flstandardbreds Chapter 261 Preventing Wu's Army from Using a Self-Inflicted Injury Ruse
Chapter 261 Preventing Wu's Army from Using a Self-Inflicted Injury Ruse
Guan Xing is most familiar with and skilled in the tactics of guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines. After all, he has been exposed to it since childhood and has learned it by listening to it. After graduation, he became a criminal police officer and dealt with criminals for a long time, so he knows how to play the cat-and-mouse game.
Therefore, Guan Xing never intended to fight Lu Xun head-on from the beginning. He wanted to use his expertise to firmly control the initiative on the battlefield and then outmaneuver Lu Xun.
For example, right now, let Deng Hong lead the Xuanjia Army to hide in Shen Yi's army and seize the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Corridor. They should disappear silently during the expedition and then reappear behind Lu Xun after Lu Xun enters the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Corridor.
Guan Xing continued, "Wu Yue, as you just said, if Lu Xun fails to break through Da Mo, he is very likely to cross the Huangwu Mountains and enter the Jinqu Basin. So your mission is to lead your troops into the Huangwu Mountains to seize and guard all the crossroads to prevent the Wu army from infiltrating and harassing our rear. Are you confident?"
The Huangwu Mountains cover a vast area, which means that the Wu and Yue forces must be dispersed, otherwise they will be difficult to command.
Fortunately, Huangwu Mountain is still a mountain, no matter how low it is. Crossing the mountain means that not many supplies can be carried, which naturally means that the Wu army's infiltration force will not be too large.
Wu Yue bowed and said, "General, rest assured, I will definitely defend Huangwu Mountain well, so that not even a fly can fly over it."
Although the task of defending Huangwu Mountain is arduous, the more arduous it is, the more it can prove one's ability. As long as this battle is fought well, Wu Yue will be able to establish a firm foothold in Ji Han. At that time, let's see who will dare to laugh at his poor background.
Guan Xing said, "Then I'll entrust the Huangwu Mountain area to you. I'll select all the soldiers from the Huangwu Mountain area and transfer them to your command. They are familiar with the mountain roads and will be of help to you."
"Besides the Huangwu Mountains, there are also the Wuyi Mountains. The terrain of the Wuyi Mountains is far more treacherous than that of the Huangwu Mountains. Although the possibility of the Wu army infiltrating is not high, it is not impossible. Wang Tao, you will lead the Shanyue main force into the Wuyi Mountains to prevent the Wu army from infiltrating. Guard the southern gate of the Jinqu Basin for me. Any questions?"
Wang Tao solemnly bowed and said, "No problem. The Wuyi Mountains are the domain of our Yue people. If the Wu army dares to come in, they will not be able to leave."
Guan Xing continued, "Zhou Shan and I will stay behind at Da Mo. The rest of you will split up. Shen Yi, Deng Hong, and Ning Huan will leave now. Wang Tao and Wu Yue will prepare and set off tomorrow. Dismissed."
"Yes..." The generals bowed and were about to take their leave when Guan Xing suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "Wait."
The generals, who had already turned around, spun around again and smoothly returned to their original positions.
Guan Xing pondered, “I’m sure you’ve all heard the story of Zhou Yu beating Huang Gai. This story tells us that the Wu army is best at using the self-inflicted injury ruse. So if they choose to surrender after the battle, or even try to gain your trust by self-harming, don’t believe them. Remember this rule: the more Wu generals self-harm, the lower the chance of them surrendering. They’re just trying to gain your trust and then kill you.”
The Wu Kingdom had a tradition of using the "bitter flesh" strategy. During the Battle of Red Cliffs, Huang Gai even allowed Zhou Yu to beat Cao Cao's buttocks to a pulp in order to lure him into a trap.
Huang Gai was already in his fifties or sixties at the time, and he could have been killed on the spot if he had fought like that. In other words, Huang Gai was risking his life to lure Cao Cao into a trap, which shows how ruthless this old man was to himself.
Besides Huang Gai, there was another ruthless man in Eastern Wu who was good at the self-inflicted injury strategy: Zhou Fang, the Western Commandant of Danyang Commandery.
This man was a ruthless figure comparable to Huang Gai. In the Battle of Shiting in history, Zhou Fang cut off his hair to swear an oath in order to lure Cao Xiu into a trap and gain Cao Xiu's trust.
It should be noted that Zhou Fang was a scholar who believed that "our bodies, hair, and skin are given to us by our parents," so cutting off his own hair was indeed a breach of moral boundaries.
Moreover, Zhou Fang did not cut off a strand of hair with scissors, but grabbed his own hair and pulled it out by the roots, even tearing off a large piece of scalp, and presented it to Cao Xiu with blood gushing out.
Just thinking about it gave Guan Xing goosebumps, let alone actually pulling it down himself. In any case, Guan Xing would rather be defeated and killed than do such a thing to himself.
As we all know, Cao Xiu fell into the trap, leading to a major defeat at Shiting, and Sun Quan was able to declare himself emperor because of this victory.
The thought of Zhou Yu beating Huang Gai sent a shiver down the spines of all the generals; they couldn't bring themselves to do such a thing.
Shen Yi asked, "General, what if the Wu army really uses this self-inflicted injury ruse?"
Guan Xing said, "There are only two options: either drive them away directly, or agree on the surface but secretly make arrangements to launch a counterattack against Wu's army. If you think the second option is too difficult, choose the first option and make sure you don't suffer any losses."
"Remember my rule: the more Wu Jun hurts himself, the lower the probability of him surrendering. If he really wanted to surrender, he wouldn't have done this, right?"
He disliked and lacked the courage to use such a self-inflicted injury ruse, but he had to prevent Wu Jun from doing so to him. If he really fell for the ruse, the loss would be secondary; the main thing was that he would look foolish.
Falling for the self-inflicted injury is somewhat insulting to one's intelligence.
The generals agreed wholeheartedly, and Guan Xing announced the disbandment of the unit.
Two hours later, Shen Yi, Deng Hong, Ning Huan, and the other two led the First Army and the Xuanjia Army out of the camp, crossed the valley river, and headed to Yushan, officially beginning the great battle with Lu Xun.
At the same time, Lu Xun had already led his army away from Nanchang and headed to Damu.
On the official road leading to Damo, Wu's army lined up in a long, dark line that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Lu Xun walked in the middle of the group, frowning in thought. Finally, he summoned Han Dang, Pan Zhang, Xu Sheng, He Qi, Ding Feng and other generals to his side for a meeting. As for Zhuge Jin, he was escorting the grain supplies in the rear.
Upon seeing everyone arrive, Lu Xun said, "As you all know, the closest route to Kuaiji is the corridor from Yu Han to Da Mo. This corridor is strategically important, and Guan Xing will definitely take advantage of it. If he defends the corridor and the Huangwu Mountains next to it, it will be very difficult for us to break through."
At any time, the attacking side is at a disadvantage, and if they encounter complex terrain, they will be at an even greater disadvantage, as the defending side will use the advantageous terrain to inflict heavy casualties on the attacking side.
The generals remained silent, waiting for Lu Xun to continue. Poor Lu Xun, after serving in the army for so long, he didn't even have a straight man to quip him in this crucial moment.
Lu Xun had no choice but to continue, "Therefore, we cannot let Guan Xing lead us by the nose. We must take the initiative. This time, we must learn from Zhang Cheng's defeat and never underestimate Guan Xing again."
"Xu Sheng, you immediately lead 5,000 troops to Yuhan, and after securing Yuhan's defenses, continue towards Yushan, striving to push the battle line to the Gushui River and prevent Guan Xing from using the corridor to set up ambushes and traps for us."
On the day Zhang Cheng first led his southern expedition, Guan Xing dug many small pits with barbs on the road to Zhuji, forcing Zhang Cheng to spend most of his energy filling them. This time, he absolutely could not let Guan Xing do that again.
The best way to prevent Guan Xing from digging traps is to occupy the corridor in advance and block Guan Xing in Damo County, east of Gushui. If Guan Xing cannot enter the corridor, he will not be able to dig traps.
"Yes..." Xu Sheng clasped his hands in a fist salute and left.
Lu Xun shouted to his retreating figure, "If Guan Xing has already entered the corridor and set up traps, do not underestimate him and advance rashly. Just patiently clear the traps and wait for the main force to arrive."
Xu Sheng shouted without turning his head, "Understood."
Lu Xun was furious at their perfunctory attitude. These damned arrogant soldiers had no respect for him, the acting Grand Commander.
After Xu Sheng left, Lu Xun continued, "Guan Xing has a considerable number of troops, and the possibility of us breaking through head-on is very small. If we want to win, we may have to find another way, and we have to be quick. Guan Xing is carrying out so-called land reform in Kuaiji. Once the land reform is completed, it will be difficult for us to defeat him."
The words "land reform" caused the generals' faces to twitch simultaneously. The so-called land reform meant redistributing land, giving the land of the gentry to the peasants, who were the unfortunate gentry whose land was being taken away.
He Qi gritted his teeth and cursed, "Damn Guan Xing, I'll never let you get away with this!"
Guan Xing seized all of He Qi's land in Kuaiji. That was land that the He family had painstakingly accumulated over generations. It was all plundered by that little bastard Guan Xing. Every time He Qi thought about it, his heart ached.
Lu Xun continued, "General He Qi, your Shanyin He clan is the most powerful clan in Kuaiji. If you secretly return to Shanyin, is it possible for you to contact the Kuaiji gentry to sabotage Guan Xing's land reform?"