Nine dragons fight for the throne, I don't want to sit on this throne

After Su Tingmei finished explaining her four points of analysis, she paused for a moment.

In conclusion, "Therefore, the risks that Your Highness is worried about, such as being ambushed, losing elite troops, and being spied on, can all be minimized under Tingmei's meticulous planning and strict execution."

"In comparison, the real, imminent risk that lies in watching Gongsun Yi calmly plan his southward advance, leaving Your Majesty's army with its flanks wide open and its supply lines in danger, is that of the nation's fate!"

"When faced with two evils, taking the initiative to harass and seek greater stability with a small risk is the only option."

Su Tingmei's insightful and logically rigorous analysis dissected the word "risk" completely, highlighting instead the immense danger of inaction.

His confidence and determination, like a rock, gradually calmed Chu Xuan and his generals.

As Chu Xuan listened, the doubts in his eyes gradually disappeared, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

He hesitated for a moment, his fingers pausing heavily on the armrest, before finally making his decision:

"Excellent! Mr. Su is right, and his plan is thorough! Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures!"

"Holding out and waiting for a change in circumstances is no longer reliable. Let us follow your strategy, sir, and employ this method of offense instead of defense, using a pack of wolves to harass and attack!"

He abruptly stood up, his princely robes fluttering without wind, exuding a resolute and imposing aura.

His gaze swept over the assembled generals in the hall, and a series of clear and decisive orders were issued in rapid succession:

"Vice Commander Liu! You are in charge of all harassment operations!"

"Immediately select the bravest, most resourceful, and most familiar with the terrain soldiers from each battalion and cavalry unit to form the Youzhou Cavalry, divided into ten teams, each with three hundred men for the time being. The team leader must be an experienced colonel or captain!"

"Mr. Su, please immediately formulate a detailed harassment strategy and target order."

"Clearly indicate the attack area, contact information, withdrawal route, and contingency plans for different situations for each team! Be meticulous and distribute to each team!"

"Commander Zhao! You are in charge of logistical support and intelligence support! Equip the cavalry with enough powerful bows, crossbows, rockets, oil, and five days' worth of rations."

"All intelligence from the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Scout Battalion regarding the latest movements of the Scorpion Clan must be compiled and sent to Vice Governor Liu and Mr. Su immediately!"

"Order all city gate commanders to be ready, from this day forward, to secretly open the small gates for the cavalry at any time, and to arrange archers and crossbowmen on the city walls to provide cover and support!"

"Each unit must strictly adhere to military orders when launching an attack, prioritizing harassment and containment, and is not allowed to be greedy for merit or engage in prolonged battles!"

"If the harassment is successful, immediately retreat; if encountering a strong enemy, disperse and withdraw to the designated rendezvous point!"

“Daily actions must be recorded, and Vice Governor Liu and Mr. Su will evaluate the results and adjust the strategy accordingly!”

"remember!"

Chu Xuan's voice suddenly rose, resounding throughout the hall: "Your mission is not about how many enemies you kill."

"Instead, we want to make Gongsun Yi lose his appetite and sleep, and make his 100,000-strong army feel as if they are in a thicket of thorns, unable to move an inch, and even less likely to look south!"

"The merit of this battle lies not in beheading, but in trapping the enemy! Is this even possible?"

"Your humble servants obey! We swear to complete the mission to the death!"

The generals below the hall responded with a thunderous roar, their voices shaking the roof tiles, their eyes rekindling with high morale and excitement for carrying out their new mission.

With Chu Xuan's order, the war machine of the entire Youzhou City began to quietly shift from a purely defensive mode to a more proactive and balanced state of offense and defense.

A silent struggle, a contest of harassment and counter-harassment, containment and counter-containment, is about to unfold fiercely on the frigid wilderness of the North.

Meanwhile, the safety of Chu Ning's army, which is far away on its southern expedition, will largely depend on the battle of wits and courage between the pack of wolves in Youzhou and the wise lions of the north.

Chu Xuan's order was like a boulder thrown into calm water, instantly creating ripples throughout the Youzhou Governor's Office and the entire Youzhou garrison system, and quickly translating into concrete and efficient actions.

Throughout Youzhou, the war machine within it began to operate at a new and more proactive pace.

After the order was given, Deputy Commander Liu and Su Tingmei immediately moved to the military sand table room in the side hall.

On the huge sand table, Youzhou City, the mountains, rivers, villages and roads within a hundred miles, as well as the main garrison points, patrol routes, water sources, and suspected grain storage sites of the Scorpion Clan marked with small flags of different colors are all clearly visible.

Holding a slender wooden stick, Su Tingmei pointed at the sand table and conducted an emergency simulation with Deputy Commander Liu and several senior staff officers.

They quickly delineated ten priority harassment areas and drafted preliminary plans for the attack routes, rendezvous points, and dispersed retreats when encountering enemy forces of different sizes for each "Youzhou Cavalry" team.

The clerk quickly took notes and organized them into a preliminary action plan.

At the same time, the order to select "Youzhou Cavalry" was quickly transmitted to all camps and cavalry garrisons in the city via fast horses and messengers.

The standards are extremely strict: candidates must have served in the border army for more than two years, participated in at least three battles against the Scorpion Clan, be skilled in horsemanship and archery, be familiar with the local terrain, and have comrades vouch for their courage and reliability.

The commanders of each battalion dared not slack off and immediately began the selection process within their battalions.

The selected elite soldiers quickly assembled at the designated training ground and formed temporary ranks.

Each team consists of 300 people, with one captain, two deputy captains, and several "fires" or "squads" of about 30 people each, with temporary fire chiefs and squad leaders appointed.

In less than two hours, the core members of the "Youzhou Cavalry," consisting of ten teams and a total of three thousand men, had been initially assembled. Although they still needed to work together, their elite and fierce spirit had already been formed.

The logistics system under Zhao Canjun's command was operating at high speed.

The armory opened, but it contained not heavy infantry armor or long spears and halberds.

Instead, they carried lightweight and sturdy leather or chainmail, composite bows and crossbows for easy mounted archery, specially made rockets, throwing ropes for binding oil canisters, signal arrows and horn cannons for creating chaos, as well as sharp sabers and spare quivers.

Each cavalryman received a sufficient amount of arrows, five days' worth of rations, and a personal first-aid kit.

In the stables, the best warhorses were given priority to these cavalrymen, and they were provided with double horseshoes and simple hoof trimming tools.

A dedicated logistics team was formed to prepare hot food, hot water, medicine, and replacement horses for the cavalry while they were out of the city, ensuring they could recover quickly upon their return.

The secret agents and scouts of the Embroidered Uniform Guard were required to increase the frequency of intelligence transmission.

All information regarding the scorpion camp's troop rotation time, patrol handover intervals, and the departure routes of supply convoys.

Even the slightest clues, such as whether there was a banquet or laxity in the camp, were required to be sent to Vice Governor Liu and Su Tingmei's desks immediately.

Meanwhile, a simple but effective nighttime communication signal was established.

This included different colored lights, specific whistles, and pre-set beacon signals to facilitate simple communication between the cavalry units and between them and the city walls.

Before the final attack, Vice Commander Liu and Su Tingmei personally gave a brief pre-battle speech to the three thousand elite cavalry.

Instead of lengthy encouragement, the core tactics were repeatedly emphasized: "Harassment is the primary objective, annihilation of the enemy is secondary; strike and retreat immediately, never linger in battle, preserve yourself, and trap the enemy!"

He repeatedly warned of the serious consequences of failure that might result from greed for quick success and recklessness.

The military judge immediately announced the battlefield discipline: anyone who deserts, disobeys orders and lingers in battle, or leaks information about the operation will be executed without mercy.