Was Luo Zhao stupid? The two generals looked at each other. They really didn't think that Luo Zhao was stupid. It was just that he encountered Meng Shanming. From the information they collected, who would have thought that Meng Shanming would use that kind of method to break through the river defenses?
They didn't think that there was anything wrong with Luo Zhao's strategy. From the perspective of the beginning, it was quite brilliant.
They felt that only people like Jin Jue, who didn't seek merit but only sought to avoid mistakes, would think that Luo Zhao was stupid.
After the two generals came out of the central tent, they couldn't help but look at each other and shake their heads. They really couldn't do anything to this commander-in-chief. No matter how the imperial court pressured them, no matter how the three major sects pressured them, no matter how the Song Kingdom scolded them, no matter how everyone ridiculed them, this commander-in-chief just wouldn't send troops!
If he wanted to send troops, he just had to admit that he was incompetent and give up his position. The imperial court could do whatever they wanted to him and let someone else command the attack.
The imperial court couldn't do anything to this commander-in-chief. It wasn't easy to replace him either. To some extent, this dependable style was quite to the liking of many people in the imperial court. At least there wouldn't be any big problems if they used him. Meng Shanming's legs were crippled by this commander-in-chief. Who dared to say that Jin Jue was incompetent?
If this commander-in-chief was worried about something happening, it was quite reasonable. The others didn't dare to take this responsibility.
But the key was that the soldiers didn't think this way. Usually, they didn't have many opportunities to get promoted and get rich. Seeing such a good opportunity in front of them, a fat piece of meat like Yan was within their reach, but this commander-in-chief refused to let go. Naturally, the soldiers were quite dissatisfied with this commander-in-chief.
Therefore, even the soldiers couldn't help but criticize him. They hadn't seen this commander-in-chief fight a good battle, but he actually climbed to the position of commander-in-chief. Many people couldn't understand why.
…
The Song army in Yan's territory was still being harassed by the troops of the Southern State.
Luo Zhao tried to come up with all sorts of tricks to wipe out the hundred thousand Iron Cavalry that had been harassing him along the way. However, the Shang Dynasty was not to be trifled with. They would not be tempted at all. They would tempt their enemies and fight their own. This gave Luo Zhao a headache.
The Yan army in the Song Nation still maintained their previous strategy, continuing to spread the chaos. Occasionally, they would launch sneak attacks to increase the panic.
The Song Kingdom's General Chen Shaotong gathered four hundred thousand men to fight the Yan army. He wanted to curb the Yan army and buy time for Luo Zhao's army to retreat.
In the beginning, Chen Shaotong's men moved slowly. Then, they suddenly sped up towards the Yan army.
The Yan army was on high alert. The scattered troops of the Yan army started to reorganize themselves.
Inside the central tent, the Yan army gathered together for a meeting.
"The Song Nation, including the troops of the three feudal vassals, has a total of six million troops. Three million of them have invaded our Yan territory. I have already eliminated two million of the troops defending the river. Another one million troops are stationed at the border of Han. That is to say, the Song Nation does not have a true main force. The four hundred thousand men that Chen Shaotong leads are all the trash of the various prefectures. There is no lack of old, weak, sick, or disabled people among them. "
"We all know that. The problem is, he was advancing slowly at the beginning, obviously knowing that he is no match for our army. Why is he suddenly speeding up now?"
"Maybe our army is causing more and more panic and destruction in the Song Nation. He can't take the pressure and has to speed up."
"Chen Shaotong is not good at fighting. He relied on his father-in-law, Zi Pingxiu, but he is not an idiot. If he did not have some ability that Zi Pingxiu likes, Zi Pingxiu would not have married his daughter to him. So, he must know the consequences of fighting us head-on. Why is he rushing to his death? Furthermore, his attitude has changed. Is there something fishy about this? "
The generals discussed among themselves. Meng Shanming, who was sitting in the wheelchair, did not seem to hear them. He held a piece of paper in his hand and read through Chen Shaotong's information. It was very detailed about Chen Shaotong's career in the Song Nation, including his positions, the number of troops he had commanded, and his achievements.
As for Chen Shaotong's intentions, no one could come up with an accurate judgment. Even Meng Shanming could not make up his mind.
In the end, Meng Shanming decided to play it safe. He continued to harass Chen Shaotong. At the same time, he gathered his troops and prepared to form a trap to test Chen Shaotong's strength. If Chen Shaotong was bluffing, they would take him down in one fell swoop.
After deciding on the strategy, the feudal lords left their tents and sent them to their respective camps.
In the following days, both sides were getting closer and closer to each other. Another battle was about to break out. The atmosphere was tense and the various kingdoms were watching closely.
In the end, Chen Shaotong's 400,000 troops did not seem to notice the Yan army's trap at all. They went straight into the Yan army's trap. What happened next was beyond the Yan army's expectations.
The Yan army closed the trap, but Chen Shaotong stopped. He chose a place to set up camp, as if he was waiting to be surrounded.
In the central tent, Meng Shanming stared at the map and frowned. Chen Shaotong's unconventional actions were beyond his expectations.
According to his understanding of Chen Shaotong's background, he wasn't a person who knew nothing about military affairs. He was more or less capable. It was just that these four hundred thousand miscellaneous troops had taken the initiative to enter the pockets of more than two million soldiers. How could he do such a stupid thing?
Chen Shaotong's actions scared the Yan army. Although they surrounded the Yan army, they did not dare to act rashly.
Zhang Hu, who was staring at the map, rubbed his chin and said, "What is Chen Shaotong doing? It's impossible for such a huge commotion from the army to escape his eyes. He should be able to tell that this is a trap. He actually took the initiative to go in. Could it be that he's trying to trick us to buy time? "
Slowly, Meng Shanming said, "Just like what you said, Zi Pingxiu will not take in an idiot as his son-in-law. If Zi Pingxiu's son-in-law loses the battle, it will affect Zi Pingxiu greatly. It doesn't look like he is acting rashly. He must have something up his sleeves."
Su Qitong said, "Marshal, are we just going to let him scare us like this? If we let him stall us like this, Luo Zhao's men will be able to cross the river without any resistance. On the other hand, if Chen Shaotong really has something up his sleeves, he will definitely cooperate with Luo Zhao to attack us from behind if we don't kill him. "
Meng Shanming pointed at a spot on the map and said, "Immortal Mountain. Chen Shaotong seems to have a reason for choosing this place to defend."
Zhang Hu nodded and said, "The Immortal Mountain is not that big. It can't even accommodate 400,000 troops. But there is a spring in the mountain, so we don't have to worry about our army's water supply being cut off. We don't lack firewood either. Because the area is small and there are guards outside, we don't have to worry about fire. It seems like he is prepared to defend this place for a long time. "
Meng Shanming shook his head slightly, "With the terrain here, if our two million troops attack, we won't be able to defend it at all. Once we break through the perimeter, it won't be difficult to encircle them. This is not a place to defend."
Su Qitong pointed at the Immortal Mountain and drew a circle around it, "Mountains surround mountains. Looking at the terrain, the Immortal Mountain is a basin of mountains. Could it be that he wants to lure our army into the mountains and then attack us with fire?"
Zhang Hu asked in reply, "With such a large area, we won't be the ones being surrounded. We can easily advance and retreat with fire. How could it be that easy to attack with fire?"
Gong Lince stood at the side and listened to their discussion. It could be seen that they were confused about Chen Shaotong's formation.
After discussing for a long time, they couldn't come to a conclusion. In the end, it was Su Qitong who took the initiative and said, "Marshal, no matter what he is up to, let us attack first to see if he is deliberately mystifying or hiding some tricks. If he is just bluffing, I will defeat him in one move. This kind of motley crew can't even withstand a single blow!"
Meng Shanming pondered for a while and nodded, "That's fine too!"
Then, he waved his hand and said, "There's no rush. Let's make the preparations first. Let me check out the situation first."
In the Immortal Mountain, Chen Shaotong's tent was set up at the top of a mountain.
Outside the mountain, the army was patrolling. Smoke rose from the chimneys as they started cooking.
After patrolling the mountain, Chen Shaotong led a group of people back to the tent. He reminded them again, "Pay close attention to the surroundings. Report to me immediately if there is any abnormality. If there is any delay, don't blame us for being merciless!"
"Yes!" The generals cupped their hands and accepted the order.
Then, one of the generals asked, "General, if the Yan army doesn't understand what we are doing, will they abandon us and do what they want?"
Chen Shaotong waved his hand, "The situation is clear now. Meng Shanming wants to defeat the Song Kingdom for peace talks and then join forces with the Song Kingdom to fight against the Han Kingdom. Therefore, most of his troops will definitely turn back to stop the Governor's troops from crossing the river. If they don't eliminate us, the Yan army won't be able to defend the river and stop the Governor. They are afraid that we will attack them from behind. Now, the Yan army surrounding us is just biding their time. As long as they are still biding their time, it means that they have no intention of abandoning us. "
Another general said, "Then how long are we going to waste if we continue like this?"
Chen Shaotong sneered, "I chose to defend here because I am prepared for a long time. I can wait, but Meng Shanming can't. The Yan army is not moving now because they don't know how strong we are. That's why they don't dare to act rashly. Just wait. Soon, the Yan army will launch a probing attack to find out how strong we are. As for Meng Shan Ming, he will never fight a muddled battle. He won't feel at ease if he doesn't understand the situation. This is a common problem of smart people. Therefore, Meng Shan Ming will probably be there to observe the battle. Do you know what this means? "
Everyone looked at each other.
Chen Shaotong tapped his fingers on the table. "We will not move. But if we do, we must deal a heavy blow to the Yan army. If it is possible, we must attack with all our might. We might be able to kill Meng Shanming here! Meng Shanming killed 600,000 of our Song Kingdom's soldiers. The entire Song Kingdom hates him. If we can kill him, it will be a great merit! Then, the Yan army will be in chaos without a leader! That's why I'm pretending to be mysterious. I want to lure Meng Shan Ming here! "
When the generals heard this, they were extremely excited. All of them rubbed their palms together, obviously excited.
Everyone knew this man's background. If they could really kill Meng Shanming, they could imagine how the imperial court would react. The merit would be huge.
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