dognovel Chapter 2020: The Truth Revealed!
Chapter 2020: The Truth Revealed!
Ran Ming clearly and thoroughly reported the intelligence he had obtained overnight with blood and lives.
Where the strong points of firepower are, where the relatively weak points are, where rapid advances are possible, and where evasion is necessary, all become clear in his description and the markings on the sand table.
Chu Ning, Feng Mulan, and Feng Anguo listened intently, their eyes following Ran Ming's guidance as he moved across the sand table, nodding slightly from time to time.
Ran Ming's intelligence is worth a fortune!
It made the Tang army's defense system, which was originally like a fog, clearly visible, providing crucial information for choosing the main attack direction and formulating specific tactics in the later decisive battle.
"good very good!"
After listening to Ran Ming's report, Chu Ning smiled approvingly. He walked up to Ran Ming and patted his strong shoulder heavily.
"General Ran, although this battle is a test, it is extremely dangerous!"
"The general made a decisive move on the spot, using guerrilla tactics to scout out the enemy's situation. He even braved arrows and stones to clear a path through the rocks, demonstrating commendable bravery!"
"I will remember this merit! You and your soldiers are all heroes of our Great Chu!"
Despite his exhaustion, Ran Ming felt a surge of excitement upon receiving such praise from the emperor, making all his hard work worthwhile.
He clasped his hands in a fist salute once more, his voice booming like thunder: "I would serve Your Majesty without hesitation, even unto death!"
Chu Ning nodded in satisfaction, his gaze returning to the enemy and friendly positions on the sand table, his tone becoming calm and full of expectation:
"Now that we have a general idea of Li Jing's strengths and weaknesses, what's next..."
He paused, his voice carrying a certainty like that of someone about to face a decisive battle: "Then we'll just have to wait for Xue Huaide!"
"Pass down the order: the entire army should take a break and replenish its weapons and provisions."
"Double the number of scouts and closely monitor the movements of Xue Huaide's troops and any unusual activity by the Tang army within the pass."
Chu Ning issued new orders, then said gently to Ran Ming, "General Ran, you and your soldiers fought fiercely all night; you must be exhausted."
"Return to camp immediately, rest well, and conserve your energy. Once Xue Huaide's army arrives, it will be time for us to fight Li Jing to the death!"
"At that time, the general will need to display his prowess once again!"
"The general will obey the order!"
Ran Ming loudly accepted the order, his face filled with anticipation for the upcoming decisive battle.
He bowed again, then turned and left the council chamber with weary but still determined steps.
The morning light fully illuminated Zhennanguan, and a new day began.
The final battle that would determine the fate of southern Xinjiang also entered its final countdown with this intelligence, obtained in blood.
Meanwhile, outside the pass, in the Tang army camp.
The cold wind of December was still biting, sweeping across the Tang army's continuous camps and making the banners flutter loudly.
Inside the central command tent, the atmosphere was even more somber and oppressive than outside.
The charcoal brazier burned, but it seemed unable to dispel the gloom and oppression that permeated the generals' brows.
The Chu army's attacks that lasted all night are like a nightmare haunting everyone's minds.
The deafening hoofbeats, the whistling arrows, and the thunderous crash of falling boulders still seem to echo in my ears.
Head coach Li Jing sat upright in the main seat. He had changed into a clean set of armor, but the faint dark circles under his eyes showed that he had not slept well last night either.
His gaze, like a deep pool, slowly swept over the generals lined up on both sides of the tent—Wang Zhongsi, Tuwujin, Liu Hongji, and a group of generals who had retreated from Luoxia Mountain and were still in shock, as well as some of his core officers.
The tent was completely silent, save for the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire and the howling of the cold wind outside.
After a long silence, Li Jing finally spoke, his voice steady yet carrying an invisible pressure that broke the suffocating silence:
"Everyone,"
His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears: "What happened last night, I'm sure you all experienced it firsthand."
"The fierce general Ran Ming of the Chu army led 20,000 cavalrymen out of my Zhennan Pass and outside my camp, from Hai Shi until dawn, constantly harassing and launching attacks in turn."
"What are your thoughts on this?"
His question was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples in the hearts of the generals.
There was a brief silence inside the tent, followed by a surge of various emotions.
Wang Zhongsi was the first to step forward.
His face was still somewhat pale; the successive defeats at Black River Valley and Luoxia Mountain, especially the death of his beloved general Gongsun Wei, had left him deeply scarred.
It left him physically and mentally exhausted, but the sharpness and composure in his eyes did not disappear.
He bowed slightly, his voice hoarse with fatigue, but his analysis remained calm and insightful:
"Reporting to the commander, in my opinion, the Chu army's offensive last night, though seemingly fierce, was not actually aimed at breaking through the camp, much less at a decisive battle."
He walked to the makeshift sand table and pointed to the markings on it that represented the Chu army's attack route:
"As you can see, Ran Ming's troops have maintained a strength of around 20,000 without increasing."
"Their offensive tactics initially involved a frontal assault, but after setbacks, they immediately switched to guerrilla warfare, attacking from the east and harassing from the west, sometimes feigning an attack in the southeast and sometimes flanking from the northwest."
"Their purpose is definitely not to capture any of my strongholds, but rather—"
Wang Zhongsi raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, and said, word by word, "It was to test them!"
"He wanted to test the strength of my camp's defenses, the range of my crossbows, the location of my catapults, and even the reaction speed and coordination of my various units in response to the harassment!"
"This is a classic test of the waters! Chu Ning, or rather Feng Mulan beside him, wants to ascertain the strengths and weaknesses of our army as much as possible before the decisive battle!"
This analysis was like clearing away the clouds to reveal the sun, instantly calming down many generals who were originally furious because of the harassment and thought the Chu army was arrogant and domineering.
Reflecting on last night's battle, it became clear that although the Chu cavalry were fierce, they were indeed quick to strike and retreat, and did not linger in the fight.
Their behavior pattern closely matches what Wang Zhongsi described as probing.
"General Wang is absolutely right!"
Liu Hongji immediately echoed his sentiments. Having just retreated from the Canglang River, he had a deeper understanding of the Chu army's tactical flexibility.
"The Chu army is cunning, especially adept at such tricks. I also believe that last night's events were a reconnaissance operation by the Chu army before the major battle."
"They want to find the weak point in my defense system so that they can concentrate their forces and deliver a fatal blow during the final offensive!"
Many generals in the tent, especially those experienced and prudent veterans who had witnessed the disastrous defeat at Luoxia Mountain and the ferocity of the Chu army, nodded and whispered among themselves, expressing their agreement with Wang Zhongsi and Liu Hongji's judgment.
They believed that, given the current situation, the enemy was powerful, their side had just suffered a defeat, and their morale needed to be restored. Relying on strong fortifications for defense was the safest option.
A hasty attack played right into the hands of the Chu army.
However, not everyone agrees with this defensive strategy.
"fart!"
A thunderous roar suddenly rang out, filled with a heavy grassland accent and barely suppressed rage!