Chapter 399: Chapter 399

"Send orders to Sun Guyi and Yue Yuchen to dispatch a thousand cavalry each for a probing attack."

Li Fusheng’s order was swiftly passed on. Subsequently, within the previously static battlefield, two thousand-man cavalry units detached from their main formation and began advancing towards the Qian army’s lines.

Zheng Fan couldn’t help but steal another glance at Li Fusheng. This General-in-Chief might genuinely have some screws loose, but when it came to warfare, his mind remained exceptionally sharp.

"My lord," Liang Cheng explained, "this maneuver serves two purposes. First, to test the enemy’s mettle, to see if they are all show and no substance. Second, since they’ve adopted a triangular formation with three distinct army groups, we need to identify which is the weakest point to target for our assault."

"Chief Zheng," Li Fusheng called out.

"Sir?" Zheng Fan, who had been engrossed in Liang Cheng’s explanation, turned his head towards Li Fusheng.

"Is this man your household servant?"

Presumably, Li Fusheng had overheard Liang Cheng addressing him as "My lord." The custom of keeping household servants was prevalent in the Yan State—no, to be precise, in this era, household servants and retainers were common in virtually every state. To some extent, the seven General-in-Chiefs under the Earl of North Border were essentially household retainers of the Li family, the Earl’s clan.

"Chief Zheng, you truly are skilled in both civil and military affairs. This household servant of yours is very well-trained."

... Zheng Fan was inwardly exasperated. Damn it all! Here I am, listening to Liang Cheng like a first-grader, and from Li Fusheng’s perspective, it looks like I’m deliberately testing my own servant.

Liang Cheng cupped his hands respectfully. "It is all due to my lord’s excellent instruction." Dıscover more novels at n0velfire.net

"Indeed, indeed. In that case, allow me to test you on your lord’s behalf. How should we break this current deadlock? Given that the enemy has chosen to dig in and await reinforcements, our time is limited."

"Sir, you jest," Liang Cheng replied. "If the enemy can afford to entrench themselves and wait for aid, does that imply our forces are isolated and deep in enemy territory without support of our own?"

"Explain," Li Fusheng said, his eyes narrowing.

"Earlier, during our march, Sir, you should have already dispatched messengers to contact our other nearby detachments."

"Excellent! Very good, very good." Li Fusheng nodded in satisfaction.

The Qian State general opposite them had opted to defend and wait for reinforcements, likely believing that on Qian home turf, reinforcements would arrive easily. Then, they could either pin down this Yan cavalry force or, with the help of their reinforcements, drive them back.

However, the Yan Army had 250,000 iron cavalry marching south this time. Although they had dispersed upon entering Shu Prefecture, other Yan contingents were undoubtedly nearby. The lower-ranking soldiers might not know the distances and locations of these various units, but Li Fusheng, as the commander of this entire column, was naturally well-informed. After all, even when dispersed, the southbound Yan Army was not a pack of mad dogs unleashed from their cages, but a pack of wolves from the north. And wolves are masters of coordinated attacks. The Qian general, intent on holding his ground and awaiting reinforcements, was oblivious to the fact that there might be more wolves in the vicinity than there were reinforcements.

"Chief Zheng, what is his military rank?" Li Fusheng inquired, gesturing towards Liang Cheng.

"He is a Commander under the Green Willow Fortress," Zheng Fan replied.

"Ah," Li Fusheng nodded.

Just as the two were conversing, the two dispatched thousand-man cavalry units were closing in on the Qian army’s formation, which immediately tensed in anticipation. Li Fusheng’s eyes narrowed slightly, and Liang Cheng also watched intently. Chief Zheng, positioned between them, saw their serious expressions and immediately focused his own gaze, staring so hard his eyes began to ache.

Naturally, the two cavalry units were not attempting a direct charge. Their initial approach had kicked up a considerable amount of dust and created an imposing display, but they reined in their horses just outside the effective range of enemy archers. Wheeling their mounts around, they nocked arrows and began to fire high-arcing volleys.

The accuracy of such volleys was naturally much lower, but mounted archery, no matter how skilled, was not meant for a direct contest against well-formed infantry lines with diverse troop types.

The arrow volleys quickly descended, causing a stir within the Qian army’s ranks. In truth, the casualties were minimal, save for a few exceptionally unlucky soldiers. However, for ordinary men, even being pelted with snowballs would evoke instinctual fear, let alone a shower of arrows.

The two cavalry units charged back and forth twice more, still maintaining a safe distance while loosing arrows. Archers and crossbowmen from the enemy formation began to return fire. Casualties on both sides were sporadic, but returning fire was essential; otherwise, their own side’s morale would plummet. The pressure of enduring an attack without retaliating was immense for soldiers.

TWANG! TWANG! TWANG! TWANG! TWANG!

Just as the two Yan cavalry units were preparing to disengage and return to their own lines, a series of ear-piercing whirs suddenly emanated from the enemy formation.

Siege crossbows! The enemy formation possessed siege crossbows!

Instantly, a volley of heavy bolts, some longer than a man’s height, streaked towards one of the thousand-man cavalry units.

Of the five bolts loosed, three missed their mark. One struck the warhorse of a North Border Army knight, punching clean through the animal’s body, which seemed to tear apart. The rider was thrown to the ground, but fortunately, a quick-witted comrade beside him swiftly reached out, pulled him up, and hauled him onto his own horse. Another bolt impaled three Yan Army knights in a row, sending blood spraying into the air.

A wave of cheers erupted from the Qian army formation, their morale soaring.

However, Li Fusheng didn’t even blink at the sight of this, nor at the life-or-death struggle of his men. A faint smile even touched his lips. He reached down and stroked the fur of the Pi Beast beneath him. Seeming to regain his interest, he asked, "What do you make of it?"

Liang Cheng replied calmly, "The army formation directly before us is the most stable; its ranks haven’t wavered, and their timing for counter-attacks is well-judged. Of the two formations behind it, the western one is holding up reasonably well; its soldiers, though alarmed, are not in disarray. Only the eastern army formation shows signs of compression, and the return fire from the archers and crossbowmen in its center is disorganized and erratic. Three army formations, three different levels of competence. This Qian force is not a single, cohesive unit but rather appears to be a patchwork army, hastily assembled from different groups."

After listening, Li Fusheng said, "So, shall our army strike the eastern army formation first?"

Liang Cheng shook his head. "My lord taught me: ’Appear weak where you are strong, and strong where you are weak.’ The battlefield is ever-changing and fraught with deception. The main general of the Qian army chose not to attempt a forceful breakthrough at the outset, instead deploying his forces on the spot. This shows he is a cautious commander. Even if his army is a temporary assembly, it’s unlikely he would deploy them in such a manner while leaving such an obvious vulnerability. The eastern army formation must have a hidden trap or contingency."

Li Fusheng suddenly reached out and clapped Zheng Fan on the shoulder. The force was considerable, nearly knocking Zheng Fan, an Eighth Rank Martial Cultivator, off his horse.

"Chief Zheng, you’ve truly opened my eyes! Possessing both literary and martial talents—a great talent indeed!"

... Chief Zheng remained silent.

"The Lord definitely didn’t misjudge you! No, I’d say even he underestimated your full potential. If the Lord knew Chief Zheng possessed such prowess in both scholarly and martial arts, given his temperament, he would have fought the Southern Marquis himself to bring you over to his side!"

Heh, heh... Zheng Fan felt a slight blush creep up his face. Regarding last night’s events, he had mostly been a bystander; Siniang and Blind Fan had done all the work. And just now, Liang Cheng had done all the talking while he merely listened and learned. Those who cheat always feel a little guilty.

Zheng Fan spoke up, "Sir, you flatter me. I am merely ’discussing strategies on paper,’ nothing more."

"’Discussing strategies on paper’? What do you mean by that?" Li Fusheng asked.

Uhhh... Zheng Fan was at a loss.

At this moment, Liang Cheng interjected, "Sir, that is the title of a military treatise personally written by my lord."

... Zheng Fan was speechless again.

"A military treatise? Well, now I’m truly interested! For us soldiers, us rough military men, to be able to write books and establish theories—that’s quite something, quite something indeed! What is the name of this treatise?"

Liang Cheng replied with perfect earnestness, "’Zheng Zi Art of War’."