Chapter 6: Confuse the Enemy

  After leaving the city for five miles, Prince Yan ordered the army to slow down its pace. 300 light cavalrymen were dispatched in three directions: forward, left and right. As for the rear, that was the national capital, which did not need to be scouted for the time being.

  Because of the eve of the expedition, Prince Ze again and again emphasized military discipline. The thousand generals did not dare to slack off, emphasizing military discipline to Bo Chang and Shu Chang one by one. As a result, the entire army marched in an orderly manner.

  Outside the city of Handan, the allied army of Zhao and Wei set up a large camp. Mengmeng was cooking wine with Jia Yan to discuss military affairs.

  Yesterday, the Allied Forces surrounded the outer city of Huayang, but Mangya did not give an urgent order to attack the city. Firstly, the Allied Forces had just arrived, and the soldiers were tired and needed rest; secondly, for this expedition, the Allied Forces did not bring siege equipment, and the craftsmen are currently making siege equipment; thirdly, he also wanted to achieve a victory without fighting, in order to show that he was popular with the people.

  The small city of Huaiyang has only 20,000 soldiers and 80,000 civilians. If we were to attack the city ourselves, it would definitely be a quick victory, but casualties are inevitable. Now, preparing siege engines under the nose of the defending army can undermine their morale, and maybe even persuade them to surrender. Even if the commander refuses to surrender, if we surround the city without attacking, the pressure from Xinye will surely increase, and they may even ask for peace directly.

  When Mangyong was still thinking about how to make Korea surrender as soon as possible, a man of about 40 years old with a strong and healthy body walked into the camp.

  "The Prime Minister", the visitor wanted to speak but hesitated.

  "Wei Jun Sao," Meng Ao smiled in response, "Is it that the defending general refuses to surrender?" Just now, he had ordered Zhong Jun Sao Wei Bao to send someone to persuade them to surrender. Judging from Wei Bao's expression, the defending general must have refused to surrender.

  "Yes, sir. General Feng Ting said that he and the city of Huayang will share a common fate! He also said that since it's cold outside and you've come from afar, he'd like to send you an article of clothing as a token of his sincerity." Wei Bao said with an awkward expression.

  "What clothes? Bring them up for me!" Meng Jue shouted. Wei Bao's embarrassed expression was clearly seen by Meng Jue.

  Things having come to this pass, Wei Bao had no choice but to have the clothes presented by Feng Ting, the defender of Huayang, brought before him. When he opened the box, all he saw was a large red woman's skirt staring back at him.

  "You insolent whelp!" Mang Ya's face turned extremely ugly in an instant, he took a swift step forward, drew out his sharp sword and chopped the clothes into tatters.

  The atmosphere in the big account became extremely embarrassing, Feng Ting this guardian is not insulting Meng Yu is a woman, who can bear it! Zhao Jun's main general Jia Yan was thinking about saying something to ease the atmosphere, but only heard a "report" coming from outside the camp.

  Wei Bao hastily went outside the tent to inquire about the military situation. If it was a minor matter, he wouldn't bother disturbing his commander's attention; if it was an important one, he would rush to report it immediately.

  "Come in!" Mangya gestured to Wei Bao that he didn't need to come out of the tent, while throwing a slightly rude glance at Jia Yan. This actually made Jia Yan look at him with newfound respect - Mangya's ability to adjust his emotions was indeed not ordinary. The transition from extreme anger to calmness was also too quick.

  The orderly who entered may not have known what had just happened in the account, but he reported truthfully: "Report to the prime minister, there is intelligence from Xinzheng."

  "Speak!" The calm tone of Meng Jue carried a sense of majesty.

  "Yesterday, after receiving the news of our army's arrival in Xinzheng, Korea was thrown into great chaos. The king spat up blood and fainted, while his ministers argued incessantly. Yesterday, six groups of envoys were sent to Qin to seek help, and at the same time, the famous Korean general Pao Ying led an army of 40,000 to come to their aid. Because last night Xinzheng was put under martial law, with all city gates closed and no news getting out, these messages were sent by scouts before the city gates were closed yesterday. According to what the scouts said, the reinforcements will set out at noon today, so please make your plans early, General." The messenger soldier reported.

  "Unexpectedly, the Korean king is so weak. Our Zhao and Wei armies directly intimidated the King of Korea into a coma. Meng Xianging, I think we can have our domestic affairs speed up the drafting of the alliance treaty. Otherwise, when the time comes for Korea to beg for mercy, we will still need to spend some time." Upon hearing the news, the main general of the Zhao army, Jia Yan, couldn't help but burst into loud laughter.

  "General Jia, you can't say that. The Koreans are still quite brave, at least the king sent out an army of 40,000 even after he fell into a coma." Mang Yu's expression was one of caution, but the look of disdain in his eyes betrayed his true thoughts.

  "Jia Yan smiled with a hint of mockery: "The Korean army has lost its will to fight, the king is unconscious, and the ministers are definitely panicked. They have sent six envoys to ask for help from Qin, which shows their fear. In my opinion, these 40,000 reinforcements are just a show of force. Their commander, Pao Ying, is cautious and timid, he will not dare to attack the city head-on. At most, they will circle around the city once, to boost the morale of the defenders of Huaiyang City. The main thing is still to wait for the arrival of the Qin reinforcements."

  "General Jia's words are indeed correct." Wei Bao, the central army assistant, spoke up. "Chancellor, Korea is now devoid of courage and spirit. Given Korea's weakness, they will not dare to confront our allied forces head-on. If we can destroy or defeat the 40,000 relief troops led by Piao, the defenders at Huayang will definitely collapse. At that time, the defending general Feng Ting will be like a dish on a plate, waiting for you to dispose of him, Chancellor." Wei Bao said with a sly smile.

  "Wei Jun's words are in perfect harmony with what I was thinking!" Jia Yan stroked his beard and smiled.

  "However, Lord Meng, although Korea is weak and small. But after all, Han and Qin are currently allies, if we can't take down Huayang within half a month, the Qin army will arrive, and at that time, we may have to retreat. Now, whether we should attack Huayang with one effort or surround and annihilate the Xinzeng reinforcement troops first, or divide our troops into two routes, I hope you, Lord, will make an early decision."

  He nodded in agreement and ordered the scouts to closely monitor the movements of the Han army so that he could make a decision. Wei Bao jokingly said that the scouting activities should not be too frequent, lest they scare the Han army back to Xinzheng, which would not be good. The words caused continuous laughter inside the big tent.

  Four hours later, the scouts of Zhao and Wei's allied army returned. The information they gathered was somewhat beyond the expectations of Mang Ya and Jia Yan. Since last night, the snow around Xinzheng had been falling continuously, but surprisingly, within ten miles of Huayang, the snow was not deep. Ten miles south of Huayang, the snow was very deep. The scouts lost five or six horses before they were able to report back with the latest news about Han's army.

  The Korean reinforcements set up camp just 20 miles outside the city. Scouts from all directions were all Koreans, but as soon as they encountered scouts from the Allied forces, they ran back in fear.

  "In the words of the Allied scouts, that speed was simply faster than a rabbit encountering an eagle. It's really unknown how the Korean army ran so fast in such deep snow. A few bold Allied scouts followed closely behind the large camp of the South Korean reinforcements and found that the Korean army's camp was densely packed with flags."

  The approaching Allied scouts caused a commotion in the Korean army camp, and arrows were shot from afar, but most of them did not reach the Allied scouts due to their range, only startling them.

  The caution of the Korean army is really a bit too much. Ma Cheng and Jia Yan were both silent in thought after their excitement.

  The caution of the Korean army was within their expectations, but the road was so difficult to navigate that it would be disadvantageous for them to gather and annihilate the Korean army. The violent eagle is known as a famous general in Korea, but the number of victories he has won can be counted on one hand, and there are very few. After all, the weakness of the combat effectiveness of the Korean army is well-known throughout the world.

  But even if 40,000 pigs were lined up in front of the allied forces waiting to be slaughtered, it would still take some time to kill them. Moreover, the Korean army is not a pig, and its commander, Buliyeol, is one of the few Koreans who knows how to use troops, and his cautious tactics are well-known. If the allied forces were to charge forward at this time, the Korean army would definitely retreat back to Neungseong; if they let them march slowly, it would be like a fishbone stuck in their throat, really uncomfortable.

  Wei Bao and others are clever, although they are noble as the Wei state's imperial clan, they are skilled at guessing people's minds. Otherwise, they wouldn't have schemed to get an important position like Zhongjun Suo. Now, everyone in Wei, from top to bottom, considers this expedition against Han a meritorious achievement that is a sure thing. Now that the commander has difficulties, Wei Bao naturally wants to make a good show of himself.

  "Chancellor, General Jia. Currently I have an allied army of 150,000, with 50,000 cavalry alone. This time the Korean reinforcements will not exceed 30,000, and it is a trivial matter for us to defeat the Korean army with our mighty troops. Now, Chancellor, what you are worried about is that our momentum is too great, once we attack the reinforcements, Bao Pi will definitely flee back to Xinzheng."

  "In my humble opinion, this matter is just an overcautious concern of the Prime Minister." Wei Bao had a confident and composed demeanor.

  "Now the Korean army is only forty miles away from Huaiyang City. If our army attacks now, the Korean army will definitely retreat back to Xinzheng. However, this time the Korean army came to reinforce, just to firm up the determination of the Huaiyang defenders to defend the city. Therefore, if they do not fight with our army for a long time, the reinforcements will be meaningless. Since the Korean army will arrive in Huaiyang sooner or later, why don't we use this opportunity to defeat them completely in front of the defenders of Huaiyang, and then Huaiyang City can be captured without a fight."

  "Wei Jun's words are indeed correct! We will wait for Han Jun to fall into our trap under the city of Huayang. If Bao Ying dares not come, we will launch a strong attack on Huayang and force him to come. Meng Chengxiang, the craftsmen say that the siege equipment can be ready in two days. At that time, if Bao Ying still does not come, we will launch a fierce attack on Huayang. If he comes, it is exactly what we want. The scouts said that the snow has accumulated to the horse's hooves. Even if they come, they are exhausted troops. Let's first take Bao Ying's head and offer it as a sacrifice to our flag, the defenders of Huayang will surely be frightened!" Jia Yan said with a gloomy smile.

  Even if the State of Qin sends reinforcements, it will take about fifteen days. Delaying for two or three days won't matter. Let Feng Ting struggle on for a few more days, and when the time comes, annihilate the 40,000-strong Han army at Huayang City, and capture Feng Ting again. The humiliation suffered today will be repaid a hundredfold in the future, so he nodded in agreement.

  The general agreed with his suggestion, and Wei Bao was also delighted. He immediately ordered the scouts to closely monitor the movements of the Han army, while ordering the craftsmen's camp to speed up preparations for manufacturing siege equipment.

  At this moment, the Korean army camp was bustling. The crown prince ordered the scouts to double their efforts, sending a full thousand cavalrymen in all directions to drive away the Zhao and Wei allied army's reconnaissance troops with ill intentions. After confirming the safety of the camp, many thousands of people will be gathered together to teach them the key points of the Macedonian phalanx formation.

  Based on the scale of the Korean army, Crown Prince Moon formed 20 phalanxes consisting of 1024 men each, with 64 men in a row and 16 rows deep. Each man held a long spear and shield. The bravest and most skilled warriors were placed in the first three rows and the last row.

  Due to the limited time, the prince emphasized the discipline of the soldiers. After all, the key to the Macedonian phalanx formation is a uniform and forward charge in order to quickly gain an advantage at the beginning of battle. The front row of soldiers requires both hands to hold long spears for charging forward, while the middle and rear rows not only need to withstand arrows from the air but also support the front row. If one person panics, the entire formation will become disordered and then be broken through by the enemy from the flank. Discipline is the first element of successfully using the Macedonian phalanx.

  For the remaining 10,000 infantrymen, Prince Yan required them to be able to move between the phalanxes, shooting and killing enemies who intended to attack the phalanx from the side. At the same time, they kept pace with the phalanx and cut down the enemy in front of them.

  Bao You was also a knowledgeable military commander. The usual strategy of the Han army was to launch a barrage of crossbow arrows, followed by a triangular formation charge or a circular defense formation. Once the charge became bogged down or suffered too many casualties, they would often retreat without a fight. After all, in terms of individual combat effectiveness, the Han army was almost at the bottom among the seven countries.

  According to Taizi Ran's phalanx, the combat effectiveness of the sudden attack is not bad. The weak wings also have the protection of light infantry and crossbowmen, which is not a concern. The only thing to worry about is defense, especially when the enemy has a large number of crossbowmen. However, this time the planned plan is a night raid, and the Zhao-Wei coalition army does not have so many crossbow arrows, so if the phalanx is used skillfully, it can be successful.

  Originally, those thousand generals had been worried and even determined to die in this battle to defend their homes and country. However, after witnessing the power of the phalanx formation, they also gained more confidence. Unfortunately, it was only at the time of the war that they began training. If they had trained for a long time, they would have won with a higher probability. Therefore, those thousand generals were desperately drilling their soldiers. They all knew that the more sweat they shed now, the more lives they could save later.

  On the second day, the Korean army only advanced ten miles before setting up camp early. This was also because Taizi Yan saw that the road was difficult to navigate, and if he followed the original plan to advance five miles, it would seem like his supporting troops were eager for battle. After all, even so, they were still only thirty-five miles away from the border of Huayang, and forty-five miles away from the city of Huayang.

  When the Allied scout reported this situation to Mangya, Mangya was even more calm and composed, everything was within expectation.

  Now the heavy snow blocks the road, and the Korean army's strength is weak, so the Korean army just pretends to show that the upper and lower levels of South Korea will not give up Hwaseong. If I were in their shoes, I would be afraid to be as "brave" as the violent eagle to come and rescue them, so I didn't take it to heart when the Korean army unusually increased its sentries today to drive away our own sentries.

  Nowadays, what is being fought for is time. Korea is waiting for the reinforcements from Qin State, while we are waiting for the completion of the siege engines. However, according to the latest report from the craftsmen's camp, we can start attacking by tomorrow noon.

  Today, a new situation has emerged in Huayang City. Feng Ting, that upright person, actually ordered people to pour water on the city walls. Mang Xiao cursed inwardly, thinking that attacking the city would be much more difficult now.

  "We can't wait any longer." Mangya thought to himself. The weather was getting colder and colder, and after finishing his patrol of the camp, he shivered and subconsciously wrapped his coat tighter. Since the Korean army was now fifty miles away, after arranging for the night watch, he specifically instructed them to pay attention to the movements in Huayang City, in case Feng Ting went crazy and launched a surprise attack on the camp. Mangya rarely showed consideration, but this time he let the officers and soldiers rest to prepare for tomorrow's battle.

  As he walked into the big tent, Mangya felt a warmth wash over him. After scolding Feng Ting for not knowing his place, Mangya began to fantasize about capturing Huaiyang City, besieging Xinzheng, and King Han of Chu coming to plead for mercy, before falling fast asleep. Meanwhile, outside the camp, a thin fog began to gather.