While Pang Tong was preparing to wipe out the entire Yizhou force, Yan Yan was also quite pleased. Although his defeat at Sun Ce's hands left him somewhat disheartened, his years of experience allowed him to gauge the strength of Sun Ce’s army accurately.
After returning to his camp, Yan Yan looked displeased. He realized that Zheng Du was correct—Sun Ce's reinforcements were indeed stronger than the previous garrison troops they had faced. The probing had been necessary after all.
"How did it go, General Yan?" Zheng Du asked with a smile.
"Just as you said, this Sun Ce's army is indeed stronger than the previous garrison troops. They may only be slightly weaker than our own forces, and Sun Ce himself is not inferior to me in strength," Yan Yan replied with a bitter smile.
"My soldiers have been victorious in every battle since leaving Yizhou. Their morale is high, and they’ve been equipped with my personal guards' weapons and armor. If it weren't for my legion’s talent, we might have been completely routed by the enemy’s elite troops," Yan Yan added as he saw Zheng Du deep in thought.
"Is that so?" Zheng Du's face lit up with joy.
"Indeed, even with our numerical advantage, defeating them completely would be extremely difficult," Yan Yan said helplessly.
"If that’s the case, then all the better," Zheng Du said with a smile. "General, please summon Advisor Zhang and Official Liu for a discussion. With this information, I believe we can thoroughly defeat the enemy in the coming days."
Hearing this, Yan Yan was overjoyed. Any general loves to win battles, and Yan Yan was no exception. Knowing that Zheng Du had a solid plan in mind, he immediately ordered the drums to be sounded to summon his officers to a council of war.
Soon, Zhang Song and Liu Ba were back in Yan Yan's tent. After analyzing the situation based on Yan Yan's report, they were all satisfied with Zheng Du’s plan, although there were some concerns about potential losses.
"This plan could result in significant casualties," Liu Ba said, frowning. "After all, General Yan mentioned that the enemy’s elite troops are stronger than our ordinary soldiers. Even if their troops are only slightly weaker overall, the enemy’s morale is high since they’ve just arrived."
"That’s why we need to strike hard while our morale is at its peak and break their spirits in one go," Zheng Du said with a stern expression. "This strategy is difficult at first but will become easier as it progresses. If the first step succeeds, our momentum will grow, and we can pursue them relentlessly. If everything goes as planned, we could win five battles in a row and take Shanyang."
Liu Ba’s brow furrowed deeply. He had to admit that Zheng Du’s reasoning was sound. This was indeed a situation where winning the first battle could secure victory in the subsequent ones. In fact, if they won the first battle decisively, they might not even need to fight five more.
"What if we fail to defeat them in the first battle? Or what if the enemy is tenacious and cannot be easily routed?" Zhang Song asked, acknowledging the wisdom in Zheng Du’s strategy but also considering possible setbacks.
"General Yan, if I’m not mistaken, your legion’s talent doesn’t show its full effect during a winning battle, but rather, it has a special function in certain situations, correct?" Zheng Du turned to Yan Yan.
"My legion’s talent doesn’t show much effect when we have the upper hand, but when my troops are tired, facing defeat, or on the verge of collapse, it gives them extra resilience," Yan Yan said with a bitter smile. He felt that his legion’s talent was practically useless.
Zhang Song’s eyes suddenly lit up as he immediately grasped Zheng Du’s intention. He quickly asked, "General Yan, how many soldiers can your legion’s talent cover?"
"It can cover two to three thousand men, but it doesn’t seem to be of much use, regardless of the number," Yan Yan said, pulling a wry face. If this talent could increase their combat power, even by one percent, it would be strong enough, but it only seemed to make the troops more resilient in difficult situations.
"Let's go for it," Zhang Song said decisively.
"What's there to hesitate about? Since we’re already in an advantageous position, why worry? Let’s go ahead with it!" Liu Ba added, understanding that Yan Yan’s talent was perfect for ensuring that their troops would not collapse in battle.
The thought of General Yan being killed and the legion’s talent being disrupted was brushed off. In their minds, it was almost impossible to kill an Inner Qi Master who wanted to escape. Throughout history, no Inner Qi Master had ever been killed when they were determined to flee.
"General, if you had such a useful legion’s talent, you should have told us earlier!" Zhang Song said, patting Yan Yan on the shoulder.
"..." Yan Yan was dumbfounded. To him, this talent seemed utterly useless in terms of increasing their combat strength.
"Since the General has such an ability, why don’t we split our forces into four and wipe out the enemy completely? Even if something goes wrong, we won’t be routed, and at worst, we can fall back to Shanyang," Zhang Song suggested with a vicious grin.
Knowing that they wouldn’t face a complete rout, they were willing to take any risks. Zhang Song pointed out four key locations on the map, planning to take them all in one sweep.
"In that case, we should gamble on which direction the enemy will try to break out and then ambush them. A single decisive strike could allow us to take everything west of Yiling!" Liu Ba added fiercely.
With no fear of suffering a massive defeat, there was no need for concern. They would employ the most dangerous strategies, confident that even if they faced a setback, it wouldn’t be disastrous. The more dangerous the plan, the less likely the enemy would expect it.
"We’ll push relentlessly, never stopping!" Zheng Du said coldly. "Since General Yan’s legion’s talent increases the troops’ resilience, we’ll make full use of it in this plan."
Zhang Song and Liu Ba worked with Zheng Du to refine the plan, crafting a strategy that was incredibly bold and dangerous. Even Yan Yan, after seeing the plan, felt that one misstep could lead to their complete annihilation.
"Don’t worry, General. As long as your legion’s talent works as you’ve described, there won’t be any problems. Trust us, your talent is perfect for this kind of risky plan. There’s no need to fear any unexpected events," Zhang Song and the others reassured the now somewhat exasperated Yan Yan, who was beginning to doubt the plan’s wisdom.
"This plan leaves no room for error. One mistake and we’ll be routed!" Yan Yan said, bewildered.
"Your talent is precisely what’s needed to handle such situations. Besides, think about it—if we succeed, everything west of Yiling will be ours. Don’t you trust your soldiers, General?" Zhang Song quickly countered, persuading Yan Yan. This plan could only be executed with Yan Yan’s approval; without him, it wouldn’t work.
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