Book 52 Chapter 9 – Saber Method in the Art of War (1/2)
Book 52 Chapter 9 – Saber Method in the Art of War
Translator: Foxs' Wuxia
Xu Xingzhi said, “Ba Ye also said another thing, he said if your Shaohusai can bring saber technique into the y and tactics, then even Li shi+min is not his match”
Chen Lao, “Xiao Ba’s view is extre to hi said, “I first approached the saber technique using the art of war; if I can apply the saber method into the art of on’t the Shao Shuai Arranny’s bear, such a great idea, why didn’t you tell zhi spoke in low voice, “Ba Ye’s instruction; I have to wait until you do whatever it takes to attack Kaifeng before I can reveal his view to Shaoshuai”
Kou Zhong’s pair of eyes turned red; he deeply felt Ba Fenghan, this iron ed his usual ‘stick right into his face’ [see Chapter 7] style and used Xu Xingzhi’s ive him advice with such concerns; the effect was even more obvious and clear-cut If he could move the troops like he used the saber, the moment the saber blades met each other, there would not be any ‘benevolence of women’ [also Chapter 7] that Tujue people always despised – rezhi’s voice continued to enter his ears, “Now Xia wang already has doubts about Shaoshuai, if Shaoshuai atteree Que’s army has arrived, he won’t understand Shaoshuai’s hardshi+p anyht suffer some setback, it would be harmful and without benefit to both sides”
Chen Laomou joined in, “Xu Junshi+’s analysis makes sense It is suitable for us to defend, but it is not suitable to attack Li shi+ji is not the kind of idle people, plus he receives Yang Xuyan’s help in secret, it really is not suitable for us to take the risk by going out to attack”
Kou Zhong took a deep breath, his head was clearing up a bit, but he was still at a loss, “It is indeed inadvisable for us to rush indiscriminately into action, otherwise, if the Dou Arht be cut off by Li shi+ji I wonder if two gentlezhi spoke heavily, “Dig the tunnel, take Xiangyang”
Kou Zhong’s tiger-body shook severely, he was fully clear-headed now, “Dig the tunnel, take Xiangyang?” he repeated Xu Xingzhi’s words
Taking the credit, Chen Lao the tunnel was e of this, Shaoshuai need not worry Moreover, Shaoshuai gave me the book on mechanism that Lu Miaozi left behind, there is a chapter on ‘vertical shaft and horizontal rolla deep and long tunnel If we can dig three tunnels, when the City of Luoyang falls, we can quickly escape”
Kou Zhong nodded and said, “Presently, Luoyang is like in our control, digging tunnels should not be any problem, Mou Lao’s proposal is indeed feasible How many men will Mou Lao need?”
Chen Laohosts do not perceive three deep, wide, and long, leading directly to outside the City of Luoyang – tunnels, not only we need specially-manufactured tools, we also need skillful crafts and robust men, Shaoshuai then set aside a hundred able-bodied men to help me, Laomou is confident that within one nificent feat of cozhi said, “In the current situation, even if Shaoshuai can succeed in safely get out of Luoyang in case the city is broken, if you go back to Chenliu in the east, you alk right into the trap The only way is to run away to the south to look for a foothold If you can reach Xiangyang City, with its roads, water and land – open in all directions, you could enter the Huai [River] via the Han River, and sail with the current back to Liangdu Moreover, you could also pull the Tang Ar the pressure on Chenliu Onerepeated, “Xiangyang?”
Xu Xingzhi said, “Although Xiangyang is not a big city connected to the capital, but it is located in the middle stretches of Han River To the west it reaches Bashu, to the south it controls Chu, to the north it overlaps the River Luo If we don’t seize Xiangyang, Shaoshuai going to the east will be intercepted by the Tang Ar; if that happens, forward, there will no way to proceed, backward, there will be pursuing troops; the situation will be very dangerous”
“How’s the current situation in Xiangyang?” Kou Zhong asked
Xu Xingzhi replied, “According to the infor was captured by Li shi+uan were captured on the spot, they have been brought as prisoners to Guanzhong Casualties on both sides are disastrous, Xiangyang’s moat has been filled, the city walls are broken in a lot of places, they could forget of restoring it in less than a few uard with a surprise attack [idio advantage while the House of Tang’s navy is concentrated in Luoyang, Hulao and Kaifeng, three locations, they are powerless to defend the ays, ill have a very high chance of success However, the day to attack and seize Xiangyangpeople would have plenty of time to strike back, too late, on’t be able to correspond with Shaoshuai withdrawing troops fro”
Chen Laomou interjected, “The success or failure of the attack on Xiangyang must be entirely kept in secret, therefore, wethe troops It would be best to hand thisspoke heavily, “Supposing beyond our expectation, the victor is unexpectedly the Dou Arzhi replied, “In that case, Shaoshuai still need to i Otherwise, there’s a chance that Dou Jiande would beco Shaoshuai to leave, he ical sea turtle] in the earthen jar It’s hard to fathoh Shaoshuai treats others with sincerity, you may not necessarily receive the sa recalled Dou Jiande ordering Liu Heita to stay behind, far fro, it was very likely that he indeed had the plan to break the Tang Army first, and then annihilate the Shao Shuai Arentleic adviser, not only possessed outstanding ability and wisdom, but also understood clearly the ways of the world He ca, because the latter had known him for some time in the past, half a teacher and half a friend, so that even if he pointed his finger to Kou Zhong’s nose and swore at hi’s allotted share was only to listen respectfully
Heaving a sigh, he said, “You guys have the confidence that while we are guarding Chenliu and Liangdu, we can also send troops to attack and capture Xiangyang?
Xu Xingzhi replied, “These past ten days or so, we constantly, day and night, reinforce Chenliu and Liangdu’s city defense; we builtthe coastal area, plus we have the flywheel boats guarding the river course Although Li shi+ji’s th is twice of ours, he still does not have the capability to capture Chenliu, and break through our army’s northern battle line in a short period of ti, Li shi+ji cannot si as our tactics are proper, under Shaoshuai’s coht to be able to ruthlessly repress Li shi+ji That side di, one day the threat of Dou Ar Army has not been removed, Shaoshuai will not have fears of trouble in the rear”
Kou Zhong secretly sighed again; he gave thought to Dou Jiande, but Ba Fenghan was giving thought to hi after the honor and disgrace, the exist or perish – of the Shao Shuai State In between, the contradiction in his heart was growing as a thicket Since he was the leader of the Shao Shuai Army, he had to consider the people who followed him to hold the most important position, he must not, for his own private interest – push the Shao Shuai State into a dangerous situation The zhi’s speech was that he pointed out that joining forces with Dou Jiande was his, Kou Zhong’s wishful thinking Dou Jiande hly likely that it would produce the opposite of his desired result
Thisat his expression, everybody knew that there was an urgent matter to report
Outside the city, the sound of battle cry reached the sky, the battle was very intense
After nearly two sichen of repeated fighting, the besieging army and the city-defenders army still refused to concede to each other, both sides have suffered dead and injured
Lu Jun’e orthy to be the House of Tang’s faeneral, a veteran of a hundred battles, he did not fall into Ma Chang’s sche the trenches in the direction of the Houzai Gate, so that the two-thousand-ates were unable toAr their entire force to shake hard the city-defenders army, who has successfully filled the first layer of trenches, and climbed over the moat to strike the two arroer positions on the outside edge of the second layer of trenches
With Lu Jun’e in coh camp was entirely forced to retreat to the second layer of trenches’ south edge Aided by the arrows darts, co machines at two locations, they resolutely held the city-defenders army across the trench, so that the city-defenders army was unable to push forward, they were unable to fill the trench even more
The enemy troops from the other two ca over the trenches froht side, launching wave after wave of offensive to the city-defenders army
One of the arroas destroyed by the big flying stone, the other caught fire However,s ere still exerting enormous destructive power
Arrow darts filled the air, co’s side, approxied by the stone strike, some could not withstand the fire arrows and were burned down, only the re the arrow darts Fortunately, froht-crossbow machines, seven were still in perfect condition, and were able to block the eneh power to penetrate the shi+eld of the opponent’s blocking-arrow carts, displaying theirthe ene-stone machines, which had not yet been destroyed, focused their power to attack the enes positions, they became the super weapons that threatened the opponent’s stone-throwingAr the second layer of trenches were forced to retreat again, the Tang Ar fro no ti shouted his order, he led his h and attack the enemy He had a shi+eld on his left hand and a spear in his right; taking the lead, he unleashed his man-and-horse-as-one technique, and spurred the Ten-thousand-Li Spots he was sitting on – to run like the wind The ene troops could only shoot two rounds of arrow darts in ti speardefeat, their battle array was thrown into great chaos
The chaos spread like a wave, instantaneously affecting the entire unit of the Tang Araps to the outside of the second layer of trenches The cavalry following close behind Xu Ziling swarmed to kill, some of the enemy fell into the trenches, those ere lucky pulled out froaps and scattered in all directions It was a total chaos
Seeing that they already occupied the decisive opportunity, Yang Gongqing and Ma Chang co troops’ position, launching a round of new assault toward the enemy’s position, so that the pressure on Lu Jun’e’ssharply, which, in turn, made it difficult for the and his fifteen-hundred-aps – head-on
Seeing the turn of events not too encouraging, the eneht, two camps separately dispatched two units of two-thousand-’s cavalry pressing in frohly- cavalry would be able to curb the opponent’s cavalry Otherwise, if they let Xu Ziling to move unhindered across the battlefield to attack Lu Jun’e’sor the rear, the consequences would be hard to iine
Lu Jun’e’s reaction was deeply in line with the art of war; he personally led his three-thousand-man cavalry to stand in formation on the left side of the trench-defenders ar as Xu Ziling dared to invade their territory, they would deliver a frontal assault
Momentarily the sound of hoof beats ru the battlefield situation to the peak of intensity
Xu Ziling was the first to break through the gap His uessed the ene and attacked Lu Jun’e’s er than his, once his retreat path was cut by the cavalry rushi+ng over from the two other camps, they would become a lone army, with only possibility of death and not life, perhaps no one would be able to retreat via the gap
Right thisfrom – fleard Lu Jun’e’s cavalry forlance he recognized the newcoht to withdraw his troops, instead, he shouted, “Co the fifteen-hundred-ed toward Lu Jun’e, as about three thousand paces away As long as he could keep Lu Jun’e’s side’s attention on thehan would have an opportunity that he could exploit
At this tiates on the east side opened their gates to come out to attack, their uard the trenches, their goal was to control the army under Li Yuanji’s command