Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 460 Extra Ingredient Packets for Instant Noodles

"General~"

"The Shu army is catching up again!"

Inside the Fanxu Road, Wei scouts reported bad news to Zhang He.

"understood."

Zhang He, his face ashen, waved his hand to dismiss the scouts.

His mood was extremely bad at the moment, even worse than the weather outside.

Zhuge Xiao'er is much more difficult to deal with than he imagined!
"The plan to send a fake supply convoy was intended to lure out the Shu army's elite troops who were cut off from supplies, but it failed."

"The strategy of advancing as a form of retreat, using a fierce attack to cover the retreat, still failed."

"On the contrary, Zhuge the brat seized the opportunity to fight and entangle us all the way, and now we can't even run away."

Zhang He stepped to the tent entrance, looking at the drizzling rain outside with a worried expression.

"Furthermore, the continuous rainfall has made the roads treacherous and caused flash floods."

"Could this be the place where I will be buried?"

As a veteran general, Zhang He was experienced in battle and did everything he was supposed to do.

But the other side saw through his plans one by one, leaving him no chance and driving him into a desperate situation.

Originally a powerful and well-equipped army, it has now fallen to a state of extreme difficulty.

One can imagine the frustration Zhang He felt at this moment.

"This rain~"

"The timing couldn't have been worse!"

Under normal circumstances, Zhang He's army would only need two or three days to cross the Fanxu Road.

Even if the Shu army pursues and blocks them, they can send elite troops to break through first and arrange troops to cover the rear and repel the enemy.

Although the losses will be significant, the main force will still be able to break through.

But then it started raining heavily~
Roads were destroyed and flash floods raged.

The army was unable to march and could only watch helplessly as food supplies dwindled.

Looking at the torrent rushing down the mountain in the distance, watching the torrent mixed with mud, rocks and vegetation rush up the road in the valley.

Zhang He gritted his teeth and gave the order.

"Kill the horse!"

"All troops, move up the mountain!"

The Shu army camp.

Wearing a rubber raincoat, Prime Minister Zhuge raised the binoculars he had bought from Lin Dao and carefully observed the Wei army camp on the mountain.

After a moment, he put down the binoculars and nodded.

"Zhang He truly deserves to be called a veteran general; his ability to adapt to changing circumstances is remarkably swift."

"This only shows that he doesn't want to surrender yet." Lin Dao, standing to the side, held up a transparent umbrella. "He's still waiting for reinforcements."

"You mean Cao Zhen?"

“That’s right.” Lin Dao replied, “If Cao Zhen learns of this, he will surely leave a portion of his troops to block the Baoxie Road and personally lead the main force to provide reinforcements.”

"From the perspective of time and distance, it's still possible to make it."

"What a pity~"

At this point, Prime Minister Zhuge, who was standing to the side, smiled and chimed in, "It's just a pity that the rain is about to stop."

Zhang He's troops had a large number of horses, and when cornered, they could kill the horses for food and survive for a long time.

Once he reached the mountain, he could use its strategic location to block the Shu army's siege.

After all, if they were trapped in the valley, the Shu army could erode and fight from both sides, constantly squeezing them out.

Moreover, water flows downhill, and as more and more flash floods concentrate in the valley, it becomes extremely dangerous.

Once they reached the mountain, these problems were left to the Shu army.

As for the water shortage, it's raining, so there's no way we'll be short of water.

Without a doubt, Zhang He had given up on breaking out on his own and chosen to hold his ground and wait for reinforcements.

Lin Dao had one more regret that he didn't mention.

That is, after receiving his financial support, how could General Zilong easily let Cao Zhen leave!
"Zihou".

Prime Minister Zhuge praised you, saying, "If you are willing to serve, I will certainly recommend you for the position of Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty!"

"The Zhuge Liang in the Kunlun Mirror can actually perform rituals and summon wind and rain."

He looked at Lin Dao with admiration in his eyes, "But here, you have truly done it."

"With your abilities, if you were to become the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty, no one could shake the Han Dynasty's power."

Lin Dao smiled without saying a word, but shook his head slightly.

He had no interest in working for Liu Shan.

After all, a true man is born between heaven and earth; how can he remain subservient to others for long!

Seeing his reaction, Prime Minister Zhuge couldn't help but feel disappointed.

Fortunately, the thought that this person was a Taoist practitioner seeking immortality made him feel much better.

The prime minister turned around and looked at the magical artifact that could summon wind and rain not far away.

A truck loaded with a rocket launcher.

That's right, this rain was actually brought about by Lin Dao from beginning to end.

He successfully created the right timing by using dry ice rockets.

When he first arrived in Jieting, he noticed that the sky was mostly cloudy.

At that time, he had the idea of ​​taking advantage of favorable timing.

After the battle between Prime Minister Zhuge and Zhang He, Lin Dao took the initiative to approach the Prime Minister and expressed his willingness to provide assistance in this regard.

Then, a heavy rain fell from the sky.

Of course, Lin Dao also has an extra IOU, handwritten by Prime Minister Zhuge himself.

"It has rained quite a bit these past few days."

There aren't many clouds left in the sky.

Lin Dao stepped forward and patted the rocket launcher. "Wait until Zhang He is trapped on the mountain, and then you will see that the sky is cloudless."

"We wanted to go down the mountain to fight, but we had no horses."

"I imagine his expression must have been quite something."

It wasn't just amazing, it was downright swearing!
Zhang He, having burned his boats, made up his mind and led his army up the mountain.

But the next morning, the sky was cloudless and the sun was shining brightly.

Zhang He's face turned pale and then flushed, but he didn't faint on the spot, which shows that he was physically strong as a military general.

But cursing God for betraying him is inevitable.

Just as Lin Dao said.

Once they reached the mountain, they were surrounded by the Shu army, losing their advantageous terrain. Their horses were killed to provide food, resulting in a loss of manpower and fighting strength.

Finally, the sky cleared, the water supply was lost, and the opportune moment was missed.

Under such circumstances, the fact that the Wei army has not collapsed is a testament to their high level of training and their well-deserved reputation as an elite force.

At this point, the Wei army could only pray that Cao Zhen would come to their rescue as soon as possible.

After besieging the Wei army, the Shu army did not launch an attack.

At Lin Dao's suggestion, the Shu army began to take a bath at the foot of the mountain in front of many Wei soldiers.

That's right, I'm taking a shower.

And she washed herself for three days in a row.

On the first day, the Wei troops on the mountain still had water in their water bags, and there was water accumulation in many places on the mountain, so they didn't have much of a reaction.

By the second day, the Wei army had already begun to stir.

By the third day, some people couldn't contain themselves and rushed down the mountain in an attempt to seize the water source, but they were repelled.

The Wei army on the mountain was gradually driven into a desperate situation.

They not only ran out of water, but they also ran out of food.

Logically speaking, there should be plenty of horse meat to eat.

The problem is that the past few days have been sunny and clear, with temperatures soaring.

The Wei army didn't have a cold storage, so the meat had already started to spoil.

No one dares to eat meat that has gone bad.

The lack of water and food caused the morale of the Wei army on the mountain to plummet.

Zhang He was also helpless in this regard.

He even got so anxious that he sent someone to deliver a letter to Prime Minister Zhuge, saying that the two of them had a duel.

Prime Minister Zhuge simply laughed it off and didn't take it to heart at all.

He then continued to ask Lin Dao, "Zihou, Zilong has brought news by fast horse that Cao Zhen's main force has already marched north. Do you have any good strategies to get the Wei army on the mountain to surrender as soon as possible?"

"Have."

Lin Dao picked up a bag of White Elephant instant noodles, shook it, and said, "Let's eat!"

At noon, the sun was scorching.

The wind blowing up from the foot of the mountain carried waves of heat, giving one the feeling of being in a scorching oven.

The Wei troops on the mountain looked like wilted eggplants, listlessly hiding under the rocks, trees, and tents.

Everyone was parched and their stomachs were rumbling.

At this rate, someone will have to start eating rotten horse meat tomorrow.

In a few days, we'll be eating white meat and drinking blood.

“It smells so good~~~”

Some Wei soldiers were sniffing the air repeatedly.

The fragrance in the air made their sense of smell much more sensitive.

"Down below!"

Someone reached out and shouted, "Look!"

The Wei soldiers looked down the mountain and saw many large cauldrons set up at the foot of the mountain.

The broth in the large pot was boiling, and noodles were being cooked.

Some Shu soldiers were squatting to the side, happily eating instant noodles with luncheon meat in earthenware bowls.

The aroma grew stronger, making the Wei army on the mountain restless.

But looking at the numerous traps and obstacles blocking the mountainside, and seeing the Shu army carrying bows and crossbows, the thought of rushing down to seize the spoils gradually disappeared.

If we could have charged down, we wouldn't be trapped here now.

The Shu soldiers at the foot of the mountain, having eaten and drunk their fill, took out the megaphones that the Prime Minister had bought from Lin Dao and went forward to shout.

"My fellow elders, uncles, and cousins ​​on the mountain~"

Are you hungry?

"If you are willing to return to the Han Dynasty, just come down here, and you'll have plenty to eat and drink!"

"Follow the Prime Minister to punish the traitor Cao Cao and restore the Han Dynasty!"

"When the time comes, his wife and children will be granted titles and privileges, and their family genealogy will be recorded separately."

"It's better than starving and dying of thirst on this desolate mountain."

"If you die here, you won't even have a grave!"

"Brothers, don't you want to go home alive?"

"The Prime Minister said that as long as one's heart is with the Han Dynasty, one can come down, have a bowl of noodles, and then return to the mountain."

Such psychological warfare tactics are utterly useless when the enemy is militarily strong.

However, if you use psychological warfare tactics when the other party is in a desperate situation, you will achieve twice the result with half the effort.

The most famous psychological warfare tactic in history is the "Song of Chu on all sides".

The success of the "Song of Chu on All Sides" also stemmed from the Chu army being trapped in an ambush on all sides, leading to a collapse in morale and fighting spirit.

If the Chu army had used the "Song of Chu on All Sides" during the Battle of Pengcheng, do you think they would have arrested all the singers and made them sing from dusk till dawn, to keep singing?

The same is true now.

Trapped on the mountain, without water or food, and with their morale low, the Wei army was most susceptible to this psychological warfare tactic.

Some of the Wei soldiers, unable to bear it any longer, trembled as they descended the mountain.

"Really? Can we go back after we eat?"

A Shu soldier served him a bowl of noodles, saying, "These are the Prime Minister's words."

Even if you don't trust us, shouldn't you at least trust the Prime Minister?

Wei Jun said no more, slurped down his food, and wiped his mouth.

He looked around, and finally gritted his teeth and returned to the mountain.

Unsurprisingly, he was quickly taken away by the officers.

On the Shu army's side, Prime Minister Zhuge frowned slightly.

"Zihou, I really can't understand your plan."

"I understand psychological warfare, but why send them back?"

Under the sunshade along the forest path, he casually smiled and said, "It's all to demoralize the Wei army."

Prime Minister Zhuge was still puzzled: "But they all ran back after they were full. How is that considered undermining morale?"

Lindao smiled again.

"Does the Prime Minister know why we only give them noodles but not water?"

"That's because the noodles have extra seasoning packets added!"

(End of this chapter)