When Li Jinquan arrived at the Command Post with his two deputy generals, he found that many people were already seated in the council hall. Almost all the commanders of regiments big and small had arrived. The higher ranked officers in the city were all familiar faces.
When Li Jinquan entered, many people stood up and greeted him. Li Jinquan responded with a light laugh and casually glanced at the main seat at the head of the hall.
At that moment, someone was already seated in the main seat. The person had sharp, intelligent eyes like a phoenix, a short beard on his chin, and his ten fingers were interlocked on the table. It was Grand Strategist Qi Yanzhu.[1]
Seeing Li Jinquan looking his way, Qi Yanzhu curved his lips into a slight smile, gesturing with his hand towards the seat beside him. "General Li, I’ve heard much about you. Please, sit here."
Li Jinquan cupped his hands with a smile. "Strategist Qi, you’re joking. What reputation? It’s all just an illusion, mere illusions, haha."
Li Jinquan still walked over to the seat beside Qi Yanzhu and sat down as he spoke. Before him, the council hall was almost full.
Except for a few stragglers, most of the expected people were present. The entire hall was filled with the murmur of whispered conversations between the various commanders, but no one spoke too loudly.
Qi Yanzhu naturally understood why this was happening. He had just been transferred to Liangzhou Prefecture, and replacing a commander right before a battle was a major taboo in military affairs. In addition, this group of people was still uncertain about his temperament, which led to various concerns.
"Ahem—" Qi Yanzhu cleared his throat, seeing that everyone in the hall turned their attention to him. He then began to speak, "I’m sure everyone already knows who I am. I am Qi Yanzhu. By the grace of His Majesty, I’ve been entrusted to take over the war efforts in Liangzhou Prefecture."
"Strategist Qi, if there’s something to say, just say it quickly!" A deputy general in the audience spoke up—it was Liu Ancheng.
"Outrageous!" Li Jinquan’s face darkened as he rebuked, "It’s not your place to speak!"
Qi Yanzhu was not annoyed. He glanced at Liu Ancheng with an amused smile, clearly aware that this person was one of Li Jinquan's subordinates.
Then, in a measured tone, he said, "Before we begin, I must apologize to all the generals. I know you’ve all fought tirelessly through the night and haven’t had a chance to rest. However, it’s necessary to clarify the plans for the future."
Li Jinquan rubbed his prickly beard and nodded, saying, "Strategist Qi, just go ahead and say it. Whatever you decide on, we’ll fight that way."
"Very well, I’ll keep it brief," Qi Yanzhu replied, turning his gaze to a general on his left. This was Song Bangyao, the city’s cavalry commander, responsible for overseeing all cavalry operations within the city.
Qi Yanzhu grinned and said, "General Song, after this meeting, go and select twenty thousand elite cavalry. Overhaul their operations, and ensure that they do not remove their armor even while they are eating or sleeping. The next time the Northern Qiang attack the city, I will use these twenty thousand as a surprise force to take the initiative and engage them outside the city."
Li Jinquan’s eyebrows twitched.
Song Bangyao was also startled. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Qi Yanzhu, who waved him off. "I’m not finished yet. I know that during the days of defending the city, we had a cavalry force of a hundred thousand.
"However, less than thirty thousand were deployed to the city walls each time. When it comes to defending the city, the credit largely belongs to the infantry and armored troops."
"How can you make such a sweeping statement!" Song Bangyao’s expression darkened, and his voice grew louder. "Cavalry are not suited for defending city walls. The infantry defending the walls are already sufficient, so why needlessly increase cavalry casualties?
"Our Ruen dynasty cavalry are meant to gallop on the battlefield. Deploying thirty thousand cavalry to the walls was already fulfilling my duties!"
Hearing this, Li Jinquan’s face darkened as black as the bottom of a pot. Before he could speak, Liu Ancheng, the deputy general of the Wanjia elite unit, couldn’t hold back and interjected, "So what you’re saying is that casualties among my infantry are acceptable?"
"Who gave you permission to speak!" Song Bangyao glared at Liu Ancheng. As someone equal in rank to Li Jinquan, being publicly retorted by a deputy general was humiliating.
Li Jinquan also spoke in a stern tone, "Ancheng, hold your tongue."
Liu Ancheng rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair, saying nothing further.
Qi Yanzhu smiled faintly, pressing his hand downward as a gesture to calm them. "Generals, please don’t be impatient. Let me finish." He then turned to Song Bangyao and said, "General Song, you are absolutely correct. The cavalry truly performs best on the battlefield. Using them to defend the city walls is indeed a waste of their potential.
"So why not give you the opportunity to fulfill their true purpose? As far as I know, in recent days, we’ve rarely taken the initiative to attack. The Northern Qiang have only been sending troops daily to besiege us, relying mainly on archers in the rear for cover and using lightly armored infantry for their assaults."
"So, what’s your point?" Li Jinquan asked tentatively, his sense of foreboding growing stronger.
Qi Yanzhu squinted his eyes into slits as he said, "General Song, listen carefully. Here’s how the hundred thousand cavalry will be divided. Thirty thousand will be left to defend the city as they are now. After selecting twenty thousand elites, split the remaining fifty thousand into two groups.
"The next time the Northern Qiang attack, these two groups will exit the east and west gates, while the twenty elites will charge straight out of the north gate to assault the Northern Qiang infantry. The other two groups will act as flanking support while also targeting the Northern Qiang’s archers, catching them completely off guard. The key is to strike quickly and decisively, leaving no time for the Northern Qiang to recover."
Before Song Bangyao could speak, Li Jinquan slapped the table and stood up abruptly.
Qi Yanzhu leaned back slightly, tilting his head to look at Li Jinquan. "Oh? What makes you say that, General Li?"
Realizing that his reaction had been overly abrupt, Li Jinquan took a moment to compose himself before responding, "Strategist Qi, this strategy... is far too risky."
"Risky? No, no..." Qi Yanzhu tilted his head slightly. "It’s you, General Li, who are being overly cautious. Previously, the battles were all commanded by Minister Qi, but as a scholar, his strategies were inevitably too conventional.
"However, the Northern Qiang are unaware of this change in command. A shift in tactics is precisely what we need to catch them off guard. Therefore, this plan is entirely feasible."
The veins on Li Jinquan’s temple throbbed faintly. He hadn’t expected Qi Yanzhu’s first action to directly contradict Minister Qi’s plans, leaving him momentarily at a loss for words.
Qi Yanzhu tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "So... shall we proceed as planned?"
Li Jinquan suddenly shouted. "Strategist Qi!"
Qi Yanzhu’s brow furrowed slightly, but he still maintained a calm demeanor as he said, "Do you have more to say?"
Li Jinquan cupped his hands and said, "I’ve heard that Strategist Qi is renowned in the northeastern borderlands for your defensive prowess. Why then, have you adopted such an aggressive approach in Liangzhou?"
"If all I knew was how to defend, I wouldn’t have crushed the Oirat forces so thoroughly at Jianxing Pass," Qi Yanzhu snorted coldly. "War is unpredictable. How can you win by only defending and never attacking?
"Offense and defense have always complemented each other—offense is the best defense. General Li, you’ve been in the military for years; do you not even understand this?"
Li Jinquan’s eyes widened as he was about to argue, but Qi Yanzhu suddenly stood up, locking eyes with him and speaking with deliberate emphasis, "Do you think that in my three years in the northeast, I won my battles by hiding behind the walls of Jianxing Pass?!"
1. In the raws, the title is 策远司马, 策远 translated literally means far-reaching strategy, whereas 司马 was the title given to officials responsible for military affairs or strategy. ☜