Chapter 49: All That Flashy Show Is Useless

Beneath the walls of Shangdang, the scene of a great army pressing upon the city had already been set—several thousand Hedong troops advanced menacingly, establishing camps to the north and east, threatening the city. As for Shangdang itself, all four gates were tightly shut, and the entire city was steeped in an atmosphere of "anxious dread," even the banners fluttering atop the walls in the wind seeming unusually listless.

Of course, both inside and outside the city maintained a tacit understanding.

To prevent certain unmentionable accidents from occurring, the garrison troops defending the city had been replaced with soldiers of the Third Army of the Longqi.

The Luzhou troops originally stationed there had all been moved outside the city, divided into two battalions and encamped together with the Longqi Army—officially dubbed "integration training" for the convenience of coordinated operations. With morale fully secured, no one found anything amiss with this arrangement, or perhaps they knew in their hearts but held their tongues.

"They've stopped?" In the commander's tent, Liu Chengyou was somewhat surprised to hear the scout's report.

At the question, the soldier, bowing low, repeated himself: "After the Khitan forces entered Luzhou territory, they halted their advance and ceased moving north—they've been stopped for over an hour now!"

"What about Han Tong?"

"Captain Han is still leading men to skirmish with the Khitan scouts, keeping watch on the enemy!"

"Geng Chongmei stopped advancing—what's the reason for this?" Liu Chengyou asked subconsciously.

Previously, Liu Chengyou had intended to employ some cunning schemes, hoping to lure the Liao army at Gaoping northward so he could strike them at his leisure after waiting in comfort. After several feints and deceptive maneuvers, Geng Chongmei had indeed moved his troops, breaking camp and heading north, and Liu Chengyou had made quite a show of activity in Shangdang to coordinate.

Logically speaking, barring unexpected developments, everything should have proceeded according to Liu Chengyou's plan. Yet now, it seemed an unexpected development had occurred.

How could a lowly soldier possibly answer Liu Chengyou's question? He blinked his eyes, looking dazed.

"Perhaps it's just a routine rest." Seeing Liu Chengyou look his way, Xiang Xun offered a guess.

"Having received the distress call, with Shangdang in imminent peril, he should be rushing his troops forward to aid us," Liu Chengyou said.

Xiang Xun, however, shook his head and explained: "Your Highness said it yourself earlier—Gaoping and Shangdang are a hundred li apart, with mountain ridges in between. Under the circumstances of our army 'pressing upon the city,' rushing a hundred li to come to the rescue is inherently quite dangerous. The Khitan army would not fail to take that into account."

"Put that way, it does make sense!" Liu Chengyou nodded.

Xiang Xun paused briefly, then continued: "Moreover, if Shangdang had not fallen into our hands and were still in Zhao Xingqian's possession, then even if the Khitan army merely camped a few dozen li away, it would still suffice to exert a deterrent effect. How would our army dare to assault the city with an enemy at our backs? Perhaps that Geng Chongmei has considered this as well..."

After hearing Xiang Xun's analysis, Liu Chengyou was taken aback for a moment—not because he thought the man's words lacked reason, but because he was beginning to realize that he seemed to have oversimplified matters. No matter how often he silently reminded himself that war was no child's play, when it actually came down to it, he still couldn't help making assumptions and viewing things too one-sidedly.

Quickly steadying his mind, Liu Chengyou instructed the soldier who had come to report: "Send word to Han Tong—scout again, and keep a tight watch on the Khitan army's movements!"

"Yes!"

After the soldier withdrew, Liu Chengyou wore a blank expression, pacing several steps with his hands clasped behind his back. After a long while, he raised his head to look at Xiang Xun: "I have a vague premonition that this plan of waiting at ease to lure the enemy is unlikely to succeed..."

Hearing this, Xiang Xun cast a slightly surprised glance at Liu Chengyou, the corner of his mouth curving just a touch: "Your Highness, let us see how the enemy situation develops."

"That's all we can do." Liu Chengyou took a deep breath: "Has Li Chongju returned yet?"

Li Chongju was the personal guard Liu Chengyou had sent to the Liao camp to "request aid." He was a native of Shangdang, a young man of honest and extremely disciplined character, taciturn and reserved—much like Liu Chengyou himself.

Liu Chengyou's question was truly a waste of words—if the man had returned, there would be no reason for him not to report to his lord.

"Nothing's happened to him, has it?" Liu Chengyou murmured under his breath, his brow gradually knitting together.

Before long, news from the Liao army came again. Not only had the enemy failed to continue northward, they had instead set up camp along the contours of Yangtou Mountain, showing no intention whatsoever of advancing.

Such news weighed Liu Chengyou's heart down further—until Li Chongju returned.

"What's going on with the enemy?" Gazing at the young guard, Liu Chengyou didn't realize that a note of impatience had crept into his tone.

Li Chongju was only in his twenties, but the man appeared extremely composed—that kind of steady, honest, and simple composure. He quickly recounted the situation at the enemy camp and his audience with Geng Chongmei.

"After I requested an audience with Geng Chongmei, I was imprisoned. It wasn't until this morning that the enemy broke camp and marched north, halting at Yangtou Mountain. Afterward, Geng Chongmei received me again and had me return to report to 'Zhao Xingqian'—telling him to abandon Shangdang and head south, where he would lead the Khitan forces to receive him..." Li Chongju reported: "Your Highness, that Geng Chongmei seems to harbor suspicions!"

After hearing Li Chongju's report, Liu Chengyou's face twitched. He was no fool to begin with, and connecting this with the enemy's movements, he couldn't help but sigh: "I wonder where things went wrong?"

"Suspicion—there is certainly suspicion. However, Geng Chongmei sending Li Chongju back with this message is likely a test!" Xiang Xun interjected.

Liu Chengyou slowly sank into deep thought.

"Your Highness, how should we reply to Geng Chongmei? Should I make another trip?"

Li Chongju's questioning brought Liu Chengyou back to his senses. Looking at him, he said directly: "If you go again, I fear you won't even keep your life. Never mind—you've worked hard. Go rest."

"Yes."

After a moment, Liu Chengyou's expression returned to its usual calm, though a faint trace of unwillingness flickered in his eyes.

"This scheme of mine was far too presumptuous—I was fighting a paper war, thinking of war too simply. What lure-the-enemy plan? They simply didn't take the bait, and I've only made myself a laughingstock..." With only Liu Chengyou and Xiang Xun in the tent, Liu Chengyou engaged in self-criticism, his tone full of self-mockery.

Seeing Liu Chengyou in this state, Xiang Xun gently consoled him: "Your Highness need not be disheartened. In this world today, most who serve as generals rely on hot-blooded valor and brute force. Your Highness seeks to be a wise general, subduing others with strategy—how far superior you are to those mere men of courage!"

"Facing the enemy in battle is ever-changing by the moment; one must adapt to circumstances, make decisions on the spot, and respond flexibly. How could anything proceed without alteration, entirely according to plan? As for this Geng Chongmei, none of us are familiar with him—if we don't know the general, how can we possibly predict his responses?"

Xiang Xun's words naturally made sense, but as Liu Chengyou listened, he detected something slightly off. He suddenly asked: "It seems you had already anticipated this situation?"

Meeting Liu Chengyou's gaze, Xiang Xun shook his head very calmly: "I hardly have such foresight. It's just that I discussed it with Patrol Inspector Guo—if Geng Chongmei were cautious, he would never recklessly charge north..."

"Guo Rong?" Liu Chengyou raised an eyebrow, his mood seemingly already back to normal: "Why didn't the two of you remind me?"

"Ah." Xiang Xun opened his mouth, considered briefly, then answered with a smile: "If that Geng Chongmei were a reckless fool who charged north without a care, then Your Highness's plan would have been a brilliant stratagem..."

Glancing at Xiang Xun, Liu Chengyou waved his hand with some listlessness: "I never thought you, Xiang Xun, would be so silver-tongued."

At this moment, he was reflecting deeply—the battlefield was no place for showing off clever schemes. The human heart was always the hardest thing to fathom; to insist one-sidedly on strategy would likely end with oneself being the one lost. In war, strategy was certainly important, but sometimes one had to rely on hard strength.

With that, he rose to his feet and began to think seriously: "Since Geng Chongmei won't take the bait, we'll have to change our approach!"