Chapter Fifty-two: True and False Imperial Guards

  A strange scene appeared on the battlefield, where the Zhao army, which had taken the initiative, made no new moves after circling around to the west of the Qin army. At this time, the Qin and Zhao armies were only about ten miles apart, and a cavalry charge would have arrived in an instant. But the Zhao army, contrary to its usual practice, dismounted to rest, and some even started digging pots to cook food.

  Bai Qi also issued a strange order, and most of the Qin army in the large formation were allowed to rest, leaving only a small part on guard. On the surface, it seemed that both the Qin and Zhao armies were treating war as a joke, neither side having any intention of fighting, but rather like they were holding a grand winter outing. If it weren't for the fact that the soldiers on both sides were tightly gripping their cold, shining weapons, perhaps there really would have been scenes of leisurely conversation and idle chatter.

  Lian Po and Bai Qi were both unwilling to make the first move. Lian Po did not want to be outnumbered, fearing the strength of the Qin army. Bai Qi was unwilling to give up the advantages of formation, as the Zhao army was all cavalry, free to come and go, and taking the initiative would not yield great results, but rather once a flaw was exposed it would be a great defeat. Both sides were thus stalemated, patiently waiting for the other side to reveal a weakness.

  An hour later, the armies of Han and Wei emerged from the horizon.

  "Report! The main force of the Qin army has been spotted ten miles ahead." A scout jumped off his warhorse, kneeling on one knee, and reported loudly.

  "Search again! Find out where Zhao's main force is now."

  "Yes!" The scout leader took orders and left.

  Looking at the departing scout, the Crown Prince recalled his thoughts and turned to General Jin Bi, saying: "General Jin, I suppose General Lian has already blocked the Qin army in front. As for how to deal with the Qin army next, I wonder if you have any brilliant ideas?"

  Jin Meng thought for a moment and said, "Now the Qin army's flags are already in front of us, but General Lian's great flag is nowhere to be seen. It must be that the main force of Zhao has taken a detour to the west. Bai Qi's great army should be around 140,000 strong, roughly equal to or slightly more than our allied forces of the three Jin states. Now that we and the Zhao army are separated, we should prioritize defense."

  "The general's idea coincides with mine. The Zhao army will block the Qin army's advance to the west, and we will block their retreat to the east, thus forming a situation where they are attacked from both sides. Whether the Qin army goes north or south, they will be unable to advance or retreat."

  "But we must also be on guard against the large army from Yiyang. The Qin army is currently being attacked by us, but wasn't the Zhao army also attacked by Bai Qi and the Qin army from Yiyang? The longer it takes, the greater the danger to the Zhao army." Bo Yue added.

  Three people talked and agreed that a strong attack on the Qin army would not be worth it. Bai Qi was worried about Xianyang, and he would definitely take the initiative to attack. The allied forces only need to defend their camp well in order to gain the upper hand.

  "Report! I have brought back General Lian Po's personal guard." The scout who had just been sent to reconnoiter returned.

  "The Crown Prince, the Violent General, and the Jin General" The visitor bowed his fist and paid his respects, then continued: "The Qin army has set up iron caltrops and anti-cavalry ditches on all sides except the west, where there are only a few deer fences. Our general is worried that the Qin army will escape into Yiyang City, so he has already blocked their way at our camp's western gate. To avoid a long and sleepless night, our general would like to ask the armies of Han and Wei to attack the Qin army from the east, drawing their attention. Then our great Zhao iron cavalry will charge from the west, breaking through the Qin army's formation."

  The crown prince hesitated for a moment, and Lian Po's opinion conflicted with his own. It seemed that the Zhao army was also worried about being attacked from both front and back, especially at night when the cavalry's advantage could not be brought into play, and it was likely that the Qin army would take the opportunity to escape. After all, it was only a distance of forty li, and there were also the troops of Yiyang to support them. This approach also had some reason to it.

  Someone came to see the hesitation of the three princes and immediately said: "My general is worried that the Qin army will take advantage of the night to make a surprise attack. Yiyang is near at hand, and once the Qin army enters the city, it will be difficult to have such an opportunity to break the Qin. Please ask you all not to miss this good opportunity."

  "Very well, go back and tell General Lian that the Han and Wei armies will immediately mobilize to attack the Qin army." The crown prince nodded thoughtfully after carefully sizing up Lian Po's personal guards.

  "But, the Crown Prince..." Jin Bi thought to retort that even if the Qin army retreated into Yi Yang, their side could still completely surround and starve them to death. There was no need to take the risk of heavy casualties by launching a strong attack on the Qin army.

  The crown prince, however, spoke in a gentle and persuasive tone, "General Lian is one of the most renowned generals of our time and the mainstay of our allied forces. We should follow his advice. Moreover, if the Qin army enters the city, when can we avenge the shame of Ique twenty years ago for Han and Wei? If General Jin is worried about casualties, he can just provide backup support for my Han army."

  Hearing this, Jin Bi also knew that continuing to insist would only displease the states of Zhao and Han, so he remained silent.

  "This humble officer will now return and report to the general." The newcomer said as he was about to leave.

  "By the way, go back and tell Zhao Wu that he lost the bet and still owes me three jars of fine wine! General Lian also knows about this, so don't try to welch on the debt!"

  "I have taken note of it."

  As soon as the "Zhao Jun messenger" left, Bao Jue asked on horseback, "Crown Prince, why did you agree to Zhao Jun's request? In my humble opinion, Lian Po is too eager to make a name for himself and may be taken advantage of by the Qin army! Our military strength is not superior, and slowly consuming the Qin army is a good strategy. Even if the Qin army escapes into Yiyang, we can still take our time to deal with them. As long as Bai Qi's army cannot return to Xianyang in time, it will be a great achievement!"

  Bao Yao expressed the same doubts as Jin Bi, who also looked at the crown prince, expecting his response.

  "Heh heh, do you think this is what Lian Po had in mind?" The crown prince gazed coldly in the direction of the Qin army.

  "What does the prince mean? I'm a bit dull and don't quite understand."

  "It's simple, that person just now was not Lian Po's personal guard at all, or rather, he was a fake Qin soldier." The crown prince's words shocked everyone.

  "What?! This can't be!" Bao Yan exclaimed loudly.

  That person just now was clearly speaking authentic Handan dialect, and wearing the uniform of Lian Po's personal guard. More importantly, he recognized the three of them. How could it be a Qin soldier in disguise?!

  "Although I don't know how Bai Qi did it, the person just now at least revealed three flaws. Firstly, reporting such a big message, Lian Po wouldn't have any reason not to send out our familiar imperial guards. Even if he had to send out imperial guards we didn't recognize, there would be some token of identification. The person just now didn't have anything. It was just that we took the initiative and assumed he was Lian Po's imperial guard after he accurately distinguished us."

  "Yes! Just now when the scout brought this man over, he confirmed that he was indeed Lian Po's envoy without a doubt. Otherwise, how would he have recognized these three people?" Jin Bi thought to himself silently.

  "Secondly, that person's armor is slightly small, which can be seen with a little observation. As the personal guard of Lian Po, shouldn't his armor fit?"

  "Maybe he's gained weight recently!" said Violent Ruo softly.

  The crown prince chuckled and said casually, "General Bao's words are also possible, but since he came in, his eyes have been scanning the surroundings without stopping. If you look as carefully as I do, you will find that his right hand has not left the weapon on his waist. I guess he is planning how to kill us three quickly, create chaos and then escape. It's just that there are too many imperial guards around us, so he can't make a move."

  "What! Assassination?" Only then did Wu Xing and Jin Bi remember the strange behavior of Zhao's messenger earlier. Thinking about this, the two couldn't help but feel a chill down their spines. If the assassination was successful, the army would definitely be in chaos. Without a doubt, Bai Qi would take advantage of the situation to launch a surprise attack, leading to a crushing defeat for the Zhao army. The advantageous position gained by the allied forces would also be lost forever.

  "Thirdly, Zhao Jun never had a lieutenant named Zhao Wu, but only one named Zhao Wen. As Lian Po's personal guard, it is impossible that he did not know the commander of his own battalion! Just now I was just testing that person, and his horse foot was exposed."

  The two finally knew why the prince said that inexplicable sentence. The emotions were teasing, and if Qin Jun was really a spy for Lian Po's personal guard, he would have immediately refuted that there was no such person as Zhao Wu.

  "Why doesn't the prince give an order to capture this spy?" Bao Ying thought of Qin Jun's treachery and was furious, wishing he could tear the Qin army's spy into eight pieces. The prince is the future of Korea, how can Bao Ying tolerate Bai Qi manipulating the prince?

  "It is impolite not to return a visit. The real Zhao envoy may have fallen into the hands of the Qin army. Since Bai Qi wants to lure us into attacking him, we cannot but make some gestures." The crown prince smiled coldly.

  And there's more!