klisemfg Chapter 405: Qin's Feint Attack
Chapter 405: Qin's Feint Attack
Bai Wuan immediately shook his head and said,
"If that's the case, Zhao Kuo has only two options: either attack our army with all his might, or retreat to Xingqing Prefecture.
But neither of these two results is what I want. I want this Changping area to become the grave of 400,000 Liang soldiers.
Huan Qi, in the next ten days, arrange a small force to conduct a feint attack on the two hills. You must pretend that you have tried your best but just can't take them down, even if there are some casualties.
In addition, while the Liang army's attention is drawn, we can quietly transfer our troops to the hilltops on both sides.
Remember, no open flames, no smoke, you must stay hidden, and let the barracks below deliver your meals."
"This Zhao Kuo, isn't he planning to ambush our army? Our army will launch a counter-ambush!"
Bai Wuan slammed his fist heavily on the table.
"As you command, I will arrange it right away!"
Huan Qi already understood what Bai Wuan wanted to do.
……
The next day, smoke rose from the Qin army camp. They were cooking for 400,000 people, which could be seen from the amount of smoke.
But their main force has quietly moved to the mountains on both sides.
The Qin army also sent 20,000 people to march towards the two hills.
Although only 20,000 people were sent, they carried a lot of flags, and many of the flags of friendly forces were borrowed by them. At first glance, the huge crowds of people and the fluttering flags were very scary.
These two peaks are called Qianniu Ridge. There is a depression in the middle that allows people to pass through, but it is narrow.
There are as many as 100,000 people on Qianniu Ridge.
There were 50,000 troops on each side, but the Qin army only sent 20,000 to attack. The result can be imagined.
The huge rocks and logs on the mountain rolled down and crushed all the attacking Qin troops.
There were wailing sounds everywhere in the Qin army. No matter whether they were hit or not, they just followed the shouting. It was so miserable.
Originally, the Liang army on the hilltop was very afraid of the Qin army, but when they saw the Qin army being knocked to the ground and their horses running around, squeezed in the narrow mountain road and unable to get up, they all laughed and their fear of the Qin army was swept away.
The Qin army came and retreated quickly. After fighting for less than an hour, they left behind some flags and fled.
The Liang army on the hilltop cheered excitedly, celebrating their successful ambush on the Qin army.
The scout excitedly ran to the northernmost hilltop as quickly as possible to report the matter to Zhao Kuo.
Zhao Kuo was delighted when he heard this and said,
"Hahahaha, the Qin army is nothing special. The Qin army commander Bai Wuan is said to be an undefeated warrior in the Qin State. He was actually ambushed by Zhao Kuo today. What a joke."
The people around him immediately flattered him,
"General Zhao is a master of strategy, and he has calculated everything. Isn't it easy to capture the Qin army?"
"That's right. What did Bai Wuan say about the famous Qin general? I think he's nothing special. Under our General Zhao's scheme, even Bai Wuan would be fooled."
"In this battle, our Liang army will surely crush the Qin army, repel them mercilessly, and send them back to their Qin state. We will prevent them from crossing our borders for at least twenty years."
"The Qin army is nothing but clowns. Once General Zhao takes action, they will be defeated. After defeating the Qin army, General Zhao will lead us to fight the Qi army and drive them out completely, thus achieving unparalleled merit."
"I've been following Zhao Shuai all my life."
Zhao Kuo listened to the boasting in his ears, and the corners of his mouth raised involuntarily, but he still said,
“Don’t flatter, and don’t underestimate the enemy. Bai Wuan is a famous general after all. This is his first attack today, so he may not be prepared, but tomorrow he will be well prepared and come again.
Pass the word down, have the first line of defense get ready. There will be a fierce battle tomorrow. Let them hold out as long as they can, and retreat if they can't.
"As ordered!"
"Wait a moment."
Zhao Kuo called them again, and after thinking for a moment, he said,
"There's no standard for whether we can hold out. The generals ahead might choose to retreat early out of fear of death, thus failing to stop the enemy.
The battlefield is changing rapidly, and they don't have a unified command to observe the situation on the battlefield. This is not good.
Forget it, I will personally lead the charge and march with them."
Hearing this, the people around were shocked.
"You absolutely cannot do that, Marshal! The front lines are too dangerous. What will happen if something goes wrong?"
"Yes, Marshal, a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. You must not put yourself in danger."
"Think twice, Marshal."
Everyone was trying to persuade him, but Zhao Kuo just waved his hand and said,
"A commander-in-chief is supposed to lead the troops in the battle. Hiding in the back and not being able to see the battlefield is not an option. I have made up my mind. Do not try to persuade me anymore. Let's go to the front line."
At Zhao Kuo's insistence, the Liang army's command tent was moved from the back to the front.
The soldiers on the front line were also very excited when they heard that the commander-in-chief was coming to command in person. With the commander-in-chief in person, they were in a safe place.
Zhao Kuo camped on the hill west of Qianniu Ridge. The tall banner was soon discovered by the Qin army and reported to Bai Wuan.
After hearing this, Bai Wuan snorted coldly and didn't say much, just saying that everything was as usual.
The next day, the Qin army set out again, just like yesterday, with a mighty force and an overwhelming attack on the two hills.
Soon, the Qin army arrived at the foot of the hill and began to attack.
Zhao Kuo stood on the top of the mountain, looking down and analyzing the combat effectiveness and military strength of the Qin army.
After one morning, the battle was over and the Qin army carried the "corpses" of the dead back.
After seeing this scene, Zhao Kuo laughed and said,
“Although the Qin army’s combat effectiveness is not very good, their character is not bad. At least after each battle, they would collect the bodies of their comrades and bury them, so that their bodies would not be exposed in the wilderness.
However, if they rely on this kind of combat power, even if they are given another ten days, they will still find it difficult to defeat us."
Behind him, there was another round of flattery.
Later, on the third, fourth, and fifth days, the Qin army attacked as usual, persevering and fighting with all their might.
On the seventh day, Zhao Kuo's subordinates suddenly said to Zhao Kuo,
"General Zhao, the Qin army seems to be acting a bit abnormally. Could they be secretly transferring their main force and attacking our other areas?"
Hearing this, Zhao Kuo smiled and said,
"That's impossible. I've sent people to investigate within a radius of dozens of miles. There are no Qin troops to the north of our line.
And you see, the amount of smoke from their cooking pots has always been fixed, which means that their army has always been in the camp and has not moved.
If things go as expected, the Qin army is planning to fight a war of attrition with us."
"But, Marshal, we are running low on food and cannot afford to waste it."