The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 310 The Wei Army's Chances of Victory

Beneath the walls of Anyi City, along both banks of the Su River, nearly 70,000 troops were arrayed and engaged in fierce battle, stretching for several miles.

A densely packed infantry formation.

A surging cavalry force.

The sound of drums and gongs is everywhere.

Besides the two commanders sitting high on the platform, the generals and soldiers inside were surrounded by a tidal wave of heads, horses' bellies, banners, spearheads, and stray arrows...

It's virtually impossible to see the entire battlefield clearly.

Commanders are often stationed in the rear to coordinate operations, which is quite far from the front lines.

Among all the participants, who has the best overall perspective?

That was probably Ren Zhaoxian, the Wei governor of Hedong, who was standing on the city wall of Anyi.

Since the Han army marched out of Hedong, this Lord Ren has been gathering troops and defending the city for half a year.

Aside from the obvious tactic of scorched earth and waiting for reinforcements.

Furthermore, he was well aware that commanding troops was not his forte.

He was born precocious and spent half his life studying the classics and cultivating his character and virtue.

In times of peace and prosperity, he would surely achieve great things.

Unfortunately, just as he was halfway through studying the scriptures, the world completely collapsed.

Who can blame this?
Ren Gu didn't want to blame anyone.

He only hoped that peace would return to the world soon.

At least let the area east of the river settle down first.

The battle before us is crucial to the future of Hedong.

Before dawn, Ren Gu ran to a corner in the southwest of the city wall and leaned against the thick earthen wall, peering out continuously.

The reason for not going to the watchtower with a better view is...

This is because the wooden city walls had already been smashed by the Han army's cannons.

But Ren Gu was ultimately ignorant of military strategy, and after observing for a long time, he still couldn't figure it out.

They could only turn to their subordinates for help.

"The battle is at a stalemate. I'd like to go out and help in the fighting. What do you think, my men?"

"Your Excellency, you must not leave the city at this time!" a county official urgently stopped him.

Ren Gu looked up and saw that it was Shangguan Chong, the registrar he had recruited from Hedong.

Ren Gu: "Why?"

Shangguan Chong stepped forward and pointed to the southwest direction outside the city, saying:

"My lord, please look, that is where Zhuge Liang's central army is located."

Ren Gu followed his gaze.

About seven or eight miles away, there was a mound-like earthen platform standing on the flat ground.

Although the words on the flag above are not clearly visible.

However, with such a well-designed platform and the numerous surrounding enclosures, it could only have been the location of the Han army's commander-in-chief.

"Over there is Zhang Fei."

Shangguan Chong then pointed in another direction.

A large group of Han cavalrymen were circling and conducting guerrilla warfare on the south bank of the Sushui River, seemingly searching for weaknesses in the Wei army's infantry formation.

This time, because of the closer distance, Shangguan Chong was able to clearly see the banner with the character "Zhang".

So he subconsciously looked in another direction of the battlefield, a pass in the Zhongtiao Mountains to the south.

There, a huge banner with the character "Zhang" was also hung, but it was in the color of the Wei army.

"General Zuo is a warrior capable of taking on ten thousand men, no less than Zhang Fei. Now that he has come out of seclusion, why doesn't he step forward to meet Zhang Fei in battle?"

Shangguan Chong was stunned by his interruption.

Yes, Zhang He has already come all this way, so why is he still sitting motionless in front of the mountain?

However, this does not affect what he is about to say.

"General Zuo may have had other agreements with General Wu and Sima Gong, and I dare not speak recklessly."

"But apart from that, the Han army's intentions were actually quite clear."

"Then Zhang Fei's troops were used as the vanguard, relying on their bravery to break through the enemy lines."

"Zhuge Liang's central army serves as the rear guard. Once Zhang Fei breaks through our main formation, he can take advantage of the victory and launch a surprise attack to secure the win."

"As for Guan Xing's troops on the north bank, they are merely flank troops. They will not affect the overall situation until the main forces on both sides on the south bank have determined the victor."

Ren Gu nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite:

"The Han army's tactics sound rather ordinary. So how does our army respond?"

Shangguan Chong originally wanted to say that ordinary tactics were not without threat; the key lay in execution and timing. However, considering that this Lord Ren was essentially just a scholar of classical texts, arguing about such matters was pointless, he followed up on the question:
"It's a tit-for-tat response."

"General Wu personally led the charge to boost morale and delay Zhang Fei's charge."

"Meanwhile, Sima Gong waited in the rear, taking advantage of his position to launch a counterattack."

Ren Gu could also clearly see Wu Zhi's general's flag.

After all, since the start of the battle, their own commander of Youbing had been thoroughly beaten by the enemy's commander of Guanzhong, and had been on the verge of defeat several times.

It's hard not to see it clearly.

However, upon hearing the last sentence, I couldn't help but glance at it:

"You mean, 'wait and see'?"

"This is the key to this battle!" Shangguan Chong said with slight excitement.

According to the intelligence, although Zhuge Liang sold salt to exchange for grain, the Guanzhong region was no longer able to provide supplies after the war dragged on into winter.

"Their soldiers often ate only one meal a day, or sometimes they ate only one meal a day and never ate until dusk, or sometimes they ate only one meal a day and never ate a day."

“If this continues, the soldiers will look pale and sickly, and naturally they will not be able to endure a long battle.”

"Now that we are going to war, we will have breakfast."

"Therefore, the Han soldiers were at their strongest in the morning, followed by midday, then afternoon, and by late afternoon, they were so hungry that they could no longer march in formation."

"So that's how it is!" No matter how little Ren Gu knew about military affairs, he could still understand the most basic thing like eating.

They were all amazed by Sima Yi's strategies.

So this is how you calculate things in war.

"Not only that!" Shangguan Chong added.

"Zhuge Liang knew that his soldiers only had the strength to launch an attack in one go, and that the earlier they attacked, the better. He would not wait until after sunset to strike."

"I predict that around noon, regardless of whether Zhang Fei succeeds in breaking through, Zhuge Liang will definitely launch an offensive."

"And the decisive battleground for our army is right there!"

Shangguan Chong then raised his hand and pointed to the southwest of Anyi City.

But this time the distance is closer than Zhuge Liang's command platform.

It was a flat area of ​​land between Jiangtai and the southern suburbs of Anyi City.

The area was spacious enough to accommodate tens of thousands of troops.

But this advantage is the same for both sides, so why say it can determine the outcome?

Shangguan Chong reminded him:

"Does Your Excellency know where the brine from the large salt lake at the eastern end comes from?"

Ren Gu stroked his beard:
"I heard there's a 'salt mother' being raised in the pond?"

Shangguan Chong chuckled slightly:
“There is indeed a salt mother, but there is nothing supernatural or strange about it.”

"The so-called 'salt mother' is an underground river that connects to the east side of the pool. Its water is salty and runs from east to west. It is mostly hidden under the ditch and is black in color, making it difficult to spot from a distance."

"In this direction, some river channels have been exposed by salt thieves over the years, with countless small ditches and ravines."

"Zhuge Liang's tens of thousands of troops came from this direction in formation, and his men would not be able to avoid these trenches."

“When infantry engage in battle, their formation must be tight, but when crossing ditches, they are disturbed by the terrain and find it difficult to maintain, which creates a weakness.”

"If we want to avoid this ravine, we can only divide the army into left and right formations. However, this will leave the two sides of the army loosely connected, which will still be a weakness."

"Even if Zhuge Liang realized the problem halfway through, the soldiers had already gone halfway. If they spent more time adjusting, their strength would be even weaker, and the advantage would still be with our army!"

"And this... is where our army's chances of victory lie!"

By the end, Shangguan Chong's breathing had become heavy.

It was as if I could see the scene of the Han army's rout.

Ren Gu finally realized what was going on.

They were certainly impressed by Sima Yi's brilliant strategies.

But he also has his own insights:
"With Zhuge Liang's abilities, he would not have failed to properly survey the terrain here."

"The reason why they set up a camp on the east side of the salt lake was to let the salt merchants in Guanzhong see that the salt lake was protected by the Han army, so that they would dare to transport grain across the river."

"Otherwise, our army can rush to the salt lake at any time, and who would dare to take the salt?"

"It's not that they didn't see it clearly, but that with everything there is gain, there is always loss!"

Both sides agreed, agreeing that Ren Gu's analysis was indeed reasonable.

Ren Gu then turned to the flag with the character "Zhang" on it to the south and said to his left and right:

"In that case, the reason why General Zuo is holding back his troops is that he is preparing to join forces with Sima Yi to launch a pincer attack on Zhuge Liang's army, which is blocked by the trenches on both sides!"

Those around him continued to agree, but this time, Shangguan Chong disagreed in his heart.

(End of this chapter)