The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 40 Night Raid and Feint Attack

What is the essence of nighttime operations?

After witnessing Guan Xing's failed night raid on the enemy camp for the first time.

Miwei began to think about this problem.

After that, there was the chaos of the Guanxing breakout battle.

It witnessed Lu Xun's high-level operations, such as crossing the three lakes at night and digging the river embankment at night.

At this point, I've gained some insights.

Furthermore, in ancient battlefields, there was no radar or searchlights, and it was pitch black everywhere at night.

Even with the moonlight and candlelight, it was still difficult to see details several miles away.

In this environment.

Can a general really operate the army formation with the same precision and execute the same ingenious tactical maneuvers as he does during the day?
Obviously impossible.

Too many people at night will only lead to chaos.

The more there is, the more chaotic it becomes.

Not to mention the "common knowledge" that vitamin A deficiency causes widespread night blindness among soldiers.

Therefore, the essence of night battles is to create chaos and exploit that chaos.

To be more specific, it means making a big commotion to force the enemy to act hastily at night.

Subsequently, in their passive and blind actions, they gradually lost their command and control, revealing their weaknesses.

For example, setting fire to the camp.

Yes, although the ultimate goal tonight is to flood the enemy camp, before that, Miwei will first set a fire.

Since ancient times, fire attacks, like water attacks, have been tactical means that can overcome numerical disadvantages and achieve victory against overwhelming odds.

In fact, his inspiration came from the records of the Battle of Yiling in his previous life.

The turning point in Lu Xun's eventual victory over Liu Bei was when he set fire to Liu Bei's camp.

Of course, it's different from the overly idealized "burning down the camps" in the fictional story.

Historically, the real effect of Lu Xun's fire was to throw Liu Bei's already exhausted and demoralized army into chaos.

This creates opportunities for subsequent tactical maneuvers such as covert attacks, encirclements, pursuits, and interceptions.

From this perspective.

Miwei set this fire tonight for that very reason.

The difference is that the enemy army is far from being exhausted and demoralized at this time.

Their morale was even high because they had successfully destroyed the two cities in the northern suburbs.

However, Mi Wei did not expect the weak troops of Jiangling to defeat the strong enemy.

While he was pondering on horseback, the enemy camp was already close at hand.

The horse, Deer-Will, paused briefly, no longer concerned about being detected by enemy sentries. He immediately took out the flint he had brought with him and lit the dry grass.

The riders behind him followed suit.

In an instant, the firewood gathered into a cluster, its flames reaching the sky.

At Mi Wei's command, the fire quickly scattered into streaks of sparks, spreading out in all directions towards the enemy camp.

As the fire ignited, commotion soon broke out in the enemy camp.

To be honest, the commotion was much smaller than Miwei had anticipated.

After observing for a moment, he discovered that there were two main reasons.

Firstly, Lu Xun truly lived up to his reputation as a first-rate general of his time; even at night, the troop deployment remained disciplined.

Secondly, the enemy camp itself was located on the north bank of Lubai Lake, making it easy for the soldiers to get water, so they were less likely to panic.

"Fine, as long as we can lure the enemy towards Lubai Lake."

Miwei stopped worrying about the fire and turned to order his cavalry to continue their guerrilla warfare with bows and arrows.

Create as much momentum as possible to attract the enemy's attention.

At the same time, send a rider back to the city at full speed and have the drums on the city walls beating to create a commotion.

Besides water and fire, gongs and drums are also a common means of creating a big commotion.

……

Just as Miwei was making a desperate feint attack.

On the other hand, Zhan Sifu's actions encountered a slight setback.

"Chief Zhan, we can't stay any longer, let's retreat!"

"Yes, enemy scouts are nearby. If we're exposed, we'll all be dead!"

Seeing the passionate artisans, Zhan Sifu's face darkened.

These people, in front of Inspector Mi, all acted arrogantly towards him, calling him a barbarian.

When the time came, they were all more afraid than the last.

At this time, only half of the river embankment had been dug, and even with the strong current, it would take all night for the embankment to breach.

According to Mi Duyou, both the Yang and Zha rivers are unstable drainage channels.

Who knows if the water level will hold up tomorrow?
Thinking of the care and concern that Mi Wei had always shown him, Zhan Sifu felt that he had to do something.

He stepped forward and shouted urgently:
"General Guan may have looked down on famous scholars, but he has certainly treated you humble craftsmen well, hasn't he?"

"You've always been very attentive to my well-being, haven't you?"

"We didn't force you skilled people to defend the city this time, did we?"

"We didn't let you suffer from hunger and cold, did we?"

"As the saying goes, those who eat people will die for their cause."

"Even I, a barbarian, understand the meaning of loyalty and righteousness, but you don't?"

The craftsmen were ashamed by his scolding.

But hearing the occasional neighing of horses, he still looked around from time to time.

Zhan Sifu figured it out.

These artisans who make a living in the city year-round are not ignorant of loyalty and righteousness, nor are they shameless.

Rather, it's because they know too much, have too much knowledge, and have no worries about food and clothing that their minds become cluttered.

Without further ado, he ordered the soldiers to form a semi-circle and threatened everyone to continue digging and breaching the dike.

Someone retorted indignantly, "Chief Zhan, you have to be reasonable!" Zhan Sifu drew his sword, pointed it at the other man, and said sternly:
"I am a barbarian! I only know that the sword in my hand is sharp enough, I don't understand any nonsense!"

……

What's all this commotion in the camp?

Lu Xun rolled over and got out of bed.

"Reporting to the general, enemy cavalry are approaching and causing trouble." The guard entered the tent to report upon hearing this.

"The soldiers were alarmed because they feared that Guan Yu's army was coming."

"Hahahaha..." Lu Xun suddenly slapped the bed board and burst into unrestrained laughter.

The guard, puzzled, asked, "General...why are you laughing?"

Lu Xun clapped his hands and said, "I laugh at the fact that the city's defenders have run out of tricks!"

"They are trying to bluff and demoralize our troops, but they don't know that when I was ordered to suppress the bandits of Yangyue Mountain in my early years, I had already mastered this method and repeatedly defeated the bandits. How could they fall for my trick?"

He then asked, "Where is Li Yi?"

"General Li is suppressing the rebels."

"Then there's nothing to worry about!"

As he spoke, Lu Xun lay down again and had his guards open the tent flap so that the soldiers outside could see clearly.

The guards had followed Lu Xun for a long time and were also somewhat educated.

I know he was imitating the story of Zhou Yafu from the Former Han Dynasty.

It is said that when Zhou Yafu quelled the Rebellion of the Seven States, one night there was a commotion in the army camp, and the noise reached the main tent.

Instead of quelling the unrest, Zhou Yafu continued to lie motionless in bed.

The unrest subsided not long afterward.

This is because visibility is poor at night, making it difficult to transmit military orders.

Who knows if your commander is coming out to quell the rebellion or taking the opportunity to escape?

It's hard to explain.

In this state of widespread suspicion, doing more will only lead to more mistakes, so it's better to do nothing.

As expected, as Lu Xun displayed a calm and composed demeanor, the riot gradually subsided after more than half an hour.

Only the drumming noise of the defending troops on the city walls could be heard from the west.

Another half hour passed, and even the drumming stopped.

The defending troops were probably truly at their wits' end and had no other options.

Lu Xun, who had been dozing in bed for more than an hour, finally fell asleep peacefully with a slight smile on his lips.

however.

Lu Xun slept for less than three hours.

I was woken up again.

"What's all this commotion in the camp?!"

Lu Xun suddenly flipped himself up, but the moment his feet touched the ground, his expression changed drastically.

Click, click, click.

With a sudden, rapid splashing sound, the guards rushed into the tent, their faces filled with panic.

"General, the water...the flood is coming! Run!"

"Shut up! Where did this flood come from!"

Lu Xun slammed his fist on the bed and roared, but instead splashed water, wetting his face.

So I finally calmed down.

At this moment, the water on the ground had already reached their ankles.

"This is the power of creation by heaven and earth!"

Lu Xun was in dire straits beneath the city walls.

Mi Wei, however, sat comfortably on the watchtower enjoying his breakfast.

From his perspective.

By the time the floodwaters poured out from the breach and reached Lu Xun's camp after flowing for a mile or two, they were no longer considered particularly rapid.

However, because the land slopes southward, the water continuously floods towards the three lakes in the desolate valley.

Lu Xun's camp was the first to bear the brunt, with nowhere to hide.

They could only watch helplessly as the floodwaters rose, leaving the camp in ruins.

The number of casualties was not high, after all, most of the soldiers from Jiangdong were good swimmers.

But it is precisely because of their familiarity with water that they are more or less aware of this.

The campsite, ravaged by the flood, is no longer suitable for habitation.

Some fled for their lives, some were suppressed, and some moved their belongings.

The sounds of wailing, screaming, and cursing rose and fell.

Chaos has already begun.

"It's a pity that the city is full of weak soldiers; otherwise, if we attacked now, we might have secured victory in one fell swoop!"

Pan Jun, who had been on guard duty on the city wall all night, showed no signs of fatigue.

On the contrary, they seemed rather eager to try.

Miwei couldn't help but be impressed by Old Deng's boundless energy.

So all that talk about being sick and having diarrhea was just an act!
However, Miwei is self-aware and does not overestimate himself.

The reason Lu Xun was able to catch them off guard this time was entirely because the opponent was playing away from home.

Although skilled in using water attacks.

However, there is a lack of overall understanding of the dynamic changes in water flow.

This resulted in a brief but fatal flaw being exposed.

Apart from this, Mi Wei did not believe he had any chance of defeating Shang Lu Xun.

So they continued to sit comfortably upstairs.

Eat, watch a play.

(End of this chapter)