Chen Lín bowed and hurried off to prepare.
Yun Zhen then turned to Wáng Ānshí, "Zhèngjiù Brother, if we continue eastward, I will not take you along. You need to quickly arrange for the evacuation of the displaced people into the vicinity of Dàtōng, swiftly occupying Yìnnán Prefecture. Meanwhile, three armies—Huǒshān, Bǎodé, and Kělán—will be under your command.
I need you to ensure that as soon as we take a new territory, our civilians enter it immediately, preventing any gaps between us and the people. Otherwise, this will be a long-distance campaign detrimental to the army's morale.
Such large-scale, prolonged wars cannot rely solely on supplies from home; we must know why Dámiehōng’s troops went there."
Wáng Ānshí shook his head, "Displaced people are not viable! They still can't sustain the needs of the army. Perhaps dispatching a significant number of soldiers from Bāiwèi Lake's garrisons could be possible.
These troops might manage to supply provisions in a short time."
Yun Zhen smiled bitterly, "They've been brought here precisely because they are meant to hinder me; at this moment, they would never send their troops. Even though these soldiers lack combat capabilities, they remain part of the army. You'll have to continue accepting displaced people!"
"Páng Jie and Hán Qī, Wén Yān bó, Zēng Gōngliàng, Lǐ Dù are not shortsighted. The ten thousand displaced people were a result of Páng Jié’s efforts in balancing the imperial court. Now that the war has reached such an extent, I do not think they will dare to hinder Yun Zhen.
The northern campaign is significant; we cannot allow any sabotage."
Yun Zhen bowed and said, "Thus, I implore you to present our current situation to the central government. Long marches are not what I want to see."
Wáng Ānshí returned the bow, "If possible, I would return to Dongjing myself, but with the ongoing warfare, it might take three or five years."
Yun Zhen laughed loudly, "Brother Zhèngjiù, in this newly conquered northern land, you will be able to fully implement your reforms. Here, no one will dare to criticize you.
If your mature reform plans succeed here, who would oppose such a proven strategy when you return?"
Chen Lín bowed and hurried off to prepare.
Yun Zhen then spoke to Wáng Ānshí again, "Zhèngjiù Brother, continue eastward without me. You must quickly settle the displaced people in the vicinity of Dàtōng and occupy Yìnnán Prefecture swiftly. Three armies—Huǒshān, Bǎodé, Kělán—will be under your command.
I need you to ensure that as soon as we take a new territory, our civilians enter it immediately, preventing any gaps between us and the people. Otherwise, this will be a long-distance campaign detrimental to the army's morale.
Such large-scale, prolonged wars cannot rely solely on supplies from home; we must know why Dámiehōng’s troops went there."