Chapter 712: A Mystifying Bluff

Was Luo Zhao really a fool?

The two generals to Jin Jue's left and right exchanged a glance. Neither of them truly thought Luo Zhao was foolish. He had simply run into that monster Meng Shanming. Judging from the information gathered afterward, who could possibly have imagined that Meng Shanming would break through the river defenses in that fashion?

Neither man thought Luo Zhao's strategy had been flawed. Looked at from the situation at the beginning, it had actually been quite ingenious.

In their view, only someone like Jin Jue, a man who sought no glory so long as he committed no error, would call Luo Zhao a fool.

After the two generals left the central command tent, they still could not help looking at each other and shaking their heads. There was simply nothing to be done with this Grand Marshal. In a strange way, they were genuinely convinced by him. Let the court pressure him however it liked. Let the three major sects force him however they pleased. Let Song curse him and everyone else mock him. This Grand Marshal simply would not send troops.

If they insisted on sending troops, that was fine too. He would admit he was incompetent, step down for someone worthier, and accept whatever demotion the court wished to impose. They could have someone else command the offensive.

Faced with a man who had nothing he wanted badly enough to be controlled by it, even the court had little leverage. Nor was replacing him easy. To a certain extent, his steady style suited the tastes of quite a few people at court. At least when he was in command, there was never any major disaster. Meng Shanming's crippled legs were the result of fighting him. Who dared say Jin Jue was incompetent?

When a man like this warned that something might go wrong, his words carried real weight. Others did not dare shoulder the responsibility lightly.

The soldiers below, however, did not see matters that way. Ordinarily there were few chances to win promotion and wealth. Now such an excellent opportunity had appeared right before their eyes, with Yan looking like a piece of fat meat almost within reach, yet Jin Jue had clamped down and refused to let anyone take it. Naturally, the men below were deeply dissatisfied. He was blocking everyone's path.

Even the soldiers under him could not help criticizing him. They had never seen him fight some spectacular, beautiful victory, yet somehow he had climbed all the way to the position of Grand Marshal. Many could not understand it.

...

Inside Yan, the withdrawing Song army was still being harassed by Nanzhou's troops and was making poor progress.

Luo Zhao repeatedly laid schemes in hopes of annihilating the hundred thousand cavalry that had followed and harassed him all the way, but Shang Chaozong was no easy prey. He simply refused to take the bait. Luo Zhao could dangle whatever temptation he liked; Shang Chaozong fought his own way regardless, giving Luo Zhao endless headaches.

Inside Song, the Yan army continued following its previous strategy as well, steadily expanding the disorder. From time to time, concentrated forces would strike deep into the interior, magnifying the panic.

Song general Chen Shaotong gathered four hundred thousand troops and advanced to meet the Yan army, intending to curb its rampage and buy time for Luo Zhao's returning forces.

At first, Chen Shaotong's troops advanced slowly. Then, without warning, they sharply increased their pace and began closing on the Yan army much faster.

The change immediately put the Yan army on high alert. The scattered Yan formations began making urgent adjustments.

Inside the central command tent, several regional lords commanding Yan forces hurried over to confer.

"Song's main military strength, including the forces under its three regional lords, totals six million men. Three million invaded Yan, the two million assigned to the river defenses have already been destroyed by us, and one million were positioned along the Han border. In other words, there is almost no genuine main force left inside Song. Chen Shaotong's four hundred thousand men are scraps gathered from the various prefectures and provinces, and there is no shortage of old, weak, sick, and disabled among them."

"We all know that. The question is, he advanced slowly at first because he obviously knew he was no match for us. Why has he suddenly accelerated and begun pressing toward us?"

"Perhaps the panic and destruction we're causing inside Song has grown too severe. He may be unable to withstand the pressure from above and has no choice but to speed up his advance."

"Chen Shaotong cannot be called some brilliant commander. He rose because of his father-in-law Zi Pingxiu. But he is no complete fool either. If he had no ability worth Zi Pingxiu's notice, Zi Pingxiu would never have married his daughter to him. So Chen Shaotong cannot be unaware of what a head-on clash would mean. Yet he is hurrying over as if eager to die, and his attitude has changed halfway through. Could there be something strange behind it?"

The generals argued back and forth.

Meng Shanming sat in his wheelchair, whether listening or not no one could tell. In his hands he held a detailed report on Chen Shaotong and studied it closely. It recorded the man's entire path of advancement through Song's military: the posts he had held, how many troops he had commanded, what battles he had fought, and what achievements he had made. The information was extremely detailed.

They debated Chen Shaotong's purpose at length without reaching a firm conclusion. Even Meng Shanming could not immediately make sense of it.

In the end, Meng Shanming adopted the safer course. While continuing the harassment operations, the several Yan armies gradually contracted and concentrated. They prepared to gather their strength against any unexpected development while also arranging a pocket around Chen Shaotong. First they would test him. If he was merely putting on a bold front, they would swallow him in one stroke.

Once the strategy was decided, the regional lords left the tent and returned to their respective forces, carried away rapidly on large flying mounts.

Over the following days, both armies continued advancing toward one another, drawing closer and closer. Another great battle was about to erupt. The atmosphere abruptly grew tense, and powers in every state watched closely after receiving the news.

In the end, Chen Shaotong's four hundred thousand men marched directly into the trap the Yan army had prepared, neither veering left nor right, as though completely unaware of it. What happened afterward was even further beyond the Yan army's expectations.

Once the Yan forces closed the mouth of the pocket, Chen Shaotong stopped moving. Right in the middle of the heavy encirclement, he chose a place to make camp, as though simply waiting to be surrounded and destroyed.

Inside the central command tent, Meng Shanming stared at the map with a deep frown for a long time. Chen Shaotong's refusal to follow any ordinary logic had gone far beyond what he expected.

From what Meng Shanming knew of Chen Shaotong's career, the man was not ignorant of warfare. He had at least some ability. Yet his four hundred thousand motley troops had voluntarily marched into a pocket formed by more than two million heavily concentrated soldiers. How could someone with any military sense do something so foolish?

By acting this way, Chen Shaotong had actually managed to intimidate the Yan army. Though they had him surrounded, they did not dare move rashly.

Zhang Hu, standing beside Meng Shanming and studying the map, rubbed his chin. "What game is this Chen Shaotong playing? Movements by an army this large cannot possibly have escaped his scouts. There is no way he failed to see that this was a pocket, yet he walked straight into it. Could he be bluffing us deliberately, trying to use this to delay us?"

Meng Shanming said slowly, "As you said, a man like Zi Pingxiu would not take a complete fool for a son-in-law. His own son-in-law has personally led an army into the field. If Chen Shaotong is defeated, the repercussions for Zi Pingxiu will be severe. This does not look like reckless behavior. He must be relying on something."

Su Qitong said, "Marshal, are we really going to let him frighten us into doing nothing? If he keeps us tied down like this, Luo Zhao's returning forces will meet little resistance when they cross the river. Look at it the other way: if Chen Shaotong truly does have something to rely on and we fail to destroy him, then when we turn back to block Luo Zhao's river crossing, he will certainly cooperate with Luo Zhao and attack us from behind."

Meng Shanming pointed to one place on the map. "Bulao Mountain. Chen Shaotong chose this place to hold his ground. He seems to have some purpose in doing so."

Zhang Hu nodded. "Bulao Mountain itself does not cover a large area. It can barely accommodate four hundred thousand men, but the mountains are full of watercourses and springs, so an army holding there need not fear having its drinking water cut off. There is no shortage of firewood for cooking either. And because the area is small and guarded from the outside, they need not fear a fire attack. Looking at his preparations, he seems ready to hold out for a long time."

Meng Shanming shook his head slightly. "With the terrain there, if my two million troops launch a determined assault, he cannot hold it at all. Once the outer defenses are broken, surrounding and destroying the rest will not be difficult. It is not a position suited to a true last stand."

Su Qitong traced a circle around Bulao Mountain. "Mountains surrounding mountains. Looking at the terrain as a whole, Bulao Mountain is a mountainous area sitting inside a basin. Could he be trying to lure our forces into the mountains outside and then use fire against us?"

Zhang Hu asked in return, "Across such a broad area? We would not be trapped there. If fire breaks out, we can advance or retreat at leisure. How could a fire attack be that easy?"

Gong Lince stood nearby listening to their discussion. It was obvious that the men were genuinely puzzled by Chen Shaotong's deployment.

They talked for a long time without reaching a conclusion. Finally, Su Qitong volunteered. "Marshal, whatever trick he is playing, allow my force to attack first and test him. One strike will tell us whether he is only deliberately mystifying us or has some hidden scheme. If he is merely bluffing, I will break him in one blow. A rabble like that cannot withstand a real attack."

Meng Shanming considered it and nodded. "Very well."

Then he waved a hand. "There is no rush. Make your preparations first. Let me go and examine the situation personally before we decide."

...

At Bulao Mountain, Chen Shaotong's central command tent had been erected atop a peak with a broad view into the distance.

Outside the mountain, the army patrolled on alert. Within the mountain, cooking smoke rose everywhere as fires were lit to prepare food.

After making a circuit of inspection through the mountain, Chen Shaotong returned to the command tent with a group of officers and reminded them again, "Watch the surroundings closely. Report any abnormality immediately. If anyone dares delay in the slightest, do not blame me when military law shows no mercy."

"Yes!" The officers cupped their hands and accepted the order.

One general then asked, "Great General, if we keep doing this and the Yan army cannot understand our intentions, is there a chance they might simply abandon us and go do what they need to do elsewhere?"

Chen Shaotong waved a hand. "The situation is already very clear. Meng Shanming means to cripple Song until he can force peace negotiations, then join Song against Han. His main forces therefore must eventually turn back to block the Grand Commander-in-Chief's troops from crossing the river on their withdrawal. If they do not destroy us first, the Yan army will never dare settle in at the river defense line to block the Grand Commander-in-Chief, because they will fear an attack from us in the rear. The Yan troops surrounding us are merely holding position right now. So long as they continue holding position, it proves they have no intention of abandoning us."

Another general asked, "Then how long are we supposed to keep waiting here?"

Chen Shaotong sneered. "I chose this place to hold precisely because I prepared for a long contest. I can afford to wait. Meng Shanming cannot. The Yan army is not moving now only because it has not grasped the depth of our position and does not dare act rashly. Just wait. It will not be long before they launch a probing attack to test our strength."

"And Meng Shanming is not the kind of man who will fight a muddled battle. Until he understands the situation, he will not be at ease. That is a common failing of intelligent men. So when the probing attack begins, Meng Shanming may very well come in person to observe the battle. Gentlemen, do you understand what that means?"

The officers looked at one another.

Chen Shaotong jabbed a finger heavily against the table. "We either remain still, or when we move, we strike the Yan army hard. If the opportunity presents itself, every one of you must attack with everything you have. We may very well be able to kill Meng Shanming here in a single battle!"

"Meng Shanming buried six hundred thousand sons of Song alive. From top to bottom, all of Song hates him to the bone. If we can kill that man, the merit will be beyond measure. Once he is dead, the Yan army will have no leader capable of commanding them all. Chaos will follow. That is why I have deliberately put on this mysterious show and held my ground here: to lure Meng Shanming to us!"

The generals became visibly excited at the words. One after another, they rubbed their palms and clenched their fists, clearly worked into a fever.

Everyone knew Chen Shaotong's background. If they truly managed to kill Meng Shanming, the acclaim that would rise at court was easy to imagine. The merit would be rich indeed.

[End of Chapter 712]