. Before resolving to head south, Xuan Chong returned to the Ling River Four Commanderies once.
At this time, many farmlands in the four commanderies were cultivating soybean seedlings, and oil presses were being newly built at the water conservancy workshops.
As for farther away, there were places raising livestock; the war horses used by the army were now being artificially bred here, with mares starting to foal litter after litter in warm areas. On the roads, one could see cowherds driving over a hundred large and small cattle and horses.
Since the Southern Border locally could not consume so much grain, and the cost of transporting it north was too high, it was better to let immigrants come over. But currently, immigrants were not equipped to live good lives on this already developed land in the Ling River Four Commanderies. Factories in Zhenzhou needed workers, and in the even more southern colonial sites, Xuan Chong’s unparalleled achievements even more needed these immigrants to contribute.
Xuan Chong had always been thinking about how to localize the application of food and grass.
The project with the greatest consumption of food and grass is war, but war cannot be sustained indefinitely.
For example, outside Yongji Pass and in Fen Xing City, the fields developed by soldiers were purchased with subsidies in the early years; but after the frontline advanced to the Ling River, the subsidies stopped, and now they have all been changed to high-value plantations such as mulberry fields and cotton fields.
And the Ling River Four Commanderies are not the frontline either, with grain prices falling year by year. Thanks to proper regulation, timely conversion to soybean fields prevented farmers from being hurt by cheap grain.
As for the string of new farmlands opened up along the trade route behind “Ting Zhu Tan” in the future? With the army leaving, their supporting agricultural output will also produce a surplus. — Therefore, it is necessary to consider how to sustain these local industries that supplied the army after military operations end.
Xuan Chong’s governance team has incorporated these forward-looking future issues into the “governance scope.” And this is the characteristic of modernization governance.
Modernization means industry and commerce on a large scale promoting production to increase enthusiasm. And how exactly is “enthusiasm” increased?
In his previous life, Xuan Chong’s group of “economics” majors purely turned this professional issue into a “religion.” A bunch of economics majors who do not practice or investigate, but preach certain grand theories like missionaries.
Xuan Chong, on the other hand, established economics according to military logistics thinking.
Xuan Chong would count every basic family, clan, and even merchant group responsible for “production and supply for the army.” Precisely calculating the possible profits and losses of these units when producing each military supply item as prices fluctuate.
Now, the task of Xuan Chong’s administrative departments is to ensure that after military operations end and the military market shrinks, these private units responsible for production can still keep the region’s “production chain” running.
Xuan Chong: Don’t wait until soldiers are needed again to seek local food and grass, weapons, and other supply chains; those suppliers will be nowhere to be found because they stopped making money long ago.
Before modernization, governance by feudal nobles worldwide lacked this set of “industrial regulation theory.”
Xuan Chong’s historical summary: All dynasties are extremely strong in military capability during the founding period, but after letting the horses graze in the southern mountains, when facing another wave of military challenges, sudden mobilization makes the old Great Empire like high blood pressure suddenly standing up, resulting in a stroke.
Mid-dynasty mobilization of large armies leads to massive shortages of military supplies, necessitating plundering levies on small and medium production families like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. Even if the war is won, the large number of bankrupt families internally will immediately create instability for the dynasty, leading it downhill.
Only after entering modernization and consciously maintaining “strategic industries” stable can the mid-dynasty “mobilization crisis” be alleviated.
After entering this field, Xuan Chong found that knowledge and experience from his previous life were completely unusable.
Because when he needed economic theory to solve problems, he discovered that those “top economics” business schools from his previous life were all abroad, spreading a lot of garbage information relying on their reputation.
If he really copied their economic theories to solve the current transition between military economy and production economy, Xuan Chong felt he might as well wash his neck and wait for others to behead him.
Speaking of which, Western economics in Xuan Chong’s previous life had a major regression compared to a hundred years ago? This inevitably brings up the erroneous business thinking intrusion from a certain “nomadic tribe.”
Before this “ideological invasion,” global economics was still quite normal. The West used “a stick and a carrot” for commerce, and the East used “thunder and rain are all graces from heaven,” meaning after military conquest, to maintain rule, stability was sustained economically, which to some extent benefited the locals.
Xuan Chong: When our side militarily conquers a region, after military operations end, the industrial chain built for the military can still benefit the locals. Even if the beneficiaries are the people of the hostile forces originally in military opposition.
Xuan Chong’s current strategy for Thorn Ridge is the same, not only to fight, but to establish a “mutual benefit” mechanism. Xuan Chong is now building nurseries in the north, supplying fertilizer to the transplanted tree spirits, which is a very good model.
That is, the “soybean cake” that farmland farmers are now switching to plant is exactly the product that Thorn Ridge tree people can consume; and Xuan Chong has also solved the problem of “maintaining military production capacity after war,” which is a win-win self-resolution.
In the future, when our forces become an indispensable part of the local area, economic chips can be used. To replace military chips in solving local problems.
The “nomadic tribe” has no experience in governing countries, always wandering, and their commerce does not consider “benefiting” others.
This wisdom of wandering for a thousand years: “If I have an advantage in commerce, it means I am superior, and after I am superior, I can destroy you.” “Benefiting you, proving to you that you need me? No such thing, once I prosper, I don’t need you, you should die.”
Xuan Chong: If you don’t prove to others that “this place needs me,” you are destined to wander; and this time in the southern expedition, I must prove to all forces that our side is an important party in maintaining local economic development and security.
After Shen Wanqing received the token from Xuan Chong’s military tent, he immediately became a hotshot figure.
Multiple powerful clans in Lingnan sensed that Shen Wanqing was about to become a “hot stove” and prepared to add firewood. Letters shuttled among the major noble families. The future Grass Returning Pill link would depend on the local prefect. But they had no inkling of the new industries like “soybean cake” and “root nodule soil.”
…Great War is about to begin…
Tong Zheng Calendar Year 1, October 4th. After discovering the Sea of Trees Group actively beginning large-scale assembly, Xuan Chong ordered the rear army to end their vacation and collectively rush over to proactively meet the decisive battle.
When Yellow Springs Willow, Ten Thousand Needle Pine, Snake Habitat Bamboo continuously gathered from the Sea of Trees, crow people sentinels in hot air balloons spotted the enemy’s movements.
The many voices previously roaring to rampage through the Sea of Trees now turned into the chirping of all plants and trees being soldiers.
Hmm, these hundred thousand trees here are indeed a hundred thousand soldiers.
The troop strength gathered by Xuan Chong at Ting Zhu Tan now totals five thousand five hundred sixty-seven people, plus over sixteen thousand eight hundred merchant caravan armed personnel responsible for guarding the port and city.
Xuan Chong roughly estimated that the corps numbers of these tree people and Forest Feather People were at least three to four times their own, with absolute numerical advantage. Since tree people themselves sustain via photosynthesis without needing supplies, the scale is even larger than the Black Tide back then.
At the strategy meeting, Xuan Chong stated: “If we let such a large corps directly attack our barrier, even if we can defend, there will be considerable losses; the enemy has freedom in fighting or retreating, holding the initiative.”
Xuan Chong emphasized several rivers on the map and marked them.
“Tree people can obtain minerals via rivers, then fuse with other trees to repair.” Xuan Chong stressed this point at the non-commissioned officers’ meeting.
At this point, Xuan Chong pointed forward, selecting the decisive battle location right ahead. “And here, lacking water sources, after a massive tree cluster gathers, due to insufficient evaporation, they will inevitably proactively decisive battle with us. If our army seizes here, backed by a natural spring eye, we can seize the battle initiative.”
After Xuan Chong finished explaining, the many non-commissioned officers supplemented, and the whole army began the assault.
As tree people buzzed and shook branches, advancing toward the Northern “Dark Legion” barrier. Wu Family Army infantry used mountain-splitting sabers and barrier-breaking axes, constantly clearing paths in the jungle.
Ultimately, the Wu Family Army’s first battalion of one thousand five hundred as vanguard corps arrived at the predetermined battlefield three days earlier than the Feather Tribe scout teams. And seized the high ground with the best visibility.
…Sea of Trees encounters orthodox military strategist for the first time…
Several hours later, the subsequent third and tenth battalions, three thousand Wu Family Army, arrived.
On the high ground, Xuan Chong looked at the map and ordered to yield the currently occupied position to subsequent troops for garrison and rest, while the rested vanguard army continued advancing five kilometers.
The non-commissioned officers were puzzled by this, and Wu Hong asked as representative: “My lord, why not wait at ease for the fatigued enemy?”
After Xuan Chong planned the series of supply stations with only thatched sheds along the way on the map, he knocked on the table, signaling his student nearby to speak.
Wu Rui, receiving the order, said to Wu Hong: “It’s precisely to wait at ease for the fatigued enemy.”
Five hours later, the vanguard troops marched rapidly again, with corps flanks maintaining cavalry troops of one hundred to three hundred in scale, while in the main formation march, ranged troops alternated cover, heavy shield infantry guarded ahead. The whole army carried only three days of compressed dry rations.
At this stage, some huge eagles and falcons flew over from the jungle attempting to intercept; but the hand cannon troops were all loaded. As these huge birds swooped from the air, after a neat volley of gunfire, they all fell down.
After firing this round, Xuan Chong ordered the whole army to temporarily withdraw.
Next, Xuan Chong sent elite scouts again, confirming the enemy tree people troops were still en route, so they lit torches and advanced another five kilometers overnight, finally as vanguard troops meeting the arriving Thorn Ridge mixed corps.
…Two armies face each other…
In the tree people formation, the Forest Feather Tribe Queen, as vanguard pursuing the retreating Xi People troops, had her head flower crown now retracted into buds.
And she herself sat on a bull with moss-covered body comparable to a tank, surveying the Wu Family Army’s shield formation. At this Forest Queen’s feet was a dense flowing “shrubbery” flood.
This flood was over two thousand medium tree people, two meters tall, topped with a rotten tree stump as head, wielding fairly sturdy wooden arms, creaking like wooden blocks colliding in a mudslide, charging forward.
The troops led by the Forest Queen were also vanguard; farther behind her in the forest, giant woods were slowly stepping forward, leaves in the jungle swaying, applauding the arrival of the ancient jungle lord.
Back to Xuan Chong’s side, crow people first spotted this large-scale enemy assault. Thus, the southern expedition Wu Family Army immediately changed formation to defensive posture.
Three quarters of an hour later, as the “pin”-shaped square formations arrayed, the “shrubbery”-composed flood arrived, beginning to impact these blocks of “reefs.”
Wu Family Army front-row shield soldiers blocked the tree branch strikes like wooden hammers, but spear thrusts could not effectively damage these hard-bodied tree people;
Thus, the formation changed again, the original hundred-man arrays dispersed into small arrays of twenty shield-spear soldiers; as arrays separated, the “tree people” flood penetrated into the “stone” grains like water, entering these gaps.
And the tree people’s prior impacts were blocked by the large array, but now they could not charge these “stone” grains.
In two small military arrays, two long spears pinned these tree people from left and right, then troops with mountain-splitting sabers rushed out to quickly sever the tree people’s limbs.
The Xi People corps gradually gained the upper hand in the melee.
…Chopping wood…
On the Feather Tribe Queen’s side, about two to three hundred archers tried to provide covering fire, but were pounced on squarely by Wen Si Ting riding a Winged Tiger. When the tiger pounced, over ten feather people standing together were scattered flying. If they were normal Da Yao armored soldiers, the Winged Tiger could only pounce four or five, but their bodies were too light.
Subsequently, rumbling shock sounds came from the ground, Wen Si Ting’s heavy cavalry charged over, this wave of charge completely ended the Feather Tribe’s possibility of using archers for long-range projection interference on the battlefield.
When Fire Rhinoceros Cavalry scattered the Feather Tribe, then turned to impact the shrubbery tree spirits, the crisis around the Wu Family Army shield formation was immediately lifted.
Half an hour after this battle ended, crashing sounds of large trees falling came from afar.
Three-zhang-tall giant tree people and those two-man-high medium tree people were rushing over rustlingly.
Xuan Chong looked at the forward formation and issued the order: Withdraw again, masters cover the rear.
As masters set up altars and cast spells, borrowing a north wind, then Wu Family Army lit damp firewood piles, letting smoke blow toward the direction the southern tree people were coming from, then without any reluctance, turned and ran, withdrawing to three kilometers north.
And in the thatched sheds three kilometers north, there happened to be water sources and firewood for a brief rest.
These two legs ran faster than the slow tree people, and hit-and-run was quite stimulating.
…Guerrilla…
Tree people arrived at the scene through thick smoke, saw the charred corpses of their own kin, and emitted dense tremors. Since they had no throats, they could only low-frequency vibrate branches to express anger.
As for the dead feather people, tree people inserted vines into the corpses lying on the ground.
Soon these corpses sprouted, and in a few days, they would turn into little tree imps. Meanwhile, the nearby feather people silently chanted elegies; for them, this was their clansmen reborn after death.
An most ancient Pine Tree Person stepped forward, its root system tendrils piercing into the soil with every step. It came before the Wu Family Army’s wheel tracks, branch tendrils seeping into the earth, then raised a wooden greatsword pointing north.
The ancient tree person’s weathered wooden branches began to drum and vibrate, the rear tree people continued stepping forward. Some trees had to withdraw roots just inserted into the soil to suck groundwater.
Three kilometers away, Xuan Chong sensed the bells clanging, confirming tree people were pursuing; but he was not anxious, letting most troops continue resting, dispatching a Palace Attendant with elites to confront ahead.
…Withdraw, withdraw, withdraw…
One hour later, when tree people were only five hundred paces from Xuan Chong’s vanguard troops, Xuan Chong chose to withdraw another three kilometers again, beginning to rest.
At this time, the tree people troops that had finally messily assembled over there began moving again. Compared to the Wu Family Army’s formations moving in disciplined square blocks; the actions among these tree people were like a mass of taffy: Bamboo People interspersed on Willow People; Willow People’s supple branches hung on Cypress People. This batch of flowing trees squeezing and scraping each other was fine, but the feather people originally mixed on the giant trees suffered.
Compared to tree people’s rough bodies ignoring friction, the flesh and blood of feather people sitting on branches could not withstand collisions and squeezes between trees; the longbows they carried were even less able to endure such damage, and many injured feather people had to fall behind.
And feather people were precisely this batch of tree people corps’ long-range shooting force and mobile pursuit troops.
After Xuan Chong’s troops’ second withdrawal, it was already early morning. Scouts confirmed the enemy was still en route, Xuan Chong ordered the army to seize time to rest, awaiting tomorrow morning’s battle. Of course, throughout this process, Xuan Chong and the officers stayed up all night on duty observing enemy movements.
By the next morning, when dew hung on the branches, rustling wooden collision sounds came from far to near.
Xuan Chong ordered the whole army to prepare. Just as everyone thought battle was imminent, Xuan Chong ordered withdrawal again, the whole army ready to move, performing another orderly retreat in front of the tree people who had just arrived at the battlefield.
This time they really retreated to the road where Wu Hong had suggested waiting at ease for the fatigued enemy.
And the somewhat fatigued Wu Family Army vanguard troops seemed to hear the tree people’s creaking roar sounds. Their originally heavy steps became brisk! All soldiers roughly understood Wu Fei’s thinking.
This group of tree people’s speed was slow to begin with, yet they came for decisive battle repeatedly, only to be shaken off time and again.
Of course, the tree people shaken off each time could only roar and continue moving their bodies.
In the woods, tree people elders argued. But the leading tree person elder “Eighteenth Duke” responded: “The point is to uproot the cities the northern Xi People established in the north, so head straight for the cities now. Ignore this cunning Xi People troops.” While other tree people elders negated, “If we still march targeting those cities, what if this Xi People troops bites back again? We must first deal with this tricky fellow.”
Note: The camps along the Ting Zhu Tan line are all built on cities destroyed hundreds of years ago, after all, according to Feng Shui, this is the best place to build cities. And for tree people, memories of attacking those cities are stored in their growth rings. The tree people’s combat plan was to uproot them again.
However, this time, Xuan Chong wanted to proactively select a new battlefield.
Xuan Chong led the troops back to the position at nine in the morning. And the night before returning, civilian laborers on this position received orders to reinforce it overnight. Other troops withdrawing back seized time to rest.
Xuan Chong took a big gulp of carbonated beverage, then in the large tent began unfolding the sand table; this time it was really preparing for decisive battle.
…Battle tactic origin…
Xuan Chong: In the Spring and Autumn Period, there is an idiom called “retreat to avoid three she,” which over a thousand years of oral tradition became a beautiful tale of “Duke Wen of Jin repaying King of Chu’s past kindness by repeatedly yielding on the battlefield, finally counterattacking only when forced.”
Of course, hearing this explanation felt off since childhood, because the same book he read had another anecdote: Duke Xiang of Song unwilling to sneak attack Chu lord lest laughed at by the world, warning everyone not to engage in formalism on the battlefield. How did retreating three she become a beautiful tale of “yielding”?
Of course, after personally leading troops, Xuan Chong suddenly understood! What yielding is this? If really yielding, don’t array troops in confrontation. Since Jin brought troops, it was the utmost rudeness.
Chu had to consider the Jin army corps’ existence, especially as Chu was guest army marching north then; the Jin army corps’ existence meant surrounding small states would not provide military supplies for Chu.
And retreating thirty li was a very clever number. If Chu army showed weakness, Jin army could rapidly advance thirty li, then the anecdote records would not discuss Duke Wen of Jin’s apologetic repayment of favor, but rather Jin people’s shrewd capability contrasting sharply with Duke of Song’s pedantry.
The so-called Jin army retreat was just like a gold-digger feigning reluctance before accepting a transfer on a holiday.
When Jin and Chu armies both appeared in each other’s sight, Chu army was quite passive. Jin state used the “Cao Gui’s Discourse on War” rogue scheme. Per Spring and Autumn rites and music, after three drum beats for the agreed fight, battle must start. Jin army was cheating, dragging Chu army to keep running.
And if Chu army felt fatigued during Jin’s second withdrawal and wanted to retreat, Jin would absolutely not stop, but immediately launch attack while Chu was tired, calling it not being pedantic like Duke Xiang of Song.
That is, the best strategy for Chu army back then should have been General Zi Yu heeding the Chu king’s advice, not seeking battle with Jin army.
Right now for tree people, once campaign lock on Xuan Chong is complete, they cannot stop their root tendrils, only keep crawling forward.
Xuan Chong advanced ten kilometers ahead precisely because he discovered the tree people troops had already marched a hundred kilometers. If letting them reach the final ten kilometers, rest well, then attack, that would let tree people seize initiative.
So Xuan Chong chose to leave two-thirds of troops at the decisive battle point, himself leading vanguard to meet them, fighting while withdrawing; disrupting the tree people troops’ final ten kilometers rhythm through brief contacts.
Just like a matador waving a red cloth before a mad bull, seeming dangerous but controlling the mad bull’s attention.
Narration: Tree people main force has high defense, strong against longbow shooting, but weakness is fear of fire. During the army’s two consecutive moves, root systems did not insert underground to properly suck water.
By now it was wind-dried and parched, favorable for fire attack. And different trees during prior forced march rubbed and snapped some branches. These branches hung on other trees, already like dry grass.
