Twenty Plans of Qin

  Jing Ke, 20 years old

  Inside the military tent, many generals had been waiting for a long time. As soon as Li Mu entered the tent, he walked straight to the sheepskin map in the center and asked: "Where is the current location of the Qin army?"

  A general came forward to report: "General, please look." Then he began to draw on the map: "If according to the intelligence obtained by General last time, this time Qin Wang Zheng sent troops to attack Zhao in two routes. One route goes north from Yi (now southwest of Linzhang, Hebei) and prepares to cross the Zhe River to advance on Handan (now in Hebei); one route goes east from Taiyuan to Langmeng (now Yangqu, Shanxi), then turns back to Fanwu, attacking Handan from behind..."

  However, according to the latest intelligence, there is a trick inside!" The speaker was Chen An, Li Mu's trusted deputy general. He pointed at the map and explained: "According to the scout's latest exploration, the Qin army did not divide its troops into two routes, but instead concentrated its main force on the banks of the Zhang River, preparing to launch a strong attack on General Sima Yang's camp."

  Li Mu was shocked and hastily asked: "Then what is the current situation on General Sima's side?"

  "Generalissimo, General Sima has sent someone to urgently request reinforcements and is waiting outside the tent!" Chen An replied: "Ten thousand urgent!"

  "Hurry up and call him in!"

  The newcomer was also wearing a general's uniform, but unfortunately it was already tattered and worn out. He knelt down on one knee: "I report to the great general, Qin's 400,000-strong army has arrived at the banks of the Zhang River and is about to attack our city. General Sima sent me urgently to request that the great general lead his troops back to provide reinforcements!"

  "What? 400,000?" Li Mu cracked his whip and asked: "This time the Qin state has sent troops to invade us with only 250,000 men, where did this army of 400,000 come from?"

  "Yes, it's 400,000. Our scouts have already investigated that apart from the 250,000 troops of Qin State itself, there are also 150,000 captive soldiers who have been mobilized to the foot of the Great Wall (Zhao State Great Wall). In no time, they will launch an attack."

  "Where is General Shao?" Li Mu hastily asked his daughter, but the reply was: "General Shao has not returned to camp yet."

  "What's going on with the two generals Guo and Gong Sun?"

  "Hasn't returned to camp yet!"

  Li Mu began to get into trouble and said: "The military situation reported twice is so different, how can the generals see it?"

  "General, I think it's true." Chen An stepped forward and said: "The intelligence of General Shao should not be false. After the vanguard team that killed General Shao was defeated, the Qin army dispatched nearly a thousand troops to pursue them. Moreover, the captured soldiers were also interrogated by me personally, so in my opinion, General Shao's military situation is true!"

  "General, what the last general said is also true." The coming general also immediately knelt down and begged: "When the last general came, General Sima had ordered not to fight to rescue you, fearing that Handan would not be preserved!"

  "Oh?" Li Mu stepped forward and helped him up, asking: "What's your name?"

  "Finally, Zhao Cong!"

  "General Zhao, would you first tell us about the situation on General Sima's side?"

  ……

  The Zhao state initially had its capital at Jinyang (now southeast of Taiyuan, Shanxi), but later moved it to Handan in Hebei province in 386 BC. To the east was the Qi state, to the northeast was the Yan state, and to the south and southwest was the Wei state. To the northwest were the Donghu and Linhu tribes. The Hu people wanted to move south, while the Wei state wanted to advance north, posing a great threat to Zhao. Therefore, they built one long wall each on their southern and northern borders.

  However, at this moment, the great army of Qin has already crossed the Zhang River and is camping at the foot of the Great Wall.

  In the Qin army's large camp, a soldier rushed in quickly: "Report! General Wang Jian's secret report has arrived!"

  "Hurry up and bring it here." Yi Jiangzhong, who was sitting upright in the high seat, smiled and said: "As soon as General's secret report arrives, we will definitely be able to avenge my uncle's defeat with blood."

  "General Tu, before departing, General Wang Jian had instructed me to ask you to act according to the letter." The soldier bowed again and said: "The general said that this matter is of great importance to General Tu!"

  "Alright." Tu Guang waved his hand impatiently and ordered while opening the confidential report: "You can go down first."

  "Open it, and it was a letter from Wang Jian: 'General Tu, I order you to quickly mobilize soldiers to cut branches and tie them to the horses' tails. Divide the cavalry into two teams, one in front of the Zhao army's formation practicing, and the other behind riding horses and raising dust. Keep switching between the two teams; also send someone to infiltrate the city of Zhao and say that your army is already 250,000 strong from Qin, plus 150,000 surrendered soldiers, totaling 400,000 troops. You can challenge them to battle every day, and when you do, deploy all your soldiers to make it seem like a 400,000-strong army. Remember, remember, our army will surely win. Your uncle General Huan Gui's defeat in the Battle of Pingyang can be avenged, and I, the king, may not pursue him again. He can avoid the death penalty for fleeing to Yan."

  "Good!" After finishing, Tu Guang burst out laughing and said: "Li Mu, you old rascal, my uncle was defeated by you at the Battle of Fei, today I'll make you pay back a hundred times! All generals come forward to receive orders..." Arranging things in this way...

  It turned out that Qin Jiang Tu Guang was actually the nephew of Qin Guo's famous general Huan Juan.

  In the 14th year of Qin Wang Zheng, General Huan Yi led his army out of Shangdang to the east, crossing the Taihang Mountains deep into the rear of Zhao State, capturing Chuli and Yian (now southwest of Linzhang, Hebei), posing a threat to the Zhao capital Handan. King Jia of Zhao hastily appointed the famous northern border general Li Mu as commander-in-chief, leading his troops southward to command all the Zhao armies in resisting the Qin army.

  Li Mu led the main force of the border defense army and merged with the Zhao army sent from Handan, confronting the Qin army near Yi'an. He believed that the Qin army had won continuously, with high morale, and if they rushed to battle, it would be difficult to win. Therefore, he adopted a policy of building fortifications, avoiding decisive battles, waiting for the enemy to become exhausted, and counterattacking at an opportune moment, refusing to come out and fight. Huan Yi thought that in the past, Lian Po had used strong fortifications to resist Wang Jian, and today Li Mu was using this tactic; the Qin army was far away from home and it would not be advantageous for them to prolong the war. He led the main force to attack Fei Xia, attempting to lure the Zhao army to come and rescue, waiting for them to leave their camp and then annihilating them in a mobile battle. Li Mu thoroughly understood the enemy's situation and was not moved.

  When Zhao General Zhao Cong suggested to rescue Fei, he said "We follow the enemy's footsteps and are controlled by them. (The enemy attacks and we rescue, it is up to the people)". After the main force of the Qin army went to Fei, the garrison left in the camp was weak; also because for many days Zhao army took a defensive stance and refused to fight, the Qin army became accustomed to it and was lax in its vigilance. Li Mu then took advantage of the situation and launched a surprise attack on the Qin army's main camp, capturing all the remaining Qin soldiers and their supplies.

  Li Muo judged that Huan Yi would definitely come to rescue, so he deployed a part of the troops to block the enemy from the front, and configured the main force on both wings. When the vanguard of the Zhao army made contact with the retreating Qin army, he immediately ordered the two wings of the Zhao army to implement a pincer attack. After fierce fighting, more than 100,000 Qin soldiers were annihilated. Huan Yi only led a small number of his personal troops to break through the encirclement and fled to Yan State in fear of punishment. Li Muo was granted the title of Wu An Jun (Lord of Martial Peace).

  As the nephew of Huan Chu, Tu Guang was also implicated and almost lost his life. Fortunately, General Wang Jian spoke on his behalf to apologize to the King of Qin, otherwise he would have been a dead man.

  ……

  Now, Tu Guang stood on the war chariot and began to sneer: "Li Mu, Li Mu, I know you are a famous general, but why do your subordinates have such low character? If you don't die, what are you waiting for? Haha...

  General Sima, the guardian of the southern Great Wall of Zhao, stood on the city wall and looked out. After a day and night of fierce fighting, the city wall was filled with smoke, and many soldiers were busy carrying their dead comrades down from the wall, while all around were the anguished cries and groans of the wounded...

  "General, I see the Qin army's training, their cavalry is in neat formation, with a majestic momentum, and even from afar, they are raising dust and white flags." A deputy general expressed concern: "I'm afraid General's intelligence is inaccurate, I suspect..."

  "What are you doubting?" General Sima interrupted him, saying categorically: "The great general is wise and skilled in battle, why do you have so many doubts? I will only defend the city and must win!"

  "No, General Sima is unaware that my subordinates have already scouted out the Qin army's main camp." The deputy general continued: "The enemy intentionally 'leaked' information to General Li Xiaoguo and then pretended to pursue her in order to make our army believe they were indeed splitting their forces into two routes."

  Another general beside him said, "Recently, we have also captured several spies, proving that the main force of the Qin army is already here. General, if you go north, you will only encounter small-scale decoy enemies. And as for us..."

  "The scout reports that the Qin army has arrived and is challenging us to battle!"

  "What? Again?" General Sima ordered: "The Great General has an order, only to defend and not to go out to battle. Those who disobey will be beheaded!"

  Beacons are lit again, and the light is used to consume the Zhao army. First, take the war chariot array from the front charge, consume the Zhao army arrowhead, walk stone, infantry team people advance in the middle, bow and crossbow soldiers alternate long-range shooting, while controlling cavalry and elite infantry on both sides of the army array. These are also the tactics used by Li Mu when he defeated the Xiongnu that year.

  After approaching the city wall, the bow and crossbow soldiers took turns to shoot and kill from a distance. The cloud ladder and battering ram rushed out from behind the chariot array at the same time, and the soldiers who boarded the cloud ladder held knives and axes in their hands. Every five knife and axe men were followed by two bow and crossbow men, ensuring the killing of Zhao army officers above.

  "On the city wall, a general shouted: 'General Sima, this must be the main force of the Qin army, quickly ask General Li Mu for reinforcements...' As soon as he finished speaking, four arrows had already pierced his chest..."

  War drums beat, swords and guns clash, mountains and rivers like a painting are shattered;

  Robe torn and blood not dry

  Take back the sword

  Pointing to the sky and laughing with tears of heroes

  The enemy will not retreat

  Though dead, body unbent

  ?

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  The Mysterious Purple