Chapter 153: Military Debate
By mid-August, the imperial court's vanguard had already arrived in Youzhou, and follow-up troops were still being recruited in a steady stream.

Zhang Jiujie, deputy commander of the Qing frontier army, was stationed in Danzhou and maintained strict discipline. Li Jinzhong and Sun Wanrong had been unable to capture the city for a long time and their army gradually became tired.

In desperation, Li Jinzhong and Sun Wanrong had to retreat temporarily. Zhang Jiujie seized the opportunity, selected elite soldiers to pursue them out of the city, and won a small victory.

The victory at the front and the retreat of the enemy should have been a happy event, but the generals of the Great Zhou gathered in Youzhou were arguing over it.

Li Duozuo received strict orders from Di Renjie and Zhang Jianzhi and wanted to wait until soldiers from all over the place arrived and the army was reorganized before marching. In a word, steady.

At the beginning, Zhang Xuanyu, Cao Renshi and others had no objection and all agreed that they should reorganize the troops first and then advance gradually.

But when the report of Zhang Jiujie's victory over the Khitans came, some people thought that the Khitans were vulnerable, and their minds quietly changed.

Later, a messenger from Liang Wang Wu Sansi found Zhang Xuanyu and brought a letter from Wu Sansi. It was unknown who conveyed the message to whom.

Therefore, Zhang Xuanyu, Cao Renshi, Ma Renjie and others changed their previous views and insisted on advancing rapidly to destroy the Khitan as soon as possible.

Li Duozuo still disagreed, and the two factions held four military discussions in two days.

The group led by Zhang Xuanyu and Cao Renshi had more people, but Li Duozuo argued with reason and was supported by Yang Xuanji, Zhao Ji and others, so the two sides were in a stalemate for a while.

This was the fifth military meeting. The scene in the central army tent outside Youzhou City was very funny. There was no position for the chief commander. Zhang Xuanyu was in the first position on the left, and Li Duozuo was in the first position on the right, competing with each other.

The supporters of the two men sat below them respectively, with a clear distinction between them. Zhao Ji naturally sat on Li Duozuo's side.

The atmosphere in the tent was somewhat solemn. It was completely silent and no one spoke.

Finally, Zhang Xuanyu lost his temper and spoke first: "General Li, we have discussed so many battles, it is time to send troops."

He stood up, holding his sword, and walked to the generals of Li Duozuo's faction, and made an impassioned speech: "Zhang Jiujie has defeated the Khitan army. According to the military report, the Khitan army is mostly old, weak, sick and disabled. Most of them are a motley crowd hastily put together by Li Jinmie and Sun Wanzhan. There is no need to worry about them."

"Moreover, the Khitans have suffered from famine, are short of food and grass, and have been defeated again, so their morale is low. This is a godsend opportunity. If we can advance quickly, we can wipe out the Khitans and put down the rebellion in one fell swoop."

"General Li previously believed that the army had traveled thousands of miles and was exhausted, so it was not appropriate to send troops. I think this is absolutely true. But our army has now rested and reorganized. If we continue to linger here, we will miss the opportunity and fail to live up to your majesty's grace."

At this point, Zhang Xuanyu's expression became serious, and he bowed to the south from a distance.

After Zhang Xuanyu finished speaking, the generals began to whisper, and many of them nodded, agreeing with his statement. Zhang Xuanyu also looked pleased, sat back, and waited for Li Duozuo's reply.

Li Duozuo was not moved at all, and said expressionlessly: "Although Zhang Jiujie took advantage of the Khitans' retreat to win for a while, he only killed a few hundred people. The Khitans had tens of thousands of people, and he didn't even hurt them."

"Zhao Wenhui's entire army was annihilated, and Yingzhou City fell overnight. How can we say that the Khitan army is a mob? If the light army advances rashly, it will inevitably give the enemy an opportunity to take advantage. I think we should wait until the follow-up army arrives before making any plans."

Upon hearing this, Ma Renjie shook his head with a look of disdain, and said, "General Li, why do you have to use this to evade us? The troops from Hebei Province, Hedong Province and the imperial guards in Beijing have all arrived, plus the troops stationed in Liaoxi, it is more than enough to pacify the Khitan."

"If we really wait until the soldiers from Shannan Road and Huainan Road are transferred from Jingchu Huaihe to Youzhou, we will have to wait until the end of September or even October. By then, the weather will be getting colder and colder, and the situation will be even more unfavorable for our army."

"Hey, General Li, you are a Mohe tribesman and a veteran general. You should understand this, right? If we wait until winter and there are no results, and His Majesty asks about it, can you, General Li, take on the responsibility alone?"

Ma Renjie's words stung Li Duozuo's heart. Anyone who was smart could understand Wu Zetian's thoughts. She naturally hoped to put down the rebellion as soon as possible.

But Li Duozuo was indeed worried, and Ma Renjie's attitude was not good, so he retorted: "If we send troops hastily and suffer a defeat, who will be responsible?"

Zhang Xuanyu was about to explode when he heard this, but the third person hidden in the camp, General Yingyang Cao Renshi, reached out to stop him.

Cao Renshi stepped out of the line, bowed politely, and said in a deep voice: "General Li's meaning is clear to us. The Art of War says that no one has ever benefited the country from a long-term war. More than 100,000 troops have been assembled in Youzhou, and the food for the men and horses is costing thousands of gold a day."

"Even if there is no urgent battle, what's the point of stopping in Youzhou? We should at least march to the front lines of Danzhou, Jizhou and Pingzhou to meet with Zhang Jiujie. We will have to decide whether to rush or slow down at that time." Cao Renshi's words were deeply popular. The generals in the tent began to discuss again. Most of them nodded, and even Zhao Ji felt that it made sense.

Li Duozuo also nodded: "General Cao's words make sense. Before, the troops gathered in Youzhou and were in a bit of chaos. They also needed to rest and regroup. The enemy's situation was unclear, so it was not the time to attack rashly. Therefore, we only sent a small army to Tanzhou and Pingzhou for support. Now is indeed the time for the main army to move forward."

Zhang Xuanyu heard this and suddenly slammed the table and stood up, saying excitedly: "Okay, this is the best. However, the army must set out in order, and there are still soldiers and horses arriving in the rear of Youzhou, so they can't be left alone."

He changed the subject and looked at Li Duozuo with a sharp gaze: "Let me be frank. You and I have the highest positions in the army. One of us should be in the front in Tanzhou to command the front army, and the other should be in Youzhou to guard the grain route. I wonder which one General Li is interested in?"

Li Duozuo was secretly furious when he heard this. How could he not understand that Zhang Xuanyu was taking the opportunity to squeeze him out and wanted to take all the credit for pacifying the Khitan.

However, due to his previous cautious stance, it would be embarrassing for him to compete for the commander of the front army now. Many people may not be convinced by his indecisiveness.

Thinking of this, Li Duozuo stood up for the first time, smiled and said, "Since General Zhang has previously made the decision to move forward quickly, it is natural that you go to Danzhou and I will stay in Youzhou."

"But I also remind General Zhang that it is best to use the troops properly when going to Danzhou. You should carefully investigate the enemy situation before deploying troops. You should also listen to the opinions of Zhang Jiujie and others on whether it is urgent or not. This will avoid delaying your majesty's important affairs."

Li Duozuo's words might sound like preaching or instructing, but Zhang Xuanyu had already achieved his goal and gained actual advantage, so he didn't argue with Li Duozuo and agreed without hesitation. After all, he would have the final say when he got to the front line.

Afterwards, everyone discussed the military advance, and Zhang Xuanyu, Cao Renshi, Ma Renjie and others dispersed with satisfaction.

Li Duozuo sat in his original position with a very solemn expression. He saw that his face was about to turn red and he was on the verge of exploding.

Zhao Ji also stayed in the tent. Seeing Li Duozuo in such a state, he stepped forward to comfort him. The old general Yang Xuanji was still watching in the corner.

"General, calm down. You should put fairness first and have a clear conscience. Why bother with Zhang and Cao? Zhang and Cao are eager for quick success and instant benefits. They just want to curry favor with Your Majesty and win credit. They are despised by others!"

Li Duozuo glanced at Zhao Ji with mixed feelings. He secretly regretted that he had agreed to Di Renjie and Zhang Jianzhi. Otherwise, he would have been able to compete with this former military leader today.

If Zhang Xuanyu, Cao Renshi and others were to take all the credit for pacifying the Khitan, I would be at a great loss.

Li Duozuo said with regret: "What Zhang Xuanyu and Cao Renshi said is not without reason, and most of the generals agree with them. We may have been too cautious."

Zhao Ji heard this and shook his head gently, saying, "General, what you said is wrong. Although what these people said is in line with the military strategy, it is still an excuse for sending troops. Under the excuse, they underestimate the enemy and rush forward rashly."

"If the Khitans were really short of food and vulnerable, General Zhang Jiujie must be a good-for-nothing. Why would he defend Danzhou City until the Khitans retreated before attacking? How could Zhao Wenhui's entire army be annihilated?"

"If Zhang, Cao and others use their troops prudently, it will be fine. But if they rush in and rush forward, they will certainly get into trouble. By then, the general may have to step in to clean up the mess."

Yang Xuanji came to the two of them at some point, and said in an old voice: "General Zhao is right, and the general does not need to regret it. The previous slow approach was correct."

"First, the army from all over the world has just arrived and is exhausted. Second, Tanzhou is under siege and is far away, so it is difficult to transport food. It is also easy to be harassed by the Khitans. If we advance rashly, we will inevitably be taken advantage of."

"Now that the Khitan army has retreated, it is indeed the best time to advance. It's a pity that Zhang Xuanyu is the general. As General Zhao said, he is impetuous. It would be safer if he was replaced by General Li. But at least we have a commander. It's better to have one than not, and it's better to have multiple orders."

Yang Xuanji's words showed that he did not care about the dispute between the two factions, but spoke purely based on the actual military situation.

Li Duozuo suppressed his dissatisfaction upon hearing this, and said, "General Yang, General Zhao, now that things have come to this, I have no choice but to do my best to protect the food supply and support."

"You two will follow the front army. I hope you can advise Zhang Xuanyu on how to use the troops. General Yang has a high prestige. Zhang Xuanyu should listen to you."

"I'll leave all matters on the front line in your hands." Li Duozuo looked solemn and bowed again.

Zhao Ji and Yang Xuanji looked at each other and returned the greeting solemnly: "General Li, please rest assured that we will do our best."

(End of this chapter)