Frontier Army Warrior

Chapter 1161 The Great Operation

The two lieutenants stared blankly at the large blank area on the map, which represented vast open fields with no natural defenses.

"Our warhorses are all ruined, many have been eaten. Infantry against infantry, we have lost all our advantages, and defeat is inevitable."

Hu Jincai swallowed hard. He hadn't eaten enough for several days, not even enough horse meat. He was hungry and hadn't drunk enough water, so he was feeling a bit feverish and his throat was sore.

Seeing that the two deputy generals remained silent, Hu Jincai continued his analysis.

"Have you thought about this? Even if we die in the city while defending it to the death, our reputation will spread. All ten thousand of us from the Zhenxi Army will be heroes revered by thousands."

He glanced at the two lieutenants solemnly.

"If we abandon the city, it is already considered a retreat due to fear of war. In the end, we still cannot escape being besieged by pirates in the wilderness. We will become a despised bear."

"Do you want to be a hero or a coward?"

Does this question even need an answer?

The two lieutenants rolled their eyes at Hu Jincai in their hearts.

"General Hu, we understand your meaning. We will defend Funing City to the death, and we will not retreat even if we die in battle."

"That's right, you don't need to complain, I'm here with you too. What family can be without its pillar of strength?"

The two lieutenants hung their heads and remained silent, a sense of tragic grandeur spreading through the room.

After capturing Guang'an County, Lin Feng did not take any further action. He wanted to observe the reaction of the pirates besieging Funing Prefecture.

When the sun was high in the sky, intelligence was received from Wei Bao's cavalry that a pirate force of 5,000 men had moved north of Fuzhou City, heading in what appeared to be the direction of Guang'an County.

Lin Feng looked at the map: "Are you sure there are five thousand infantrymen?"

The ranger nodded and replied, "Your Highness, there are indeed around five thousand men, but no cavalry have been spotted."

"Okay, you've worked hard. Go and rest."

The rangers withdrew, and Lin Feng immediately spoke to Pei Qiyin.

"Go and organize a hundred riders to conduct a detailed investigation of these locations. I need the most detailed data, including every tree, every stone, and every pit."

His finger traced circles on the map.

Pei Qiyin looked at the circle Lin Feng had drawn, nodded, and turned to leave.

Lin Feng sat down and began to ponder with a frown.

The city of Funing Prefecture is about 300 li away from Guang'an County. It would take 5,000 infantrymen a day and a half to travel the entire distance.

They would definitely choose a place to camp at night; they would never travel overnight, because once they arrived in Guang'an, it would be a battle.

How can an exhausted army fight?

Lin Feng judged that the place he pointed to on the map was where the pirates had chosen to set up camp.

In general military operations, suitable locations are chosen as campsites.

Moreover, with only one night's camping and a large number of people, they did not consider the enemy to be a great threat, so they did not build too complicated defensive facilities for their camp.

Lin Feng made a bold plan in his mind.

He planned to use 285 horsemen to launch a night raid on a force of 5,000 pirates.

This was a groundbreaking act of historical significance; it is estimated that no general in history has ever dared to do such a thing.

Although Lin Feng seemed a bit crazy, he still made some specific considerations.

Firstly, because cavalry naturally have a significant advantage over infantry.

Secondly, the pirates were not good at night fighting. In the dark, they would not be able to judge the number of enemy troops, and it would be difficult to organize an effective defense in the chaos.

Thirdly, the location on the open plains makes it very convenient for cavalry to charge after they become familiar with the terrain.

Fourthly, Lin Feng's first priority is to eliminate the pirate leader, leaving the five thousand pirate soldiers leaderless.

This is a real decapitation operation, and the thought of it excites Lin Feng.

As noon approached, the hundred-horse reconnaissance team returned to the county town.

Lin Feng began to lay all the information out on the table, carefully summarizing it and identifying its advantages and disadvantages.

He chose three points, all of which were the most likely encampments for the pirate infantry.

"Have everyone have lunch and get some rest. We're going to take action tonight."

Of course, after Lin Feng issued the order, everyone thought they should leave the county town to avoid the encirclement and annihilation of five thousand pirates.

No one believed that they would engage in a battle with five thousand pirates with a force of less than three hundred cavalry.

Only Pei Qiyin, with her two bright eyes, stared at Lin Feng's expression for a long time.

"Why aren't you cooking? What are you doing staring at me?"

Lin Feng couldn't help but ask curiously.

Pei Qiyin smiled gently. Although the hardships she had endured in the wild had tanned her skin and made wrinkles appear on her face, it could not diminish her elegant demeanor.

"Boss, you have a rabbit in your heart."

Lin Feng frowned: "What? You're more likely to say I ate a rabbit in my stomach."

Pei Qiyin gently shook her head: "No, your heart is beating too fast."

Lin Feng was then shocked to realize that this woman's ears were too sharp; they couldn't even detect his heartbeat.

What do you mean?

"Is it excitement, um, a little nervous, or rather, apprehensive?"

Lin Feng waved his hand: "What do you want to ask?"

"Boss, are we planning a big operation?"

Lin Feng glanced around, leaned closer to Pei Qiyin, and whispered.

"You guessed right. Go get some rest; we have a big operation tonight."

"Tell me about it first, otherwise I won't be able to sleep."

Lin Feng pondered for a moment, then said, "Hmm... what do you think about carrying out a decapitation strike tonight?"

Pei Qiyin smiled slyly: "I guessed it was this right away, otherwise why would I make such a detailed topographic map? Hehe, taking the enemy general's head from among a million soldiers is as easy as taking something out of a bag."

"You've been reading too many random books, haven't you? Aren't you nervous?"

"What's there to be nervous about? With you here, boss, nothing will be a problem."

Lin Feng nodded: "Okay, go and rest. Let me think about it more carefully."

Pei Qiyin turned and walked towards the door, turning back just before leaving.

"Boss, didn't you give them a heads-up beforehand? It's too sudden, isn't it?"

Lin Feng waved his hand: "No, let's wait until they're asleep before we talk about it, otherwise none of us will be able to sleep."

"indeed."

Pei Qiyin nodded in agreement, stepped over the threshold, and left.

Five thousand pirate soldiers left Fuzhou city in a grand procession and headed straight for Guang'an county.

The journey of nearly 300 li cannot be rushed and will require two days of marching.

This was a strategy devised by the army's leader, Atsumi Mitsuo.

They were going to besiege two thousand cavalrymen in Guang'an City. If they fought the enemy with their exhausted troops, they would inevitably make mistakes.

Moreover, Atsumi Mitsuo understood the intentions of his distant cousin, Atsumi Akiyama.

After he was tasked with besieging and annihilating the enemy forces in Guang'an, he was also responsible for turning around and blocking the Zhenxi Army that was withdrawing from Fuzhou.

He felt a great responsibility and dared not be negligent in the slightest.

As dusk approached, the vanguard sent word that they had found a campsite and were awaiting the leader's decision.

Atsumi rode his warhorse around the chosen spot, then nodded in satisfaction.

"Hmm, not bad. Order the entire army to set up a warning line and set up camp here."

Once the order was given, all the soldiers began to get to work.

In less than half an hour, a temporary camp was set up.

Military tents stood in rows, with sharpened branches stuck into the ground as deer traps around them, and hundreds of soldiers were stationed around the perimeter to form a cordon.

The other soldiers then set up cooking pots and prepared meals.

Atsumi Mitsufumi's central command tent was located in the center of the camp and was several times larger than the other tents, with a spacious and bright interior.

Seven or eight lit torches were placed around the perimeter.

The soldiers in charge of cooking brought in the food and placed it on a makeshift low table.