Chapter 42: Laying out plans half a month in advance? The strategist is truly far-sighted! Are you praising me or scolding me?

Everyone's eyes gathered once more upon Xiao Fang.

They remembered now.

During the previous military council, Xiao Fang had indeed mentioned that he had arbitrarily arranged a hidden chess piece in advance, one that could help Liu Bei swiftly capture Wancheng.

It was only because of the sudden interruption of accepting Zhang Xiu's surrender that the matter was set aside.

With the old topic brought up once again, Liu Bei's spirits instantly lifted as he hurriedly asked:

"What brilliant move has the Strategist planted? Bei wishes to hear the details."

Xiao Fang picked up his warm tea, took a leisurely sip, and then spoke:

"Before the Battle of Biyang, I had already selected a general, leading over two hundred elite soldiers, disguised as commoners, to travel north and lie in ambush near Wancheng."

"When Zhang Xiu was routed and My Lord led the army northward, the countryfolk and scholars around Wancheng, fearing the scourge of war, would inevitably flee in swarms toward Wancheng."

"The two hundred men I stationed there blended seamlessly among the refugees and routed soldiers, slipping into the city unnoticed and hiding quietly away."

"These two hundred men are the hidden chess pieces I planted within Wancheng."

Sipping his tea, Xiao Fang revealed the mystery.

Everyone came to a sudden realization, and the tent immediately buzzed with discussion.

"Before the Battle of Biyang? Wasn't that more than half a month ago?"

"At that time, Zhang Xiu had not yet been defeated. Jinglue, you had already made such preparations for the capture of Wancheng?"

"Such profound foresight is truly, truly..."

Liu Bei's eyes widened, momentarily unable to find suitable words to describe his admiration and astonishment.

The tent broke into discussion once more, and the gazes cast toward Xiao Fang carried a few more layers of respect.

"Strategist Jinglue, we hadn't even dealt with Zhang Xiu back then, and you were already plotting against Wancheng?"

"To be honest, you are truly cunning. I am completely convinced."

Zhang Fei raised his thumb and showered him with fervent praise.

Only, the phrasing of this praise sounded somehow suspiciously like an insult...

Xiao Fang gave a few dry coughs, looking slightly awkward.

"Yide, is that any way to praise someone?"

Liu Bei glared at Zhang Fei and said with a huff:

"How can you call Jinglue cunning? This is called profound foresight!"

Zhang Fei was startled. Only then did he catch the meaning, and he quickly gave his own mouth a light slap.

"I said the wrong thing again. I'm a rough man and don't understand all those fancy scholarly terms. Don't take it to heart, Strategist, if my praise came out wrong~~"

Scratching the back of his head, Zhang Fei offered a sheepish smile to appease Xiao Fang.

Knowing that Zhang Fei was straightforward and spoke without thinking, Xiao Fang naturally wouldn't hold it against him and merely responded with a smile.

With his smile fading, Zhang Fei changed the subject and asked:

"Strategist, I have another question. How do you plan to use these two hundred men who sneaked into Wancheng to help my elder brother capture the city?"

The main hall fell quiet, and everyone's gaze returned to Xiao Fang.

Xiao Fang's gaze, however, turned toward his young brother-in-law beside him, who was busy carving bamboo slips and taking notes.

"A-liang, in your view, how should My Lord utilize these two hundred men to break Wancheng?"

Xiao Fang was once again testing and training Zhuge Liang, while conveniently providing him with another opportunity to display his tactical genius before Liu Bei and his fellow officials.

After all, nurturing him early so that Zhuge Liang could reach the realm of the "Crouching Dragon" ahead of schedule and shoulder heavy responsibilities sooner would allow him a bit more leisure time.

Pressure wasn't a beauty; there was no need to hoard every bit of it. One had to know how to share...

Zhuge Liang put away his knife and brush, pondered for a moment, and then said:

"Zhang Ji has fewer than four thousand troops in Wancheng. If distributed evenly, each gate has fewer than a thousand men. For Zhang Ji, his biggest weakness right now is a lack of manpower."

"Liang believes that My Lord can use a small force to feign a fierce assault on the West Gate, forcing Zhang Ji to transfer troops from all other gates to the West Gate. Consequently, the defenses at the remaining gates will inevitably become weak."

"At that moment, our two hundred inner agents inside the city can raise fires as a signal and launch a simultaneous surprise attack on one of the other three gates alongside our main force outside the city."

"The enemy's forces at that particular gate will be thin, and under a pincer attack from both inside and outside, it can easily be broken!"

"Liang surmises that this is how my brother-in-law intends to use this hidden chess piece. I wonder if I am correct or not."

Hearing Zhuge Liang's tactical layout, Xiao Fang nodded slightly to show his approval.

Having experienced numerous battles of varying scales from Xuzhou to Nanyang, Zhuge Liang had absorbed a vast amount through osmosis. His strategic insight could be said to be advancing by leaps and bounds, bringing him one step closer to becoming the true Crouching Dragon.

"General Yide, now you should understand how to use this hidden move to break Wancheng."

Xiao Fang smiled as he looked at Zhang Fei.

Zhang Fei chewed on the thought for a good while before the logic finally clicked, prompting him to nod in praise:

"Strategist Jinglue, your brother-in-law is so young yet possesses such tactical genius. Truly impressive."

"Not a single person around you is mediocre. Is this what they call birds of a feather flocking together?"

Zhang Fei's "praise" prompted muffled laughter from everyone present. Even Wei Yan, who was normally devoid of smiles, barely managed to hold back his amusement.

"Yide, O Yide, listen to a piece of advice from your brother: you had better praise the Strategist less in the future..."

A look of helplessness crossed Liu Bei's face as he shook his head in bitter laughter.

"Ah—did I say the wrong thing again..."

Zhang Fei rubbed his head, muttering indistinctly to himself.

Liu Bei, however, had already dismissed his wry smile. A fighting spirit ignited on his face, and he declared joyfully:

"You have all heard clearly. We shall follow the Strategist's plan: first make a feint to the east while attacking the west, then coordinate from the inside and outside to break Wancheng!"

The generals' spirits soared, and they accepted their orders with high morale.

Thus, the plan to capture the city was finalized. Specific details were subsequently discussed, and the generals dispersed to carry out their respective assignments.

Two days later, at nightfall.

Inside the South Gate camp.

Nearly five thousand Liu army soldiers, having partaken of a hearty meal, were high-spirited and waiting in full battle array.

Liu Bei donned his armor and gripped his sword, his blade-like gaze fixed upon the South Gate of Wancheng.

By the light of the fires, soldiers of Zhang Ji's army could be vaguely seen patrolling back and forth atop the city tower.

Time flowed on as the moon crossed the zenith.

"My Lord, the appointed time has arrived. You should first send the signal to Wenchan."

Xiao Fang, standing side by side with him on horseback, reminded him.

Liu Bei immediately issued the order.

Moments later, a pillar of beacon smoke rose into the sky above the rear camp.

Not long after, from the direction of the West Gate of Wancheng, the faint sounds of drums and battle cries drifted over.

That was Wei Yan, acting on orders, leading a thousand men with beating drums and clashing gongs to feign a massive assault on the West Gate.

Next, they would wait for Zhang Ji to deploy his main force entirely to the West Gate, which would be the signal to execute the second step.

The entire camp of soldiers was raring to fight, staring with burning excitement toward the South Gate.

Zhang Fei's eyes burned with fire, eager to charge out at once and trample the South Gate flat.

"Strategist, there is one more thing Bei forgot to ask: who is the commander leading the two hundred inner agents chosen by the Strategist?"

Only then did Liu Bei recall the most crucial matter.

After all, the ability of this commanding officer concerned the success or failure of the entire plan; only a courageous, calm, and capable general could shoulder such a heavy responsibility.

"The person Fang selected is named Chen Dao, style name Shuzhi. My Lord should remember him."

Xiao Fang uttered a name.

"Chen Dao, Chen Shuzhi..."

Liu Bei's thoughts drifted briefly before he suddenly recalled:

"I remember now. Back when we were in Runan, aside from the Yellow Turban chieftains like Gong Du, quite a few local heroes of Runan came to join us."

"If Bei remembers correctly, this Chen Shuzhi brought two hundred retainers to join us at that time. I also remember that the helmets of those two hundred retainers were all adorned with white bird feathers. It seemed to be called... called what kind of troops..."

Liu Bei pinched the bridge of his nose, momentarily failing to recall the name.