As the saying goes, "A wise man must make a mistake after all his considerations." When the Black Armored Army arrived at Ruyin, they discovered that there was a problem that they had not considered... It was still dark, and the Ruyin city gate was closed tightly.
If it were other cities, such as Taocheng, a transportation hub, the city gates would remain open all night.
The reason is that a large amount of supplies have to go in and out of Taocheng, so closing the city gate is causing trouble for yourself.
But Ruyin is the rear line of defense. At this time, it is neither a frontline transportation hub nor a grain production base, but an important place during wartime, so a curfew is implemented at night.
Chen Duance came immediately and asked:
"Lieutenant General, what should we do now?"
Shen Bing understood what this meant.
If you come forward to call the door, you will definitely be subject to strict interrogation by the Chu army.
Three thousand cavalry is not a small number. Anyone will be suspicious. When the time comes to ask for official documents, Shen Bing will not be able to produce them.
Another option is to wait for dawn at the foot of the city. Once the city gates open, the black-armored troops can enter in batches through several city gates.
The problem is that if we wait any longer, the person who sent the warning message to Xiang Yan will probably arrive, and it will be even more difficult for the black-armored army to sneak into the city.
So it doesn’t matter just to wait, and it doesn’t matter to wait.
After thinking about it, Shen Bing ordered:
"The whole army is hidden in the dense forest, and light cavalry are sent to guard the roads and roads outside the city, intercepting and killing the messengers!"
Chen Duan responded and went to make arrangements.
In ancient times, it was a two-dimensional battle and communication equipment was very backward, so it was not difficult to intercept messengers and block communications.
For example, now, it is almost certain that the messenger coming from the direction of Xiang Yan is on horseback and his destination is Ruyin, so we only need to block the road outside the city to ensure that Ruyin does not get the news.
So Shen Bing could wait in the dense forest with the black-armored army and wait until dawn before taking action.
However, after entering the dense forest, Shen Bing thought about it and felt that this was not very appropriate.
Because Xiang Yan seems to have another method of communication...
It is true that the only way to communicate with Ruyin from Xiang Yan is by land, and it is true that it can be blocked from this end of the defense line.
but……
Of course, Yan would notify Shouchun of such a big event through a carrier pigeon. If King Chu Chu got the news, how could he not send a messenger from the other direction to inform Ruyin?
Shouchun even sent reinforcements to Chengfu and Ruyin cities.
If the Black Armored Army waited until dawn and Shouchun notified Ruyin first and even reinforcements had arrived, wouldn't it be the same failure?
When Shen Bing was frowning, he saw Chen Duan coming to report:
"Lieutenant general, intercept and kill the two messengers."
"But it's not from Bucheng, but from Haocheng."
As he said this, he handed over a roll of bamboo slips, asking for food supplies from Haocheng who were short of food and grass.
Haocheng is located on the west side of Rushui's defense line. It was an empty city left by the Qin army after its retreat. After the Chu army recovered it, it had to rebuild its defenses. It was common for the troops and labor to need food and grass.
After thinking about it, Shen Bing asked:
"Will the test pass be taken together?"
Chen Duan was stunned:
"I didn't get it, I thought..."
Shen Bing interrupted Chen Duan and ordered:
"Get the biography immediately and look for two similar soldiers according to the description of the biography."
"In addition, if you forge a letter in this style, it will be said that it is a messenger from Taocheng."
"The Qin army has counterattacked with all its strength and sent surprise troops for a sneak attack."
Chen Duan was shocked and said:
"Captain, isn't this..."
Shen Bing did not explain, only urged:
"Go quickly!"
Chen Duan responded and went to make arrangements.
Wang Ben, who was on one side, understood clearly and secretly praised Shen Bing for being not only extremely resourceful but also good at mental tricks, knowing how to peel off the enemy's vigilance step by step.
If the Chu army in Ruyin knew nothing about the battle, and the black-armored army dressed as Chu cavalry suddenly appeared at the gate of Ruyin city, it would naturally arouse the suspicion of the Chu army:
"We haven't even received a battle report. The front line is nearly four hundred miles away from Ruyin. No matter how hard the reinforcements arrive, they can't reach Ruyin!"
So of course I would be suspicious.
But if a courier is sent first to deliver a false message...
In fact, this is not false information but real information. It just talks about "surprise soldiers" instead of "cavalry".
There are many possibilities for surprise troops. For example, infantry breaking through the defense line is marching towards Ruyin. The distance is at least seven or eight days, so it is difficult to think of "cavalry".
Then, it was natural for "reinforcements" to appear in Ruyin.
It is not difficult to arrange the couriers. It is easy to find two people with similar build and appearance among three thousand people.
It is not difficult to forge letters. In ancient times, the only thing used to prevent forgery was a seal, which took a lot of time.
If there is any difficulty, it is the psychological quality of the two soldiers disguised as messengers... It is not an easy job for this body to sneak into the enemy camp, even if it is just to deliver a message.
However, Chen Duan knew how to handle this aspect. He had grown up with soldiers in the army and knew the soldiers very well, so he was quickly prepared.
The Chu general stationed in Ruyin City was a military commander named Qu Zhuo, who came from the Qu family, the second largest family in Chu State.
With Xiang Yan's power, he could actually disperse the Jiangdong disciples to important positions in the Chu army to control the military power.
The problem is that this is when the nobles are showing a tendency to unite. If Xiang Yan does this, the other tribes will start to seek their own selfish interests again.
So Xiang Yan had to show a selfless look and arrange the troops of the nobles in safe, important and powerful positions. Only in this way can the nobles be appeased and allowed to continue to contribute to the country.
For example, the importance of Ruyin at this time is undoubted, but it is hundreds of miles behind the front line, so it is safe. A military commander controls a city and the surrounding supplies, so his power is naturally considerable.
On the other hand, although the two thousand Chu troops located in Ruyin City only have a strength of two thousand, they are Qu's private soldiers.
As mentioned before, the private soldiers of the nobles are often the troops with the strongest combat effectiveness and the best equipment, so Xiang Yan is more confident about their garrison in Ruyin.
At this time, Qu Zhuo was studying the situation on the front line based on battle reports under an oil lamp.
The Chu State's troops had this characteristic. The king's troops and generals were often lazy, while the private soldiers and generals were usually talented.
The reason is that the king's army is a "big pot rice" where it is difficult to find the responsible person for making mistakes, while the private army has a cruel competition mechanism where only the capable ones are left.
Qu Zhuo is one of Qu's talents. Although he is in Ruyin, he can see the overall situation.
At this time, he even had the same worries as Xiang Yan: the Qin army's defeat seemed too easy.
However, there was no flaw in what Chang Ping Jun and his party said, so Qu Zhuo had to believe it.
At this moment, someone came to report:
"Reporting to the army, the Qin army launched a counterattack."
"The general sent someone to deliver a letter. The Chu army may send a surprise force to attack Ruyin. He ordered us to prepare the army for war, and he will send reinforcements later."
Then Qu Zhuo understood:
"Come on, this is the Qin army's plan to lure the snake out of its hole."
"Their intention is to draw our army out of Ru River and then encircle and annihilate it."