Inside the central command tent of the Jin army, everyone who heard Su Wan's analysis turned into clay sculptures and wooden carvings.
It's outrageous that a Cancer can produce an army in a single day.
Su Wan said, "We are all exhausted from fighting all day, but we cannot just wait like this. Zhang Ying's army will overtake us by dawn."
Meng Ruliu said, "I believe what my sworn sister said, but even if our entire army charges over, I'm afraid we won't be able to wipe out the enemy forces all at once."
During the day, the Jin army attempted to completely annihilate the enemy. However, the enemy relied on the four legs of the giant crab to maneuver, preventing the Jin army from utilizing the advantage of long-range archery. Once they got close, the enemy's defensive guns were almost invincible; a barrage of bullets meant that even dozens of Jin soldiers had no chance against one enemy.
Chu Yi said, "To annihilate the enemy, we need far more troops than they do. If we charge now, at best we'll only end up with both sides suffering heavy losses."
Su Wan knew that Chu Yi excelled in battle through strategy, so she asked, "Brother Chu, what's your plan?"
Chu Yi smiled wryly, "I've never dealt with an enemy like this before. Give it twelve hours and it can build an army of seventy thousand. But I also think that if this drags on, our chances of winning will only get lower and lower."
Chu Mingyao said, "My husband's army is marching here, and it's about forty miles away from us. He has thirty thousand cavalry and a thousand crossbows that fire armor-piercing spikes."
The muddy ground caused by the rain made it difficult for the crossbow carts to move, which was the main reason why the Western Rong army could not arrive in time.
Wei Jingzhuo said, "According to Awan's calculations, 30,000 cavalry should be the output of Cancer in five hours. If Prince Danma can arrive before noon today, coupled with the power of the ballistae, we will have the advantage."
Chu Mingyao became nervous upon hearing this, turned around and went out of the tent to find the Western Rong scouts, and sent someone to urge Danma to march again.
Chu Yi said, "I also sent a message to Eighth Sister, asking her to organize soldiers to volunteer for the war..."
Meng Ruliu said, "You are the ruler of a country, and the battle is taking place near your capital. Can't you just issue an order to summon the army?"
Chu Yi blushed slightly and said, "Of course I am the king, but the people of Southern Chu admire the family of divine doctors from top to bottom. Many soldiers refuse to fight, so I can only find volunteers."
Meng Ruliu pressed on, "Then how many soldiers do you estimate there will be?"
"Two, three... four thousand, four thousand people."
"Useless," Meng Ruliu muttered under her breath.
Seeing Chu Yi's embarrassed expression, Su Wan quickly smoothed things over, saying, "I want to see the situation on the battlefield outside. Sister A Jin, you two come with me, and Brother Chu, you come too."
Wei Jingzhuo said, "Very well, I was just about to take a look at the condition of the stone wall."
The group left their tents and came to the outside of the camp's stone walls.
The ground a little further outside the Jin army camp was pitch black. Wherever the firelight could reach, one could see stones, arrows, and the corpses of enemy and Jin soldiers everywhere.
The enemy was not wearing the black armor that the Ghost Army had worn before, but rather light white armor that only protected vital areas such as the chest and head.
The artisans of the Jin army had already studied the composition of this armor, which was made of lightweight steel, but the forging process was very advanced. The entire set of armor weighed no more than five pounds, but its defensive capabilities were excellent.
Some elite Jin soldiers changed into these breastplates and helmets to enhance their combat effectiveness, but unfortunately they were still helpless against the enemy, because the enemy's weapons were defensive guns.
Wei Jingzhuo told Su Wan that when the enemy retreated, they not only took the wounded, but also the dead's defensive guns.
Su Wan said, "They're quite clever; they even know not to leave us any weapons."
She looked into the distance. Under the night sky, a giant crab-shaped mech stood opposite her, its disc beneath its belly constantly rotating, flashing with countless green lights.
Neat rows of tents, numbering seven or eight thousand, were erected beside the crab's body. Unlike the Jin army's tents, these tents were all triangular.
All the tents were lit up, looking from a distance like a swarm of fireflies hovering around a giant crab. The lights shone on the legs of the giant crab mech, reflecting a silvery-white light.
Su Wan vaguely sensed something was amiss, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. The enemy hadn't built their camp beneath the crab's belly; instead, they'd placed it some distance away.
She had the soldiers hold torches to light the way and first inspected the stone wall.
The three-meter-thick stone wall was riddled with holes from the defensive guns, like countless black, gaping eyes. Some sections of the wall were repeatedly fired upon, and in some of the holes, the firelight shone through to the other side.
Su Wan said to Wei Jingzhuo, "If there is another attack, this wall may not be able to hold."
At this point, she suddenly became a little scared and asked, "Won't the enemy launch a sneak attack on us?"
Wei Jingzhuo said, "No."
Su Wan said, "How can you be so sure? We've fought wars before; isn't a night raid a strategy?"
Even that fool, the Fifth Prince Wei Shao, once used night raid tactics at Xiping Pass.
Wei Jingzhuo smiled and said, "These enemies certainly don't."
Meng Ruliu said, "Sister, you don't know, these enemies have a very interesting trait: they are all very punctual. Yesterday, when they were fighting until noon, they suddenly turned around and walked back, saying it was time for lunch."
Su Wan exclaimed, "They...they went back to eat halfway through the fight?"
“Yes, and there was this last time,” Meng Ruliu said. “They also said they should go to sleep halfway through the fight, and then they all turned around and went back.”
Su Wan blinked, and it took her a while to understand.
No wonder the enemy's 40,000-strong army attacked the Jin army, but withdrew halfway and returned to camp. So that's what it meant.
These enemy troops are all clones of the same person, so their daily routines are naturally the same. When it's time to eat, everyone goes back to eat together, and when it's time to rest, everyone goes back to sleep.
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