stonecrandall Chapter 870 There is something wrong with the Chu army today!
Chapter 870 There is something wrong with the Chu army today!
He glanced toward the outside of the Great Wall, his eyes sharp and calm again. "The Prime Minister is absolutely right. I, however, have misjudged you." He paused, his tone regaining its usual decisiveness. "A surprise attack? Absurd! Our army consists of no more than 3,000 men, mostly exhausted and from the prefectures. Sending out all forces to attack Xiang Yu's 50,000-man army? This wouldn't be bravery; it would be self-destructive folly! If the Chu cavalry were to discover us, we would be utterly annihilated."
He took a deep breath, glanced at his generals, and ordered in a steady voice, "Pass the order! Everyone, do your job and guard the pass strictly! Send out more scouts to closely monitor the movements of the Chu army camp. No one is allowed to leave the pass without my order! We will hold here and see what tricks Xiang Yu can come up with!"
"Yes!" The generals responded in unison. The initial commotion and anxiety caused by the Chu army's unusual behavior quickly subsided as Gao Yao regained his composure and Xiao He's clear analysis followed. The defense of Yangping Pass once again focused on its most crucial and correct strategy: hold firm and await reinforcements, using stillness to counteract dynamic forces.
Xiao He's words were like a revelation, instantly extinguishing the anxiety and suspicion that had ignited in Gao Yao's heart due to the Chu army's unusual behavior. He took a deep breath of the chilly night air, exhaled slowly, and shook his head in self-mockery.
"Those in charge are often confused... I'm not deceiving you," Gao Yao muttered to himself. He realized that Xiang Yu's reputation and the ambiguity of the situation had indeed caused him to lose his composure. He was eager to speculate on the deeper meaning behind his opponent's every move, but he had overlooked the most fundamental reality: no matter what tricks the Chu army played, the only thing Gao Yao could do, the only thing he should do, was to hold his ground! He had to fight a thoroughly defensive counterattack. No matter how the enemy changed, it couldn't change his core strategy of "defending."
To put it bluntly, he only had three thousand men at his disposal, half of whom were county soldiers of questionable combat effectiveness. Even a good cook cannot cook without rice. If he had five thousand elite warriors like his personal guard battalion, he might have dared to venture out and seek a chance to engage the Chu army. But now? It was safest to remain huddled within his shell. Although his strength and command abilities had greatly improved with the system's assistance, he was still mortal, unable to overcome this absolute disadvantage in both numbers and quality through personal prowess.
A night raid on the Chu army camp? The thought flashed through Gao Yao's mind before he completely rejected it. The disparity in strength was too great, and the chances of a successful surprise attack were slim. On the contrary, they might be outmaneuvered and annihilated.
After abandoning all unrealistic fantasies, Gao Yao's heart settled. He solemnly issued a series of extremely pragmatic orders: increase the frequency and intensity of patrols, arrange for soldiers to take turns resting and patrolling the city walls, and ensure that there are always enough awake defenders on the city walls.
He also adopted a staggered meal schedule. He couldn't predict whether the Chu army would launch a thunderous attack early in the morning, continue a siege without attacking, or choose to attack at noon when the defenders were tired and relaxed. Therefore, maintaining sufficient physical strength for the soldiers was crucial. He changed the daily routine from three meals a day to four, having the soldiers eat in batches and at different times. This ensured that no matter when the Chu army attacked, most of the defenders would not be hungry or had just eaten, which would make strenuous exercise unsuitable.
Doing this also has its disadvantages. Frequent eating may affect digestion, but for the upcoming brutal offensive and defensive battle that may last all day, maintaining physical strength is the top priority. This is an extraordinary measure for extraordinary times.
However, Gao Yao himself slept extremely restlessly that night, barely closing a wink. He simply set up his resting place in the arrow tower on the city wall and slept in his clothes. The immense uncertainty weighed on his heart like a heavy stone. He worried that the Chu army's unusual camping location might conceal some unidentified ruse or special method of breaking through the city.
Xiao He also stayed on the city wall to rest. On the one hand, it was to stabilize the morale of the army. On the other hand, he frowned and pondered under the candlelight, repeatedly deducing the true intentions of Xiang Yu and Fan Zeng.
Gao Yao even considered the oldest and most unpredictable tactic: digging tunnels. He worried that the Chu army would publicly set up camp to attract attention, but secretly sent engineers to dig a tunnel deep inside the camp, leading directly to the interior of Yangping Pass. Then, with the help of internal and external forces, he could seize the pass in one fell swoop.
To this end, he specifically ordered the soldiers with sharp hearing in the personal guard camp to lie on the ground near the city wall inside the pass from time to time, hold their breath, and listen carefully to see if there were any unusual digging sounds coming from underground.
He also had people find many long bamboo poles or iron spikes, which were driven deep into the ground at the foot of the inner side of the city wall, and very fine silk threads were tied to the exposed ends. If there was any excavation activity underground, the slightest vibration could be transmitted through the bamboo poles, causing the silk threads to vibrate subtly, thus providing an early warning.
Although Gao Yao himself felt that this was unlikely—the Chu army had been attacking fiercely beforehand, and they probably had neither the time nor the opportunity to start such a massive excavation in advance—if they started digging now, with the tools and technology of the time, it would take more than two months to dig from ten miles away to the interior of the pass. Xiang Yu would not be so foolish.
But it's always better to be safe than sorry. Especially considering Xiang Yu had not only the shrewd Fan Zeng but also Yi Xiaochuan, a contemporary figure familiar with historical allusions and intrigues, Gao felt no caution was too great. He strained his nerves and the defenses of Yangping Pass to the limit, quietly awaiting the dawn, or rather, the arrival of an unknown storm.
At dawn the next day, the sky was barely turning pale, and the chill from the Yangping Pass walls had not yet completely dissipated. Gao Yao had barely slept all night, his eyes bloodshot as he stared intently at the vast stretch of Chu army camps in the distance.
The sun gradually rose higher, its golden light covering the earth and dispersing the morning mist. Gao Yao looked up at the position of the sun, his brows furrowed tighter and tighter, and an expression of disbelief and confusion appeared on his face.
"It's this hour... why is the Chu camp still so quiet?" he muttered to himself. Although it was still far from noon, for an army intent on attacking the city and desperately needing time, after a night of rest, the smoke from cooking should have dissipated by now, and the soldiers and horses should have been clamoring and forming their battle formations, ready to launch a fierce attack.
However, the Chu army camp in the distance seemed unusually quiet. Aside from the necessary patrols and curling smoke from cooking fires, there was no trace of the urgency of the army about to move out for a decisive battle. This unnatural silence was even more eerie and unsettling than the sudden encampment yesterday.