There was even a possibility that these people were not from Aus’s territory but hired mercenaries, and their relationship was purely based on mutual benefit.
Zhang Liang considered many possibilities, as a strategist was expected to. Based on the intelligence gathered so far, the enemy likely intended to rely on their territory's defensive towers for protection.
"Strategist, where do you think we should attack first?" Bai Qi asked Zhang Liang.
Zhang Liang looked at Bai Qi and said, "I suspect the Marshal is thinking along the same lines as I am."
"I would still like to hear the Strategist's thoughts," Bai Qi replied with a smile.
"If I were the enemy, with insufficient troops, I would concentrate all my forces in one place. As long as they could hold us off, they would win," Zhang Liang surmised.
Bai Qi chuckled, "It seems the Strategist and I have the same idea. Hahaha!"
Within the territory, many generals possessed strong troop command abilities. With their keen sense for warfare, they already knew what needed to be done next.
"Strategist, Marshal, I believe this task is best left to me. My soldiers are fast, and I can resolve it quickly," Huo Qubing spoke up first.
"No, we plan to attack at night, so you are not suitable for this," Zhang Liang stated.
"I believe we should split our forces and attack from multiple directions," Chen Qingzhi also offered his opinion.
After hearing the generals' discussion, many military officers were bewildered, unsure of what the Strategist and others were trying to convey.
"What are you guys talking about? I'm completely lost," Wu Song rubbed his head, genuinely curious about their conversation.
"I don't know what they mean either, but I know it's right to follow what the generals say," Yang Zaixing replied.
"You're quite self-aware, young man," Yan Chixia observed Yang Zaixing.
"Then do you understand what the strategists are saying?" Yang Zaixing inquired.
"No," Yan Chixia shook his head, admitting he had no idea.
"I would like to hear General Chen's thoughts," Zhang Liang looked towards Chen Qingzhi.
Chen Qingzhi nodded and said, "Since the enemy will concentrate all their forces in one place, we should naturally play along. However, I think our march speed should be slower, not too fast, not too slow, otherwise, we might be discovered." Da Feng Novel Network.
Zhang Liang laughed heartily, "General Chen Qingzhi's words are indeed excellent."
Bai Qi then issued the order, "All troops, slow down your pace. Just ensure you are within fifty kilometers of the enemy before dark."
Chen Qingzhi knew that even if he hadn't said it, Bai Qi and Zhang Liang's wisdom would have led them to the same conclusion. They simply wanted him to voice his insights.
"Our objective this time is simple. Since they are gathering their forces, the defenses of their other territories must be extremely weak."
"Therefore, we only need to deceive them. We will make our main army appear to attack where they expect, and then secretly dispatch soldiers to dismantle their other territories one by one."
"This will undoubtedly instill fear and worry in those lords, causing them to withdraw their concentrated forces. We can then ambush them on their retreat and annihilate their fighting strength, and then destroy their territories."
"This way, not only will we disrupt all of the enemy's concentrated forces, but we will also shake their morale. After that, we just need to strike with full force to eliminate them."
Chen Qingzhi's strategy could be summarized by the idiom, "Feint along the main road and attack by a side path" (明修栈道暗度陈仓).
Chen Qingzhi had outlined the general situation, but the specific implementation would require further discussion. No plan is as simple as it seems and needs to be meticulously thought out step by step before execution.
Following this, Zhang Liang and the others began to discuss the specific operational plan.
Meanwhile, on the other side, when Aus heard that three hundred thousand troops were heading towards his territory, he was genuinely terrified. They had already lost over four hundred thousand soldiers to Zhou Yan, and they couldn't possibly withstand three hundred thousand troops in the open field.
Aus was truly scared. He also believed these three hundred thousand troops were targeting him, so Aus immediately summoned the other members of the alliance, ordering them to send all their troops to reinforce his territory.
The others, hearing it was just for defense, naturally did not refuse. Moreover, if Aus's territory were truly breached, they would lose a foolish sugar daddy. Thus, these individuals dispatched all their soldiers to reinforce Aus's territory.
They never considered that Zhang Liang and his strategists had already accounted for their intentions.
Furthermore, these lords never imagined that Zhang Liang would attack their territories first. After all, in their eyes, Aus was the cause of all these conflicts, and they believed that eliminating Aus was the only way to resolve all the contradictions.
Unfortunately, they would never know that Zhang Liang's goal was not just the end of Aus's territory, but the demise of their entire alliance.
Seeing the alliance's armies arriving one after another in his territory, Aus finally gained confidence.
Aus believed that while they might not be able to match the enemy in an open confrontation, siege warfare was different from direct combat. The territory's city walls and defensive towers, these two formidable obstacles, would surely make the enemy pay a heavy price.
Now, all the soldiers of the alliance were concentrated in his territory, totaling nearly five hundred thousand troops. With such a large number of soldiers, Aus absolutely refused to believe that they couldn't defend even a single territory.
Aus even felt like he wanted to teach Zhang Liang and the others a lesson, to show them his might. Little did he know that Aus's thinking had long been factored into the plan. Poor him, still laughing about how Zhang Liang's soldiers would meet a tragic end.
Aus had already deployed the five hundred thousand troops to the four city gates. No matter where the attack came from, over a hundred thousand soldiers would be there to defend.
Moreover, Aus had received accurate intelligence that the enemy was indeed heading towards his territory and was expected to reach within fifty kilometers by evening.
Everything unfolded as Aus had predicted. Zhang Liang and his forces arrived within fifty kilometers of Aus's territory by evening and halted.
Aus also received precise information that Zhang Liang and his forces were not rushing to attack but had set up camp, preparing to fight the next day.
Although some suggested a night raid on the enemy camp, Aus, thoroughly intimidated by previous encounters, immediately berated them, "Do you know why we failed the last few times? It was because of surprise attacks. Do you think the enemy wouldn't know we were going to attack them? You bunch of idiots!"
"We don't need to do anything. We just wait for them to attack our territory and wear them down like this!"
Aus's reasoning was indeed sound, but unfortunately, Zhang Liang had long anticipated that they would not dare to launch a surprise attack, and therefore, had made no specific preparations. If they had indeed attacked the camp, they might have succeeded.
Alas, Aus dared not.