Outside Lianshan County town, after preliminary arrangements for the various forces, Chu Chen ordered a headcount and report.
Each prefecture maintained three thousand regular troops. Six prefectures each contributed one thousand men, totaling six thousand prefecture soldiers.
Each county maintained two hundred men. Half were drawn from each, with six prefectures and six counties, excluding Lianshan County but including Liaoyuan County, contributing their entire contingent, totaling three thousand six hundred men.
Adding the one thousand cavalry left by Yu Jin from the Beast Extermination Division, two hundred and ten Embroidered Uniform Guard members, and their nine hundred auxiliary personnel.
In total, there were nine thousand six hundred infantry, one thousand one hundred and ten special operations personnel, and one thousand cavalry.
All these troops were gathered at the east gate of Lianshan County town, ready to attack at any moment.
"Prime Minister, I have ordered the immediate production of twenty ladders and about ten long wooden planks. I believe these will be sufficient to deal with the two hundred county soldiers defending Lianshan County town."
Zhang Chengzhu stood beside Chu Chen, curiously looking at the cylinder Chu Chen held before his eyes, and reported.
"You are mistaken. This Lianshan County town does not have only two hundred county soldiers." Chu Chen retorted with a cold smile.
"Ah?"
"See for yourself."
After speaking, Chu Chen handed the telescope to Zhang Chengzhu.
Zhang Chengzhu fumbled and caught it. Curiously, he imitated Chu Chen's manner of use and looked towards the city walls.
The various forces, after being reorganized by Chu Chen, had moved their camp to four li outside the town.
At this moment, with the aid of the crude three-times magnification telescope, Zhang Chengzhu could clearly see the situation on the city walls.
"This, why are there so many people on the city walls? And over a hundred soldiers with full armor?"
Zhang Chengzhu said in great surprise.
"Let me see too!"
An Xian, unable to contain his curiosity, snatched the telescope and took a look.
Moments later, An Xian exclaimed with great joy, "Prime Minister! What is this object? It can see clearly from four li away as if it were close at hand? If this item were popularized among the generals of all ranks in the army, then in the future, no enemy force would be able to escape our observation!"
"This is a military artifact!"
"This is called a telescope. I won't explain how it's made; you wouldn't understand even if I did."
Chu Chen smiled faintly and waved his hand, saying, "We'll discuss popularizing it later. Let's first talk about your opinions."
"Yes!"
"Prime Minister, based on my rough observation, there are at least over five hundred people on the city walls. It is likely that more than just the Chi family was involved in the ambush. Now that you have brought your troops to the border, they are all determined to resist to the end and have brought out their entire reserves, hence this scene."
Zhang Chengzhu first presented his speculation, then continued, "In my humble opinion, if you wish to avoid heavy losses, Prime Minister, you could postpone the attack and surround the town first. Then, summon more imperial troops and prepare more thoroughly before launching the assault."
"Prime Minister, I believe we could shoot letters with arrows, distribute them widely, and state our might. Most of those participating in the defense would likely not be willing to lose their lives."
"At the very least, it could sow discord among their troops. Then, we could divide our forces and attack from all sides. At that time, lacking skilled commanders, they would be in disarray fighting on multiple fronts, making it very easy for them to lose the city walls."
An Xian smiled slightly and offered his suggestion.
"Your suggestions are both good, but I do not intend to go through such trouble. I have a faster and less costly method."
Chu Chen chuckled and subtly rejected their suggestions. Doing so would waste too much effort and time, and he did not have that much time.
As soon as he was absent from the imperial court, chaos would ensue. The Empress had already sent people to urge him to resolve the matter quickly or hand it over to someone else, so he could return to take charge.
At this moment, Princess Xin Yue put down the telescope she was holding and asked doubtfully, "How do the Chi family and other clans have so many private soldiers, and with complete armor? Did the imperial court not explicitly prohibit the private possession of armor and crossbows? Are they not afraid of being discovered and beheaded?"
"Uh~"
Chu Chen and the other two were momentarily at a loss for words.
Zhang Chengzhu and An Xian felt even more embarrassed, as their own families seemed to be doing the same, possessing some private soldiers and armor.
Chu Chen thought for a moment and replied, "When families are wealthy and powerful, they tend to have a guilty conscience when they do too many wrong things. They naturally feel insecure, and thus act this way. This matter can only be suppressed for the most part, but it is impossible to completely eradicate it."
"Oh!" Princess Xin Yue nodded as if she understood, but not entirely.
"Commander Zhou, did your men see Marquis Chengguan enter the city?"
"No, but the members of the Beast Extermination Division discovered more than ten riders approaching the outskirts of Lianshan County town, roaming around and evading pursuit. Their cultivation is extraordinary, making it difficult for the Beast Extermination Division's scouts to capture them."
Commander Zhou replied with some shame.
"It's fine." Chu Chen waved his hand. "It seems Marquis Chengguan has arrived, but I wonder what his intentions are, not entering the city but doing something on the periphery."
Seeing that no one spoke, Princess Xin Yue asked, puzzled, "Could Marquis Chengguan possibly invite reinforcements?"
"Naturally. My new policies have offended quite a number of people. Every noble family and powerful figure, without exception, has been offended."
Chu Chen sneered and replied.
In fact, if it weren't for his Life Simulator system, which allowed him to simulate his life and know future events, and thus make preparations, he would have already faced nationwide rebellion. Relying on the Royal Merchant Guild's goods to make a substantial profit, and establishing factories, which were far more profitable than farming, he had managed to reclaim over half of the land from the gentry and powerful families. Coupled with two achievements that significantly reduced resistance to the new policies, the situation would have been dire.
At this moment, the gentry and powerful families were merely expressing minor discontent, without taking any actual action.
Princess Xin Yue asked, "Then should we wait for Marquis Chengguan's reinforcements to arrive before acting?"
"No, absolute advantage is on our side! Why wait for the enemy to gather all their strength? Naturally, speed is of the essence. We will break through the target and annihilate the remnants. In any case, the mastermind, Marquis Chengguan, is already in the vicinity of Lianshan County. Once we take Lianshan County, I will capture him!"
Chu Chen smiled and revealed his plan.
"But Prime Minister, there are likely thousands of people inside the city now. If we attack so hastily, I fear..."
Zhang Chengzhu's words were left unfinished, but everyone understood his meaning.
An Xian added with concern, "Prime Minister, although we have over ten thousand men, most of the prefecture and county soldiers have not seen battle for a long time, and their training may not be up to par. They are fine in a favorable situation, but a direct assault on the city will be difficult to sustain."
"It's alright. I summoned them not to rely on them to take Lianshan County. I only need them to fight in favorable situations."
Chu Chen waved his hand and said with a smile, completely unconcerned.
"Uh, then what does Prime Minister intend to do?" Zhang Chengzhu and An Xian exchanged glances, not quite understanding, and asked.
"Simple! Commander Zhou, notify all the leaders to assemble, arrange their formations according to their temporary ranks, and prepare for the attack!"
"Yes!"
"This, we're attacking now?"
Zhang Chengzhu and An Xian were somewhat dumbfounded. They were not ignorant of military matters; in fact, one had a basic understanding, and the other was highly skilled.
But it was precisely because of this that they had subtly advised Chu Chen against a hasty attack.
Only Princess Xin Yue seemed to have thought of something and became instantly excited.