Having once served as a leader in a simulated adventure, Wang Zhifan felt deeply empathetic; he was not particularly skilled at handling such situations, yet the simulation forced this role upon him, compelling him to soldier on.
On the first night, he did not rest but instead delved into a dream to continue honing the Great Dream Saber Scripture, until his practice was disrupted by an old strategist who had co to discuss strategy at dawn.
The elder strategist had a busy day; he was tasked with gathering Feng Country soldiers to prepare for battle and pondering suitable candidates with command ability, all while collecting intelligence on the enemy country in hopes of altering Wang Zhifan’s impulsive war ntality.
However, Wang Zhifan did not change his mind; his plan for the simulation was to end it as quickly as possible, lest the slow pace cause it to drag on indefinitely.
Another day later, having completed preliminary preparations, Wang Zhifan led three thousand Feng Country soldiers out of the capital, heading east along the mountain road towards the direction of Yin Country.
His decision to first target Yin Country naturally considered the nation’s recent military defeat and weakened forces; like selecting a ripe fruit to squeeze, but also because it was the closest to Feng Country, making it convenient for further developnt once annexed.
Thanks to the assistance of several professionals recomnded by the elder strategist, the journey encountered no troubles; the cavalry scouts upfront, the infantry army in the middle, the supply team, and the protective guards on both flanks cooperated fairly seamlessly until half a day later, a reconnaissance rider returned with a slightly tense expression to report to Wang Zhifan, who was riding the Red Deer Horse:
"Your Majesty! Large circular footprints on the ground ahead; I’m afraid they might be left by the Terracotta Army of Tao Country, also marching to assault the Yin Country capital!"
The soldier’s expression unmistakably shown he was intimidated by the illustrious recent achievents of the Tao Country troops.
"Scout again! All forces, advance!"
Without a mont’s hesitation after hearing the report, Wang Zhifan knew a battle was inevitable, regardless of whether they first engaged the easier or the tougher opponent.
"Your Majesty... I’ve previously witnessed the Terracotta Army; they’re incredibly strong and fearless of death and injury. Facing them head-on is unwise... I suggest halting to ascertain the situation first..."
As the scout departed, a young officer in armor began attempting to persuade Wang Zhifan not to underestimate the threat of the Terracotta Army, explaining they were not ordinary forces.
"No worries, I’m quite eager to experience the prowess of this Terracotta Army myself."
Wang Zhifan promptly smiled at the young officer, recomnded by the elder strategist, uttering words that baffled him slightly.
This man had been absent from the previous day’s battle of Xinzi, so he had only heard of Wang Zhifan’s prowess and was uncertain about the threat posed by the Terracotta Army against Wang Zhifan. Nonetheless, given his youthful vigor, discovering his king was unafraid of powerful enemies ant he chose not to pursue the matter.
Soti later, the army slowly maneuvered past a peculiar stretch of road where the ground bore many footprints the size of winnowing basket surfaces, akin to having been trampled by a herd of giant elephants.
"Given this number... there must be over a thousand Terracotta Soldiers... yet it remains unclear what level of combat effectiveness they possess..."
As Wang Zhifan passed these footprints, he ntally estimated and curiously queried the young officer accompanying him:
"Do you know the weaknesses of the Terracotta Army? How should we target them?"
"The Terracotta Army is poor in speed, vulnerable to heavy ax strikes, and fears water."
The young officer answered without much thought.
"Alright... then we shall have our shield and ax brigade engage them when the ti cos."
Wang Zhifan replied with words that left the young officer speechless, knowing full well these soldiers lacked the courage to charge the terrifying Terracotta Army.
The army advanced another hour, encountering nurous large footprints but still not spotting any Terracotta Soldiers; every soldier knew the strong adversary would soon appear, yet they were grateful their presence had not been revealed thus far.
"Order the army to halt and prepare for battle."
Suddenly, leading from the front, Wang Zhifan called for his Red Deer Horse to stop, issuing a directive to the young officer beside him.
"Your Majesty... why so? The scouts have not detected enemy forces."
The young officer did not imdiately execute Wang Zhifan’s order; versed in so familial military knowledge, he argued that such rash actions depleted the soldiers’ energy, directly rebuffing the command.
Wang Zhifan did not fault him; he rely raised his hand and pointed to the ground ahead, stating:
"Enemies are far yet near at hand."
"Huh?"
The young officer swiftly waved his flag, signaling the troops behind to halt, observing the ground Wang Zhifan had indicated closely.
At first glance, there appeared nothing remarkable, just a dirt road filled with giant footprints they had seen many tis, but upon closer inspection for several seconds, the young officer noticed the center of the footprints seed slightly protruded from the ground, appearing sowhat out of place.
"Those are... the heads of Terracotta Soldiers hidden underground?! How cunning the Terracotta Soldiers can be!"
He quickly realized this discovery, sweating profusely behind him, grateful Wang Zhifan commanded the troops to stop ahead of ti. Otherwise, had they proceeded onto the Terracotta Soldiers’ heads, they would have faced devastating defeat; should the enemy erge from beneath, the cavalry soldiers would be overturned and eradicated within monts!
"Instruct the soldiers to find a way to extract them; we shall engage honorably."
Then, Wang Zhifan issued the next set of orders.
"Your Majesty... Our army is not fit to confront forcefully now; it’s best to retreat first."
The young officer hesitated briefly then answered, considering that even if they uncovered the opponent’s plot, they stood little chance of winning, yet retreating now would likely pose no issue, given the Terracotta Army’s relatively slow pace.
"Follow my orders."
Wang Zhifan disregarded his opinion, firmly insisting on the command’s execution.
Typically, pressing on during life-and-death monts would easily foster discord between ranks, but this young officer did not challenge the persistent Wang Zhifan. He recalled qualities Wang Zhifan had demonstrated during the journey, which were not those of a reckless type. That he noticed the concealed Terracotta Army before both scouts and himself indicated he must be a ticulous individual; how could such a person commit crude errors?
Thus, having initially established trust in Wang Zhifan, the young officer swiftly passed on orders, directing soldiers to agitate the Terracotta Soldiers hidden beneath by pouring from opened water bags onto their heads, allowing their most abhorrent moisture to saturate their bodies.
Sure enough, after this maneuver, the Terracotta Soldiers hidden underground soon beca restless. While the nuisance inflicted would not substantially affect them, this behavior of the enemy indicated exposure; continuing to hide would rely be self-deception.
Rumble~
Thus, amidst tremors beneath their feet, Feng Country soldiers watched as one after another of these three- to four-ter tall, rustic "earth-n" vertically erged from underground, displaying no manifest difficulty against their towering build, clearly revealing their capability to navigate the earthen environnt freely—it was their terrain.
"Feng Country people! To think you’ve managed to uncover my Tao Country’s Array of Concealnt! If you surrender your supplies today, my Terracotta Army might spare your lives!"
A hole erged at the chest of a ochre-colored Terracotta Soldier, from which a man’s upper body revealed. His tone conveyed surprise combined with disdain towards the Feng Country army, suggesting they realized their failure in the ambush and that defeating this force would not be easy, conflicting with their original plans, hence preferring to intimidate and swindle.
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