Chapter 389 - 383: The Stratagem of Feigned Forces
Zhao Hanzhang raised an eyebrow, "Today, we met in front of him, and so intimately. Can he really believe that I would retreat?"
Gou Xi confidently said, "If it were a more cautious general, they might doubt it, but with Prince East Sea, I am confident I can make him believe. General Zhao, just take your men and retreat, wait for my signal eighty miles away."
Zhao Hanzhang lowered her eyes, thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement, "Alright!"
She spoke solemnly, "I will follow the General’s orders."
Seeing Zhao Hanzhang agree so readily, Gou Xi squinted and asked, "How many troops does General Zhao plan to take across the river?"
Zhao Hanzhang pondered, "The other side of the river is also under my Yu State jurisdiction. I don’t want the battle to escalate, so it’s best to strike quickly. The crossing troops should be elite rather than numerous. So, I’ll take two thousand elite soldiers, plus three thousand infantrymen. When I charge into the camp, capturing Prince East Sea would be ideal. If not, I can at least cut off their retreat across the river, eliminating their active forces."
Gou Xi couldn’t help but look at her, surprised. Seeing her serious demeanor, it was clear this was her plan. He couldn’t help but say, "General Zhao has a great plan. Once we execute it, we can trap them from both sides, leaving at least sixty percent behind."
This way, Prince East Sea will struggle to rise again, perhaps even meet his end here.
Gou Xi became excited; working with someone smart has its benefits. He immediately finalized the battle plan, "Let’s do as planned. We’ll adapt to the situation as needed."
Zhao Hanzhang agreed with a smile and asked, "But who is leading the other troops across the river under General Gou’s command, and how many are there?"
"Ten thousand, led by my cousin, Gou Chun. Does that put General Zhao at ease?"
Zhao Hanzhang smiled, reassured.
A young man stepped out from behind Gou Xi, cupping his fist towards Zhao Hanzhang, "I’m Gou Chun, please advise me, General Zhao."
Zhao Hanzhang quickly smiled, "I wouldn’t dare. When it comes to military strategy, all our Yu State Army soldiers combined can’t match General Gou’s expertise. There’s little that Little General Gou needs to ask us about."
Zhao Hanzhang flattered Gou Xi, "General Gou is like the Han Xin of our Great Jin."
Although Gou Xi was strict and righteous by nature, he couldn’t help but smile at such words.
The two finalized the battle plan and timing, and Gou Xi then took his leave.
Zhao Hanzhang led a group of soldiers, standing in place to see them off.
Xun Xiu and the others felt a bit anxious, asking, "Commander, are we really going to move against Prince East Sea like this? Won’t the court label our Yu State Army as rebels?"
Zhao Hanzhang said, "What are you afraid of? If the sky falls, there’s someone taller to hold it up. General Gou has a close relationship with Your Majesty and has the emperor’s secret edict."
Xun Xiu and the others inwardly grumbled; the emperor’s secret edict had already become common knowledge nationwide. Can it still be called a secret edict?
Moreover, the emperor had publicly denied the edict under Prince East Sea’s pressure, although no one believed the emperor’s words.
But Gou Xi’s edict is publicly known to be a fake.
Zhao Hanzhang said, "Besides, there’s me too. If Gou Xi can’t bear the pressure, it’ll fall on me first."
Xun Xiu and the others relaxed and weren’t so anxious anymore.
Zhao Hanzhang smiled and said, "Let’s go, prepare to move out. Everyone should start breaking camp and leaving."
As she walked, she spoke to everyone, "We have many people. Eighty miles away, I remember that it’s outside Xuchang city. Given our numbers, we can’t enter the city, and there isn’t enough space to set up camp outside, so we’ll need to split into several groups. Anyway, the battle is imminent, let’s squeeze into fewer tents..."
Xun Xiu and the others felt that to prevent soldiers from growing weary of battle, they should be kept as comfortable as possible. Just as they were about to persuade, Zhao Hanzhang said, "But we can’t skimp on food and supplies, we must ensure their supply..."
Food and supplies are crucial matters. The group immediately postponed discussions and instead talked to Zhao Hanzhang about the supply issues, with each general asking Zhao Hanzhang for resources.
After all, as the Inspector now, Zhao Hanzhang was originally responsible for the supply matters.
The group continued discussing these matters as they returned to the camp, and that same day, Zhao Hanzhang ordered the camp to break and move out.
The soldiers received the order, and initially, some camped at the edges broke camp and headed towards Xuchang. They would first settle there, establish a secure camp, and only then would the main army gradually follow.
Given the tens of thousands of soldiers, Zhao Hanzhang couldn’t move them all in one day. She ordered the retreat in an orderly fashion.
By the time Prince East Sea noticed, it was already the third day, and almost half of the Yu State Army had vanished.
He asked his generals, "With such a significant movement, you only found out now?"
The generals bowed their heads. After two consecutive years of war in Luoyang, everyone was exhausted, and this time, they were initiating the battle themselves, and it was against Gou Xi.
Those who had been trounced by Gou Xi before had no enthusiasm for battle at all.
If even the generals felt this way, let alone the soldiers. Everyone was reluctant to fight and incredibly lazy.
Prince East Sea frowned, "Didn’t they just form an alliance two days ago? Why would Zhao Hanzhang retreat now? Could it be a ploy to lure us out?"
Hearing him say this, his generals breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in agreement, expressing their suspicions, suggesting that it was better to remain still for now.
Prince East Sea also decided to hold off on any action for the moment and ordered, "Send someone to investigate, see if they are really retreating."
But with a river between them, Gou Xi and Zhao Hanzhang’s scouts were no easy targets. Their people would be spotted the moment they crossed the river, wouldn’t they?
Forget about bringing back any news; it was practically a one-way trip.
Although soldiers were expendable, well-trained scouts were difficult to develop and quite valuable.
The generals all shirked responsibility, not wanting to take on this task.
Prince East Sea directly appointed someone to handle it, then planned to sit and wait for news. However, that very night, Gou Xi’s army stealthily crossed the river and launched their attack.
The sudden sounds of battle shocked Prince East Sea awake from his sleep. Upon realizing what was happening, he became furious and ordered, "Fight them back! Keep all those who invaded!"
Gou Xi’s forces immediately retreated. At that moment, torches lit up on the opposite bank, guiding their men back across the river.
Since it was nighttime, Prince East Sea’s troops didn’t dare pursue them across the river. Even so, Gou Xi’s dispatched forces suffered considerable losses.
Zhao Hanzhang heard the scout’s report, nodded, and indicated she was aware, then instructed the scout to continue monitoring.
"Gou Xi has begun."
Fu Tinghan frowned, "By sacrificing soldiers like this, how many attempts will it take to lure Prince East Sea into the trap?"
"At least five times," Zhao Hanzhang said, "Gou Xi’s reputation is so formidable, and Prince East Sea isn’t a fool. Unless Gou Xi stabs me right before his eyes, he won’t believe we’ve fallen out."
As she spoke, Zhao Hanzhang chuckled and sincerely admired, "Gou Xi employs the stratagem of sowing confusion so well. Unless it’s a seasoned general with a lot of patience, they would find it hard to resist his provocations."