bookpub Chapter 2621 The third possibility
Chapter 2621 The third possibility
Chapter 2621 The Second Possibility
At this point, He Lingchuan asked everyone, "What were you arguing about before I returned?"
"Old Hu and Sha Wei believe that we should provide immediate assistance to Xu Zhiyu," Zhuang Yinan said immediately. "However, I think it would be best to be more cautious."
Sha Wei rolled her eyes: "Although Xu Zhiyu is annoying, I don't want to stand by and watch him fight."
After all, we're all on the same side.
Hu Min also said, "Vice General Zhuang means that there may be other Bega troops operating secretly in the south. Panlong's attention has been drawn to Hu Yechan, and they are taking the opportunity to seize other places. But the problem is, we haven't received any information or found any relevant clues."
"Oh?" He Lingchuan looked at Zhuang Yinan. "What signs did you use to make that judgment?"
The tactic of secretly crossing the Chencang pass is also commonly used by military strategists. The problem is that it requires substantial evidence to support it.
"Hu Ye Chan's army boarded ships at Baisha Bay in the Maohe Plain and then landed at Shanda Port in Chong Kingdom," Zhuang Yinan said. "Bei Jia should have known long ago that Shanda Port is full of our spies. Once they landed, they couldn't hide it from Panlong. This should be somewhat different from Hu Ye Chan's plan to launch a surprise attack on Fulugou."
Here's some background: After Bega occupied the Maohe Plain, he went south along the Maohe trade route and swallowed up Baisha Bay with lightning speed.
Baisha Bay is the estuary of the Maohe Plain and was once the most important commercial port in Panlong, open to the outside world and welcoming wealth from all directions.
It was originally a free port, secretly under the jurisdiction of Lingshan, and for many years ignored Bega's attempts to persuade it with both soft and hard tactics.
This time, Bega swallowed it not only to vent his anger, but also because after taking over this important seaport, Bega could send troops out to sea from here and sail to the southern part of Panlong Wasteland!
Yes, the many territories south of Panlong Wasteland are separated from Baisha Bay by a sea, with no land bridge connecting them. If Bega wants to invade Panlong Wasteland, the only options besides Dragon's Throat Pass are to try the sea route to the south.
Therefore, once the Maohe Plain and Baisha Bay were lost, Zhong Shengguang knew that the Panlong Wasteland was in danger.
The southern part of the wasteland is home to many small kingdoms and powers, and if the Bega army were to arrive by ship, they would undoubtedly land in the coastal kingdom of Chong. Although this country is small, it has two ports, where Panlong has placed spies who will report any suspicious activity immediately.
Therefore, when Hu Yechan's army landed in Chong Kingdom, it did not escape Panlong's notice.
Sha Wei glared: "How do you know they know? We didn't put up any signs or make a big fuss in Shanda Port."
He Lingchuan waved his hand, and Sha Wei immediately shut up.
Then He Lingchuan pointed at Zhuang Yinan and said, "Continue."
"Yes." Zhuang Yinan rolled his eyes at Sha Wei while taking a moment to speak, and immediately continued, "At our intelligence outpost in Sanda, we actually received a rather insignificant piece of news. On the west side of Sanda Port, a fisherman's son got up to relieve himself in the middle of the night and unexpectedly discovered a light on the beach at the foot of the mountain, like a gathering of many torches. There seemed to be the outlines of some large ships on the shore, but that night there were no stars or moon, and it was very dark, so he couldn't see how many people had come ashore, and he went back to sleep. When he woke up the next day, the beach was empty, with neither people nor ships, but there were indeed traces of heavy objects being dragged on the sand."
He Lingchuan asked, "Is that stretch of wild beach relatively flat and suitable for landing?"
"Yes. In the past, some fleets would secretly land there to unload their cargo in order to avoid the high ship taxes and landing taxes in Sanda Port. So the fishermen's kids thought that it was another smuggling fleet that night."
Sha Wei crossed her arms and said, "Maybe it really is a smuggling fleet?"
“Shanda Port also has people patrolling there, but there didn’t seem to be any alarms that night,” Zhuang Yinan retorted. “Those guards were probably dealt with.”
“If the southern front operation plan was devised by Fu Shanlie,” He Lingchuan stroked his chin, lost in thought, “this guy really likes to launch surprise attacks, we must be on guard.”
During his last decisive battle with Fu Shanlie, he led his men to besiege the Longchuan River bandits. When Fu Shanlie saw that the bandits were doomed, he turned around and launched a surprise attack on Yuheng City, playing a game of mutual raiding with He Lingchuan.
Fu Shanlie's methods are as flexible as his mind; allowing Hu Yechan to attack Fulugou right under Panlong's nose is certainly not his style.
Receiving the general's indirect affirmation, Zhuang Yinan's spirits lifted: "There are many roads leading into the wilderness from the south, and the Bega army's target may not be just Fulugou."
He pointed out several locations on the sand table and connected them into a line:
“You see, if we land on the wild beach west of Shanda Port, we will avoid any potential spies from Panlong. This second Bega army can take a route that is rarely traveled and will not attract much attention along the way, and then arrive at Luoyuan. It is also very close to the border of Panlong, only ten miles away.”
He Lingchuan listened attentively, his gaze shifting slightly.
Throughout the journey, he repeatedly studied the map. On one hand, he was catching up on the lessons he had missed over the past five years, and on the other hand, he was trying to figure out Fu Shanlie's strategic intentions.
Panlong's top brass deduced that Hu Yechan's target was Fulugou, based on his marching direction.
If there really is a second or third Bega army operating in secret, they have other routes to choose from.
Zhuang Yinan's route is mostly along the borders of several countries, in areas that are essentially no-man's-land, and mostly mountainous and forested, offering good concealment.
"There are no natural defenses in the southern part of the Panlong Wasteland. The Bega army seems to have many routes to choose from, but they are not Fu Shanlie's main force after all. They are short-handed and cannot launch attacks from multiple points at the same time. Instead, they need to seize key positions first to facilitate the subsequent actions of the main force. These key positions are either easy to defend and difficult to attack, have high ground, or are transportation hubs. If you think about it carefully, there are actually not many places in the southern wasteland that meet these criteria."
Zhuang Yinan continued in one breath: "I think Luoyuan is the second most suitable location after Fulugou."
Sha Wei grinned: "According to you, if Fu Shanlie can send out a second team, he can send out a third or even a fourth. It's unpredictable and impossible to defend against."
Before Zhuang Yinan could respond, He Lingchuan spoke first:
"If the Bega army wants to take the southern route, they need to cross the sea by ship. Therefore, how many Bega troops can land along the Chong Kingdom's coast in a short time depends on the number of transport ships. Although there are many shipping routes at Baisha Bay, the autumn harvest season is over, and it is not the usual busy season, so there are fewer large merchant ships docking. Hu Yechan's army alone has 4,000 troops landed. How long did it take?"
Hu Min replied, "I heard it took up most of the day."
“They landed openly at Shanda Port, which took them most of the day. Other teams would have to be more secretive when they landed in Chongguo, and they wouldn’t be able to transport people back and forth repeatedly.”
(End of this chapter)