Late Ming Dynasty: Starting with the overthrow of the county magistrate, a rebellion was launched to

So many strange things have happened tonight, so many that even after all this time, the sky is still dark with hardly any light.

On this pitch-black field, where not a finger's breadth could be seen, the two armies had been locked in a stalemate for a long time, the shouts of soldiers and the cries of the wounded rising and falling in waves.

Just after Zhang Da put on his heavy armor, he heard again from the soldiers coming down from the front lines about the results of the head-on battle on the battlefield.

At this point, the two sides' forces were entangled in a stalemate, unable to advance or retreat, and neither side could easily overwhelm the other.

That's why Zhang Dacai didn't back down!

He remained confident that he could defeat his opponent, and therefore showed no intention of retreating or giving way.

As Zhang Da was intently observing the battle, his personal guard, who had just come down from the battlefield, quickly stepped forward.

"General, the battle at the front has been deadlocked for a long time, with heavy casualties on both sides. The longer the stalemate continues... Since you have decided to fight to the death... perhaps... perhaps you should send the remaining reserve soldiers into battle... and transfer all the remaining troops to the front lines as reinforcements, what do you think?"

The guard hesitated before offering the suggestion, but seeing that Zhang Da didn't seem to mind, he continued to advise him.

"The battle has reached a stalemate, and at this time, morale on the battlefield is the most unpredictable. Once the front line shows the slightest sign of weakness, the morale of the army will be shaken in an instant."

Moreover, the darkness of night limits visibility, making it impossible for soldiers to discern enemy deployments or their own advances and retreats. If the offensive stalls and morale collapses, the enemy could seize the opportunity to secretly deploy their hidden reserves, leading to a series of defeats for our frontline troops!

That's right.

Throughout history, the worst thing a military strategist can do is to hold back their strength and hesitate when the battle is at a stalemate, as this makes it easy for the enemy to seize the opportunity and defeat them in one fell swoop.

Several of these are very typical cases.

For example, during the Battle of Yiling in the Three Kingdoms period, Emperor Zhaolie Liu Bei personally led the Shu army to attack Wu. At first, his army was unstoppable and won one victory after another. However, he was eager for quick success and also had wishful thinking. He abandoned the good strategy of advancing by both land and water and instead set up camps for seven hundred miles in the mountains and forests, intending to hold out against Lu Xun for a long time.

At that time, the Shu army appeared to have a strong force, but in reality, its forces were scattered across a series of camps. It had no spare strength to launch a decisive attack, and it was unwilling to devote its main force to a strong assault on the Wu army's defenses. It wasted time and ultimately suffered a major defeat at Yiling!

There was also the Battle of Fei River during the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

When Fu Jian of the Former Qin Dynasty unified the north, he led a million troops south to attack Jin. However, when the army was pressing in, Fu Jian was confident in his strength and underestimated the enemy. When the two armies were facing each other at Fei River, he hesitated in his deployment and refused to concentrate his elite troops for a strong attack. Instead, he believed the Jin army's request to retreat for a decisive battle and rashly ordered the army to retreat.

However, once the army retreated, morale plummeted. With no one to control the rear, the soldiers fled in droves, unaware of the reasons. The Jin army seized the opportunity to cross the river and launch a surprise attack. The million-strong army of the Former Qin collapsed and scattered in an instant.

Finally, there was the Battle of Junziguan in the Northern Song Dynasty. At that time, the Liao and Song armies faced each other in the dead of winter. Liu Tingrang, the commander of the Song army, led tens of thousands of elite troops and occupied the terrain, but dared not launch a full-scale attack. Instead, he left his troops to observe the situation and wait for reinforcements to encircle them.

Unexpectedly, the weather was freezing cold, and the Song soldiers' armor froze, greatly reducing their fighting strength. The Liao army seized the opportunity to concentrate their forces and launch a fierce attack. The Song army's front line gradually collapsed, and the troops left behind in the rear were afraid of the enemy and dared not rush to their aid. In the end, all 50,000 elite Song troops were wiped out, with more than 40,000 killed in battle. The elite force was completely depleted, and from then on, the Northern Song Dynasty no longer had the ability to launch an offensive against Liao.

Therefore, most ancient battles where the weaker side won against the stronger one were actually due to the superior side failing to seize opportunities and suffering a humiliating defeat.

Hearing his guard's words, Zhang Da suddenly felt that his current situation was vaguely similar to those battles...

After some deliberation, Zhang Da had come to agree with his personal guard's assessment and was considering ordering reinforcements. Just as he took a deep breath and was about to issue the order,

and many more!

Zhang Da, who had raised his arm, suddenly stopped, swallowed the words that were about to come out, and turned his gaze from the fierce battle on the front to the undulating terrain on both sides of the battlefield, and began to think deeply...

While the guard's words had merit, the historical examples of defeat were indeed vivid in memory. Leaving troops to observe during a stalemate could easily lead to a rout.

However... if we think about it carefully, the number of troops remaining under our command is not large to begin with, and they are not particularly strong. If we were to commit them all to the front lines, it would simply be a matter of continuing to fight the enemy head-on, with exhausted troops fighting exhausted troops.

There is only one possible outcome: the losses on both sides will continue to increase, and even if more troops are added, the offensive can only be stabilized temporarily, and the enemy's main force will no longer be able to be defeated in one fell swoop!

If a full-scale assault fails to break through the enemy lines, resulting in the exhaustion of all remaining troops... and the tide of battle turns, it would be tantamount to throwing away the lives of the entire army.

No, no, that's too dangerous!

As the art of war says, "Avoid the strong and attack the weak."

Zhang Da suddenly said slowly

"Why not consider this: the point where the two armies are most closely entangled in the front is where the enemy's main force is concentrated. A head-on clash would certainly result in huge losses with little gain. However, when the troops are arrayed for battle, the soldiers' energy and deployment are all concentrated on the front, leaving the flanks as the weakest points in terms of defense, with sparse troops, lax defenses, and few heavy garrisons..."

A brilliant idea popped into Zhang's head.

"In that case, why not abandon the outdated approach of launching a frontal assault and instead divide our forces to bypass the enemy and launch a surprise attack on their flank?!"

In ancient warfare, large armies would be arrayed, with all elite forces and offensive and defensive deployments prioritizing the central army and the front lines to directly confront enemy attacks and stabilize the frontal battle situation.

Therefore, the soldiers on the flanks are mostly auxiliary troops, with weaker combat strength and less vigilance than those on the front. Once they are caught off guard, they are very prone to panic...

If Zhang Da were to detach a force at this moment, quietly flank the enemy, and launch a sudden attack...

At that time, the enemy's attention was completely tied up in the frontal battle, and they were focused on dealing with the enemy troops in front of them. They had no time to pay attention to their flanks and rear. In the darkness, the field of vision was narrow, which would surely catch the enemy off guard and instantly disrupt their complete formation!

Once the formation is disrupted, even the most elite soldiers will fight individually, and morale will collapse instantly.

In the darkness, fear and unease are inevitable. Soldiers engaged in direct combat will inevitably be distracted and panicked, resulting in a significant loss of fighting strength.

Finally... the enemy commander will inevitably find himself in a dilemma.

If the main force is redeployed to defend the flanks, the frontal offensive will suddenly weaken, and our main force can take advantage of the situation to launch a counterattack.

If left unattended and allowed to be breached on the flanks, the enemy will be caught in a desperate situation, attacked from both sides, with no way to advance or retreat, and their morale will completely collapse!

It couldn't be more perfect!

After weighing the pros and cons repeatedly, Zhang Da made no further hesitation. He composed himself, looked up at the group of personal guards and lieutenants beside him, and, suppressing his excitement, spoke in a deep voice.

"I understand everything you have said. Don't panic. At this moment, we cannot simply launch a frontal assault. I intend to divide our forces into two groups, each fulfilling its specific role, and change our tactics to break the deadlock through flanking attacks!"

As soon as he finished speaking, all the soldiers were stunned, but they still looked puzzled and waited for him to continue.

Zhang Da then began to methodically deploy the remaining troops. He then publicly ordered that 60% of the force be transferred to the command of two of his lieutenants and sent to the main battlefield. Naturally, he did not expect them to launch a fierce attack; their only goal was to stabilize their own lines, hold the existing battle lines, and apply pressure gradually, thus tying down the enemy's full attention.

As for the remaining 40% of the troops...

After some thought, Zhang Da decided to take command personally. He planned to don his armor, mount his horse, and wield a long sword, avoiding the main battle area. Under the cover of night, he would find a secluded and hidden path to quietly bypass the enemy's lines and make his way to their flank. He would then wait for the opportune moment to launch a surprise attack!