Even those who lived in an era of firearms would instinctively panic at being shelled on the battlefield, disrupting the commander's deployment.
Yet, these cavalrymen and their horses seemed to have long grown accustomed to the smell of gunpowder.
Not only were they unperturbed by the explosions, but they could also accurately gauge the range of the artillery strikes, thereby avoiding the bombardment themselves while luring the enemy into the shelling's coverage.
This seamless coordination between infantry and artillery made Lu Qingwan unable to do anything but offer a resounding praise.
"It is good that the Princess Consort is satisfied."
Li Qing sounded as if he had a personal stake in their success.
"Ever since you officially informed the Prince that firearms would be used on a large scale in future wars, the Prince ordered the soldiers to familiarize themselves with the sound and smell of firearms, and to get used to cooperating with them.
For this purpose, some soldiers were injured by our own firearms, and quite a few died.
The achievements today were not in vain for those brothers."
Lu Qingwan gazed into the distance, watching the billowing smoke and the Xuanjia Army that had already penetrated into Yunqiang territory. She suddenly felt that firearms had been introduced too late.
Previously, she had worried about the balance of this world being disrupted by modern weaponry and had been cautious. However, it turned out that Daqin and Tujue had already begun using firearms, so this balance was not hers to break.
If she had equipped the Xuanjia Army with firearms earlier, perhaps the defeat of the previous year could have been avoided, and Lu Zhenting would not have died.
Her thoughts swirling, Lu Qingwan frowned and said, "According to the current trend, the strategist should not need to personally lead the charge, right? Where is he?"
Qianli Jin's vision was wide, but Lu Qingwan searched all around and couldn't find Lian Yu.
Just as she was about to ask Li Qing to look for him, he had already appeared behind her.
"Lian Yu is here. May I know what Your Highness the Princess Consort requires of me?"
His tone was serious, but as Lu Qingwan turned her head, she met Lian Yu's smiling gaze.
She was surprised and lowered the telescope in her hand. "The battle is fierce ahead. Why is the strategist here?"
Yunqiang's military strength was not strong, and this was a surprise attack. The Xuanjia Army indeed had a high chance of winning, but this did not mean they could underestimate the enemy.
As the supreme commander of the three armies, Lian Yu could choose not to be at the forefront, leading by example, but he should at least be in a position to command the overall situation for flexible command and adaptation.
At least in Lu Qingwan's mind, Lian Yu should not have been at Beixiao Pass at this time.
"The strategic plan to attack Yunqiang was agreed upon by me and the Prince, and I have meticulously explained it to Generals Jiang and Xu Wenzhou.
General Jiang's cavalry is invincible, and Xu Wenzhou's artillery corps was the first in the Xuanjia Army to come into contact with firearms. With them here, the battle will proceed without any unexpected mishaps.
I have also dispatched the Shadow Guards to follow along. Should any unexpected situation arise, the golden eagles will transmit the news back at any time."
The people with golden eagles were all trusted subordinates of Lu Qingwan and Si Fengwu. Lian Yu's arrangements clearly indicated his intention to free himself up.
Lu Qingwan understood and said, "The strategist is leaving the complete conquest of Yunqiang to Generals Jiang and Xu Wenzhou. May I ask what your own plans are?"
Lian Yu smiled and looked in the direction of Zhenyuan Pass. "Princess Consort, what do you think is the probability of the army taking Yunqiang, conquering Xiliang, and then turning around to concentrate its efforts on attacking Beiwei?"
Lu Qingwan reasoned, "War is not like eating a meal; there is no rule that one must fight battles in a sequence.
If the strategist intends for the army to fight Yunqiang first, then Xiliang, and then fully conquer both Yunqiang and Xiliang before turning their attention to Beiwei, I can only say that the probability of this is practically zero."
Nie Wuming and the Emperor of Beiwei were not fools. Even if they were currently troubled by shortages of food and weaponry, and were hesitant due to the thirteen thousand Beiwei troops within Beixiao Pass, they would not be oblivious to the fact that once the Xuanjia Army captured Xiliang and Yunqiang, the pressure they faced would only increase.
War, in the end, was a game of weighing benefits.
Once Nie Wuming and the Emperor of Beiwei realized that the cost of temporarily avoiding conflict was facing the combined pressure of Daqian, Xiliang, and Yunqiang, they might not resort to desperate measures and fight with all their might.
Upon hearing Lu Qingwan's words, Lian Yu knew that although she claimed not to lead troops in battle, she was still quite knowledgeable about the battlefield situation.
Therefore, explaining his upcoming strategic plan to Lu Qingwan became much simpler.
"As Your Highness the Princess Consort said, Beiwei will not allow us to leisurely conquer Yunqiang and Xiliang before concentrating our forces to attack them.
Therefore, I have ordered General Lin to use the cover of the artillery corps' bombardment to penetrate deep into Yunqiang, forming a pincer attack on Xiliang with the army outside Zhenyuan Pass.
Once the cavalry and artillery corps capture Yunqiang, they will turn their attention to the western border of Beiwei, and all armies will simultaneously attack Xiliang and Beiwei."
Without a map in front of her, Lu Qingwan had to put in considerable effort to understand Lian Yu's operational plan.
After she finally understood, she was shocked. "Such a bold operational plan, does the Prince know about it?"
Lian Yu nodded. "This operational plan was discussed by myself, the Prince, and Prince Consort Shao. At that time, Prince Consort Shao felt that this plan was a bit too bold, but the Prince did not veto it, only instructing me to use it with caution."
Lu Qingwan and Lian Yu were both very familiar with Si Fengwu. Knowing that he had not completely rejected it indicated that he, to some extent, approved of this operational plan.
Lu Qingwan also knew that, given the current overall situation, if Lian Yu's plan succeeded, the operation to unify the southeastern three kingdoms could be completed at least two years earlier.
However, simultaneously engaging in war with Xiliang and Beiwei, with the newly conquered and unstable Yunqiang in between, was simply too risky.
Not only would the supply lines be too long, but there was also the risk of Yunqiang rebelling and being attacked from both sides.
It was no wonder Prince Consort Shao called this operational plan too bold.
Lu Qingwan thought a great deal in an instant. Finally, she only asked one question, "In making such arrangements, does the strategist believe that the current timing is already sufficiently mature to implement this operational plan?"
Lian Yu did not directly say that he believed the time was ripe. Instead, he analyzed the current situation for Lu Qingwan with great seriousness.
"We have four hundred thousand Xuanjia Army troops. Excluding those in Zhongzhou and Shangjing, there are still a full three hundred and ten thousand elite soldiers available for combat.
Currently, with the Prince in the imperial court and the Princess Consort managing logistics, there is no fear of the soldiers lacking food and clothing, nor is there a shortage of military equipment.
With such excellent equipment and sufficient supplies, I can say that this is the best state and the highest morale the Xuanjia Army has ever had since its establishment."
Lu Qingwan nodded repeatedly as she listened. She herself had contributed to this morale, and she could not deny Lian Yu's words.
He calmly continued, "This is our own advantage.
As for the outside world, Yunqiang need not be mentioned. For years, they have lived at the mercy of others, surviving in the cracks. While this may seem like a long-term strategy, it has emptied their coffers. It is not that I underestimate them, but rather that Yunqiang is not a formidable threat."