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墨書 Inktalez
A month of continuous sunny weather has led people to wonder if it will ever rain this year. Fortunately, the dense vegetation in the mountains has allowed the melting snow to gather into cheerful streams flowing down the slopes.
A hidden contingent of the Qin Army is standing by on the hillside, unable to light a fire and resorting to gnawing on hard bread to stave off hunger. Thankfully, they are used to it, so no one feels particularly burdened by the hardship.
Meng Wu and Wang Jian have just received news from their scouting outposts that there is a Qin Army camp two miles away from their hiding place. It is said that this location has been repeatedly attacked by the Zhao Army without success. It seems that these troops have not received a retreat order and are still holding their ground, waiting for reinforcements.
The two men looked down at the Qin Army map and exchanged glances. According to the marked locations, there indeed used to be a Qin Army camp here. With accurate information confirming that the original stationed troops had long since withdrawn, how could there still be a group of soldiers surrounded by the Zhao Army?
Initially, according to Commander Bai Qi's orders, their current position should be the endpoint of this search mission. Less than five miles ahead lies the Taihang Mountain range, an area that has always been under Zhao Army control, where the Qin Army would never enter Zhao territory. Moreover, any breakout would logically head southwest, never towards the northeast.
Meng Wu glanced at the map and asked, "General Wang! What do you think?"
Wang Jian knew well that it was a miracle for his group not to have been pursued by the Zhao Army. In military operations, what one fears most is repeated mistakes. No matter how covertly you act, you cannot avoid being spotted multiple times by the Zhao Army. If they were initially unnoticed, subsequent small movements would accumulate into a significant presence. As the stationed Qin Army began a large-scale breakout, it would inevitably attract attention.
The reason Zhao Kuo ordered a large-scale infiltration by the Zhao Army was precisely to attempt to cut off communications for the trapped Qin Army. In military engagements, unless a General issues a retreat order, no one dares abandon their position.
Furthermore, troop formations are often arranged in a staggered manner. This strategy ensures that units can advance, retreat, defend, and provide mutual cover. Troops positioned on the front lines typically support each other's flanks. If one side retreats without receiving orders, they risk exposing their comrades' flanks to the enemy.
The strongest defense in an army lies in its vanguard; conversely, its flanks and rear are relatively weaker. Exposing one's flank unknowingly can easily lead to a collapse of the entire Defensive Formation.
Zhao Kuo's objective was precisely this; he understood that the Qin Army would never abandon their positions without receiving a retreat order from the Qin Army Camp. The communication within the Qin Army was ineffective and could not relay messages properly, let alone manage later supplies. As long as these isolated camps remained in place, all that was left was for his army to solidify the Dan Shui River Defense Line. After that, it would be simple—slowly but surely consuming them piece by piece.
After crossing the Dan Shui River and pursuing the Zhao Army near Taihang Mountain, the Qin Army faced five consecutive days of heavy snowfall. With snow sealing off the mountains, both armies settled into a complete standstill. After all, humans are not gods who can cast spells to stop snowfall. Once all valleys and ditches were filled with snow, using military force became an unattainable luxury.
If it was heaven that helped the Qin Army cross the Dan Shui River, then this old man seemed to have grown weary of the slaughter in the world. A gentle snowfall covered all the past grievances.
King Zhao of Qin had clearly calculated the arrival of such weather, so he did not demand that the Qin Army directly conquer the fortifications on Taihang Mountain. Instead, he temporarily set the boundary for the initial phase of the battle at crossing the Dan Shui River.
With this command from King Qin, the Qin Army secured strategic depth on the east bank of the river after successfully crossing. The intention was to eliminate this so-called Natural Barrier, allowing them to prepare for crossing Taihang Mountain when spring arrived.
Now it can also be understood that at this moment, the communication camp composed of the Seventeenth Infantry Regiment led by Meng Wu and the Ninth Cavalry Camp led by Wang Jian was nearing the frontline where the Qin Army had originally set up defenses.
Wang Jian shook his head as he looked at the map and said, “General Meng! I am worried there may be a trap! We all know that the Zhao Army has changed commanders. The current Commander of the Zhao Army is no longer Old General Lian Po, but has been replaced by Zhao Kuo, who is well-versed in military strategy. Don’t be fooled by his youth; his scheming is likely on par with ours. Even our Wuan Jun has said that given time, Zhao Kuo could replace him.”
Meng Wu listened quietly and stared at the map for a while without speaking. According to the Grand Commander's initial orders, this location was already the endpoint of their mission. This meant that his Communication Camp had completed its task and could leave without concern, believing no one would object.
Fearing an encounter with the Zhao Army, Meng Wu had ordered his team to move secretly during both day and night. Although everyone carried a set of Zhao uniforms in their packs, they had yet to find an opportunity to use them. Even so, dangers still lurked.
Their mission was to identify weaknesses in the Zhao Camp surrounding the Qin Army and then have Wang Jian lead the Charioteer Camp to break through and deliver messages while Meng Wu led soldiers on the periphery to scout for support. Once it was confirmed that the Zhao Army had not reinforced their defenses, Meng Wu would signal according to their prearranged breakout time. If the Zhao Army had strengthened their guard, he would find a suitable route and signal the breakout troops.
This led to a strange phenomenon for the Zhao Army: sometimes, when Qin Army broke through suddenly, it was not always towards Dan Shui River; they would also launch fierce attacks towards the south or north.
Although more and more of the Qin Army successfully broke through, with Zhao Kuo's intelligence, he could easily deduce who was causing trouble behind him. If that were true, finding a suitable place to set a trap would certainly be possible!
Meng Wu thought about this and rubbed his forehead vigorously. “What you say is true; I am worried about this matter! But how can we abandon our brothers and leave without clear knowledge of our enemy!?”
Wang Jian's concern was not about not saving them but rather an unsettling feeling stirring within him. The start of their actions had gone too smoothly; it felt almost like divine assistance. While there were reasons for moving secretly during both day and night, it still felt unreal. However, just because something felt off did not mean they should avoid battle; that was simply not a valid reason!
"Does General Meng mean that we should wait until dark to sneak in and take a look?"
Meng Wu was unaware that someone was actually concerned about the Military Map in front of him; at this moment, his heart was solely focused on the mission to not abandon his brother troops.
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