stonecrandall Chapter 871 What are the doubts between Gao Yao and Xiao He?
Chapter 871 What are the doubts between Gao Yao and Xiao He?
Xiao He, who had also spent a restless night, came to Gao Yao's side. He gazed into the distance, his hand stroking his beard pausing mid-air, his eyes filled with confusion. "Xiang Yu always emphasized swift and decisive action in his military operations. This kind of procrastination and laziness is truly uncharacteristic of him... Could there be some hidden secret here that we haven't grasped?"
This suffocating wait lasted for more than an hour. The defenders on the wall went from being on high alert at first to becoming restless and doubtful, and whispers gradually rose. Just when everyone began to doubt whether the Chu army would really attack again -
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
“Rumble, rumble, rumble… rumble, rumble…”
The low and penetrating sound of war drums finally came from the direction of the Chu army camp, like thunder that had been brewing in the dark clouds for a long time, one after another, knocking on the hearts of every defender on the wall.
Here they come! Everyone's heart tightened, and they immediately clenched their weapons, and the crossbowmen also put arrows on the bowstrings.
Gao Yao's spirits lifted, but then his frown deepened. He stared intently at the Chu army in the distance, which was slowly pouring out of the camp like a tide and gradually forming a battle array to advance towards Yangping Pass.
Something is wrong!
A strong intuition surged through Gao Yao's heart. Although he couldn't pinpoint what was wrong, his keen battlefield sense made him clearly feel that the advancing Chu army before him was completely different from the elite Western Chu army they had encountered a few days ago, which was like a raging fire and carried a violent and destructive momentum.
It was an indescribable feeling. If the Chu army of a few days ago was a sharp sword unsheathed, gleaming coldly and filling the air with murderous intent, then today's Chu army was like a blunt, unsharpened blade. Their march was still orderly, their formation still vast, but the speed of their advance, the spirit and energy radiating from their gestures, and even the invisible "momentum" permeating the entire formation all seemed...slow, dull, even carrying a hint of inexplicable hesitation and...absent-mindedness?
It was as if they were not engaged in a decisive battle, but rather a routine armed march. The unyielding spirit and determination to crush the wall had largely dissipated.
"Xiao He, look..." Gao Yao's voice was more solemn than ever before. "This Chu army... seems a little...weak today?"
Hearing Gao Yao's doubtful whisper, Xiao He focused his full attention on the slowly approaching Chu army. While he wasn't as battle-hardened as Gao Yao, who possessed an instinctive intuition for murderous intent, as a first-rate strategist, reading expressions and assessing the situation were fundamental skills. He observed carefully for a moment, his brow furrowing as he did, his eyes reflecting Gao Yao's confusion.
"Your Majesty's words... do have some truth to them," Xiao He pondered, his tone uncertain. "Looking at their formation advancing, while the structure remains the same and the flags are still flying,... I feel like something's missing. The resolute determination of a few days ago, the determination to capture the city, is missing. It's more like... like they're completing a predetermined mission, rather than engaging in a desperate battle."
Even a civil official like Xiao He, who focused more on strategic planning, could see that the Chu army's momentum was not right, which undoubtedly confirmed that Gao Yao's feeling was not an illusion.
This strange feeling was fully magnified and verified in the subsequent siege.
On the surface, the Chu army's attack followed a standard siege process: a heavy array of shield soldiers led the front, like a moving wall, shielding the infantry phalanxes following behind. Further back, a dense cluster of archers formed. In theory, the shield soldiers should have resisted the defenders' initial ranged attacks, while the infantry, under cover, launched a swift charge, rapidly approaching the walls and setting up ladders. Meanwhile, the archers continued their projectile fire, suppressing the defenders on the walls and preventing them from effectively attacking the infantry below.
At the same time, the heavy but powerful battering ram would be deployed at the appropriate time, delivering a fatal blow to the city gate. This combination of punches was the standard paradigm for sieges in the era of cold weapons, emphasizing the coordination of various arms, wave after wave, like a raging wave crashing against the shore, leaving the defenders no chance to breathe.
However, the actual performance of the Chu army today was far from this standard process. It could even be said that it was similar in form but different in spirit, and its efficiency was shockingly low:
The shield soldiers were indeed at the forefront, but their advance seemed heavy and hesitant. The movement of raising their shields seemed like a formulaic performance, lacking the ruthlessness and determination of charging forward, using their bodies to clear a path for their comrades. Faced with the sparse, tentative arrows from the city walls (Gao Yao ordered them to be used sparingly), their reaction was also too slow, as if they didn't truly fear a fatal blow would befall them.
The infantry charge was incredibly sluggish. They should have been rapidly approaching the city walls under the protection of the shieldmen, but instead, it resembled a leisurely picnic, their ranks scattered and slow, even requiring frequent pauses to "wait" for those behind them. The soldiers carrying the ladders dawdled, lacking any sense of urgency.
The archers, alone, seemed to be following orders "seriously." They lined up and fired volleys, sending waves of arrows hurtling towards the Yangping Pass walls, overwhelming the Southern Border Army soldiers perched atop the walls. This "activeness" contrasted starkly with the "passivity" of the other troops.
This extremely uncoordinated, almost ridiculous offensive approach brought Gao Yao and Xiao He to their peak of astonishment. From yesterday's unusual camping, to today's long delay in launching the attack, to this current, lackluster, perfunctory siege display...
A thought that had been vaguely surfacing in Gao Yao's mind became increasingly clear. He turned his head sharply, only to meet Xiao He's gaze. Their eyes met, and they both saw the same shock and realization in each other's eyes.
There was no need for any verbal communication. Amidst the deafening sound of war drums and the less intense shouts of killing, the two men whispered almost in unison, in a voice only they could hear:
"The Chu army is feinting!"
At this time, the two came to the same answer, that is, the Chu army had been feinting, which made them both feel relieved, but also somewhat confused about the reason.
Could it be that Xiang Yu hadn't realized he was ambushed? No way, if he hadn't realized it, he would have already withdrawn his troops. Why did he come back to test how many defenders there were at Yangping Pass through a feint attack? This was indeed not necessary.
Such a loose attack, let alone himself, even some ordinary soldiers would be able to see that something was wrong, so how could it be exposed so easily? There is no free lunch in the world, and Xiang Yu is not a fool. It is obviously impossible to test the depth of Yangping Pass with such a small force. So why did Xiang Yu do this?