Simultaneous travel: I am a talented person in all the worlds

Chapter 453 Meng Ao Makes His Move, Stress Test

The struggle for power is not only about the benefits of war, but also about what is seen and heard.

The Qin state's scouts and spies, honed over a century since Shang Yang's reforms, possessed an efficiency and infiltration capability far surpassing that of the other six states.

The intelligence regarding the division of the main forces of Zhao, Yan, Han, and Chu was compiled into a scroll of silk and delivered to the desk of Meng Ao, the commander-in-chief of the Qin army, on the same day at dusk when they broke camp.

Nearly sixty years old, Meng Ao's hair and beard are all white, but his tiger-like eyes are still as sharp as an eagle's.

He held the thin silk scroll in his hand, but showed no joy at the news of the alliance's division of forces, nor did he make any rash moves.

War is a matter of vital importance to the state, a matter of life and death, and must be treated with utmost care.

He led an army of over 200,000 deep into Wei territory, surrounded by enemies on all sides.

The army's provisions and supplies were transported from Guanzhong via the Yellow River waterway behind them, day and night.

This is the lifeblood of the Qin army!
If he couldn't suppress his fighting spirit at this moment and acted rashly, the enemy could seize an opening, cut off the Yellow River waterway, and cut off their supplies...

Let alone his two or three hundred thousand troops, even if he had a million, they would be nothing more than turtles in a jar, waiting to be killed.

As a former deputy general of the Marquis of Wu'an, Meng Ao was deeply involved in the Battle of Changping, which shocked the world.

The horrific scene of Zhao Jun's army, which went from initially vowing to fight to the death to later resorting to cannibalism and using bones as firewood, and finally surrendering and being executed, is still deeply etched in his memory.

This instilled in him an almost obsessive reverence for the word "food and provisions."

Therefore, even after learning that the enemy's main force had split up, he simply suppressed the intelligence and let the enemy leave without making a sound.

At the same time, more scouts were dispatched at all costs to ascertain the true movements of the enemy and all the terrain details around Puyang.

For the next three days, although the Qin army and the main force of the Allied forces did not directly clash, the battle between their scouts had become extremely fierce.

In the fields, woodlands, and valleys surrounding Puyang, silent battles of life and death unfold every moment.

Arrows pierced the air, close combat ensued, blood stained the morning dew, and corpses sank into the cold river mud.

In just three days, both sides lost more than a thousand soldiers in the scouting battle.

The casualties were so severe that they were comparable to a small-scale offensive and defensive battle.

……

Three days later, at Suxu Pass, in the central command tent of the Qin army.

Meng Ao slowly traced the map with his fingertips, locating each piece of intelligence gathered by the scouts at the cost of their lives on the map.

"A trap to lure the enemy... perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't."

"However, no matter how they scheme, the troops of Zhao, Yan, Han, and Chu are now a hundred miles away from Puyang. Even if they return to defend now, it will take three days to march quickly. Moreover, their exhausted troops will give us the opportunity to wait in comfort and ambush their reinforcements."

All sorts of strategies and schemes need to be executed by people.

No matter how the enemy plans, they cannot change one fact.

The allied forces entrenched in Puyang had been reduced by half, leaving only 200,000 men. The Qin army no longer faced a numerical disadvantage against them.

Meng Ao remembered that Lü Buwei had told him to find a suitable opportunity to withdraw and return to Qin.

But then he thought of how he was nearly sixty years old and had fought in hundreds of battles, large and small, over the years. He had internal injuries that were difficult to suppress even though he was a Grandmaster of the Celestial Realm.

The old general is nearing the end of his life; his time on the battlefield is running out.

Meng Ao slowly closed his eyes and pondered for a moment. When he opened them again, only a cold, murderous aura remained in his cloudy old eyes.

"Guards! Raise the tent! Summon all officers to receive orders!"

"Woo——"

A somber bugle call echoed throughout the entire Qin army camp.

One after another, heavily armored figures strode out of their respective tents, carrying an aura of killing intent, and converged on the central command tent.

In just a short while, the commander's tent was filled with armored figures, exuding a murderous aura.

A group of high-ranking Qin generals stood on both sides, holding their breath and waiting for their commander's orders.

After the incident, Meng Ao surveyed the room with his fierce eyes, exuding an imposing aura without anger.

"Generals, obey the order!"

"Shh!"

The Qin generals instantly stood up from their seats, the clanging of their armor plates resounding powerfully.

Meng Ao's fierce eyes swept around the room, but finally settled on his son, who had fought alongside him in battles across the country for half his life.

"Meng Wu!"

"exist!"

A middle-aged general who bore a striking resemblance to Meng Ao strode forward, knelt on one knee, and spoke in a booming voice.

"You remain the vanguard general! Lead your 30,000 elite troops and immediately depart from Suxukou, march north along the Yellow River, and strike directly at Pingyang! In this battle, you must capture the vanguard position of the Allied Forces!"

Meng Ao's tone suddenly turned fierce, revealing a murderous intent.

"If we are defeated again in this battle, I will execute you!"

This military order was ruthless and showed no hesitation or protection whatsoever because the other party was his own son.

"If I fail to capture Pingyang, I will offer my head as a reward!"

Meng Wu kowtowed deeply, stepped forward, and accepted the command arrow representing his vanguard position with both hands.

He was already used to his father's way of doing things.

It was precisely this almost inhuman, impartial enforcement of the law that ensured that none of Meng Ao's proud and fierce soldiers dared to slack off.

They entrusted their own children with the most difficult pioneering tasks, and those who failed would be punished with death, with no room for leniency.

Which of these non-family generals would dare to outwardly comply but inwardly disobey, or neglect their duties?
Meng Ao's gaze then shifted to a young general. Although he was young, his demeanor was in no way inferior among the veteran generals.

"Wang Jian!"

"The general is here!"

Wang Jian stepped forward, his posture upright like a pine tree.

"If I give you 20,000 elite troops, you might be able to recapture Suanzao and advance on Yangwu?"

Meng Ao's voice seemed to soften slightly, unlike the icy coldness he had shown to Meng Wu.

Wang Jian pondered for a moment.

Because of his meritorious service in defending the city in the previous battle, he was promoted by the general without regard to the usual rules, and was able to enter the central command tent and participate in military affairs at such a young age.

This is the crucial moment when he most needs military merits to solidify his position and silence any criticism.

This order is a sign of trust, an opportunity, and a test.

If he advances, he will soar to great heights and has the potential to become the next generation of Qin generals.

If we retreat, we will lose all our fighting spirit and have little chance of ever getting back on our feet.

In the blink of an eye, Wang Jian had made his decision:

"Ten days! Within ten days, this humble general will surely conquer Suanzao!"

Meng Ao nodded, said nothing more, and then turned his gaze to another Qin general.

"Yang Duanhe!"

"exist!"

Yang Duanhe stepped forward with swift and decisive movements.

He was the same age as Meng Wu, both over thirty, and were mature generals who had been tested on the battlefield for a long time.

"You will lead 10,000 troops across the Pu River and capture Puban and Shouyuan for me! Tear open the allied forces' defenses from the left flank and outflank Puyang from the opposite direction!"

"only!"

"Zhang Tang!"

"exist!"

"You will lead 30,000 troops and follow up immediately after Yang Duanhe opens the river crossing passage, providing support for the subsequent crossing!"

"only!"

"The rest of the generals, you shall follow me and lead an army of 150,000 to hold the central command, serving as the rearguard for the three vanguard routes, and press forward across the entire front! There must be no mistakes!"

"only!!"

The generals stepped forward in unison, each receiving their orders, their eyes burning with fighting spirit.

"Boom-thump-thump-"

The war drums thundered, and the bugles roared like dragons.

One by one, the Qin generals, who would later leave behind a glorious name in the history books, each held a command arrow and rushed to their camp.

The Qin army camp, which had been silent for more than a month, was like a war beast that had been awakened, and it suddenly sprang to life!
Countless black flags fluttered in the wind, and a forest of long halberds reflected a chilling light.

This is yet another test by Meng Ao.

But if the coalition forces' deployment falters in any way, and this ravenous wolf discovers even a slight weakness, the probing will instantly transform into a deadly attack. The flames of war will reignite.

Meng Wu, the Qin army's vanguard general who was defeated by Mo Yu in the previous battle, was burning with rage and a desire for revenge.

Leading 30,000 elite soldiers, he charged ahead like a red-hot iron awl, fiercely striking the vanguard position of the allied forces located in Pingyang City.

The Qin army was fierce and unparalleled in the world.

Meng Wu's troops were elite soldiers who had fought countless battles.

However, the allied forces, occupying the advantageous terrain, fought to the death and refused to retreat. Furthermore, Mohist disciples manipulated mechanisms to assist them, unleashing a rain of arrows and rolling boulders like a waterfall.

Although the battle lines were teetering on the brink of collapse under the Qin army's fierce attacks, they were never completely breached.

On the southern front, Wang Jian, the young general who had performed exceptionally well in the previous round of battles, was advancing with unstoppable momentum.

Although the pledge made was for ten days.

On the very day the army arrived, 30,000 Qin soldiers, under his command, defeated Zhao Tuo, who had come out of the city to meet them.

Despite being outmatched, Zhao Tuo managed to hold his ground and gradually retreated to Yangwu City, where he remained entrenched and refused to engage in battle.

In just one day, Suanzao was breached, more than 3,000 enemy soldiers were killed in battle, and the Wei army was utterly defeated.

With this great achievement, Wang Jian firmly established himself in the Qin army's high command.

However, he was not blinded by this achievement and did not act rashly.

Yangwu was backed by Wei's Jishui defense line and connected to Wei's heartland. Wang Jian knew that it would be difficult to conquer by force.

Therefore, while making a big show of preparing for a strong attack, he simultaneously rebuilt fortifications in Suanzao, digging deep trenches and building high walls, surrounding Yangwu without attacking, in order to contain it.

"Damn, they're really cautious."

On the walls of Yangwu, Zhao Tuo looked at the Qin army, which made a lot of noise but accomplished little, and spat.

Although he genuinely couldn't withstand the enemy's offensive, his decision to leave the city to fight was actually a ploy to lure them in.

Otherwise, given Zhao Tuo's personality, he would never have gone out of the city to meet the enemy.

At the same time, Qin general Yang Duanhe led more than 10,000 elite troops, taking advantage of the cover of night, to cross the Pu River and launch a fierce attack on Puban.

Although they did not succeed, they had opened up the passage across the river, thus ensuring the arrival of the subsequent 30,000-strong army.

The stalemate was instantly and completely broken.

This is a test of resilience.

The combined forces of the Central Plains, whose frontal defenses were overstretched, were suddenly under immense pressure from the Qin army's powerful three-pronged offensive.

The Pingyang front was in grave danger, and its flanks were also under attack. The entire defensive line looked like it was about to collapse and was almost torn to shreds by the Qin army.

Once that defensive line is breached, Meng Ao's 150,000-strong army will press forward, rapidly expanding the gains and even directly locking the battle situation.

This is precisely the fundamental reason why, in the late Warring States period, the six states often appeared "rigid in their strategies" and lacked flexibility when facing the Qin state.

It is not that the six states lacked strategists, nor that the world lacked ingenious schemes.

Indeed, all strategies cannot bypass the most basic premise—dividing forces.

The more troops are divided, the higher the requirements for the commander's command and dispatch capabilities will be, and the greater the operational difficulty will be. It will also inevitably dilute the troop strength on the main battlefield.

In terms of individual combat strength, the armies of the six states were inferior to those of Qin.

The reason they were still able to contend with the Qin army was simply because they banded together for mutual support and relied on their numerical advantage to confront the Qin army head-on.

The so-called ingenious plan, regardless of whether it can ultimately achieve the expected strategic goals.

Once the main battlefield collapses due to insufficient troops, all surprise attacks, flanking maneuvers, and encirclements will become rootless and crumble without a fight.

Looking at the six states, apart from the deceased Lord Xinling and the still-unrecognized Li Mu, there was no one else who could steadily withstand the Qin army's offensive on the front lines.

Even a renowned general as strong as Lian Po suffered more defeats than victories and was unable to withstand him.

Puyang, the main camp of the allied forces.

With all fronts under pressure, reports of requests for assistance poured in from all directions like snowflakes.

Scouts and messengers traveled back and forth between the various camps in an endless stream, the dust kicked up by their horses' hooves almost never ceasing.

The situation is extremely critical.

However, Mo Yu, who still holds the main force of the 200,000-strong Allied Army, has made no move in the past few days.

Like an outsider, he remained oblivious to the perilous situation on the front lines.

Zhu Hai already knew that this young man's military strategy was no less than that of the late Lord Xinling.

Unlike the righteous and just path of the sovereign, this leader of the Mohist school seemed to prefer taking unorthodox and treacherous paths, resorting to intrigue and dangerous schemes.

With that previous great victory as a foundation, although he was anxious, he was still able to keep his composure.

Every day, he would either analyze intelligence sent from all sides with his generals or personally go down to the military camp to drill the soldiers, keeping them ready for battle.

But Gongsun Yu, a veteran general of the State of Wei, did not have that composure.

Puyang was the capital of the State of Wei, and also the last remaining major city of Wei.

If Puyang falls, then the state of Wei will, in essence, perish.

Now that the Qin army is close at hand and could break through Pingyang at any moment, heading straight for the walls of Puyang, how could he not be extremely anxious?
However, at this moment, Zhu Hai, the nominal supreme commander of the allied forces, listened to Mo Yu's every word and trusted him to an extreme degree.

Although Gongsun Yu is the Grand General of Wei, he currently has no one in the allied camp except for his hundred or so personal guards. He can't even mobilize a single soldier from Wei's own forces.

Inside Puyang City.

Jing Ke has also become quite haggard in recent days, and often sighs.

He was also deeply concerned about the perilous situation in the current battle.

Ironically, even in this perilous situation, the disciples of Wei Mo's lineage were extremely busy.

They need to use the mechanical arts of the Mohists to help the allied forces build a defensive line;

It is necessary to supervise the manufacture and maintenance of a massive amount of military equipment in the rear;

We also need to dispatch Mo Xia to wipe out the scum who are burning, killing, and looting in the city while taking advantage of the chaos, as well as the spies sent by the Qin army to spread rumors and undermine morale...

A mountain of tasks weighed on his shoulders.

As the commander of Wei Mo, he felt overwhelmed every day. Even if he didn't eat or sleep, he couldn't finish dealing with the endless chores and was completely unable to free himself up.

He wanted to find Mo Yu and get to the bottom of things, but he simply couldn't find the time.

Sending ordinary Wei Mo disciples would be problematic, firstly because their status wouldn't be high enough, and secondly because they might not be able to clearly convey his meaning.

Just as Jing Ke was frowning in worry, a familiar, soft footstep sounded behind him.

Gongsun Li, carrying a food box, quietly approached him.

"Senior brother, have something to eat."

She took out the food one by one; it wasn't anything fancy or delicious, just simple, plain fare.

"Thank you for your help, Lily."

Jing Ke's eyes were bloodshot. He picked up the bowl of porridge and wolfed it down with some dry bread.

"The rest, let's distribute them among the brothers outside."

Looking at Jing Ke's increasingly haggard and thin face, which had been growing thinner and thinner due to his recent lack of food and busy schedule, Gongsun Li thought of her grandfather Gongsun Yu, whom she had not seen for more than a month, even though they lived in the same city. She couldn't help but let out a melancholy sigh.

Jing Ke was pondering whether he should make time to see the Grand Commander, no matter what.

Hearing Li Ji's sigh, he paused in his chewing, a thought suddenly flashing through his mind.

He raised his head and looked at his childhood sweetheart, his junior sister.

Suddenly, he remembered that when he was in the State of Wei, he was ordered to protect General Lian Po. It was the Grand Commander who took care of his junior sister. He also heard from Li'er that the Grand Commander had been very kind to her.

My junior sister has also mentioned to me many times how kind and reliable Senior Brother Mo Yu is.

So……

Could my junior sister go to the central army camp on my behalf and inquire about it?
Jing Ke's eyes flickered, and the more he thought about it, the more feasible the idea seemed.

He immediately put down the dry biscuit in his hand and said:

"Lier, I want you to go to the camp outside the city and find a way to meet the commander."

"Let me ask?"

Gongsun Li was taken aback for a moment after hearing Jing Ke's request.

On the one hand, as a woman, it was inappropriate for her to enter and leave the central military camp without reason.

On the other hand...

The image of that man uncontrollably surfaced in Gongsun Li's mind.

His deep eyes seemed to see through everything, and his gentle, composed smile conveyed a sense of complete control.

The man who resolutely offered her support and a promise when she was at her most desperate.

Go see him?
(End of this chapter)