On the border of Wei, soldiers were feverishly preparing for the coming battle. After all, only through combat could they earn military merit. The sons of officials, dispatched by Chu Fan to the Wei-Shu border, were particularly excited. They hadn't expected to have the opportunity to earn military merit right from the moment they arrived.
At the same time, in the Shu camp, except for the direct troops of the Wang family, other generals and soldiers did not have a strong desire to follow Liu Buchu to fight together. It could even be said that they were not really willing to join this battle.
Those generals who reluctantly expressed their approval under Liu Buchu's coercion and inducement did not actually agree with Liu Buchu's rule in their hearts. They obeyed on the surface only because of the current situation. They hoped that as long as they were not targeted by Liu Buchu, they could barely maintain order in Shu and avoid chaos and civil unrest in the country.
However, now they were asked to lead troops to attack the powerful State of Wei, which in their view was tantamount to seeking death and suicide.
After learning that the former Shu king was currently staying in Liangtu City, the Shu generals had a new plan in mind. They believed that if they met the former king on the battlefield, they would most likely choose to surrender directly with their troops.
If they could get the former King of Shu to plead for them, the generals of Wei might not be too harsh on them, and might even give them a certain degree of tolerance and preferential treatment.
These generals were not particularly loyal to Liu Yu personally, but rather to the Shu Kingdom. However, facing Liu Buchu's relentless pressure, they felt they had nowhere else to turn and had to consider finding a new way to survive.
Of course, these thoughts were deeply buried in their hearts, and they did not reveal them to anyone. Because under the current situation, they could not be sure whether the other generals had completely turned to Liu Buchu, and they were unwilling to risk their lives to verify their guesses.
What's more, Liu Buchu has a military advisor named Jia Taishi by his side. His presence makes the generals more cautious and they dare not easily reveal their true thoughts.
Liu Buchu himself knew nothing about this. He was still immersed in his dream of becoming a great leader and was completely unaware that these generals had already begun to think about surrendering.
After assembling his forces, Liu Buchu marched towards the Wei border. He was confident that his ingenuity and the strength of his army would crush the Wei defenses in one fell swoop. However, he was unaware of the internal divisions within his own army and the scheming of his generals. Despite his large numbers, Liu Buchu's troops were demoralized and lacked a true fighting spirit.
They lacked not only the will to fight, but also the loyalty to Liu Buchu and the faith in the war. The army was filled with an atmosphere of uneasiness and suspicion, which greatly reduced the combat effectiveness of the entire army.
On the Wei side, Cao Mengde and Chu Zhenglin led their troops to the border, preparing for battle. After all, they had also received news that Shu had assembled a million troops. They knew they couldn't underestimate the enemy, after all, 300,000 against 1 million was a huge difference in numbers.
After all, even a million pigs would cause huge casualties to the Wei soldiers if they launched a joint charge. Cao Mengde and Chu Zhenglin knew this very well. They not only set up a strict defense line on the border, but also prepared various strategies and tactics to deal with possible attacks.
Liu Yu, standing aside, felt a pang of anxiety. The one million troops led by Liu Buchu could be said to have concentrated most of the troops in Shu Kingdom here. If other border countries knew about the situation in Shu Kingdom, they would definitely take advantage of it and invade.
By then, Shu wouldn't even have an army to resist. Liu Yu knew that while Shu's move might appear impressive on the surface, it actually exposed Shu's weaknesses. He worried that if other borders of Shu were attacked, Shu would be unable to respond, which could lead to its demise.
After the Shu army had assembled, it quickly launched a fierce attack on the Wei Kingdom, hoping to break through the Wei Kingdom's defenses while it was still unprepared and inflict a fatal blow.
It is worth noting that not all generals of Shu Kingdom have the ability to comprehensively consider the overall situation of the war. Some of them also showed similar strategic thinking as Liu Buchu after receiving orders from him.
They firmly believed that Wei was not an invincible opponent, and that the reason the Xiongnu failed to completely conquer Wei was entirely due to their own shortcomings and incompetence. They believed that if it were their own country that attacked Wei, they would definitely be able to take it down in one fell swoop.
However, what they did not know was that when they planned to launch a surprise attack on Wei at night, the Wei soldiers had actually already noticed the movements of the Shu army and had made full preparations to meet the upcoming battle.
After Cao Mengde arrived at the Wei border and successfully built a watchtower, a team of loyal soldiers was assigned to the tower for constant surveillance. These sentinels kept watch day and night, constantly alert for any unusual activity.
They observed that the Shu army began to gather on a large scale across the border, which was obviously very abnormal. So the sentries quickly passed this urgent intelligence to Cao Mengde and other senior generals of Wei.
Upon receiving the information, Cao Mengde immediately prepared for battle. Learning of the Shu army's movements, Cao Mengde quickly summoned Wei's generals to discuss countermeasures. They analyzed the Shu army's likely routes of attack and deployed ambushes at key locations. Cao Mengde also emphasized the importance of nighttime defense, ensuring his soldiers remained vigilant to prevent a surprise attack from the Shu army.
Meanwhile, the Shu generals, completely unaware of Wei's defenses, were confident they could break through them in one fell swoop. Under cover of darkness, the Shu army quietly approached the Wei border. Unbeknownst to them, the Wei soldiers were fully prepared, waiting for the Shu army to enter an ambush.
As the Shu army fell into the carefully laid trap set by the Wei, Cao Mengde commanded the ambush troops to rise in all directions, and flames shot up into the sky. In the chaos, the Shu army lost its organization and was divided and surrounded by the Wei army. The Shu soldiers were originally unwilling to fight, and after seeing the former Shu King Liu Yu, they all chose to surrender without much resistance.
This night attack ultimately ended in a disastrous defeat for the Shu army, and the Shu's surprise attack plan completely failed, while the Wei State consolidated its border defense in this battle.
After the first batch of Shu soldiers were ambushed and annihilated, the Shu generals were shocked. Although they thought Wei would win, they did not expect Wei to win so easily.
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