To achieve immortality, I cultivate using Qi Luck

"But..."

At this moment, it was the same person who had previously been pessimistic who spoke up, his voice timid as he said, "Although the number of Chu troops here in Liang is small, they have sent not a few soldiers to Ning Ling, Yu City, and Gu Shu, totaling no less than five hundred thousand men.

In these three prefectures, there are only one hundred thousand defenders, and only two Inborn Grandmasters.

In the past few days, some fugitive soldiers have also escaped back from Mengshan Pass.

According to what they said, the Chu army, in their attack on Mengshan Pass, used only five hundred thousand men and did not deploy their entire army.

Mengshan Pass occupies a strategic position, heavily fortified with veteran soldiers and filled with experts, and yet, with such strong defenses, it fell to the five hundred thousand Chu troops in a mere ten days.

Even their entire army was annihilated, with not one Inborn managing to escape.

The three prefectures of Ning Ling, in terms of city defenses, military strength, and Inborn Grandmasters, are far inferior to Mengshan Pass.

Can these key towns of the three prefectures really hold out?"

This disheartening speech immediately doused the enthusiasm that the ministers had just raised with a bucket of cold water.

As much as they were frustrated, they couldn’t help but ponder the situation.

Indeed, could the three crucial towns of Ningling Prefecture, Yucheng Prefecture, and Gushu Prefecture, these key strategic points of Liang, truly hold out?

The Chu army brought only a million men to Liang, with the rest of their forces dispersed in all directions, attacking the outlying towns of Liang. Their intention was very clear now.

They intended to tie down the main Liang force with this million men, so that we here would be unable to pull away to support the surrounding prefecture cities.

Meanwhile, the Chu army would focus their superior forces to first conquer the outlying three prefectures, sweep through Liang’s holdings in Liang Prefecture, and ultimately isolate Fu City, cutting off all outside support to this imperial capital of Chu.

Then they would concentrate their forces to capture it in one fell swoop.

The plan was clear, the execution stead, Chu army clearly came with the intent of capturing Liang.

If they really succeeded in this, there was indeed a very high likelihood that Liang could fall.

Considering this, it was natural for everyone to be concerned.

After all, they were also trapped inside Fu City.

If the Chu army truly encircled them like dumplings and cleared the outlying supports, there would be nowhere to escape amidst the amassed heavy troops.

"Humph! Spreading rumors to create panic."

Just as the people were filled with worry, the Grand General Yang Chen stood up, reprimanding, "The reason Mengshan Pass fell was the Chu army claimed they did not use their full strength, but this ’full strength’ refers only to the number of troops.

Those fugitive soldiers, aside from speaking of the Chu troop numbers, also mentioned something else; the Chu army used over a dozen Inborns for ten consecutive days, several times more than the number of Inborn Generals defending Mengshan Pass.

It was because they had several times more Inborn Grandmasters that the Chu army was able to quickly triumph and capture Mengshan Pass.

But back then, they could assemble several times more Inborn because their forces were gathered in one place.

Now that the Chu army has split into five routes, even if they have many Inborn Grandmasters, how many can there be on each route after the division?

Do the Chu people think it’s that easy to replicate the battle of Mengshan Pass?

Ning Ling, Yu City, Gu Shu, even if they are to fall, it is impossible for them to be overrun within ten days.

To hold out for a month, or even two to three months, is very plausible.

And as long as we can hold out for a month or two, even if these three prefectures fall, it would be worth it.

Don’t forget.

Why did we establish the barrier of the three prefectures around Liang in the first place?

It was to divide the strength of Chu’s forces, preventing them from concentrating all their forces on Liang and recreating the scene of a three million strong army besieging the Imperial Capital last year.

Now hasn’t this goal been well achieved?

Ning Ling, Yu City, Gu Shu, have drawn away half of Chu’s Northern Expedition forces. Now the Chu army under Fu City’s walls is merely one million strong.

It’s just thirty thousand more than the Liang defenders.

What significance does this small number have?

Nothing at all.

Before Ning Ling’s three prefectures fall, before the Chu forces that have left return, our great Liang is as secure as a fortress.

And after one or two months, even if the three routes of Chu troops return, their forces will be mostly depleted by the grueling sieges, with heavy casualties and low morale, their edge blunted, hardly reusable.

It is already April. In one or two months, it will be June.

The Chu army plans to gather all its main forces around this time.

And June, only three months away from the first snowfall at the end of September.

By then, with the sturdiness of Liang, seventy thousand heavy troops in garrison, and the watch of ten Inborn, are we afraid we lack assurance in dealing with the weary Chu army?

Can we not hold out for three months?

As long as we can hold out through these three months, with the arrival of the severe cold, the Chu army, no matter how capable, must retreat in disappointment.

In this way, Chu State’s second Northern Expedition, just like last year, will fail again.

And after two consecutive years of grand Northern Expeditions, I believe even with the Chu army’s strong reserves, they will find it hard to sustain further.

I don’t believe they can launch a third one next year, can they?

Even if they can, at the worst, we’ll just replicate this year’s setup and engage in another war of attrition with the Chu army.

We are merely holding firm to our territory, while the Chu army has come from a great distance, engaging in attrition, and eventually, the victory can only be ours.

As long as we withstand this wave, maintain Liang, and exhaust the Chu army’s endurance, the final victory will belong to us.

As long as we win, even if we can’t recover the lost territories, maintaining the existing seven prefectures is still achievable.

With seven prefectures in hand, in the future of Central State, our great Liang will still be one of the strong nations, second only to Chu State.

Yang Chen spoke with conviction, listing each point eloquently—a speech that was more inspiring and convincing than the previous speaker’s.

"The Grand General is right. No matter how strong the Chu army is, they’ve simply fallen into our trap, playing right into our hands."