May 9th, the eighth year of Jianning.

A messenger arrived in Luoyang with an urgent report from Yunzhong County.

After reading the urgent report, the cabinet and the Privy Council officials sent someone to present it to the emperor while simultaneously discussing their next steps.

Privy Council, Council Hall.

Zhang Huan, Huangfu Gui, and more than a dozen staff officers from the General Staff Department were gathered around a huge sand table, conducting a simulation.

The atmosphere in the hall was neither tense nor panicked; the sudden attack by the Xianbei seemed to have no effect on anyone.

The terrain of this sand table has absolutely nothing to do with Yunzhong County or the attacking Xianbei cavalry. The content that everyone is simulating is the great battle between Tanshihuai and the Yuwen tribe.

On the sand table, every mountain, river, hill, grassland, and detailed information about each tribe surrounding the Yuwen tribe were clearly marked.

According to the scale, this sand table extends outward from the Yuwen tribe as its center, covering a distance of four hundred miles.

At first glance, this sand table looks like a miniature grassland, with its terrain clearly visible.

The creation of this sand table was entirely due to the continuous exploration efforts of Cao Cao, Liu Qian, and others who were in the Yuwen tribe.

Zhang Huan held a baton and pointed it directly at Yuwen's position.

"Gentlemen, the Xianbei's feint has now reached the north of the Great Wall in Yunzhong County. According to the intelligence and calculations from Tanhan Mountain, the Xianbei's 70,000-strong army will arrive at the Yuwen tribe in another 20 days!"

His Majesty's plan is to ensure that the war between the Yuwen and Tanshihuai tribes ends by mid-June, and then force Tanshihuai to launch a military campaign against Juyan, engaging in a decisive battle with our Great Han!

Zhang Huan's words set the tone for this simulation.

Xu Rong, the chief of staff of the General Staff, took out a proposal and said in a deep voice, "General Zhang, General Huangfu, Mengde and Zhicai and others sent over a battle plan earlier."

Their plan was to send a detachment to attack the rear of the Tanshihuai tribe, thereby disrupting their morale and forcing them to accelerate their attack on the Yuwen tribe.

Then, using the cavalry of the Yuwen tribe as bait, we will lure the main force of the Tanshihuai tribe into splitting up to pursue and defeat them one by one…

As he spoke, Xu Rong handed Zhang Huan the battle plan devised by Cao Cao, Xi Zhicai, and others.

In this plan, Cao Cao, Xi Zhicai, and others not only marked the routes and steps for attack and luring, but also compared the strength of the Yuwen and Tanshihuai armies, predicted the casualties of the two armies, and the date of the end of the war.

The earlier parts were fine, and Zhang Huan nodded repeatedly as he read them. However, when he saw the ending time, he couldn't help but frown.

According to predictions by Cao Cao, Xi Zhicai, and others, the war was scheduled to end in late June, more than ten days later than the emperor's original plan.

In the past, no one would have cared about these ten-odd days.

After all, it's common for battles between two armies to last for months or even longer.

But things are different now. Since Liu Hong established the Privy Council and set up the General Staff, the officers of the Han Dynasty have gradually developed a completely new war consciousness.

Nowadays, in every war, the Privy Council General Staff conducts thorough simulations based on the strength of the enemy and ourselves, the terrain, and other factors, and formulates detailed combat plans. The troop deployment is now accurate down to the unit level.

Every junior officer had a clear understanding of the overall war plan and the objectives of their respective units, thus avoiding unexpected situations caused by the commander's orders not being delivered in a timely manner.

In particular, the emperor often mentioned the saying: "A quarter of an hour could change the course of a war."

This statement was deeply ingrained in the minds of every officer.

As the saying goes, a thousand-mile dike can be breached by an ant hole.

This statement can also be applied to military battles. If a unit fails to act in a timely manner, it is very likely to give the enemy an opportunity to disrupt the plans of other units, thereby affecting the entire war deployment and adding countless variables.

Now, the Han Dynasty has been preparing for the decisive battle against Tan Shihuai for so long, expending a lot of manpower and resources, in addition to the Western Qiang and Eastern Qiang.

If anything unexpected happens in this decisive battle, although it may not lead to the defeat of the Han Dynasty, it will still cause a lot of trouble.

Therefore, Zhang Huan and others believed that this ten-day delay was absolutely unacceptable.

Zhang Huan then looked at the group of advisors in the hall and said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, immediately proceed with the simulation and refinement of this plan, and we must push the deadline to mid-June!"

"Here you go!"

The advisors agreed, and then, under Xu Rong's command, following the plan of Cao Cao, Xi Zhicai, and others, they began to conduct combat drills on the sand table.

The team's simulations were extremely detailed. They not only replanned the routes for attack and luring, but also rehearsed every possible battle. They even planned the time for meals and rest.

After careful planning and calculation, the General Staff revised the battle plan, pushing the end of the war forward by only five days.

Looking at the results calculated by the General Staff, Zhang Huan frowned even more deeply.

"Can time be pushed forward any further?" Zhang Huan asked Xu Rong.

Xu Rong shook his head with difficulty: "This is already the limit. If we push it any further, we will need to take into account the physical condition of both sides' soldiers and the condition of their warhorses."

This leaves too little room for error. As you know, the more meticulous the plan, the less it can withstand even the slightest unexpected event…

Upon hearing this, Zhang Huan's face darkened, and he stared intently at the sand table, lost in thought.

Xu Rong stepped forward and said, "General Zhang, the battle plan is fine now. If we want to advance the war, we can only try to get things done with Tan Shihuai!"

"Over at Tan Shihuai's place...?"

Zhang Huan was slightly taken aback. "You mean, find a way to speed up the march of Tan Shihuai's army?"

Xu Rong nodded: "That's right. According to the intelligence, Tan Shihuai's army did not carry much food and supplies, and they should also be planning a quick victory."

Therefore, Tan Shihuai's marching speed could have been much faster; the reason he was slow was simply because he was waiting..."

Zhang Huan frowned: "Wait?"

"That's right. Tan Shihuai is not afraid of the support the Red Ribbon Army and the Wuhuan Army will give to the Yuwen tribe. What he is afraid of is that we will send troops to help the Yuwen tribe hold on."

After all, the Han army's ability to defend the fortress is evident to all!

His sending a feint to the Great Wall in Yunzhong Commandery was probably intended to make our Han Dynasty focus its efforts on defending the Great Wall!

Zhang Huan: "So, Tan Shihuai is waiting for the Han to make a move; he will only move when the Han makes a move?"

Xu Rong: "Yes, only when he sees that our Han Dynasty has been tricked will he take advantage of the fact that we are unaware and launch a preemptive attack on the Yuwen tribe."