In this realistic war game, only I understand the course of the battle.

Zhu Di and Zhang Yu must have thought of this problem as well.

Shen Du looked up at the front. The central army's banner was flapping in the wind, and behind that banner embroidered with the character "Yan" in gold thread was Zhu Di's central command tent.

Zhang Yu's general's flag was to the left of the commander's flag, while Zhu Neng's city-breaking camp's general's flag was behind the commander's flag.

Shen Du shifted his gaze from the commander's flag to the muddy dirt road beneath his feet.

At this time tomorrow, on which city wall of the Twelve Linked Cities will these three flags be flying?

Zhao Laoliu caught up from behind, and together with a soldier, they carried a heavy wooden box. He walked to Shen Du's side and whispered something.

"Master Li, everything has been moved here as you instructed."

Shen Du nodded, his gaze falling on the faint outline of the city walls at the end of the road ahead.

"Pass down the order." His voice was very soft, so soft that only Zhao Laoliu could hear it. "After setting up camp tonight, no one is allowed to remove their armor. Assemble at midnight."

"Are they going to make a move?" Zhao Laoliu's Adam's apple bobbed.

When the army arrived at the outskirts of the Twelve Linked Cities, it was already completely dark.

Shen Du was lying on the back of the earthen embankment, peering through the gaps in the withered grass at the camp complex in front of him.

The twelve camps appeared as indistinct outlines in the night, with torches on the walls forming a broken band of light that stretched for nearly ten miles from west to east.

The camps were about two hundred paces apart, and the walls were connected by temporary trenches. The flickering torchlight could be seen in the trenches.

"It really is a solid block." Zhao Laoliu lay down next to Shen Du, keeping his voice down. "Look over there, at least five cannons are mounted on the walls at the corner between the two camps. If we charge from the front, the artillery fire from both sides will block the middle road."

Shen Du remained silent, his gaze slowly moving along the outline of the Twelve Linked Cities.

His memory is accurate.

The true strength of the Twelve Linked Cities lies not in how sturdy each individual camp is, but in the word "linked." If one camp is attacked, the two adjacent camps on either side can use crossfire to block the attack route from the flanks.

Even if they manage to breach the walls, the defending forces can continuously draw troops from other camps to launch a counterattack via the trenches.

But all of this has one prerequisite—the command and coordination between the various camps must be smooth.

Shen Du's gaze fell on the westernmost camp.

That was Baojia Camp, the westernmost stronghold of the Twelve Linked Cities. To the west of Baojia Camp, there were no adjacent camps, only a patch of low shrubs and a few abandoned irrigation canals.

If the attack is launched from the west, at least we don't have to worry about being attacked from the left flank.

More importantly, the walls of Baojia Camp were about three feet lower than those of other camps.

It's not that they cut corners during the repair; it's that the repair wasn't finished yet.

After Li Jinglong retreated from Baigou River, he immediately ordered the repair of the Twelve Linked Cities. However, the construction period was too tight, and the westernmost Baojia Camp and the easternmost Shaoma Camp were only roughly repaired.

The rammed earth wall was not high enough, and only half of the rampart was built.

"That's it." Shen Du withdrew his gaze and stepped back from behind the earthen embankment.

Feeling it was best to be safe, Shen Du immediately got up and reported the situation to the deputy commander.

Shen Du returned to the camp and called the three tank commanders of Team C and Gu Zhang to a secluded corner.

On the ground lay a rough map he had borrowed from the scouts, which roughly marked the location and spacing of the various camps in the Twelve Linked Cities.

"The artillery battalion's first round of artillery fire will be concentrated here tomorrow."

Shen Du's fingers pressed on the spot where Baojiaying was located.

"Two rounds of volleys of cannons and general's cannons were fired simultaneously, suppressing the defenders on the stockade wall."

The Po Cheng Camp attacked from the west, their target being the west gate of Baojia Camp.

A platoon leader frowned: "Commander Li, although there are no other camps attacking Baojia Camp from the west, there are still Xiajia Camp and Wangjia Camp from the south."

When we attacked Baojia Camp, the reinforcements from Xiajia Camp would arrive via the trenches in no more than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

"One incense stick's time," Shen Du repeated the time. "That's enough."

He looked up at Gu Zhang:

"Commander Gu, after you scale the wall tomorrow, you will lead your men south to fight."

Don't rush into the village; stay close to the south wall. Your only objective is to guard the entrance to the trench connecting Xiajiaying on the south wall.

Gu Zhang was taken aback for a moment, then understood Shen Du's intention.

After breaching the walls of Baojiaying, the greatest threat was not the defending troops inside the village, but the reinforcements that came from Xiajiaying via the trenches.

As long as that pass is held, even if only for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Baojiaying will become an isolated village.

"One incense stick's time," Gu Zhang repeated, his right hand unconsciously tightening its grip on the hilt of his sword. "I'll guard it."

"Zhao Laoliu," Shen Du turned to his veteran soldier, "After the obstacle-breaking team cuts down the deer antlers, don't retreat. Push forward with the battering ram. Take those three pottery jars with you."

"Don't forget what I told you: the pottery jar must be placed directly below the hinge of the west gate. Leave the fuse long enough, and run immediately after lighting it, run to the sides, not backwards."

"Run to either side?" Zhao Laoliu was stunned. "Not to the back?"

"Don't run backwards." Shen Du's tone left no room for argument. "After the door explodes, the wood and metal fragments fly backwards. Running backwards will just get you hit squarely."

Zhao Laoliu silently repeated the sentence to himself twice and nodded vigorously.

That night, Shen Du didn't sleep. He lay in his tent with his eyes closed, but his mind was going over every detail of tomorrow's events again and again.

When will the artillery stop? When will the breaching team charge? Which way will the wind blow when Zhao Laoliu lights the fuse? How many men does Gu Zhang need to hold the trench? What if Xiajiaying's reinforcements arrive faster than expected?

One variable after another, and one solution after another, wove a dense web in Shen Du's mind.

The next day, at the assembly point of the Pocheng Camp, more than a thousand people were doing a final check of their equipment.

Some people were wrapping hemp cloth around the knife handles to prevent slipping, some were tightening the leather straps on the bandages, and some were talking in hushed tones, their voices filled with tension and excitement.

When they reached Team C, Zhu Neng's horse paused for a moment.

He looked at Shen Duyao, then at the heavy wooden box at Zhao Laoliu's feet, and a half-smile moved at the corner of his mouth.

"Li Jingzhong".

"Your subordinate is here."

"The deputy commander reported last night that it was you who suggested attacking Baojiaying first?"

Zhu Neng's voice wasn't loud, but everyone around him heard it.

Shen Du looked up at Zhu Neng, his voice calm:

"There's a crack in the rammed earth wall to the left of the west gate of Baojiaying, about three feet from the door hinge. It runs from the base of the wall all the way to the top. Two volleys of a cannon would blow that crack open."

Zhu Neng didn't speak, stared at Shen Du for a couple of moments, and then suddenly smiled.

"I've fought for twelve years, and this is the first time I've seen people so focused on finding cracks in the walls before an attack."

Zhu Neng turned his horse around and said, "If you come back alive today, come find me at the central army."

Zhu Neng rode away.

The firearms battalion's muskets were the first to fire.

Twenty muskets were lined up five hundred paces from Baojia Camp. The gunners stuffed gunpowder into the muskets, tamped it down with iron spades, and then filled them with fist-sized stone bullets.