After Being Abducted by the General

chapter 161

After dinner, Yuan Congyun took out the sand table he had made.

The sand table was as big as two tables combined, meticulously displaying hills, rivers, and dense forests. Everything was detailed, and it could be easily taken in at a glance.

In addition to the topography, flags were marked on the locations of the barbarian tribes and the Xiongnu royal court.

Yuan Congyun rubbed his hands and said, "Duke Wen, do you think the positions are correct? This was drawn with the help of the staff from your Liangliao Institution."

Yuan Li carefully examined the map and found the hill where he and Jia Qing had evaded the Xiongnu cavalry. He nodded, "Overall, it's accurate."

Chu Hechao immediately gave Yuan Congyun an appreciative look, "Well done."

Yuan Congyun let out a sigh of relief.

From the sand table, it was clear to see how far the Xiongnu's royal court was from the northern border.

Yuan Li guessed what Chu Hechao wanted to do and turned to him, seriously asking, "Do you want to attack the Xiongnu?"

Chu Hechao nodded, "Yes."

As Yuan Li had thought, creating such a detailed sand table wouldn't be a short-term endeavor. Chu Hechao must have had the idea of attacking the Xiongnu for a while.

Yuan Li directly asked, "When do you plan to launch the attack?"

"Early spring," Chu Hechao answered succinctly, "It's the best time to attack the Xiongnu."

Yuan Li agreed with a nod.

The best seasons to attack nomadic tribes were winter and spring, especially early spring.

During the winter, the Xiongnu would hibernate and give birth to children. As winter ended, their women would be pregnant, and the strong men had to return to the herds to work, leaving them in their weakest state. The cattle, sheep, and horses of the Xiongnu were also famished after a whole winter, and their horses would become too weak to run. In order to take care of their livestock, the Xiongnu would disperse across the vast grassland to graze, making it difficult for them to organize a powerful cavalry to resist Chu Hechao's army.

Attacking nomadic tribes at this time was the most advantageous. The enemy was weak, and the attacking force was strong, completely reversing the situation from the autumn when the Xiongnu were strong and well-fed. If they could do it well, they could even use the war to destroy the Xiongnu's herds. Without livestock, the Xiongnu would lose their nomadic advantages, and their economic foundation would completely collapse.

Yang Zhongfa had said before that they wanted to attack the Xiongnu in winter, but they lacked food and warm clothing, so it was just wishful thinking. Now that they had winter reserves of food and warm clothing, they could try attacking the Xiongnu in late winter and early spring, directly targeting the Xiongnu royal court.

Chu Hechao had probably been thinking about this for a while.

Yuan Li glanced at Chu Hechao and felt as if he saw a naughty child who dared to act recklessly when he had enough support.

Chu Hechao's eyebrows twitched, and he suddenly turned his head to stare at Yuan Li, his eyes fixed on him, "What are you laughing at?"

Suppressing the smile at the corner of his mouth, Yuan Li said seriously, "You're mistaken."

Chu Hechao narrowed his eyes. If Yuan Congyun hadn't been there, he would have stepped forward to interrogate Yuan Li.

Their attention returned to the sand table. Yuan Li used his own experience to tell them which route would be the safest. "If we attack in early spring, the General will have to set off in about a month. How confident are you in this battle?"