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Chapter 701: If You Can't Guess, Then Don't Guess
🕑 Added 2024-10-05 05:05:35 +0000 UTCOn the other side, Xu You, riding his horse, looked at the moon that was about to reach its zenith. "It's already Hai hour. Our reinforcements should have begun their actions by now. It's wonderful, isn't it? Such a tranquil night; only slaughter can open the curtain of this stage. Speaking of which, the drama in Mount Tai is indeed a form of beauty."
"Strategist, is it really effective to launch a night raid at this time?" Wen Chou asked with a bitter smile. He could see things a mile away, so any surprise effect from a night raid seemed pointless.
"Night raid?" Xu You raised his head to gaze at the bright moon, gently stroking his horse's back with his left hand. "When did I ever say we were going to conduct a night raid? A clever strategy only needs to be unexpected, and this bright moon is the best element of surprise."
Yan Liang was visibly stunned, completely unable to understand what Xu You was talking about. What did this have to do with anything?
"The Hai hour has arrived. The Lü brothers should have already launched their attack on Chiping. They will likely fulfill my requirements by Zi hour. Let's get ready as well." Xu You looked back at Wen Chou with calm confidence written all over his face.
"Alright," Wen Chou nodded. Xu You's confidence was contagious; if the opponent still had the courage to proceed, why should he be afraid?
【They already know I'm here. Chen Zichuan is indeed formidable. Though I don't understand how he figured it out, what does it matter? This full moon of the fifteenth day is my greatest advantage. How could a general not understand the timing?】 Xu You silently mused.
Xu You stroked the mane of his horse, calming himself down. After eliminating three waves of scouts, Xu You realized that his originally flawless plan had somehow been seen through. But he wasn't worried; the core of his strategy did not hinge on that aspect.
After the moon reached its zenith, Chen Xi also started to feel weary. He had been waiting for Xu You's army to strike. Although he knew that under such moonlight, any night raid would be a joke, he still felt a bit uneasy. After all, Xu Ziyuan had planned for so long, only to fail due to the timing. Wasn't that a joke in itself?
"It seems the enemy won't be coming," Chen Xi sighed, gazing at the high moon. He had prepared extensively, but the timing had ruined everything.
Chen Xi quickly ceased talking and began to focus his mental energy to manipulate the weather, solidifying the region's clear skies. Since it was a clear day, let it stay that way. Such cloudless weather was a blessing too.
"Xingba, send more men to guard the camp gates, increase patrols, and set up more hidden posts. In any case, don't give Xu You any opportunity to exploit!" Chen Xi sighed as he gave the order. After watching for so long without any sign of the enemy, he was feeling exhausted.
"Strategist, you should go rest. With me, Gan Xingba, here, I won't give the enemy any chances," Gan Ning replied with a cupped fist.
"Good, I'll leave it to you then. I'll go rest now," Chen Xi, feeling indeed tired, patted Gan Ning on the shoulder and headed back to the central tent to sleep, yawning.
"Gan Luo, assign men to protect the central tent. I have a bad feeling about tonight," Gan Ning ordered his personal guards after Chen Xi left.
"Yes!" Gan Luo responded promptly.
When Chen Xi returned to his tent, he could still hear the voices of Fa Zheng and Zhuge Liang playing chess and chatting in Zhuge's nearby tent.
"Aren't you two going to rest?" Chen Xi asked with a yawn as he opened the door flap.
"Can't sleep," Fa Zheng replied with a sullen face. "Zichuan, aren't you the least bit nervous? I'm very worried."
"You two carry on; I'm going to sleep. If something happens, wake me up," Chen Xi said as he yawned, wobbling back to his tent to rest.
"Zichuan, wake up..." Chen Xi had barely touched his pillow when he was startled awake by Zhuge Liang's urgent voice.
With a sudden motion, Chen Xi sat up straight. "Xu You has come?"
"No, he didn't come here. He's attacking the new city of Linyi!" Zhuge Liang quickly responded.
"What?" Chen Xi was stunned. "Are they looking to die? Do they think they are ten times more ferocious than our army to attack a city at night?"
"Zichuan, the moonlight is bright tonight. Everything is clearly visible. The issue of visibility during a night battle is nonexistent. Moreover, a report from General Xu's Tiger Guard indicates that they were caught off guard by the night attack and nearly lost a section of the wall due to a lapse in vigilance," Zhuge Liang hastily explained the situation.
"What! They really went to attack the city?" Chen Xi exclaimed in disbelief. "How is that possible? With us stationed here, they still dare to attack the city? Are they not afraid of being pincered and annihilated?"
"But the enemy took advantage of the absence of our generals on the city walls and almost stormed in with a single push!" Zhuge Liang was equally incredulous.
"Bring me the Tiger Guard who delivered the message," Chen Xi ordered Zhuge Liang, suspecting that the guard might be a spy sent by Xu You.
When Zhuge Liang brought the Tiger Guard, Chen Xi recognized the man immediately. He was a familiar face, a younger cousin of Xu Chu and one of the brawny men who had traveled with Xu Chu in the past.
"Xu Liang, so it was you who came," Chen Xi said, confirming the truth of the previous report.
"Prefect Wang had my cousin send me over," Xu Liang replied with a naive expression, scratching the back of his head.
After confirming that there was no problem with the situation, Chen Xi became increasingly puzzled about Xu You's intentions. If they could capture the new city of Linyi in one fell swoop, all of Chen Xi's previous efforts would be in vain. But was it worth taking such a huge risk?
"Xiaozhi, what are you thinking?" Chen Xi asked Fa Zheng, though he was still skeptical about the situation. However, it was hard to resist taking advantage of such a good opportunity.
"I'm wondering if this army is truly under Xu You's command," Fa Zheng replied, frowning. "If this force belongs to Xu You, what is his goal? To lure us into an attack? Could it be that tens of thousands of troops from Yanzhou have crossed over?"
"If this force isn't Xu You's, and if it is indeed meant to lure us into an attack, is Xu You's goal to annihilate us?" Zhuge Liang asked incredulously, as Fa Zheng's questions left him equally baffled.
It wasn't that Zhuge Liang underestimated Xu You, but Chen Xi's forces were significant. Even if the enemy had several thousand cavalry, they couldn't annihilate Chen Xi's forces. Moreover, Chen Xi had prepared a large number of strong crossbows to counter the cavalry's advantage. Zhuge Liang didn't believe Xu You could overlook this.
"Impossible. My forces' composition isn't something that a few thousand cavalry could break. Unless they have over ten thousand cavalry, but if they had that many, there would be no need for subterfuge. They could simply present themselves openly," Chen Xi shook his head. "Send orders to the left and right camps to prepare for battle."
"Are you planning to simultaneously attack them from both sides?" Zhuge Liang frowned. "But what if Xiaozhi's concerns are correct?"
"We'll deploy our reserve forces and go all out for victory! After all, our objective is to hold Linyi, not to capture territory. If both sides are worn out, it will be more advantageous for us. Besides, the battle might not be as exhausting as we think," Chen Xi stated firmly. "I want to see what Xu You intends to do, and what he is capable of!"
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