stonecrandall Chapter 850 Xiao He’s idea, to scare the Chu army?
Chapter 850 Xiao He’s idea, to scare the Chu army?
Xiao He grew increasingly excited as he spoke, as if he saw the dawn of success. "Your Majesty! We don't need them to be truly skilled! We just need to convince the Chu army—to believe that the main reinforcements from the Southern Border Army, at least the elite troops of the Third Legion, have already arrived at Yangping Pass at full speed! Let them believe that we are no longer a spent force, but a fresh force reinforced with powerful reinforcements!"
"Be careful not to attack the enemy, Your Majesty!" Xiao He's voice was filled with an almost bewitching power. "Once the Chu army's commander determines that our main force has arrived, they will undoubtedly be filled with concerns! Attacking the city? The cost will far exceed expectations! Is it worth continuing to assault this reinforced city? They may hesitate, or even... abandon the attack and retreat!"
"Hiss..." Gao Yao gasped after hearing this. The anger in his eyes was completely replaced by a solemn and deep thought. Xiao He's strategy was based on psychological warfare, exploiting the immense psychological trauma and fear of the unknown suffered by the Chu army today to launch a gamble! This was indeed an angle he had never considered before.
But Gao Yao's thinking was remarkably calm and realistic. Frowning, he raised a critical question in a deep voice: "This plan... sounds clever. But the Chu army is no fool, and Xiang Yu is certainly not a weakling! How could they be so easily fooled?"
Gao Yao paced a few steps and analyzed, "First, if our main force really came to support us, given my character and the strength of the Southern Border Army, why would I be content to stay on the defensive and not take advantage of the Chu Army's recent defeat and low morale to launch a counterattack? If we only defend without attacking, wouldn't that be exposing our own weaknesses?"
"Secondly," Gao Yao's eyes were sharp as knives, "Xiang Yu invested a huge amount in this battle! To capture Yangping Pass, he lost at least 20,000 elite troops here! And that doesn't even include the troops he mobilized in the ambush near Xianyang! A total of no less than 70,000 or 80,000 troops! The mobilization of such a large force, the cost of food and money, was a truly all-out attack! Now Yangping Pass is within reach, and despite setbacks, the pass is already crumbling. You expect Xiang Yu to give up just because he saw a 'possible' signal of reinforcements, admitting the loss of his troops and generals, without any success, and retreating in disgrace? If it were you or me, would we be willing to do that?"
Gao Yao's tone was firm and decisive. "Unless the Chu army can be absolutely certain that the main force of our Southern Border Army, numbering tens of thousands, has reached the city, then, with Xiang Yu's stubbornness, Fan Zeng's cunning, and Yi Xiaochuan's... calculations, they will never give up easily! They will definitely test the waters! Once they find out their true strength, your strategy of deceiving the enemy will not only fail to repel them, but may even incite them to make a desperate move and accelerate the siege! By then, not only will we have wasted our last bit of time, but we will also be setting these two elite troops on the path to defeat!"
The wind from the city walls seemed even colder. Xiao He knelt on the ground, his face pale. Gao Yao's analysis, like cold reality, shattered the shreds of hope in his plan. The strategy of false attack sounded brilliant, but against a combination like Xiang Yu, Fan Zeng, and Yi Xiaochuan, what were the chances of success? This was practically a gamble, with the final fate of Yangping Pass at stake!
Xiao He knelt on the cold bricks, feeling Gao Yao's piercing gaze. He knew his unauthorized deployment of troops had already angered the emperor, and now he was testing the emperor's patience. He took a deep breath, suppressed his anxiety, and faced Gao Yao's wrath. His voice was a touch urgent but still clear:
"Your Majesty, success depends on human effort! The key to using the strategy of confusing the enemy is to confuse their minds and disrupt their will! We don't need to expect Xiang Yu to simply withdraw; that's unrealistic. However, as long as we create enough momentum to make Xiang Yu doubt and hesitate, we will have achieved our goal!"
He spoke faster, trying to grab Gao Yao's attention. "What we really need isn't to scare him off, but to make him afraid to attack with all his might! Let him be wary and hesitant in his attack, buying us more breathing space! Perhaps, if we just delay for another day, a turning point will arrive!"
"Xiao He!" Gao Yao interrupted abruptly, suppressed anger threatening to burst forth from his voice. The exhaustion of days of bloody battles and the immense pressure had strained his nerves to the limit. "What time is it now? The situation is dire, our lives hang by a thread! Are you still keeping me in suspense?! If you have something to say, say it now! If you have something to say, fart now!" He pointed at the remnants of the Chu army, which were struggling to gather together and were still in disarray below the city. "Can't you see? Tomorrow! Tomorrow Xiang Yu might conquer this pass! If your plans continue to be so vague, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Gao Yao's chest heaved violently, his eyes piercing Xiao He. Every second of this moment was precious, and Xiao He's hesitation was simply challenging his bottom line.
Xiao He trembled at Gao Yao's fury. Not daring to delay any further, he quickly laid out the core of his plan. "Here, Your Majesty, calm down! My plan is this: Tomorrow morning, have all the county soldiers don the Third Legion's fine armor and line up on the city walls. They must be in perfect order and clearly marked with their banners! This way, the Chu spies will be able to see from afar that the Yangping Pass defenders are looking brand new, as if they've received a major reinforcement!"
He paused, then threw out the most crucial and puzzling step: "But, this is only the first step to confuse the enemy! The more crucial step must be completed tonight!"
"Tonight?" Gao Yao frowned, and the bad premonition in his heart became stronger and stronger.
"Indeed, tonight!" Xiao He's eyes burned with a desperate determination. "Your Majesty, please issue an immediate order to select three hundred of your most elite and reliable personal soldiers, and pair them with... one thousand county soldiers! Have them bring all the warhorses we have inside the pass and assemble immediately! Tonight, while the Chu army is still in shock and their camp is in chaos, we must open the city gates and feign a breakout at the weak point of the Chu encirclement—outside Yangping Pass, in the direction of Xianyang!"
"What?!" Gao Yao couldn't believe his ears! He took a step forward and stared down at the kneeling Xiao He, his eyes filled with extreme confusion, absurdity, and a hint of rage at being fooled!
"Xiao He! Are you...are you crazy?!" Gao Yao's voice was distorted by shock and anger. "My personal guards have less than 1,500 combat-ready soldiers, and most of them are injured! You actually want me to send 300 of my most elite personal soldiers?! And take a thousand county soldiers with you?! And... take all the war horses?!"
He pointed at the remnants of the Chu army below the city, which looked like frightened birds, yet still massive. He then pointed at the exhausted, numb-eyed defenders behind him, and his voice was almost a roar: "Do you know what situation we are in now?! People! They are what we lack most right now! Every soldier who can hold a sword is invaluable! Although I don't think highly of these two thousand county soldiers you mobilized, they are at least two thousand living people who can stand on the city walls, throw a stone, and block a sword! They are cannon fodder that can delay the city for a moment!"