klisemfg Chapter 639: Despair after Bai Wuan's Analysis
Chapter 639: Despair after Bai Wuan's Analysis
Bai Xunming hurried in and saw Bai Wuan reading by the window, and immediately closed the door again.
Bai Wuan looked at Bai Xunming, frowned slightly, put down the scroll in his hand, and asked,
"Brother, are you in such a hurry? Are the Yan army coming to attack us?"
"Ah, it's just as you expected."
Bai Xunming sat opposite Bai Wuan, picked up the teacup and took a sip, then sighed heavily.
"Wu'an, let me tell you about the current situation."
"Brother, please speak slowly. I am all ears."
"Originally, two days ago, we received intelligence reports saying that the Yan army was still in the vicinity of Wuling County, but just now, an urgent battle report came in from 800 miles away, saying that the Yan army had entered the Guanzhong Plain and was only 50 miles away from Xianyang City.
No, at this time, there may only be more than thirty miles left."
Hearing this, Bai Wuan frowned and said,
"Brother said a few days ago that our army was defending the city and clearing the countryside, while the local armies were fighting to the death. This severely slowed down the Yan army's march and also caused them to run out of food and fodder.
The food supplies at Yulei Pass, along with the 500,000 soldiers, were flooded. The Yan army must have run out of food and planned to fight desperately to capture Xianyang City in one battle.
Our army only needs to firmly hold Xianyang City, deploy heavy troops both inside and outside the city, coordinate with those outside and inside the city, and only defend without attacking. Until the Sichuan Army arrives, the Sichuan Army will bypass and surround the Yan Army, and the Yan Army will be defeated. "
Bai Xunming sighed,
"You are absolutely right, but the problem is that two days ago, the White Horse Army of Yan State bypassed Xianyang to intercept the Sichuan Army."
Bai Wuan immediately said,
"The Yan army had planned this long ago. The White Horse Army's mobility seriously slowed down the Sichuan Army's marching speed. As long as the Sichuan Army formed a battle array to meet the enemy, they would not be able to advance. If they hurried, the White Horse Army would launch a surprise attack, and they would be forced to fight again. This is the troublesome thing about cavalry.
The White Horse Army held back the Sichuan Army, and the 300,000 Yan Army marched quickly, broke through Xianyang in one fell swoop, and then held Xianyang and resisted the Sichuan Army, so that there was a glimmer of hope.
This Yan army commander is extraordinary. First he flooded an army of 500,000, and then he came up with such a decisive and brilliant plan. It seems that Shen Changgong's words that Guan Shouchang could also defeat me were true."
After saying this, Bai Wuan picked up the book again and continued reading.
Bai Xunming was dumbfounded, snatched his book away and said,
"Oh, how can you still be in the mood to read? You should think of a solution quickly!"
Bai Wuan smiled and said,
"Now that things have come to this, what can I do? What's more, I am just a criminal, under house arrest. I have no military power and no one listens to what I say.
I think my brother must have recommended me again in the court and got scolded."
"You are truly a master of foresight. In your opinion, how can our army defeat the enemy now?"
"The Sichuan Army has been stopped, and we can only rely on our own 300,000 people to fight against the hungry and ferocious Yan Army.
If they were to fight outside the city, the Yan army, forced into a desperate situation, would definitely fight to the death. They also had weapons such as artillery and divine thunder. The Yan army was also a veteran army, the elite among the elite. It would be unwise to pull them out for a field battle.
The solution for now is to delay.
Open the city gate and deploy heavy troops in the city. The city gate is so small, how many people from the Yan army can rush in at one time?
We always maintain a situation of outnumbering the enemy. No matter how strong the Yan army is, they can't defeat ten of us with one. Even if we can't win, we can at least hold them off.
The Sichuan Army is not far away and will arrive sooner or later. If we can hold out until they arrive, we will win.
But the emperor will not accept this suggestion. This strategy can work in any city, but not here."
Bai Xunming said in confusion,
"why?"
"Because this is Xianyang, our capital, if the enemy breaks in, it means the city is broken.
The risk of doing so is too great, the Emperor will never allow it."
At this point, Bai Wuan said slowly,
"Given your Majesty's personality, you will most likely order Zheng Ping'an to defend Xianyang City to the death. Zheng Ping'an is good at defense but not attack. Although he's not particularly smart, a defensive battle requires such a stubborn person. If he defends with all his might, there's still a glimmer of hope that he can wait for the Sichuan Army to arrive, but that hope is slim. The Yan Army is too fierce."
Bai Xunming sighed to the sky and said slowly,
"Then do you know what the emperor did?"
"How?"
"He ordered Zheng Ping'an to go out of the city to fight. Zheng Ping'an was determined to fight to the death. He brought all 300,000 soldiers, leaving no one alive, outside the city to fight the Yan army.
Their reasoning was that the Yan army was exhausted, their men and horses tired, while our army was well rested and ready to attack. This was the perfect time to take the initiative."
Hearing this, Bai Wuan was shocked, looked at Bai Xunming in disbelief, and said,
"Brother, what you mean is that Zheng Ping'an has taken all 300,000 troops away, and now what the Yan army faces is an undefended Xianyang City that is easily accessible. They only need to kick open the city gate and come in to enjoy the fat piece of Xianyang City.
do you mean this? "
Bai Wuan's prediction was wrong for the first time.
"That's what it means."
Bai Wuan clenched his fists instantly and shouted coldly,
"Zheng Ping'an's stupidity is beyond my expectations."
Bai Xun is famous for his
"Don't worry. The Yan army might actually gather 300,000 troops to fight a decisive battle with ours. They're exhausted and can't defeat us at all."
Bai Wuan said coldly,
"Brother, are you hoping that the enemy commander is as stupid as ours, so that we can have a chance of winning?
The Yan army was brave and had no way to retreat at this time. They came with full of anger and were determined to capture Xianyang in one fell swoop so that they could survive.
The Yan army is desperate and will certainly fight to the death. Our army knows that the Yan army does not kill prisoners. This is our retreat, so we will definitely not fight to the death.
If the two armies clash, we will be defeated.
Moreover, Guan Shouchang would not miss the opportunity to leave Xianyang City empty.
By the time the two armies engage in battle, it will be almost dark. At that time, they only need to send tens of thousands of people to quietly go around to the east gate or the west gate, blast open the gate with a cannon, control the four city gates, rush straight to the palace, eliminate the 5,000 imperial guards, and capture the emperor alive.
We have lost this battle."
Bai Xunming said in disbelief,
"Wu'an, are you saying that the Qin Dynasty will be destroyed tonight? So soon?"
"Tonight!"
Bai Wuan said,
"Brother, we can't care about so many things now. The emperor won't listen to me. We can only protect ourselves.
Go and call all the Bai family members who are away from home back home, lock the doors, and then, after dark, post this on their doors."
Bai Wuan took out a seal from the table.
On it, there was only a black dragon and a seal mark...