In Jishui Stronghold, Cao's army was also fully deployed. Lu Qian ignored Zhuge Liang's injuries and observed Zhuge Liang's troops on the other side. After they left, he returned to the main tent.
Seeing that there were generals following Zhuge Liang, Lu Qian's mood became heavier and his generals frowned. The Central Plains was in danger. Guanzhong and Qingzhou had also been conquered and could not come to support. The situation was not optimistic.
Wang Hui said: "Jingzhou soldiers are newly arrived, why not take advantage of their unstable footing and go to rob the stronghold tonight?"
Lu Qian said: "Zhuge Liang is very good at using troops, how can he not know how to take precautions?"
Xu Xi said: "We have set up defenses along the river and have no intention of advancing. The general is injured. Zhuge Liang must not have expected that we would dare to rob the camp, so he was caught off guard."
Lu Qian shook his head and said: "In the Battle of Kunyang, Zhang Wenyuan robbed the camp twice and almost never returned. We are here to shoulder the important responsibility of the safety of Luoyang and the Central Plains. We cannot allow any mistakes and cannot act rashly."
While they were arguing, Xin Pi came to the camp. Hearing the words, he smiled and said, "That Kong Ming is quite resourceful. If he attacks the camp, he will definitely fall into his trap. Why doesn't the general follow his plan?"
Lu Qian asked hurriedly: "What's the plan?"
Xin Pi said: "We are setting up defenses here not only to guard the rear, but also to retreat from the enemy. If we only defend without attacking, it will not be a long-term solution. The enemy's army is now very energetic and it is not appropriate to attack. We should use our exhausted troops first." The strategy is to kill his morale, olden his troops, and then wait for an opportunity to defeat the enemy. Perhaps he can coordinate with General Zhang and turn defeat into victory."
Lu Qian nodded and said, "What the Ming Dynasty said makes sense, but Gan Ning and other generals are brave. If they attack and harass us, they may be harmed."
Xin Pi smiled and said: "There is no need to send troops. The two generals just go to guard the camp. I have a clever plan to make the Jingzhou soldiers restless day and night, and they will want to retreat soon."
Wang Hui asked doubtfully: "Jingzhou's army is already strong. If we don't send troops, how can we disturb the enemy?"
Xin Pi said: "We can use two troops at Songshan and Jishui River to disturb the enemy with drums and trumpets. The Jingzhou soldiers do not know the truth and are determined to prevent me from robbing the camp. They will be on guard all night. Within a few days, the Jingzhou soldiers will not be able to bear the disturbance, no matter what. If you advance or retreat, there will be changes, and if you change, you can counterattack."
"Zhuge Liang has also used this strategy in Bowangpo. It depends on how he responds." Lu Qian was overjoyed and ordered Xu Xi and Mao Hui to each guard a stronghold and lead his own army in the center to respond.
Another person was sent to ambush in the mountains and reed swamps. When they saw the fire horn on the tower, they would beat drums and gongs. When the fire was extinguished, they would lurk in the mountains.
After the third watch of the night, Xin Pi came to a high platform on the cliff. He saw the Jingzhou military camp in the distance arranged neatly, with sergeants patrolling back and forth. Although not vigilant, it was orderly. He couldn't help secretly sighing at Zhuge Liang's skill in training his troops.
After observing silently for a while, he could not tell whether the enemy camp was real or not. Xin Pi frowned slightly and gave the order: "Light the fire!"
The soldiers behind them lit torches and waved them towards the mountain. Immediately they heard a burst of rapid drum beating from far to near. The defenders of the Jingzhou Army Camp immediately became vigilant, and two teams of soldiers and horses came to the camp gate to be on guard.
Seeing that the enemy's troops were not only moving quickly, but also without any chaos, Xinpi's response was astonishing, and he became increasingly worried. The enemy's elite troops were far more elite than he had expected, and perhaps only the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry could compare with them.
These were just ordinary soldiers guarding the camp. You can imagine how powerful Guan Yu's soldiers and horses were. Looking at the starry sky, Xin Pi's face was as sinking as water. When he abandoned Yuan and joined Cao Cao, it was precisely because of Cao's army that the Hebei army collapsed at the first touch.
Nowadays, the Cao family seems to be following the old path of the Yuan family. Cao Cao is far away in Mobei. He has incompetent heirs and weak soldiers and horses. It seems that he has many troops, but in fact he has no generals to lead him. He is restrained at every turn against the enemy and has no chance of winning.
"Time is also destiny?" Xinpi looked up to the sky and sighed softly, feeling confused for a moment.
In fact, the Jingzhou camp was far from as peaceful as Xinpi had seen. Outside the camp, there seemed to be only ordinary troops, but inside the camp, the army was already on alert.
When Gan Ning heard the sound of the drum, he immediately rushed to the central army tent. Seeing the darkness in the tent, he shouted urgently: "Commander, the enemy is attacking! You must have miscalculated this time..."
After shouting several times, there was no response from the tent. White soldiers were guarding the door, and no one was allowed to enter without the general order.
When he was anxious, Chen Dao also hurried over. Gan Ning hurriedly stepped forward and said, "The military advisor must have fallen asleep. I'll wake him up quickly."
Chen Dao frowned and waited for a moment, then clasped his fists and said, "The military advisor has not moved yet. I think Cao Jun is just bluffing. Xingba will go to rest first and wait for the general's orders."
"Hey, that's sloppy. Isn't this a leftover from the military advisor's play?" Gan Ning suddenly realized, slapped his forehead and left with a sigh.
The footsteps outside the tent faded away, but the curtain was opened a crack, and the boy handed out a brocade bag: "Please do as ordered by General Huo Jun."
The soldiers took the general's order and left quickly. A ray of light came through the crack in the door, and they saw a man in Taoist robes and a crane, sitting cross-legged in meditation. It was Zhuge Liang.
When Xinpi saw that the defenders had retreated, but two more patrols were added, he couldn't help but feel moved and told Zhuge Liang to be cautious. Sure enough, as long as he mobilized his troops, his plan to disturb the enemy would be effective.
After waiting for another half an hour, Simpi ordered his men to sound a fire horn to the river bank. This time they were very close to the enemy camp, and the rapid drum beat was like thunder.
Sure enough, the Jingzhou soldiers reacted strongly this time. Drums and gongs were beaten in the camp, and several groups of soldiers and horses quickly gathered outside the camp and formed formations to wait for the enemy in the blink of an eye.
"Hey, Wolong reaped his own rewards, how could he predict my plan?" Although Xinpi marveled at the enemy's military discipline, he was secretly happy when he saw that Zhuge Liang had fallen into the trap.
He harassed the enemy many times in order to surprise him. Even if Zhuge Liang was very wise, he could not predict which time he would launch an attack. He had to fight the enemy with all his strength.
After seeing initial results, Simpi's confidence increased greatly, and he ordered his soldiers to follow the same method. There was no need to send signals regularly, or to harass the enemy for half an hour, or for an hour, making them restless all night.
Early the next morning, Lu Qian asked about the military situation. He was awakened by the sound of drums several times last night, and the enemy troops could be imagined.
Hearing that the Jingzhou soldiers formed their formations in time the first two times but gradually slacked off later, Lu Qian laughed and said: "Kong Ming, Kong Ming, in the past General Xiahou was plotted by you, and now he uses your body in your way. This so-called retribution is not good." also!"
In the Jingzhou camp, the soldiers were indeed not as energetic as they were when they arrived yesterday. They all had wilted heads and yawned from time to time, and their morale was much lower.
In the central army tent, Gan Ning saw that Zhuge Liang was refreshed and could not help but admire him. This young man was really calm.
While thinking about it, Zhuge Liang ordered Gan Ning to go and fight, while the rest of the generals continued to rest. Many people were disturbed last night, so they all rested peacefully.
Gan Ning led his troops back to the camp at noon. He ordered his generals to take turns going into battle and yelling and scolding, but Cao Jun turned a deaf ear and could not hold on. He could only vent his anger and return angrily.
Zhuge Liang shook his feather fan lightly and said with a smile: "Xinpi will laugh at me if he uses my spear against my shield."
Gan Ning was also curious: "I wonder about the conflict between military advisors, who is strong and who is weak?"
Zhuge Liang smiled and said: "As the saying goes, water has no permanent shape, and soldiers have no permanent power. How can we judge success or failure in one moment?"
Chen Dao asked: "The military advisor wants to stop with silence?"
"No!" Zhuge Liang said: "To make Lu Qian and Xin Pi think they have a plan, they need to use spear against spear."
Gan Ning asked in confusion: "How do you say this?"
Zhuge Liang chuckled and said: "If he disturbs the enemy, I will disturb the enemy too!"
