Lian Yu was utterly embarrassed.
"Is Your Highness the Consort mistaken? You and His Highness didn't mention to me that all of Nie Wuming's grain and military supplies have been moved to our armory."
Lu Qingwan was stunned for a moment, then belatedly realized that she and Si Fengwu had been ransacking Nie Wuming's stockpiles.
She had been in such a hurry to return to the capital after finishing that she had forgotten to inform Lian Yu.
She immediately felt a pang of guilt and cleared her throat, forcing herself to remain composed. "It's not too late to tell you all now.
All the grain, military equipment, and treasures Nie Wuming accumulated over the past few years have been seized by myself and His Highness.
To put it bluntly, with Nie Wuming's accumulated wealth, the Xuanjia Army can be sustained for eight to ten years without any problem.
And Northern Wei... without Nie Wuming's amassed fortune, they will have trouble surviving this harsh winter. Generals, do you think it's necessary to rush into battle right now?"
They looked at each other. Feng Weirong asked with lingering doubt, "Your Highness the Consort, have you and His Highness truly seized all of Nie Wuming's assets?"
Lu Qingwan curved her eyebrows slightly. "Not entirely. After all, he is the Crown Prince of Northern Wei, and he likely has some private funds.
However, everything that His Highness and I could find is now in our possession."
General Lin Fengmian, who had been the first to oppose Lian Yu's battle plan, suddenly understood. "So, His Highness and the Military Advisor have decided to attack Yunqiang first, precisely because they are confident that Northern Wei will not dare to attack rashly, and plan to use these three winter months to wear down Northern Wei?"
The combat effectiveness of the Xuanjia Army was already formidable, and now with ample provisions, while Northern Wei was short of food, the disparity in their situations was too obvious.
When it came to strategic and tactical arrangements, Lu Qingwan naturally ceded the floor back to Lian Yu.
He smoothly took over the conversation, but the topic still revolved around Lu Qingwan.
"This is only one part of it. There is another point that His Highness and I only paid attention to after Your Highness the Consort reminded us."
He deliberately emphasized Lu Qingwan's role before naturally explaining further.
"I've mentioned before that Northern Wei has received support from the Turks and now possesses firearms.
If we engage Northern Wei without using firearms, and considering their extensive experience in fighting in snowy terrain with their cavalry, our soldiers will suffer greatly.
However, if we use firearms, Northern Wei will counter us with firearms as well, and our weapon advantage will not be significant.
If we continue to get entangled like this, it will not only deplete Northern Wei's national strength but also the strength of the Xuanjia Army.
If we both suffer heavy losses, Xiliang and Yunqiang will then seize the opportunity to act. Wouldn't we become the sacrificial lambs?"
Lian Yu's words were simple and easy to understand, lacking obscure military jargon, yet they always hit the mark.
After clearly explaining the reasons for not engaging Northern Wei, and seeing the clarity in the eyes of the soldiers, he patiently added.
"Conversely, Xiliang and Yunqiang do not have firearms. Traditional swords and spears are like mere fire-starting sticks against firearms.
Once we capture Yunqiang as quickly as possible, our army can then surround Xiliang and gradually shrink the encirclement. It may even be possible to subdue Xiliang without a fight.
Then, we can concentrate our forces to attack Northern Wei. At that point, Northern Wei will face the pressure of a combined force from two nations alone."
After he finished speaking, Lu Qingwan followed his explanation and arranged the anticipated battle formations on the sand table.
Lian Yu observed Lu Qingwan's skillful movements and raised an eyebrow, asking the assembled officers, "So, regarding attacking Yunqiang, do any of you have any further questions?"
The generals around the sand table immediately shook their heads vigorously.
With the pre-battle disagreements resolved, Lu Qingwan breathed a sigh of relief.
"If that is the case, then let the Military Advisor issue the specific combat missions."
Lu Qingwan yielded the main seat. "I will be responsible for overseeing the battle. I guarantee that during the engagement, no spies will be able to infiltrate our battle lines.
The rest, I entrust to all of you."
Lian Yu bowed to her solemnly and, without further ceremony, took the main seat and began issuing orders.
Lu Qingwan, while appearing to listen casually, memorized all of Lian Yu's arrangements.
Watching Lian Yu speak and the generals express their thoughts freely, she seemed to glimpse Si Fengwu's commanding presence in the military.
The battle plan had been set by Si Fengwu and Lian Yu long ago, and once the subordinate generals were persuaded, its implementation proceeded smoothly.
Lu Qingwan watched the generals receive their orders and turned to leave, but Lian Yu urgently called her back.
"Your Highness the Consort, please wait."
Lian Yu called out across the long table.
Lu Qingwan turned at the sound, "Does the Military Advisor have something else?"
"Regarding the attack on Yunqiang, I have a few questions for Your Highness the Consort."
Lian Yu approached with a humble attitude, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"I was not able to speak freely in front of the generals earlier, for fear of affecting morale.
His Highness's intention is for us to use firearms as the primary weapon to swiftly capture Yunqiang, thereby intimidating Xiliang and Northern Wei.
However, I have inspected the armory, and our reserve of firearms is not substantial. Furthermore, firearms can deform with prolonged use, affecting their accuracy."
Lu Qingwan nodded as she listened. "So, what is the Military Advisor trying to say?"
Lian Yu said with some embarrassment, "I wish to ask Your Highness the Consort, if we were to truly follow His Highness's command and use firearms as the primary weapon to capture Yunqiang, would our firearms still be sufficient for future battles against Northern Wei?"
This question was truly unexpected, and Lu Qingwan was momentarily taken aback.
Seeing her reaction, Lian Yu assumed the firearms would not be enough and quickly added, "It's alright. From the beginning, I never expected to fight a battle solely won by firearms.
For dealing with Yunqiang, muskets will suffice.
I can save the Hongyi cannons for more formidable enemies."
"No, Military Advisor, you've misunderstood."
Lu Qingwan, realizing the conversation was veering off track, quickly steered it back. "Military Advisor, you need not worry about not having enough firearms.
As I said before, just fight to your heart's content. Aside from lives, you don't need to spare me anything."
This time, it was Lian Yu who was stunned. "Then just now, you were...?"
Her expression had made Lian Yu believe that Lu Qingwan was pained by the potential expenditure.
Lu Qingwan, realizing his misunderstanding, responded with a wry smile. "Has Military Advisor forgotten that in present-day Daqian, His Highness is the one in charge?
He himself is the commander of the Xuanjia Army, so would he ever wage a war unprepared?"
If the situation Lian Yu was worried about were to occur, where the firearms would be depleted after conquering Yunqiang and insufficient for fighting Northern Wei, Si Fengwu would not have launched an offensive against Yunqiang at this time.
He dared to move against Yunqiang because he was fully prepared.
Hearing this, Lian Yu also shook his head in embarrassment. "To be frank, I've been too badly burned by Feng Qingheng over the years.
The Xuanjia Army doesn't fear hardship in battle, but they fear a lack of support afterwards. We've suffered too much from this in the past!"