Xue Qian paced around the room a few times. Jiang Shidao's analysis was logical and his debating skills were quite impressive; he seemed to have some talent. Xue Qian gave a soft "hmm." Seeing that Xue Qian's expression had softened, Jiang Shidao secretly let out a long breath and said, "Master, you might as well send someone to scout along the path the villain came from. If Li Junzhen is indeed following us to attack Huai'en, he will surely keep quiet to avoid our army's notice. If he does send troops but makes a big show of it, then it's to cooperate with the villain and make Master mistakenly believe that he will be the main attacker of Huai'en."
"Hmph, how could I fall for Li Jun's trick?" Xue Qian snorted coldly, but in his heart he felt that Jiang Shidao's words made sense.
"Men, thoroughly investigate the route to Ningwang and uncover Li Jun's true intentions. Also, immediately inform the chief priests of Baoshan and Yuanding City, and warn them to be on guard!"
Chapter 3 Broken Bamboo
Section 1
The spies' reports confirmed Jiang Shidao's words: Li Jun's army was well-supplied with provisions and strong, and supplies were continuously being replenished from the rear. Unbeknownst to them, this seemingly daily supply actually arrived only once every three days, and each batch was barely enough to feed the people of Ningwang City and the Peace Army for four or five days. Yuzhou itself had a poor harvest, and Li Jun had waived land rent for the farmers, meaning the vast majority of this massive amount of grain had to be imported, thus making its transport slow and inefficient.
Of course, what the spies saw was the sight of large quantities of grain being transported in. The people in the city who were inclined to the Lianfa Sect witnessed the Peace Army's military rations piling up like mountains, and they also saw the Peace Army soldiers following Jiang Shidao out of Ningwang City with great fanfare, as if they wanted the Lianfa Sect to know about it. They boasted about it all the way, and even the garrison commanders of Baoshan and Yuanding were alarmed and sent messengers to inquire whether reinforcements were needed.
“It seems you were right.” Xue Qian summoned Jiang Shidao and said, “Li Jun is indeed bluffing, using the attack on Huai'en as bait to lure Baoshan and the original garrison to come to our aid.”
"What does Master think we should do?" Jiang Shidao asked, seeing that he looked relaxed and assumed that he already had a plan.
"Hahaha, of course it's a counter-strategy." Xue Qian laughed loudly. "The reason Li Jun released all sorts of smoke was simply to make me think that his main target was Huai En. Since that's the case, I ordered the garrison of Baoshan and Yuanding City to come and support him."
Jiang Shidao smiled knowingly and said, "Master's plan is indeed brilliant. The original plan was to have Baoshan's army make a show of force and rush to support them, while Huai'en's garrison waited for an opportunity to act. In this way, Li Jun would inevitably be attacked from both sides by our army."
"Exactly! Let's have a showdown with Li Jun, a battle of wits, and see who's the better player!" Xue Qian shouted. "Someone, relay the order to Baoshan and Yuanding!"
"Is that so? Baoshan and the originally designated garrison have already left the city!"
When Li Jun received the news, he was overjoyed. Although his inner world could not be seen from the surface, the glint in his eyes for a very short time was enough for those who knew him to understand that one of his plans had succeeded. If Ji Su saw the smile on his lips that was both mocking and sarcastic, she would probably feel a complex mix of emotions—half admiration and half gentle reproach.
"Looks like Jiang Shidao has worked," Meng Yuan said with a hearty laugh. "Now, shouldn't we launch the attack?"
"Order the central army to advance immediately. Tell Lan Qiao to slow his advance towards Huai'en." Li Jun issued two completely different orders to the central and vanguard armies. If the battlefield is a stage, then he should know every character and every piece of scenery on that stage perfectly, and they should all perform according to his command. Now, his own army can move as he wishes, but what about the enemy?
Upon learning that the Peace Army had finally mobilized its entire force and was advancing directly towards Huai'en, Xue Qian began to hesitate again. He judged that Li Jun was using the attack on Huai'en as a pretext to actually seize Baoshan and one of the originally planned locations. However, judging from the momentum of the Peace Army's main force heading straight for Huai'en, it did not seem like a feint attack.
"Where is the vanguard of the Peace Army? The same group that boasted and charged toward Huai'en at the beginning?" Jiang Shidao asked the spy from the side. Because he had brought Li Jun's battle plan, he was highly regarded by Xue Qian. At this moment, he could roughly guess Xue Qian's hesitation, which was why he asked the spy. This was actually a reminder to Xue Qian.
"Strangely, the vanguard of the Peace Army has slowed down its movements, as if it is intentionally waiting for the central army to catch up." The spy's answer made Xue Qian relax a little. Li Jun must have already learned that Baoshan and the original garrison have launched an attack. The reason for slowing down the vanguard's attack speed is simply to allow the two reinforcements to catch up a few more steps. It is interesting that the distance between the four cities is only two to four days' journey, but both sides are advancing at a strange speed. It seems fast, but in fact, they are going in circles.
"Chief Jiang, I'll give you ten thousand men as a backup." Xue Qian was quite grateful for Jiang Shidao's reminder, and now he completely trusted this defeated general. "You will lead these ten thousand men to secretly ambush at 'Evil Wind Ridge,' a hundred miles away from here. When the Peace Army attacks Baoshan or Yuanding, you will launch a surprise attack from the rear, and I will provide backup for you."
Out of caution, Xue Qian did not send out his entire force, nor did he leave Huai'en himself. He only allocated 10,000 of Huai'en's 35,000 garrison troops to Jiang Shidao. Among the three cities of Huai'en, Baoshan, and Yuanding, Huai'en had the largest garrison at 35,000, followed by Baoshan at 30,000, while Yuanding had less than 20,000. If the three armies were combined, they would have a numerical advantage over the Heping Army. If Li Jun were to launch a frontal attack, his losses would be enormous. Furthermore, these three cities formed a pincer movement, meaning that attacking any one of them would inevitably draw reinforcements from the other two. This was precisely why Li Jun had been hesitant to decide which city to attack.
Xue Qian believed that Li Jun's deliberate feint was intended to tie him down in Huai'en, where he possessed the largest force, and then use his local numerical advantage to attack Baoshan and Yuanding. He deliberately sent the garrison from Baoshan and Yuanding to reinforce Huai'en to make Li Jun believe he had fallen into a trap. Now, Li Jun's spies would surely report the situation, and the Heping Army's vanguard would move slowly while the rearguard accelerated, their aim being to gather forces and then suddenly turn towards Baoshan or Yuanding, gaining a local advantage to capture the city in one fell swoop. They would then find an opening to annihilate the Lianfa Army that came to their aid, ultimately conquering all three cities.
"Hmph, Li Jun, you've miscalculated this time." He thought coldly. On the battlefield, knowing yourself and your enemy and anticipating their moves is crucial. Li Jun's wishful thinking has been seen through, so the initiative on the battlefield is no longer in his hands.
Following Xue Qian's orders, Jiang Shidao led 10,000 Lianfa troops to ambush at Efeng Ridge. This place was located between Baoshan and Yuanding, and was only a hundred miles from Huai'en City. It could be used to attack the Heping Army from both sides, or retreat to defend Huai'en City. Xue Qian was truly a meticulous person to choose this place as the ambush site for his mobile forces.
Not long after encamping at Efeng Ridge, he received another urgent order from Xue Qian. His spies had confirmed that the main force of the Peace Army had indeed turned towards Baoshan, and he should immediately chase after them. To encourage him, the messenger also brought Xue Qian's oral message: if they won this battle, he would certainly recommend him to the Pope as a candidate for the position of High Master.
Encouraged by this, Jiang Shidao urged his soldiers to advance faster, and Xue Qian smiled with satisfaction upon receiving the messenger's report. He then ordered the remaining troops in the city to prepare for departure.
"Master, Huai'en is a crucial location for our army's supplies and provisions. It was already inappropriate to send Jiang Shidao out with 10,000 men. Now, Master is even preparing to personally lead the army, which is something a wise man would not do. Master, you must prioritize the overall situation and not take this risk."
The one who stopped him and offered advice was Wei Zhan, a man who had not yet joined the Lotus Dharma Sect but had only come to seek it out out of admiration. Xue Qian had also tried to persuade him to join the Lotus Dharma Sect and offered him the position of Chancellor, but he had only smiled and refused, his expression suggesting a certain disdain for the Lotus Dharma Sect. For someone as devout as Wei Zhan, this attitude determined that he could not be given an important position. Keeping him as a strategist under his command was already quite tolerant.
“I understand that, but if we sit idly by and watch Li Jun destroy all the treasures we have planned, leaving only Huai'en as an isolated city, how can we defend it?” Xue Qian suppressed his disgust and said calmly.
“I expect Li Jun will definitely not attack Yuanding and Baoshan; his target should be me, Huai'en.” Wei Zhan raised his eyes and stared intently at Xue Qian, not missing a single expression on his face. This aggressive gaze displeased Xue Qian, who held a high position.
“Sir, you are overthinking it,” Xue Qian said. “Li Jun is bluffing and pointing at my Huai’en City, but his real target is the treasure mountain. Our spies have already discovered his movements. We cannot afford to miss this opportunity. If we let Li Jun defeat us one by one, even I cannot bear the responsibility.”
His words gradually revealed his dissatisfaction, but Wei Zhan not only did not back down, but instead spread his arms and his words became more intense: "Since the master knows that he cannot bear this responsibility, why does he take the main force of the city to support two dispensable cities? The master urgently ordered Jiang Shidao to return the army and ordered the original garrison of Baoshan to abandon the city and come to Huai'en City. As long as Huai'en is defended with all our strength, what does it matter if we lose a city or a place?"
"Wei Zhan! Get out of the way!" Xue Qian rebuked him without any politeness. "Every city of the Lotus Dharma Sect belongs to the Great God. How can we give it up so easily? You are just a scholar. You are neither loyal to the Great God nor brave or strong. How dare you talk about military affairs?"
"The art of war says: 'When the enemy is weak, feign strength; when the enemy is strong, lure them into weakness!'" Wei Zhan sneered, "Do you think I, a mere scholar, don't understand military strategy? Li Jun intentionally lets that ignorant Jiang Shidao see that he has ample supplies and a strong army. This is evidence that he is all bark and no bite. If we concentrate our forces here at Huai'en and seize the opportunity, making it impossible for Li Jun to advance or retreat, our army will undoubtedly win. This is the best strategy. At worst, we can hold the three cities and shut them out, leaving Li Jun like a tiger devouring a hedgehog, with nowhere to attack. This is only a middle strategy. The worst possible strategy is to move the battlefield to Baoshan or Yuanding. This is the worst strategy used by those who truly do not understand military strategy, and it is something that wise men would not do!"