The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 27 Observing the Battle and Discussing Military Strategy (Part 2)

Mi Wei himself had no experience, so he passed the problem on to Pan Jun.

Pan Jun had just been dragged onto the stage by Mi Wei and Guan Xing.

Now that everyone is watching, there's no escaping it.

However, no immediate response was given.

Instead, he sought out scouts to gather details of the enemy's march on the eastern route before slowly saying:
"We've just started the battle, so it's hard to tell which side is in control."

"But judging from the enemy's troop formation, I guess the western sandbar is the focus of the battle for today and tomorrow."

"Military formation?" Mi Wei was puzzled.

"Have you ever read the Sima Fa?" Pan Jun asked.

Sima Fa...Sima Rangju's Art of War?
I had heard of this military strategy book, Mi Wei, in my previous life.

Sima Rangju, also known as Tian Rangju, was a military strategist from the State of Qi during the late Spring and Autumn Period.

Unfortunately, his works have long been lost.

Mi Wei had read some "fragments" in his previous life.

However, opinions differ on whether it is a true record or a forgery by later generations.

He then said, "Please enlighten me, sir!"

“I have a copy of the manuscript compiled by my predecessors in my family,” Pan Jun said.

"I'll have someone send it to your residence later. Take a look around; it'll help you familiarize yourself with the art of formation."

Miwei Yingnuo.

Pan Jun then pointed to the southwest and said:
"Do you think the enemy's formation is sparse or dense?"

Miwei followed and looked in that direction.

In the distance, between the sandbar and the riverbank, a vast expanse of sand dunes stretched out.

It's hard to say for a moment whether it's dense or sparse.

But then, recalling the details Pan Jun had just asked the scouts, he suddenly realized something:
"Those formations looked like ant colonies from a distance, but the ranks were actually quite neat."

"This shows that the soldiers in the formation are very close together, shoulder to shoulder, heel to heel."

"Therefore, I believe it should be considered 'secret'!"

Pan Jun nodded in affirmation, and then said:
Sima Rangju said: "In general, in battle formations, movement should be sparse and fighting should be dense."

"This means that when the army moves, the ranks should be spread out to allow the soldiers to move quickly."

"When it comes to actual combat, we should be more compact, making it difficult for the enemy to break through."

Mi Wei: "Sir, you mean that the enemy forces on the western route are tightly arrayed, ready to fight at any time. Therefore, which route is the enemy's main direction of attack?"

“You’re only half right,” Pan Jun said, slowly shaking his head.

"The enemy forces on the western route are indeed preparing for battle, but not for an offensive; they are preparing for a defensive one."

Miwei: "Why?"

Pan Jun did not answer, but instead pointed southwest again:
"Look carefully with your own eyes."

Miwei looked at the sandbar again.

While looking at it this time, I actually gained some insights:

"Although there are three garrison forts in the southern suburbs of Jiangling, the three forts are generally closer to the southwest."

"This means that it will be more difficult for the enemy to attack from the west."

Pan Jun asked expressionlessly, "Anything else?"

Miwei thought for a moment, then said:

"Although the enemy can rely on its superior forces to surround the three forts, if they want to establish a firm foothold on the shore, they cannot leave multiple strongholds of our army behind and on their sides."

"Therefore, although the western route will engage in battle first, it will focus on maintaining its position."

"We must wait for the eastern route to provide support and tie down the reinforcements in the city before we can attempt to besiege or attack the fortress."

"Excellent!" Pan Jun was slightly moved. "Is there anything else?"

"besides……"

Mi Wei pondered for a moment, then his gaze suddenly shifted to the billowing smoke that seemed to blot out the sky, and he realized:
"The enemy forces on the western route need to be wary not only of the garrison troops on the riverbank, but also of General Guan's cavalry!"

Upon hearing this, Pan Jun immediately pressed for an answer:

"Guan Ping has set up camp in the northern suburbs of Jiangling. If he goes south to provide reinforcements, he must first go around the city. The distance is about the same whether he goes east or west."

"Then may I ask: why did Guan Ping not go around to the east to block the enemy, but instead came to the west?"

Miwei had already thought it through and blurted out:

"Because the lakes in the eastern suburbs of Jiangling are connected, it is not conducive to the movement of cavalry."

"To the west, apart from the narrow Lingxi River, most of the land is flat, and there is also the Lingxi Garrison as a support point."

"Therefore, it is more convenient and more effective to block the enemy in the west." "And as long as the enemy in the west is successfully blocked, the remaining eastern route can be dealt with safely by the city's defenses, without the need for reinforcements."

"Ruzi can be taught!"

Pan Jun finally showed a satisfied expression.

And said:

"However, as I just said, this is ultimately just a temporary speculation."

"While there are many fortresses in the west, once captured, they will become the enemy's most reliable foothold."

"Although there is no fortress to stand on in the east, as you said, there are many lakes there, which can give full play to the advantage of the enemy's large number of ships."

“Once the enemy forces on the eastern route can dredge the Shuikou River, they may be able to establish a fortified village by the lake in the future.”

At this point, Pan Jun stroked his beard and said;
"This is what Sun Tzu meant by 'Military tactics are like water, which have no constant shape.'"

"Been taught a lesson!"

Mi Wei was sincerely convinced and thanked him.

He still didn't believe in Pan Jun's character.

But there was no doubt about his military capabilities.

The war then progressed largely as Poon Chun had predicted.

The enemy forces on the western route had finally driven away the garrison soldiers of Erbao and were just preparing to regroup on the shore.

Suddenly, a cavalry force appeared upstream of Lingxi, billowing dust as they approached.

Mi Wei and his men had a wide field of vision on the city wall and could clearly see a Guan-character flag fluttering in the wind.

Under his command, an exceptionally tall and strong cavalry general is leading the charge.

The knights who escorted him on the left and right were all exceptionally strong men.

However, compared to this one, it still stands out like a crane among chickens.

This is a significant advantage derived from physiological and visual factors.

For the enemy, it is naturally oppression and fear.

For me personally, it provides a strong sense of security.

Mi Wei noticed that after this flag and general appeared, everyone on the city wall visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

He thought to himself, "This must be Guan Ping, Guan Yu's eldest son and lieutenant general."

He was also one of the new favorites he had already identified.

Guan Ping's eight hundred cavalrymen quickly circled the city, without rushing into the enemy formation.

Instead, they first passed close to the edge of their own garrison formation, then cut diagonally towards the enemy formation.

Then, as it approached the enemy lines, it swiftly swept across and launched a volley of missiles.

They retreated immediately after firing.

They retreated until they were out of range of the enemy's archers before turning back and launching a new charge.

After several rounds of repeated volleys, our own garrison soldiers had safely retreated to the vicinity of the fortress.

The enemy's originally airtight military formation inevitably began to loosen.

At this moment, Mi Wei noticed a flash of cold light in the cavalry formation.

It is speculated that the knights replaced their horse bows with lances used for charging into battle.

Sure enough, the cavalry group split in two the next moment.

One unit continued to cover their own garrison troops.

One unit, led by the general's banner bearing the character "Guan," charged towards a loosely positioned part of the enemy formation.

The sight of hundreds of cavalrymen charging together, even from miles away, was still incredibly exciting.

After the initial attack, although the exact extent of the damage was unclear due to the distance, the specific wounds were not immediately apparent.

But the flags that had stood tall in the enemy ranks fell down like grass being cut down.

The dark formation quickly turned into a small patch of white.

Clearly, a rout had occurred there, and the army formation was no longer dense.

This rout triggered a chain reaction, quickly spreading to the surrounding army formations.

The seemingly unshakeable enemy formation finally began to falter.

"Is this the advantage cavalry has over infantry?"

Miwei was so captivated by the sight that he couldn't help but fantasize about leading hundreds of knights into battle in the future.

At this moment, Pan Jun's cold voice came:
"Don't think about it. Just because Ping can do some things doesn't mean you can."

　Please read and collect!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)