Through countless dynasties, I can summon the heroes of Chinese history.

Chapter 99 The Arrogance of a Troop: Fan Li's Scheme Against Pan Feng

After seeing Pan Feng's great victory over Wu Xiaofeng and his four generals, Jiang Ce did not send anyone else to challenge them, since he had already done what he needed to do.

Therefore, he made a decisive move and loudly ordered the entire army to retreat.

As soon as Jiang Ce gave the order, the Liangshan army and the Laiyang army retreated in an orderly manner, without disrupting their formation.

At this moment, Han Feng stood at the front of the battle line and saw the enemy army retreating in panic. He immediately waved his hand and ordered a pursuit, determined to take advantage of the victory and expand the results of the battle.

Jiang Ce had anticipated this and immediately dispatched a white-robed army to turn around and form ranks. In the blink of an eye, arrows rained down, firmly blocking the path of the aristocratic family's pursuers.

The remaining soldiers were divided into several teams, taking turns to cover the retreat.

Seeing the enemy's fierce and ruthless resistance, and their measured retreat, Han Feng felt a shadow of unease.

Everything was just as he had guessed. King Jiang Ce of Laiyang was probably inside. Now that he had guessed the identity of his opponent, he naturally couldn't treat him like a bandit, lest he fall into their trap.

Upon realizing this, Han Feng decided to sound the retreat and let them leave.

Pan Feng was somewhat displeased to see that Han Feng had stopped and was not pursuing him. However, he knew his current status, so he suppressed his dissatisfaction and spurred his horse to rush in front of Han Feng.

"General, the enemy has already been defeated. Why did you sound the retreat instead of pursuing them and expanding our gains?" Pan Feng immediately asked.

Han Feng glanced at Pan Feng, suppressing his dissatisfaction, and said in a calm tone, "Although the enemy was defeated this time, they fought bravely and were fearless in their resistance. Their formation was well-organized when they retreated, clearly showing that they are well-trained elite troops."

Who can be sure there aren't ambushes behind them? If we rashly pursue them and fall into an ambush, wouldn't that be a greater loss than a gain?

Pan Feng was taken aback upon hearing this, but quickly recovered. He was a seasoned commander who had fought many battles and was particularly skilled at commanding cavalry.

Having gradually regained his senses, he could naturally see that the hundreds of cavalrymen who had stayed behind to hold off the enemy demonstrated their elite status in terms of both the accuracy of their arrows and the superior armor and weapons they wore.

Such cavalry had never appeared in the Liangshan army before.

Seeing that Pan Feng's dissatisfaction was gradually subsiding, Han Feng slowly explained, "General Pan, the young general under Song Jiang who uses a spear has never made a move in the battle before."

"Although my strength is far inferior to that of the general, I still have a keen eye. This man's skills are probably no less than those of Lü Guang. He remained inactive when Song Jiang was in dire straits, but now that the army is breaking out, he is the one testing the waters."

All these actions prove that Song Jiang's backer has probably arrived.

Pan Feng suddenly realized what was going on.

As a guest of the Han family, Pan Feng, although not a member of the Han family, held a relatively high position in the Han family and naturally knew a lot of things.

No wonder Song Jiang has become so bold; it seems his powerful backer has arrived, and that backer should be none other than the Prince of Laiyang, Jiang Ce.

"General, now that the Prince of Laiyang has arrived, we should naturally keep him here," Pan Feng said coldly.

As the saying goes, "He who takes money must do his bidding." Pan Feng was quite ethical; as a guest of the Han family, he naturally had to consider the Han family's interests.

"No rush." ​​Han Feng shook his head, his gaze deep, and said, "Now that the Prince of Laiyang has appeared at Liangshan, he certainly won't leave easily. We have plenty of opportunities to deal with him."

After saying this, the two men said no more, immediately reorganized their army, returned to their mountain stronghold, and waited for Jiang Ce to attack again.

Meanwhile, at the foot of Liangshan Mountain.

Outside the military tent in Laiyang.

Song Jiang, Chao Gai, and Wu Yong strode in, bowed respectfully to Jiang Ce, and said in an extremely respectful tone, "Your Highness, Han Feng and Pan Feng did not lead troops in pursuit!"

"I understand."

Jiang Ce nodded slightly, a hint of melancholy flashing across his eyes.

Although he had guessed this outcome, when the truth was laid bare before him, a slight sense of disappointment still welled up inside him.

After all, his initiative to challenge the enemy was ostensibly a show of force in front of the enemy, but his real purpose was to set up a trap to lure the enemy's main force out of the city to pursue them, so as to find an opportunity to break the deadlock.

Jiang Ce was well aware that this plan had little chance of success, but it wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

He still harbored a sliver of hope, wondering what if the other party, blinded by greed, actually fell into the trap.

Unfortunately, the reality was far from what was expected. The enemy general was indeed shrewd and not a good-for-nothing. In the end, the trap he set to lure the enemy was completely useless.

"Let's go. The three of you come with me into the tent to discuss our next steps."

Jiang Ce composed himself and addressed the three people beside him in a deep voice.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Song Jiang, Chao Gai, and Wu Yong accepted the order in unison, without the slightest hesitation, and followed Jiang Ce's footsteps quickly into the central command tent.

Ten people had gathered inside the tent: Wu Zixu, Fan Xin, Chang Yuchun, Deng Qiang, Ling Gu Fu, and...

With Lü Guang, plus Jiang Ce, Song Jiang, Chao Gai, and Wu Yong, there were exactly ten people gathered here.

Jiang Ce went straight to the head seat and sat down, while Song Jiang, Chao Gai, and Wu Yong consciously took the last seat.

At this moment, Jiang Ce's gaze swept over everyone present, and then he asked in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, you must have already witnessed the true strength of the aristocratic families' army. What are your thoughts?"

Wu Zixu spoke first, his voice calm and unhurried: "Your Highness, observing today the disciplined and powerful military forces of the noble families, with a general as brilliant as Pan Feng in command, it would be extremely difficult to confront them head-on."

This is tricky.

"I am naturally aware of that."

Jiang Ce nodded slightly, his tone becoming even more serious as he said, "But Han Feng's army is an obstacle we must overcome. So, if any of you have any good strategies for defeating the enemy, please speak up."

The tent fell silent for a moment. Upon seeing this, Wu Yong, the Liangshan strategist who had just joined them, immediately stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Highness, I have a plan called the 'Arrogance Plan'."

[Ding-dong, Wu Yong's skill "Strategist" effect 1 activated. After this skill effect is activated, Wu Yong's intelligence increases by 2. Wu Yong's base intelligence is 92, and his current intelligence value increases to 94.]

[Ding-dong, Wu Yong's skill "Heavenly Secret" activated:]

Tianji: This is a unique skill for people with the Tianji star destiny. The specific strength and effect of the awakened skill vary from person to person.

Effect 1: After this skill effect is activated, it can provide an additional amplification effect to the first effect of the Wise Star skill, but it cannot be activated simultaneously with the third effect of the Wise Star skill.

Effect 2: When serving as a strategist, it can randomly increase the command value of the leading general by 1-2 points; (Note: This effect cannot be activated on God-level commanders, and Heaven-level commanders will only receive one command value increase;)

Effect 3: When activated in conjunction with the other thirty-six Heavenly Generals skills, it can form the combo skill "Heavenly Generals Divine Generals". The Heavenly Generals Divine Generals and Earthly Fiends Divine Generals can form the ultimate combo skill "Heavenly Generals and Earthly Fiends".

Upon seeing Wu Yong unleash his second skill, Jiang Ce exclaimed in surprise.

In order to make a good impression on himself and also to show off his abilities, he really went all out this time, activating two intelligence-boosting skills right from the start.

It remains to be seen what kind of clever plan he will come up with this time; Jiang Ce is eagerly awaiting the answer.

"Oh?"

A hint of interest flashed in Jiang Ce's eyes, and he immediately encouraged Wu Yong, saying, "This plan is quite interesting. Military Advisor Wu, please explain it in detail."

【Ding dong, Wu Yong's skill Tianji】Effect 1 is activated. After this skill effect is activated, it can provide an additional amplification effect to the skill effect 1 of Zhiduoxing, but it cannot be activated at the same time as the skill effect 3 of Zhiduoxing.

Wu Yong's Intelligence is currently increased by 1, bringing his total Intelligence to 95.

"Return to your highness,"

After a moment's thought, Wu Yong immediately began to speak eloquently: "Pan Feng in the government army camp, although a fierce general, is also a man without strategy, and that is something we can take advantage of."

Now that Pan Feng has just won a great victory, he is in a state of arrogance. Our army should send troops to challenge him every day, deliberately losing a few battles in a row to fuel his arrogance.

When he becomes arrogant and the morale of his entire army reaches its peak, we will set an ambush to lure him out, and then we will surely achieve victory in one battle!

Upon hearing this, the strategist Fan Li nodded slightly and then commented, "Strategist Wu's plan is excellent, but there is still one flaw."

After Pan Feng wins several consecutive matches, his momentum will be unstoppable, and the morale of the aristocratic families' troops will also be greatly boosted.

Even if they fall into an ambush, they will fight to the death with a do-or-die mentality. Our army's total strength is already less than that of the aristocratic families' troops. If they are forced to charge in desperately, the situation may become difficult to control.

Upon hearing this, Wu Yong frowned deeply.

Fan Xin succinctly pointed out the crux of the plan: although this tactic of arrogance could lure Pan Feng into a trap, it could not solve the fundamental problem of the disparity in troop strength between the two sides.

However, Wu Yong was also a clever man. He turned to Fan Xin and said humbly, "Sir, your insight is keen and your words are to the point. I wonder what your brilliant insights are? Please do not hesitate to enlighten me."

He had always prided himself on his ingenuity, but he could see that the young man before him was far more intelligent than himself, and he was naturally convinced of his superiority.

After seeing Wu Yong's actions, Fan Xin held him in higher regard.

According to the intelligence he had previously seen from Luo Wang, Wu Yong was most skilled in intrigue and scheming. Now that his plan had a flaw, he thought that Wu Yong would definitely argue his way out of trouble, but he did not expect that Wu Yong would be able to humbly ask for advice. This shows that he is not entirely useless.

There is still value in continuing to cultivate them.

"Wu Junshi's plan is generally feasible; it only requires slight modifications to the details," Fan Li said slowly.

"I would like to hear the details!" Wu Yong said earnestly, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Pan Feng has won several matches in a row and his momentum is unstoppable. Let's first dampen his spirits." Fan Li said in a calm and steady voice, every word precious. "The more Pan Feng wins, the higher the morale of the aristocratic families' troops will rise."

When the morale of the aristocratic families' troops reaches its peak, he will become an invincible war god in their hearts and the spiritual pillar of the entire army.

But once this pillar collapses, the morale of the aristocratic families and their troops will plummet to rock bottom. As the saying goes, the higher you climb, the harder you fall.

At that time, the enemy's morale will be low, while our army's morale will be greatly boosted. This is the key opportunity to defeat the enemy and achieve victory!

"Brilliant!"

Wu Yong clapped his hands and laughed loudly, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light.

"This is an open scheme targeting Pan Feng, and there is no way to counter it unless he stays at home and refuses to fight. But even if he does that, the fierce generals under Han Feng will not agree to it."

Jiang Ce also thought the plan was brilliant, but still had some doubts. So he asked, "Strategist, this plan is indeed good, but the aristocratic army has a force of 30,000. Even if their morale is low, I'm afraid our forces will not be able to swallow them whole, will they?"

"Your Highness, there is no need to worry about this matter."

Fan Xin smiled slightly and said, "Because we only have 20,000 people to face."

"Oh?"

Jiang Ce's mind raced, and he instantly understood the deeper meaning behind his words.

"Does the strategist mean that Gao Lan might stand by and watch us die?"

"Exactly."

Fan Xin nodded and said, "When I first came to Liangshan, I took advantage of my duties to investigate the battles between Liangshan and the aristocratic families' troops, hoping to discover something useful. During this investigation, I discovered something interesting."

"Tell me about something interesting!" Jiang Ce was immediately drawn in by Fan Li's words and asked curiously.

"Your Highness, the commander of the aristocratic army this time is Han Feng, and his deputy is Gao Lan, who comes from the border army. In the battle against Liangshan, he seems to have been holding back all the way. He must be a border army general who is dissatisfied with the Han family."

Once Pan Feng falls into the trap, we only need to deploy feints outside Gao Lan's defense zone to create a false impression. Then he will have a reason to remain inactive.

The Cao family, of course, wouldn't fight too hard for the Han family. They would naturally back down and choose to preserve themselves. When that time comes, we only need to spare a small force to contain Gao Lan, while concentrating our main force to wipe out Han Feng's troops. Gao Lan, seeing that the situation is hopeless, will retreat without a fight.

"Okay! Let's do it this way!"

Jiang Ce immediately slammed his hand on the table and stood up, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"Chang Yuchun and Wu Zixu, the Laiyang army will be under your command in this battle. You will be fully responsible for all military affairs and deployments!"

"Your humble servant obeys!"

Chang Yuchun and Wu Zixu stood up together and responded in deep voices.

"Deng Qiang, Lü Guang, Ling Gu Fu!"

Jiang Ce then looked at the other three and said, "The three of you, along with Song Jiang, Chao Gai, and Wu Yong, are responsible for training the existing soldiers of Liangshan. You must maximize their combat effectiveness in the shortest possible time!"

"Your subordinates obey!" Song Jiang and Deng Qiang and the others stood up at the same time to accept the order.

"The rest of you, each fulfilling your duties according to this plan, go and make the arrangements quickly!"

After everyone in the tent had left, Jiang Ce walked alone to the tent entrance, gazing in the direction where the aristocratic families' troops were stationed at Liangshan, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"Han Feng, Pan Feng, you two will be the first stepping stones for me, Jiang Ce, to unify Laizhou in the future!" Jiang Ce muttered to himself.

Meanwhile, Wu Yong, Fan Li, and Wu Zixu stayed up all night discussing strategies, and the final plan for the arrogant army was finally revealed.

With Fan Li, Wu Zixu, Wu Yong, Song Jiang, and Deng Qiang in charge of overall coordination, the plan was implemented step by step, following the established procedures without any mishaps.

Everything will wait until tomorrow.