mtl008 Chapter 355 The Final Offensive Begins, Pan Zhang's Doomsday
Chapter 355 The Final Offensive Begins, Pan Zhang's Doomsday
Inside the commander's tent of the Han army camp.
After listening to the scout's report, Guan Xing called over Deng Hong and You Chong and said, "Something's not right. Pan Zhang has been camped next to us for two days now, why hasn't he attacked? What is he waiting for? Is he waiting for Zhuge Jin?"
Having campaigned in Jianye for so long and fought so many battles with the Wu army, the Wu army, including Pan Zhang, was well aware of their ability to rapidly increase their numbers. Since they were aware of this, they should know that now was the best time to fight them. Otherwise, the longer the battle dragged on, the more troops they would have, which would be more disadvantageous for the Wu army.
Therefore, Guan Xing believed that after Pan Zhang infiltrated between him and Peng Qi and cut off their connection, he would definitely launch an attack on him immediately, trying to end the battle before Peng Qi arrived.
This is Pan Zhang's best and only chance to defeat him. If he misses this opportunity, he will never give him another chance.
Given Pan Zhang's abilities, there's no reason he couldn't see this, so why did he hesitate to launch an attack?
Deng Hong said, "That's for sure. Who else can we wait for besides Zhuge Jin? I think that although Pan Zhang's forces are twice our size, your brilliant achievements during this period have made him afraid. So he doesn't dare to act rashly and wants to wait for Zhuge Jin to come before attacking, which is safer."
Guan Xing frowned and said, "I think what you said makes sense. That's probably the reason. But we can't let Zhuge Jin come. We must deal with Pan Zhang before Zhuge Jin arrives."
"This place is nearly 150 miles away from Yu Han. It will take Zhuge Jin at least two days to get here. That means we only have two days. If we can end the battle in time, we may still have time to ambush Zhuge Jin."
"In addition, the scouts just reported that Ning Huan has successfully persuaded Peng Qi to accept our command and has selected two thousand elite troops from the bandit army to form a commando team, which can provide us with considerable assistance. However, they have been discovered by Pan Zhang's scouts and are currently about fifty miles away from Pan Zhang's camp."
Deng Hong said excitedly, "Then what are we waiting for? If Pan Zhang is really waiting for Zhuge Jin, he definitely won't run away. We don't need to play mind games with him anymore. It would be better to just send two armies to press on."
Guan Xing stood up, leaning on the table, and said, "That's what I think too. Since that's the case, let's take action and not hesitate any longer."
"Immediately send an order to Ning Huan to lead his troops toward Pan Zhang's camp. They must arrive at the camp before 1-3 AM tomorrow night. Once there, send a large army to surround the east side of Pan Zhang's camp. You Chong, you also lead your men eastward to join Ning Huan's army in guarding the east side and preventing Pan Zhang from breaking out to the east. At the same time, prevent any stragglers from escaping and sending a message to Zhuge Jin."
“Ning Huan will move south from the north, and we will move north from the south. If we can also hold the east, we will form a three-sided encirclement of Pan Zhang. Ning Huan can send any troops to guard the west. If they can hold it, they can hold it; if they can't, they can let Pan Zhang escape. We will surround three sides and leave one open.”
"Deng Hong, get ready. Tomorrow night, you will be the vanguard and launch an attack on Pan Zhang at 3:00 AM sharp."
"Yes..." Deng Hongyou and Chong stood up at the same time to accept the order. They clasped their hands in a bow and before they could leave, their personal guards led Yu Yang into the tent.
Yu Yang is now an important intelligence agent under Guan Xing, and therefore received a pass from Guan Xing, which allows him to enter the camp directly without reporting or asking for permission, thus saving a lot of time.
Yu Yangxing bowed and said, "General, great news! Li Tong has arrived from Riyue Lake and successfully entered Pan Zhang's camp. He will create chaos in the camp at dawn tonight. Please launch an attack on Pan Zhang's camp at dawn."
"Furthermore, to dispel your concerns and gain your trust, Li Tong has asked me to bring you a pledge of loyalty."
As he spoke, he took out a piece of silk from his bosom and handed it to Guan Xing. Guan Xing unfolded it, looked at it, and laughed in surprise, "Your handwriting is quite good. Li Tong has this skill?"
Yu Yang chuckled and said, "Li Tong is illiterate. This was dictated by him and written down by a commoner. It mainly describes Pan Zhang's daily camping habits and the basic situation of Pan Zhang's captains, battalion commanders and other grassroots generals. It might be helpful to the general."
After carefully reading it, Guan Xing said, "It is indeed helpful, and very helpful. The question is, can Li Tong be trusted?"
"This..." Yu Yang said hesitantly, "This humble subject is not entirely certain either, General, what do you think..."
He was only responsible for relaying Li Tong's message; he had no intention of vouching for Li Tong.
Guan Xing pondered, "Never mind, we were planning to attack tomorrow night anyway. It's just a matter of changing the attack time from 3 AM to 5 AM. It doesn't conflict with Li Tong's plan. As for this pledge of allegiance, we'll find out after the decisive battle by sending garrison soldiers to test it. Let's decide on this and get ready."
"Furthermore, Mr. Yu, there are military regulations. Since Li Tong has entered Pan Zhang's camp, he will definitely be unable to contact you for the time being. You don't need to work anymore. Just stay by my side and rest until the war is over before you leave."
Yu Yang: "..."
You don't trust me.
Although being forcibly detained was a bit awkward, it was understandable, so Yu Yang didn't refuse and readily agreed.
Soon, three teams of scouts left the camp to relay the order to Ning Huan. The reason for sending so many teams was that they were afraid that one of the scouts might encounter an accident on the way and be unable to deliver the order to Ning Huan in time.
After all, they were eighty miles away from Ning Huan, and they had to pass through Pan Zhang's camp in between, so there were too many uncertainties.
If it weren't for the long distance and the time Ning Huan needed to travel, Guan Xing would have made his move tonight instead of waiting until tomorrow night.
After seeing the messenger off, Guan Xing picked up Li Tong's pledge of loyalty and began to consider the details of the attack.
Meanwhile, Ning Huan had also made full preparations and, upon receiving the news, immediately led his army to press towards Pan Zhang.
The movement of tens of thousands of troops could not be kept secret from Wu's scouts. Pan Zhang quickly received the news and began to take precautions. He was very confident in his defensive capabilities and believed that the fortifications he had personally built could withstand Guan Xing's fierce attacks for several days.
Zhuge Jin will arrive in three days at most. Peng Qi will have to travel for one day in those three days. In other words, as long as I hold off the combined forces of Guan Xing and Peng Qi for two days, I can wait for Zhuge Jin's rescue. At that time, I can leave a large army to block Peng Qi, and personally lead the rest of the army to join forces with Zhuge Jin to annihilate Guan Xing in one fell swoop. Perfect.
Guan Xing wanted to take the initiative and then team up with Peng Qi to launch a central attack on him, but little did he know that he also wanted to launch a central attack on him. In that case, let's see who succeeds first.
The next day finally arrived as both sides waited anxiously.
In the Han army camp, Guan Xing called Deng Hongyouchong and said, "Ning Huan's messenger has arrived. He said they have reached the designated location and that we no longer need to worry. We can launch the attack on time."
Deng Hongyou replied at the same time, "We are also ready, just waiting for the general's order."
Guan Xing said, "Deng Hong, order the army to eat and rest, and set off at midnight. They must arrive at the Wu army camp before dawn. You Chong, you should set off after you finish eating to meet up with Peng Qi and guard the east side to prevent Pan Zhang from retreating from the east."
He had learned about the bandit army's deployment from the letter Ning Huan sent him, and to his surprise, Peng Qi did not stay to recuperate but chose to join the battle.
Fine, join the war if you want, but what's the meaning of you, as the commander of the Yama-no-Yue tribe, not staying in the central army but instead going to the east to block the enemy?
Clearly, Peng Qi, who had been stabbed by Pan Zhang, wanted to take revenge on Pan Zhang, but lacked the courage to face him directly. So he planned to send Guan Xing and Ning Huan ahead, and then strike when Pan Zhang was defeated and turned to flee.
Conversely, if Guan Xingning were defeated by Pan Zhang, he would definitely turn around and run away without stopping. That bastard is really cunning.
Time quickly passed to midnight. Without further hesitation, Guan Xing led four thousand well-fed and well-fed elite Han soldiers to charge towards Pan Zhang.
He didn't bother to hide his tracks and just went there openly. What's the point of hiding anything when you've already revealed your hand?