stonecrandall Chapter 874 Yi Xiaochuan’s plan is to lure you into a trap!
Chapter 874 Yi Xiaochuan’s plan is to lure you into a trap!
Yi Xiaochuan shook his head slightly, his eyes sharpening. "Brother Yu, what was our original perfect plan? You took Yangping Pass at lightning speed, then immediately divided your troops into 10,000 small, elite units and quickly infiltrated the now undermanned counties of Hanzhong!"
He circled the Hanzhong area on the map. "Hanzhong at that time was like an undefended area. Just 10,000 or 20,000 mobile troops would be enough to destabilize the entire Hanzhong situation and at least contain Gao Yao's main force of over 50,000! These troops could advance to harass their hinterland, retreat to hold strategic points, and even assemble at any time to threaten Gao Yao's flanks. If that happens, our main force can hold Yangping Pass and completely drag Gao Yao into a two-front war!"
"By then, Gao Yao will be in dire straits. If he returns to rescue Hanzhong, the remnants of Wu Can's army in Nanjun will have a break, and may even launch a counterattack, costing him the Nanjun he fought so hard to conquer. If he doesn't return, Hanzhong will be completely destroyed, potentially affecting the main force of the Southern Border Army currently fighting in Nanjun, leaving them vulnerable to attack from both ends! This is a brilliant strategy to cut off the source of the problem!"
Xiang Yu couldn't help but nod his head after hearing this. This was exactly the beautiful blueprint that Yi Xiaochuan had described when he persuaded him to return quickly.
"But!" Yi Xiaochuan's tone suddenly became more serious. "The premise of all this is - speed! We must complete the series of actions of breaking through the pass, dividing the troops, and infiltrating before the reinforcements from Nanjun in Gaoyao arrive!"
"We've been delayed for far too long! Even though the exact battle report from Nanjun hasn't arrived yet, given Gao Yao's ability and Wu Can's stupidity, there's a 99% chance that Nanjun has completely fallen into Gao Yao's hands! The reinforcements he's sending now are rushing to Yangping Pass with all their might, completely free of any worries! What does this mean?"
Yi Xiaochuan stared at Xiang Yu with a burning gaze. "This means that even if we take Yangping Pass at great cost in two days, we may not have enough time to send troops into Hanzhong! Gao Yao's reinforcements are likely approaching! The small force we send out will not only be unable to disrupt Hanzhong, but will also most likely be intercepted, surrounded, and eaten by Gao Yao's superior reinforcements in the field!"
"By then, what will we gain? Just a dilapidated Yangping Pass that needs to be defended by separate troops! And what will be the price we pay? The loss of a large number of elite troops in the siege, and the possibility of annihilation of our separate troops! More importantly, our most powerful cavalry will be trapped in this pass, forced to abandon our most skilled field maneuvers and fight a war of attrition in the city defense, which is our least strength and consumes the most manpower!"
"Brother Yu!" Yi Xiaochuan's voice was calm but powerful. "Yangping Pass is just an isolated city. The foundation of our army lies in field battles and our invincible cavalry! Abandoning the wilderness, trapping ourselves in a fortified city, and engaging in a war of attrition with Gaoyao, which has the full support of the southern border and abundant resources? This is tantamount to using our own weaknesses to attack their strengths! Even if Yangping Pass becomes a meat grinder, we will be the first to be crushed! This pass has now gone from being a target to a trap that could potentially bring down our army!"
In these words, the strategic pros and cons are clearly analyzed.
After hearing this, Xiang Yu fell into a long silence. The impatience on his face gradually faded, replaced by a deep contemplation and a hint of belated realization. He looked at the map again, his gaze no longer fixed on Yangping Pass, but sweeping across the vast expanse of Hanzhong and Nanjun, as if truly beginning to examine the game from the perspective of "playing chess," as Yi Xiaochuan had described it.
After a long moment, he exhaled heavily, his voice deepening: "Xiaochuan, what you mean is... we can't fight at Yangping Pass now?"
"It's not that we can't attack, but the cost and risk of a strong attack far exceeds its strategic value." Yi Xiaochuan corrected, his eyes flashing with the brilliance of a strategist. "Since the opportunity for a surprise attack has been lost and the cost of a strong attack is too high, we might as well change our strategy. Continue the feint attack, maintain the high pressure, and firmly pin Gao Yao's main force here. At the same time..."
"Our army can secretly deploy a retreat, but the key is to make Gao Yao aware of our movements and trick him into actively pursuing us - this is the core of the entire plan!"
"Taking the initiative to attack our army?"
Upon hearing Yi Xiaochuan's proposed strategy, Xiang Yu was momentarily taken aback, then fell into deep thought. His fingers tapped the table unconsciously, his brow furrowed slightly as he digested this bold proposal. "Xiaochuan, this plan is indeed unexpected, but how exactly will it be implemented? Gao Yao may be impatient, but he's not without strategy."
Yi Xiaochuan leaned forward, his eyes gleaming. "Brother Yu, I've been studying Gao Yao for years. I can't say I know him inside and out, but I know his personality and temperament like the back of my hand. This time, our army's feint attack on Yangping Pass has touched Gao Yao's nerves. Given his temperament, he's definitely looking for an opportunity for revenge. What we need to do now is to create a seemingly perfect opportunity for him to strike."
Xiang Yu stroked his chin and pondered, "Even if our army feints an attack, will Gao Yao fall for it? Yangping Pass is strategically located; he can easily hold it."
"That's the ingenuity of this plan." Yi Xiaochuan raised his lips slightly, pulling out a sheepskin map and spreading it on the table. "To fish, you need bait. We've been operating around Xianyang these days, and while we haven't launched a forceful attack, I've uncovered a crucial piece of intelligence: the Xianyang defenders haven't moved because they've long maintained contact with Gao Yao through special channels, and they've even seemed indifferent to our attack on Yangping Pass."
Xiang Yu raised his head suddenly upon hearing this, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes. "You mean... Gao Yao is actually controlling the Xianyang defenders remotely? But how is that possible? I clearly fought him at Yangping Pass..."
"Brother Yu, please be patient." Yi Xiaochuan raised his hand to signal, "The Gao Yao you met is indeed the real person, but he seems to have mastered a method of communication that we have never heard of before - carrier pigeons." Seeing Xiang Yu's confusion, he continued to explain, "This is a secret method of transmitting messages over long distances using domesticated pigeons. According to spies, Gao Yao's army has raised a large number of carrier pigeons, which can transmit military information in a very short time."
Xiang Yu's expression grew increasingly serious upon hearing this. He stood up and paced around the tent. "If this is true, Gao Yao's ability to control the situation far exceeds our imagination. How can we ensure that he 'happens' to discover our retreat?"
A glint of wisdom flashed in Yi Xiaochuan's eyes. "This is the key to the plan. We can deliberately leave some loopholes when retreating - such as abandoning some food and supplies, or having the soldiers pretend to be demoralized. But at the same time, we must place spies in the dark to ensure that the spies sent by Gao Yao can detect these signs."