"Could it be that Zhou Zhenguang didn't receive the imperial court's news of the siege? Did he forget to close the city gates?" Commander Zhang suppressed his unease and ordered his men, "Beat the drums to show our strength!"
Coach Zhang decided to test the waters first and see how Zhou Zhenguang would react.
soon!
"Bang bang—"
"Bang bang bang bang—"
The rousing drumbeats resounded outside the city, their powerful beat lasting for quite some time, yet there was still no movement on the city walls of Jiangling.
Still... there was no one there.
This is so wrong!
This bizarre scene left Commander Zhang bewildered. He couldn't figure out Zhou Zhenguang's intentions for a moment, so he frowned and ordered his men again, "Shout again!"
"Zhou Zhenguang, you traitor, listen up!"
"The imperial army is at the city gates today. They will surely capture you alive and strangle you. Show yourself and fight them at once!"
"........"
"Listen up, you rebels in the city!"
"You have one breath to get out here and fight! Commander Zhang is personally leading the army on behalf of the imperial court to annihilate the rebel Zhou Zhenguang! Why don't you hurry up and die!"
However,
The fifteen-minute call has passed.
There was still no movement on the city wall; the silence was chilling.
Commander Zhang was not afraid of Zhou Zhenguang's harsh words or his pretentious posturing, but now the drums had been beaten and provocative words had been shouted, yet there wasn't a single living person on the city wall.
The city gates are still open!
What's this?
"Commander-in-Chief!" General Wei said solemnly, "Don't you think this scene looks familiar?"
"What do you mean?" Commander Zhang's sharp eyes revealed a hint of confusion.
"The city gates are wide open, and there's not a single person on the city walls. Doesn't it resemble the Empty City Stratagem from military texts?" General Wei raised his head, his tone becoming more and more certain as he spoke: "The Empty City Stratagem is used to create a false impression."
"The city is full of the old, weak, sick and disabled, and is empty and powerless."
"In order to scare away the enemy, they pretended to be fearless and opened the city gates to welcome the enemy into the city. The more calm and fearless they appeared, the less the enemy could figure out their true intentions."
"This is the Empty City Stratagem!"
Upon hearing this well-reasoned analysis, Commander Zhang immediately turned to look at the city gate.
General Wei is right!
The Empty City Stratagem in military texts describes a city filled with the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled, where the only way to scare away the enemy is through this bluff.
So what about Jiangling City right in front of us? The city must be full of starving, emaciated soldiers. They lack food, winter clothes, and supplies. How could they not panic when they heard the news of the imperial court's attack on the city?
Using conventional tactics, defeat would be inevitable!
So--
So! ! !
A flash of inspiration struck Commander Zhang. He exchanged a glance with General Wei, whose face was filled with excitement. They both saw the realization and the joy of uncovering the conspiracy in each other's eyes.
“You’re right. As the commander-in-chief of the entire army, one must be cautious and thoughtful. When faced with extraordinary events, one will think a lot.”
"Zhou Zhenguang is definitely relying on this point, trying to scare me off with an empty city ruse!"
"Oh!"
"He's really ignorant. Does he think that by opening the city gates, I'll back down?" Commander Zhang raised his head proudly and fearlessly, his eyes fixed on Jiangling City directly opposite him.
A cold laugh, accompanied by a confident command, landed: "This old trick of feinting is outdated!"
"Today, I'll show you traitors what it means to enter with a spear and catch you off guard!"
"Everyone listen up!"
"Break through the city!"
"Kill the traitors!"
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