Preconceived notions lingered in his mind, which was understandable. People tend to rely on methods that have proven successful; last time he forced Li Jun to retreat by holding firm, and this time he temporarily adopted the same approach. Although Pang Wu repeatedly pressured him, given the Peace Army's advancing forces, Pang Wu dared not push Peng Yuancheng too hard. It seemed Peng Yuancheng was about to thwart Li Jun's scheme again.
However, Peng Yuancheng's steadfastness did not mean that he would sit idly by and watch the Peace Army ignore him. His spies repeatedly scouted around the Peace Army, not missing a single suspicious clue. Peng Yuancheng himself even spent a day and a night disguised to scout, but the Peace Army was still singing and taking baths, looking completely unprepared. This made Peng Yuancheng suspicious.
"It seems the Peace Army soldiers bathing in the river have ulterior motives. What could Li Jun possibly be planning?" Peng Yuancheng pondered to himself, his previously firm resolve beginning to waver. Was it to lull him into a false sense of security, or to flaunt the sheer number of Peace Army soldiers? What exactly was Li Jun thinking?
An idea suddenly popped into his mind: to attack Yuping City, simply increasing the number of troops and sending a brave general would be enough. Was it necessary for Li Jun to go personally? Moreover, since the Battle of Dagu City, Li Jun had been deeply wary of him. Would he trust someone else to deal with him here? Although Li Jun's military tactics were risky, he always put himself in the most dangerous position rather than putting his subordinates in danger. Judging from this, Li Jun must be in the most dangerous place in Heping Army at this moment.
"Where is the most dangerous place for the Peace Army?" Peng Yuancheng couldn't help but speculate about the whereabouts of this opponent. Logically speaking, the fierce battlefield under Yuping City should be the most dangerous place, but for Li Jun, the area under Yuyang City should be the most dangerous place.
"Could it be... that Li Jun is actually with the Peace Army outside Yuyang City?" Startled by this thought, Li Jun had likely shifted his main force to the front lines at Yuping City, while personally leading a portion of his troops to hold off his main army. If this were the case, Yuping City would be in imminent danger. Although this wouldn't result in any loss for him, if Yuping fell, Yujiang would be in dire straits, and Zhu Wenhai would be forced to surrender. Wouldn't his ambition to dominate Yuzhou then be completely shattered?
"Spy!" Peng Yuancheng shouted, summoning his spy and asking, "Do you recognize the bandits bathing in the river?"
“They bathe several times a day, and I’ve known their faces for a long time.” The spy’s answer was exactly what Peng Yuancheng had expected. No wonder the Peace Army soldiers were only bathing and singing outside. Not only did they want to mislead them into thinking that the main force of the Peace Army was here, but more importantly, they wanted them to never imagine that Li Jun himself was here. If it were Meng Yuan, he probably would have attacked the city long ago.
"Do you know how many Peace Army troops that marched out of Otani City number?"
"I have already reported to the city lord last time that the troops from Dagu City traveled overnight, concealing their flags and drums and moving at night. They even destroyed all the stoves at their encampment. I don't know how many troops they have."
"I understand, I understand." Peng Yuancheng nodded heavily. The main force of the Peace Army had indeed departed from Dagu City, detouring to attack the weaker-defended Yuping City. The reason the Peace Army hadn't feigned weakness or appeared defeated was precisely to arouse his suspicion, forcing him to remain trapped in Yuyang City. Wise men are often suspicious; Li Jun was simply employing a psychological warfare tactic! Li Jun had been holding him back for eight days, and in two more days the main force of the Peace Army would reach Yuping City. Under a fierce attack, Yuping City would be undefendable, and the tide would turn.
"Then...then...what should we do?" When he told Pang Wu his deduction, Pang Wu was in a state of confusion. All his assets were in Yujiang City. If Yu Ping was lost, Yujiang would be in danger. How could he not be worried?
“Now we only have the method we discussed earlier.” Peng Yuancheng said with gleaming eyes, “Li Jun has transferred his main force to Yuping. Even if he himself is not outside Yuyang City, the number of Peace Army troops outside the city must be limited. Our spies have discovered that the same soldiers are always bathing outside. If we attack them, we will surely defeat them, and then we can capture Dagu City. The Peace Army garrison in Dagu City will not be large. Once their retreat is cut off, Li Jun will have no chance of escape. He is using himself to restrain me, but he is also putting himself in danger. I don’t believe he can withstand the siege of thousands of troops!”
"What? You don't intend to leave the city and fight Li Jun, do you?" Pang Wu asked timidly. If Li Jun weren't here, he would be completely at ease letting Peng Yuancheng go out of the city to pursue the enemy. But with Li Jun here, although he acknowledged Peng Yuancheng as Li Jun's formidable rival, deep down he couldn't be entirely at ease. Currently, the only one who could stop Li Jun was Peng Yuancheng. If he left the city, who would defend them?
"That's right. Li Jun only dared to bring a small force as a feint because he relied on his own talent and wisdom. This is not the first time he has used this tactic. He expected that I would definitely adopt the same strategy of closing the city and not coming out, just like I did with Da Gu City. That's why he was so fearless. Since that's the case, I will play along with his plan."
“Lord Peng, please think twice before you act. What will happen if you are defeated outside the city?” Pang Wu dared not let Peng Yuancheng go out, fearing that if he was defeated outside the city, no one would be able to stop Li Jun’s army.
"If we can't win, can't we at least escape?" Peng Yuancheng sneered, but he had no intention of running away. Li Jun was not tied down in Kuanglan City, which made his plan to attack the Zhu family first and then the Peace Army fall through. Rather than waiting here for an opportunity to slip away, he might as well fight with all his might.
Pang Wu stared intently at Peng Yuancheng with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty. His slightly sallow face revealed nothing, but the fine lines on his forehead suggested that the man was still plotting something.
"No matter what, this guy is too dangerous. Once Li Jun is defeated by him, we have to deal with him immediately..." Pang Wu thought to himself. He had no chance of winning in a direct confrontation with Peng Yuancheng, but while cunning villains are powerless against their enemies, they are more than capable of dealing with those within their own ranks. At this moment, he felt far more jealousy and hatred than gratitude towards Peng Yuancheng, but now was not the time to deal with him.
Once Peng Yuancheng made up his mind, he no longer hesitated. The longer time passed, the more unfavorable the situation became for him. He could only reverse the unfavorable strategic situation by killing Li Jun before Yuping fell, or by cutting off the retreat route of the Ping army. Although he himself wanted to control the strategic situation to achieve a sure victory, he now had to risk tactical success to achieve his goal.
"Li Jun, whether you are outside Yuyang City or not, your defeat is inevitable!" Peng Yuancheng believed that he had seen through Li Jun's plan. To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, he led 15,000 soldiers out of the city, leaving 5,000 men with Pang Wu.
The army left Yuyang City in the dim morning light. The soldiers knew that this was a decisive battle against the almost invincible Peace Army, and their faces were extremely solemn. In order to catch the Peace Army off guard, Peng Yuancheng ordered the entire army to march at high speed, heading straight for the Peace Army's camp 150 miles away.
Section 3
The midday sun blazed down, baking the earth like fire. It hadn't rained for days; the ground was cracked, as if the earth were gaping its thirsty mouth, waiting to drink its fill of blood.
Yu Yang's army advanced quickly. The vanguard cavalry thoroughly searched both sides of the road and found many villagers, but none of them resembled spies from the Peace Army. It seemed that the Peace Army, in order to make their performance more convincing, hadn't even sent out any spies.
In the distance, the Peace Army's camp drew near. A tributary of the Yu River flowed swiftly past the camp, its water level lower than usual due to the drought. Along with the sound of the flowing water, Peng Yuancheng also heard the laughter and chatter of the soldiers.
"Hmph, Li Jun, I've taken over all your soldiers." Peng Yuancheng sneered. Li Jun had outsmarted himself this time, thinking he could restrain him and that he would use the same tactics he used in Dagu City. But he would soon realize he was wrong.
The approach of Yu Yangjun did not seem to be detected by the Peace Army. Most of the Peace Army soldiers were bathing in the river, and the few resting in the shade on the bank were unarmed and not even wearing armor.
"An empty city ploy?" Peng Yuancheng was certain that Li Jun already knew his army was coming. Although he dared not charge immediately, he would not be easily intimidated. He signaled his men not to scatter and to prepare to attack the Heping Army's camp at any time.
Suddenly, the sound of bugles rang out from the Peace Army camp. The desolate and ancient bugle call sounded somewhat weak under the scorching sun, but it was enough to wake up the Peace Army soldiers in the water. They stood up and looked around, and two soldiers even climbed to the top of a tree to look around.
They spotted the Yu Yang army, but acted as if they hadn't seen anything at all. Those seeking shade continued to seek shade, and those playing in the water continued to play, completely ignoring the 20,000 Yu Yang soldiers.
"Don't fire arrows indiscriminately!" Peng Yuancheng stopped his subordinate's request. The Peace Army's actions were too strange. The stranger they were, the more careless they should be. Who could guarantee that this wasn't a trap? Judging from the Peace Army's fearless behavior, it was highly likely to be a trap.
Peng Yuancheng looked up at the sky, then at the soldiers who were drenched in sweat after their long run. It seemed that this stalemate was not going to work. So, let's just face them head-on. Anyway, there wouldn't be many Peace Army soldiers here, unless they had another ambush.
Peng Yuancheng spurred his horse forward slowly, with his personal guards following closely behind. However, the Peace Army soldiers, despite seeing them, showed no sign of panic.
"Is Lord Peng here? Which one of you is Lord Peng?" Many Peace Army soldiers even greeted them, as if they were not adversaries to fight to the death, but comrades-in-arms.
"I am Peng Yuancheng," Peng Yuancheng shouted. "Where is Li Jun? Will you surrender or fight?"
"Hahahaha..." The soldiers of the Peace Army laughed. One of them said, "It seems that Commander Li was right. Lord Peng has indeed led his army to surrender. By the way, Commander Li also asked me to pass on a message to Lord Peng."
Peng Yuancheng turned to the soldier in the water. He was naked and it was impossible to tell whether he was a soldier or an officer, but he looked to be only in his early twenties. Peng Yuancheng said, "Who are you, and how dare you speak to me like that?"
"I am Su Xiang, the commander of the Peace Army here." Su Xiang saluted in the water, but since he was completely naked, the salute looked particularly comical. He said with a smile, "Commander Li calculated that Lord Peng would come in the next few days. He asked me to tell Lord Peng that Yuyang City has now fallen into the hands of the Peace Army. No sooner had Lord Peng left the city than the Peace Army entered Yuyang City. Commander Li has prepared a banquet in Yuyang City to welcome Lord Peng."
"What did you say?" Peng Yuancheng's expression remained unchanged, but a hint of anxiety crept into his voice.
“Commander Li and Lord Peng launched their attacks simultaneously, and Yuyang City is now ours!” Su Xiang laughed heartily. “We already have an inside agent in Yuyang City. Our troops disguised themselves as Lord Peng’s men, pretending to be ambushed and defeated and trying to escape into Yuyang City. Our inside agent in the city took the opportunity to open the city gates and let them in. Lord Peng might still make it in time.”
Peng Yuancheng reined in his warhorse and slowly retreated back to his own army, his brows furrowed. He had anticipated the possibility of Li Jun attacking the city, but he hadn't expected Li Jun to impersonate his subordinate. He had made an agreement with Pang Wu before leaving that they would retreat back to the city if they were defeated, but it seemed that he had been used by Li Jun instead.
"Does the city lord really believe this kid's nonsense?" said an advisor. He was a trusted confidant brought by Peng Yuancheng from Dagu City and knew Peng Yuancheng's ambitions very well. "I think this kid is just spouting nonsense. How could Yuyang City be so easily taken?"
“If they impersonate our troops to trick us into opening the city gates, the five thousand defenders in the city, whose morale is low, will indeed find it difficult to withstand Li Jun, who is well prepared,” Peng Yuancheng said.
"Why not annihilate the entire Peace Army here first, and then return to Yuyang!"
“What’s the use of killing Su Xiang? Even if what he said is false, taking his head to Pang Wu will only result in Pang Wu mocking him. In any case, Li Jun has outmaneuvered him this time.”
"What does the city lord mean?" the advisor asked.
“Since we can’t defeat him for now, why not join him and look for opportunities later?” Peng Yuancheng’s eyes gleamed as if he had seen something again. He said slowly, “Besides, serving Li Jun is at least ten thousand times better than serving Zhu Wenhai.”
The staff and his entourage looked at each other, not expecting Peng Yuancheng to think this way. They naturally did not know that while it was brave to struggle to hold on when the building was about to collapse, it would not help the situation. It would be better to endure for the time being and wait for a favorable opportunity.