Chapter 50: Sun Liren

Although Zhou Qu had provided such an extensive analysis, the only viable option remained to hold Bozhou City to the death. This was not a conventional breakthrough battle, but rather an arduous positional conflict.

When Zhou Qu finished speaking, the entire operations room fell into a heavy silence. Even Zheng Zehai remained silent, continuously smoking a cigarette by the side. Thick plumes of smoke billowed and coiled through the entire war room like ascending mists.

Beside him, Zheng Li also wore a grim expression. He knew all too well that on the battlefield, there were no excuses; if you could not defeat the enemy, only death awaited you.

"Respected commanders, this subordinate believes that we are not entirely out of options," suddenly spoke a middle-aged man wearing glasses who had been sitting beside Zhou Qu. He adjusted his spectacles as he talked.

At first glance, this man gave the impression of a refined scholar. However, anyone who formed such an impression would likely be gravely deceived, for this man was none other than Sun Liren, the Chief of Staff of the Fifteenth Corps—a background that clearly marked him as someone not to be underestimated.

Sun Liren's career record was that of a ruthless figure. Previously, he had served as the director of the Zheng Clique's inspectorate, specializing in dealing with traitors within the Zheng faction's own ranks. He was a presence that struck fear into the hearts of many within the Zheng Clique.

"Oh? Old Sun, you had better not be playing tricks on us. This battle concerns our very survival," Zheng Li remarked. Ever since Sun Liren had been transferred to his corps as Chief of Staff, Zheng Li had looked down upon him. In Zheng Li's eyes, given Sun Liren's dubious background, he was not of pure and orthodox military stock; only those who rose strictly through the ranks as genuine soldiers were true military men.

Yet, constrained by the orders of the General Headquarters, Zheng Li still had to maintain superficial civility and could not afford a complete falling out in public.

Sun Liren smiled faintly. "Corps Commander, I am certainly not playing tricks. I am well aware of the gravity of this war. Besides, Corps Commander Old Zheng is right here, after all."

"Alright, enough of this useless chatter. If you have a plan, spit it out," Zheng Zehai said, sounding somewhat impatient as he tapped the table. He had known Sun Liren for a long time. While Sun Liren possessed undeniable competence, he was equally known for his sinister and ruthless nature, which made him unappealing to Zheng Zehai.

Sun Liren smiled slightly and nodded. "Very well, very well. I presume you gentlemen haven't forgotten that the forces of the Ma-Sha Allied Army are attacking more than just our Bozhou City; they are also targeting Huangzhou City."

"Judging by the current battlefield situation, the enemy has concentrated the bulk of their heavy forces here, yet they have still allocated troops to attack Huangzhou City. This clearly indicates that Huangzhou City is also a place they intend to capture. Since the goal is to alleviate the pressure on us here, I suggest we wire Corps Commander Zheng Zelin of the Third Corps, requesting him to order the various units garrisoning Huangzhou City to sally forth in full force, harass the enemy, and create a diversion."

"As Chief of Staff Zhou Qu mentioned, our city defenses at Bozhou are formidable, and the enemy will have to expend considerable effort to crack them. For the Ma-Sha Allied Army, out of the two cities, they ultimately need to capture at least one. By doing this, the fighting across both battlefields will balance out, and given the vast distance between them, our odds of winning this war will increase substantially."

Sun Liren stated his proposal unhurriedly. It had to be admitted that his idea was remarkably unique and shrewd.

Yet his proposition plunged the entire operations room into deep thought. Even Zheng Zehai fell silent for a moment before suddenly slamming his hand onto the table and shouting, "Good, good, good! Brilliant!"

"This—this is what the Thirty-Six Stratagems call 'Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao'! The pressure over at Huangzhou City is certainly less than ours, and having them pull their weight is not unreasonable."

"If they can draw away a portion of the enemy forces, the enemy troops outside our walls will have to redeploy reinforcements. That way, the pressure on Bozhou City will be vastly reduced, and this campaign will become considerably easier for us."

"Indeed. That way, the Commander-in-Chief can coordinate troop deployments from a strategic overview, and for the Zheng Clique, we won't suffer such heavy casualties," Zheng Li chimed in after a moment of reflection.

Zhou Qu spoke up as well, "Even so, I believe we must remain on high alert. The enemy could reinforce their positions at any moment. If we pin all our hopes on the other battlefield and the enemy is prepared for it, we will find ourselves on the defensive."

Zheng Zehai nodded, validating Zhou Qu's words. The situation on the battlefield was ever-changing, exactly as Zhou Qu had warned.

"Zheng Li, you make the arrangements. As I've said before, my Eighteenth Corps is placed entirely under your command. Regarding any frontline decisions, if you believe they are right, you needn't consult me; make the decisions directly."

"Also, in the next couple of days, I will set off for Luzhou City to report our battle situation to the Commander-in-Chief. I will also immediately wire the Third Corps in person, urging them to intensify the fighting at Huangzhou City. If they can pin down the enemy, I want them to hold on tenaciously or even annihilate them, since the primary theater of the enemy's invasion remains Bozhou City."

Zheng Zehai held immense trust in Zheng Li, not only because of his youth and drive, but also because Zheng Li's ability to adapt to changing circumstances on the battlefield was among the very best in the entire Zheng Clique.

Zheng Li stood up and snapped a crisp military salute. "Rest assured, Uncle Zehai. In this campaign, I will fight a brilliant positional battle to show the Commander-in-Chief, and to give those good-for-nothings who only eat and do no work a proper look at the military prowess of the Zheng Clique."

Zheng Zehai narrowed his eyes, clearly sensing the hidden meaning in Zheng Li's words, but he chose not to make any further comment.

"Old Zhou, stay behind and assist Zheng Li. Let's strive to win a glorious victory in this Bozhou Campaign. Right now, our soldiers desperately need a victory, and we need a great triumph even more."

The morale of the Zheng Clique as a whole was currently quite low, and they urgently needed a sensational victory to revive it.

Moreover, men like Zheng Zehai and Zheng Li knew very well that the Zheng Clique was not only facing external threats; internal dangers lurked constantly. The various warlords across the country were all eyeing the Zheng Clique like tigers eyeing their prey. If the Zheng Clique truly reached a point of life or death, most of those warlords would likely sit on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight from a safe distance.

This was also why Zheng Zehai had not committed massive forces to the frontline blindly; in the current political climate, regardless of who one was fighting, one always had to keep a reserve force. Only by doing so could total annihilation be avoided.

Following the conclusion of this operational meeting, Zheng Zehai departed for Luzhou City. Zheng Li took full charge of Bozhou City's military defenses, with Zhou Qu serving as deputy commander and Sun Liren assisting. Outside Bozhou City, a sense of crisis suddenly intensified to the maximum, plunging the entire city into the palpable tension of an impending war.

Meanwhile, Huangzhou City, located far away from Bozhou City, was likewise suffused with the atmosphere of impending conflict. The newly arrived Fifth Brigade of the Ma-Sha Allied Army was exerting heavy, oppressive pressure on Huangzhou City.

The Fifth Brigade of the Ma-Sha Allied Army was a fully mechanized unit, renowned for its prowess in siege warfare—a development that boded ill for Huangzhou City.

Figures within the city such as Song Pu and Qian Jiushan also wore exceptionally grim expressions at this moment. The situation was further complicated by the recent arrival of Tang Hehai and Guo Rong; neither of them was an easy person to deal with, and since they hailed from different corps, a certain competitive friction inevitably existed between them.