I run a training class in Shu Han

Chapter 100 Matchup

Is information a competitive advantage?

Zhang Bao, who was standing to the side, was also full of doubts after hearing this.

"Anguo, when did His Majesty say such things? How come I didn't know?"

You two are in the same class, there's no reason why you know and I don't.

Seeing that he was persistent, Guan Xing whispered, "These are His Majesty's annotations on my graduation thesis, so you naturally wouldn't know them."

Liu Shan had a habit of annotating the graduation theses of students in regular classes.

The annotation given to Guan Xing was "Information is an advantage".

It's important to understand that Guan Xing's paper deals with large-scale military operations. The more battlefield information one has, the fewer mistakes one will make, and the higher one's chances of winning will be.

A dejected Meng Huo was brought before Li Hui once again.

"General Meng, how is it?"

This time, Meng Huo neither struggled nor cursed.

He stood there straight, head slightly raised, looking nothing like a loser.

"Commander Li," he suddenly spoke, "do you dare to fight me again?"

Li Hui was somewhat disappointed and sighed briefly, "How could I dare not!"

"It's not that I'm fickle, but that the battle just now was truly unfair."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Bao became furious and rushed forward, pressing his face close to his and cursing, "Hey, you old scoundrel! You're supposed to be a powerful figure in your own right, yet you've been defeated by my two brothers, and you're still trying to argue your way out of this? You're shameless!"

"You brought the map, so you know the terrain like the back of your hand. I only lost because I didn't know the terrain," Meng Huo argued.

Li Hui said, "General Meng, this is Guan Xing's first time in the South and the first time he has seen this map. It was not given to him privately by this commander."

"Absolutely impossible!" Meng Huo said righteously, "You Han people are so cunning, protecting each other and tricking me into this trap."

"General Meng, you may not know this, but Guan Xing studied at the Imperial Academy in Chengdu for half a year. One of the courses there was called 'Topography,' which involved creating topographical maps of every mountain and river in the Han Dynasty. Although the terrain of this valley is inconspicuous, just by looking at the map, one can know all the mountains and rivers here by heart."

Meng Huo retorted, "I don't believe it. How can anyone memorize a map the first time they see it?"

Zhang Bao chimed in, "You don't believe me? When I looked at this map just now, the real mountains and rivers were clearly visible. If you were me, I would have captured you alive, instead of politely inviting you down the mountain."

Meng Huo didn't believe Zhang Bao's words at all. If he hadn't been familiar with the map beforehand, how could he have known all the terrain features in such a short time?

Li Hui laughed and said, "General Meng, you may not know this, but in the Imperial Academy, if you want to do well in the 'Topography' class, you have to make your own sand table. It not only shows mountains and rivers, cities and passes, but also the deployment of troops."

"Every student must personally practice warfare on it; this is basic operation."

Basic?

You mean that for generals who come from this Imperial Academy, interpreting diagrams and deducing these operations is basic?

Meng Huo was secretly alarmed.

It's important to know that very few of his troops could read maps, let alone deduce the offensive and defensive strategies of both sides on a map.

After a long silence, he resolutely squeezed out five words through his teeth.

"I'm still not convinced."

Li Hui frowned, quite disappointed.

Meng Huo gritted his teeth and said, "He defeated me because he knew more about the terrain than I did. That's not real skill. Real skill is fighting a fair and square battle on equal footing with equal troops."

Li Hui asked, "General Meng, how would you like to compete?"

Meng Huo thought for a moment and said, "Each of us will lead one hundred men, line up in formation on the plain, and fight a fair battle."

Without hesitation, Guan Xing replied, "Okay, it's a deal."

While Meng Huo was making preparations, Li Hui called Guan Xing over.

Before he could speak, Guan Xing clasped his hands and said, "Rest assured, Commander, I am confident of victory in this battle."

Li Hui hesitated for a moment, then sighed, "Anguo, I know you come from a military family, but the barbarian soldiers under Meng Huo are brave and fierce, and they are really difficult to deal with."

In terms of pure combat strength, these Yi people in the south are far stronger than regular troops.

Li Hui feared that after learning some skills at the Imperial Academy, the boy might become reckless and underestimate the enemy, thus delaying important matters.

"Reporting to the Governor, although the barbarians are strong, they are just a rabble and nothing to fear."

Guan Xing grabbed Zhang Bao by the back of the neck and dragged him over.

"With Xingguo here, I am sure I can capture Meng Huo alive."

About half an hour later, both sides finished assembling their troops and lined up in formation in the valley.

After a short rest, the morale of the hundred-strong Yi people's group was restored.

Inspired by Meng Huo, the Yi people roared with determination, vowing to avenge their previous humiliation.

Armed with spears and short knives, they formed a neat square formation, ready to charge forward at the command.

On the Han army's side, Guan Xing was making intensive preparations.

Although they were also arranged in square formations, the number of people in the front, middle and rear armies, the number of people on the flanks, and the weapons used by each army were all strictly in accordance with the requirements, unlike the other side which was more arbitrary.

"What gives you the right to order me around?"

Zhang Bao led ten soldiers and was assigned to the left wing, which made him somewhat dissatisfied.

He originally wanted to stand at the forefront and lead by example, but he never expected to become part of the mobile support force.

In addition, he was about the same age as Guan Xing, and their strength and abilities were comparable, so he was somewhat dissatisfied with obeying Guan Xing.

"Military orders are absolute; do you intend to disobey?"

With a major battle imminent, Guan Xing invoked military orders, as he did not want any trouble to arise in his troops.

"Don't try to scare me with military orders. I'm following Commander Li's orders, not yours, kid."

Guan Xing said with a smile, "Xingguo, if we defeat Meng Huo in this battle, you will be the number one hero. The governor will definitely praise you in front of His Majesty and the prime minister. This year's achievements will be remarkable."

Zhang Bao nodded repeatedly after hearing this.

"Alright, I'll follow your orders for now. But if you dare ruin my performance, I'll never forgive you."

Guan Xing nodded while secretly chuckling.

Zhang Bao is someone who responds better to gentle persuasion than force; as long as you go along with him a little, he'll obediently listen to you.

Once everything was ready, the two sides began to fight.

At Meng Huo's command, the Yi soldiers, wielding all sorts of weapons, charged towards the Han army's formation.

Seeing the enemy's fierce approach, Zhang Bao gripped his weapon tightly, ready to meet them head-on, when he heard Guan Xing issue an order.

"defense!"

Military orders are absolute. The soldiers in the front ranks of the Han army immediately changed formation, with shield bearers in front and spearmen behind, forming a solid defensive line that successfully blocked the first wave of attack from the barbarian phalanx.

Logically, after blocking the first wave of the enemy's attack, the spearmen or swordsmen behind the shieldmen should immediately launch a counterattack and engage the enemy in close combat.

However, Guan Xing did not give the order. Instead, he instructed the shield bearers in the front row to continue to maintain their formation and vow not to retreat.

This made Zhang Bao, who was on the flank, scream in panic.

He was confident in his bravery and believed that he could lead his men to charge into the barbarian formation and cause them to collapse.

However, Guan Xing did not intend to launch an attack, but instead held his ground step by step, prioritizing the maintenance of the defensive formation.

Seeing this, Meng Huo laughed heartily and continued to command his troops to launch a fierce attack from his banner at the rear.

The barbarians were wild and warlike, and seeing that the Han army only defended and did not attack, their competitive spirit swelled even more.

"General Zhang, there's an opening on the enemy's flank, it's an opportunity!" shouted a soldier beside Zhang Bao. "General, let's charge!"

Zhang Bao knew perfectly well that the enemy's flank was a weak point, but he did not act rashly. He shouted, "Shut up! The commander-in-chief is that kid Guan Xing now. Without a military order, no one is allowed to move an inch."

"Hold on, hold on!"

The two armies remained locked in a stalemate for a long time, and the barbarian soldiers were unable to break through the Han army's defenses.

"move!"

At this moment, Guan Xing, who was in the rear, gave an order, and the Han army's flanks began to slowly unfold.

As the Han army's formation shifted, the Yi people's attack formation also changed accordingly.

The troops that were originally concentrated in the middle lane gradually dispersed.

This greatly reduced the pressure on the Han army's central route.

"Surround them!"

Guan Xing seized the opportunity and immediately issued an order, and the two wings spread out like eagles, slowly encircling the barbarian army formation.

Seeing the situation was not good, Meng Huo immediately ordered his troops to hold the line and avoid being surrounded by the Han army.

However, after the formation began to loosen, the barbarian army began to panic. Although the barbarian soldiers were brave, they lacked training.

When the formation changes, they don't know how to move, and the gaps become larger and larger.

"attack!"

Seeing that the time was ripe, Guan Xing gave an order, commanding Zhang Bao on the flank to immediately launch an attack and strike at the heart of the enemy's stronghold.

Having been holding back for so long, Zhang Bao shouted after seeing the military order, "Brothers, we've been holding it in for so long, it's time to vent our anger!"

"Charge with me!"